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They hunted down 150 with eight wickets to spare, pushing KKR to fifth

Saurabh Somani26-Oct-20202:27

Bishop: Shami proving there’s room for improvement at any stage of your career

The last time Kings XI Punjab took on the Kolkata Knight Riders, a little over two weeks ago, KL Rahul’s side seemed to have plumbed the depths in the IPL. They had slumped to a sixth loss in seven games, this one particularly galling after having the match well in hand for about 90 percent of the chase. By the time the return fixture against the Knight Riders came about, the Kings XI were a team transformed – or at least a team with fortunes transformed.There was no mucking about with last-over finishes, just a good bowling performance backed up by a efficient chase, and a fifth win on the trot. That the victory came against the Knight Riders – their closest competitors for a playoff spot – made this particularly significant. The Kings XI now have 12 points and moved to the top half of the points table.The bowlers had kept the Knight Riders to 149 for 9, having successfully weathered an 81-run stand between Shubman Gill and Eoin Morgan. Mohammed Shami struck upfront and the legspin pair of Ravi Bishnoi and M Ashwin applied the choke in the second half.The chase was clinical. Mandeep Singh partnered Rahul again at the top and shrugged off initial struggles to hit an emotionally charged half-century, batting till the end when the winning runs were hit. Chris Gayle came in at No.3 and bossed the bowlers around in a way only he can, out for 51 off 29 when only three runs were needed to create some artificial jitters, but Kings XI were not to be denied on Monday.The Shami burst at the top
In what has been a regular occurrence this IPL, Shami struck early, bowling beautiful lines. Rahul Tripathi pushed at one that seamed away after pitching on off to be caught behind. Two balls later, Shami did it again, only with even more impressive movement to send back Dinesh Karthik. The batsman reviewed, because his bat had hit pad too, but the ball was too close to the bat for the decision to be overturned. This was after Glenn Maxwell had already snared Nitish Rana in the first over of the match, and at 10 for 3 in two overs, the Knight Riders were in a bit of a hole.Morgan, Gill counter-attack
It was breathtaking to watch while it was on. Morgan was into his stride straightaway, and both men exploded when Shami was given a third over in the powerplay, taking him for 21 runs after he had given up just six in his first two overs. Both men continued in that vein even after the powerplay was done, punishing anything that was wide or full. Gill, who had been more circumspect at the start in earlier games, matched Morgan stroke for stroke as the Knight Riders made light of the early wickets. It was especially impressive given their long tail, and the pair of Gill and Morgan were the last proper batsmen they had.Bishnoi, Ashwin rein the batsmen in

Ashwin gave up 14 runs in his first over, both Morgan and Gill hitting a six each. Bishnoi was hit for a six off his third ball, but off his fifth, he had Morgan slog-sweeping one of his googlies for his leg-spin twin to gobble the catch at deep square leg. Morgan had made 40 off 25 and taken the Knight Riders to 91 for 3 in the tenth over alongside Gill, but as soon as he fell, the team started to feel the effects of a lengthy tail.Gill had faced 28 balls in the first ten overs, but in the next six overs, he was on strike for just nine deliveries. Sunil Narine, Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Pat Cummins were unable to get the leggies away, even to just turn the strike over to Gill, and the Knight Riders innings sputtered. Gill was eventually out for a 45-ball 57 in the 19th over, having to farm the strike and manufacture big shots.Mandeep starts cautiously, Gayle blasts off
Kings XI were missing Mayank Agarwal for a second game, but they stuck to the previous match’s opening combination of KL Rahul and Singh. Although Singh took his time at the start, being on 3 off 11 at one point, Rahul was timing the ball with his usual fluency. With not a steep target to chase, the Kings XI could absorb some quiet overs, and once Singh had got his eye in, he began scoring more briskly.The opening partnership ended at 47 in eight overs when Rahul was trapped lbw by Varun Chakravarthy, but Gayle’s arrival turned the tide decisively in the way of the Kings XI. Gayle stuck to his time-tested method of taking the fielders out of the equation when the ball was in his hitting zone, smashing Chakravarthy for sixes off the fourth and fifth balls he faced. He had been troubled by Narine in the past, but on the day, he took 17 from the 11 balls he faced off Narine, smiting two dismissive sixes straight past him too. Anything full was met by the swinging arc of Gayle’s bat with considerable force.With a low total to defend, the Gayle onslaught meant the Knight Riders ran out of options quickly. Even though he fell for 51 off 29 after a stand worth exactly 100, there was to be no great escape for the Knight Riders this time.

