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A new play on the tragic decline of former England and Northamptonshire batsman Colin Milburn will visit all 18 county cricket clubs in November

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2016A new play on the tragic decline of former England and Northamptonshire batsman Colin Milburn will visit all 18 county cricket clubs in November. is a one-man show that has been written by James Graham-Brown, the former Kent and Derbyshire all-rounder turned playwright, and is being produced by Live Wire/Roughhouse Theatre in association with the Professional Cricketers’ Association.The play is set in the North Briton pub in Newton Aycliffe in County Durham on February 28 1990, the last day of Milburn’s life and the end of his performance as ‘Jolly Ollie’, the character he had developed to conceal his insecurities and suffering.Milburn, whose destructive career was cut short by the loss of the sight in his left eye in a car accident in May 1969, died in the North Briton car park aged 48 after he drifted into chronic alcoholism.All county clubs have agreed to support the PCA in putting on the play around the country, partly with the intention of helping current players appreciate the importance of planning for life after cricket.”This new, exciting initiative focuses on what can happen when a playing career suddenly ends and a player struggles with a difficult transition,” said Jason Ratcliffe, PCA Assistant Chief Executive. “Ollie’s story puts this into sharp focus.”, which is also supported by the Arts Council, will begin its nationwide tour at Somerset’s Taunton headquarters on November 1 and will visit all 18 county grounds before the final performance at Wantage Road, Milburn’s old Northampton stamping ground, on November 24.Auditions for the role of Milburn have just taken place and the identity of the actor who will play the role will be announced shortly.Graham-Brown, who writes under the name Dougie Blaxland, has written 32 plays, 14 of which have been produced in professional theatre.When the Eye Has Gone’ is the PCA’s 2016 initiative to promote mental health and wellbeing.Dates:October: 28 & 29: Lansdown CC, Bath, 30 Dorchester Arts.November: 1 Somerset (The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton), 2 Gloucestershire CCC (The Brightside Ground, Bristol), 3 Glamorgan (The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff), 4 Worcestershire (New Road, Worcester), 7 Warwickshire (Edgbaston), 8 Lancashire (Emirates Old Trafford), 9 Derbyshire (The 3aaa County Ground, Derby – TBC), 10 Yorkshire (Headingley Carnegie), 11 Durham (Emirates Riverside, Chester-le-Street), 12 Burnopfield CC, 14 Essex (The Essex County Ground, Chelmsford), 15 Kent (The Spitfire Ground, Canterbury), 16 Sussex (The 1st Central County Ground, Hove), 17 Surrey (The Kia Oval), 18 Middlesex (Lord’s), 19 Teddington CC, 21 Hampshire (Ageas Bowl), 22 Leicestershire (Fischer County Ground, Leicester), 23 Nottinghamshire (Trent Bridge Inn, Nottingham), 24 Northamptonshire (County Ground, Northampton), 25 West Hallam CC.More information: www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-professional-cricketers-association

