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These players would not be exempted from the cancellation of Kolpak registrations after this year

Matt Roller and Firdose Moonda29-Sep-2020South African Dane Vilas and Cameron Delport’s hopes of continuing to play in county cricket as local players courtesy their ancestry visas have been dealt a terminal blow, after the ECB confirmed that they would not be exempted from the cancellation of Kolpak registrations when the UK’s transition period with the European Union (EU) ends on December 31, 2020.Alan Fordham, the ECB’s head of first-class cricket operations, sent a letter to the counties, the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) and the relevant boards last week, setting out the changes that would be made to eligibility registrations following the end of the transition period. That included the long-anticipated cancellation of Kolpak registrations and confirmation that EU nationals with settled or pre-settled status in the UK would continue to qualify as local players.After lobbying from the PCA, the ECB had confirmed this July that counties would be able to field two overseas players rather than one in both the County Championship and the One-Day Cup in order to protect the jobs of players on Kolpak deals.ALSO READ: ECB clarifies player retention plans for postponed HundredBoth Vilas and Delport had appealed to the ECB in the hope that their ancestry visas would mean they remained eligible to play as non-overseas players for Lancashire and Essex respectively, and both remained optimistic when contacted by ESPNcricinfo last week.But Fordham’s letter, published on the ECB’s website, affirmed that the cancellation of Kolpak registrations would “apply regardless of whether such player currently holds, or is able to obtain, an ancestral or family visa giving them the right to work in the UK”.ESPNcricinfo understands that the changes have been approved by the ECB board and are not pending appeals. It is unclear, however, whether the ruling will face any legal challenge from players affected at this stage.Vilas, 35, is expected to stay at Lancashire next season despite the ruling. Since signing for the club in 2017, he has settled in London with his wife Pippa, whose ancestral visa means that he has – and would continue to have – the right to live and work in the UK. Lancashire have previously given him guarantees that he would stay on as an overseas player. That said, he is unlikely to retain his top-bracket contract in the Hundred with the Manchester Originals, competing for one of three overseas spots rather than being one of the better local players available.For Delport, meanwhile, the ruling could be the first step on his return to the international fold. He has previously held conversations with South Africa’s director of cricket Graeme Smith and head coach Mark Boucher about the possibility of playing for his native country in the 2021 T20 World Cup, and publicly revealed his intentions to represent them while speaking to ESPNcricinfo last month.In practice, many players on Kolpak registrations – including Simon Harmer, Duanne Olivier and Stiaan van Zyl – will become their respective counties’ overseas player next year, while a handful – like Fidel Edwards and David Wiese – are expected to be released at the end of the season.Confirmation that EU nationals would only be eligible if they have settled or pre-settled status came as a blow to Dutch cricket as well, seemingly ending the pathway for young players to gain experience at the county level – much like the now first-class-veteran Ryan ten Doeschate – unless they move to the UK on a permanent basis.

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ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2019Previous World Cup Central entries: May 24-June 5 | June 6-June 18 | June 19-July 3

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 12, 2019

“I don’t understand why the organizers put the race on the same day as all these other big events,” Hamilton told . “I hope in future they (don’t). This is such a special weekend it needs the focus of the whole country. People will be switching between channels on Sunday not knowing what to watch.”I come here to raise the flag and do the country proud,” Hamilton said. “It’s such a privilege to be here. The British Grand Prix is the most special of the year. The sheer magnitude of it, how many people come here. It’s a special weekend, there’s excitement, adrenaline. My whole family is coming this weekend so it’s that one weekend where it’s the most special because your closest support surround you. I’ve had some spectacular races here.”Williamson and Co eye big paydayKane Williamson’s corner in the dressing room•IDI via Getty Images

Put yourself in the shoes of Tom Blundell. Despite having sat out the entire World Cup, you are one match away from landing yourself a USD 250,000 (NZ$ 375,000) payday.Blundell, as with captain Kane Williamson and all the other 13 players in the New Zealand squad, would secure themselves USD 4 million (NZ$ 6 million) should they beat hosts England in the final at Lord’s on Sunday. In the event of a defeat, the amount would be halved. New Zealand have already earned USD 200,000 (NZ$ 300,000) for winning five league matches, each victory fetching them USD 40,000 (NZ$ 60,000).The New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association chief executive Heath Mills said that the winner’s bounty would be split 16 ways. All 15 players will earn NZ$ 375,000 each and the other portion worth NZ$ 375,000 is to be divided among the support staff, in keeping with the provisions under the NZC central contract system.”It is a significant payday if they go well. And they deserve it,” Mills told . “The prize money for the event is a direct correlation to the amount of revenue that the event brings in.”Under the NZC central contracts, there is no provision, however, for performance bonuses from the board over the prize money the ICC allots for tournaments. The current annual NZC retainers are worth NZ$ 236,000 (USD 157,000 approx.) each. Williamson is the side’s top earner, being entitled to an NZ$ 50,000 (USD 33,000 approx.) captain’s bonus.