Gulbadin’s miscalculation and costly overs undo spin quartet’s choke as Afghanistan stumble under pressure

The Report by Varun Shetty29-Jun-2019As it happenedImad Wasim reaped the rewards for managing to scrape through a tough period of batting, hanging on till the end to feast on the nervous, generous medium pace of Gulbadin Naib as Pakistan kept their semi-final push well afloat with a three-wicket win at Headingley. Imad’s unbeaten 49 and his crucial partnerships with Shadab Khan and Wahab Riaz saw Pakistan through their last 11 overs, a period where they had to contend with Afghanistan’s spinners on a turning pitch and get more than run-a-ball with just four wickets in hand.It seemed like neither team particularly made the extra push for control. Pakistan had Afghanistan 57 for 3 and resorted to defensive bowling. Afghanistan recovered only to hand the game back in two overs. And then, Pakistan replicated them in the chase until they looked down and out, staring at a shattering loss. Then they were handed 28 of the easiest runs over 10 balls from Naib, who went for 73 in 9.4 overs.This undid all the good work by their spin attack, which on the day had turned into a four-pronged one after seamer Hamid Hassan hobbled off early in the innings with an injury. Filling in for him was experienced allrounder Samiullah Shinwari, who last bowled for Afghanistan in March against Ireland.ALSO READ: Fans evicted after clash in the standsThe conditions almost exclusively helped spinners, and Shinwari benefitted, much like Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Nabi, and Rashid Khan had. His figures read a creditable 8-0-32-0. With 46 required off five overs and Imad struggling to pick the spinners, Gulbadin’s decision to bowl himself over Shinwari cost them 18 in the 46th over.Imad had his luck – he was deemed not out on an lbw call when on 1 with Afghanistan without a review, and a splice at extra cover was completely fluffed by a spinning Asghar Afghan off the second ball of the 46th over – and made use of it, picking up two more boundaries, before Wahab smote Rashid for a six and a four despite a hairline fracture on his right hand. By the time Naib returned for the last over, only six were required.Pakistan’s top order hadn’t been particularly responsible about the way they set out to chase this target. Fakhar Zaman, trapped in front by a Mujeeb carrom ball, looked fairly certain he hadn’t got an edge on the ball, but chose to review anyway. As early as the second ball of the innings, that loss of review set the tone: a little pressure, and Afghanistan could put Pakistan to the test.Nabi’s spell, arguably one of the best of the tournament, was built on this motif. As he has done notably for a while, Nabi used those old-school offbreak tools, dip and drift, to keep Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam planted in the crease and pushing with hard hands. That was until Imam could resist no longer and stepped out early to one that didn’t drift and instead floated wide of him. He had no chance to come back in even as Ikram Alikhil took his time to gather and break the stumps.If that was rash, then Babar’s dismissal in Nabi’s next was to top it. Having dragged Pakistan to a win against New Zealand in what he called his best innings, Babar was guilty of being over adventurous on Saturday. He chose to sweep a full, leg-stump ball and was, both, through it too quickly, and out of shape as Nabi bowled him around the legs.Pakistan were forced into conservation, with Mohammed Hafeez and Haris Sohail in the middle with ideal games for such a strategy. Boundaries were only sought – and successfully – off the odd short balls handed to them, and all seemed well. That was until Hafeez added to his collection of ordinary shots against spin this tournament by chopping a short ball straight to backward point. Shortly after that, Sarfaraz Ahmed, who had already survived because of a dropped chance, ran himself out looking for a second run that wasn’t there. But one captain’s misdemeanour was eventually balanced out by the other’s.This was much the pattern through Afghanistan’s innings as well. They were handed a rather gentle welcome when Pakistan, with three in-form fast bowlers, opened the bowling with Imad. Naib lapped it up, getting himself in with three boundaries, until Sarfaraz brought Shaheen Afridi into the attack. The impact went both ways. Shaheen’s over went for 14, but he had Naib and Hashmatullah Shahidi caught off consecutive deliveries – off the outside edge and leading edge respectively.Afghanistan have lost at least three wickets every time they have scored at close to five an over in the opening 15 overs in this tournament, and that was the case once again. A free-flowing Asghar took on Shadab and pretty much anyone who felt a sense of discipline bowling to the patient, watchful Alikhil at the other end.It was Shadab who got him in the end, with a piece of ingenius strategy: he brought in a silly point and prompted Asghar, whose forward blocks are bottom-hand dominant, to step out and swing at him again. Only on this occasion the line was off stump, the pace was quicker than when he had hit him over midwicket, and the turn was minimal but just enough to hit off stump.In the next over, Alikhil, who had played 65 balls for 24, went against his brief and holed out to long-on. Afghanistan’s lower order, with some big hitters, was then forced to patch up the innings which was doomed to peter out into a middling 220s score. Nabi, Najibulah Zadran, and Shinwari all made it to points where they could have taken off, but then Afridi and Wahab were around to stop them every time they tried. It was perhaps the only sense of order in an otherwise chaotic display from both teams.

