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Smith did ‘a bit of zig-zag running’ on Sunday and will be hitting the nets in Sharjah on Monday

Shashank Kishore21-Sep-2020Steven Smith , the Rajasthan Royals captain, is available for selection for their IPL 2020 opener against the Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday in Sharjah, according to head coach Andrew McDonald. Smith missed Australia’s ODI series against England earlier this month because of concussion.”Fantastic news that Steve is available,” McDonald said in a Royals release. “It’s fantastic especially on the back of some setbacks back in the UK. It is obviously great to have your skipper available for the first game, as I have said before we are in really good hands. In terms of the rest of the squad, we couldn’t be happier with their preparation. We’ve got what we needed, having been here nice and early to get our preparation going on the back of the long lay-off.”ALSO SEE: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings live score 22nd September 2020Smith arrived in the UAE on September 17. He has since been monitored by the Royals support staff in consultation with Cricket Australia’s medical team. On Monday, Justin Langer, Australia’s head coach, said Smith seemed “visibly ill” as he tried to prove his fitness ahead of the ODI series decider on September 16. On Sunday, after two days of rest in Dubai, Smith was put through the paces at training, and was confirmed to be fit enough to train on match eve.”Yesterday (Sunday) I did a bit of zig-zag running, which is part of the protocols to pass to get back to play, and today (Monday) I’ll have a hit in the nets,” Smith said. “Hopefully, [I will] pull up well from the hit and be good to play tomorrow.”The guys have been here for a month now and from all reports, the training’s been magnificent. It’s been good to catch up with both the old and the new Royals. We’re in a good place and have got a really good squad this year, really strong and we’re ready to get going.”The Royals are among the few sides to have had multiple training sessions in Sharjah, the venue for their opening game. McDonald believes the familiarity with the ground will give his batsmen some advantage.”We’ve trained at Sharjah a couple of times. Most of our players have got a really good feel for the surface,” he said. “We’ve had some net practice in the middle which is always a positive rather than just nets out at the back. The guys have been able to feel what it’s like batting at the center and have had plenty of fielding down there, so they are quite familiar with the stadium.ALSO READ: Australians in the IPL: ESPNcricinfo’s one-stop guide“It’s clearly a different surface to Dubai or Abu Dhabi in terms of runs and the size of the venue, so it’ll create some difficult challenges there for the bowling unit, so no question there being a high-scoring ground. But we feel the team will put out their best show to be able to combat what CSK will throw at us.”McDonald also underlined the depth of his squad, despite not having the services of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. Buttler arrived in the UAE with his family from the UK and will be on extended quarantine. Stokes, meanwhile, is still in New Zealand with his family, with the franchise awaiting confirmation about his participation.”We have got the bases covered and have some really good depth in the squad and really looking forward to seeing what it looks like in a real competitive match against CSK,” he said. “They had a fantastic first game, they’re one game into the tournament which is a slight advantage when you come out against the team that’s already played and performed. So, we’ll definitely have our work cut out and really looking forward to what our guys can bring to the table and we’re really excited about what the journey presents.”

Her return to the 15-player squad had not been approved by the tournament technical committee

Andrew McGlashan22-Nov-2020The Sydney Sixers have been fined A$25,000, of which $15,000 is suspended for 12 months, after they erroneously named pace bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes in their XI to face the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday, despite her not officially being part of the squad.Having been replaced in the squad due to a foot injury, Silver-Holmes was fit again for the weekend’s matches but her return to the 15-player squad had not been approved by the tournament technical committee.The error was spotted, and self-reported, by the Sixers after the match against the Renegades had started and she was withdrawn from the match without batting.A hearing took play before Cricket Australia’s senior conduct commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC, on Sunday and the breach was termed “serious”. He could have imposed a fine of up to $50,000 plus other sanctions but took into account the fact the Sixers lost the game and that Silver-Holmes had not played any part in the contest”Cricket Australia places a significant emphasis on the integrity of all competitions, including the compliance with its player contracting rules and regulations,” Sean Carroll, CA’s head of integrity and Security, said. “This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the club’s actions during last night’s game.”As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed.”Alistair Dobson, CA’s head of Big Bash Leagues, said: “We commend the Sydney Sixers for their swift action and cooperation in addressing this error. In particular, we echo Alan Sullivan QC’s praise for the Sixers’ self-reporting and actions undertaken to minimise the impact of the breach on last night’s match.”The defeat against the Renegades on Saturday left the Sixers with only the slimmest of chances of making the semi-finals and for the second season in a row they missed the knockouts when they couldn’t overturn an almost-impossible net run-rate calculation against the Stars.”We made a regrettable administrative error for which there are understandably stringent rules,” Jodie Hawkins, Sydney Sixers’ general manager, said. “We were given a fair opportunity to present our case in the hearing and accept the findings and sanction. As a club we will learn from this and put processes in place for the future.”

