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The election for the PCB chairman’s post will be held on August 18, according to a release from the board

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2014PCB’s Board of Governors

Islamabad region – Shakil Ahmad Sheikh

Peshawar – Mr. Gul Zada

Karachi – Matter sub-judice; will be nominated subject to judgment/order of the Sindh High Court;

Rawalpindi – No nomination due to absence of duly elected representatives

National Bank of Pakistan – Iqbal Qasim

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited – Amjad Latif

United Bank Limited – Mansoor Masood Khan

Pakistan Water And Power Development Authority – Yousaf Naseem Khokhar

Najam Sethi

Shaharyar Khan

The long-running uncertainty over the leadership of the PCB looks set to end on August 18, when the election for the chairman’s post will be held. The PCB’s acting chairman, Muhammad Sair Ali, also announced the full list of the Board of Governors from which the new chairman will be elected.Following a recent change to the board’s constitution, the structure of the Board of Governors was resized to 10 members, comprising four regional representations (top four teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy) and four representatives of services organisations (top four department teams) and two nominated members.Najam Sethi, who has headed, and been ousted from, the board several times during the last year, and former chairman Shaharyar Khan had earlier been nominated to the Board of Governors by Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the Patron of the PCB.The last date for filing nominations is on August 15. With Sethi having said that he will not contest the election, Shaharyar Khan is seen as a leading contender.

Kevin Pietersen will not play Championship cricket for Surrey in the closing weeks of the season with the county’s promotion challenge out of their hands

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2014Kevin Pietersen will not play Championship cricket for Surrey in the closing weeks of the season, with the county’s promotion challenge out of their hands.Last month it was suggested that Pietersen would return to first-class cricket for the final two matches of the season, partly to help Surrey try and get back into Division One and also because of the realisation that he needed to find more cricket than had been possible as a T20-only player to maintain his form.Further discussions were had between Alec Stewart, the director of cricket, and coach Graham Ford this week but it has been decided that with Surrey’s chances of going up reliant on results elsewhere – even though they lie third and play the leaders, Worcestershire, this week – they are better off planning for another season of Division Two cricket by giving young players such as Aneesh Kapil, who scored a maiden first-class hundred against New Zealand A last week, the chance to gain experience.Stewart told Surrey TV: “We discussed the possibility of bringing in Kevin but realistically we’ve only got an outside chance of promotion so it’s better for the future of the club if we give the likes of Aneesh Kapil or Arun Harinath two first-class games to gain more experience to see how they can progress which will stand us in good stead for next season.”Pietersen’s T20 Blast season was disappointing with 225 runs at 22.50 and a high-score of 39.

Alastair Cook looks set to benefit from the steadfast support of England coach Peter Moores and retain his place in the ODI side