July 11

Bloodied Carey on his ‘best catch’Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey said his best catch of the World Cup was not off an outside edge, but clutching his helmet before it fell onto the stumps after it was dislodged from his head by a vicious Jofra Archer bouncer.Carey was hit in the head by a brute of a ball from Archer when he was on 4 in the 8th over with Australia reeling at 19 for 3. The ball smashed into the grill of his helmet, which in turn split his chin open, and it toppled backwards off his head. He had the incredible presence of mind to catch the falling helmet before it fell onto the stumps, even as blood began pouring from the gaping wound on his chin.”That’s the best catch I’ve taken all World Cup,” Carey joked. “Jofra’s got a pretty good bumper and a few stitches is nothing to worry about.”Carey continued to bat after being patched up by the Australian Team doctor. He required so much tape to stem the blood flow he had his head swathed in bandages, sporting a similar look to that of Rick McCosker when he had his jaw broken by Bob Willis in the 1977 Centenary Test.”I didn’t really want to come in with three down that quick but it was good to grab the opportunity, Steve and I just tried to absorb the pressure and get something on the board,” Carey said. “We wanted to bat first but credit to their quicks who really learned from playing us at Lord’s and it just wasn’t our day with the bat.”We thought we’d get back in it with early wickets but Jason and Jonny soon got going and took any momentum away from us. If we went back 12 months not many people would have given us a chance to make the semi-finals and we’ve played some cricket to be proud of. There’s still disappointment to get here and not make the final.”Alex Carey is ready to continue with some extra padding on the chin•Getty Images

Edulji to Dhoni: ‘Don’t retire, mentor youngsters’As India exited the World Cup after an 18-run loss to New Zealand in the semi-final, the focus quickly shifted to MS Dhoni and his immediate future. Virat Kohli, the India captain, emphatically said “no” when asked if Dhoni had conveyed any decision about his retirement, effectively putting a lid on the debate for the moment.There’s been speculation over Dhoni’s future right through the World Cup. His manager – Arun Pandey, a former first-class cricketer himself – stirred the pot further when he said Dhoni’s decision to use different bats during the tournament was his way of thanking all the bat manufacturers over the years.Now, Diana Edulji, the former India women’s captain and part of the three-member Committee of Administrators running the BCCI, has said that she wants Dhoni to stick around and mentor youngsters.”That (retirement) is his personal decision,” Edulji told . “Only he can take that decision and it is his body which has to answer him. I still feel that he has a lot of cricket left in him. The youngsters in the team still need his mentorship.”

— Patrick Farhart (@patrickfarhart) July 10, 2019

The other support staff member who has chosen not to renew his contract is Shankar Basu, the fitness and conditions coach. Basu was instrumental in Virat Kohli turning his lifestyle around and becoming among the fittest athletes in the world, having first come into contact with the India captain during a stint with his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore. The quoted a BCCI official as saying that both Farhart and Basu were offered fresh contracts but chose to move on. “Basu has informed the team management of not continuing as a trainer as he needs a break. So has Patrick. The Indian team will look out for their replacements after the World Cup and West Indies series,” the official said.Matthew Wade is all smiles after being confirmed as Usman Khawaja’s replacement•Getty Images

Wade approved as Khawaja’s replacementMatthew Wade has been confirmed as Usman Khawaja’s replacement in Australia’s World Cup 2019 squad, with the ICC’s event technical committee approving the change.Wade had joined the Australia squad from the A squad he had been a part of earlier, once Khawaja was ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring strain, and was awaiting the go ahead from the technical committee to be named the replacement. Cricket Australia sent the relevant paperwork to the ICC on Wednesday morning, and got the nod for Wade within hours.Whether Wade will get to feature in the XI remains to be seen. Coach Justin Langer has already confirmed that Peter Handscomb – who replaced the injured Shaun Marsh – will be a starter, and Marcus Stoinis is fit, over whom there was an injury cloud. “He did a good job today and he’s fit to go,” Langer said of Stoinis, adding that Handsomb deserved his chance. “I’ll tell you the truth. Peter Handscomb will definitely play, 100%. He deserves it. He was stiff not to be on this tour, he was so unlucky not to be in the initial squad after what he’d done to get us to that point. He’s in good form, he played well for Australia A, gives us that nice balance in the middle order. He’s got good temperament, he plays spin well, he’s on top of his game, so Pete will definitely play.”

