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239-run partnership puts hosts in control at New Road

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2020Jake Libby scored a hundred on his home debut for Worcestershire as he and fellow centurion Brett D’Oliveira dominated proceedings after an initial three-wicket burst by Glamorgan paceman Michael Hogan in the Bob Willis Trophy encounter at Blackfinch New Road.The pair came together at 70 for 3 shortly before lunch and Libby, signed during the close season from Nottinghamshire on a three-year contract, completed the sixth first-class ton of his career from 205 balls with 11 boundaries. He ended unbeaten on 142 from 261 deliveries with one six and 14 fours.D’Oliveira went to his century from 183 balls with 14 fours and the stand was worth an unbroken 239 in 64 overs – a new record for Worcestershire’s fourth wicket in matches against Glamorgan. He finished on 123 from 206 balls with one six and 15 boundaries as Worcestershire closed on 309 for 3 from 91 overs.Libby followed on from his 77 in his first appearance for his new county in the eight-wicket success against Gloucestershire at Bristol. He had indicated a willingness to open when he signed for Worcestershire and fill the berth alongside Daryl Mitchell which has often been problematic in recent years.Libby was Nottinghamshire’s leading run-scorer in the County Championship in 2018 but a flux of signings restricted his red ball opportunities last summer at Trent Bridge and he ended his six-year association with the club. Worcestershire are hoping the best years of the 27-year-old lie ahead in the same way as they have recruited Gareth Roderick for next season from Gloucestershire.Libby had one slice of good fortune when dropped on 43 at second slip by Charlie Hemphrey off Timm van der Gugten but otherwise batted with great authority and received a standing ovation from his team-mates when he reached three figures.D’Oliveira also played a sparkling knock which maintained his fine start to the truncated campaign after his unbeaten 91 versus Gloucestershire. He had struck 14 fours before he reached his hundred with a square drive for two off Hogan which then resulted in four overthrows. The 28-year-old was also grateful to Hemphrey for a spilled chance at slip when on 67 as he went to cut spinner Kieran Bull.Hogan had been the star performer during the morning session when two spells produced combined figures of 9-3-15-3. But he was unable to add to his tally during the afternoon or evening session to leave him still one short of 600 first-class wickets in his career.The 39-year-old had dismissed Daryl Mitchell and Tom Fell in his opening spell and returned to account for Jack Haynes shortly before lunch.Worcestershire brought back Dillon Pennington for rested paceman Josh Tongue while Glamorgan recalled Tom Cullen and van der Gugten at the expense of Marchant de Lange and the injured Ruaidhri Smith (hamstring injury).Hogan dismissed Mitchell for a duck with the fourth delivery of the day after he flicked at a delivery down the leg side and keeper Chris Cooke held onto a fine catch away to his left.New batsman Fell had a left off when Cooke failed to hold onto a difficult chance from another testing Hogan delivery – but it did not prove to be a costly miss. On eight, he nicked another ball from Hogan and this time Cooke made no mistake with a sharp low catch.Libby and Jack Haynes attempted to rebuild the innings and experienced few alarms in adding 48 in 16 overs. But then Hogan’s return accounted for Haynes (21) when the England Under-19 batsman went for an ambitious hook and holed out to Dan Douthwaite on the backward square leg boundary.D’Oliveira and Libby batted with plenty of fluency after joining forces. A straight drive for four off van Gugten completed a half century for Libby from 94 balls with seven boundaries. D’Oliveira cut Douthwaite for four to bring up his half century from 78 balls and also the 100 partnership in the 34th over.The fourth-wicket pair both hit two boundaries apiece in successive overs from spinner Bull and accelerated in the final session as the milestones of a personal and team nature were clocked up.

Home-summer focus on Tests could conflict with impending target of T20 World Cup glory

