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After a lacklustre group-stage performance, defending co-champions Scotland showed they still had enough in the tank after a two-day gap to see off the tournament hosts with George Munsey’s second half-century of the event laying the platform for a lopsided 90-run win over UAE. The result clinched Scotland’s second straight trip to the T20 World Cup and fourth appearance overall.Netherlands had executed a brilliant plan to negate Munsey’s bread-and-butter scoring option, the reverse sweep, in Scotland’s last group match on Sunday. But UAE had no answers to the shot on Wednesday as Munsey cracked a pair of sixes with the shot off Sultan Ahmed to get his innings going in the third over, and he never looked back.Along with captain Kyle Coetzer, Munsey added 87 for the opening stand in 11.2 overs, scoring just as efficiently against pace as he did against spin. Munsey flicked Waheed Ahmed’s medium pace over square leg and midwicket for two more sixes in the tenth over to go to 49 before a single in the next over raised a 33-ball half-century. The stand ended when Coetzer swatted Junaid Siddique’s medium pace to Muhammad Usman at long-off for 34. Munsey fell in the 14th over off a candidate for catch of the tournament, Rameez Shahzad plucking a lofted drive one-handed leaping at long-off.Rameez Shahzad takes a leaping one-handed stunner on the boundary at long-off•Peter Della Penna

But the faintest glimmer of hope UAE had of clawing back into the match was quickly washed away with the arrival of Richie Berrington at No. 4. The Scotland vice-captain only failed to score off the first and last balls he faced. In between were 16 balls of fury as he commenced a merciless assault at the death.Waheed’s medium pace was slog-swept for six before a slower ball was hammered back over his head for another six in the 16th over. There was no respite when he fell in the 18th over to Rohan Mustafa either, as Calum MacLeod finished the innings with three fours in the final over before being run out off the last ball as Scotland finished two shy of reaching 200 for the second time in the tournament.Considering how UAE’s line-up had fared against the Netherlands pace attack a day earlier, their chances of chasing down Scotland’s total were remote and so it proved in the Powerplay. Chirag Suri skied the third ball off Safyaan Sharif and was taken at short fine-leg by Matthew Cross. Mustafa’s wild charge to Josh Davey two overs later resulted in a toe edge behind to make it 12 for 2. Darius D’Silva retired hurt at the end of the Powerplay to leave UAE further in a hole, at 35 for 2, and the chasm only grew wider when their best batsman Rameez drove a catch to Munsey on the off-side boundary off Mark Watt’s left-arm spin in the ninth over to make it 55 for 3.The slide accelerated a few overs later when UAE’s middle order lost four wickets in eight balls to effectively end the match. Waheed was bounced out by Berrington with a slower ball flicked to short fine-leg. Muhammad Usman skied a drive to long-on where Michael Leask charged in for a fantastic sliding catch. Two balls later, Sultan Ahmed played inside the line of a stock delivery from Watt to be bowled for a golden duck before MacLeod’s part-time offspin resulted in a pull to deep square-leg by Mohammad Boota to make it 84 for 7.D’Silva eventually returned to the crease but Sharif wound up cleaning up the tail. A miscued slog was skied back to Sharif for the final wicket and UAE were bowled out with nine balls unused.Scotland now move into the fifth-place playoff for T20 World Cup seeding purposes against Oman, who beat Hong Kong.

