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Ben Stokes fired up for 'redemption' shot in semi-final against Australia

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

In the “most important game” of his career Ben Stokes is hoping to continue his excellent form with bat and ball

George Dobell at Edgbaston09-Jul-2019Ben Stokes believes he is in good shape with bat and ball for the “most important game” of his career.Stokes is no stranger to the big occasion having memorably played in a World T20 final, a Champions Trophy semi-final and numerous other high-profile international and IPL matches. But he feels the chance of reaching a World Cup final and beating England’s oldest cricketing enemy on the way, add up to make Thursday’s semi-final against Australia more significant than any of them.”Is this the most important game I’ve played? Yes, to date. Definitely,” Stokes said. “Playing against Australia is a big occasion in any sport. The rivalry goes way back. Beating them is that touch better than any other team. Losing to them at Lord’s was massively disappointing, so I think there will be a bit of redemption in knowing we have the chance to beat them and get to that final.”While Stokes has, at first glance, enjoyed a much better tournament with the bat than the ball, averaging 54.42 with the bat at a strike rate of 95.01, it is his bowling that has given him most satisfaction. For although he has bowled only 43.5 overs in the nine games to date and claimed a relatively modest seven wickets, he is conceding only 4.65 runs per over, making him England’s most economical bowler. The secret of that success, he feels, is understanding his role with the ball.”The thing I have been most happy with has been my bowling,” Stokes said. “I’m in a very good place with my batting. I have just continued to work on the same things but also tried to test myself. I’m not letting up because this is the crucial moment: lose this and we’re out. I think just having the confidence of being in lots of situations over the past four years has made it easier. Batting at No. 5, I either rebuild or have to get on with the game.”But the most pleasing thing has been my bowling. I had a chat with Eoin Morgan to get my head around my role. Being fourth or fifth seamer, I sometimes put too much pressure on myself to influence the game. So I spoke to them about not trying to take a wicket every ball and instead aim at going for five or six an over. I might get a wicket doing that anyway and it’s helped offer the team more. In the last couple of years, it’s probably where I have let the team down.”Stokes has made between 79 and 89 four times in the tournament so far, but insists he is not bothered by falling short of individual milestones. Instead, he is only motivated by contributing to team victories.”I’m not too fussed,” he says. “I won’t walk away disappointed if I don’t get a hundred – that’s not what I’m about. I think going into a semi-final knowing all of our top four have hundreds is a great place to be. Both openers have hundreds, Joe Root and Morgs have hundreds. It’s very impressive.”I’m massively proud [to be part of this team]. When our careers end we’ll be able to look back and say we have played with the world’s best, got to No. 1 but more importantly, played with a good bunch of people. I believe this team is the best at what they do and we’re trying to build a path for many years to come: this is what England stand for and how we want to play.”I don’t feel like I have to prove anything to anyone except myself. [The Bristol incident] opened my eyes to a lot of things, but I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. It’s just showing I can deliver on the biggest stage. Winning is the most important thing and if you can help the team out with an individual performance, that’s all that counts. People can say good things, bad things, it just won’t bother me.”

Aaron Finch's career-best 153 not out keeps Australia rolling

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Mohammad Rizwan struck his maiden ODI hundred but a double-century opening stand for Australia made it a one-sided chase