Offspinner Ramesh Powar has announced he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season

Arun Venugopal10-Nov-2015Offspinner Ramesh Powar has announced he will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the 2015-16 Ranji Trophy season. Thirty-seven-year-old Powar, with 341 Ranji wickets till date, has the most wickets among active bowlers in the tournament.He has played for Gujarat since the 2014-15 season, following a year with Rajasthan. Before that, he had represented Mumbai for 14 seasons. Between 2004 and 2007, he had played for the country too, in two Tests and 31 ODIs, taking six wickets in the longest format and 34 in the one-dayers. Handy with the bat, he also has an ODI fifty.Powar’s decision allows him to play in the Masters Cricket League in January; the tournament rules require a player to be retired from all forms of competitive cricket, including the IPL, to participate.”After leaving Mumbai, I thought I’ll keep on playing, but then again I’ve thought it can’t keep going this way,” Powar told ESPNcricinfo. “There has got to be some motivation. If you aren’t going to get picked for India, you can’t just keep on playing. So I just thought I’ll rather play cricket on my own terms.”Luckily, there is the Masters League in January. Some of my old buddies are playing so I might enjoy that and have some fun. I’ll play out this whole season for Gujarat though. The last league game ends on December 4. If we make the knockouts [which spill over to 2016], I’ll speak to people and take a call.”Powar, understandably, picked out his time with the national team as his most cherished cricket memories. “To share the Indian dressing room with [VVS] Laxman, Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul [Dravid] and Sourav [Ganguly] was the ultimate dream come true, because I never thought I’ll play cricket professionally and to get where I got was a big thing for me.”Through his career, Powar often attracted attention for a perceived lack of fitness and a fascination for funky sunglasses. “Lots of people thought I was looking for style in those glasses, but glasses only helped me stay focussed,” Powar said. “I had put a lot of effort in my bowling and would bowl two hours, three hours every day. It’s debatable [what people said about my fitness].”When I was playing for India, someone asked me about my fitness. I said I can’t be Mohammad Kaif or Yuvraj Singh. I’m Ramesh Powar, this is my frame and this is how I play cricket. I tried to lose weight during the West Indies series in 2006, and I lost my bowling also. I’m a classical bowler and I said I’d rather work on my bowling. I always tried to be fit through cricket and tried to be a safe fielder.”Now, once he is done playing, Powar said, he would look to give back to the game by coaching young spinners.

Majority of tickets priced under £30 amid concerns over sales at certain venues

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2020The ECB have announced that the majority of adult tickets for the Hundred will be priced at £30 or less in an attempt to boost attendances, with under-16s tickets available at £5 each and children under five admitted for free.While there is some level of discrepancy depending on venue and timing, the competition’s managing director Sanjay Patel stressed that the ECB had “put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred”, with some tickets cheaper for the new tournament than for Vitality Blast games at the same venues.ALSO READ: ECB deny downplaying Blast amid fears for Hundred’s ticket salesDespite many of them voicing concerns about the competition and its perceived implications for their clubs, county members will have first access to tickets in a pre-sale window from January 15-31. That is followed by a priority window for fans who have registered interest in the competition on its website from February 12-28, while general sale begins on April 8.The ECB’s chairman Colin Graves suggested last month that an occupancy rate of 60-65 percent was the minimum standard, and that “if we get above that it will be a success”.And while there are unlikely to be many problems selling out Lord’s or The Oval, games at the Ageas Bowl and Cardiff could prove to be a harder sell.To use Cardiff as an example, Glamorgan’s total attendance in the Vitality Blast last summer was 31,266 across seven home games, giving an average crowd of 4,467 at a 16,000-seater venue. The county stressed that poor weather and clashes with other sporting fixtures in the city had affected their crowds, but with two of Welsh Fire’s home games scheduled for Sunday evenings and another on a Tuesday, it could be equally tough to shift tickets for those games.ESPNcricinfo revealed in October that some grounds fear the decision to stage games on every day of the week will create challenges for ticket sales, with games on Monday and Tuesday evenings expected to be a hard sell. Next year’s T20 Blast, by contrast, sees a majority of fixtures scheduled on Thursday and Friday nights or on weekend afternoons.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Tickets for the women’s competition start at £8, with a top early-bird price of £18, while tickets for the men’s tournament range from £10-35 at their initial price. For men’s and women’s finals day, which will be held at Lord’s and Hove, tickets will be available from £30 and £12 respectively.”We can’t wait to welcome cricket fans and those new to the sport to the opening season of the Hundred to see England’s World Cup heroes Ben Stokes, Eoin Morgan and Heather Knight play,” Patel said.”We have put families at the heart of our ticket pricing for the Hundred. When compared with summer holiday favourites and other major sporting events, the Hundred offers brilliant entertainment and tremendous value. Buying early will guarantee the best value tickets with compelling prices available across all men’s and women’s matches.”