Baroda and Karnataka surged to the top of the Super League groups A and B, winning their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on Friday. While Baroda held off Delhi by a solitary run, Karnataka beat Jharkhand by 13 runs in a game they looked like they would win at a canter at one stage. The victories gave them both eight points each from two matches.Rajasthan and Jharkhand, who have both had a close defeat each in high-scoring games, now find themselves with two defeats in as many Super League games, making a spot in the semi-finals difficult.Like on Thursday, there were IPL scouts from at least four franchises in attendance for the matches, making performances in the Super League particularly crucial given the IPL auction that is scheduled for December 19.Baroda v Delhi
A combined effort by the Delhi bowlers kept Baroda to 151 for 6. However, Delhi’s chase stuttered and finished on 150 for 9. Babashafi Pathan, the right-arm medium-pacer, took 3 for 24 for Baroda, while Kunwar Bidhuri fought a lone battle for Delhi.Bhiduri, handed a game due to Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, had a sparkling T20 debut, hitting 68 off 51 balls at the top of the order. However, he lacked support from the rest of the Delhi batsmen. He was ninth out at the start of the 20th over. Delhi needed 19 to win from the remaining five balls and though Suboth Bhati swung his bat during an unbeaten 20 off 8 balls, Delhi could make only 17 runs.Baroda didn’t have any batsman making a standout innings, though Aditya Waghmode continued his good form, top-scoring with 36 off 31 while opening. Only Deepak Hooda (26 off 19) among the other batsmen crossed 20, though useful contributions right through meant Baroda got to a competitive – and eventually winning – total.Tamil Nadu v Mumbai
Tamil Nadu put behind a comprehensive defeat to Karnataka to hand the other tournament favourites – Mumbai – a resounding loss, by seven wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani had a remarkable day, but the rest of the Mumbai team crumbled.Tamil Nadu’s bowlers ensured Mumbai could get only 121 for 9, despite Mulani hitting 73 off 52 after being promoted to No. 4. R Sai Kishore continued his good run with figures of 3 for 18 in four overs, while M Siddharth took 4 for 16. Prithvi Shaw made 30 off 19 at the top of the order, but no other Mumbai player got into double-figures.Tamil Nadu sent in Shahrukh Khan to partner Hari Nishanth at the top of the order, and the duo gave the team a rapid start. Shahrukh fell in the fourth over, bowled by Mulani, with B Aparajith following him back two balls later. However, Nishanth, who didn’t have a good outing against Karnataka, came to the fore in style, smashing 73* off 44 balls.Mulani took all three wickets to fall – Dinesh Karthik being the third – to complete a fabulous all-round day with figures of 3 for 26 in four overs, but Vijay Shankar ensured he stayed alongside Nishanth as victory was raised in just 13.5 overs.Karnataka v Jharkhand
Put in to bat, Karnataka rocketed off the blocks, before losing their way in the second half of their innings. Their fantastic start nonetheless ensured a sizeable 189 for 6 on the board, and though Jharkhand fought gamely, the required rate was always a touch above what they looked like achieving, eventually finishing on 176 for 5.Karnataka’s start was driven by Devdutt Padikkal – in many ways the batsman of the tournament so far – who raced to 63 off 30 balls in an opening stand that brought 114 in 9.3 overs. His opening partner KL Rahul was more sedate in comparison, while Manish Pandey came in and picked up where Padikkal had left off. However, both men fell shortly thereafter, though at 130 for 3 in 11 overs, Karnataka were still looking at a total well in excess of 200. However, with their three main batsmen gone, the rest of the line-up struggled and could only score at around a run a ball thereon. Left-arm spinner Sonu Singh did most of the damage, with 3 for 28 in four overs. He took out both Rahul and Pandey, and added the wicket of Karun Nair too.Jharkhand’s reply was driven by Virat Singh’s 76* off 44 from No.3, but the batsmen around him couldn’t keep up with the required rate. They needed 87 runs in the last six overs, which is when Virat and Sumit Kumar (23 off 16) cut loose, but though they scored at more than two runs per ball, the eventual target proved too steep.Haryana v Rajasthan
Tight bowling by Haryana gave them a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan with 4.4 overs remaining, with Harshal Patel putting in an all-round show once again.Harshal, who has been opening the batting in this tournament, first took 1 for 19 in his four overs as Rajasthan were restricted to 123 for 8. Ankit Lamba top-scored with 38, but took 41 balls, and only Chandrapal Singh (25* off 14) crossed 20 among other batsmen. Rahul Tewatia, recently traded from Delhi Capitals to Rajasthan Royals, was the most successful bowler, with 3 for 18 in four overs.Interestingly, Haryana opened with two leggies in Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra, while Tewatia – another leggie – was the first change bowler.Harshal led Haryana’s reply, smacking 41 off 25 at the top of the order to be the highest score of the match. Haryana didn’t have too many others contributing, but given the small target, they didn’t need to.