Andrew Miller14-May-2020England may be forced to choose whether their all-format stars such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler feature for the Test or limited-overs teams this summer, after Ashley Giles, the managing director, conceded that two separate squads might be the best means of ensuring player safety as they attempt a return to action during the Covid-19 outbreak.Stokes produced two of the greatest England performances of all time in white- and red-ball cricket last summer, first for the ODI team with his unbeaten 84 in the World Cup final against New Zealand at Lord’s, and then, a month later, for the Test team against Australia, where his unbeaten 135 sealed a thrilling one-wicket win at Headingley.But, with England confirming their plans for a staged return to training ahead of an anticipated start to the Test summer against West Indies in July, Giles admitted that the logistical challenge of squeezing the home international schedule into a 12-week window could force them to prioritise certain formats for certain players who might ordinarily feature in both squads.The ECB confirmed that an initial pool of 30 players would be returning to individual training from next week, at seven different venues across the country, and under strict social-distancing, hygiene and temperature-control protocols. In an attempt to further limit interaction, players will be asked to arrive at venues in their training gear, with shared spaces such as dressing rooms to remain off-limits.”We’re probably erring on that side of creating a bubble to surround our people,” Giles told Sky Sports. “We’ll probably look to take all 30 people back into the environment at the venue, so that we’ve got everything we need from a playing, a practice, and a net-bowling perspective leading into a Test match, probably two weeks before the first ball is bowled in that Test match.”The likelihood is if we do that and we’re trying to main really safe environments, that we’re going to operate two separate squads.”England have prioritised the staging of their six scheduled Tests against West Indies and Pakistan because they are the most lucrative formats when it comes to fulfilling their contractual obligations to Sky Sports. If no international cricket were possible this summer, the ECB has estimated that it would be looking at a £380 million loss.However, with the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in Australia in October and November, England recognise that their best white-ball players will need to get as much match practice as possible if they are to match their achievements in the 50-over format last season, and go one better than they did in 2016, when they were the losing finalists against West Indies in Kolkata.ALSO READ: Environment will be safer than going to supermarket – GilesSince the promotion of Chris Silverwood as England’s head coach, there has been a renewed focus on the standards of the Test team, which was largely overlooked under the previous regime of Trevor Bayliss, whose primary focus had been on that successful home World Cup campaign.And after a tricky start in New Zealand, the team achieved a memorable series win in South Africa at the turn of the year, with a raft of young players such as Dom Sibley, Ollie Pope, Dom Bess and Zak Crawley taking their chances to cement their places in the Test set-up.However, a decision may need to be taken about which of England’s multi-format players continue to feature for the Test team this summer, with six names up for particular debate: Stokes and Buttler, plus the two fastest bowlers in England’s ranks, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, as well Joe Root, the Test captain, and Jonny Bairstow.”At the moment we’ve got a schedule on paper that looks great, that we can fit everything into July, August, September, but it’s a squeeze and there’s a lot of cricket there,” Giles said. “”So again that probably leads us to a place where we’re operating two separate teams.”It’s a lot of people, it’s a lot of logistical pressure and organisation,” he added. “Part of this is about high-level performance and getting sport back on that people want to enjoy, but there is also an economics angle to this, a financial element. For the whole game in this country, us playing cricket is really important.”

Where should England’s priorities lie?

Ben Stokes

England’s biggest box-office name produced one of the very greatest Test innings of all time at Headingley, and in a summer when finances count for so much, he will surely be required to front up for the Test team, over the one-day squad, and give the most lucrative format some bang for its buck. Whisper it, but his T20 record isn’t a patch on the other two formats. Verdict: TestsJofra Archer

Injured through over-use after making his Test debut in the Ashes, this lay-off has arguably been as opportune as such things can be, after the mania of his first six months as an England cricketer. His value as one of the pre-eminent T20 bowlers in the world is indisputable, and he’s already been the point of difference in one victorious white-ball campaign. Verdict: ODIs/T20sJoe Root

He’s England’s Test captain, so that’s the end of the argument. Root was also their stand-out performer in the last T20 World Cup in 2016 – and would surely have been man of the final if they’d got over the line. But his importance in the other two formats has cramped his opportunities ever since. Verdict: TestsJos Buttler

Root in reverse. Buttler is already England’s greatest white-ball batsman of all time and their most feared campaigner going into the T20 World Cup. He is also Eoin Morgan’s heir apparent (and who knows how Morgan’s back, which gave him problems last year, will respond to this lengthy lay-off). The fact that his Test form was teetering in South Africa is further evidence of where his priorities need to be. Verdict: ODIs/T20sMark Wood

Now here’s a dilemma. Wood, by his own admission, is probably going to break down within days of his return to action, such is his woeful injury record. But that’s never held him back from going full throttle, and nothing gave him more joy than his recent performances in Test cricket, in St Lucia last spring and Johannesburg in January, where he bowled like greased lightning. He’d be an asset to the T20 squad, but perhaps not a first choice. Better to let him go with his heart. Verdict: TestsJonny Bairstow