Ryan Pringle’s refusal to walk angered Sussex as Durham fought their way up to a respectable total thanks to a 110-run stand for the sixth wicket

Tim Wigmore at Hove21-May-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Ryan Pringle was given not out after a catch claimed at fine leg by David Wiese•Getty Images

Just before half past four on a somnolent afternoon, the sun was blazing down at Hove, the seagulls were cawing, and spectators could be spied lounging in their deckchairs contentedly indulging in a nap. Even some of those watching the cricket seemed almost as preoccupied with the final day of the Premier League as the game being played out in front of them, in which Paul Coughlin and Ryan Pringle were unobtrusively rebuilding Durham’s innings.All of this changed when Pringle received a delivery from Chris Jordan on his legs. He shaped to flick it, and made good contact; perhaps too good, for the ball sped in the air towards fine leg. Running in, David Wiese dived and looked to have taken an excellent clean catch, with both his hands cupped safely underneath the ball. All of Sussex’s players were convinced as much – but not the umpires who, after conferring, decided that the ball had bounced before being taken by Wiese.”If you get hit on the leg you’re not going to walk off for an lbw. It’s the umpires’ decision at the end of the day,” Pringle said, with the sense of a man aware of times when the cricket establishment has treated Durham less kindly. “I wasn’t trying to influence the umpires’ decision – which maybe a couple of their players thought I had done – by insinuating he hadn’t caught it by standing my ground.”Pringle, then, remained unmoved, and calmly took his place at the non-striker’s end, having taken a single. As he did so Sussex’s fielders were palpably disgruntled; some in the crowd bellowed “cheat” at the batsman, and those near Wiese applauded him as vigorously – more so, out of their sense of injustice – as if his action had led to a wicket.When, two overs later, a short ball from Jordan elicited a top edge from Pringle and a wicketkeeper’s catch that no one could dispute, he was met with stony silence by the crowd – and “a few verbals” from Sussex’s fielders – as he walked off for 60.”You are disappointed. You’re in the heat of the contest and it was a very important wicket. It does influence the game,” Mark Davis, Sussex’s head coach, said although he understood Pringle’s stance. “I don’t think it was the batter’s fault at all.”If Sussex’s players thought rather less of Pringle than they had at the start of the day, Durham probably thought rather more of him and Coughlin, who added 110 for the sixth wicket. Neither played with any great elan, but they batted with purpose, grit and common sense to haul Durham out of a precarious position, belying mediocre first-class averages in the mid-20s. Coughlin excelled driving the ball through the covers; Pringle, his mid-afternoon escape apart, was particularly effective off his legs.How Durham needed their resolve. At 72 for 1, they had reason to applaud themselves on a fine morning’s work, notwithstanding Keaton Jennings losing his offstump to Jofra Archer’s extra pace. All of this was undone in 21 frenetic balls. The becalmed Cameron Steel clipped Vernon Philander to square leg – the South African’s first wicket for his fifth county. Philander then snared Stephen Cook, who had played with poise and driven pleasingly through the off side, lbw.When Archer, gallivanting up the hill with great oomph, accounted for Paul Collingwood lbw with the final ball of the session, Sussex took lunch in a state of buoyancy. After Graham Clark took a tentative half-stride forward to Danny Briggs’ first ball and missed, Durham had slipped to 129 for 5 soon after, a position in no way befitting the batting conditions.If Coughlin and Pringle ensured that Durham hauled themselves up to a respectable score, Archer ensured that it still felt under par. In ten deliveries with the second new ball, he eviscerated what remained of Durham’s batting: Coughlin slashed to third man; Graham Onions, who had almost been yorked, flashed an away-swinger behind; Chris Rushworth did the same.Therefore Archer, who bowled with unstinting venom even if his radar was a touch inconsistent, had his second five-fer in two Championship games at Hove this season. Ever sprightly, he leapt up the stairs while the crowd saluted his sterling day’s work. His captain could feel vindicated for inserting Durham – even if the brutish delivery with which Onions dismissed Harry Finch first ball spoke of Sussex’s challenge ahead.But Luke Wright would also have ended the day ruing the slapdash fielding that saw Sussex drop four catches. Pringle was reprieved on 22, a tricky chance to wicketkeeper Michael Burgess off Danny Briggs; Coughlin had 44 when Archer, appearing to misjudge the ball, spilled a catch on the fine leg boundary.Perhaps most frustrating were the two chances Chris Nash spilled at second slip, both routine by the standards of the position. On both occasions, Jordan elicited the outside edge – from Cook, on 30, and Stuart Poynter, on 4 – and must have wished that he could field in the slips to his own bowling.He might also have felt overdue a little fortune. Jordan was returning from seven weeks at the IPL, where he only faced one ball, and bowled six, in his entire stint for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Royal Challengers Bangalore kept their opponent down to 84 for 8 and cruised the chase

