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Fast bowler realises breaking into Test XI won’t be easy

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2020Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson’s Test aspirations are still as strong as ever after a calf strain cut short his performance in his only Test, against Australia in Perth last December.Ferguson said he had time to reflect on a lot of things about his “whirlwind” career during the recent lockdown, including what kind of a player he wants to be for New Zealand in all formats, especially Tests.”The lockdown treated everyone differently but certainly for myself, it gave me the time naturally to reflect on what’s happened in the last few years,” Ferguson said on the sidelines of New Zealand’s winter training camp in Mount Maunganui. “It’s been a bit of a whirlwind three years being on tour and playing all year around. And just to reflect on how that went, what kind of player I want to be in the future and how best I can be suited to hopefully playing all three formats because I want to play all three formats for the country.ALSO READ: Kane Williamson looks forward to IPL as he eases back into training“I have certainly been excited to be part of the [Test] squad and getting a bit of taste of Test cricket although it wasn’t to be my Test match but certainly it’s in my goals. Test cricket is one of those formats I really want to play and by no means do I look lightly upon T20s and one-dayers because I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing those. The goal is still alive within all three formats and how best I can play in all three and be an effective player and most importantly how to get us more wins.”Ferguson picked up a calf strain on the first day of his Test debut after bowling 11 overs and an MRI scan later confirmed he couldn’t bowl in the remainder of the match. He nearly had Steven Smith as his maiden Test wicket on that day but the batsman was dropped at second slip.Ferguson, who is known for clocking upwards of 150kph consistently and has had a much greater impact in ODIs and T20s so far, realises breaking into the Test XI again won’t be easy as senior quicks Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner are often certain starters, and he will have to compete with Kyle Jamieson and Matt Henry for a spot.Jamieson impressed in his two Tests against India in February by dismissing Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli as his first two victims in Wellington, and then picking the Man-of-the-Match award with a five-for in the next match in Christchurch.”It’s been an awesome time for the Test team,” Ferguson said. “Kyle Jamieson came in on the back of some unfortunate injuries and performed so well which is awesome. He’s a good mate and now we’re competing against each other for a potential spot in the side and that’s fantastic as well.”I think the Test team has been performing so well lately but the communication I have with senior bowlers and the learnings I get off them is only going to make me a better player. The more I can mix at training with them, learn from them and try to become a better Test bowler will only help me.”But as I said it’s exciting just to be back with the chunk of the group this week and having some sort of competition in the nets which I’m sure we’re all a little bit hungry for. I have no direct format I’m working towards, I just want to make sure I’m as best a player across all three [formats] and an effective team player.”

Barbados quick-turned-coach dies following collision with SUV near Bridgetown

Andrew Miller06-Feb-2021Ezra Moseley, the former West Indies fast bowler, has died at the age of 63 following a traffic accident in his native Barbados.According to local reports, Moseley, who burst onto the scene with Glamorgan in 1980 and played a brief but significant role in two Tests against England in 1990, was struck by a car while riding his bicycle in Christ Church, near Bridgetown, and pronounced dead at the scene.”It has come as a shock to hear of the passing of Ezra Moseley, earlier today, with the tragic news coming out of Barbados,” CWI director of cricket, Jimmy Adams, said. “The entire CWI family are deeply saddened. Ezra was one of our region’s premier fast bowlers from the late ’70s through the ’80s and into the early ’90s, when he went on to play for the West Indies after playing professionally in the Caribbean, England and South Africa.”After his playing day were over Ezra continued to serve cricket in the region by coaching at the junior levels in Barbados and moving into positions with our international women’s team. On behalf of CWI I want to extend our sincere condolences to his family and let them know they are in our thoughts and prayers at this time.”Had it not been for a stress fracture in his back, diagnosed at the age of 24, Moseley might well have risen to become a more vaunted member of the seemingly endless line of West Indian fast bowlers that ruled the sport in the 1980s and early 90s.Instead, he ended up securing a shorter but undeniably significant place in West Indies’ Test history, due in no small part to one delivery that arguably changed the course of his one and only series.As the sole member of the 1983 rebel tour to South Africa to overturn his life ban from the sport, Moseley managed to overcome the opprobrium that tarred most of the other members of the tour party, and having returned to Barbados after a spell with Eastern Province, he was selected to make his Test debut at Port-of-Spain at the age of 32.West Indies were in some disarray going into that contest, having lost the opening Test of the series in sensational fashion to Graham Gooch’s unfancied England team, and with a team shorn of their captain Viv Richards as well as Patrick Patterson and Malcolm Marshall, they were once again up against it in Trinidad, with England chasing an obtainable 151 to claim a 2-0 series lead.Graham Gooch winces in pain after fast bowler Ezra Moseley bowled a ball that crashed into his fingers and broke a bone•Adrian Murrell/Getty Images