The Report by Danyal Rasool24-Mar-2019It wasn’t just the same venue; the manner in which the second ODI transpired was strikingly similar to the one that panned out on Friday. Deciding to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan anchored their innings around a hundred from a top order player – this time it was Mohammad Rizwan – and posted 284, four more than the palpably inadequate 280 they had managed in the first ODI. Once more, Australia demonstrated this to be woefully short of what might have challenged them, an unbeaten career-best 153 from Aaron Finch and an opening stand of 209 with Usman Khawaja allowing them to canter to their second consecutive eight-wicket win.The only deviation from the first game was the chase contained even less drama than in the first ODI. Whereas Khawaja had fallen relatively cheaply then, the opening partnership this time was colossal in the face of another uninspired bowling effort from Pakistan. Finch and Khawaja amassed 209 and rarely did Pakistan threaten to break through; the ball spun very little for Yasir Shah and Imad Wasim and swung even less for the quicker bowlers.While Khawaja was the more prolific partner during the Powerplay, Finch came to life from the moment he lofted Yasir for six off the first ball of the sixteenth over. Till then, he had 28 off 43 balls but, as if the effect of a sedative had been neutralised by one stroke, he sprang to life. He completed his half-century just 14 balls later, and bludgeoned Yasir for two sixes and a four in the over that followed, and a further six and four off Imad right after. That put any qualms about the run rate to bed, and the chase was every bit a canter as the first match after that.Khawaja continued to cash in on his fine form, reaching his fifth half-century in seven innings off 60 deliveries. After a strong start he was content playing the steady hand and appeared to be cruising to a hundred until he holed out to deep midwicket 12 runs short. It gave Glenn Maxwell the opportunity to free his arms in an entertaining little cameo, two sixes off Imad quelling any fears of a Pakistan comeback, but he missed the chance to finish the game when he was run out.Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja added a double-century opening stand•AFP

One of the key points of fascination for Pakistan enthusiasts this game was the performance of teenage quick Mohammad Hasnain, drafted in for his first List A game following a stellar PSL. His introduction was one of the only times a sparse Sharjah crowd came to life, and the cheer after his first ball – a bouncer which forced Khawaja to hastily duck – was louder than perhaps at any point all day.That aside, however, it was a tough initiation for the 18-year old. His pace might have been up, but he lacked the control and consistency that will surely follow as he accumulates experience, and when Finch swatted him for six over cow corner in the 47th over, the game was for all intents and purposes done. For good measure, however, the Australian captain thwacked Faheem Ashraf for another one the following over, bringing up his 150 in 141 balls, and finishing off the game in the same over.Pakistan’s innings had been paced at the same leisurely rate as in the first game. Australia’s bright start put them on the back foot straightaway, thanks to a brilliant opening spell from Jhye Richardson who cleaned up Imam-ul-Haq for a duck in the first over. Maintaining a probing good line, he gave the batsmen little room for error as Pakistan started sluggishly. Even as the boundaries flowed from the other end, with Haris Sohail timing the ball exquisitely, Richardson gave away few runs, and also brought about Shan Masood’s downfall with one pitched slightly short of a length that was chipped to midwicket.His day turned sour, however, when he suffered a dislocated shoulder in the outfield. Diving to save a boundary at midwicket, he landed heavily on his elbow, and his reaction immediately indicated he was done for the game, and very possibly the series.The silver lining for Australia was Finch, who brought himself on to fill the gap Richardson’s overs left behind and was among the pick of Australia’s bowlers. He started off by removing last game’s centurion Haris Sohail for 34, a slight tickle to the keeper giving Finch just his third ODI wicket. So bothersome did he prove for Pakistan he ended up bowling his full quota, and, until his final over went for 12 to bring his overall tally to 41, Pakistan never looked to attack him.Pakistan found themselves in deeper trouble when Umar Akmal holed out when he lofted one slightly short by Nathan Lyon to the square-leg boundary fielder. He had gone for 16, his reaction of desperate disappointment fitting for a man given an unlikely opportunity with little room for error just ahead of a World Cup.But Rizwan and Shoaib Malik got together with Pakistan in strife and kept Australia at bay for nearly half the innings, putting on 127. Rizwan was excellent at working the gaps and using his feet to the spinners, while Malik has been in these situations with Pakistan often over a two-decade career, but his record against Australia isn’t the best. The half-century he brought up off 53 balls was just the second against Australia, and it was one of hard graft rather than cavalier flamboyance.Rizwan is in the side as Sarfaraz Ahmed rests, but looked determined to make the case for World Cup inclusion, even for his batting alone. Promoted to No. 4, he had performed the role many specialists in Pakistan had failed to perform in that position, and when he swept Adam Zampa to bring up a first ODI hundred, Pakistan were ready to launch once more.They never quite got around to doing that, with the pair falling in quick succession and they ended short of 300 again. That wasn’t just well short of 300, but also well short of anything that would have made Australia sweat. But then again, the way Finch batted, one wonders if anything would have proved out of the visitors’ grasp.

