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India Women pulled off a remarkable 14-run victory at Taunton to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day series having earlier been in deep trouble at 71 for 9

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2012
ScorecardAmita Sharma made 42 to lift India to 129 and that proved enough for victory•Getty Images

India Women pulled off a remarkable 14-run victory at Taunton to take a 2-0 lead in the one-day series having earlier been in deep trouble at 71 for 9.Katherine Brunt had taken out the top order but Amita Sharma’s 42, in a final-wicket stand of 58, pushed them to 129 which the India bowlers then defended with verve as England slumped to 115 all out.A last-wicket stand of 26 between Danielle Wyatt and Georgia Elwiss took the game down to the wire, but with 15 needed from 17 balls, Elwiss was bowled by Jhulan Goswami, who picked up four wickets in the innings. The other outstanding figures belonged to legspinner Veda Krishnamurthy who took 2 for 14 in her 10 overs to strangle the middle order.The visitors began the defence of the small total in perfect fashion by removing the key pair of Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor for ducks. Edwards, who also fell early in the opening match of the series, was caught behind for 1 and Taylor was lbw as Goswami made both breakthroughs.Tammy Beaumont and Arran Brindle steadied the innings for a while but progress was never easy for England before Brindle edged behind off Gouher Sultana then Heather Knight, having hit two boundaries, was run out to leave England 43 for 4.Beaumont, who took 89 balls to make 31, and Gunn combined for an 18-over partnership that brought 34 runs – an indication of the pressure India put on the chase – before England lost 5 for 12 in six overs with Krishnamurthy claiming two in two balls.England had made all the early running as Brunt produced another impressive new-ball spell and her fourth wicket, trapping Goswami lbw, left India 34 for 6. That position became even worse when Laura Marsh struck twice and at 71 for 9 a chase well under a hundred was on the cards.However, England allowed India off the hook as Sharma and Sultana – whose previous best in 18 ODI innings was 10 not out – nearly doubled the total in a partnership lasting 15 overs.

West Indies players will be allowed to train after two Covid-19 tests and three days of isolation in the hotel

Mohammad Isam10-Jan-2021The 38-member West Indies contingent arrived in Dhaka on Sunday morning to become the first international side to arrive in Bangladesh since the Covid-19 outbreak.The pandemic has already had a direct effect on the tour after fast bowler Romario Shepherd, who was part of the tourists’ ODI squad, returned a positive result in Guyana prior to their departure.Keon Harding, the 24-year-old Barbados fast bowler has been named as Shepherd’s replacement, making it nine uncapped players in the 15-man ODI squad. Owing to the pandemic, a number of senior West Indies cricketers have opted out of the tour for both the ODIs and Tests.Those who have arrived on Sunday will undergo Covid-19 tests, after which they will isolate themselves in their hotel rooms for the first three days before being tested again; if they test negative on both tests, they will be allowed to train from the fourth day.West Indies will play a warm-up one-dayer at the BKSP ground in Savar on January 18, some 40km from Dhaka, before the first ODI on January 20.A third round of testing will take place after day seven of the tour and also once before the start of the ODI series. The Bangladesh board will reportedly also provide local net bowlers who will be kept in a “mirror bubble” alongside other service providers and ground staff, in accommodation facilities inside the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Both sides will also be tested upon arrival in Chattogram for the third ODI on January 23, and there will be more testing before and during the Test series, which is scheduled for next month.The BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said that they have taken into account every contingency when planning the bio-secure bubble for the tour. He said that the BCB President’s Cup and Bangabandhu T20 Cup in October and November gave them a clear idea about what to expect.”We are really happy to return to international cricket after a long time,” Yunus said. “It is definitely a challenge to host a series during a pandemic. We are very much confident that we can complete this series without any hindrance. We are prepared to handle any form of crisis in both venues. We have gained experience of a bio-bubble having already held two domestic tournaments. Hopefully, it will be a very smooth tour.”They [West Indies] have agreed to be compliant. The agreement includes all the dos and don’ts. We will be strict about the entire tour. The biggest thing is that there will be a number of tests. All the floor attendants at the hotel and catering staff have been tested, and the same applies for any service provider including net bowlers and the board’s photographer.”This upcoming ODI series will be Bangladesh’s first international assignment since Zimbabwe toured the country in February and March last year, when the T20I series had limited entrance with Bangladesh not yet feeling the full force of Covid-19. Since then, Bangladesh have had tours to Ireland, England (for the Ireland ODIs), Sri Lanka and New Zealand postponed, apart from home tours against Australia and New Zealand.