Another dilemma, though largely due to the knock-on effect of Buttler’s white-ball focus. Bairstow, his predecessor as Test gloveman, might be the logical choice to step into the breach. But should a man who caused such a storm alongside David Warner for Sunrisers last season be putting his best efforts into that T20 prep? His recent Test form has not been much to boast about, either. It might depend on whether England think Ben Foakes’ time has come. Verdict: ODIs/T20s

West Indies’ ODIs against Bangladesh the first for either side in the ICC Super League

Mohammad Isam17-Jan-2021West Indies coach Phil Simmons is clear that he doesn’t want West Indies to go through the qualifier route for the 2023 World Cup, like they had to the last time, and wants to start strongly in Bangladesh to avoid that eventuality.”It is mighty important [to get a good start] because you have to catch up in the series,” Simmons said of the fallout of starting poorly in Dhaka on Sunday. “We don’t want to get into the playoffs anymore. To catch up in the series is going to be really hard, so we need to start well.”West Indies had to play the World Cup qualifier in 2018 after failing to secure direct entry into the tournament, and then went through along with Afghanistan after they finished in the top two – with Afghanistan winning the qualifiers – in Zimbabwe.The three-ODI series in Dhaka from later in the week will be the first engagement for either side in the ICC Super League. Where the participating teams finish in the league will determine who qualifies directly for the 2023 World Cup – the top seven teams and hosts India would be certain participants – and who must go through the playoffs, to be held in Zimbabwe again.Related

• Jason Mohammed: 'We have to give ourselves a little bit more time' in the middle overs

• All eyes on Shakib Al Hasan's return as Bangladesh, West Indies begin ODI Super League campaign

• Simmons calls on 'hunger and enthusiasm' to trump Bangladesh

• Lloyd: 'Opportunity to prove you're not second-class cricketers'

• Jason Mohammed eyes long-term West Indies berth

West Indies have already missed playing ODI series against New Zealand and Netherlands because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making the ODIs in Bangladesh vitally important. Their first match in Bangladesh is on Monday, when they play an intra-squad one-day game in Savar, near Dhaka.”[I want to see] the guys to put in place what we have been practicing – how we score runs, how we set fields and how we bowl to those fields,” Simmons said of his expectations. “These are the little things we will try to implement in the main game. So we will try to do them tomorrow too.”We are close enough [to finalising the XI], but the practice game will be the best indicator. It will give us the notice that we need, [and] give us the idea what the players bring to the table in a game situation. So tomorrow is the final straw.”Having reached Dhaka only last Sunday, Simmons, however, emphasised that the team could have done with more training, like they had on their tour of New Zealand last November. “It is never enough for me,” he said. “I think that I would have liked the sort of time we had in New Zealand – but this is what we have, and we try to fit in as much as we can in that period.”

England have bolstered their specialist coaching staff for the Test and limited-overs series in Pakistan and the World T20 with the appointments of Mahela Jayawardene and Paul Collingwood

Andrew McGlashan15-Sep-2015England have bolstered their specialist coaching staff for the Test and limited-overs series against Pakistan and the World T20, with the appointments of Mahela Jayawardene and Paul Collingwood.Jayawardene, who ESPNcricinfo revealed had been in discussions with the ECB during this season, will work with the Test side during the warm-up period in the UAE and the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi which starts on October 13. He will resume his close ties with England head coach Trevor Bayliss and assistant Paul Farbrace after their days together with Sri Lanka.Collingwood, the former England limited-overs captain, who played 197 ODIs and 35 T20s alongside his 68 Tests, will then work with the limited-overs set-up during the one-day and T20 series against Pakistan, and then at the World T20 in India next year.One of Jayawardene’s tasks will be to pass on his knowledge of playing spin after the problems England had during the 2012 series against Pakistan in the UAE. England only crossed 300 once in six innings and were bowled out for 72 in Abu Dhabi chasing 145.Even away from subcontinental-type conditions, England have often struggled against spin. In the recent Ashes, Nathan Lyon collected 16 wickets at 28.25 while they also floundered against New Zealand at Headingley, where Mark Craig and Kane Williamson shared six second-innings wickets, and against West Indies in Barbados.In 2012, England’s struggles came against Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman – the pair sharing 43 wickets in the three Tests – but they are no longer part of the Pakistan Test side and instead the challenges will be posed by legspinner Yasir Shah, who has 61 wickets in 10 Tests and was the fastest Pakistan bowler to 50 Test wickets, and left-armer Zulfiqar Babar.Andrew Strauss, the England director of cricket, said: “We are delighted that Mahela and Paul will be joining the England management team, supporting our existing specialist coaches in this area. Both will bring a vast wealth of cricketing knowledge and expertise to the team, and in Mahela’s case, extensive experience of batting in the sub-continent which will be invaluable as part of our wider preparations for the UAE tour.”In 2014, Collingwood was the assistant coach for the limited-overs tour of West Indies. Collingwood also worked alongside Ashley Giles during the World T20 in Bangladesh, but Giles soon lost his job after a defeat in the tournament to Netherlands.Collingwood was then assistant coach with Scotland during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year. Shortly after Strauss was named director of England cricket, Collingwood said it would be very difficult to turn down an offer to work with the team.”I love England, England is my passion. The experience of playing for England for so many years, that’s where you feel you belong, in that dressing room wearing the three lions,” he said. “You’re never guaranteed a job when you come out of cricket but if there was a role they wanted us to play somewhere it would be hard to turn down.”But Collingwood will continue to combine coaching with his playing career for at least another year after he recently signed a one-year extension with Durham.”I’ve always said I want to carry on playing as long as I possibly can while I am still enjoying it and worthy of a place in the team,” he told the . “I’m absolutely delighted to have signed another contract and I want to carry on improving this wonderful club on the pitch. I feel I have still got a lot to offer and I’m going to do all I can to keep playing as long as possible.”