July 8

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Australia go barefoot to prepare for EdgbastonThe Australians took the notion of getting a feel for a ground to a new level at Edgbaston on Monday when the entire squad followed Justin Langer’s lead in walking barefoot around the outfield.It is a method that Langer has used before – including on the tours of India and UAE earlier this year – and the unconventional preparation routine also involved the whole tour party sitting around in a circle telling stories of what the World Cup means to them.”It was just a moment to get a feel for the ground, literally, it’s something the coach has done with us before in other venues as well, it’s just a bit of grounding,” Peter Handscomb explained. “You do that lap and you can see all the different views, potentially where you might be fielding, gives you an opportunity to take it all in before it starts on Thursday.”Some really good stories, was just an open and honest conversation and it’s great to see that some of guys poured their hearts out about what it meant for them and what I meant growing up watching the World Cup. I liked Mitch Marsh’s about 1999 and his dad coaching, having a photo at Lord’s with the trophy and if he’s here he wants to have a photo on the balcony at Lord’s.”

July 6

Head-to-head would be better tiebreaker – ArthurPakistan coach Mickey Arthur has bemoaned the use of net run-rate to separate sides level on points in the World Cup saying head-to-head would have been a fairer system.Pakistan put together a surge in the second half of the tournament to keep themselves in contention, but were left with an impossible scenario in the final group match against Bangladesh, where they needed to win by more than 300 runs overhaul New Zealand’s net run-rate, following their trouncing by West Indies in their opening game.However, New Zealand were one of the sides Pakistan beat as their form improved – convincingly by six wickets at Edgbaston – and Arthur believes that when two teams are level on points the head-to-head result would be a better tie-breaker.”I would have liked the ICC to consider head to head because tonight we would be in the semi-final,” he said after the hollow victory against Bangladesh. “It is disappointing, and it just goes back to our first game [a heavy defeat] against the West Indies.”And we had an opportunity to beat Australia, and we didn’t take that. Those are the two nightmares I’m going to have. What the system has done to us is that after one very poor game, you really battle to recover again.”So it’s a very disappointed dressing room, no congratulations going on because we haven’t qualified. Congratulations to the four who have, I think they’ve played the best cricket so far and may the best team win. But it is nice for us to sit here and know we’ve beaten two of those teams [England and New Zealand] which shows we’re not a mile off in terms of ourselves as a cricket team.”Political messaging returns to HeadingleyMuch like during the game between Afghanistan and Pakistan, airplanes carrying political messages returned to the sky above Headingley during the India v Sri Lanka World Cup fixture on Saturday.On that occasion, one message said “Justice for Balochistan”, while the other said, “Help end disappearances in Pakistan”. This time, it was “#JusticeforKashmir” and “India stop genocide & free Kashmir”.A plane carrying a political message was spotted above Headingley again•Getty Images

The ICC, as it had back on June 29, issued a statement expressing its disappointment.”We are incredibly disappointed this has happened again. We do not condone any sort of political messages at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup,” it said. “Throughout the tournament we have worked with local police forces around the country to prevent this type of protest occurring.”After the previous incident we were assured by West Yorkshire Police there would not be repeat of this issue, so we are very dissatisfied it has happened again.”

July 5

Malik retires from ODIs to focus on T20sAlthough he did not play the match against Bangladesh, Shoaib Malik was given a guard of honour after they secured a comfortable victory in their final match of the 2019 World Cup. The 37-year old allrounder had previously said that he would be end his 50-over career at the end of the tournament.”I’m retiring from ODI cricket. I had planned this a few years ago – to retire after Pakistan’s last World Cup match,” he said in a statement on Friday. “I’m sad that I’ll be leaving a format of cricket I once loved but happy that I have more time to spend with my family. This will also allow me to focus on T20s.”Malik played 287 ODIs and finished with 7534 runs – fifth-highest for Pakistan – including nine hundreds and 44 fifties.

