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A near flawless display was set up by sustained bowling and scintillating fielding, to reinforce Stars’ favourites status

The Report by Tristan Lavalette15-Jan-2020Melbourne Stars confirmed their BBL title favourites status with a near-flawless display to crush a weary Perth Scorchers by eight wickets at Perth Stadium on Wednesday.After electing to bat, the Scorchers were blown away by sustained Stars bowling and scintillating fielding. Opener Josh Inglis (37) scored almost half of the Scorchers’ feeble 86 all out from 13.5 overs in their third-lowest ever score in the BBL.The Stars cruised to victory in 12 overs, with Marcus Stoinis finishing 39 not out to continue his stellar season.It was a horror show from the erratic Scorchers, who looked jaded amid a brutal travel schedule exacerbated by being stranded at Tullamarine Airport on Tuesday due to bushfire smoke engulfing Melbourne.Top of the table Stars (9-1) continued to be the tournament’s trendsetters, while the Scorchers’ (5-5) three-game winning streak ended.Fawad Ahmed and the rest of the Perth Scorchers had a day to forget•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Stars crash through Scorchers’ top-orderThe Scorchers spectacularly crashed back to earth after scoring a team record 3 for 213 last start at home. The rot started when Liam Livingstone holed out in the second over off Nathan Coulter-Nile, who made a successful start against his former team.Talented youngster Cameron Green was promoted, having struggled throughout the tournament batting in the middle-order. The 20-year-old lasted just five deliveries after being brilliantly run out by a direct throw from Haris Rauf in his followthrough.In-form Inglis, however, made it look easy as he toyed with the bowling, marked by a scoop shot for six off a 149kph delivery from Rauf – an audacious stroke he mastered during his 73 against Hobart Hurricanes in his last game.Inglis scored 37 of the Scorchers’ first 48 runs before falling innocuously to Glenn Maxwell, as the Stars clawed back late in the PowerPlay.The Stars gained a stranglehold when a leaping Dan Worrall at backward point dismissed Mitchell Marsh. They made a rare mistake when Cameron Bancroft was dropped on 4 by Stoinis, who had earlier jubilantly celebrated taking Inglis in the deep.The Stars regained full control when Jackson Coleman picked up Tim David and debutant Jaron Morgan as the Scorchers crashed to 6 for 68 at the midpoint.Stars complete rout Bancroft needed to anchor the innings if the Scorchers were to muster a competitive total, but he was run out in the 12th over attempting a risky second run. The crowd was stunned when Sandeep Lamichhane dismissed Joel Paris and Jhye Richardson with consecutive deliveries in the 13th over as the Scorchers stared down the barrel of being humiliatingly bowled out for less than 100.Fawad Ahmed fleetingly brought some cheer from the ashen-faced fans when he hit a six off Rauf but fell later in the over, as the Scorchers lost 9 for 47 and failed to reach triple figures.Stoinis guides easy chaseWith such a low target to chase, Stoinis and Hilton Cartwright shed the extravagant shots against probing bowling from Richardson as the opening overs were reminiscent of the longer formats. Stoinis, fresh off his record knock of 147, found his groove in the fourth over with four boundaries off Paris to signal his intentions of an early finish.Fawad caused problems after the Powerplay but was denied a wicket when Green dropped Cartwright at cover. Cartwright, the former Scorchers player, didn’t last too long though, while Fawad received deserved reward when he dismissed Ben Dunk.It mattered little as a Stoinis-led Stars cruised to a convincing victory with eight overs to spare.