The latest news and snippets from the Big Bash

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2019Meredith injury huge blow for HurricanesHobart Hurricanes fast bowler Riley Meredith is set to miss the rest of the Big Bash after picking up a side strain against the Perth Scorchers.Meredith is expected to be sidelined for between four to six weeks with the focus on him recovering for the return of the Sheffield Shield with Tasmania in mid-February.Meredith is the Hurricanes’ leading wicket-taker this season with 10 wickets in six matches at an economy of 6.68.”We’re expecting this injury will rule Riley out of the remainder of our BBL campaign,” team physiotherapist Stewart Williamson said. “Riley had scans yesterday, which unfortunately revealed a significant left side strain that will sideline him for at least a month.”We will work with Riley on a rehabilitation plan to ideally have him back available for the second half of the Sheffield Shield season.”The Hurricanes have also lost D’Arcy Short after his call-up to the ODI squad for the tour of India but can bring back captain Matthew Wade after the conclusion of the Test series. Ben McDermott, who has been captain in Wade’s absence, will continue as wicketkeeperLyon’s comeback delayedNathan Lyon’s return to the BBL with the Sydney Sixers will be delayed by a thumb injury he sustained during the final Test against New Zealand.Lyon split his right thumb dropping a return catch off Glenn Phillips in the first innings although it did not stop him taking a 10-wicket match haul.He is set to miss matches against the Adelaide Strikers, the Melbourne Stars and the Hobart Hurricanes with a potential return for the derby against the Sydney Thunder on January 18.”I pride myself on my fielding, especially the fielding off my own bowling,” Lyon said during the Test. “I know how hard it is to take Test wickets and when you’re dropping catches off your own bowling it doesn’t sit really well with you.”Stars bring back Rauf for injured BrownPakistan paceman Haris Rauf is set to return for the Melbourne Stars against the Sydney Thunder at the MCG on Wednesday.Rauf has been named in the Stars’ 13-man squad after England bowler Pat Brown was ruled out of the tournament with a stress fracture. Brown was due to replace Dale Steyn who has headed back to South Africa.Rauf has been a revelation starring in three games earlier in the tournament taking 10 wickets, including 5 for 27 against the Hobart Hurricanes, but was unable to remain in the Stars’ team under BBL rules as he could only play as an injury replacement for the two first-choice overseas players in Steyn and Sandeep Lamichhane.The BBL leaders also have also included Hilton Cartwright in the squad after recovering from injury.Renegades bring in Samit PatelMelbourne Renegades have called in Nottinghamshire and former England spinning allrounder Samit Patel for the clash with Perth Scorchers in Geelong on Tuesday.Patel, 35, has signed as an international replacement player for Notts team-mate Harry Gurney who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.Patel has played alongside Gurney and Renegades veteran Dan Christian at Notts and will fill a role that has been missing for the Renegades with the absence of Mohammad Nabi. Patel’s only cricket since the end of the English season was in the Abu Dhabi T10.Victoria fast bowler Andrew Fekete also comes in as a replacement player for batsman Mackenzie Harvey who is departing for the Under 19 World Cup.Perth Scorchers have recalled Sam Whiteman to their squad but are still missing Australia batsman Ashton Turner due to illness.Rauf returnsHaving been discarded as Melbourne Stars’ second overseas player despite seven wickets in his first two appearances, Haris Rauf will return to BBL action in his side’s game against Sydney Thunder on Thursday.Rauf, the fast bowler from Pakistan, was top of the wicket-taking charts after two games of the season, but was omitted from the Stars’ games against Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes after Dale Steyn – the man he had replaced in the side – returned to fitness.Steyn has taken three wickets in his two appearances so far, and will line up alongside Rauf at the Showground, with Nepalese legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane rested due to an injury.The Stars