July 4

Mashrafe set for an ’emotional’ World Cup farewellMashrafe Mortaza stayed away from training on the eve of what will be the last World Cup game of his career, and also skipped the pre-match press conference – the second one he has missed in a row, having stayed away from the interaction after the match against India. That, added to the fact that Bangladesh don’t have too many ODIs lined up over the next 12 months, has led to speculation about Mashrafe’s future in international cricket, even though he has said he has no plans of retiring just yet.”The players respect him incredibly. I often use the word ‘warrior’. He goes to war for the team and people respect that, understand that, and they love him because of that,” Steve Rhodes, the team coach, said when asked about Mashrafe’s plans. “The players in the dressing room do love Mash, and he has said it’s his last World Cup, and it will be emotional for him.”Let’s understand and respect Mash’s situation regarding his last game in World Cup but then concentrate on the cricket. Hopefully, the boys will give him the right sort of respect playing his last game in the World Cup, but then most importantly, we’ll concentrate on the match.”Mashrafe will decide himself with the board, and everybody ought to leave that up to them, and I think whilst it’s a great story for the media, let’s pay a little respect and let him organise whether he does or he doesn’t.”I’ve never hit the ball better – MaxwellGlenn Maxwell feels he is hitting the ball as well as any stage of his career and is confident a telling score is around the corner after not quite being able to find lift-off during the group stage.Maxwell has scored quickly – with a strike-rate of 190 – but not for very long, making just 143 runs in eight innings ahead of facing South Africa. He threatened against India when the asking rate was steep, struck an unbeaten 46 off 25 balls against Sri Lanka and was cutting lose against Bangladesh with 32 off just 10 balls before being run out.”I feel like I haven’t hit the ball better in my career, I just haven’t got the runs,” he said. “It’s been nice to be relaxed when I got out into the middle, just runs probably haven’t come the way I would have liked but sure they aren’t far away. If I was out form and out of runs I’d be a bit more nervous but feel I hit the ball in the middle the other day [against New Zealand] then got one on the toe end, so I’m not too worried. I’ve been training really well so a big one not far away.”Maxwell, who spent a month in county cricket with Lancashire before the World Cup instead of going to the IPL, won’t be changing any of his routines ahead of the semi-final.”I feel like I’ve been able to play my role over different times. Over the last two or three games I just haven’t got away and the first bit of bad luck seems to go against you – against Bangladesh I was run out when I was hitting them as well as I ever have and from then it’s been a bit tough going. It’s just about not over complicating it and clouding your head even further.”

The RCB quick wants to play all three formats of the game for India, and not just Test cricket as he has done in recent times

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2018Royal Challengers Bangalore fast bowler Umesh Yadav wants to play all three formats of the game for India, and not just Test cricket as he has done in recent times.”That’s a tag I’ve carried all along,” Umesh told the IPL website while talking about being regarded largely a long-form specialist. “Because in Test cricket, you have a lot of time to play around with your pace and swing. If you have the talent, you can reverse it.”I want to play all three formats for my country because I enjoy all three formats. I have age on my side, and I believe I have the ability to deliver in all formats. I try and give it my best because whether you’re bowling in limited-overs cricket or in Tests, you have to hit the same length with the new ball.”With competition from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, Umesh has played only 71 ODIs since his debut in 2011 – the last in September 2017 – to go with his 36 Tests. And he’s played just one T20 international – against Sri Lanka in 2012, when he took 1 for 24 in three overs.Umesh was speaking about his aspirations to play all formats for India after his 3 for 23 – all the wickets in one over – was instrumental in RCB’s win against Kings XI Punjab. That performance followed a 2 for 27 in Kolkata, his first IPL game of the 2018 season.”When you get a fast bowler as your coach, especially one who invests a lot of confidence in you, gives you all the help and support you need, your own confidence as a bowler starts soaring,” Umesh said of the role RCB bowling coach Ashish Nehra had played. “Nehra told me, ‘You’ve got pace at over 140, so you must try and pitch it on the stumps. If a batsman tries to hit you straight or comes down and clobbers a six, that’s fine with me.'”So I tried to give it all the energy I had, hit the right lengths and areas. And I’ve been able to do this because of him. Ever since our camp began, he’s made me practice bowling at the stumps, with the off stump as the marker in the off side.”The Kings XI openers had raced to 32 for 1 in three overs when Umesh had Mayank Agarwal caught behind, the first strike in an over that changed the game. “Over the past three-four months, I have played a lot of cricket against Mayank Agarwal,” Umesh said. “So my strategy was to make him play as straight as possible with my stump-to-stump line. And that’s what I kept trying. I pitched up the first delivery, luring him into a flashy hit, and that’s what he did.There were more celebrations next ball, as Aaron Finch unsuccessfully reviewed the lbw decision given against him. “With Aaron Finch, I knew he’s someone who’s never too comfortable if you bowl him an inswinger at the start of the over,” he said. “So I bowled one on a good length and into the stumps, swung in it with a lot of pace and that ploy worked for me.”The fifth ball of the over, a short one that Yuvraj pulled, could had been caught had the fielder at deep square leg not misjudged the trajectory. The sixth ripped through the left-hander’s defences from around the wicket. “Initially my plan was to bowl the first deliveries on a good length, then bowl a bouncer and then bowl on a length again,” Umesh said. “I worked on my plans, and I executed them well. That’s precisely why I got those three wickets.”With five wickets in the first two games of the 2018 season, Umesh has more opportunities to impress his RCB – and India – captain Virat Kohli.