Chasing 170, Rajasthan Royals fell behind the asking rate in the middle overs and never recovered

The Report by Sidharth Monga23-May-20184:03

Agarkar: Bizarre to see Binny batting ahead of Gowtham

Rajasthan Royals got the best of the conditions but made a complete mess of a chase that seemed to be under control. Chasing 170, they seemed to be cruising at 87 for 1 in 10 overs, but then they – particularly captain Ajinkya Rahane – got stuck against spin and left their weak middle order too much to do. In 96 unsuccessful IPL chases of targets of 170 or lower, only once has a side lost with more wickets in hand than Royals had in this Eliminator: six. Those wickets in hand proved to be no good as Rahane watched the asking rate grow from overs 10 to 15.Whether Rahane’s innings was dictated by the weak batting line-up that followed, only Rahane can tell. Kolkata Knight Riders, who will now face Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2, had no such dilemma even though they got off to a poor start in sticky conditions. Even after being 24 for 3 they – led by captain Dinesh Karthik – attacked the sixth over of the Powerplay; even after they were reduced to 51 for 4 they batted with enterprise; and, when Andre Russell came in with 34 balls to go you knew the bowlers were in for a world of pain.The crucial toss
With early starts – 7pm – for the playoffs, the dew that comes down later has become a more of a factor, but on the night the team bowling first had another advantage: the pitch, for the early stages, retained some moisture from overnight rain. Royals’ spinners made the most of it with turn and sticky bounce. K Gowtham, the hope for fingerspinners this season, took out Sunil Narine and Robin Uthappa. Legspinner Shreyas Gopal accounted for Chris Lynn, and Nitsh Rana’s short-ball problems continued. Loosing their fourth wicket in the eight over, KKR needed a bit of a partnership – only long enough to make sure Russell didn’t have to play a long innings.BCCI

Karthik and Gill rescue KKR
About 30-40 minutes into the match, the pitch began to ease out, at least in terms of variable pace off the surface, and Karthik and Shubhman Gill batted with purpose. They scored 31 in the next five overs without taking a risk, and once Gopal made a mistake they both pounced on him, taking 20 off the 14th over.Russell demolishes Royals
Russell has taken the art of six-hitting to another level. No matter what length you bowl, no matter if you beat him the change of pace, he always sets himself up for a baseball-style hit down the ground and backs himself to clear the field. Twice in his onslaught Russell was done in. First a quick bouncer from Ben Laughlin had him playing without even looking at the ball, but he swung with all his might and the top edge flew for a comfortable six. Joffra Archer then had him playing a slower bouncer too early but he didn’t bother, he just flat-batted it over long-off for another six. Russell’s 49 off 25 gave Knight Riders what looked like a par total.Easier conditions, better start
When Rahul Tripathi and Rahane came out to bat, the ball began to skid through nicely, making it easier for them to time their strokes. Tripathi slogged Sunil Narine for two sixes in his first over, and Rahane looked comfortable against the quicks. While Piyush Chawla had Tripathi in the sixth over, 51 for 1 was a good Powerplay score when chasing 170.
Rahane gets stuck
Rahane came into the match with a negative Smart Strike Rate, which – as per ESPNcricinfo’s new metrics to make sense of T20 numbers – meant his aggregate of 324 was actually worth 40 fewer runs. He was without Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. This was a weird position for him to be in. Should he play the normal T20 game, which is not his best bet, especially when the bowling is slow? Or should he take all the responsibility and look to bat deep? Rahane chose the latter, and even as Sanju Samson batted more fluently at the other end, Rahane just couldn’t get out of the quick sand.He was 28 off 20 at the end of the Powerplay. He faced 21 more balls for just 18 runs. He faced 20 balls of pace and 21 of spin, scoring 31 and 15 off them. He failed to pick the wrong ‘uns, especially the ones bowled by left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, against whom he has batted a lot in the India nets. By the time his innings came to an end, Royals were looking at more than 10 an over. In a line-up in which Stuart Binny bats at No. 5, it was unlikely to happen. It didn’t.