CoA asks for Mithali Raj's tournament fitness logs

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The CoA was also strongly concerned by the fact that minutes of the selection meeting before the semi-final were leaked to media

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-20183:24

Kartik: ‘Players like Mithali Raj need to play in crunch matches’

The controversial omission of Mithali Raj in India’s semi-final clash against England in the Women’s World T20 has prompted the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) to ask for her fitness logs during the tournament. The CoA was also strongly concerned by the fact that minutes of the selection meeting before the semi-final were leaked to the media and have sought an explanation from two seniormost officials in the BCCI management including Rahul Johri, the board’s chief executive officer.The team coach, Ramesh Powar, and manager Trupti Bhattacharya are scheduled to meet the CoA and Johri on Monday to hand over their report on India’s performance at the World T20.Raj, the most experienced player in Indian women’s cricket, was benched for the semi-final, which India eventually lost by eight wickets. As India’s middle order collapsed from 89 for 2 to 112 all out, Raj’s omission immediately drew attention and raised multiple questions. She had scored two consecutive half-centuries before missing the match against Australia with a knee injury.Although Raj was declared fit on the eve of the semi-final, the team management decided to leave her out to stick to a “winning combination” that had beaten Australia, captain Harmanpreet Kaur said after the loss to England.According to the , the eventual decision to drop was taken at the selection meeting couple of hours before the match on Thursday. That meeting also was attended by national selector Sudha Shah and team manager Bhattacharya.”I, as manager, convened the meeting. They (captain, coach and selector) discussed the wicket and the coach expressed that the same winning combination against Australia should play,” Bhattacharya reportedly noted in her report, accessed by the newspaper. “Harman and Smriti shared the same view and also told the selector, Sudha Shah, that an extra bowler would help the team.”Bhattacharya is understood to have sent the minutes, as per protocol, only to Johri and Saba Karim (BCCI’s general manager, cricket). Both Johri and Karim are understood to have responded to the CoA, saying they had no knowledge about the leak to the media.

Defeat 'still bloody hurts' in Victoria's unexpected final but future bright

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Young batters Ashley Chandrasinghe and Campbell Kellaway face a winter of developing their skills

Tristan Lavalette26-Mar-2023On the resumption of the Sheffield Shield season last month, an inexperienced Victoria didn’t set outlandish goals or plot a barnstorming title run.Boasting just one win from their first six matches, Victoria were content with backing youth in a bid to mould together a talented core who could help build a foundation for sustained success.”When we came back after the BBL we spoke about how we’re on a journey. We didn’t talk about playing in the Shield final,” Victoria coach Chris Rogers said.Surprising their own modest expectations, with skipper Peter Handscomb and frontline spinner Todd Murphy on Australia’s Test tour of India, Victoria led by 23-year-old stand-in captain Will Sutherland got on a roll.Related

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  • Chandrasinghe bats the day for an unbeaten 46 against disciplined WA

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  • Talk of a dynasty unavoidable for Western Australia's cricket powerhouse

They won four straight matches to leapfrog into second-place and book a spot in the final against defending champions Western Australia.In a rematch of last year’s decider at the WACA, Victoria had their moments in a see-saw but couldn’t quite get the job done in an eventual nine-wicket defeat.Rather than be battle-scarred, they are hoping to take heed of the adversity experienced amid the cauldron as Victoria aims to chip away at WA’s stranglehold of the domestic competition.”The challenge is to reach the top of the mountain and get past WA. That’s the challenge for everyone,” Rogers said. “With a bit more experience…[we] might have been able to hang in a bit longer. It’s a young group and I think they’ll learn a lot out of it.”As Victoria stared down the barrel heading into day four, Rogers had a frank conversation with 20-year-old batter Campbell Kellaway who had helped spark Victoria’s season turnaround with a half-century against New South Wales in a comeback 69-run victory.His breakout season has him on the radar of the national selectors with Kellaway selected in the Australia A tour of New Zealand next month. But promoted to No.3 in the final, Kellaway was particularly scratchy on a green-tinged surface against WA’s strong attack as he mustered 6 off 23 balls in the first innings before looking somewhat overwhelmed late on day three in a painstaking 7 off 63 balls.”I spent a good 45 minutes with him, talking about these experiences,” Rogers said. “He’s figuring out answers to questions. He tried too hard this game. He was fighting so hard that he wasn’t giving himself a chance to score. He’s going to be a really important player for us for a number of years.”Ashley Chandrasinghe carried his bat for 46 off 280 balls: ‘It’s an extraordinary effort and he’s got attributes to build on’•Getty Images