However, Moseley’s slippery pace would change the course of the match and the series, as he twice struck Gooch on the glove with rising deliveries, the second blow forcing the captain to retire from the match and the series with a broken hand – a fact telegraphed in an iconic photo of Gooch roaring with pain, as England’s physio Laurie Brown tended to the wound.A combination of rain and controversial West Indies delaying tactics secured a draw for the hosts, and though Moseley would play just the one more Test, a series-levelling win at Barbados, West Indies overwhelmed England in Antigua for a 2-1 win, preserving their decade-long unbeaten run, and his place in folklore was secure.In all, Moseley claimed six Test wickets at 43.50, in addition to seven at 39.71 in nine ODIs, the last of which came against Australia, also at Port-of-Spain, in 1991. In all, he claimed 279 first-class wickets at 23.31 in a 135-match career. He also picked up 102 wickets in 79 List A matches.Moseley’s big break in cricket had come as a 22-year-old in 1980, when he was signed by Glamorgan on the strength of his performances in Barbados club cricket, and he lived up to his billing with 50 wickets in each of his first two seasons, after which he went on to debut for Barbados in 1981-82.However, he was then forced to undergo a back operation and it was during his lengthy recuperation that he was signed up for the West Indies rebel tour of Apartheid South Africa, and at the age of 25 his career at the highest level seemed over before it had begun. He played one more season for Glamorgan in 1986, as well as a stint as a professional in Lancashire League cricket, before his improbable late career flourish.After retiring, he remained in the game as a coach, and ended up at St Michael, one of Barbados’s top secondary schools, where he played a key role in the development of the current West Indies captain, Jason Holder.He also he served as a national selector for Barbados men’s and women’s team, as well a spell as assistant coach for the West Indies’ women’s team, helping them to lift the 2016 Women’s World T20 in India.Deandra Dottin, West Indies’ allrounder, paid tribute to Moseley’s involvement with the women’s squad on Twitter.”I remember the day we were doing sprints at Kensington Oval and you tried to out run us and fell down,” Dottin wrote. “Fun times with you May you Rest In Peace Coach.”

Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has said he would not be afraid to pick two spinners for future Test matches despite the poor returns of the slow bowlers against Pakistan in the UAE

Andrew McGlashan06-Nov-2015Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, has said he would not be afraid to pick two spinners for future Test matches despite the poor returns of the slow bowlers against Pakistan in the UAE and suggested short-term struggles may have to be accepted for the greater good of English spin.England used three spinners in the Test series – Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Samit Patel (plus a little of Joe Root and one over from Ben Stokes) – and their 20 wickets came at an average of 60.01, the third most-expensive series ever for a collection of England spinners in Asia.After Rashid claimed 5 for 64 in the second innings in Abu Dhabi, Bayliss said how he believed he could play in a variety of conditions – not just spin-friendly circumstances – although following that haul Rashid took three wickets for 329 to finish his first Test series with eight scalps at 69.50.It would seem unlikely that England will use two main spinners at any point during the series in South Africa, which starts on Boxing Day, and it is also a rare combination to be seen in home matches. However, next winter there are series in India and Bangladesh and Bayliss knows that players only get better by having experience in the middle.”We’ll look at the conditions and team we are playing, their strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “I wouldn’t have any problem at all playing two spinners against an opposition we thought were weaker against spin than pace. If that means we play an inexperienced spinner because of it, well that’s how they get experience – by playing. If that means we have a bit of short-term pain for a bit of long-term gain then so be it.”Bayliss did not hide from the fact that the spinners had been disappointing throughout the series against Pakistan, especially in Sharjah where, even with a modicum of control, the efforts of James Anderson and Stuart Broad may not have gone to waste.”I think we’ve got the three best spinners here at the moment. I’m sure they’re a little disappointed as well, especially this Test match,” he said. “I thought we probably bowled a few too many full-tosses, long-hops and half-volleys in this match – which is unusual.”But having said that, for three inexperienced bowlers, it’s not easy bowling against some of the best batters against spin in the world. That does put extra pressure on you. Then having to perform, and put the ball on the spot, under that type of pressure is something they’re going to have to become accustomed to. They’re going to have to work it out, and get better in those circumstances.”Adil Rashid claimed a five-wicket haul in Abu Dhabi but averaged 69.50 in the series•Getty Images