Ibrahim Zadran led the chase, scoring an unbeaten 73 to end the hosts’ campaign on a disappointing note

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2020ScorecardSouth Africa’s home Under-19 World Cup ended in defeat, as they went down to Afghanistan by five wickets in the seventh-place playoff in Benoni. South Africa could only put up 154 after opting to bat, as legspinner Shafiqullah Ghafari and left-arm quick Fazal Haque picked up seven wickets between them. Afghanistan’s reply, not always smooth, was led by Test opener Ibrahim Zadran, and they got to their target with just under ten overs to spare.Interestingly, when the two teams had met in the tournament opener too, Ghafari had been the star in Afghanistan’s seven-wicket win, returning 6 for 15 in 9.1 overs. Afghanistan thus made it 2-0 against the home side in the competition, and Ghafari had combined figures of 17.4-5-30-10 in two games against South Africa.Medium-pacers Haque and Abdul Rahman sent back openers Levert Manje and Andrew Louw by the end of the sixth over with just 17 runs on the board, and Rahman had a second wicket in the form of captain Bryce Parsons soon after, to leave South Africa in a hole. It got worse for them when Jonathan Bird had to retire hurt after being struck in the elbow by a delivery from Rahman in the tenth over. Bird had looked good, hitting five fours in his 22, off 26 balls at that stage.Luke Beaufort and Tyrese Karelse did fight back for a while, but when they were both sent back by Ghafari, South Africa still had only 80 on the board. The wickets kept falling till No.9 Merrick Brett and No.10 Mondli Khumalo scored some quick runs in a 51-run stand, but both of them were dismissed by Haque in the same over, the 37th of the innings, forcing Bird to come out for a bit of a late flourish. He didn’t disappoint, hitting Rahman for a six and a four, but then became the last man out when Ghafari had his number.It wasn’t a huge target, but batting hasn’t been Afghanistan’s strongest suit, and they needed Zadran to show them the way. He did, hitting a responsible 73 in 113 balls, with seven fours, to take them to the finish line.He got support up front, with opening partner Sediqullah Atal providing the early impetus in the chase. The two put together 51 for the first wicket in 10.3 overs, and Atal scored 40 of those, in just 38 balls, with four fours and three sixes. There was a bit of a stutter for Afghanistan after that as 51 for no loss became 58 for 3, Odirile Modimokoane picking up two wickets, but Rahman was back at it with the bat this time, and played a good hand of 27 runs in a 86-run stand for the fourth wicket with Zadran.There was a little bit to do after that, but Zadran made sure there was no late drama.

He has been in constant touch with Unadkat, providing inputs about the pitch and team combination

Hemant Brar in Rajkot28-Feb-2020Saurashtra will miss Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting prowess during their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Gujarat, but his cricketing know-how is still very much with his domestic side.Despite being in New Zealand, Pujara has been in constant touch with Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat, providing inputs about the pitch and the team combination.”Cheteshwar has been carrying this team as much as I have been,” Unadkat said on the eve of the semi-final. “He was there with us for the first five-six games this season which was good. I have been in constant touch with him regarding how the team is doing, and he has also been asking me about things from there [New Zealand]. I had a word with him the last night for that matter, about how the pitch is and what the team composition should be going into this game. So he is very much in touch, and he does care a lot about this team and I am just happy that he is as much passionate for this team as we all are.”Pujara was instrumental in taking Saurashtra to the final last season. His unbeaten 67 against Uttar Pradesh in the quarter-finals helped Saurashtra pull off a record chase. Then in the semi-finals, he scored 45 and 131 not out against Karnataka to give his side a shot at the title. However, they faltered against defending champions Vidarbha in the final, making it their second defeat in the final in the last four years.ALSO READ: Saurashtra and Gujarat, familiar foesUnadkat, however, believes the current bunch will win a maiden Ranji title for Saurashtra in the next couple of years, if not now. “The one thing that I have been telling my team, and I would like to make it public now, is that I have told these guys that this is the group of players that is going to win the trophy for Saurashtra, be it this year, be it the next year, or two years from now. This is the group that’s gonna win the trophy.”What I tell the guys is not to take the added pressure just because we have lost a couple of finals, and what if we don’t win another final. Obviously, we are still one game away from the final, and I have been saying it’s one game at a time now, in the knockouts especially. Even if we reach the final, that will remain the same. I will tell the guys that we are already doing things we should be proud of as a team. It doesn’t really matter if we falter in one game. Obviously, I am as hungry as anyone else to win the trophy but having said that I am pretty much sure this group of players will do it at some point for Saurashtra if not now.”Jaydev Unadkat picked up 6 for 51 to stifle Himachal Pradesh•Shailesh Bhatnagar