Somerset have confirmed that they will not be appealing against the decision to dock them 12 points for preparing a substandard pitch for the 2019 Championship title decider against Essex.The ECB’s Cricket Disciplinary Committee (CDC) imposed the deduction last month after rating the Taunton surface as ‘poor’, noting its “excessive unevenness of bounce”. While Somerset accepted the charge, they disputed the suggestion that the pitch was not the best they could have produced.However, after reviewing the CDC’s full report and relevant procedures, the club has decided not to appeal because of the “heavy burden of proof” required to overturn the original verdict.”This conclusion has been reached because it is clear that, in order to overturn the decision, the club would have to demonstrate conclusively to the Panel who originally implemented the sanctions that they had come to the wrong decision,” a Somerset statement said. “Such a heavy burden of proof is extremely difficult for any appellant to discharge.”The club are very disappointed with the panel’s decision but has concluded that it is in the best interest of all parties to move forward.”We can now focus on preparing the team and the venue for the demands of the season ahead, with a specific focus on performing successfully, with a highly talented and competitive group of players and a clear focus on developing broader strategies to support this objective through our teams off the field. The club notes the strong message the panel ruling sends to all first-class counties.”Somerset finished the 2019 season second in Division One, 11 points behind Essex, after drawing a rain-affected final game – extending the club’s wait for a maiden Championship title. They will begin 2020 on minus-12 points, with a further, suspended 12-point deduction hanging over them.Somerset’s captain, Tom Abell, denied that the club had set out to produce an up-and-down pitch, but said they would have to deal with the points penalty “as best we can”.”It’s a big blow, nobody wants to start the season 12 points adrift, but we know what we’ve got to do,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The particularly disappointing thing was that we accepted the charge of it being a poor pitch, however, we were also found guilty of not producing the best wicket possible. That was disappointing because we wanted a pitch to spin, we wanted to win the game, but we felt like we were playing on the best pitch available to us.”It’s still obviously pretty raw… but the issue wasn’t the spin, apparently. The reason we got deducted points was because of the surface and the inconsistent bounce… But I can assure you there was no intent to produce a wicket that was going to go up and down. But obviously the punishment’s been handed out, and we’ve got to deal with that as best we can.”

A half-century partnership between Peter Handscomb and a brave Marcus Stoinis was enough for Melbourne Stars to edge Hobart Hurricanes in a rain-affected match in Launceston.Requiring 80 off 11 overs after two rain stoppages in the Hobart Hurricanes innings, Stoinis and Handscomb rescued the Stars from a precarious 2 for 3 with a 52-run partnership before the match was called off after 7.3 overs. Stars were four ahead of the par score.Dale Steyn celebrates the wicket of his compatriot David Miller•Getty Images

Stoinis fell just before the match was abandoned but showed plenty of grit after copping a brutal blow to the helmet from a sharp Riley Meredith delivery early in his innings.After being sent in, the Hurricanes’ top-order struggled against Dale Steyn and Nathan Coulter-Nile in favourable bowling conditions before rain halted play thrice to reduce their innings to 11 overs.Stars’ quicks menace before rain strikes
D’Arcy Short hasn’t quite hit his straps this season – by his lofty standards – but received good news before play after being a late inclusion in Australia’s upcoming ODI tour to India. Short’s good spirits didn’t last long, however, as he fell loosely for a duck in the first over.The Stars’ fast bowlers relished overcast conditions and a green-tinged pitch making the BBL contest feel more like a vintage WACA Test match. Coulter-Nile enjoyed the menacing bounce and promptly dismissed Simon Milenko with a rearing short ball that befuddled the batsman.The pyrotechnics on-field was matched off it with lightning flashing close to the ground. Play then stopped due to rain with the Hurricanes lurching at 2 for 29 after five overs.After a 20-minute stoppage, captain Glenn Maxwell went with the dual spin options of Adam Zampa and Sandeep Lamichhane in a bid to race through overs with rain ominously looming.Boundaries were hard to come by on resumption with Caleb Jewell and Ben McDermott content to work the ball around, as the Hurricanes reached 2 for 52 after nine overs.After four straight overs of spin, Maxwell reverted to Steyn who rewarded his skipper’s faith by claiming a frustrated McDermott before rain once again halted play.After nearly an hour’s break, Steyn and Coulter-Nile claimed wickets with successive deliveries, as the pitch appeared faster on resumption.Stoinis battles as Stars do enough
The shortened match appeared to favour the Stars, but local lad James Faulkner turned the contest immediately by dismissing Nic Maddinson and promoted No.3 Nick Larkin off successive deliveries.Faulkner narrowly missed out on a hat-trick in his next over, but met his match with Stoinis in sublime form until the batsman was hit in the grille by a brute of a bouncer from MeredithAfter receiving some medical attention, Stoinis bravely battled on and found a willing partner in Handscomb to ensure the Stars edged ahead.Hostilities resumed in the eight over with Stoinis initially getting hold of Meredith with a boundary before holing out to a short ball on the very next delivery. Rain fell again, however, and the match was soon called off.