Focusing on Rashid, Bayliss sees the potential of a long-term Test career but acknowledged that there was a lot of hard work ahead and no “free ride”.”He’s taken a five-wicket haul, he’s batted extremely well, he’s fitted into the team off the field extremely well. If it was against another team that wasn’t as good against spin the results might have been a lot better. It’s a tough initiation against these guys, the way they play spin bowling. That’s not taking away from the fact he has some improvements to make, some things to work on, and it will be hard work, it’s not going to be an easy free ride for him.”While Bayliss has to maintain a focus on the immediate future for England, starting with the ODIs against Pakistan which begin on November 11 in Abu Dhabi followed by the T20s and then the Test series in South Africa, he was well aware of the challenges facing the development of young spinners. Andy Flower, the former England coach who is now technical director of elite coaching at the ECB, has called on counties to play their role with more conducive pitches, and Bayliss said that if England want to lift themselves from No.6 in the Test rankings it was non-negotiable that they needed improved spin resources.”I’ve only been in England three months but there’s always talk of the type of wickets not being conducive to spin, captains that can use spin bowlers in the right ways. There are a number of areas that we can make improvements going forward … but the simple fact is if we want to be the best Test team in the world then we have to have two or three top-line spinners.”

While Australia might be more tested by New Zealand than they were by Pakistan, their top six are likely to remain

Andrew McGlashan in Perth10-Dec-2019Australian cricket is moving on from the crisis that enveloped them after the events in Cape Town, but for some time to come there will remain the dividing line of before Newlands and after Newlands when assessing the state of the national team and the overall game.Barring a late change of heart or an injury, Australia are set to name an unchanged side for the third Test in a row when they face New Zealand in Perth on Thursday. The last time they went three Tests with the same XI was on the tour of South Africa, in the first three matches of the series before things fell apart in Cape Town.”I’d be a brave man to change the XI,” Justin Langer said. “The boys are playing well. We’ve still got a couple of training sessions, we haven’t had a look at the wicket yet but I’d say at this stage more than likely we’ll have the same XI.”It is another stepping stone in the rebuilding of the Test side which has gathered momentum in recent months. There were missed opportunities in England to earn better than a 2-2 share of the series – a reminder that, in the batting especially, the team remained a work in progress – but the start of this summer has been very convincing against Pakistan, to the point that Travis Head and Tim Paine only batted once in the series.There were tactical reasons for the pace-bowling changes made during the Ashes as a horses-for-courses approach was taken for each ground before Australia overthought the process at The Oval and picked the wrong side. This summer there is a sense they are keeping things simple, helped, of course, by innings victories where almost everyone has looked in good form. The season started with questions over the batting order and, while Australia will need to be more thoroughly tested than they were by Pakistan, it is likely this top six will now remain for the summer.Mitchell Starc celebrates with his teammates after a wicket•AFP

James Pattinson, whose unavailability for the opening Test of the season due to his code of conduct suspension turned a potentially tricky head-to-head decision with Mitchell Starc into a no contest, remains in the squad. Michael Neser will join having played the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland at the SCG, but there is little prospect of them breaking apart the trio of Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.”I’ve said for 18 months there used to be a philosophy in Australian cricket which worked so well for us, it’s harder to get into the Australian cricket team than it is to get out of it,” Langer said. “That usually happens when guys are playing well and the team is playing well. We’ve won the last couple of Test matches. There’s definite benefit and advantage in keeping the core group of players together and hopefully this will be another opportunity this week to do that.”The much sought-after continuity in selection does not mean, however, that Australia will shelve the approach they took in England although there is now a good chance – with a nine-day gap between the Perth and Melbourne Tests – that these three quicks could feature throughout the whole summer, although a potential change to the balance of the side for the SCG still looms.”Certainly, there was benefit in that [rotation] in England. We had six healthy, fit fast bowlers available to us and in different conditions,” Langer said. “We had a very specific game plan on how we thought we’d retain the Ashes so we used it to our advantage there.”There’s some different conditions here in Australia – the SCG might be different to Optus Stadium or the Gabba. But at the moment the three guys – Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – they’re a quality combination with Nathan Lyon, they’re bowling really well, they’re fit and healthy and there’s a bit of a gap between Test matches. From that point of view that’s probably the best way we’ll go about this Test match.”Starc was the one most impacted by the selections in the Ashes, playing just once at Old Trafford in the match where the Ashes were retained, but after some early-season tinkering with New South Wales bowling coach Andre Adams, he has been much more consistent this season. There is a good contest at the moment for the tag of ‘best pace attack in the world’ with India laying a very strong claim and while Langer would not be drawn into a definite answer on that, he lauded the bench strength that’s available.”I’d rather have it as our side than play against it, no doubt,” he said. “Put Nathan Lyon in it who’s just brilliant then it’s a very good attack. I’ll let everyone else to judge if it’s the best attack in the world, statistically, we aren’t yet in terms of rankings but the guys are moving up and are getting better and better as a unit. I’ve said since England if we make enough runs we’ll win a lot of games because we have a very good pace-bowling attack, the best offspin bowling in the world I’d say and James Pattinson, Jhye Richardson, Michael Neser – there’s some really good depth as well. It’s a nice position to be in.”