The immediate hurdle for Saurashtra though is Gujarat, who had topped the combined Elite A and B groups and have been unbeaten so far. But, according to Unadkat, if his side can keep playing the way they have been, the can beat any side.”I believe on paper both teams are equally strong,” Unadkat said. “At the same time, it’s how we have played our cricket in the last two seasons, the brand of cricket we have played is something I am proud of and we continue that, I don’t think we cannot not beat any team, be this team or any other team.”Unadkat himself has been in great form this season and is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 55 wickets at an average of 11.80 and a strike rate of 25.2. While that gives an impression it has been a one-man show, Unadkat clarified that’s not the case.”There has to be one strike bowler in the team who should be leading the attack,” Unadkat said. “It was Dhamendra[sinh Jadeja] doing it last year for us, and I have been doing that this season. I was doing well last season as well, that’s why we were bowling in tandem, which wasn’t the case this year but I still believe the way Prerak [Mankad] and Chirag [Jani] have bowled this season – they have 30 [32] wickets combined if not more than that – so I think they are supporting me well.”Yes, I have been taking the load of taking wickets, still it’s a bowling attack that’s balanced. Dharmendra has provided crucial breakthroughs, it has been just one or two breakthroughs that’s why it’s not visible that much but he has actually given us those crucial breakthroughs throughout the season. So, I just hope it continues like that and I don’t mind taking the extra load if they keep continuing doing the same job.”It’s my responsibility as a strike bowler that whenever the team requires, I provide the breakthroughs. This has happened two-three times this season that I have been able to do it and win the games. That’s why my performance is more visible this time. As far as my bowling is concerned, I am in a great mental space right now. I am not really worried about my own performance, I just want this team to win and I want to contribute to that. Side by side if I am taking wickets, that’s good for the team and for me as well. So I am just happy how things are going.”

Prime Minister appears to pour cold water on hopes for imminent restart

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2020UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has seemingly put paid to the hopes of recreational cricketers across the country that a return to action is imminent.Responding to a question from Greg Clark MP in the House of Commons, Mr Johnson said that it was too soon to lift current restrictions preventing the return of recreational cricket, describing the ball as “a natural vector of disease”.His comments will have no bearing on England’s Test series against West Indies, which is due to start on July 8, or on the possible return of county cricket, both of which are governed by guidance for elite sport.ALSO READ: Recreational cricket suspended by ECBUnder current regulations, socially-distanced training sessions are the only permissible form of cricket. Some leagues have begun to cancel their formal calendars for this season already, though others had anticipated that a start date could come quickly, with the Prime Minister announcing that businesses in the hospitality and tourism sectors could begin to re-open from July 4.Mr Clark, the Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells, asked the PM to clarify whether “the ban on cricket has come to an end”.”Cricket is perhaps our most socially-distanced team sport,” he said. “We’ve lost half the summer but there is another half left to be enjoyed by players and spectators alike.” On Saturday, he tweeted that it was “absurd that no cricket can be played this midsummer weekend”.Mr Johnson said: “The problem with cricket as everybody understands [is] that the ball is a natural vector of disease, potentially at any rate. We’ve been round it many times with our scientific friends.”At the moment, we’re still working on ways to make cricket more Covid-secure but we can’t change the guidance yet.”The ECB, which has been working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) throughout the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, said it was “keen to see the imminent and safe return of our sport at recreational level”.”We believe that cricket is a non-contact sport, with very low risks of exposure, and that it can be played as safely as many other activities being currently permitted,” the ECB said in a statement. “It is our strong desire to work with Government to see the return of recreational cricket on or around 4th July, as they continue to lift other restrictions more broadly across society.”We are heartened that the Government has already permitted the return of other ball sports, including tennis and basketball, and we are sure that our interpretation of the risks around ball transmission is consistent with these other games.”We can confirm that any guidance we share with the game will include directions on how to mitigate any risk from handling the ball as we continue to prioritise the health and safety of the cricket family in all our decision-making.”According to its most recent roadmap for the return of recreational cricket, England was in ‘Step 3’ of a five-stage process. The next step would involve adapted matches which allowed cricket “to remain socially-distanced”, before the final step of unrestricted play which would be adopted once social-distancing measures were removed.Mr Johnson later attempted to clarify his comments at a government press conference. “I want to make one thing clear – I would love to play village cricket again. I want to stress that we are working on all of these things,” he said.”We are working with all the industries, all of the performing arts, the theatres, gyms, all the bits that we can’t quite do at the moment… sports such as cricket, we’re trying to make it work as fast as we possibly can. So don’t think that this package represents the summit of our ambitions – it’s as far as we can go for now.”