England Lions have added Essex seamer Sam Cook to their squad for the two remaining four-day matches in Australia. Cook, who has been playing Grade cricket in Melbourne, will provide cover after Richard Gleeson and Lewis Gregory picked up injuries in their previous match.Lancashire quick Gleeson has returned home after suffering a shoulder injury in the game against Cricket Australia XI in Hobart, while Gregory, who was captaining the side, hurt a calf and was only able to bowl four overs. Neither player took the field on the final two days of the match.The Lions will also be without Saqib Mahmood, after he experienced knee soreness while involved with England’s white-ball squads in South Africa. He has returned to the UK, rather than fly out to Australia as expected.Cook has impressed at county level since his debut in 2017, playing a part in both of Essex’s title wins and averaging 24.63 in first-class cricket.The Lions will next take on a strong Australia A side, featuring full internationals such as Usman Khawaja, Moises Henriques and Marcus Harris, in a day-night game starting at the MCG on Saturday. In Gregory’s absence, Keaton Jennings will captain the side.

Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has called for a “fair and equal” resolution to the World Test Championship when cricket finally resumes even if it means extending the tournament, warning that a shortened competition would fail to give a “true picture” of the standings.With cricket, like nearly all major sports and activities, forced to a grinding halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, one of the key questions is how to bring the inaugural World Test Championship, which is scheduled to run until June 2021, to an agreeable conclusion.Several series that are part of the Championship have been postponed over the past few weeks, with the scheduling and limited time-frame meaning it is virtually impossible to fulfil all the fixtures before the end date.”When we finally start moving back to normal life and cricket can resume, every side should get equal opportunities and the tournament shouldn’t be shortened,” Misbah said in a video press conference.”No matches should be struck off, even if that means prolonging the Championship. Every side should get the chance to play all the games they had scheduled in this cycle.Otherwise, you won’t get the true picture of what the rankings should have actually been and only some teams play all their games. That will disrupt the balance of the tournament. To me, it doesn’t matter if this goes beyond 2021 if that’s what it will take for everyone to get equal opportunities. That’s not a problem.”England’s three-match Test series in Sri Lanka and the second Test of Bangladesh’s series in Pakistan are among the most notable World Test Championship fixtures to be postponed, but it remains exceedingly likely most, if not all, cricket over the next few months won’t go ahead.That means England’s three-match Test series against West Indies and Pakistan are also in jeopardy, as is West Indies’ two-Test series against South Africa.The seasonal demands of Test cricket mean rescheduling these games before June 2021 is improbable, and if all games in the Championship are to be honoured, extending the tournament would appear to be the only solution. That would mean delaying the start of the second World Test Championship competition, due to start immediately after.Misbah also spoke about the challenges players faced trying to keep themselves fit while ensuring they stayed home, revealing the coaching staff were monitoring their progress through fitness watches.”All of our centrally contracted players and those in our wider pool are in complete contact with the coaching staff and the fitness trainer. We send them the training plans that we want them to follow and to keep ourselves in shape to the best of our abilities. We want to ensure when cricket resumes, the physical conditions of our players should be the same as it was before and meets the demands of international cricket.”We have groups online where we check in with players on how they think they’re doing. We share plans with them on the exercise regimen to follow even if they don’t have access to gym facilities.”Because we can’t practice on the ground, what we can do is make sure we do our homework properly. That goes both for me and the players. We look at the last couple of series we played there and how England played in the last season at home. We analyse what we can do better so as soon we get the opportunity, we hit the ground running.He did have a few choice words for Sharjeel Khan, acknowledging he had the ability to be an explosive asset in T20 cricket, but expressed disappointment with his fitness levels.”He has the strike rate you’ll need at the top of the order at the World T20, especially against pace bowling on Australian pitches. But I think Sharjeel needs to work harder. He’s emerged back onto the scene after such a long time, so the one thing he could have ensured was his fitness, the one thing he could control, was up to the mark.”If you’re serious about making a comeback, the you should have been in perfect physical shape. If he thinks he can come into the side without having made any changes, then selecting him would be an injustice to the other players. I wasn’t satisfied to see that at all. Now that there’s no cricket, he should be thinking day and night he needs to become super fit.”