A round-up of Bangladesh Cricket League games played between February 19 and 22, 2017

The Report by Mohammad Isam22-Feb-2017Surviving a draw against South Zone on the last day helped North Zone retain their position on top of the BCL points table.Asked to follow on after trailing by 259 runs in the first innings, Farhad Hossain and Naeem Islam added 136 runs for the third wicket, as their individual centuries helped North Zone survive the fourth day on 403 for 8.Farhad’s 119 was studded with nine fours and three sixes, while Naeem remained unbeaten on 129, having batted for more than six hours. Naeem is now the second-highest run-getter of the tournament – averaging 106.25 – behind Tushar Imran, whose double-hundred helped South Zone post 501 in 144.4 overs.Tushar, the No.4 batsman, added 215 runs for the fourth wicket with Shahriar Nafees (74) and later strung a 96-run stand for the sixth wicket with Mosaddek Hossain, who chipped in with a 65-ball 57.Tushar knocked off 220 runs – his highest first-class score – to improve on his unbeaten 203 in the National Cricket League in 2015.Suhrawadi Shuvo returned the best figures for North Zone, picking up 4 for 105, before their batting line-up folded for 242 in the 63rd over.South Zone offspinner Nahidul Islam’s successive five-fors in the game earned him his maiden first-class ten-wicket haul and kept his team’s pursuit of victory alive till the end. He found able support in Abdur Razzak and Al-Amin Hossain, who claimed five wickets between them, but their efforts proved insufficient as North Zone managed to retain the last two wickets.Central Zone, meanwhile, registered their first win in the tournament, after crushing East Zone by 227 runs at Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.Put in to bat, Central Zone were bowled out for 328 in the first innings, despite fifties from Nurul Hasan (65) and Mohammad Sharif (70). East Zone seamer Abu Jayed picked up 5 for 77, while Saqlain Sajib and off-spinner Afif Hossain took two wickets apiece.Central Zone later snatched a first-innings lead of 117 runs, as Sharif, Shuvagata Hom and Mosharraf Hossain fetched combined returns of 8 for 143 to skittle East Zone for 211.Half-centuries from Marshall Ayub and Taibur Rahman then helped Central zone add 282 in their second innings; their overall lead soaring to 399 runs.With his side chasing 400, East Zone captain Alok Kapali (71) found little support from other batsmen, as Central Zone’s bowling attack – led by Hom’s four-wicket haul – strangled East Zone to 117 all out in 56.2 overs.Sharif’s all-round performance – 6 for 78 coupled with 71 runs – earned him the Player-of-the-Match award.

Sui Northern Gas and Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), who retained the Quaid-e-Azam trophy earlier this week, have dedicated their title to Ali Waqas, their middle-order batsman who collapsed last year due to kidney disease

Umar Farooq08-Jan-2016Sui Northern Gas and Pipelines Limited (SNGPL), who retained the Quaid-e-Azam trophy earlier this week, have dedicated their title to Ali Waqas, their middle-order batsman who collapsed last year due to kidney disease. Waqas missed the 2015-16 season to undergo a successful kidney transplant in Rawalpindi.Waqas, 26, was among the leading run-scorers with 1065 in the 2012-13 season and almost made his way into the national side when he was selected for a Pakistan A tour to Sri Lanka last year. But, ahead of the 2015 national T20 Cup, he suffered kidney failure in Rawalpindi due to hypertension. He underwent initial treatment in the USA but doctors suggested an immediate transplant, for which he had to move back to Pakistan for surgery and to find a donor.”It was tough as I was seeing my whole cricketing career going down,” Waqas told ESPNcricinfo. “But doctors suggested to me that I can easily come back into cricket after the transplant. I googled a lot to find out who are the sportsmen who have returned after such a transplant and I got ample examples to gain encouragement.”US basketball player Sean Elliott was the first professional sportsman to come back after a kidney transplant, in 2000. Former New Zealand rugby star Jonah Lomu, who died last year, continued to play at domestic level after a kidney transplant in 2004.”I can’t play cricket for at least the next eight to nine months but sometimes in cricket injuries take more than a year,” Waqas said. “I am determined to return by next season. It really hurts so much inside to know that I am not competing, as I was close enough to make into the national side. I don’t see myself without cricket and thinking about making a comeback all the time makes me strong. My only wish from life is to play for Pakistan and I’m going to make this possible in any case.”The transplant procedure is expensive in Pakistan and Waqas’s main strength was his team-mates at SNGPL, as almost the entire team including the national players helped him financially. His donor was a stranger and, as per the guidelines, they are not allowed to meet each other. “I had a little look on my donor luckily before I went to operation theatre,” Waqas said.SNGPL captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, was very optimistic about Waqas’ comeback and paid tribute to one of the most important members of the team. “He is one talented batsman with a full range of shots,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “He was best against the fast bowlers and his square cut was a delight to watch. To me he is a complete modern player and a solid prospect for Pakistan. He was the top-scorer in domestic some two years ago and I had no doubt about his potential. Had he kept on playing he could have easily made into the side by another year and half.”Waqas was born in Sargodha, known as the “City of Eagles”, situated 170km from Lahore towards the northwest. He moved to Lahore to play cricket but is presently based in Islamabad for the clean atmosphere required after surgery.