Alagappan Muthu21-Oct-20201:21

What can this kind of a loss do to Kolkata Knight Riders?

A devastating spell of new-ball bowling from Mohammed Siraj (4-2-3-8) left Kolkata Knight Riders so far down on the mat it was all they could do to last the 20 overs.They did so playing out four maidens – an IPL record – two of them to Siraj alone – another IPL record. They suffered 72 dots in a 120-ball innings – only three shy of another IPL record and put up only 84 on the board – the lowest IPL total for a team batting first and not losing all their wickets.Royal Challengers Bangalore had little trouble with the chase, completing it with eight wickets and 39 balls to spare and moving to second place on the table.Super SirajAll they needed was a hint. Royal Challengers have been very good with the way they’ve handled their bowlers this season. And in this game as well, as soon as they saw there was some swing on offer, they immediately went to Siraj with the new ball. Even though he was the new man in the XI.Siraj is a natural inswinger. But it was moving the ball the other way that brought him most of his success. He snagged the outside edge of Rahul Tripathi in the second over. One ball later, he burst through Nitish Rana’s defences. That over ended up as a double-wicket maiden.He also had Tom Banton caught behind before he gave up a single run off his bowling as the Royal Challengers earned the upper hand from start to finish.Recovering from a powerplay score of 17 for 4 was never going to be easy and though Eoin Morgan tried, the opposition just had too many resources to mount a counter attack. Yuzvendra Chahal, for so long the only consistent wicket-taking threat for the Royal Challengers, might even have felt weird playing back up as he picked up 2 for 15 and limited Knight Riders to 84 for 8.The easiest chase in the IPL?Well not for Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal. They fell for 16 and 25 but with such a tiny target before them, Royal Challengers could always regroup. They did the sensible thing with the batting too and gave one of their less experienced players time in the middle – Gurkeerat Singh making 21 as they sealed victory.