Surrey and Middlesex are set to take the field for the first time this season at the Kia Oval in July, as county cricket inches towards a return in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.The match is scheduled to be a two-day red-ball encounter, on July 26-27, and is intended as a warm-up fixture for the proposed return of the County Championship in August – potentially in a regional format, comprising teams from the North, South and West, and a final at Lord’s.Though the details of the warm-up match are still to be confirmed, the contest is set to take place behind closed doors at the Kia Oval but with a live stream to broadcast the action.Surrey are one of two counties, along with Lancashire, who chose not to furlough their players during the pandemic, albeit the players – like Middlesex’s – have agreed to a salary reduction during the lockdown.”I’m really excited to hopefully see cricket return to the Kia Oval at the end of July and then for the rest of the season,” said Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket.Sussex, meanwhile, have emerged as one of the four counties that are understood to prefer a 50-over competition rather than first-class cricket when the season does get underway.ALSO READ: Counties not to face sanctions if they fall under salary collar – PCA chairmanA final decision on the chosen format is expected by July 7 but, speaking to ESPNcricinfo earlier this week, Daryl Mitchell, the PCA chairman, hoped that the differences of opinion would not undermine the plans for cricket’s resumption.”Everyone is preparing as if we’ll be out there early August,” said Mitchell. “There’s still work to be done around the safety aspects and what hotels look like, and what protocols would be put in place for four-day cricket … [but] it’s a case of getting back into it over the next few weeks and once we get that decision players will be able to focus.””We need all 18 counties to buy into whatever competitions we can for the last couple of months of the season,” he added. “I am confident now. More confident than I would have been three, four, six weeks ago I guess. Things are moving in the right direction.”

Ireland allrounder Kim Garth could represent Australia in the future after leaving Irish cricket to accept a two-year contract with Victoria.Garth, 24, has played 34 ODIs and 51 T20Is for Ireland but has considerable experience in Australia following WBBL stints Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers. She has played club cricket in Melbourne; last season, here she was named Dandenong’s most valuable player.”While I have accepted the offer, it was not an easy decision to make,” Garth said. “To leave family, friends and the whole Irish cricket community was a very difficult decision and one I did not take lightly. However, my ambition has always been to be a full-time professional cricketer and to play at the highest level. A chance like this doesn’t present itself too often, so I am keen to seize this opportunity.””I will miss being part of the Irish squad, and indeed all the staff I have worked with at Cricket Ireland – I am very grateful and conscious of the opportunities afforded to me by Cricket Ireland over the years. But I have also learned a lot living and playing cricket in Australia and hope that, at some future time, I can bring this experience home and give back in some way.” Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria’s general manager of cricket, said. “Kim has played a lot of cricket within Australia in recent seasons and brings further international experience to the squad. She will play as an overseas player initially however she intends to apply for permanent residency allowing her the opportunity to hopefully one-day play for Australia.”It is a significant blow for Ireland who will hope to secure a place in the 50-over World Cup if the qualifying event, which has been postponed from July in Sri Lanka due to Covid-19. Cricket Ireland is working towards being able to offer full-time contracts to their female players, but that remains some time away.”This is obviously a blow, there is no way around that,” head coach Ed Joyce said. “To lose one of your leading players anytime is a challenge, but I can understand Kim’s decision-making and she has been quite open with her ambitions.””Ambition is a good thing, though – I want our players to be ambitious for Ireland and for their careers. However, the reality is that it will take a few years for us to be in a position to offer our women cricketers full-time opportunities. We’re on that road, like we did with the men’s contracts, but I am optimistic we will get there with patience and commitment.”Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s performance director, said: “We are obviously disappointed to be losing such a senior player during the transition we are going through, but can appreciate Kim’s desire to take this opportunity to play professionally in Australia. While she will step away from Ireland duty, this does not necessarily close the door on her Irish career, and we hope that we may see her in Irish colours once more at some stage in the future.””The contract agreement has been in the pipeline for a little while now, and we had hoped that Kim would have played for us at the World Cup Qualifier before starting with Cricket Victoria. With the postponement of that tournament, the timing will no longer allow this.”