Darren Stevens hit the fastest hundred of the county season from 44 balls under the lights at Canterbury

19-Jun-2013
ScorecardDarren Stevens claimed the fastest century of the season to date•Getty Images

Darren Stevens hit the fastest hundred of the county season from 44 balls under the lights at Canterbury to outshine Sussex’s Luke Wright and pilot Kent to a remarkable three-wicket win in the Yorkshire Bank 40.Set to score a mammoth 337 for victory, Kent edged home in a tense finish just before 10.30pm to complete a stunning chase with nine balls to spare. Stevens contributed a blistering 53-ball innings of 118, Rob Key chipped in with 52 and Sam Northeast all but saw them home with a maiden one-day century off 90 balls.Facing an asking rate of 8.4 an over from the off, Kent made a brisk start to their pursuit as openers Key and Northeast posted 109 inside 13 overs. Soon after reaching a 40-ball 50 with eight fours, Key holed out to long-on against Chris Liddle then, after Northeast’s 41-ball 50 with five fours and a six, Alex Blake edged behind with Kent handily placed at 151 for 2 at the mid-point of their reply.The hosts accelerated as Stevens took 17 off an over from legspinner Will Beer and 20 came off his replacement, Rory Hamilton-Brown. Stevens notched a 24-ball half-century then moved through the gears, scoring his second 50 off only 20 more to match Mark Ealham’s 44-ball ton, the fastest ever for Kent, in a 1995 Sunday League clash with Derbyshire.Stevens hit 10 fours and six sixes and in the process became the front runner for the Walter Lawrence Trophy, awarded for the fastest hundred of the summer. He finally holed out for 118 and marched off to a standing ovation to leave centre stage free for Northeast.With a modest previous List A best of 69, Northeast plundered 115 with 11 fours and a six but, with only 14 needed for victory, was stumped by Ben Brown when attempting a tired-looking drive against Beer.Ben Harmison quickly departed leg before and with the tension mounting, Calum Haggett chipped to midwicket and Mitch Claydon was run out for 8, having hit his first ball for six.It took a leg-side wide from Sussex saint-turned-sinner Wright to clinch Kent’s fifth win in eight Group A starts and complete a fourth defeat for the shell-shocked Sharks.Having earlier been given first use of a sublime St Lawrence pitch, Sussex made the most of a short boundary on the Old Dover Road side of the ground to improve their one-day best total against Kent within 37.2 overs – beating their previous record of 314 for 7, set in the Gillette Cup at Tunbridge Wells in 1963 which, in its inaugural year, was a 65 overs per side competition.Wright and his opening partner Nash set the ball rolling with an opening stand of 194 in 18.3 overs as Wright plundered 13 fours and five sixes in a 54-ball ton.He clubbed one more of each before his knock ended on 115 when his edged cut shot against Haggett ballooned off the gloves of Geraint Jones, standing up to the stumps, to be caught at backward point.Nash and Wright coasted past their county’s previous best opening stand of 145 in all one-day cricket against Kent, set by Bill Athey and James Hall and, at 153, beat their record for any wicket in limited-overs cricket against Kent, set here by Wright and Matt Prior in August 2012.In the process, Wright had beaten Josh Cobb’s 62-ball hundred for Leicestershire against Somerset in May to set a short-lived mark for the fastest of the season.Only 17 short of his hundred, Nash aimed to sweep the occasional left-arm wrist spin of namesake Brendan Nash, only to be caught at backward square-leg. His 83 came off 58 balls with 11 fours and a six. Stevens joined forces with Nash and then Riley to temporarily stem the haemorrhaging of boundaries thereafter and, come the end, the Sussex total somehow proved inadequate.Michael Yardy (46) perished in pursuit of late runs when he chipped to Stevens as Haggett closed his eight-over stint of 2 for 97 – the most costly one-day bowling figures in Kent’s history.