England Lions set an imposing target and then took two early wickets on a rain-interrupted third day of the first unofficial Test with Sri Lanka A

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Tom Curran played a role with bat and ball•Getty Images

England Lions set an imposing target and then took two early wickets on a rain-interrupted third day of the first unofficial Test with Sri Lanka A. Having recovered from 85 for 6 to post 215, Tom Curran removed Dimuth Karunaratne with the first ball of the fourth innings and Toby Roland-Jones had Sandun Weerakkody, Sri Lanka A’s top-scorer first time around, lbw for 16.Tom Curran and his brother Sam had played a central role with the bat, too, having extended their seventh-wicket partnership to 62. Dilruwan Perera then struck three times to complete a five-wicket haul before rain caused a delay of more than four hours.When the teams finally got back out, Ollie Rayner and Tom Helm held off the Sri Lanka A spinners to put on another valuable tenth-wicket stand. Helm was last out for 26, one run short of equalling his first-class best, as he and Middlesex team-mate Rayner added exactly 50 in 21.5 overs.That left Sri Lanka A facing a stiff requirement of 365 to win and they were quickly in trouble at 19 for 2. Rayner could have struck with the ball in the fading light, too, but Udara Jayasundera and Roshen Silva both survived chances to slip.The start of play was moved forward by 15 minutes to try and make up for time lost on the second day. The Lions already had a lead of 261 and the Currans set about extending it, both striking an early boundary.Sam Curran had reached 36 when when he was pinned lbw by Dilruwan, who also had Tom Curran stumped, for 29, in his next over. Roland-Jones, having cracked a belligerent 82 in the first innings, was taken at slip for 7 but Sri Lanka A had to wait several hours to separate the final pair, Malinda Pushpakumara eventually taking the second new ball to claim his fourth wicket and match figures of 8 for 174.

Even though England have already won the series against South Africa, AB de Villiers has declared them “not unbeatable” in a feisty press conference ahead of the final Test