A throw-back performance with the bat and a more modern turn with the ball from Stuart Broad had England in control of their destiny after the second day of the deciding Test against West Indies.James Anderson weighed in heavily as part of an enviable England seam attack in favourable conditions at Emirates Old Trafford to leave West Indies 137 for 6 – still 33 short of avoiding the follow-on – when bad light stopped play.England’s position was not nearly as promising after a mini-collapse sent them from 258 for 4 at the start of play to 280 for 8 inside the first hour.The scene was set for Ollie Pope, resuming on 91 not out, to reach his second Test century and Jos Buttler, unbeaten on 56, to convert a confidence-boosting knock into a statement-making big score. But neither of the protagonists from the previous day featured and nor did the rain that was expected to wipe out all of Saturday’s play, but which didn’t make an entrance at all.Shannon Gabriel ignited West Indies’ charge with the second new ball – which was only 3.4 overs old before bad light had stopped play the previous evening – when he had Pope out without adding to his overnight score in an eventful spell.Gabriel twice over-stepped while hitting Buttler on the pad, with replays also suggesting he’d found an inside edge both times. He then had Pope put down at slip by Rahkeem Cornwall, who had taken a blinder there the previous day and whose slips fielding is highly rated. On this occasion, Cornwall got both hands to an outside edge from Pope at waist height but shelled it to hand the batsman a life.With the first ball of his next over, however, Gabriel got his man when Pope aimed to whip a straight ball into the leg side, but it whizzed past his bat and crashed into middle and off.Kemar Roach then claimed his 200th Test wicket when he had Chris Woakes out, chopping on. Having waited the best part of 11 months and 521 deliveries before breaking his wicket drought in last week’s second Test, Roach became the ninth West Indies player to reach the milestone.Gabriel had Buttler out for 67 to a sharp, low catch by Jason Holder at second slip, then and Roach and Holder combined to dismiss Jofra Archer, Holder taking another good slips catch.That brought Broad to the crease and it was the Broad of old, the one known for his batting ability and regarded as a genuine all-round talent before he was struck by a Varun Aaron bouncer on this ground in 2014. On this occasion, he raced to fifty off just 33 balls – equal third-fastest by an England batsman.He sent a thunderous six off Roach high over midwicket and drove Gabriel intently for four, but Broad took a particular liking to Holder’s bowling, picking off three fours from one over and two consecutive fours off his next. Broad also brought up his half-century with a blazing stroke over backward square off Holder.It was Roston Chase who got rid of him, Broad sending a low full toss straight to Jermaine Blackwood at deep midwicket, but not before he had put on a very handy 62 from 45 balls. It was Broad’s 13th Test half-century but his first since 2017.In keeping with the nostalgic theme, old heads Anderson and Broad opened the bowling for England. Broad, 34, may object to being put in the same age category, having recently stated his intention to emulate Anderson, who turns 38 this month, and keep taking wickets well into his late 30s.Broad started well, enticing an edge from Kraigg Brathwaite that went to Joe Root at slip with his fourth ball, the 10th of the innings.Anderson then watched as Ben Stokes produced a rare fumble to put down John Campbell at second slip. The outside edge reached him at a decent height but Stokes went low and dropped it as the under-pressure opener, on 10, survived.It was a while before England made another breakthrough, but they did it in style with Archer setting Campbell up with a series of full-length balls before unleashing a short one at his ribs, the ball flying off the bat handle and looping to Rory Burns at gully. Campbell was gone for 32.Anderson got his rewards with an excellent delivery that straightened late to have the struggling Shai Hope caught behind just before tea, and he removed the in-form Shamarh Brooks three balls after the resumption, this time finding the inside edge to give Buttler another catch.Broad had Chase out lbw to match Anderson’s figures of 2 for 17 and when Woakes flattened Jermaine Blackwood’s middle stump, West Indies were left needing a big partnership from captain Holder and Shane Dowrich.