Babar Azam claims Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, Nat Sciver named ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2023Ben Stokes has been named ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year, after leading England’s stunning revival in the format. Babar Azam collected the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy awarded to the ICC’s Men’s Cricketer of the Year, while Nat Sciver won the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy as Women’s Cricketer of the Year.Stokes, who scored 870 Test runs and took 26 wickets in 2022, was also selected as captain of the Test Team of the Year. He led England to nine wins out of ten after taking charge of the team following defeat in the Caribbean in March.”I’d like to thank the ICC, the panel and the fans for voting for me as the ICC Men’s Test Cricketer of the Year,” Stokes said. “This is down to the England players and management for what has been such a positive year in Test cricket. We have played some incredible cricket with series wins against New Zealand, South Africa, a significant performance against India and a historic victory in Pakistan.Related

• Nat Sciver resumes England Women's vice-captaincy

• Stokes, Babar and Buttler named captains of ICC teams of 2022

• Suryakumar Yadav named ICC's T20I Cricketer of the Year

“We are enjoying our cricket and love having fun wherever we play. The way in which we approach Test cricket is to excite the fans and making it a spectacle for everyone to get behind and enjoy regardless of the result for England.

Babar Azam wins the double

Babar was also named Men’s ODI Player of the Year, and is the second consecutive Pakistani winner of the Sobers Trophy after Shaheen Shah Afridi took home the award for 2021. Babar was the only batter to pass 2000 international runs across the three formats, averaging 54.12 with eight hundreds, and also led Pakistan to the finals of the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.”I feel humbled to have been voted as winner of the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and join the ranks of some of the most iconic and respected names who have previously won the biggest and most prestigious individual award in our great sport,” he said. “I continue to look up to these players as well as champions of the past for inspiration, motivation and improvement.”As cricket is a team sport, this recognition and achievement would not have been possible without the overwhelming support of my family, team, fans and the institution, to all of whom I am greatly indebted and thankful.”

Nat Sciver also bags two awards

Sciver was also a two-time winner, picking up the Women’s ODI Player of the Year award in addition to the Heyhoe Flint Trophy, having scored 1346 runs and taken 22 wickets for England across formats – including an astonishing innings 148 not out from 121 balls in the ODI World Cup final.”It’s lovely to have been awarded the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy for ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year, especially as Rachael was such a legend of the women’s game in England and Wales,” Sciver said.”It’s always a privilege to be given individual honours but no personal achievements are possible without the hard work and togetherness of the whole team. Picking up a trophy or a medal is all the more special when you do it alongside your teammates so hopefully that’s what 2023 has in store.”Other award winners included Richard Illingworth as Umpire of the Year, and Nepal wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh, who claimed the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for his refusal to run out Ireland’s Andy McBrine after a collision with the bowler. India batter Suryakumar Yadav was unveiled on Wednesday as the ICC’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.

ICC awards winners for 2022

Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy: Babar AzamRachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy: Nat SciverMen’s Test Cricketer of the Year: Ben StokesMen’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Babar AzamWomen’s ODI Cricketer of the Year: Nat SciverMen’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Suryakumar YadavWomen’s T20I Cricketer of the Year: Tahlia McGrathMen’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Marco JansenWomen’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year: Renuka SinghMen’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Gerhard ErasmusWomen’s Associate Cricketer of the Year: Esha OzaDavid Shepherd Trophy: Richard IllingworthSpirit of Cricket Award: Aasif Sheikh

David Warner hit a fifty but other than that, his batsmen offered very little, even in Sharjah

Alagappan Muthu04-Oct-20202:15

Moody: Can’t win by scoring just 19 boundaries in Sharjah

There is life in the graveyard. Mumbai Indians conquered Sharjah and Sunrisers Hyderabad with a typically freakish bowling performance.Trent Boult’s quality with the new ball continues to translate into early wickets – and this time he was good in the death too. James Pattinson is more than making up for the loss of Lasith Malinga. And Krunal Pandya – having thumped 20 runs off the final four balls of the innings to get the total up to 208 – afforded only 35 in return, even on such a tiny ground, to keep the pressure on the opposition.Mumbai gave away no easy runs. They were ruthless about letting a partnership develop. They were worthy winners.The match-upUsually, when Sunrisers need early wickets, they just toss the ball to Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But with him injured, they had to find another way to contain a very strong Mumbai line-up.So in came Sandeep Sharma, a man with the skill to move the ball, which has perhaps contributed to his excellent head-to-head against Rohit Sharma. Before today, it read 29 runs in 33 balls and two dismissals. Now it’s 35 runs, 38 balls and three dismissals, as Rohit went chasing after a wide ball and nicked off. That wicket went a long way to keeping Mumbai to 48 for 2, the lowest Powerplay score this IPL in Sharjah.The QdKOThere were signs that the pitch, unbelievably, offered the bowlers some grip. Not good news for batsmen who love hitting through the line. And for a while, Quinton de Kock tried to find creative solutions to this problem, attempting scoops and reverse sweeps and, well, failing to find runs. He was 25 off 20 in the eighth over. And then, like light at the end of the tunnel, came a half-volley and he launched it down the ground for six. This is where de Kock lives. A place where he can muscle cricket balls all day long. Once he got back in touch with his power game, making his 11th IPL fifty was just a matter of time.Trent Boult celebrates after dismissing Jonny Bairstow•BCCI