Firdose Moonda21-Jan-2016Even though England have already won the series against South Africa, AB de Villiers has declared them “not unbeatable” in a feisty press conference ahead of the final Test.De Villiers referred to cracks in England’s batting, with three of the top five potentially playing for their places in Centurion. He also suggested that some of their bowlers “have lost pace” – a comment widely interpreted as an attack on James Anderson, England’s attack leader who has so far only managed to take three wickets in two Tests.”There’s no hiding from the fact that they seem to know what they are doing. But there’s also no doubt that there are weaknesses there, and we’ve exposed some of them – but not enough and not for long enough,” de Villiers said. “Their batting is not 100% best-in-the-world material. The bowling line-up is very experienced but some have lost pace over the years but they’re very smart and very skilled. They’re not unbeatable.”With words like that, Alastair Cook warned that de Villiers may be asking for trouble from the England attack. “He’s obviously trying to wind everything up and if Jimmy reads it he’ll have a word,” Cook said. “I actually think his speeds have been quite good in this series. It’s a brave man to call Jimmy Anderson out but I guess it will spice up the match a little.”That does not bode well for South Africa’s batsmen, who have had a torrid time of it in the last two months. They have managed only two scores over 300 and slumped to their two lowest totals since readmission – something de Villiers is not running away from. He admitted their performances were not good enough – “it’s time for us to wake up a little bit now and start playing proper cricket” – but did not say whether much had changed behind the scenes to enable that to happen just yet.For now, he offered fighting talk: “There are no dead rubbers in Test cricket. The game has got way too much tradition and culture and history for us just to rock up and think it doesn’t mean anything. It’s a huge game for us. We’d hate to lose 3-0. I think 2-1 sounds a lot better. It would be great to win a Test. We haven’t won a Test for 12 months.”But in the near future, he hopes there will be more technical improvements, including the involvement of a batting coach. “We’ve been a bit naive in believing we can go on the way we have been,” de Villiers said. “We need to get advice and help, not only from a batting coach – in a few other areas as well. That will be discussed after this series. There are a few names already in the hat.”One of those names might be former captain Graeme Smith, who was roped in to assist before the Newlands Test but could not commit more time than that because of his commentary commitments. Instead, Smith has been vocal in his criticism of the current set-up and he is not the only one. Other players including Barry Richards and Daryl Cullinan have also aired their views but the most noteworthy naysaying came from within.Ashwell Prince, who is on the selection panel, questioned the wisdom of de Villiers’ comment that “all hope is gone” after the Wanderers defeat, and said the captain needed to send out more positive messages to the youngsters. It seems de Villiers has heard that, even though it may have hurt him.”It’s funny, because when I used to play with these guys they would talk about past players criticising them, and [saying] they can’t believe it and they’ll never become like that. So it’s pretty funny and it shows you how quickly things change,” de Villiers said. “But I’ve got no one to blame. We haven’t won for a while and we deserve a bit of criticism. It’s disappointing, but there are no hard feelings. We’ve got to move on as a team and try and win games.”And de Villiers remained confident that they will start doing that again, even if it takes some time before they really turn things around. “Before our run of four or five very good years, just before that there was also a patch when Graeme was captaining when people were talking in exactly the same way about us. I’m hoping we can make that turn quicker than people are expecting us to do. I’m optimistic. I’ve seen a lot of talent come through. We just need to get some experience and to get a few smart heads involved, and I believe we will move forward as a cricket team.”

Two days into back-to-back series and the cricket has already been more interesting and entertaining than anything David Warner does after midnight

Daniel Brettig at Trent Bridge11-Jul-2013As a boy, Ashton Agar was inspired by Steve Waugh’s legendary SCG century, achieved with a box office boundary from the final ball of the day. As a teenager, Agar found himself joining Waugh in the pantheon of Ashes history, after conjuring 98 of the most staggeringly nonchalant runs ever made by a Test debutant, let alone a No. 11.If there was any momentary grief in Agar at managing to pick out Graeme Swann on the midwicket boundary with a pull shot, it did not last long. As he turned on his heels in the direction of the dressing room, the applause swelled and so did Agar’s pride. Partnered by Phillip Hughes, he had made history of the rarest kind in an Ashes Test, and in doing so revived Australia’s hopes of forcing a series lead.”It was a bit out of the ordinary,” Agar said. “One of my favourite Ashes moments was Steve Waugh hitting four runs off the last ball of the day to make his hundred, and to make a hundred in an Ashes test would have been awesome. But I’m very happy.”Obviously it’s a dream to make a Test match hundred but I didn’t really dream I was going to make 98 on debut. I’m super happy, and I’m happy me and Hughesy could get the team in some kind of winning position.”I probably hit it a bit too well. All the other ones I’d been hitting up and over the top and I tried to come down a little bit on that one and picked him out perfectly. I could have made a better decision there but, oh well.”Though lacking any Test match experience, Agar had demonstrated his batting ability numerous times at club and first-class levels. Last summer in Perth he rattled off 108 for the University of Western Australia after arriving at the fall of the fifth wicket for 58 and also facing a large first-innings deficit. For the Warriors he had also been instrumental in Sheffield Shield wins over Queensland and South Australia.