Stand of 139 for the sixth wicket sees England claim fighting win to go 1-0 up in the series

The Report by Valkerie Baynes08-Aug-2020A fighting century stand between Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler carried England to a stunning three-wicket victory over Pakistan in a thrilling opening match of their three-Test series.Buttler’s gutsy knock of 75 from 101 balls in the face of mounting criticism over his place in the side, combined with Woakes’ new-found form with the bat, handed England an unlikely victory and broke their run of five consecutive series in which they had lost the first match.ALSO READ: Dobell: England are lucky to have WoakesUnder pressure to make runs after his Test average had dipped and a torrid time behind the stumps during this match, Buttler came in with England 106 for 4 chasing a target of 277 for victory.He and Woakes, who had a high score of 37 not out from his previous 17 innings, shared a partnership worth 139 for the sixth wicket and helped England pull off the second-highest fourth-innings run chase at Old Trafford.Fittingly, Woakes hit the winnings runs with a four through third man off Shaheen Shah Afridi to finish not out on 84 as England snatched victory by three wickets inside four days.Joe Root began the day suggesting a target below 260 would be within reach. Pakistan pushed it just beyond after Yasir Shah came out, as expected, and threw the bat.Yasir resumed on 12 with Pakistan 137 for 8 and leading by 244. He clubbed 21 from nine balls, including 11 off Jofra Archer’s first four deliveries of the day, followed by a defiant four past mid-on and a brutal six over midwicket off Stuart Broad’s first three.Broad had the final say two balls later, drawing a wild swing from Yasir to a length ball outside off and finding a thick edge which went through to Buttler behind the stumps. But Yasir’s job was done.In all, Pakistan pilfered 32 runs within the first half hour, before Naseem Shah was the last man out, bowled by Archer for 4.England managed just 22 runs from the first 11 overs of their chase but, with the best part of two days ahead of them, time was the least of their worries.Wickets were, and Mohammad Abbas took the first with the first ball of the 12th, which nipped back and struck Rory Burns on the back leg as it curled in off the seam. Burns was quick to call for a review, but his dismissal was confirmed on umpire’s call with the ball hitting the top of middle stump.There appeared to be words exchanged, with Burns turning to the Pakistan team and putting a finger to his lips as he strode from the field.Chris Woakes celebrates the moment of victory•AFP