George Dobell23-Sep-2014Alastair Cook looks set to benefit from the steadfast support of England coach Peter Moores and retain his place in the ODI side.England name their squad for the ODI series in Sri Lanka on Wednesday with the position of the captain one area that could have created much discussion.But while ESPNcricinfo understands that at least one of the other national selectors had reservations about Cook’s continued involvement in the ODI side, Moores has insisted that he should remain captain and lead England to the World Cup.While it remains possible that the other selectors – James Whitaker, Mick Newell and Angus Fraser – could out-vote Moores, it is unlikely that a normally consensual process would come to such an abrasive conclusion. It is more likely that the coach will be given the team, and the captain, that he wants.Cook’s position in the ODI side has come under scrutiny in recent months after a run of modest form with the bat and disappointing team results. England have not won any of their last five ODI series with Cook as captain and, since June 20, 2012, Cook is averaging 32.21 in ODI cricket at a strike-rate of 72.46. It is 40 ODI innings since he has reached 80 and, in his last 16, he has made only one-half-century. England have won one of their last six completed ODIs.But Cook and Moores have struck up a strong relationship over the last six months. Moores has been impressed by Cook’s fortitude under pressure and his lack of personal agenda. While Moores endured some difficult relationships with his captains during his first stint as coach – he struggled with Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood at various times – he has found Cook like-minded, easy to work with and believes in him as a player.Besides, while Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell might prove decent alternate choices as captains, neither has made a compelling case over recent months. Moores would rather stick with Cook, with his obvious strengths and weaknesses, than gamble on an unproven captain only months ahead of a global event.Certainly, time is running out to make a change ahead of the World Cup. After the seven-match ODI series in Sri Lanka, England depart for a short tri-nations series with Australia and India in Australia in January. England and Australia then play on the opening day of the World Cup, February 14. If the selectors are to give a new team any chance of bedding-in, the change would have to come now.Yet, with Moores’ support, it would still be a shock if Cook does not feature in the squad for Sri Lanka which is sure to closely resemble the World Cup that follows. With his selection, England will continue with their ODI method which, in broad terms, revolves around retaining wickets and accelerating in the later stages of their innings.The selectors, who meet on Tuesday, are also likely to discuss their spin options, fast bowling options, aggressive batting options and all-rounders; a state of affairs that reflects England’s increasingly desperate state going into World Cup.Ravi Bopara, who was a surprise omission from the ODI squad to play India, is likely to win a recall. Not only did England miss Bopara’s ability to clear the ropes towards the end of the innings, they also struggled to replace his medium-pace bowling.While there may well be a temptation to select the likes of Jason Roy or James Taylor, England are more likely to stick with those who did service against India. Joe Root ended the series with a fine hundred at Headingley and although Bell had a top score of 50 in ODIs this season he has a decent long-term record. Gary Ballance may miss out.There will be a temptation to select Adil Rashid whose legspin is complemented by his batting. But Moeen Ali has developed into a good spin option and the selectors retain faith in James Tredwell, despite his struggles in Australia at the start of the year. Though Tredwell’s economy rate of 4.57 was respectable he failed to take a wicket in three matches. There are few obvious candidates as a left-arm spinning alternative.With Stuart Broad, who is recovering from knee surgery, absent, there will be an opportunity for a bowler to make a late claim for inclusion within the World Cup squad. While the selectors like Harry Gurney’s left-arm variety and calm temperament, Steven Finn’s pace and James Anderson’s experience and control, it is hard to envisage a team containing all three of them as it renders the tail uncomfortably long.To that end, England are likely to provide more opportunities for seam bowling all-rounders such as Ben Stokes and Chris Jordan, despite inconsistent white ball performances to date.It is unlikely that there will be an immediate recall for Jonathan Trott. While Trott was recently cleared for selection by the ECB’s medical team and remains in the thoughts of the team management, it is likely that he would be reliant upon injury to the likes of Cook or Bell for a recall. It is entirely possible he will be placed, unofficially at least, on stand-by.Probable squad Alastair Cook, Alex Hales, Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Joe Root, Ravi Bopara, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, James Tredwell, James Anderson, Harry Gurney, Steven Finn.

The BCCI is unlikely to claim damages from the WICB right away, for West Indies having pulled out of the tour to India mid-way, but it could hit them with a series embargo

Amol Karhadkar20-Oct-2014Rajasthan Royals seek clarity on home ground

The IPL governing council will meet before the BCCI working committee on Tuesday. One of the key issues to be discussed by it will be the home venue of Rajasthan Royals for IPL 2015.
Royals couldn’t play in Jaipur during IPL 2014, because of the inability of the Rajasthan Cricket Association to acquire requisite state government clearances for the use of the stadium in Jaipur. With the RCA and the BCCI currently involved in a bitter battle, Royals’ management has sought clarity on their home ground for the next year.
If Ahmedabad, which hosted four of Royals’ home games each in 2010 and 2014, is to emerge as Royals’ home, then the team management may opt to rebrand the team, removing Rajasthan from its title.

