Category Uncategorized

England’s rotation policy has had a mixed reception but Andy Flower insists the changes have proactively brought a dead rubber alive again

David Hopps21-Jun-2012If the views on the White Rose Forum are any guide, forgiveness will not come easily at Headingley for England’s rotation policy when they face the West Indies in the final one-day international. The debate on Yorkshire’s official forum touched well-worn themes. Younger Person: “I’ll forgive anything if we’re winning”. Older person: “We used to win in my day and we kept fit by bowling.”From England’s point of view, at least the players who are attracting most of the flak are, by the nature of the debate, the ones who will be absent and so unable to hear the protests. Stuart Broad, in some eyes, has sinned not only by being rested, but also by going onto Twitter and saying that he understood the decision because he wanted a long career. That could be regarded as loyalty, but the most trenchant view being aired in Yorkshire is that Them That Are Resting should keep their mouths shut.Some people will be grateful just to see a game of any sorts. It hosed down again in Leeds on Thursday. Yorkshire’s Australian coach Jason Gillespie has barely seen the sunshine since he arrived. “Got caught in the rain near home! What is with this weather,” he tweeted as Headingley’s groundstaff prepared for a troubled night.Yorkshire, who are under financial strain, kept alive because of the largesse of their chairman Colin Graves, will have been relieved that barely 1,000 tickets remained when England opted for experimentation. England are hardly making wholesale changes, but umbrage will have been taken for all that.Graves, who is not the sort to leave stones unturned, has contacted Geoff Miller, England’s chief selector, to discuss the policy. “I can understand their decision from a cricketing point of view,” he said. “I am not having a go at them or criticising but from the host county’s point of view it’s a disappointment.”Resting Tim Bresnan, alongside the Nottinghamshire pair of Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad, could also see England face West Indies without a Yorkshire player in the side; it is hard to see how Jonny Bairstow can break into the XI when Ravi Bopara and Samit Patel seem to be essential picks to share the fifth bowler’s duties.Bresnan has played only twice for Yorkshire at Headingley in each of the last two seasons. More than any other player, he epitomises Yorkshire’s pride in their ability to produce decent cricketers, but supporters long resigned to the fact that they cannot see him at county level now find they cannot see him for England either.England’s director of cricket, Andy Flower, has argued that the limited changes do not emphasise that this match is a dead rubber, rather than proactively bring it alive again, not only by resting bowlers faced by a punishing schedule, so ensuring maximum benefit, but by discovering more about those on the fringes of the side, grasping an opportunity to road-test the squad and plan for the future.Steve Finn was the latest England player to be delivered up to the media to offer support for resting players in the sort of sensitive, understated fashion that will ensure no demonstrations outside the Hutton Gates before the game, apart, that is, from those who cannot get into the car parks.Ian Bell fulfilled the same role 24 hours earlier. England’s new-ball attack when it comes to defending the rotation policy has comprised the two players who can be most relied upon to say nothing controversial at all so draining the debate of interest.Finn, a regular in the one-day side these days, sought this positive slant, suggesting that he would benefit from having more responsibility thrust upon him. “I’ve opened the bowling for a little while in the one-day team. I’m enjoying the responsibility. Having those senior players missing gives me an opportunity to be an even more senior player within the group. It’s an exciting experience – any experience I get of being a senior player is great.”It puts that added bit of responsibility upon me. Pressure comes with that but pressure is something I enjoy. I feel like I’m getting better at dealing with that and other pressures on the pitch and as you get more experienced at international cricket and are exposed to more experiences you become better.”There is also the little matter of a five-match one-day series against Australia, a series in which England, who have won their last six ODIs, can test themselves against the side ranked No. 1 in the world in one-day cricket. “That series is going to be a great gauge of where we are moving forward,” said Finn, his hurried coda that right now he was only concentrating on the series against West Indies not entirely convincing.Ottis Gibson, West Indies’ coach, was a former England bowling coach and he shares Flower’s philosophy. “Not really,” he replied when asked if he was insulted.”The English system has been a well-oiled machine for some time now,” he said. “It’s the envy of the world, let’s be honest. They are the top team in the world and they have the luxury of being able to rest players and it’s a credit to them and all the people that work behind the scenes.”They are the No. 1 team in Test cricket, they have an abundance of talent and good players and they can rest a few players and bring a few in and for them it’s all good. For us it’s just trying game after game to get the right balance and try and win a game. We lost 2-0 in the Test series and we certainly don’t want to lose 3-0 in the one-day series.”The tour has not gone too well, but we’re playing cricket in England against a very good English side. Yes, on paper we’ve got the makings of a great one-day side but England have just been that little step ahead of us all the time. We’ve just been a little off the pace.”

Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has focused on extracting bounce after receiving the advice from Harbhajan Singh

ESPNcricinfo staff06-May-2011Rahul Sharma, the Punjab and Pune Warriors legspinner, has been one of the most-improved performers in this IPL. Last season, he took just five wickets and went at 8.08 an over in the six matches he played for Deccan Chargers. This year, after switching to Pune Warriors, he has already taken 11 wickets and his economy rate of 5.27 is the best among all bowlers who have bowled more than 10 overs. He attributed some of his success to advice he received from fellow Punjab spinner Harbhajan Singh.”I had a chat with Bhajji when he came to Jalandhar and he told me that my strong point is the bounce I can extract,” Rahul, who is more than six-feet tall, told the . “He told me to keep working on that.”Rahul received similar advice from his Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh. “I have advised him to hit the pitch so that he gets bounce,” Singh said. “He is very similar to Anil Kumble and can be groomed to be a good limited edition bowler.”Apart from extracting bounce, Rahul said what he was also working on was bowling a wicket-to-wicket line, and using as many variations as possible. That strategy worked well for him during Pune’s home game against Mumbai Indians in which he had figures of 4-0-7-2, the most economical by any bowler in this IPL. “I had a strategy to bowl wicket to wicket with variations,” Rahul said of that performance. “You can’t be predictable in Twenty20.”Things did not look good for Rahul after he was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy – a dysfunction of the facial nerve that results in one’s inability to control facial muscles and results in temporary paralysis – during the last IPL. Rahul said it affected his vision.”I was advised complete rest by the doctors,” Rahul told the . “My vision was hazy and I couldn’t move my lips. I knew if I quit, I would miss the opportunity. It was a difficult period of my life. I had to do lots of facial exercises but eventually it was my will power that helped me keep going amid the discomfort.”One of the things that has helped Rahul during this edition of the IPL is the fact that his captain at Pune, Yuvraj Singh, is also from Punjab and had played with Rahul in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy. “Yuvraj played three Ranji matches this season and it was there he got to know me. He has been very supporting and encouraging. So have the coach Geoff Marsh and assistant coach Praveen Amre.”On the eve of every match, Marsh and Yuvi brief me on every player and I bowl accordingly. Sometimes, that doesn’t work and then I have to think on my feet. I vary the pace a lot and rely heavily on my legspinners. My aim is to be accurate as much as I can and the bounce I purchase from the wicket helps me contain runs,”Rahul played only one Ranji match in the 2010-11 season, and has featured in nine games since his debut in 2006.After a few steady performances, Rahul entered the limelight during Pune’s first match against Mumbai, at the Wankhede Stadium, in which he dismissed Sachin Tendulkar and went for just 14 runs in his three overs. Rahul said Tendulkar congratulated him after the match. “He told me that I am bowling at my best. It is the best compliment that one can receive.”Pune’s next game is against Kings XI Punjab, in Mohali, on Sunday.

Somerset won their second successive Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford by 42 runs thanks to an impressive display in the field today.