David Capel, the former England allrounder and stalwart of Northamptonshire as player, captain and later coach, has died at the age of 57 following a long illness.Capel, who played 270 first-class matches for Northants between 1981 and 1998 as well as 300 List A games, enjoyed an unbroken 32-year association with the club. In 1999, he was appointed the club’s director of excellence in the wake of his retirement, and later succeeded Kepler Wessels as head coach in 2006.In 2018, the same year in which he was diagnosed with a brain tumour, Capel was inducted into the club’s hall of fame – joining such illustrious club names as Frank Tyson, Colin Milburn, Allan Lamb and Bishan Bedi. It was due recognition for a player who, in 1987, became the first Northamptonshire-born cricketer to play for England since George Thompson in 1910.Capel played 15 Tests and 23 ODIs for England in a brief but eventful career, in which time he was saddled – as with several other players of the era – with the burden of stepping into Ian Botham’s shoes as an international allrounder.He did, however, play a part in a success that at the time had eluded even Botham, in England’s astonishing victory over West Indies in the first Test of their 1989-90 tour of the Caribbean – a result that remains one of the most remarkable upsets of all time.Selected as one of four seamers in a new-look England attack under Graham Gooch, Capel claimed 2 for 31 in West Indies’ first-innings 164. He would later be one of England’s not-out batsmen in the final moments of the third Test at Port-of-Spain, where England claim so close to securing a 2-0 series lead, only for rain and some controversial West Indies delaying tactics to deny them their final victory push.While Capel’s eventual Test averages of 15 with the bat and 50 with the ball told their own story, he did have a habit of getting the better of the great Viv Richards, whom he dismissed three times out of his total of 21 scalps.On Test debut against Pakistan at Headingley in 1987, Capel came to the crease with England reeling at 31 for 5, with Imran Khan and Wasim Akram on a roll. He responded with a gutsy half-century, and added a Test-best 98 against the same opponents in Karachi five months later. However, he never again passed 40 in Test cricket.Domestically, however, Capel remained an immense influence at Northants, for whom he scored 10,869 first-class runs and claimed 467 wickets. After joining the county staff as an apprentice in 1980, he made his debut against the touring Sri Lankans at Northampton in 1981 and claimed an illustrious first Championship victim the following summer against Yorkshire when he dismissed Geoffrey Boycott at Middlesborough.In limited-overs cricket Capel scored 6,274 runs and 237 wickets. He was named Man of the Match on five occasions including the NatWest Trophy semi-final against Leicestershire at Grace Road in 1987, in which he made 46 not out and claimed 3 for 43 in an 85-run win. He scored 97 off 110 balls against Yorkshire in the Benson and Hedges Cup final at Lord’s that same year, but finished on the losing side after Yorkshire’s Jim Love blocked the final ball of the match with the scores level, and secured the title on fewest wickets lost. “This is hugely shocking and sad news for the English Cricket family and particularly those connected with Northants CCC,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive. “David was one of the finest allrounders of his era and spent an astonishing 33 years at Wantage Road.”I had the privilege of playing with David, a hugely competitive and determined cricketer who was never beaten – an attitude he took into his battle with his illness. A complex and private man on the surface, a kind and gentle one to those who knew him well. I will miss his friendship.”Following his departure from Northants in 2012, Capel remained actively involved in cricket, taking up a role as assistant coach to England women’s team in 2013. He went on to serve as Bangladesh women’s coach from 2016 to 2018.”Very sad to hear my former team mate passed from a long suffering illness,” wrote Lamb, Capel’s team-mate for Northants and England, on Twitter. “”David Capel all round person and a true gentlemen both on and off the field we are going to miss you buddy . RIP and condolences to your family.”