In similar fashion to Kellaway, 21-year-old opener Ashley Chandrasinghe carried his bat in the first innings in a remarkable 280-ball stonewall worth 46 runs.It was a rearguard that polarised the public but made more meritorious with Chandrasinghe, in his Shield debut season, only making the line-up after veteran opener Travis Dean suffered an injury on the day before the match.Chandrasinghe received little support from his more senior players and also copped mocking applause from the typically rowdy WACA faithful. But he remained unruffled to produce an indefatigable batting effort that he can build on in the off-season.”There’s room for improvement in his game,” Rogers said. “He doesn’t want to play that style of cricket, he wants to be scoring runs.”It’s a measure of the man that he can bat a whole day. It’s an extraordinary effort and he’s got attributes to build on. That determination and to never quit is something in-built. I’m so proud of him.”A gallant Victoria remained in the contest largely due to a lionhearted allround performance from Sutherland, who further enhanced his growing reputation with a five-wicket haul and an aggressive 83 in the second innings. But it ultimately wasn’t enough although there is the sense that something is percolating within this emerging team.”It still bloody hurts we lost another final. I don’t want that to be a habit but we’re heading in the right direction,” Rogers said. “To win five games on the bounce is quite exceptional. They’ve played with discipline beyond their years and they had a lot of fun doing it. We are going to get better.”

'Feet up for a bit and on to the next challenge' – Behardien calls time on career

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He hadn’t played internationally since November 2018 but was active in the South African domestic circuit till earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2022Farhaan Behardien, the 39-year-old South African batter, has retired after an 18-year career at the professional level, which included 59 ODI and 38 T20I appearances.Behardien, who last played internationally in a T20I against Australia in November 2018, but was in action for Boland in the domestic circuit till earlier this month, said “feet up for a bit and onto the next challenge” in his retirement note on Twitter. He didn’t, however, make it clear if he would continue to play certain formats, at least domestically.

Behardien made his first-class and List A debuts in October 2004. The first-class debut came for Western Province against Eastern Province with Behardien coming out as a lower-middle-order batter and opening the bowling with his medium pace. Over time, though, Behardien did more with the bat and didn’t bowl as much.He was first noticed in a big way in the 2011-12 South African domestic season when he averaged 45.66 in the one-day competition and 66.50 in the T20 version. He was named the South African T20 player of the year at the 2012 CSA awards, which helped him get into the national side.Behardien had it tough in international cricket
The international debut came in a T20 game against India in Johannesburg in March that year, and he played his first World Cup – the T20I event – in Sri Lanka later that year. He made his ODI debut in January 2013, at home against New Zealand, and went on to be part of the South Africa set-up at two T20 and two ODI World Cups.Overall, he tallied 1074 runs at an average of 30.68 and strike rate of 97.90 in ODIs and 518 runs at an average of 32.37 and strike rate of 128.21 in T20Is, with the riches in the middle order usually forcing him to bat low in the order and perform the finisher’s role.In January 2017, Behardien was named South Africa’s T20I captain for a three-match series against Sri Lanka at home. This came on the back of strong performances for Titans in the domestic T20 tournament, where he finished as the third-highest run-scorer. The year before, he was part of Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) in the IPL, and he later also turned out for Edmonton Royals in the 2018 Global T20 Canada league.