The BCCI is unlikely to claim damages from the WICB right away, for West Indies having pulled out of the tour to India mid-way, but it could hit them with a series embargo. The BCCI’s working committee, which will discuss the consequences of the pullout in Hyderabad on Tuesday, is also unlikely to suspend West Indies players from the IPL.The BCCI’s financial losses due to the cancellation of a major portion of the scheduled series could touch Rs 400 crore (US$65 million approx), but instead of claiming damages at this point, the working committee could decide to issue the WICB a legal notice, asking it why it shouldn’t be penalised right away for the breach of bilateral agreements signed between the two boards. Given that the WICB has been struggling financially, the BCCI is unlikely to claim huge damages right now.However, the BCCI hierarchy is of the opinion that the WICB’s breach is severe enough to sever ties with the board and amend the draft FTP accordingly. At the moment, India are set to tour the West Indies four times in the next eight years. But BCCI officials are all but sure that the team will not tour in 2016 (four Tests), and possibly in 2017 (five ODIs and a T20).The working committee might also approve the draft of a formal request to the ICC to step in and ensure that teams do not return home mid-way through a tour for reasons other than natural calamities and security issues.Some BCCI members are of the opinion that the players themselves – who had forced the pullout due to a payments-structure dispute with the board and their players’ association – should be directly penalised by suspending them from the IPL for a period, but that is unlikely to happen. The BCCI top brass is convinced that the West Indies players were not really at fault in the dispute with the board. Moreover, even if the members demand action against the players, they are likely to be told that it will be virtually impossible to do so considering the IPL players enter into a tri-partite agreement with the BCCI and their franchise.Also, since the franchises are backing the West Indies players and the team owners feel they now have a greater say in the running of the league, West Indies cricketers are set to continue playing the IPL.

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando and Alan Gardner28-Nov-2014Match factsSaturday, November 29, 2014
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Big PictureMuch like the other international series currently being contested in the UAE and Bangladesh, England’s tour of Sri Lanka has taken on a sombre tone following Phillip Hughes’ death. The teams have already observed a minute’s silence at an event in Colombo on Thursday evening, and have planned to commemorate Hughes’ life on match day as well. World Cup preparation appears a trivial pursuit in comparison, but life goes on, and the cricket world begins to turn once again. Though there had been a discussion on whether Saturday’s game should be abandoned, the series will forge ahead as scheduled.The England team pays tribute to Phillip Hughes•Getty ImagesBefore Thursday’s news hit, the first ODI had left the contest in an intriguing place. Few felt England had a chance of running down Sri Lanka’s 317, but even in defeat, the visitors found a spark named Moeen Ali, then Ravi Bopara took over from their opener’s fluidic brutality. Those knocks were each lone hands, of sorts, but England need something more cohesive. If more of their sticks rub together the right way, their World Cup hopes might just catch fire.England’s bowling, however, seems less than formidable, in its current state. None of their frontline seamers traveled at below six an over on Wednesday, and as 17 wides suggested, the cobwebs of their two-month international hiatus, are yet to be cleared away. Steady rain the day before their match has also hampered the training sessions that might have helped England’s bowlers work themselves into a rhythm.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, are merely hoping for more of the same, if with modest improvements across the board. Kusal Perera’s return to form helped begin a clear departure from their batting woes in the previous series, while quick runs from the likes of Jeevan Mendis will please the selectors, who took a gamble on recalling him to the side. The spinners did not have their best outing on Wednesday, but with four of them available to Mathews in this XI, concerns in that department are minimal.Form guide(last five matches, most recent first)

England: LWLLL
Sri Lanka: WLLLL
In the spotlightIn England, Lahiru Thirimanne’s batting had been neatly unseamed by James Anderson’s skilful fingers, but with his nemesis out of the tour, Thirimanne has reclaimed the kind of form that had made him instrumental to Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup win. By his own admission, Thirimanne is not a natural finisher. His attacking options are still limited, and he relies far more on touch, than the brute power that is more often seen at the death. But if he continues to provide stability in the last 15 overs of an innings, so that more ambitious hitters can prosper around him, Sri Lanka will have found a cure for their long-standing middle-order problem.After his impact on the first match, it will be impossible not to watch Moeen Ali. He flowed to a 72-ball hundred, the third-fastest by an England batsman made all the more remarkable by it being Moeen’s first in ODIs, while picking up an important wicket and helping check Sri Lanka’s early momentum – though his figures took a hit later on. His uninhibited, whole-hearted approach should be the blueprint for the rest of the team.Teams newsSri Lanka have not reported any injury concerns since the last match and are unlikely to change their XI.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3  Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt),  6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Jeevan Mendis, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha MendisOnly the four players not involved on Wednesday – Alex Hales, James Taylor, Chris Jordan and Steven Finn – trained the following day and there are still doubts over Finn’s fitness. He was able to bowl eight or nine overs but, with England’s practice on Friday again disrupted by the rain, a decision will not be made until Saturday morning. Ben Stokes could be most under threat if England do make a change.England: (probable) 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Chris Woakes, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry GurneyPitch and conditionsJust like Wednesday’s surface, the pitch for Saturday has spent a lot of time under covers, and looks a similar track. There will be modest help for the seamers early on, but plenty of spin as well. There is a reserve day for this game, but there may be enough gaps between the bad weather to squeeze in a match.Stats and trivia If Steven Finn is not fit, Ravi Bopara will again go into the match as England’s most successful seam bowler with 37 ODI wickets Tillakaratne Dilshan has not hit a hundred since July 2013, but has still managed to average 45.80 since then  England’s 10-over Powerplay score of 81 for 1 was their third-highest since 2001Quotes”It’s always nice knowing that Lahiru is after you. He gives that cushion to play freely. He’s a very smart character and plays according to the situation. He handles those pressure moments.”