A mouth-watering finishSunrisers tried to save Rashid Khan’s overs against Mumbai’s biggest hitters because they haven’t been able to hit him. Kieron Pollard’s IPL strike-rate against the ace legspiner is 76 and Hardik Pandya’s is only 57. But they realised the more immediate threat was de Kock and so Rashid was brought back in the 14th over and one of his googlies did the trick. Mumbai were 134 for 3. Rashid’s final over went for only two runs as Pollard and Pandya both chose to play him out. Then it happened.Pandya began hitting short balls for sixes with a vertical bat. Pollard cleared the long-off boundary with a chip. Manish Pandey took a diving catch that will adorn IPL highlight reels for a long time. T Natarajan bowled like a dream in the most trying conditions, his yorkers negating Mumbai’s two biggest hitters. It was bare-knuckle cricket, neither team willing to give any quarter. But then came the final over – Siddharth Kaul hit the blockhole and made a mess of Hardik’s stumps, so in walked his brother Krunal and promptly dispatched the bowler for 6, 4, 4, 6.The superstarIt’s no exaggeration to say Sunrisers’ batting relies mainly on one man. A huge part of that is because of how naturally he is able to adapt to that pressure. David Warner is not in prime form. A consequence of lockdown, perhaps. But he still runs like a demon between the wickets. He still doesn’t throw his wicket away. He still wants to fight. And that was on display here as he fought his way to a half-century. At the start, when he wasn’t in nick, he did his best not to eat up deliveries. Later, as he became more like his usual self, he was able to do amazing things, like cut Jasprit Bumrah’s first two balls to the point boundary. He got to 50 off 34 balls but the other end couldn’t be as careful as him, as determined as him and so the Sunrisers chase faltered.Quality countsJonny Bairstow loves pace on the ball, so Boult took it off, watched him lose his shape and then his wicket. Williamson is the same way. Cue another Boult slower ball and bragging rights for life. Pandey was caught in the deep going for a six against the newly-brought back Pattinson when it was very clear Mumbai were looking for a wicket. Krunal was so ferociously switched on that after nailing a wide yorker against Warner and keeping it to just a dot, he punched the air as if that itself was victory. Boult, again, though he has a reputation of leaking runs in the death, was so precise with his yorkers that he gave away only four runs in the 18th over. Two balls later, there was a wicket. There was always a wicket.

Pacer reckons a greater sharing of ideas between captain Tim Paine and the bowlers may have been useful as Ben Stokes took charge in Leeds