All roads lead to Dubai as cricket's most colourful rivalry resumes

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India might hold the edge on paper but they have the scars of their last encounter against Pakistan, and the absence of their best batsman, weighing against them

The Preview by Danyal Rasool19-Sep-20186:04

Agarkar: Pakistan have a slight edge over India

Big Picture

There’s nothing that can be said to downplay this game that’ll convince anyone. A dead rubber, with both sides – in spite of Hong Kong’s best efforts – already through to the next stage? Who cares? It’s Pakistan versus India.This tournament’s format isn’t one where finishing first has any meaningful advantage, either. Never mind that. These sides are odds-on favourites to meet again on September 28, in the final. So? It is that counts.When India and Pakistan meet, nothing but the present matters. It is cricket’s most lucrative drawcard, a parochial rivalry meant for global consumption.Besides, with these two juggernauts having eschewed bilateral ties for reasons that are anything but sporting, who would complain about one more India-Pakistan fixture? The real spice in this tie comes from its standalone appeal. These sides are so closely matched – and so vastly improved of late – it is hard to see where one can overwhelm the other.India’s fast bowling, for long the butt of jokes on the green side of the border, is perhaps more dynamic than it has ever been; Jasprit Bumrah is the top-ranked ODI bowler currently. Similarly, Pakistan’s batting, for much of the past decade, a weakness to the point of parody, now boasts a lethal opening pair, followed by the highest-ranked batsman in the tournament in Babar Azam. Both are better fielding sides than they were 10 years ago: India by incremental, methodical improvement over the years, and Pakistan partly by the sharp-shock method Mickey Arthur’s backroom staff has implemented over the last two years.Every reference point stops at the Champions Trophy final; it is Year Zero. India, a side so inexorably on the rise, need to play Pakistan – and beat them – to confirm to themselves that that day at The Oval was a mere aberration, an outlier that does not loosen their grip on their neighbours in big matches. For Pakistan, it is the ultimate inspiration, their one saving grace. If they could overpower India in a match of that magnitude, does that mean this irksome psychological blip against their biggest rivals has finally been put to bed? Could it come to be recognised as a turning point instead of a fond memory they keep having to reach further back in time to reminisce upon?India undoubtedly come into this with the more daunting form. Since that Champions Trophy meeting, they’ve won ODI series in the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, and beaten Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka at home. The only series loss was a 2-1 reversal in England recently. Pakistan have by no means whimpered out since then, but they look more fallible. The wins, albeit convincing, have come in whitewashes against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. But they did suffer an embarrassing whitewash when they travelled to New Zealand earlier this year. They will have to play better cricket than they did on that tour, or, indeed, than was sufficient to see off Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.It remains to be seen how well India cope in Virat Kohli’s absence, both as player and captain. In the recent Test series against England, India were so dependent on him that they began to look like a one-man batting side. Besides, it is hard to predict how much the game against Hong Kong, far more competitive than they’d bargained for, drained the team. But they have several matchwinners in the ODI side – some of whom sat out Tuesday’s game. Even so, it should be fascinating to see how they react without the security blanket of their best player.Pakistan have pondered playing another spinner on the dust-bowl in Dubai, since this tournament has had spin flourish and runs haven’t been as bountiful as they are in limited-overs cricket these days. But India play spin well, and Pakistan don’t have as much depth in the spin department as India do. There’s also the question about what to do with Mohammad Amir, who is increasingly beginning to look like a shadow of the bowler that terrorised India last June.

Form guide

India WLLWW (last five completed games, most recent first)
Pakistan WWWWWAFP

In the spotlight

Rohit Sharma has been given the responsibility of leading India in this tournament. Before the Asia Cup, he had only captained the national side once before, in a three-match series against Sri Lanka last year, where scores of 2 and 7 sandwiched a monumental, unbeaten 208 in the second game. That has been the pattern for him in the games since, too; it’s either boom or bust. While he has two centuries in the 11 games since that double, he has failed to cross 25 on all of the other nine occasions. It serves to reiterate how crucial the first Powerplay will be for Pakistan when they field. Rohit has struggled for starts, and if Pakistan can capitalise on that, they would neutralise one of the most dangerous batsmen in modern-day cricket. Because once he gets going, he can become impossible to stop.Sarfraz Ahmed hasn’t had to bat in ten of the last 20 ODIs Pakistan have played, while Shoaib Malik has either not batted or finished not out in eight of his last 17 innings. What that does tell you is that Pakistan’s top order has been taking care of business for well over a year now, leaving the middle order underused and, perhaps, a little protected too. If India can chip away at the top three early – something they failed to do in the Champions Trophy final and ended up paying for – it exposes Sarfraz, Shoaib and the still-wet-behind-the-ears Asif Ali, putting them in the spotlight in a high-pressure game. They have played good cameos in the past, but if they’re required to rebuild the innings and prevent India from nibbling their way into the tail, it will be a challenge different to the anything they’ve faced in a long time.