Australia allrounder finishes off chase as Lancashire secure win in front of 15,000 at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2019Despite some persistent rain the good times rolled at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday evening when 15,196 spectators, a new ground record for a non-Roses T20 game, saw Lancashire Lightning defeat Leicestershire Foxes by five wickets, thereby securing top spot in the North Group.Needing 143 to win, the home side got home with eight balls to spare, thanks largely to a well-judged innings by Glenn Maxwell, who added an unbeaten 29 off 31 balls to the wicket, catch and run-out he had collected in the first innings of the game. Maxwell partnered Keaton Jennings in the unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 22 which helped Lancashire to their eighth T20 win of this season’s campaign.Earlier in the evening, the Foxes innings had got off to a fine start as the Lightning seamers fed Mark Cosgrove the leg-side diet he craves and the Australian opener helped himself to 39 runs off 19 balls before being bowled by Steven Croft. Arron Lilley then cut his first ball to Josh Bohannon at cover point but the only result of this fine stroke was that Harry Swindells was run out by half the length of the pitch for 4 after a dreadful mix-up with Lilley.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Nevertheless, Leicestershire were 52 for 2 after their Powerplay and the following four overs were all bowled by spinners. The next blow of consequence was struck by Matt Parkinson who had Colin Ackermann caught at backward point by James Faulkner for 21 when the Foxes captain was attempting a reverse sweep and the visitors reached the midpoint of their innings modestly placed on 77 for 3.Lilley gradually warmed to his task on his former home ground, ramping Richard Gleeson for four and smacking Parkinson over long-off for six but when he had made 28 the former Lancashire allrounder pulled James Faulkner straight to Maxwell at deep midwicket.The remainder of the Foxes innings was something of an anti-climax as the home spinners strangled the scoring rate and three more batsmen were run out. Harry Dearden’s 24 was the only score above 20 and after Cosgrove had found the boundary seven times in 19 balls, his colleagues struck only six fours in the rest of the innings. Parkinson took the bowling honours with 2 for 24 while Maxwell finished with one for 22.Lancashire’s pursuit of 143 began well as Liam Livingstone and Alex Davies put on 54 in 5.1 overs, both openers hitting sixes before Lilley held on to a steepler off Ben Mike to get rid of Livingstone for 28. Steven Croft followed soon after, caught at cover off Callum Parkinson for five, but Davies continued to take heavy toll of Dieter Klein, hitting the South African for a second six before he was bowled for 39 when attempting to cut Parkinson.Lancashire skipper Dane Vilas was dismissed for 6 when he carelessly pulled Will Davis to deep square leg but Maxwell and Faulkner looked to be taking Lancashire home before Faulkner was leg before wicket to Lilley for 11. However, Maxwell and Jennings settled things with some well-judged strokes on a damp Mancunian evening.

With the return to fitness of Vernon Philander, South Africa have to work out how best to balance their attack for the second Test

Liam Brickhill in Cape Town02-Jan-2019They are 1-0 up but, ahead of the second Test at Newlands, South Africa have quite a conundrum to figure out: how to fit three world-class seamers into their attack along with the in-form Duanne Olivier. Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are all undroppable, but there are only so many spaces going.Philander’s record makes his the first name on the teamsheet at Newlands, while Olivier’s wrecking-ball act at Centurion was so convincing that Faf du Plessis confirmed the day before the Test that he would definitely play. Unless South Africa opt for a four-pronged pace attack, someone will have to sit out and, on current form, it could be Steyn.Steyn ascended to the top of South Africa’s Test wicket-taking list on the first morning at Centurion, but he was taken apart by Babar Azam in a later spell and picked up only three wickets during the game. In patches, he didn’t quite hit his usual straps, and South Africa will want him as fresh as possible for the World Cup – admittedly still five months away.”We’re still talking about what we need to do,” du Plessis said on the eve of the second Test. “Historically, Newlands is a ground where it spins a bit. So it’s just about finding that balance. For us, it’s always tricky trying to find out what that is. There’s a few combinations: whether it’s the extra seamer, whether it’s a spinner or whether it’s playing a batsman less, it is something we speak about quite regularly.ALSO READ: Du Plessis says IPL a concern for bowlers’ workloads“I just like the fact that there’s a bit of variety in our attack. [Olivier] is a fit guy, he can bowl long spells, and you like to have that in your armoury. Then you’ve got the skill of Vernon, Dale, KG – not that they don’t have pace, but he’s just different. He runs at you, he’s around your head most of the time, and that’s not comfortable for anyone.”South Africa seem a little uncertain at how the pitch will play, which doesn’t help them solve their conundrum. Newlands curator Evan Flint said the excessive bounce that was a factor at Centurion will not be seen here, but there will be pace on offer. On days four and five there will be turn, which could benefit spinners on both sides.”We’ve been talking about the pitch already,” Rabada said. “It looks a little dull in a way, in that it might just be five days here. We were joking with Evan about it. But you never know with cricket pitches. Who knows what will happen. It still looks a good wicket. Newlands is always a good wicket, and whenever I’ve come here there’s always been a fair contest between bat and ball.”Du Plessis added: “It looks pretty similar to what we’ve seen here before. A little bit of grass, but also some patches there. If there’s wind, it does possibly play into the role of a spinner. We may possibly wait and see tomorrow what it looks like when we get to the ground.”Had Lungi Ngidi been fit, the conundrum would be even more complex. So plentiful are South Africa’s pace options that Dane Paterson, who has taken 30 wickets in five first-class matches this season, hasn’t really been part of the conversation despite coming in to the squad as injury cover before the first Test.Behind him, Anrich Nortje also started the domestic season with a bang, topping Warriors’ bowling table with 24 wickets at 21.04, and impressed so quickly in three Mzansi Super League outings that he picked up an IPL deal with Kolkata Knight Riders despite being sidelined with an ankle injury. The MSL also unearthed some other gems, and seamer Lutho Sipamla – who needs four more wickets to reach 50 first-class scalps well before his 21st birthday – could also find himself in the reckoning in the near future.”I don’t like to get involved in team selection and all that, it’s not my place, but yeah, it’s a bit of a headache now, with people talking about whether Vern’s going to come back and Duanne’s going to sit out,” Rabada said. “But it’s a good headache to have." He also said “there have been talks” of possibly going in to the match with four seamers and looking to end the game before spin becomes too much of a factor.The quality of South Africa’s options is not in question, but getting the combination right is key. “For us, it’s more about balance than anything else,” du Plessis said. “It’s not about playing a spinner or anything else, it’s what we feel is our most balanced team.”