Daniel Brettig01-Sep-2019If Josh Hazlewood is happy that the pressure he has applied on England’s top order has helped force the hosts into a change in batting order for the upcoming Test at Old Trafford, then his words about what that change represents apply equally to Australia given the sorts of adjustments being pondered by the touring side.It is plausible that Australia may make as many as four changes to their team from the XI that took the field in Leeds, recalling the fit-again Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh and also including Mitchell Starc – Peter Siddle is also in contention for a return. Such a shift would certainly outstrip England’s shuffle of Joe Denly up the top and Jason Roy to No. 4, raising questions about exactly which team is better-placed entering the penultimate Test of an absorbing series.ALSO READ: Australia consider Mitchell Marsh for Matthew Wade switchHaving got so infuriatingly close to retaining the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001, the Australians have been confronted with the dilemma of balancing introspection about Headingley and Ben Stokes with the fact that their plans so far for this series had taken them to the very brink of victory.In that sense, Australia’s situation heading into the fourth Test bears the essence of the British General Bernard Montgomery’s remark that operation Market Garden, a failed attempt to capture a series of bridges into Germany to shorten the Second World War, was “90% successful” because every bridge but the last one, over the Rhine at Arnhem, was taken. Hazlewood noted that while Australia’s bowlers had been “90-95%” successful, there was plenty about the remaining 10% that needed work.”Whenever the other team are changing plans [it] means you’re doing something right,” Hazlewood said. “Whoever is at the top, whatever the order, it’s the same plans, what we’ve talked about before, keeping it simple, patient, disciplined.”It certainly feels like I’m bowling well. Ever since I bowled at Worcester a few weeks back, I took it into Lord’s and Headingley. I think I’m not trying to do too much, try and be very simple, not try and swing the ball, occasionally I do when it gets a bit older but just hitting that right length with the new ball, making them play, not try and do too much, try and keep it simple. Dry that scoreboard up, build pressure with maidens, make him play on the front foot, not try and do too much as a whole group.”Having been the dominant bowler of the Headingley Test, claiming nine wickets through a masterful combination of control, optimum pace and movement both ways, Hazlewood’s final over was to be thumped for 19 by Stokes. Weighing up how the final hour of the Test played out, he reckoned that better communication between the captain Tim Paine and the bowlers may have been useful.”It can feel like it’s moving pretty quickly in those situations,” Hazlewood said. “The crowds are quite loud as well, it’s hard to hear people, we certainly could have taken our time a little bit more and communicated a little bit better with the field, the skipper and bowler. I thought we stayed pretty calm throughout it. Things happened pretty quickly at certain stages, good learning experience, hopefully better for it.”We looked at it on the whole – a very good performance from our bowling group. We got beaten by a helluva player at the end. We’ve certainly talked about that, what we could have done differently with fields, different bowling, more of a one-day game at the end, different ways to get Leach on strike to face a few more deliveries. We’ll hopefully do a bit better next time. We always sit down and discuss what happened and we could have done better and what we did well as well.”That’s important to discuss what we did well: 90-95% of that game we bowled really well. So don’t gloss over that either and obviously talk about what we could have done better. I bowled the one over in that hour, hour-and-a-half. It’s a bit like one-day cricket: nice, soft ball, the wicket’s really good and we spread the field. We probably could have changed a few things there. It was extraordinary hitting. I thought Nath [Lyon] was the best chance of getting a wicket or a catch somewhere, get Stokes out. There were a few big chances.”Starc’s potential inclusion for one of the final two Ashes Tests, having worked assiduously on his economy and lengths over the course of this tour so far, would add a more destructive edge to the Australian attack when it comes to yorkers and knocking over the tail. His scorcher to tunnel under the bat of Stokes at Lord’s during the World Cup will be remembered ruefully by Australians present at Headingley, and Hazlewood said Starc’s ability to blast out tail-enders had now been augmented by greater control and also a constructive attitude to being left out.”You come to expect that these days. He bowled really well with the new ball as well,” Hazlewood said. “He hit some really good lengths, found some swing. The pace looked up there throughout the whole game, he looks fit and firing. That’s where we want to get to as a squad, I think, have those six [bowlers in the squad] all firing, even Michael Neser bowling really well this game keeps pressure on you as a player in the team. It’s always good, healthy competition.”He [Starc] has worked really hard on a lot of things in the nets and we’ve seen it in this game as well. I think it’s how hard the guys work off the field, the 6-7 [in the squad] who aren’t playing. That’s a great measure of how the group’s going. That they are putting pressure on the guys who are playing. That can make the difference. They can easily mope around. It’s a long tour. They’re buzzing around, and working on their games, and it’s great.”

An assessment revealed that his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees limit permitted under playing regulations

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jan-2019West Indies offspinner Shane Shillingford has been suspended from bowling in domestic cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found his action to be illegal. The assessment revealed that Shillingford’s deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees limit permitted under playing regulations.Shillingford, 35, was reported for a suspect action during the opening match of the West Indies domestic four-day tournament in St Lucia last month, where he finished with match figures of 5 for 115 in Windward Islands’ 125-run loss to Guyana. He played another match before his action was deemed to be illegal, in which he picked up 12 wickets to hand Windward Islands a 76-run win against Trinidad and Tobago in Tarouba.According to a CWI release, he will remain suspended until his action is found to be legal and is expected to undergo remedial work supervised by the Windward Islands franchise.He can apply for a reassessment after modifying his bowling action in accordance with the regulations, either by an opinion report from Loughborough University or by an independent analysis from an accredited testing centre.This is the third time Shillingford’s bowling action has come under scrutiny. In December 2010, he was suspended from bowling as his action was found to be illegal following independent tests in Perth, though he underwent remedial action and was cleared by the ICC in June 2011.In 2013, Shillingford was suspended again during the tour of New Zealand, following tests in Perth which showed both his doosra and conventional offspin breached the limit laid down by ICC. Subsequent testing at the University of Western Australia showed that his offspin and straighter ball were within the regulations, but his doosra still remained illegal.Having made his international debut in 2010, Shillingford has played 16 Tests for West Indies, and has 70 wickets at an average of 34.55.