Team news

The schedule hasn’t been so kind to India, who have been forced to play back-to-back games in the brutal UAE heat. That meant some of their players were rested against Hong Kong. But a full-strength side should see the returns of Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, even as the twin wristspin threats of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal find conditions to their favour.India (probable): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma (capt), 3 KL Rahul, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedhar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit BumrahPakistan might go in with an unchanged line-up; they will come into this game having had two days of rest, so fatigue shouldn’t be an issue. The only question is whether it’s worth playing an extra spinner, in which case left-armer Mohammad Nawaz becomes a factor. Junaid Khan might also want a crack at India – he holds a good record against them. In either case, the man to make way would most likely be Mohammad Amir.Pakistan (probable): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 6 Asif Ali 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Mohammad Amir/Junaid Khan/Mohammad Nawaz, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Khan

Pitch and conditions

Surfaces in Dubai have produced low scores this Asia Cup, with spin playing a vital role in keeping batsmen in check. That said, good fast bowling will be rewarded early on – you only need to look at Lasith Malinga’s opening over against Bangladesh to know that – but the hot conditions mean fitness could become a key factor in the final analysis.

Stats and Trivia

  • Since these two sides met last time, Pakistan have only played 15 ODIs, winning 10 and losing five. India have played 31 ODIs, winning 23 and losing eight.
  • Shoaib Malik has played more matches against India than any player from either side has against the other. In 39 games, he has scored 1661 runs at an average of 47.45, with four hundreds, and has taken 22 wickets. India’s most seasoned campaigner against Pakistan is MS Dhoni, with 1230 runs in 33 ODIs at an average of just under 56.

Leus du Plooy replaces Billy Godleman as Derbyshire captain

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Godleman steps down after seven seasons in charge of club’s fortunes

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2022Derbyshire have appointed Leus du Plooy as club captain after Billy Godleman stepped down from the role.Godleman, 33, had led Derbyshire since taking over from Wayne Madsen ahead of the 2016 season, although he was not involved in the Blast side last season, Shan Masood taking over the captaincy with du Plooy as his deputy.Godleman endured a tough summer with the bat in the Championship, failing to pass 50 until the final innings of the campaign – his 158 against Leicestershire represented more than a third of his season’s runs – and agreed to the change after chatting to Derbyshire’s coach, Mickey Arthur.”I sat down with Mickey and we had a good catch-up about the season and my thoughts about captaincy, future leadership and my seven seasons as captain,” he said.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as captain but reflecting on this season I think that with Mickey coming in and giving the club new impetus, the time is now right for me to hand over the reins to a new leadership group as Wayne Madsen did to me in 2016.”Seven seasons as a captain is a long time and the highlights for me will always be the strong personal relationships I’ve built with players past and present both on and off the field, while I am particularly proud to have led the club to their first T20 Finals Day in 2019.”I very much hope that I can continue to be successful with Derbyshire, scoring lots of runs in all formats, and look forward to providing any support and insight I can to Leus.”Du Plooy, 27, joined Derbyshire in 2019 and is a regular in the side across formats, although involvement in the Hundred might limit his availability for the one-day cup. He was born in South Africa but qualifies as a local through a Hungarian passport.Arthur said: “Billy has led the team with great purpose and will continue to be a senior figure within our squad, but we both feel the time is right to make this change and restructure the leadership team ahead of the 2023 season.”For more than half-a-decade, Billy has been a dedicated Derbyshire captain, however now we have the opportunity for a new voice, in Leus, to lead the team and bring a fresh approach.”Billy can now focus on what he does best, scoring runs for Derbyshire, without having the pressure of captaincy. His record is one that most sides would love to have in their ranks, and I hope we can see more of his quality next season.”