What they said about Agar’s 98

“I thought I was presenting a first cap to a bowler, not a batting all-rounder” – Glenn McGrath
“Never ever thought I would say I am disappointed a Aussie got out but I really wanted Ashton Agar to get a 100…” – Michael Vaughan
“Whether he got 100 or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m most proud he got out playing his shots. He didn’t hold back. That’s great.” – John Agar, Ashton’s father
“What a stunning, gutsy, agonising 98 from Ashton Agar in the Ashes Test” – prime minister Kevin Rudd

“I like to keep myself fairly relaxed,” he said. “I don’t get too nervous when I bat. I just try to play freely and when I’m hitting the ball well I try and keep doing that throughout my innings and not change too much. Darren Lehmann told me to bat the way I know how to bat and he has told the whole team to bat in their own natural styles. That is what I tried to do.”I’ve done it before. In Queensland I had to bat at No. 10 and was fortunate enough to get 50. I was lucky to have a really good partner at the other end in Phil Hughes, he is a seriously, seriously good player and he helped me through it.”The stand with Hughes pulled Australia back into a game that had been well in England’s keeping at the fall of the ninth wicket. “It could have been a lot worse, so to do that with Hughesy has helped me a lot in terms of mentally getting around batting in a Test match and hopefully help put the team in a winning position,” Agar said. “He just said keep watching the ball hard and keep playing it ball by ball. That’s all we were really thinking of, just keeping it really simple.”England’s frustration at being held up by a world-record tenth-wicket union was evident in the field but afterwards the fast bowler James Anderson was generous in his praise. Anderson admitted to little knowledge about Agar before the innings, but was now well aware of his capabilities. “I didn’t know a great deal about him but he played really well and put us under pressure,” Anderson said. “I’m sure it will be looked back on as one [special Ashes moment], on debut he played brilliantly in a pressure situation and coped well.”In an innings speckled with handsome strokes, Agar picked out his drive of Swann over long-on for six as his personal favourite. Swann pumped his fists after claiming the catch that did for Agar, but was quick to catch up to the younger man as they made their way off. Swann offered the words “well done young fella”. Millions around the world shared exactly that sentiment, no doubt including Steve Waugh himself.

Matthew Mott, Glamorgan’s head of elite performance, is one of three men shortlisted to become the new head coach of New Zealand

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2012Matthew Mott, Glamorgan’s head of elite performance, is one of three men shortlisted to become the new head coach of New Zealand.New Zealand and Delhi assistant coach Trent Woodhill and Mike Hesson, the New Zealander who resigned as Kenya’s head coach in May, are understood to be the other candidates on the shortlist for the role to replace John Wright, who decided against signing a new contract in April after a disagreement with New Zealand director of cricket, John Buchanan. Wright will leave his role at the end of New Zealand’s tour of the Caribbean.Paddy Upton, the former India and current South Africa mental conditioning coach, was also on the shortlist but has pulled out. The remaining candidates will be interviewed for a third time this week, with a new head coach set to be confirmed by July 25 – giving him a month to prepare New Zealand for their tour of India.”We are keen to retain Matthew’s services,” Glamorgan chief executive Alan Hamer said. “However, like all good coaches, he has aspirations to work at the highest level and we have therefore given him our blessing to apply for the role.”Mott, 38, arrived at Glamorgan for the 2011 season having spent four years as head coach of New South Wales. He also spent two years working under Buchanan at Kolkata in the IPL.Were Mott to move on it would leave Glamorgan faced with changing their coaching staff for the third time in two years. Following the 2010 season, they decided to appoint Colin Metson as managing director of cricket, prompting former head coach Matthew Maynard to resign and Mott to arrive in his place.At the end of last season another coaching review led to Metson becoming community and cricket development manager, with Mott resuming sole responsibility for Glamorgan’s first XI as their new head of elite development.So far, none of the changes have brought success on the field. In 2011 Glamorgan finished sixth in Division Two of the County Championship and failed to make an impression on either one-day competition. This season, it took them over two months – 13 matches – to record their first win in any competition.

AB de Villiers, South Africa’s newly-appointed limited-overs captain, has said Gary Kirsten spoke to him about taking on the leadership role while he was in Bangalore, playing in the IPL

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2011AB de Villiers, South Africa’s newly-appointed limited-overs captain, has said Gary Kirsten discussed with him the issue of taking on a leadership role in the national team while he was in Bangalore, playing in the IPL.”He [Kirsten] put the plans on the table and asked whether I would be prepared to do it. Of course one could not say no to something like that,” de Villiers said after Cricket South Africa’s awards function on Tuesday. “I was a little dumbstruck because he is one of my heroes and it was great to see him.”The offer came as a surprise, de Villiers said. “He phoned me and said he would like to share his thoughts with me. I initially thought he would only be discussing batting with me, he’s helped me before with that. I definitely did not expect it. [But] I can’t wait for the challenge.”On his style of captaincy, De Villiers said he planned to fine-tune his batting and lead by example. “Gary and I will make plans and ensure that I don’t carry too much on my shoulders. I would like to lead by example – I want to be that kind of captain. It’s important for me to get runs and lead from the front.”I will work myself to a standstill in the off-season to ensure my batting is up to scratch. I also have an idea the captaincy will motivate me to play better.”