Chris Rogers, Joe Denly and Eoin Morgan all made half-centuries as Middlesex reached 229 for 3 in response to Sussex’s 283

David Lloyd at Lord's31-May-2012
ScorecardChris Rogers was closing in on a second consecutive Championship century at the close on day two•PA Photos

Chris Rogers is clearly warming to this captaincy business. Asked a month or so ago to take charge of Middlesex’s Championship side while Neil Dexter tried to find some form, the 34-year-old Australian found runs hard to come for a few innings.But Rogers, who averaged 58 during last season’s title-winning campaign in Division Two, finished today just seven runs away from completing back-to-back centuries. An unbeaten 138 to secure a draw against Lancashire at Liverpool last week signalled his return to prime form and here he moved smoothly into the 90s.By the time bad light ended play six overs early, Middlesex were only 54 runs behind Sussex – and, with seven wickets in hand, there is plenty of power for them to add. Get a good lead and then put the visitors under real pressure will be the plan.With Joe Denly having contributed 67 to a second wicket stand of 145 and Eoin Morgan making 52 of the 77 so far added with Rogers for the fourth wicket, the scoreboard suggests reasonably plain sailing for Middlesex. But a lot of hard graft and a fair bit of good fortune during the early stages of their innings should not be discounted.Indeed, Sussex’s total of 283 looked as though it might be highly competitive while Jimmy Anyon and Steve Magoffin were making excellent use of the new ball. Magoffin pinned Sam Robson lbw without scoring and Denly, especially, had a torrid time against Anyon. Two edges went into the slip cordon without finding a hand before a no-ball call almost certainly saved the former England batsman when he was still short of double figures.Given that the unfortunate Dexter has been left out of this match in order to accommodate an extra bowler, Middlesex looked light on batting. It was crucial, therefore, that Rogers and Denly battled through – and battle they did.As happened during the Sussex innings, batting became much easier once the new ball lost some of its shine and hardness. Runs began to flow, to such an extent that Denly’s dismissal – padding up to Monty Panesar – came as quite a surprise. Dawid Malan did not last long. But if Sussex thought they could make real headway, then the ever-more-determined Rogers and the increasingly fluent Morgan stopped them in their tracks.This was Morgan’s fourth innings since his return from the IPL (where he failed to see even a minute’s action for the eventual champions, Kolkata Knight Riders). More importantly, it was his first decent chance to start putting a winter of woe behind him. He took it with both hands.Dropped from England’s Test team after a poor series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, Morgan seemed to be losing confidence, rather than regaining it, when he faced the same opponents in limited-overs cricket during February. But here he was standing noticeably taller at the crease and starting to time the ball beautifully again.”I felt good,” Morgan said. “It’s nice to be back and spending time at the crease is what pleased me most. I think it is very important I score runs in all forms of cricket. I’ve been told [by England] that weight of runs is the way back in.”With Kevin Pietersen announcing his retirement from limited-overs internationals, Morgan has it in him to be England’s best batsman at the shorter forms of the game. He still regards Pietersen’s absence as “a hammer blow”, however, and insists it will be “very hard to replace his runs”.Talking of runs, by adding another 41 runs for their last two wickets this morning, Sussex completed an impressive recovery. Totalling 283 after being 66 for 5 represents a good effort – an effort which would have looked better still had Middlesex not managed to cling on during the early stages of their reply.Ben Brown, batting at No. 7, posted a season’s best 70 on Wednesday and tailenders Anyon and Panesar raised the bar on Thursday when runs were badly needed. Add Magoffin’s unbeaten contribution at No. 9 and Middlesex endured a frustrating hour or so before wrapping things up.Steven Finn could not improve on his three-for but perseverance paid off for Tim Murtagh, who forced Anyon to play on and, in the process, collected five wickets in an innings for the first time this season.There was still time for Panesar to play a couple of glorious drives down the ground, to general approval from almost everyone at Lord’s. The real battle was still to come, however, and it was one Middlesex were winning by the close of play.