South Australia's quicks secure rare Shield victory

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Wes Agar, Brendan Doggett and Nathan McAndrew were impressive throughout the game

AAP03-Dec-2022South Australia raced to their first Sheffield Shield win of the season after their pacemen ripped through Tasmania’s top order for the second time to secure a 208-run win.Tasmania were dismissed for 208 just before stumps on day three while chasing 417 for victory at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena. Pace trio of Brendan Doggett, Wes Agar and Nathan McAndrew repeated their best form after also taking nine wickets between them in the first innings.SA were earlier dismissed in their second innings for 236 shortly after lunch, with No. 3 Daniel Drew the top scorer.Related

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Drew said it was “awesome” to secure such a comprehensive win.”It is really great to get the (first) win for the season,” he said. “It has been a long time coming so it is really good to tick that one over inside three days. It was a great effort from all the boys, and the bowling group this afternoon to take 10 wickets.”Tasmania had gone to tea at 1 for 69 in pursuit of an unlikely 417 but lost 3 for 2 straight after the break. Matthew Wade and Tim Ward had both been dropped in the slips when on 6, but were dismissed in consecutive overs by Doggett and Agar.SA’s bowlers kept the pressure on and had the hosts 6 for 106 before Jake Doran and aggressive allrounder Jarrod Freeman held them up.Agar came back on to clean up the tail and take his wicket tally for the Sheffield Shield season so far to 23 at an average of 27.08.The victory will be a relief for South Australia who were fifth before the match. They have claimed four wooden spoons in the past five seasons but have now moved to mid-table. It was a deserved win by the visitors, whose batsmen and bowlers dominated.

SACA says key elements of MoU yet to be discussed with CSA

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SACA’s fear is that if the MoU is not signed by the time the current deal expires, South African players may consider their options elsewhere rather than commit to cricket at home

Firdose Moonda19-Apr-2018The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has responded with “surprise and disappointment” to Cricket South Africa’s statement regarding its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which expires at the end of April and has yet to be re-agreed to.On Wednesday, CSA released a statement announcing its intention for an interim agreement and indicated the MoU may only be finalised by July, something SACA claims was not discussed with the players’ association. SACA also confirmed “negotiations on the key elements” of the MOU have yet to start despite CSA’s assertion that discussions had begun.”We are both surprised and disappointed that CSA has seen fit to make a public statement announcing plans relating to the MoU without giving us any proper opportunity to respond to, or to deal with these first,” SACA CEO Tony Irish said. “The suggested plans have caused consternation among players and they require a response from SACA. The indication of further possible delays and the unworkability of certain aspects of what is being suggested are particular matters of concern to us. The suggestion also that there have actually been negotiations conducted by SACA officials with CSA on the MoU to date is also not correct. Negotiations on the key elements have yet to start.”Among the most important aspects of the MoU is the financial model, which underpins players’ contracts and benefits, and which CSA initially indicated could change before backtracking. In December, CSA’s acting CEO Thabang Moroe and president Chris Nenzani told media that the revenue-share model which has formed part of the MoU since its inception 14 years ago may be relooked at. In March, Nenzani recommitted to the revenue share model though, which appeared to clear the path for agreement.However, SACA suggests there has been little to no engagement with CSA despite the player body’s best efforts.The Hampshire squad, including Kolpak signings Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw, pose on media day•Getty Images