Malachi Jones, the Bermuda allrounder, has been removed from the national squad after breaching the protocol that prohibited national players from playing for their domestic club on Sunday, 30 May, a scheduled rest day

Cricinfo staff31-May-2010Malachi Jones, the Bermuda allrounder, has been removed from the national squad after breaching the protocol that prohibited national players from playing for their domestic club on Sunday, 30 May, a scheduled rest day. Bermuda is hosting the WCL Americas Region Division One tournament and will complete the competition with 13 players.David Moore, Bermuda’s coach, said: “I am extremely disappointed and surprised that one player would not only let the team down but Bermuda as well. The purpose of the rest day is recover and regenerate from injuries to be able to continue in the tournament at optimum level.”I would like to personally thank all clubs for supporting the national team and following Board directive. International cricket is very important for the future of Bermuda cricket and we can not improve without the partnership and co-operation of all involved.”The Bermuda Cricket Board president Reginald Pearman added: “On behalf of the Board we are extremely disappointed to note this development and we agree and support the coach and team management’s decision that the appropriate action has been taken.”

Head coach says his side are in “good spirits” ahead of second Test at Trent Bridge

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2024West Indies coach Andre Coley has called on his players to channel the resilience they showed in Australia earlier this year in their ongoing series against England, as they look to respond from an innings defeat in the first Test at Lord’s.At Adelaide Oval in January, West Indies were thrashed by 10 wickets by Australia in the first of two Tests before responding with a famous win at the Gabba, with Shamar Joseph taking seven second-innings wickets. Ahead of the second Test at Trent Bridge, which starts on Thursday, Coley implored his players to believe they can set up a decider at Edgbaston.”They would’ve taken a lot of positives from that,” Coley said on Monday, when asked about the Gabba Test. “In terms of how we were able to bounce back, the process that we went through to be able to do that I believe is a lot more powerful [than the result].”It reinforces the fact that in a series you could actually not start well but then compose yourself and come back in the series and be quite competitive, potentially set it up for a game-three decider. So there are real positives to be taken away, not only from the first Test here, but what we would’ve [faced in the] last six months.”West Indies Test coach Andre Coley at a training session•Getty Images

Coley suggested that his side have learned from the first Test, despite their heavy defeat. “Having been here now about two weeks, having a bit of time to acclimatise to conditions and actually getting time in the middle… yes, the result was not what we would’ve wanted and planned for, but I do believe that there’s a lot to be had in terms of learning and takeaways.”We admit that the side we have, it is young and emerging… but we are still very positive about how we are approaching the second Test. Everybody’s in good spirits. We’ve been catching up with the players one-on-one and this will really be the first time that we’ll be settled as a squad.”There’s been quite a bit of activity on and off the field leading up to the first Test and it’s been a lot, I can imagine, for some of our players to have been able to absorb. So it’s a massive learning for everyone, players and staff, and we are still very positive as we head to Nottingham.”Related

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Coley said there were positives to take from how his team fared with the ball in the first Test, having bowled England out for 371 in their only innings. But he called on his batters to try and put longer partnerships together, and also told them to raise their intensity in the field.”We know the conditions will be testing: that’s why it’s called a Test match,” he said. “We’re not playing at home. Our conditions are going to be slightly different, but we do have it within our ranks to be at our best and to compete with England.”There were periods in the game where [England] actually had to show really good application and grit… Jayden Seales, Jason Holder; you had Alzarri Joseph, his pace was back up; Gudakesh Motie played a fantastic role in terms of helping the captain, Kraigg [Brathwaite] to be able to control and [took the] key wicket of the captain [Ben] Stokes.”So yes, quite a few positives. I would love to see us with a lot more intensity that we’re known to show in the field. I thought in this Test match, we weren’t at our best in terms of imposing ourselves on the England batters. That is definitely something that we need to be better at for the next Test.”Shamar Joseph suffered stiffness in his left hamstring during the first Test, at one stage leaving the field mid-over. A CWI spokesperson said that no decision has been made on his availability for the second Test, with West Indies due to train at Trent Bridge on Tuesday morning.