Andy Flower will be staying on as England team director in a permanent capacity, after the ECB confirmed that he had renewed his contract following negotiations in the build-up to the 2011 home campaign against Sri Lanka and India

Andrew Miller03-May-2011Andy Flower will be staying on as England team director in a permanent capacity, after the ECB confirmed that he had renewed his contract following negotiations in the build-up to the 2011 home campaign against Sri Lanka and India.Flower, who was first offered the role on a permanent basis in 2009, has overseen back-to-back Ashes victories at home and away, during which time the England team has risen from No. 6 in the ICC Test rankings to third behind India and South Africa.Aside from the achievement of masterminding a first series win in Australia for 24 years, he also helped secure England’s first global trophy in 2010, when they won the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.Flower’s achievements ensured that he was a major target for the BCCI in their bid to replace their World Cup-winning coach, Gary Kirsten, a role that eventually went to his fellow Zimbabwean and predecessor as England head coach, Duncan Fletcher. Flower’s reluctance to uproot his young family from their home in Stratford-upon-Avon was a factor in his decision, and by extending his staff contract, rather than offer him a fixed-term deal, the ECB hope to ensure he remains a part of the furniture for the foreseeable future.Flower said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to build on the considerable progress we have made to date as a squad and remain fully committed to developing the side and ensuring we are in a position to realise our objective of becoming the number one side in the world.”When I was appointed England Team Director in 2009 I stated that I wanted to create a winning England team and I am very pleased with the advances we have made as a squad over the last two years in all formats of the game. Regaining the Ashes in 2009 and retaining them last winter and the 2010 World Twenty20 title are obvious highlights, but there is still plenty more we want to achieve in the longer term.”We have made no secret of our determination to become the No. 1 side in the world and challenge for global titles and I feel we have been making steady progress. I firmly believe we have the talent amongst the playing squad and management team to help us realise our ambitions and am looking forward to testing ourselves against quality opposition this summer and beyond.”Although the terms of the contract have not been disclosed, it is understood that Flower lobbied hard for a clause permitting him to skip specific tours in a bid to avoid burn-out. He was heavily critical of an England winter itinerary which involved five months on the road with just three days at home between the tours of Australia and the subcontinent, and Hugh Morris, the England’s team managing director, will be factoring such issues into the ECB’s plans for their next four-year cycle of international commitments.”Andy Flower has made a huge impact during his time as England Team Director and I am delighted that he has committed to the role and will be continuing to build on the considerable progress the England team has made during his time in the position,” said Morris.”Andy’s outstanding leadership, commitment, and his open and honest approach have been key factors in the success the England squad has enjoyed over the last two years and I have no doubt that under his direction we will continue to see England improve as we strive to become the No. 1 side in the world in all formats of the game.”

Cricinfo previews the Super Eights match between England and New Zealand in St Lucia

The Preview by Andrew Miller09-May-2010

Match Facts

Monday, May 10, St Lucia

Start time 1330 (1730 GMT)Kevin Pietersen’s absence is a boost for New Zealand, as they seek a victory to secure their semi-final place•Getty Images

The Big Picture

The team who perpetually punch above their weight in global competitions versus the most notable under-achievers of the lot. This is a contest that – barring disasters – should count for little for one of the protagonists, England, but for the other, New Zealand, it will make or break their progression to the semi-finals.The Kiwis know all about the last four – it’s their spiritual home in ICC events, having reached those heights in five World Cups, three Champions Trophies and the inaugural World Twenty20 to boot. And, having recovered from a sound thrashing at the hands of South Africa to squeak past Pakistan in a one-run thriller on Saturday, they will hope they have enough momentum to notch up a second victory, and keep their noses in front of both South Africa and Pakistan, whose earlier clash will have spelt out their exact run-rate requirements before the toss.It promises, however, to be a tall order against a team that (astonishingly by their usual standards) are shaping up as the wild cards of the competition. After their soggy start in Guyana, England have put together two seriously impressive victories in the Super Eights, not least Saturday’s 39-run trouncing of the much-fancied South Africans.With a wide array of attacking batsman, a battery of seamers who use the short ball well, and two canny spinners in Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy, they have men for all occasions, and the confidence that comes with success. If England are ever to break their duck in ICC events, they will surely never have a better balanced unit than the one they currently boast. But for this particular fixture, they’ll be missing Kevin Pietersen due to the birth of his child, and whether they admit it or not, the near-certainty of their progression is likely to dent their competitive edge just a touch. New Zealand know they couldn’t hope for more favourable circumstances as they take on the group leaders.