Lancashire have accused Somerset of producing a pitch that is “below average verging on poor” after 22 wickets fell on the first day of their Championship match at Taunton

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2018Lancashire have accused Somerset of producing a pitch that was “below average verging on poor” after 22 wickets fell on the first day of their Championship match at Taunton.Questions about the quality of the surface could leave Somerset open to a points penalty, as it is less than 12 months since they were reprimanded by the ECB for producing a “below average” pitch for their final game of the 2017 season. With Somerset second in Division One and attempting to keep pace with leaders Surrey, any deduction would likely have an impact on the title race.The result at Taunton could also have repercussions at the other end of the table. Lancashire went into the match in fifth, but only nine points ahead of bottom-placed Worcestershire, having played a game more.Although Paul Allott, Lancashire’s director of cricket, admitted that there had been “indifferent batting” on both sides, he referred directly to ECB regulations when interviewed on BBC Radio Lancashire. Having asked for and won a toss, Lancashire chose to bat only to be dismissed for 99, left-arm spinner Jack Leach taking 5 for 28; Somerset were then bowled out for 192, and Lancashire lost two more wickets before the close, both to Leach.”It’s the beginning of day two, so the game is still fully in progress,” Allott said. “And I’d just like to start by quoting the ECB pitch regulations.”The precursor to these is quite clear, it says for the purpose of maintaining the highest standard of pitches in all matches, the relevant provision is the following: ‘Each county shall actively seek to prepare the best quality cricket pitch that it can for the match that it is staging.’ And I firmly believe that that is not the best possible pitch that could have been prepared for this game”It’s disappointing because obviously the situation for both teams is an intriguing one, it’s hugely important for Somerset and for Lancashire. Somerset looking to put pressure on the leaders and try and win the County Championship and Lancashire obviously in a dogfight to avoid relegation.”I will say that yesterday even though 22 wickets fell there was some indifferent batting and that Somerset overall edged us in performance. But to be perfectly honest that pitch is below average verging on poor in my view. It looks like a fifth day Test match pitch, it’s worn, it’s pitted and there are some areas in it that are hugely conducive for spin bowling.”Paul Allott, Lancashire’s director of cricket, discusses the Taunton pitch with Cricket Liaison Officer Dean Cosker•Getty Images

After the first day, Jason Kerr, Somerset’s head coach, said he was not worried about a pitch penalty and suggested many of the wickets had gone down as a result of “very bad cricket”. He added: “I have not spoken to the Cricket Liaison Officer and probably won’t do so until the end of the game, but I don’t foresee a problem.”Any decision about the state of the pitch will rest with Dean Cosker, the former Glamorgan spinner who is the CLO present at Taunton, after discussion with the standing umpires, Paul Baldwin and Jeremy Lloyds.However, the threat of a penalty hangs over Somerset, after they were marked down for the pitch provided for their match against Middlesex last year – a relegation decider in which Somerset’s 231-run victory helped preserve Division One status by a single point.”I’ve no issue with what Jason Kerr says, it’s not my prerogative to agree or disagree with him,” Allott said. “All I can say is that in my view that pitch is not the best that could have been prepared and it’s disappointing to come all this way down to Taunton and be confronted with those conditions in such an important game.”