Cricinfo staff03-May-2010
ScorecardSomerset won their second successive Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford by 42 runs thanks to an impressive display in the field today.Defending 236, Marcus Trescothick’s men were boosted by four wickets for 34 in seven overs from Alfonso Thomas. The experienced South African put the skids under the Lightning with two wickets in the 35th over of their chase – the first of the batting powerplay – to reduce them to 174 for 6.They were just two of five wickets lost by the hosts for 12 runs in 13 balls as they fell from 173 for 4 to 185 for 9. Ben Phillips also took three wickets as Lancashire subsided to 193 all out in the 38th.Arul Suppiah’s one-day career best 80 had earlier boosted Somerset’s 235 all out but Sajid Mahmood, Daren Powell and Tom Smith all claimed a wicket apiece to keep the visitors in check within the first 20 overs.Suppiah hit six fours in 91 balls but was the fifth wicket to fall when caught at deep midwicket by Kyle Hogg off Powell in the 31st over. The Lightning looked to have things under control when Jos Buttler was stumped
off a Smith wide by Luke Sutton to leave the score at 168 for 6 after 32
overs.But explosive England Lions allrounder Peter Trego, who hit 38 off 31 balls, smeared four boundaries off Hogg in the 35th over – the first of the batting powerplay – to bring the visitors back into contention. Powell, having earlier bowled Nick Compton around his legs, then forced Trego
to chip to cover before he took his fourth wicket when he bowled Thomas.Somerset lost their last four wickets for 20 runs in 13 balls as Hogg trapped Max Waller lbw and stand-in captain Mark Chilton ran out Charl Willoughby. Powell finished with 4 for 49 off eight.Smith was trapped lbw by Phillips for a duck in the second over of the home side’s chase. Moore (51) and Horton (59) then shared a second wicket stand of 78 in 18 overs before the former holed out to mid on off the left-arm spin of Suppiah to leave the score at 86 for two in the 20th over.And when Ashwell Prince (23) spooned Thomas to Trescothick at midwicket in the 27th they were on the back foot at 130 for 3. Lancashire won Monday’s Group A fixture against Glamorgan when they needed 87 off the last ten overs with seven wickets in hand but repeating the feat looked a tall order when they took the batting powerplay.Horton found Phillips at deep square leg to get legspinner Waller’s name in
the wickets column just before the powerplay was taken, and then Thomas got rid of Chilton and Hogg, both caught inside the 30-yard circle, while Phillips forced Croft to hole out too. Lancashire were 177 for seven in the 36th.Stephen Parry was run out before Thomas and Phillips added their fourth and third wickets respectively. Both sides return to Old Trafford tomorrow for their County Championship match.

The allrounder called Suryakumar’s leadership skills “amazing” for thinking out of the box

Andrew Fidel Fernando31-Jul-20241:44

Washington lauds Suryakumar’s ‘amazing leadership skills’

Sri Lanka needed nine to win off the last two overs in the third T20I. India still had the bowling of Mohammed Siraj to call on (Siraj had conceded just 11 off his first three overs). They also had one over from Khaleel Ahmed, who could have bowled the 20th.But with Kusal Perera still at the crease, captain Suryakumar Yadav went to the offspin of Rinku Singh, which had never before been seen in a T20 international. It worked out brilliantly – Perera first top-edging a cross-batted shot so badly, Rinku himself could get under it. Later in the over, Ramesh Mendis also holed out, to deep midwicket.Having watched Rinku concede only three runs and claim two wickets in a pressure over, Suryakumar made the decision to bowl his own offspin in the final over, taking two further wickets himself, and conceding only five to win the match.Related

• Washington, Suryakumar, Rinku bowl India to Super Over win

• Suryakumar after Super Over heist: I told the team I had seen such games

• Sri Lanka's latest collapse a chef's kiss on their incompetence

After the match, Washington Sundar, the frontline offspin bowler in the team described this spell of captaincy as “amazing”. The pitch was taking big turn, and Sri Lanka were struggling hugely against the slow bowlers. Suryakumar gambled on two rank part-timers.”It was amazing from Surya and his leadership skills,” Washington said. “I think he felt given the situation if he bowled more spinners we’d have a good chance to win the game. Given the wicket and the situation, he took one or two options, and it did wonders for us.”There were only 12 balls to go and Kusal Perera was batting. Rinku got him out and Surya himself came on in the last over and almost won the game for us. We all know he has a big heart when he goes out there to bat, but he also has a big heart in leadership as well.”Washington himself then played a key role, bowling a Super Over in which he conceded just two runs, but took two wickets. In regular play he had taken 2 for 23.”Honestly, I had no idea I was going to bowl. It was after the batsmen walked out that Surya turned behind and said: ‘Washy, you’re on.’ I was very happy, to be honest. When the captain wants you to bowl especially in tough situations, in a Super Over. I thought it was a great opportunity for me to step up and win games for my country. Thank God it went well.”Although India didn’t seem capable of defending 137 for the vast majority of the chase, Suryakumar never lost hope, Washington said. Sri Lanka, at one stage, needed 28 runs off 28 balls, with nine wickets in hand. India would then set in motion a huge collapse.”Surya kept teling us that one or two wickets, and the game would definitely change,” Washington said. “In these kinds of wickets, in low-scoring games, even run-a-ball could be a lot of pressure on the batsmen because there’s something for the bowlers in the wicket.”He said one or two wickets in the middle overs would get us in the game, and that’s exactly what happened. I hope the audience enjoyed it because you will only see such games every now and then. To be a part of this game feels great.”