“He had another bowl yesterday and we’re just seeing the results from that today, see how he pulls up. These injuries tend to get better and better so I’m hoping fingers crossed he’ll get a good medical report.”

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2014

Chris Adams, the former Surrey coach, has been appointed to a short-term consultancy role with Netherlands

George Dobell18-Dec-2014Chris Adams, the former Surrey coach, has been appointed to a short-term consultancy role with Netherlands.Adams, who was sacked by Surrey midway through the 2013 season, will join Netherlands for three weeks culminating in their appearance in the World Cricket League Division Two in Namibia from January 17 to 24. He will spend two weeks at a training camp with the side before they play five matches in eight days against Canada, Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Nepal.Netherlands did not qualify for the World Cup and were relegated to ICC World Cricket League Division Two, but while they have retained faith in coach, Anton Roux, they hope that Adams’ contribution will help earn their qualification back up to Division One.The role also represents another opportunity for Adams. He has, to date, failed to translate his reputation as a captain – he led Sussex to unprecedented success in the middle of the last decade – to his career as coach and, despite applying for several vacancies of late – jobs at Lancashire, Somerset, Derbyshire and Leicestershire – he has been unable to secure a permanent role.He enjoyed a successful short-term stint with Sri Lanka – they won the Test and limited-overs series in England – earlier this year, but remains on the look-out for longer-term positions.”This is a really exciting opportunity,” Adams told ESPNcricinfo. “The aim is to help a young side find the extra skills they need to win and, by doing that, to remind people what I can do.”People took a lot about the environment and culture of teams, but ultimately it is about winning. I’ve had success wherever I’ve been and this is another opportunity to work with a side to bring about success.”Adams’ assertion that he has “had success wherever [he] has been” might surprise some Surrey supporters. While Surrey won the CB40 title and promotion in 2011, that proved the highpoint in a relationship that subsequently soured. Any progress that had been made was abruptly halted by the tragic death of Tom Maynard in 2012 and, exactly a year later, Adams was sacked.”Of course, I’m sorry the way things ended the way they did at Surrey,” Adams said. “We were building nicely, we enjoyed some success and then tragedy struck. It set in place a chain of events which ended my time with the club.”I think we were terribly unlucky. Even after we signed Graeme Smith [for the 2013 season], who we had so much faith in, he turned up for a few games, sustained a serious injury and had to leave. Everything that could go wrong, went wrong.”It would have been nice if the club had taken a different view. It would have been nice if they had shown more patience and understood that a distraught dressing room needed some time. But it wasn’t to be.”The cricket world is small and there aren’t many coaching roles out there. It’s been a frustrating time.”But I have to be patient. And my experience with Sri Lanka reminded me how much I love this game and how much I had to offer. Maybe I had lost a bit of confidence, but I’m a strong character and I’m looking forward to helping another group of players fulfil their potential.”