A fluent unbeaten 76 by Ben Brown and superb bowling by Steve Magoffin helped Sussex to step up their bid for second place in the County Championship

11-Sep-2012
ScorecardBen Brown started Sussex’s fightback with a determined innings•Getty Images

A fluent unbeaten 76 by Ben Brown and superb bowling by Steve Magoffin helped Sussex to step up their bid for second place in the County Championship on the first day against Durham at Chester-le-Street.Brown went in with his side on 67 for 5 and helped them to 211 then Magoffin opened up with 3 for 19 in 10 overs. Durham recovered from 65 for 4 through a stand of 53 between Mark Stoneman and Paul Collingwood when the Australian seamer returned for a further five overs.But it was Monty Panesar who lifted the day’s tally of wickets to 16 by taking 2 for 4 in five overs as Durham closed on 131 for 6. Collingwood tried to hit his former England team-mate over the top and was caught at mid-on for 19, then Stoneman edged to Mike Yardy at slip.Stoneman was the only batsman on either side able to counter the new ball as the left-handed opener made 53, despite batting for half his innings with a runner after suffering a hamstring injury.Despite having more at stake than Durham, it was Sussex who took the opportunity to give experience to a few youngsters. Neither Murray Goodwin nor Matt Prior was included, while Ed Joyce is with the Ireland squad preparing for the World Twenty20 and Luke Wright is with England. The team included 21-year-old batsman Matt Machan, left-arm swing bowler Lewis Hatchett, South African allrounder Kirk Wernars and 6ft 9in allrounder Will Adkin.After losing the toss, acting captain Chris Nash drove at the seventh ball and edged to first slip as Chris Rushworth opened up with an excellent spell. Graham Onions struggled at the other end, but when he switched he quickly took two wickets.Callum Thorp was the first to strike from the Finchale End, having Luke Wells caught behind for 25, although the left-hander clearly did not agree with the decision. Once the ball stopped swinging batting became relatively easy and Brown and Wernars put on 106.Durham needed a run out to make the breakthrough. Brown had just reached 50 off 59 balls when he drove into the covers and went for a run, only for Wernars to be stranded by Michael Richardson’s diving stop. Wernars was three short of his career-best on 50. Brown looked very comfortable and timed the ball superbly in making his runs off 102 balls with 13 fours.Durham also scored fluently against all bowlers other than Magoffin and Panesar, but it was Hatchett who struck first when Keaton Jennings padded up to his sixth ball and fell lbw.Richardson was Magoffin’s first victim, lbw third ball, and the other two were both bowled. Ben Stokes was beaten on the drive and Dale Benkenstein played back defensively to a ball which trimmed his off bail.

A round-up of the second days’ action of the One-Day National Cup Division Two matches

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Feb-2012Group ALahore Lions were routed for 81, owing to a combined bowling performanc, led by the right-arm seamer Asad Ali at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) finished the chase in just 11.1 overs to register their maiden win in the tournament. Early strikes by Asad and Imran Ali left the Lions tottering at 5 for 5. Farhan Asghar and Saad Nasim were the only players to pass 20. Asad finished with the best figures of 4 for 14, while the other three bowlers took two wickets apiece. The SNGPL openers Ali Waqas and Imran Ali (the opener) ensured they attained the target without any loss of wickets.A half-century by Musadiq Ahmed and a five-wicket haul by Mohammad Fayyaz set up Peshawar Panthers‘ 28-run win over Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) in Peshawar. Musadiq hit 66 off 96 balls with five fours to take the Panthers to 227. Mohammad Irfan took 3 for 35. KRL began their chase steadily, taking the score to 100 for 2. But the Panthers hit back, taking four wickets for 29 runs. Bazid Khan was the top scorer with 60 but was dismissed by Fayyaz, who ran through the middle and lower order to finish with 5 for 26 off six overs, his maiden five-for in domestic one-dayers.Group BA century by Bismilliah Khan set up Quetta Bears’ 140-run victory against Multan Tigers in Karachi. Bismilliah scored 142 off 141 balls and was supported by Abid Ali, who made 73, in an opening stand of 177. Quetta finished on 326 for 5 in 50 overs, the only wicket-taker for Multan being Haziq Habibullah, who claimed 4 for 64. Multan floundered in their chase, and collapsed from 109 for 2 to 186 all out in 39.5 overs. Mohibullah took 3 for 19 and Arun Lal 3 for 36 for Quetta. Moinuddin and Maqbool Ahmed top scored with 40 each for Multan, woefully inadequate contributions when chasing such a tall target.Lahore Eagles restricted Karachi Zebras to a below-par 199 for 9 and completed a five-wicket victory at the National Stadium. Lahore struck early and repeatedly after winning the toss, reducing Karachi to 69 for 5, before the lower-order batsmen rallied and prolonged the innings until the 50th over. The opener Behram Khan top scored with 71, the next best being Sohail Khan’s 39 at No. 9. Lahore stumbled from 50 for 0 to 63 for 3 in their chase but Rana Adnan cored 58 and Usman Salahuddin 42 to take their team towards victory. The target was achieved with nine overs to spare.