England bowler takes ‘encouragement’ from talks with national selector Ed Smith about ODI prospects

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2019He may have been all but pigeon-holed as a 20-over specialist but, having done everything he could to thrust his name to the forefront of selectors’ minds in England’s opening T20I win over West Indies, Chris Jordan hopes his ODI World Cup ship has not sailed.With the T20 World Cup more than 18 months away, the three-match T20I series in the Caribbean represents little more than bonus entertainment for a fan base already spoiled by the excitement of the preceding three Tests and four ODIs, and a chance for both nations to hone their thinking about the ODI World Cup starting at the end of May – West Indies have even retained their ODI squad and captain for the T20I series.Jordan has not played an ODI in more than two years and his latest feats did come in the shorter format, but they reminded interested onlookers of his value with the ball and in the field.For his part, Jordan said it was all about “enjoyment” and it was easy to see why. He removed Chris Gayle cheaply for the first time since the ODI Player of the Series returned to the fold for West Indies’ limited-overs campaigns against England, and dismissed Darren Bravo with a brilliant a caught-and-bowled to finish with 2-16 off three overs.”The Caribbean is a lovely place to play cricket, my family will be here watching most games, just enjoy it and let results take care of themselves,” the Barbadian-born Jordan said, adding that he remained hopeful of securing a World Cup berth. “I hope the ship hasn’t sailed. I can’t get too far ahead in my thinking, I’m not that type of character. One game at a time and let the outcomes take care of themselves.”Jordan revealed he had spoken about his one-day prospects with national selector Ed Smith.”I’ve had conversations with Ed when squads are being picked and he’s always said I’m there or thereabouts, in the discussions,” Jordan said. “That gives me encouragement. T20 cricket is what I’m involved with at the minute, anything past that I’ll leave to the selectors and the captain.”Jordan was also hoping for the best for Jofra Archer, who was also born in Barbados and is expected to qualify for England under ECB residency rules in time for the World Cup, should he be selected.”I speak to him every day, literally every day, he’s like my little brother,” Jordan said of 23-year-old Archer. “One of the things I admire about Jofra, for a kid so young he’s got a good head on his shoulders. There is noise about him potentially playing in the series… if it happens I’m more than certain he’ll rise to the occasion because he’s that type of person and that type of character.”Jordan said he continued to work hard on his bowling and fielding, which was sharply in focus when he tempted Bravo with a newly developed slower ball and then changed direction on his follow through to take that spectacular one-handed catch sprawling to his right.”That was good,” Jordan said. “When I bowled the slower ball initially I wasn’t sure if I was getting there. Then, the closer I got I realised I was getting there and it stuck in my hand.”Not many catches are that easy, to be honest, you see them go down in games. You try to practice as much as possible, practice slip catching and outfield catching and when you get into game time when moments like that come you’ve almost played it over in your head already. I’m just glad it came off. I pride myself on my fielding in general. I do work hard on it.”And of the slower ball, he said: “Yeah, I have been adding a couple of slower balls to my arsenal. I don’t want to give away too much on it given I got a wicket with it, but it’s a new one.”Jordan had no qualms about not bowling at the death in the T20I series opener, which England won by four wickets with seven balls remaining. That role went to Tom Curran, who ended the match as the pick of the England bowlers, claiming 4-36 off his four overs.”It’s normally my role in the team, one or two (overs) in the Powerplay and two at the death, but my role is also to adapt and be versatile, be ready whenever the captain calls on me,” Jordan said. “TC did a brilliant job, took four wickets and bowled a brilliant last over, but next time it might be me. That’s the type of team we’re in, we’re not selfish characters and we just keep everyone improving.”