Having elected to bat, Zimbabwe had got off to a quick start, but regular wickets from South Africa’s seamers meant they couldn’t post more than 132

The Report by Liam Brickhill12-Oct-2018Dane Paterson sends one down•AFP

South Africa sealed a series win in their T20I leg against Zimbabwe with a six-wicket win in the second match at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom. Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams top-scored with 41, but South Africa’s attack never let the visitors get away from them and Zimbabwe’s 132 for 7 wasn’t nearly enough to test a South African batting line-up full of seasoned T20 hitters. A 44-run stand between JP Duminy and Heinrich Klaasen put South Africa’s chase on course, and a 33-run partnership between Duminy and David Miller saw them home, with Duminy hitting the winning runs in the 16th over and finishing with 33 not out.Had this been a typical Potchefstroom pitch, South Africa might have completed their chase even sooner, but the ball didn’t come on to the bat as expected and Zimbabwe had an early opening when Rassie van der Dussen, opening the batting, chipped a return catch back to Chris Mpofu in the 4th over.At the other end, de Kock struggled to burst out of the blocks and had tapped his way to 15 from 19 deliveries before he and captain Faf du Plessis pressed the accelerator with 20 runs from Kyle Jarvis’ second over – and the last one of the Powerplay. De Kock fell straight afterwards to legspinner Brandon Mavuta, who once again brought energy and inventiveness to his spells.Mavuta should have had Klaasen caught behind in his next over, but a big deflection off the bat popped out of Brendan Taylor’s gloves. Klaasen took advantage of the lapse, hammering sixes over long-on and midwicket, and then taking South Africa’s score to 100 with a flick into the leg side in the 12th over.Duminy marshalled the chase from the other end, driving Williams through cover and slog-sweeping Mavuta over midwicket as whatever pressure Zimbabwe had been able to muster started to ease. With Miller for company, Duminy quickly whittled down the target and pulled Chris Mpofu to the deep square boundary to end the game and seal the series with more than four overs to spare.South Africa might have been made to sweat a little more over their chase had Zimbabwe been able to squeeze 20 or 30 more runs out of their innings, but they never really got going with the bat. Just three overs in their entire innings went for more than 10: the first when Hamilton Masakadza scooped, slammed and pulled 16 from Lungi Ngidi’s second over, the second when Williams slog swept a trio of sixes onto the grass banks as Tabraiz Shamsi bled 24 from his final over, and the third when Mavuta and Tendai Chisoro took 11 in a mad dash through the 20th over.Between times, tight lines, canny changes of pace and a pitch that didn’t quite play as quick as everyone expected tied the visiting batsmen down. Between Masakadza’s dismissal – heaving across the line to be bowled by Robbie Frylinck in the fifth over – and Taylor’s – missing a slog sweep at Shamsi in the 13th – Zimbabwe managed just one boundary and also lost Tarisai Musakanda for his second duck of the tour.Frylinck,Andile Phehlukwayo and – initially, at least – Shamsi helped South Africa control the middle of the innings. The two seamers conceded just a single each from their first overs, while Shamsi’s figures read 3-0-13-1 before Williams and Moor got hold of his final over.Dane Paterson, who opened the bowling with Ngidi on his return to international duty, was just as frugal. He also got the odd delivery to keep a touch low off a length, and struck with just such a delivery to get rid of Solomon Mire in his very first over, the batsman pulling at one that didn’t get up as high as he was expecting. Paterson returned to the attack to bowl Williams with a similar delivery in the 16th over, stalling Zimbabwe just as they were beginning to pick up momentum once again.Shrugging off his mauling by Masakadza at the top of the innings, Ngidi then found the edge of Elton Chigumbura’s bat and had Peter Moor caught in the deep as Zimbabwe’s batting ran out of steam to set a target that was well within South Africa’s reach.

Gujarat nip past Rajasthan in a Super Over match, while Ishan Kishan and Ricky bhui smash quick centuries