“SACA has been doing everything possible from its side for approximately three months to engage with CSA on the MoU and to deal with the key elements to enable player contracts to be finalised well in advance of 30th April 2018, being the date on which the majority of player contracts end. In past MoUs the key elements have always been agreed by the end of February at the latest to ensure a proper player contracting process can take place well in advance of expiry dates,” Irish said. “Unfortunately our attempts to date have been met with very little response from CSA and much of our correspondence has gone unanswered.”We have now reached a point where many of our players could be out of contract in less than two weeks. The effect of this runs across the player group from senior players who play for the Proteas to young players seeking to make their way in franchise cricket.”While CSA promised yesterday to extend player contracts until a final MoU is decided on, SACA explained that would only add to the current climate of uncertainty, because too many players face uncertain futures.”This has caused confusion because it doesn’t cater for what is actually happening on the ground for many players,” Irish said. “Some players have already been told that they will no longer be contracted, some will be moving between national and franchise contracts, some will be moving between franchises and some will be first-time franchise players. Extensions of contract are simply unworkable for all of these players.”SACA’s fear is that if the MoU is not signed by the time the current deal expires, South African players may consider their options elsewhere rather than commit to cricket at home, something which could destabilise the system at large. “The delays have created an environment of uncertainty for players, and also for franchises who wish to secure their players,” Irish said. “This comes at a time when South African cricket needs to do whatever it can to retain its players in the face of competing opportunities afforded to players in the emerging T20 leagues market and also in the UK.”For that reason, SACA regards the finalisation of the MoU to be a “matter of urgency”, a term CSA also used in its release. SACA’s worry is that CSA’s timeline on an urgent matter may not correspond to its own and Irish has urged CSA to enter into talks at the soonest.”We do not understand why such a long further delay may be necessary,” Irish said. “We believe that the new MoU is likely to be substantially similar to the existing one in most respects. Whilst SACA does not have an issue with clarifying the relationship between it and CSA we urge CSA to prioritise finalising the key elements of the MoU so that there is a greater degree of certainty and security for players going forward. Our players deserve that.”

Nicola Carey holds nerve to inspire overdue first win for Welsh Fire

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Late collapse after Wolvaardt-Armitage stand leaves Superchargers needing a miracle to qualify

ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2022They were singing ‘Hymns and Arias’ at Sophia Gardens in the end as Tammy Beaumont’s side came back from the dead to notch Welsh Fire’s first win in either the women’s or men’s Hundred this season, as they beat Northern Superchargers by 11 runs.Having set the visitors 124 to win, Fire seemed out for the count after Superchargers skipper Hollie Armitage and South African star Laura Wolvaardt put on 90 for the third wicket to leave their team needed 21 to win off the last 17 balls with eight wickets in hand.But then Wolvaardt, who took over from Beth Mooney as this season’s leading run-scorer, went for 41 and Beaumont’s side started to breathe fire. From 103 for 2, the Superchargers slumped to 112 for 6 as they lost four wickets in the space of 17 balls and added only 10 more runs.Related

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Nicola Carey was the star of the show for the home side with the ball as she removed Wolvaardt, Armitage, who reached her highest total in the tournament with 40 off 38, and Alice Davidson-Richards. “That win has been a long time coming,” she said. It was nice to get one over the line in front of a home crowd.”While Fire broke their duck for the season after four successive defeats to fall out of the running for the knockout phase, Superchargers are still in with an outside shot of reaching the top three but will need a huge win against unbeaten Southern Brave in their final game and for other results to fall in their favour.Beaumont won the toss and opted to bat first as her side chased that elusive first win of the season. She then went out to open with Scottish international Sarah Bryce and helped to steer her side to 32 off the 25 balls in the powerplay, but was bowled by Jenny Gunn.Annabel Sutherland’s late runs took Welsh Fire to 123•ECB/Getty Images

The experienced Rachel Haynes, returning to action after illness forced her to miss the last two defeats, didn’t last long, scoring four runs off her 10 balls to leave the Fire 56 for 2 at the half-way mark.While Bryce kept swinging, hitting four boundaries in her 36 in 30 balls, Annabel Sutherland also came good after Bryce and Fran Wilson had both departed within the space of 12 balls. Sutherland and Lauren Filer both hit sixes in a final flourish that same them put on 17 off the final six balls.Those runs, along with the 19 scored by Carey, proved vital as Fire reached 123 for 6. That gave them something to bowl at on a tricky wicket and they got off to a great start: Alyssa Healy and Bess Heath fell early to leave Superchargers struggling at 12 for 2 off the first 13 balls.Wolvaardt and Armitage took Superchargers close but when Wolvaardt, who had scored an unbeaten 90 in the win over Manchester Originals last time out, holed out at deep mid-on off, the late wobble was on. Beaumont’s team turned the screw and came up with that long awaited win – and celebrated with a sing-song with the crowd.

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