On a three-year contract, which includes the 2021 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda08-Jul-2020Hilton Moreeng has been reappointed as the head coach of the South African women’s team on a three-year deal. His new contract runs until 2023 and includes both the 2021 ODI World Cup and the 2022 T20 World Cup due to be held in New Zealand and South Africa respectively, and will take Moreeng’s tenure in the role to 11 years, since he was first appointed in 2012.Moreeng’s previous contract came to an end in March, after the T20 World Cup in Australia, where South Africa reached the semi-finals. He chose to reapply for the post and was among three shortlisted candidates, and the decision was made to keep Moreeng in the role, bearing in mind imminent major tournaments.”Hilton has built the squad from a very talented environment into a high-performing unit and a team that can challenge the top three or four nations consistently,” Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket said. “Results this year in New Zealand and at the T20 World Cup speak volumes of Hilton and Dane [van Niekerk]’s leadership and through the review process, we realised he is the right man to take the team forward and hopefully onto greater things and World Cups in the future.”Under Moreeng, the South African women’s team reached two T20 semi-finals (2014 and 2020) and one fifty-over World Cup semi-final (2017) and achieved automatic qualification for the 2021 ODI World Cup by beating the hosts New Zealand 3-0 in an ODI series earlier this year. That meant they did not have to rely on the home series against Australia, which was due to be played in March but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic, to secure their spot at next year’s tournament. They have also had a series in West Indies pushed back.The women’s team, however, could see themselves back on the park before the men, with talks between CSA and the ECB on about a triangular series, also involving India, later this year. “The tour is very much in the pipeline for September,” Smith said.That means the women’s team are set to return to training imminently, after CSA was given the green light last Monday to let its players resume training. They will also be given as much information as possible about playing in a bio-bubble and touring for an extended period of time, which may include a larger squad than normal. “We discussed with the management team and the ladies this morning, to take them through the return to play medical protocols and trying to get them to understand how cricket will look in England over that period and the quarantine periods that are required,” Smith said. “The tour can become very long so we must just decide what the right timing for a build-up is. There’s 14 days quarantine either side of a tour and a long tour, so it can become very taxing. There is an element of trying to decide how big your squads need to be when they travel, so there are a lot of learnings and new discussions that needs to happen.”If the series goes ahead it will be an important part of South Africa’s build-up to next year’s World Cup, an event they have been earmarked as theirs to win. “For us, the focus now is that we are five months away from a World Cup and we have to give it everything we have,” Moreeng said. “It’s a World Cup we have planned and we have a built a squad we believe can go and win this World Cup. So far, the building blocks are very good and we have assembled one of the best ODI teams in a very long time. When you look back at how the team performed in January, to be able to give New Zealand a whitewash on their own soil, it showed the character of the team. The World Cup is back there again so everyone is familiar with conditions and we have a great opportunity.”CSA has two other appointments still to make – the national men’s convenor of selectors and the national Under-19 coach – which are expected in the next few weeks. Linda Zondi, who served as independent selector for the 2019/20 season and was previously South Africa men’s convener of selectors, is in the running for his old job but a new U-19 coach is on the cards after Lawrence Mahatlane accepted the position of head coach of Uganda.

Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock were at the crease at stumps

Firdose Moonda05-Feb-2021Pakistan prised out an overly aggressive South African top four to leave an under-pressure middle order with plenty to do in Rawalpindi. Temba Bavuma, who has not scored a hundred in five years, and Quinton de Kock, who has scored 45 runs in four innings as captain, were at the crease at the close having approached their time in the middle entirely differently.While Bavuma survived a drop, an lbw review and two appeals for catches, de Kock breezed his way to 24 not out off 11 balls and took on the spinners. Pakistan’s attack will nonetheless be pleased with the pressure they put on a South African line-up that continues to grapple with its approach to batting in the subcontinent, with no-one able yet to convert a start into something more.Pakistan also didn’t have a centurion in their first innings but seventies from Babar Azam and Faheem Ashraf provided the fulcrum around which the rest operated in the face of an intense show by Anrich Nortje. He claimed his third career five-for, and first away from home, and ensured South Africa kept Pakistan under 275.Nortje made the breakthrough with the second ball of the day when Azam looked to cut a length ball but got a thick outside edge. Faf du Plessis took the catch at head height to deny Azam the opportunity for a third hundred in three innings at this ground. But du Plessis’ catch was not the most spectacular piece of fielding on the day. That belonged to Bavuma, who ran out Fawad Alam with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end with a one-handed pick up and throw from point, reminiscent of his Perth 2016 dismissal of David Warner.South Africa hoped to get rid of Ashraf fairly soon after that and called for a review when he missed a paddle sweep off Keshav Maharaj on 15. Replays showed the ball would have missed off stump. Ashraf made the most of that and saw off the second new ball, which accounted for Mohammad Rizwan – bounced out by a fired up Nortje – and Hasan Ali, who was caught at slip off Maharaj. In particular, Ashraf punished an off-colour Kagiso Rabada, taking 30 runs off 32 balls he faced from him.With Yasir Shah at the other end, Pakistan would have had 300-plus in their sights but Shah offered Wiaan Mulder a low catch in his follow through. Nortje cleaned up with two wickets in his 25th over to prove that seamers, if they’re able to bowl quickly, can prosper on this pitch.That wasn’t entirely the approach of the Pakistan pacers. While Shaheen Shah Afridi bowled around the 145kph mark, Hasan found a hint of swing through the air and Dean Elgar’s edge. Twice. Elgar first pierced the gap at second slip before a faint edge made its way to Rizwan. Hasan’s next ball kept low and snuck under Rassie van der Dussen’s bat to remove his off stump and leave South Africa 26 for 2 at tea.du Plessis appeared in good touch before he chased a wide delivery from Ashraf and was caught behind and his dismissal saw South Africa change their batting order. Bavuma, who has been coming in at No. 6, was promoted to de Kock’s No. 5 position and the switch very nearly did not pay off. Bavuma was dropped by Rizwan on 1, after Nauman Ali took the edge, and should have been out lbw at the end of that same over when he was hit on the back pad. Pakistan did not review but replays confirmed it was hitting leg stump. In Nauman’s next over, Bavuma defended a ball onto his boot which the on-field umpires referred for a catch and saw the ball had hit the ground too, and in the over after that Pakistan referred what they thought was a catch off a Bavuma sweep that came off his arm.In all that, Aiden Markram had steadily built his way into the 30s and appeared relatively settled but miscued as he tried to whip Nauman to leg and skied the ball to mid-on. South Africa were 81 for 4 and in some trouble before de Kock played a carefree cameo, which included five fours, to provide an energetic end to the day.