Dom Sibley and Root pressed on to 55 for 1 by lunch but there was a period after the break where England’s scoring went quiet against Abbas and Yasir and they managed just two runs in 29 balls.Yasir, who had claimed four England wickets in their first innings, broke a 64-run partnership when he had Sibley caught by Asad Shafiq for 36, the opener furious with himself after attempting a drive and sending a thick edge straight to slip.His dismissal brought Ben Stokes – and all his promise – to the crease and England’s own “miracle worker” got off the mark with a boundary through third man off Naseem. Crucially, though, Naseem swooped quickly to remove the other set batsman, when he found Root’s outside edge, which was collected by Babar Azam at slip to send him out on 42.With England 96 for 3 and needing 181 runs more to win, the glare on Stokes intensified, even though they also had Ollie Pope, who had top-scored for the hosts in their first innings, at the crease.If any indication was needed as to just how highly prized Stokes’ wicket is, Pakistan burned an ambitious review when Naseem struck him on the pad with a ball that looked to be going down the leg side. Sure enough Hawk-Eye showed it was missing and Stokes survived.To Pakistan captain Azhar Ali’s credit, however, faced with the prospect of using up another review seven balls later, when Yasir believed he had Stokes caught behind with a googly that bounced out of the rough outside off stump, Azhar went for it. His courage was rewarded when UltraEdge showed the ball had brushed the glove on the way through to Mohammad Rizwan, who gathered the ball high at his second grab.England had lost 3 for 20 and their situation worsened three overs later. Pope could do little about his dismissal when he copped an unplayable delivery from Afridi that reared off a length and hit his top hand, ballooning to Shadab Khan running in from gully.With England 117 for 5 and hope fading fast, still 160 runs from victory, Buttler and Woakes played a stunning hand that rescued their side.With Buttler’s white-ball credentials in no question, he combined the skill to rack up the runs at a good tempo with the patience required to not throw his wicket away. Even when he did fall, attempting a reverse sweep off Yasir and struck on the boot for an lbw decison he challenged and lost, Woakes was well set and the hard work was done.Needing 21 more runs, England promoted Broad, and although he fell cheaply, lbw to Yasir with the second new ball, Woakes saw them home to end a miserable run in first Tests (aside from a one-off win over Ireland) that stretched back to the start of 2019.

The pace bowler will provide experience and cutting edge to the attack

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2020Shabnim Ismail, the South Africa pace bowler who is one of the quickest in the world, will return for a second season with the Sydney Thunder in the Women’s Big Bash.Ismail, who can push the speed gun past 125kph, took 10 wickets in 13 games last season for the Thunder but it was her economy rate of 5.88 which was particularly impressive. She was then South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup with five wickets in four matches.”In the WBBL, you’re playing with a lot of experienced players and against some of the best in the world, so it’s a great challenge,” Ismail said. “I’m a senior player for my country and in the Thunder squad as well so I try to lead by example. Having played for my country for 12 years, I enjoy passing on some of my experience and knowledge to the youngsters.”The Thunder coach Trevor Griffin said: “Shabnim was outstanding for us last season. She was our most economical bowler and her pace caused a lot of trouble for opposition batters. She was a real competitor in the field too – some of the fielding that she did was just at another level.”She’s the world’s third-ranked T20 bowler but one thing that I noticed about Shabnim last year is that she still wants to learn and she’s constantly looking at ways to get better.”The Thunder will be captained by Australia better Rachael Haynes and Ismail is their first confirmed overseas player for the new season.The WBBL is due to begin on October 17 and run until November 29 although there are expected to be changes to the schedule due to the impact of Covid-19 around the country.

Among the new convener’s most pressing early task will be to appoint a new men’s Test captain