Chris Cairns has submitted a plea of not guilty at a hearing at the Old Bailey ahead of his perjury trial

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2015Chris Cairns has submitted a plea of not guilty at a hearing at the Old Bailey ahead of his perjury trial. The former New Zealand allrounder had previously indicated his intention to fight the charge against him, which relates to his 2012 libel case against Lalit Modi.Andrew Fitch-Holland, a barrister who appeared as a witness for Cairns during those High Court proceedings, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of perverting the course of justice. Their trial date was set for October 5 at Southwark Crown Court.When the case came before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in October it was alleged that Cairns had wilfully made a statement in the legal proceedings against Modi “which you knew to be false or did not believe to be true namely that you never, ever cheated at cricket and nor would you contemplate doing such a thing”.Fitch-Holland is accused of asking Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand batsman banned for life earlier this year after admitting his involvement in fixing, to provide a false witness statement in support of Cairns.Cairns has always maintained his innocence of the charge and denied any involvement in match-fixing. When the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed he was to be put on trial, he said: “I’m obviously extremely disappointed, however, at least there will now be an opportunity to face my accusers in an open forum, with some rigour and proper process around that, so that I can clear my name once and for all.”In March 2012, Cairns was awarded £90,000 in damages after a High Court judge found that Modi, the former IPL chairman, had libelled him over Twitter when making allegations about fixing in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Glenn Maxwell’s first ODI hundred missed the record for the fastest World Cup hundred by one ball, but took Australia to 376

The Report by Sidharth Monga08-Mar-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:48

Bevan: Impressed by Sri Lanka’s chase

A young punk scored a punkish first century – the fastest by an Australian and one ball slower than the fastest by anybody at a World Cup, a master scored a classic third consecutive hundred – the first man to do so at a World Cup, there were five supporting half-centuries, but eventually the Sydney runathon was decided by Australia’s superior bowling and fielding under pressure. Glenn Maxwell finally got that hundred he has been promising to take Australia to 376, but Kumar Sangakkara’s masterclass kept Sri Lanka in the game until Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews were eliminated – Chandimal injured and Mathews out to a slower bouncer from Shane Watson – in the 42nd over with 94 runs still required.Matches between Test sides have been pretty formulaic this World Cup: bat first, score 300, win easy. Pakistan have bucked the trend by winning with 230 on the board, and Sri Lanka have shown 300 can be chased. With Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan in form, a 130-run stand in just under 20 overs told Australia this was not going to be an easy win. In the middle overs, though, Australia’s two gun bowlers, Mitchell Starc and James Faulkner, and Mitchell Johnson created enough pressure to take key wickets at the right times. Don’t go by the 64-run margin, this match was much closer. When Chandimal and Mathews counterattacked, this World Cup record chase was not far out of reach.There is another World Cup record that is an endangered species. Every time Maxwell walks out to bat with overs to spare, a flurry of record-holders must watch from behind their couches and through the cracks between their fingers. It’s a minor miracle Kevin O’Brien’s record of the fastest hundred in a World Cup still stands. Maxwell might have missed out by one ball, bringing the hundred up on the 51st ball, but his knock was the difference between 320 and 376 after two mini wobbles – one at the top that reduced them to 41 for 2 and then the wickets of half-centurions Steven Smith and Michael Clarke in one go and just before the batting Powerplay. Watson scored arguably the most inconspicuous 67 off 41 with Maxwell taking centre stage.The most instructive moment of Maxwell’s innings was perhaps near the end. He was on 99 off 49. Still with a chance to trickle one around the corner and register the joint-fastest World Cup hundred. Also with the knowledge that he had missed out on that elusive hundred at least four times in the past. He looked to nudge Lasith Malinga, missed a slower ball, ran what he thought was a leg-bye, but saw umpire Ian Gould in no hurry to raise his leg. Greater batsmen with many more centuries to their name than Maxwell have snuck in a single at such moments, but Maxwell seemed to instruct to Gould he hadn’t hit it. The leg-bye was finally signalled.Obviously it has been frustrating for Maxwell to have not scored that hundred, but he wasn’t going to bring up his first in an underhand manner. Probably if you are in the form that Maxwell is, you know you are going to bring up that opportunity every other time you bat. When he came in to bat, with Smith and Clarke having fallen