MS Dhoni had intended to bat at No.4 in the ODI side after his Test retirement, but he decided to stay at No.5 to help the development of the junior players. His finishing ability was again on show in India’s win in Indore.

Alagappan Muthu14-Oct-2015Post his Test retirement MS Dhoni wanted a little comfort. He wanted to enjoy his game, so he wanted more time to play his game and therefore believed he should bat at No.4. But as a senior player, for the juniors to develop better and for the team’s sake, he decided instead to return to batting in the lower middle-order and be the finisher for India.”I would say more about my side of the story,” Dhoni said. “If you see once I left Test cricket, I thought ‘Now I am going to enjoy my ODI cricket, I want to bat up the order’. But when I come over here, I see my team, I see the playing XI and I find it very difficult to promote myself because we have that pressure of who is going to bat at No.6, who is going to bat at No.7?”And if you see stretches of cricket where teams have done well, the lower order has contributed a lot irrespective of the format. Your lower order needs to perform. So that was the reason I came back over here and I am still batting at No.5 or 6 because I find it really difficult; I can’t really put too much pressure on some of the other youngsters in the side. After playing so many ODIs, if I can’t do it, there are not many who will be able to do it. It’s something that I have to do.”And he provided a fine example of his skills – if perhaps a modified version where he starts slowly and dabs the ball for singles and twos before flexing his shoulders – in Indore, scoring 92 off 86 balls and remaining unbeaten as he guided India past a top-order collapse.”I felt we needed partnerships at that point of time,” he said. “Once we lost Rahane and a few other wickets fell, I was thinking, ‘Maybe I should play the big shot. I am not sure how long the lower order batsmen will survive with me.’ But that was the period I said, ‘No. Let’s look to play a few more deliveries. Let’s look to play 50 overs and if a few more wickets fall, maybe [if it had been] the last couple of wickets [that were left] I will look to hit, but it was important that we got some kind of partnership going at that point of time.”But the 247 for 9 that he helped India get to still wasn’t anywhere close to his expectations. “I thought it was a score we can look to defend. But it was not a safe score where you say, ‘okay let’s go in and if we bowl well we will win the game.’ What was important for us was getting the early breakthroughs and that was provided by the spinners.”This is the kind of victory in which the contribution of the bowlers was more than the batsmen, if you compare them, because some bowlers also contributed in terms of runs. In a score of 247, if the bowlers are contributing a score of around 40, that means a lot. I feel very happy about the fact that the bowlers won us the match.”But when asked to rate his own innings, which was vital to giving the bowlers a chance and lifting their morale up as well, Dhoni simply chose to explain the impact of a first victory in this series so far.”It’s a very good victory for us, the reason being, if you see the first game we played at Dharamsala, apart from that one over, you can say those four or five minutes we were really into the game but we were not able to win the game,” Dhoni said. “The same thing happened in the last game we played as well, Kanpur, where we were in the game but we lost a few wickets and we lost it at the wrong time because of which we were not able to win the game.”So a lot of times you play good cricket for maybe 80-90% of the game but it depends whether that 10% bad phase, how bad it was and what was the timing of that particular error that happened, that can had a big impact on the game. I feel this win was very important for us and at the same time its good to see our bowlers defend 250-odd runs on a wicket that was good to bat on.”The Indore crowd played their part as well. Sensing the turning of the tides after Faf du Plessis fell for a well-made fifty and David Miller got a first-ball duck, they produced an enchanting sight. The Holkar Stadium was packed. Well over 25,000 people. And as one, a very large majority brandished their cell phones with the flash on. It was a scene out of a Bruce Springsteen concert. One that made Dhoni and the team take a lap of honour in thanks for their support.”The people of Indore have supported us a lot, specially when there was a dull phase in the middle when South Africa had a partnership going and we weren’t getting wickets. When we got 1-2 wickets, the crowd got vocal. It helps when you are playing at home and have the support of your home crowd. Along with us, they have also supported AB de Villiers – we (fans) share our love freely. If we like somebody, we really get behind them.”But that doesn’t mean India are home free. The five-match series is tied 1-1 and Dhoni saw plenty of room for improvement. For example, finding an allrounder who can connect the top-order and the tail.”No.7 is very crucial,” he said. “Even in this game if you see, Mishra was our best bowler in the last game. But we had to drop him, the reason being we want that No.7 to bat. Axar gives us slightly more than Mishra because in the modern game you can’t play with six batters and five bowlers. That day is gone, you can’t really compete when it comes to that.”But you need somebody who can bat at No.7. And you know, the few people who are there for us – Stuart Binny is one, Jadeja and Axar. These are the three people who can bowl and bat. Other than that there are not many. There are few others in the domestic circuit who are doing well so we will definitely will like to have a look. Because ideally in this game we would have liked to play Mishra, but it just makes it impossible to think about Mishra batting at No.7 and then Harbhajan or Harbhajan at No.7 followed by Mishra.”It just puts too much pressure on the batsmen who are on top because in situations like these when you lose early wickets or you lose a few wickets in quick succession in the middle overs, it just puts tremendous pressure on the two batsmen who are batting. Imagine, you are supposed to hit a six, you want to play the big shot, but you have to be 110% sure once you are hitting, it has to go over the boundary.”So these are the kinds of pressure that you tend to take and there is no easy way out. It’s very easy to say on paper that this is the combination we should go with, but excuse me, cricket is not played that way. You need to have people who contribute.”