Firdose Moonda14-Sep-2020Linda Zondi will not be considered for South Africa’s convener of selectors position, after failing to be shortlisted for the post despite being the incumbent. ESPNcricinfo understands that Victor Mpitsang, Hussein Manack and Patrick Moroney were interviewed last week with Mpitsang the frontrunner to get the job.The post, which has been vacant since Zondi’s contract ended after the 2019 World Cup, has been significantly revamped and is now a full-time role. The convener will no longer only select the men’s national team but will also be responsible for selecting the women’s side, the A team, the under-19 team and will oversee the scouting and selection program in consultation with the director of cricket (DOC) Graeme Smith. Earlier this month, Smith spoke about the importance of the position.”The convenor of selectors is a key person in CSA. It’s a job that comes with a lot of pressure from all fronts,” he said. “The role definition is slightly changed. We’ve shifted it to not only being a national team convener but to controlling the whole pipeline, which speaks to our high-performance strategy. We feel it’s important to create the avenues of communication — the way we play, the way we select, the way we think, the way we operate, the type of people we want involved in that environment is key. We’ve aligned the convenor of selectors right through the pipeline. He’ll be overseeing everything. The convenor now is a much more extensive job. The convenor of selectors working on the whole system and owning the whole system, and being part of all the processes, is key.”For that reason, an extensive list of criteria was laid out for applicants to the post including a minimum of five years experience as a selector and a qualification in sports management. Zondi, who has been a selector for 13 years and holds a diploma in sports management, was told he did not meet the requirements to be shortlisted.”The process to appoint the new convener is currently under way and once it is complete we will announce the successful candidate and other relevant information,” a CSA statement said.It is also unclear when the new convener will be unveiled but ESPNcricinfo expects it imminently. Mpitsang, who is understood to be the preferred choice, convened the selection panel for the under-19 team that participated in this year’s World Cup and placed eighth. He has also worked as a commentator for pay-television channel . He is also the only black African candidate on the shortlist and although CSA’s affirmative action policy does not extend to full-time employees (only consultants), having Mpitsang on the staff is likely to be met with approval from CSA’s transformation policy.Still, Mpitsang does have competition. Manack and Moroney both impressed the interview panel. Manack served as a selector under Zondi and also applied for the DOC position but lost out to Smith. Moroney was being considered under the former CEO Thabang Moroe’s regime and convened the selection panel for the Jozi Stars, the team that won the inaugural Mzansi Super League (MSL).In contrast, Zondi, who will no longer be involved, has a history of selection that stretches back almost two decades. He worked within the structures at the Kwa-Zulu Natal province and Dolphins franchise, as a national women’s selector between 2007 and 2009, as national men’s team selector between 2013 to 2015, during which time he also selected the under-19 squad that won the 2014 World Cup, and as convener of selectors between 2015 and 2019. During that time, Zondi’s picks including the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi and Rassie van der Dussen have thrived and he was also involved with Quinton de Kock’s elevation to white-ball captain. He was then reappointed as an “independent selector,” when the national men’s team management was overhauled last December, on a short-term contract which ended in April.Among the new convener’s most pressing early task will be to appoint a new men’s Test captain, even though there is no indication of when the national team will be in action again.

Dawid Malan out first ball as Yorkshire slump to 104 all out

ECB Reporters Network16-Sep-2020Durham won their third successive Vitality Blast game by beating Yorkshire in a low-scoring affair at Emerald Headingley, maintaining their hopes of quarter-final qualification.The visitors defended a 148 target against the under-strength Vikings, whose knockout hopes are all but over after a third straight defeat in which they were bowled out for 104 in the 17th over, losing by 43 runs.Durham have seven points from eight games and jump to third in the North, three points behind Lancashire in second – their next opponents at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday. The best two third-placed finishers from the North, Central and South also qualify. Yorkshire have six points from eight games.New-ball seamer Matty Potts led the Durham defence with a superb 3 for 14 from three overs, while Paul Coughlin also struck three times.The hosts were hurt by the continued coronavirus-related absence of Matthew Fisher, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Josh Poysden and captain David Willey, who missed their second game in three days after the latter and his wife Carolynne tested positive.ALSO READ: Willey tests Covid-positive, three team-mates ruled out of BlastHowever, all players met up outside of cricket on Saturday and must undergo the 14-day self isolation period. They are unavailable for the rest of the group stage.Durham reached 40 without loss after four overs, only to slip to 147 all out as South African fast bowler Duanne Olivier claimed 2 for 16 from four overs. In reply, Yorkshire lost England’s Dawid Malan for a golden duck and failed to recover.Yorkshire, for whom stand-in skipper Adam Lyth and Jordan Thompson also claimed two wickets, and Durham came into this game in contrasting form.And it was buoyant Durham who made a fast start having been inserted, with Graham Clark hitting three fours and a six in a brisk 28, the top score in the innings.But Clark and opening partner Alex Lees fell within two overs of each other – Lees caught and bowled by Lyth’s offspin and Clark caught at long-on off the same bowler as the score fell to 57 for 2 in the eighth.Ben Raine maintained Durham’s momentum with successive leg-side sixes to end the eighth over, but he was caught behind cutting at another offspinner, Jack Shutt – 78 for 3 in the 10th. Farhaan Behardien then dragged compatriot Olivier to mid-on in the 11th, leaving the visitors at 81 for 4.David Bedingham was caught at deep mid-wicket off Thompson’s seamers, undermining Durham’s chances of reaching 150.Brydon Carse counter-punched with a couple of lusty sixes down the ground off Shutt and Thompson, only to be caught behind the ball after hitting the second six as the score fell to 110 for 6 after 15.Olivier further applied the brakes by getting Coughlin caught at mid-off in the 18th before Liam Trevaskis was run out in the 19th, in which Ben Coad also had Matty Potts caught at long-on. Scott Steel was also run out in the last over.But that was far from the end of the drama. Lyth cut the first two legitimate balls of the innings from left-arm spinner Trevaskis for four, only to miscue Potts to mid-on in the second.Next ball Malan chopped on, and when Harry Brook also miscued the same bowler to mid-on in the fourth, Yorkshire were 22 for 3 with their big guns gone.Durham captain Nathan Rimmington then trapped Jonny Tattersall lbw as the score fell to 48 for 4 in the seventh, with 100 runs still required.Will Fraine top-scored with 28, only for him and George Hill to fall in successive deliveries in the 10th and 11th overs, leaving the score at 73 for 6. Hill was bowled by Coughlin and Fraine caught behind off Carse.The end came very quickly from there as James Wharton chipped Coughlin to cover. The same bowler later got Thompson caught in the deep.Either side of the Thompson wicket, wily Trevaskis had Ben Coad stumped and Olivier bowled, sealing the win with 20 balls to spare.