Marcus Harris’ dismissal leads to unexpected Gloucestershire chaos

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2023Substitute fielder Tom Clark’s direct-hit run out of Marcus Harris unlocked Sussex’s bid to push for victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Gloucestershire.Australian opener Harris’ dismissal, as his despairing dive failed to beat Clark’s throw from midwicket, began a chaotic 10-minute period for the hosts in which Nathan McAndrew claimed the key wickets of James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren from successive balls on his way to a five-wicket haul.Gloucestershire were suddenly four down at tea – after Cheteshwar Pujara’s 58th first-class century had underpinned Sussex’s 455 for five declared – as a rain-affected match came to life.Sussex claimed a further five wickets in the final session, McAndrew finishing the day with figures of five for 53, as Gloucestershire slumped from 99 for one to 198 for nine at the close, still 257 runs behind.Pujara ticked off the single run he needed his morning to reach his century before Sussex set about pushing for quick runs ahead of a pre-lunch declaration.The visitors added 153 in the morning session with wicketkeeper Oli Carter contributing an unbeaten 59 off 78 balls, while Pujara reached 151 before he slapped Marchant de Lange to mid-off.The skipper’s next act was the call his batters in – after Fynn Hudson-Prentice also added a brisk unbeaten 29 from 19 balls – after reaching maximum batting bonus points to leave Gloucestershire’s opener with a tricky period to negotiate before lunch.Chris Dent and Harris managed that without concern and, while Dent played on attempting a square drive at Henry Crocombe in the afternoon session, the home side had looked set to reach tea without further alarm.That all changed in the space of 13 balls before the break as first Harris, who had reached 37, turned the ball to midwicket and set off for a single he never made thanks to Clark’s arrow shot.McAndrew then pinned left-hander Bracey lbw from around the wicket, before van Buuren was snapped up at second slip from the very next ball to cue Sussex celebrations as they headed off for tea.Sussex have won just once in each of the previous two County Championship seasons and, after an opening-round win over Durham, the then still-distant prospect of a second win in three games to start this summer appeared to galvanise their efforts in the evening session.
McAndrew struck three more times during the session – Oliver Price and Zafar Gohar both edging behind to wicketkeeper Carter – before the Australian had De Lange bowled pressing forward in defence to complete his five-wicket haul.In between time Crocombe’s pace and bounce caught the defensive edge of Jack Taylor, Tom Alsop holding on at second slip. Crocombe then turned catcher as he held on at point when Tom Price slashed at Hudson-Prentice.Gloucestershire’s number four, Miles Hammond, remained steadfast while the wickets tumbled around him to finish the day unbeaten on 42, from 123 balls, to showcase the resolve his team-mates will require on the final day if they are to secure a draw.

Fast bowler takes six as Bangladesh beat reigning champions for their first win in the country across formats

Mohammad Isam04-Jan-2022Bangladesh, a team at the lowest of ebbs only last month when they were swept at home by Pakistan, have taken down the world champions, the mighty New Zealand, by eight wickets in the first Test in Mount Maunganui.Related

• Ebadot Hossain: 'If you are fit enough as a fast bowler, you can do anything'

• Ebadot repays the faith with blockbuster spell

• Latham rues missed chances but admits Bangladesh 'certainly outplayed us over five days'

• Ebadot Hossain: 'I needed to be patient for success to come'

In the scale of unlikely results in Test cricket, this is right up there. It’s the first time Bangladesh have beaten New Zealand in Tests, ending the hosts’ 17-match unbeaten home record. This is also the first time Bangladesh have beaten New Zealand in any format in New Zealand. It’s Bangladesh’s sixth overseas Test win – anywhere. But more than the stats, trivia and milestones, what stood out was how Bangladesh dominated New Zealand almost all the way through the Test.Little known Ebadot Hossain, the fast bowler who started this game with the poorest average for a minimum of ten Test wickets, was the unlikely hero for Bangladesh. On the fifth morning, he took two wickets to take his innings figures to 6 for 46, the first six-for by a Bangladesh fast bowler in more than eight years and the best by a Bangladesh quick overseas.Taskin Ahmed took three wickets while Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up the last wicket to fall. The home side, which lost their last five wickets for 15 runs, lasted only 56 minutes on the fifth morning, folding for a lead of only 39.Bangladesh took their time reaching the 40-run target, in 16.5 overs, during an extended first session. Shadman Islam and Najmul Hossain Shanto were dismissed caught behind, with Ross Taylor taking a superb catch off Shanto’s outside edge. Fittingly, Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in Tests and their most experienced cricketer, scored the winning runs, with captain Mominul Haque at the other end.