The seamer reflects on the lessons he has learnt en route to his 50th Test, against Pakistan in Adelaide

Daniel Brettig26-Nov-2019If this year’s Ashes retention against England at Old Trafford in Manchester seems a little too recent to be the highlight of Josh Hazlewood’s entire career – one that will reach 50 Tests in Adelaide against Pakistan this week – then there is some fundamental logic to the New South Welshman’s choice.To return home from the northern hemisphere with the urn in Australia’s keeping for the first time since 2001 was not only the breaking of fresh ground for Hazlewood and the rest of the touring team, it was also an achievement that could be enjoyed all the more for the fact that the 28-year-old had seen plenty of difficult days and defeats that made it something more to savour.ALSO READ: ‘Cherry ripe’ Hazlewood brings peak precisionFor a young, tall fast bowler to whom, injuries aside, so much had come rapidly, here was a garland he had spent time chasing, to the point of struggling on one previous Ashes tour in 2015 when a team led by Michael Clarke had been widely expected to succeed. Test cricket, Hazlewood had long since learned, was far harder than he imagined as a teenager making his debut for NSW as a 17-year-old in 2008, or for Australia in an ODI two years later.”Probably Manchester, not that long ago,” Hazlewood said. “To retain the Ashes over there and be the person to get that last wicket. It was a pretty special moment. There are some good moments of the team celebrating. It’s just a great memory.”I didn’t know it [Test cricket] was going to be this hard. You learn patience. You bowl in the nets all the time and you try and take two or three wickets and you’re only bowling for half an hour. Things like that you try a lot of things. Once you get into Test cricket it’s about building that pressure and patience and working on it all day. And a side is never going to roll over I think. That’s a big one. That patience stands out for me.”There is something fitting, too, about Hazlewood’s 50th Test arriving in Adelaide, a venue where he has plucked 22 wickets at 20.22 and a strike rate of 44.5 in four matches (as against a career average of 26.3 and strike rate of 56.7) and has little hesitation in labelling the best all-round pitch in the country. “I love Adelaide the most I think,” he said. “I have had good success there. Often it is a pink-ball game now. But we played red ball last year and it still did a bit for most the game.”It keeps you a little bit interested when the ball is a bit older and the wicket is a bit flatter, there is still a little bit there for you throughout the day. And it is a new-ball wicket, so I think it’s an even contest between bat and ball. I think everyone would have their own favourites, but I think that is one that sticks out. I think Nath [Lyon] loves bowling there as well, there is spin there for most of the game. I think it’s just a great all-round wicket to be honest.”I think pink ball in Adelaide is a pretty similar length to red ball [in Brisbane]. You want to get it up there, you want to get it quite full. The pink ball does swing for probably a bit longer and if you’ve got a new one at night we know what can happen. I’m looking forward to getting it back in the hand, it’s been quite a while. I missed the one last year against Sri Lanka [at the Gabba], so I am looking forward to getting back bowling with the pink one.”Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc celebrate Australia’s Ashes win•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Knowing what to expect and how to respond, namely by applying relentless pressure to opponents, has always been a part of Hazlewood’s game, but there is a sense among the bowlers who toured England that they are growing in their proficiency at doing so.Noting the evolution of the game towards ever more aggression and short-form hitting, Hazlewood believed the reward for the build-up of pressure through diligence and control – plus natural bounce and a little movement either way – is growing all the time. Having not conceded more than three runs per over in any Test series since March 2016, Hazlewood is reaping the rewards.”As cricket goes on more players are limited-overs players and they play more of that. And the guys want to play their shots,” Hazlewood said. “With that strangling, if you can do it for long enough you get rash shots as we saw in the first innings. It’s building that pressure and strangle we talked about, and I think moving forward it’s a big thing for us.”We didn’t strangle them like we did the first innings [at the end of the Gabba Test]. We had a few more runs to play with and we probably over-attacked at certain stages and they got away with us in that middle session. I think the best thing was we had the best part of two days off between innings. The boys batted phenomenally this Test. We had our feet up for a long period and we could come out fresh last night and today. You’re feeling very fresh. That is probably the one thing that stands out for this Test.”That freshness should ensure that Hazlewood is joined by Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon in Adelaide, with James Pattinson set to return to the squad but not yet the XI – keeping the “big three” fast men together is certainly to their liking. “I think it’s huge. We know everything about each other basically,” Hazlewood said. “But on the field you know when guys are going well and when they might need to slow it down and have a word with them.”I talk to Nath a lot, I field at mid-off for him a lot and we talk a lot about how things are going and we talk a lot about how things are going, if we’re not bowling the right areas or getting the wickets, and what can we try here. It’s huge I think. The same as batters batting together. We’ve all played together now for a long time. And we all know what needs to be said at different times to different people. That balance and that partnership is huge.”Being a fast-bowler you can never look too far ahead. It’s quite tough the summer in Australia with the wickets seeming a lot harder than England and places like that. They do take their toll. But ideally you want to keep the same bowling group together, the same as the top six. Guys get confidence, they relax when they know they are not on their last chance. We’re no different.”As for Pakistan, the advantages Hazlewood enjoys in Adelaide will be available to the visiting seam bowlers also, including the potentially recalled Mohammad Abbas. The chance for the pink ball to wobble around in his and other visiting hands will be another reminder of why Hazlewood knows how hard Test cricket can be, and why Old Trafford will linger in his memory.”I think the Adelaide wicket and pink ball will suit them. A lot of them have nice wrists and present a nice seam,” he said of Pakistan. “So I think they will be able to swing it around. Whether Abbas comes in or not is up to them obviously. I think they have got a number of guys who can bowl well with the new ball. I think it will be hard work, especially when it’s new. But throughout the whole Test I think it will be hard work.”