Club will interview a minimum of one BAME candidate to replace Jim Troughton

George Dobell02-Nov-2020Warwickshire believe they have become the first “professional first-class county” to adopt the principles of the Rooney Rule in launching the appointment process for a new head coach of their men’s team.The club, which sacked Jim Troughton from the position last week, published an advert for the vacant position on November 2. Applications must be received by November 14 with an appointment expected around a month later.In that advert, the club has reiterated its “commitment to representing the communities it serves” and its desire to employ “a diverse and inclusive workforce at all levels of the organisation”. As a result, Warwickshire have confirmed the “principles of the Rooney Rule will be adopted to encourage applications from suitably qualified BAME candidates.” This is, they state, “the first time that a professional first-class county has adopted these principles”.The Rooney Rule – named after Dan Rooney, the former chair of the NFL’s diversity committee – is a form of affirmative action that demands ethnic-minority candidates are interviewed for head coaching and senior administrative positions.”In line with Warwickshire’s Equal Opportunities policy and desire to adopt the principles of the Rooney Rule, should the club receive applications from suitably qualified BAME candidates they will be added to the vacancy short list with a minimum of one BAME candidate invited to first interview,” the advert continues.While Warwickshire recently signed Manraj Johal, a seamer who has graduated from their own academy, by the time the 2020 season finished the club had no non-white player or senior coach on their staff. And while the club played a part in the development of the likes of Kabir and Moeen Ali as young players, both felt a need to move to Worcestershire to win greater opportunity. Their nephew, 16-year-old Ismail Mohammed, recently made the same decision.The current management at Warwickshire are acutely aware of this failure of the squad to reflect the local community and are determined to rectify it. As well as this adoption of the Rooney Rule, they have recently signed up to the African-Caribbean Engagement (ACE) programme.”There shouldn’t be a barrier in the mind of anybody with the right experience who wants to apply for this job,” Stuart Cain, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said. “So, we think it’s right to adopt the principle of the Rooney Rule in the same way as many of the world’s leading sports organisations have.”Birmingham is one of the UK’s, if not Europe’s, most diverse cities and we have to reflect this when holding a mirror up to the club and how we operate at every level, from the board down”.Among the other criteria required by the advert, a “tangible proof of developing teams capable of winning domestic cricket competitions” is demanded, as is “proven success at winning trophies, domestically or internationally”. The likes of David Saker, currently with Sri Lanka, and Ottis Gibson, currently with Bangladesh, would be certain to gain an interview if they apply while, from closer to home, Graeme Welch, the club’s current bowling coach, would also be a strong candidate.The principles of the Rooney Rule will also be utilised by the ECB when appointing specialist coaches to work with both the England team and the most promising county players. They are expected to appoint specialist batting, seam bowling and spin bowling coaches in the coming months.Marcus Trescothick and Jon Lewis (the former Durham head coach) are expected to challenge for the batting position, while Jon Lewis (the former England seamer and current England U19 coach) and Welch are well placed for the seam-bowling job. Jeetan Patel is favourite for the spin position.