in the space of five balls, Maxwell had no business batting the way he did. This was the time to rebuild. Maxwell, he just watched six deliveries to get a hang of the conditions and chipped the seventh over mid-off for four, and reverse-swept the eighth for a single.Apart from that reverse sweep, which surely is text-book stuff in Maxwell’s book, the initial parts of his innings were classic. He saw Tillakaratne Dilshan bowling with mid-off up, kept chipping him over the man in the 35th over, hitting two, a four and a six. There is a theory about Maxwell’s batting that he doesn’t bat according to the merit of the ball but to the field set. He is extremely confident that he can pull off any shot, but he fashions them to miss the field. This innings was a big testimony to the idea: there was no brute hitting involved, just clever placement of balls where the fielders weren’t.To outsiders the shots Maxwell played in order to miss the fielders seem risky, to him they are routine. Legspinner Seekkuge Prasanna was the second bowler to experience it. First he saw Maxwell flick him over square leg for a six without bending his knee at all. Then came the reverse-flick in the same over, the 37th. In the next over Malinga bowled a yorker with a strong leg-side field, which Maxwell drilled over extra cover.Prasanna in the 41st over saw more of it with Maxwell toying around with the deep fielder on the leg side. He beat him to his left first with a reverse sweep, then to his right with a delayed regulation sweep, and then again to his left with a slog sweep. The fastest hundred remained on the cards throughout with Malinga beginning the 45th over with Maxwell on 96 off 47.One of the best bowlers at the death, Malinga denied him the boundary ball twice in a row, sending him off strike with his score 99 off 49. Then came the leg-bye. Only after Maxwell brought up the hundred, sparking wide celebrations, did everybody realise that Watson had made a successful comeback to the side. Watson had himself galloped along to 53 off 31 by then. That in turn had put to shade the rebuilding effort by Smith and Clarke from the early blip, a 134-run stand that underlined the importance of solid batsmen sandwiched between two sets of power hitters.The 37-year-old Sangakkara, though, did all he could to usurp that innings. Dilshan began the Sri Lanka riposte with six fours off a Johnson over. Sangakkara followed it up with more classic batting. There might have been the odd ramp here or there, but the two batted traditionally, keeping abreast with the rate until Faulkner – a party pooper if ever there was one – intervened. He and Johnson strung together a spell of play where four runs came off 14 balls. The pressure was on, somebody was going to take a risk, and Faulkner was there with a perfect slower legcutter when Dilshan did, beating him comprehensively and trapping him leg-before.Under more pressure Mahela Jayawardene took a risky single and Clarke – who had earlier dropped Dilshan – hit the middle stump from mid-off. Faulkner then produced another clever slower ball to prise out Sangakkara after he had enthralled the capacity crowd split down the middle when it comes to loyalties. Sri Lanka refused to lie down and take the beating. Chandimal and Mathews began to hit everything in sight, but Johnson came back to impart pressure again. Chandimal injured what looked like his hamstring, tried to keep running despite it, but had to eventually give up. Mathews’ fight came to an end soon, and with three Starc overs remaining there was just too much to go.In a match where 688 runs were scored in 96.2 overs, Starc’s figures read 8.2-29-2. Between them, he and Faulkner went for 77 in 17.2 overs and claimed five wickets. That was where the game was broken. Australia were now almost assured the second place in their group, and were headed for a likely quarter-final against Pakistan in Adelaide.

Needing 18 from the last three overs, England held their nerve to chase down 220 and sneak in a two-wicket win in the first Youth ODI against Australia in Bunbury

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2015
ScorecardNeeding 18 from the last three overs, England Under-19s held their nerve to chase down 220 and sneak in to a two-wicket win in the first Youth ODI against Australia Under-19s in Bunbury. Debutant Ben Green (20*) finished the chase with another debutant, Will Davis (3*), with three balls to spare.Having opted to bat, Australia were reduced to 48 for 3 inside ten overs, after which Sam Heazlett and Jake Doran added 49 for the fourth wicket to briefly stabilise the innings. The partnership ended when legspinner Mason Crane had Heazlett stumped for 22. Even as England continued to chip away at the wickets, Doran carried on and made 82 off 100 balls, before he became the third of Callum Taylor’s four victims. However, England conceded as many as 29 extras, including 19 wides, which helped Australia reach 219 in 48.4 overs.England’s top-order did not fare any better but a 72-run stand between Aneurin Donald and Mosun Hussain put them back on track. Hussain anchored the chase with 76 off 97 balls, but his dismissal led to a lower-order wobble as the visitors went from 185 for 5 to 207 for 8. Green then took charge, scrambling 20 off 12 balls as England prevailed in a tight finish.