Somerset were unable to dismiss Durham a second time in their two-day game but the hosts batting problems continued to dog them

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street12-May-2012
ScorecardSomerset kept up the hunt for victory until late in the day but Durham clung on•Getty Images

When Paul Collingwood responded to the end of his England career near the end of last season not by retiring, but by restating his commitment to Durham, with a dash of worldwide Twenty20 thrown in, his head coach Geoff Cook extolled the virtues of a grounded personality who had proved there was a cricketing life beyond the international stage.”He can help us through a slightly transitional phase,” Cook said at the time. Only the word “slightly” is now looking a little over optimistic. Transition is upon Durham quicker than Cook had hoped, certainly in the four-day game, and judging by the nervy way they secured a draw against Somerset, Collingwood’s scrapping instincts have never been more necessary.Durham, widely regarded as serious Championship contenders, remain bottom. They had begun the final day vulnerably placed, felt relatively safe at tea at 144 for 3, a lead admittedly of only two runs, but two quick wickets after the break for Craig Meschede, including the captain Phil Mustard, the only man who has dared look at his batting statistics this season, ensured there would be no handshakes at 5pm.It was left to Ian Blackwell, with foot movement so restricted that you would not fancy his chances crossing the stepping stones at Stanhope, to negotiate a draw with a stubborn 38 not out, but Somerset might have pulled off a win had Peter Trego or Alex Barrow held two slip catches when a late-evening run chase was still a possibility.Somerset also had chances earlier. Mark Stoneman was missed by Craig Overton at third slip and turned 4 into 33 and Collingwood had also edged Trego perilously close to second slip when 9 and went on to make 36. Somerset abandoned hope with Durham 92 ahead, the last pair at the crease and seven overs remaining.A draw was something to cling to after trailing by 142 on first innings and they have the chance to build on that against Somerset in the CB40 on Sunday when Collingwood will take over the captaincy in the absence of Dale Benkenstein, who dislocated his shoulder in the pre-match warm-up. Cook is calling for character; he used to call for Steve Harmison, but Harmison has spent all season searching for a glimmer of form in the second XI.Durham secured a draw without ridding themselves of the damning statistic that no batsman in the top six has yet reached fifty. Collingwood looked as likely as anybody to rid the county of an unwelcome marker before he fell lbw to Overton on 36. He settled in by pulling Trego for four and suggested that he was in reasonable order with a controlled extra-cover boundary against Meschede, an area where he can lose a spoke on the wagon wheel.Returning to the county circuit after a long England career is not easy even for a cricketer with such a strong sense of regional identity as Collingwood and, even if he was never the type to envisage himself as a captain until the leadership of England’s one-day sides fell his way, the extra responsibility could give him a fillip in the short term. County cricket, too, needs to prove that it can provide a few years of satisfaction for a committed cricketer with much still to give. If Collingwood cannot attune himself to a less glamorous existence then few can.County cricket’s gamesome pitches, during possibly the most weather-ravaged start to a Championship season since the 1950s, are quite a culture shock for England batsmen used to true international surfaces.”I don’t think anybody has seen the wickets around the country do this much,” Collingwood said after the washed-out third day. “I’ve spoken to people like Andrew Strauss and we just laugh about how much the ball’s doing. You’ve just got to forget about technique and things like that and find a way of scoring runs. You can be technically absolutely fantastic and be out second ball. It really has been difficult.”As a batsman you try to protect one side of the bat but in these conditions you find the ball can beat both sides. It’s like a spinner bowling normal off-breaks then all of a sudden you’ve got one going the other way.”It is the rewards of T20 that, naturally, have also driven Collingwood on, as the recognition grows that few players have managed to make a success of semi-retirement and a career playing exclusively T20 cricket. He was part of the Perth Scorchers side that qualified for the Champions League and also had a stint for Impi in South Africa. He would still not have returned to share Durham’s early season agony had not Rajasthan Royals told him that with ten overseas players on their books he was surplus to requirements in the IPL.That Somerset could put Durham under so much pressure owed much to the verve of Craig Kieswetter. Somerset were eight down at start of play and after two washed-out days led by 95, but Kieswetter borrowed a few leg side shots from the IPL and finished unbeaten on 96, scoring 36 of a further 47 added.Kieswetter’s assault forced Durham to field four leg-side boundary fielders for Mitch Claydon and it was one of them, Stoneman, who eventually ran out the last man, George Dockrell, at the bowler’s end from deep midwicket as Kieswetter tried to farm the strike. Graham Onions was harder to slog, his form one of the few bright aspects to a difficult Durham season.