Responding to its allegations that he, along with other disqualified administrators, had “hijacked” the BCCI’s June 26 SGM, N Srinivasan has accused the CoA of projecting a picture of him that would “prejudice” him in the eyes of the Supreme Court

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jul-2017In a stinging offensive against the committee of administrators (CoA), former BCCI president N Srinivasan has accused the panel of attempting to present “incomplete facts and circumstances” and projecting a picture of him that would “prejudice” him in the eyes of the Supreme Court.Srinivasan was responding to the CoA allegation (made in its status report) that he along with other disqualified administrators had “hijacked” the June 26 Special General Meeting (SGM) of the BCCI where the members – state associations – were supposed to adopt a new constitution as per the Lodha Committee recommendations.The CoA had said that Srinivasan and other disqualified administrators such as Niranjan Shah, who was attending the June SGM as a representative of the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA), had prevailed upon the other BCCI members, who were otherwise “willing” to support the reform process.According to Srinivasan the CoA had contradicted itself because its status report states that no “consensus” could be arrived at in its two meetings with the state associations, first on May 5 and then on June 25. “In this background the aforementioned allegation made against the answering respondent [Srinivasan] of hijacking the proceedings and prevailing upon the other attendees, who were otherwise willing to facilitate the reform process, is not only false but is a mala fide attempt to mislead this Hon’ble Court and prejudice this Hon’ble Court against the answering respondent,” Srinivasan noted in his affidavit which the court heard on Monday.Srinivasan pointed out that as many as 19 state associations had filed petitions challenging the July 18 court order from last year which he said had “partially” approved the recommendations. Srinivasan challenged the CoA’s assertion that it had arrived at a “mutual consensus” with a “majority” of the state associations on implementing the recommendations when many had challenged the same in the court. “The entire basis of the allegations made by the CoA is unsubstantiated, hypothetical and contrary to the facts on record.”Srinivasan accepted that he stood disqualified as an office bearer, but argued that he was not ineligible to attend the BCCI meetings as a representative of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Srinivasan’s justification for making such a statement, he said, was that neither the Lodha Committee nor the July 18 court order from last year had barred disqualified office bearers from attending BCCI meetings or from being part of any committee of the BCCI.”The true intent and purport of the orders of this Hon’ble Court was to change the degree of control which the off(i)ce bearers of the BCCI and the State Associations wielded, as pointed out by the Justice Lodha committee, and to prescribe certain disqualifications to stand for such elected office. There was no reference in the [Lodha] Committee report nor in any of the orders of this Hon’ble Court in regard to the membership or participation of individuals in cricketing affairs, in representative capacities. Equally, there was no discussion in any part of the committee report nor any of the orders of this Hon’ble Court on the right of an individual to join and participate in the affairs of a local club or a District Association.”Indeed, it was never the intention of this Hon’ble Court to define the parameters of eligibility for a citizen to pursue his interest in sport of cricket by being a member of any sports body or managing committee of any sports body. It is evident that the CoA seeks to expand the orders of this Hon’ble Court which is not permissible in law.”According to Shah, who was also pulled up by the CoA, he has not committed any violation by attending the BCCI meeting as an SCA representative. In his affidavit, Shah told the court that he was not playing the role of an “obstructionist” by attending BCCI meetings. He disagreed completely with being cast as a “disruptive and subversive” element as alleged by the CoA in its status report. “This approach of the CoA is contrary to democracy and meritocracy,” Shah said in his affidavit.

Day-one double centurion Darren Stevens claims two Yorkshire wickets, while Matt Milnes bags 5 for 87, despite Kent’s fielding woes