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2019Gujarat beat Rajasthan despite Super Over dead heatIn the first Super Over finish (or not) of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018-19, Gujarat edged out Rajasthan in a thriller. Both sides ended on 143 after their 20 overs, and it seemed as if Rajasthan had the match in the bag when Khaleel Ahmed gave up only four runs in the Super Over. But, incredibly enough, Piyush Chawla kept Rajasthan’s batsmen to four runs too.With all square after the shootout, Gujarat were declared winners as they had hit more boundaries in the main match and the Super Over combined. Neither team managed to find the fence in the one-over Eliminator, but Gujarat hit four sixes and 12 fours in their initial 20 overs, while Rajasthan hit three sixes and ten fours. Gujarat thus won on countback, having hit 16 boundaries overall to Rajasthan’s 13.Rajasthan couldn’t get going after choosing to bat. Manender Singh made 48 off 35 at the top of the order, but wickets kept falling and Robin Bist’s 47-ball 46 was a useful contribution. Medium-pacer Tejas Patel took 4 for 26, ensuring Gujarat would not have a steep chase.However, Rajasthan didn’t make it easy, and Khaleel proved particularly difficult to get away, ending with 3 for 19 in four overs. Axar Patel’s 33 off 25 balls had carried Gujarat to parity, but with one needed off the final ball, he was caught off Aniket Choudhary as Gujarat matched Rajasthan’s 143 for 7.Bhui smashes 38-ball ton in world record win for AndhraRicky Bhui smashed a 38-ball century as Andhra beat Nagaland by 179 runs – the largest margin of victory in T20s in terms of runs. The previous biggest margin was Sri Lanka’s 172-run win over Kenya in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007.Opting to bat, Andhra piled up 244 for 4, with Bhui hitting 108 not out off 42 balls. Girinath Reddy made 62 off 31 in a 150-run stand for the third wicket with Bhui, that came in just ten overs.In reply, Nagaland were bowled out for 65 in 13.1 overs. KV Sasikanth, SK Ismail (on T20 debut) and Karn Sharma took three wickets each, with Sasikanth’s 3 for 8 the best figures. Captain Rongsen Jonathan made 30, but apart from Paras Sehrawat (13), no other Nagaland batsman got into double figures.Bhui had come in at 27 for one in four overs, and smashed ten sixes and five fours. He raced to his half-century in just 23 balls, and took only 15 more to raise a century, as Andhra’s batsman ran riot. The bowlers then didn’t let Nagaland get away. From 12 for no loss, the team sank to 12 for four in seven balls, and never recovered.Pujara continues to pile on the runs, at speedCheteshwar Pujara followed up his 100 not out with 68 off 46 to guide Saurashtra to a six-wicket win with plenty to spare against Madhya Pradesh.Put in to bat, MP mustered only 138 in 20 overs, with Saurashtra’s seamers striking regularly. In reply, Pujara and Harvik Desai (56 off 36), put on a 109-run opening stand in just 11.4 overs. Although Saurashtra lost the returning Robin Uthappa and Sheldon Jackson cheaply, the openers had ensured the chase would be straightforward. Pujara fell when victory was just five runs away, and Saurashtra closed out the chase in 16.5 overs.Saurashtra’s bowling was led by Chetan Sakariya, who took 4 for 38, and captain Jaydev Unadkat, who had 3 for 19. Prerak Mankad too kept things tight, ending with 2 for 18.Uttarakhand continue giant-slaying spreeUttarakhand continued to rack up victories, beating Baroda by seven wickets with an over to spare to surge to the top of the Group E table. Uttarakhand now have eight points from two games, having beaten Services on the first day.Baroda could muster only 152 for 5 after winning the toss, which Uttarakhand chased down with relative comfort.Captain Kedar Devdhar’s 61 off 49 was Baroda’s highest score, while Yusuf Pathan provided the finishing kick with 47 not out off 32, but there weren’t any other substantial contributions. Rajat Bhatia’s canny medium pace saw him go for just 23 runs in four overs, also netting him the wicket of Deepak Hooda, while medium-pacer Sunny Rana took 2 for 27 in four overs.Saurabh Rawat (41 off 30) and Vaibhav Panwar (49 not out off 36) helmed Uttarakhand’s chase with a 64-run stand for the third wicket off just eight overs. Panwar and Vijay Sharma then added an unbroken 46 runs in just 4.4 overs as Uttarakhand wrapped up victory, and four points.Kishan hits ton, Shukla takes fiveIshan Kishan hit 100 not out off 55 balls as Jharkhand romped to a nine-wicket win against Jammu and Kashmir, reaching 170 for one in just 16.4 overs.Put in to bat, J&K made a reasonable 168 for nine. They had useful contributions from the top order, but Rahul Shukla’s 5 for 36 meant no batsman went on to get a big score. Opener Jatin Wadhwan top-scored with 47 in 37 balls, while Manzoor Dar made an impact with 39 off 22, but both fell to Shukla. The right-arm medium pacer later got Irfan Pathan and Suryansh Raina too, to get a first-ever five-wicket haul in T20s.Jharkhand’s reply was electric, with Kishan and Anand Singh putting on 104 runs in 11.4 overs. Kishan reached his half-century soon after Anand fell for 48, and exploded thereafter, getting his second block of fifty in just 17 balls to raise a first-ever T20 century. Kishan’s innings had eight fours and seven sixes.CHECK OUT: All the Syed Mushtaq Ali scorecards