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.

Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, has said that there are no points of conflict between the national selection committee and coach Dav Whatmore

Umar Farooq28-Apr-2012Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, has said that there are no points of conflict between the national selection committee and coach Dav Whatmore. Qasim was referring to media speculation about a possible disagreement prompted by Whatmore working with discarded Test players at the National Cricket Academy earlier this week. He said that communication between the selectors and the coach is important, though, and will help both parties avoid a clash in strategy.Pakistan’s cricketers have not had any assignments since March’s successful Asia Cup campaign, and will next be in action again only a month from now in Sri Lanka. Whatmore, who had taken over coaching the team only before the Asia Cup, has used the break to collect data on players around the country. He had worked with players like Mohammad Yousuf and Kamran Akmal at the NCA, prompting talk of potential comebacks.The selectors, meanwhile, have named 12 fast bowlers to be supervised by Whatmore at the NCA. The list includes promising youngsters, as well as players like Mohammad Sami and Iftikhar Anjum who have been out of the national set-up for a couple of years.”I am in contact with Whatmore on a constant basis and I don’t think we are facing any points of conflict at the moment,” Qasim said. “He [Whatmore] is new in Pakistan and wants to understand the system and wants to see what [players] we have. There is no harm in this, [in fact] we are helping him in this regard by giving him players [the 12 fast bowlers] to assess. This is the part of his strategy.””I know players who are out of contention are there, practising with him. There is no harm in this, but we should ensure no communication gap crops us, sparking a clash with our [the selection committee’s] strategy.”Pakistan have been in fine from over the past 18 months, losing only the ODI series to England in the UAE during this period. It was important to keep moving ahead, Qasim said. “Our vision is quite clear, we have to look forward.”But our doors aren’t shut on players who are on the fringes. There is always a criterion for every player [to make their way back into the team]. If they have fallen out of contention but are the part of coach’s strategy, then we will definitely will consider them with an open mind. We cannot decide that XYZ player is finished and won’t return.”

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.”

The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is seeking a new chief executive after Angus Porter confirmed his plans to leave

George Dobell05-Nov-2015The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) is seeking a new chief executive after Angus Porter confirmed his plans to leave.Porter joined the players’ union in March 2010 having previously worked at BT, Abbey National and Thomas Cook. With the organisation facing several challenges, he presided over a much-improved relationship with the ECB and a more settled method of agreeing central contract payments.He also stabilised the organisation’s commercial operations and improved the education programmes provided to players to warn them of the dangers of match-fixing, gambling and drugs.”We are very sad to see him leave,” Glamorgan’s Mark Wallace, the PCA chairman, said. “But we are very grateful for the exceptional management, guidance and commitment he has given.”Angus joined us at a challenging time for the organisation and under his direction the PCA has steadied, developed and thrived. He is held in the highest regard not only at the PCA, but throughout the cricketing world.”Porter’s departure is not unexpected. He is understood to have notified the organisation around a year ago of his desire to move on and a recruitment firm, Odgers Berndston, has been appointed to find his successor.They may not have to look far. The PCA’s current assistance chief executive, Jason Ratcliffe, is a strong contender for the role. Porter is expected to remain in place until a successor is appointed.