ECB Reporters Network17-Sep-2019 Kent 482 for 8 dec (Stevens 237, Billings 138, Olivier 5-108) and 2 for 0 lead Yorkshire 268 (Fisher 47*, Milnes 5-87) by 215 runsKent have strengthened their grip on their penultimate-round Specsavers County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Headingley.Both counties may be out of the title running in Division One, but they are in a three-way battle for third place in the table alongside Hampshire, with Yorkshire currently holding that position.Kent declared their first innings on 482 for 8 immediately before the start of day two before chipping away at the wickets on an excellent batting surface, with the hosts bowled out for 269 shortly before close. Kent, with a lead of 213, opted not to enforce the follow-on and reached close at two without loss from two overs in their second innings.Day-one double centurion Darren Stevens claimed two Yorkshire wickets and Matt Milnes 5 for 87 from 21 overs, although some of the gloss from Kent’s day was taken off by six dropped catches.Early on each day has been the best time to bowl, with Kent 39 for 5 on day one before recovering and Yorkshire 36 for 3 – Matt Fisher top-scored for them with a career-best 47 not out.Stevens did the initial damage to back up his sensational career-best 237. He struck twice in five balls in the eighth over, getting Adam Lyth caught low down at second slip by Faf du Plessis before trapping Gary Ballance lbw the ball after he had been dropped at third slip by Zak Crawley.That left Yorkshire at 17 for 2 before teenage debutant Matty Revis, dropped on nought and eight, edged Milnes’ fourth ball behind in the 18th over for nine. Lyth and Ballance had also fallen for single-figure scores.Kent’s six dropped catches were all in the morning and afternoon, with wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson and slip fielders Crawley and Ollie Rayner all letting two chances go by.While day one was helter-skelter, day two was hard-fought, with both sides working for reward.Either side of lunch, Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Harry Brook, who made 36 apiece, shared 59 for the fourth wicket before falling inside five early afternoon overs as the hosts fell from 95 for 3 in the 33rd over to 106 for five after 37. Both men fell to Milnes, with Brook first to go lbw to one which kept low. Kohler-Cadmore then lost his off stump as he tried to leave alone.Kent struck again in the 47th over, this time through Stevens’ new-ball partner Harry Podmore, who had Jonny Tattersall caught at third slip by Crawley as the score fell to 141 for 6.But batting recovery has been a theme of this fixture, and seventh-wicket pair Tim Bresnan and Fisher continued the trend either side of tea to take their side to the cusp of 200 and a first batting bonus point. They calmly chalked up a half-century stand inside the opening 10 minutes of the evening session, only for it to end on 53 when Milnes uprooted Bresnan’s off stump for 39.Podmore struck again in the first over with the new ball as he bowled Steve Patterson, leaving the score at 220 for eight. Milnes then claimed his fifth when Duanne Olivier was trapped lbw. By this time, Fisher had topped his previous best score of 37, and Ajaz Patel edged a boundary to secure a second batting point. Patel was bowled for 20 sweeping at Rayner’s off-spin to wrap up the Yorkshire innings.

In a rain-hit contest, BCB XI scored at over 7.5 runs an over to down the visitors in their only warm-up game

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2018Tamim Iqbal marked his return from injury with a blazing century for the BCB XI. The touring West Indians – under brand-new captain Rovman Powell – lost their only warm-up game before the three-match ODI series that begins on Saturday in a high-scoring rain-hit contest.Tamim, who fractured his left wrist during the Asia Cup in September, scored at a strike-rate close to 150, as he pummelled the West Indian bowlers for 13 fours and four sixes, making a 73-ball 107 while chasing 332.ALSO READ: Tamim, Shakib return to Bangladesh’s ODI squadIn a game where the BCB XI bowlers were themselves clattered for 331 in the first innings, Tamim joined forces with No. 3 Soumya Sarkar early in the chase to add 114 runs for the second wicket in just 83 balls. Sarkar smacked a quickfire unbeaten ton of his own, finishing on an 83-ball 103, as BCB XI won by 51 runs (via DLS method) with rain stopping play in the afternoon.Even without the downpour, BCB XI were cruising towards their target of 332 on the back of the Tamim-Sarkar stand. When the game stopped with the BCB XI 314 for 6 after 41 overs, the hosts were only 18 runs from their initial target.ALSO READ: Rovman Powell to lead West Indies’ 15-man ODI squadEarlier in the day, the West Indians, too, had a field day with the bat after winning the toss. A century stand between openers Kieran Powell (43) and Shai Hope (81) gave them a rapid start, but five wickets in the middle overs derailed their progress. Mehedi Hasan Rana and Nazmul Islam picked up two wickets each as the visitors went from 101 for no loss to 176 for 5. But a late surge by the unbeaten Roston Chase and No. 8 Fabian Allen took them past the 330-run mark. Chase finished on 65 off 51 balls, while Allen hit a 32-ball 48. Rubel Hossain and the captain Mashrafe Mortaza were the only two bowlers to concede less than six per over.As for the West Indian bowlers, the spinners found the most reward, with Chase and Devendra Bishoo taking four wickets between them. Chase’s offspin dismissed both Bangladesh openers while Bishoo’s legspin earned him the wickets of Mohammad Mithun and Ariful Haque. Allen, the left-arm spinner, chipped in with Towrid Hridoy’s wicket. The West Indian pacers, though, found it harder on a batting-friendly surface. Keemo Paul and Kemar Roach went wicketless at over 9 per over while Oshane Thomas leaked 57 runs in his seven-over spell.

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.

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.