Form guide (most recent first)

New Zealand WLWWT
England WWNLL

Watch out for…

Craig Kieswetter has been a busy second fiddle in the tournament to date. In a measure of the effectiveness of England’s new-look batting line-up, his figures of 105 runs in 100 balls have come at the second-slowest strike-rate of anyone in the top six, but he’s done his job admirably nonetheless, biding his time when both Michael Lumb in Guyana and Pietersen in Bridgetown were batting at full throttle. He’s got his eye in now, however, and as he showed in his debut ODI series in Bangladesh, when he’s gauged the conditions, he can be unstoppable.England know all about Jesse Ryder. Until he put his arm through a toilet window on their tour of New Zealand in 2008, he was the talk of the series, as he and Brendon McCullum linked up in an irresistible partnership at the top of the ODI order. He’s been his country’s top-scorer in the Caribbean as well, although that’s not saying much – his tally of 84 runs at 21 barely sneaks him into the tournament’s top 20. But if his muscle memory serves him well, he’ll recognise and enjoy the offerings of Sidebottom, Broad et al.

Team news

Ian Butler’s inclusion against Pakistan proved a masterstroke, as he kept his nerve in a fraught final over to deliver victory with final figures of 3 for 19 in four overs. His pace and height proved naturally suited to the lively Barbados surface, so it will be instructive to see how the St Lucia conditions compare. But he’s done more than enough to justify another appearance.New Zealand (possible) 1 Brendon McCullum, 2 Jesse Ryder, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Scott Styris, 6 Gareth Hopkins (wk), 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Ian Butler, 11 Shane Bond.England have been unchanged throughout the tournament, but that now has to change, with their star batsman, Pietersen, returning to the UK for the birth of his son. Ravi Bopara is the natural stand-in at No. 3, while Ryan Sidebottom has cemented his place ahead of James Anderson following his three-wicket haul against South Africa.England (probable) 1 Michael Lumb, 2 Craig Kieswetter, 3 Ravi Bopara, 4 Paul Collingwood, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Luke Wright, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Michael Yardy, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.

Pitch and conditions

Beausejour proved to be a high-scoring surface during the Group stages, with India tonking South Africa for 186 and Australia taking 191 off Pakistan’s bowlers. Sunny conditions are forecast, albeit with the occasion threat of showers, but it looks like being another venue for winning the toss and batting.

Stats and trivia

• These two teams have previous in Beausejour, for this was the venue of their opening fixture in the 2007 World Cup. New Zealand won the contest by six wickets, but England stole the headlines, thanks to the post-match pedalo exploits of a certain Andrew Flintoff …
• England have enjoyed the better of their meetings with New Zealand in Twenty20 cricket … but not in the matches that matter. Despite winning three of their four encounters to date, they lost by five runs in Durban in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa, a result that lifted New Zealand towards the semi-finals, and sent England towards an early exit.
  

  Quotes

  “It’s not all hot air and bluster. I genuinely think, for the first time looking at a team, we can actually win this.”
  Graeme Swann is rarely short on confidence, but he’s liked what he’s seen from England so far
  
  
  “We knew we were a little under par but we back ourselves as a bowling and fielding unit, that has always been our strength in any form of the game.”
  Daniel Vettori reflects on the gritty display that earned New Zealand a vital one-run win over Pakistan.

They have also retained last year’s captain Matthews and legspinner Wellington while adding wicketkeeper-batter Redmayne

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2024Defending Women’s Caribbean Premier League [WCPL] champions Barbados Royals have strengthened by adding Sri Lanka superstar Chamari Athapaththu to their side for the 2024 season. Australia wicketkeeper-batter Georgia Redmayne will also turn out for Royals this year.Royals have also retained allrounder Hayley Matthews and legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington from the title-winning squad of last year. Additionally, they are also bringing back Australia batter Laura Harris along with Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne and Qiana Joseph from the 2023 squad for the new season.There are six more spots left to be filled and these players will be selected at the WCPL draft which takes place later in July.Matthews had captained Royals to glory last season and finished with the second-highest runs in the competition: 191 in five matches with a strike rate of 132.63. She was also the joint third-highest wicket-taker with seven at an economy rate of 7.44. Her most telling contribution came in the final against Guyana Amazon Warriors when she scored 82 off 59 balls and picked two wickets.Wellington, meanwhile, finished as the second highest wicket-taker in 2023 with eight in five games at an economy of 4.80.In Athapaththu, Royals have a solid top-order batter and offspinner. In 12 T20Is this year, she has scored 371 runs which includes a 102 against Scotland. Athapaththu has also picked up 13 wickets with a best of 4 for 29 against West Indies last month.The WCPL this year will be staged in Trinidad from August 21 to 29, with the Brian Lara Cricket Academy hosting all seven games. Trinbago Knight Riders, Amazon Warriors and Royals are the three teams taking part.

Barbados Royals squad so far

Hayley Matthews, Chamari Athapaththu , Amanda-Jade Wellington, Laura Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Chinelle Henry, Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Qiana Joseph