Gary Stead says the wicketkeeper hurt his hamstring while playing a Ford Trophy match

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Dec-2020New Zealand are in danger of being without one of their most valuable resources when the new Test summer begins in two days’ time after BJ Watling picked up a hamstring injury on Sunday. The medical staff are assessing the 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman and will take a final call on his availability tomorrow. In the meantime, Devon Conway has been added to the squad as batting cover as they prepare to face West Indies.Watling would likely have been part of the XI that walked out onto Seddon Park in Hamilton if not for this mishap. Although four of his last 10 innings have brought single-digit scores, he has historically been the team’s lower-order batting leader. Last November, he came in at 127 for 4, after England had 353 on the board, and scored his maiden Test-match double-century.”We have another injury cover here. Devon Conway is here as injury cover for BJ Watling,” head coach Gary Stead said at a press conference on Tuesday. “He has a hamstring niggle that he picked up yesterday or day before, whenever it was his last Ford Trophy match.”He was being assessed as I walked across over here. So first time we’ve managed to get the physio in front of him. So once I hear more from that I will know but I’m guessing tomorrow we’ll make the call of whether he’s a chance or not.”If Watling is ruled out, Tom Blundell will take the gloves, while sacrificing his position as opener and Will Young will be given a chance to play his first international match for New Zealand. The 28-year-old top-order batsman has been highly-rated prospect for a long while now and has recent form on his side, with three centuries in his last five first-class games, one of them against the West Indies A team, whose bowling attack included Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder.”You can correct me if I’m wrong but I think Will has scored four or five [New Zealand] A centuries now in the last couple of years,” Stead said. “Devon’s obviously done what he’s done in domestic cricket and put a lot of runs on the board as well. It’s healthy but it’s not only batting places but bowling places. We’ve all seen the emergence of Kyle Jamieson and we’ve all seen Lockie [Ferguson]’s pace and Matt Henry’s on the sidelines as well, who I guess is sometimes a forgotten man. He’s been 12th man for New Zealand for a lot of time. It’s really healthy for us to have that competition for places and I guess if we have injuries, we have replacements that can step straight into the Test side.”We are confident with the build-up that our guys have had with quite a bit of first-class cricket. I know some have come straight from the IPL but that was the reason for resting some of them – Trent [Boult] and Kane [Williamson] in particular – to ensure they got the red-ball readiness under their belt and freshness before the Test series”Gary Stead finds a reason to smile•Getty Images

There has been sharp focus on the World Test Championship and whether the current format is working after questions raised by the new ICC chairman Greg Barclay. Stead agreed that the system needed some tweaks but supported the idea of a working Championship.”The advantage of having the WTC final every two years is there is something you can reset and focus towards that,” Stead said. “I know for our guys in the team here and we’re a pretty experienced team and they could think of nothing better than I guess go to Lord’s again, if it’s Lord’s, or wherever it may be in the Covid world at the moment and play in something like that.”I think it definitely puts more context in the game. I still don’t think it’s perfect and I think Greg’s alluded to a few things around that. I would encourage the ICC to look at, I guess, having the same number of points spread over the same number of games. Perhaps if they play a five-Test series, then only the first two or the first three count towards it and I think that would add a bit more, I guess fairness across the whole thing.”In an effort to keep the current cycle going despite the massive disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the ICC had announced that teams would now be ranked by percentage points. On that basis, New Zealand are fourth on the table and are looking to move up.”I’ve done the calculations,” Stead said. “Things could change depending on the series and on who plays and who doesn’t. And I guess still with some uncertainty around some places in the world that you might or might not tour, there’s still some uncertainty, it’s hard to know. But I guess it’s pretty simple for us. We win four Tests and we give ourselves a good chance. We’d be at 70%. We’d still need some things to go our way but I think when you look at the likelihood of things happening I think that would give us a pretty good chance to be in the top two.”