expect Lamichhane to return in time for the Melbourne derby on January 4, and will have yet another overseas combination after that game: Steyn is due to be replaced by England’s death-bowling specialist Pat Brown after that fixture.The umpire and the itchy noseThe umpire at the centre of a bizarre decision during the BBL match between the Melbourne Renegades and the Adelaide Strikers has explained why he went from giving the batsman out to scratching his nose.Greg Davidson started to raise the finger when Rashid Khan appealed for an lbw against Beau Webster, but as the Strikers players began to celebrate he changed his mind, in a manner that has gone viral. “It was one of those things, heat of the moment,” Davidson told Channel 7. “I started to think and then got a second noise through my head, so I decided to change the decision halfway through, and gave it not out.”The replays were inconclusive, and the Renegades coach Michael Klinger praised Davidson’s decision.”To be honest, I like it,” Klinger said. “I think he felt he made half a mistake and he thought that Beau hit it. I think it’s gutsy for him to change it halfway through, so I commend him for that. I actually think it’s the right call whether it happened for us or against.”New BBL star left outMelbourne Stars have dropped the BBL’s equal leading wicket-taker Haris Rauf with South Africa star Dale Steyn ready to return to against the Adelaide Strikers on the Gold Coast on Friday night.Rauf has been a revelation in the Stars first two games taking 2 for 20 and 5 for 27 in the Stars’ first two wins. But Rauf was only called up as an overseas replacement player when Steyn was rested from the first two matches as he recovered from a side strain.BBL rules only allow for each team to field two overseas players at any time and with Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane contracted for the entire tournament, Rauf has to make way for Steyn. Barring any further injury to Steyn or Lamichhane, Rauf is unlikely to play again for the Stars this season, with England’s Pat Brown already in Australia preparing to replace Steyn when he heads back to South Africa in mid-January.New recruit Nathan Coulter-Nile has also been included in the Stars squad after missing the opening two matches with an ankle issue.Maxwell focuses on T20 World CupGlenn Maxwell is taking his omission from Australia’s ODI squad in his stride and believes he has learnt how to deal with such situations.In late October, Maxwell took a break from the game to manage his mental health and produced a dazzling display in his first match back with 83 off 39 balls for the Melbourne Stars against the Brisbane Heat.That came a few days after he was one of a group of senior players not included for the one-day tour of India next month, with both national selector Trevor Hohns and coach Justin Langer saying it was a decision taken based on Maxwell’s one-day form over the last 12 months”I probably haven’t dwelled on it as much as I probably did in the past,” he said. “I suppose not shelving it and just not thinking about it, being able to have the conversations with people about it and deal with it appropriately. That’s probably something I haven’t done very well in the past and to be able to get through the other side and perform well, really makes a big difference.”Maxwell, who secured USD$1.5 million IPL deal with Kings XI, will remain a key cog in Australia’s T20I side as they build towards next year’s World Cup on home soil – an event which is at the forefront of his mind.”There’s that big carrot I suppose at the start of next season and I’ll be doing everything I can to work towards that.”Wright returns to the StarsFormer Melbourne Stars and England batsman Luke Wright has been hired as the Stars’ new batting coach. The Stars have been without a batting mentor in the build-up to the BBL after Michael Klinger left the role to take up the head coaching job with the Melbourne Renegades. Wright will join the squad in January. He played 57 matches with the Stars and is currently their all-time leading run-scorer with 1479 and he is the only Stars player to score two BBL centuries.”I’ve missed being a part of the Stars group last season so when the opportunity came up to be involved as batting coach, I jumped at it,” Wright said. “I’m really looking forward to working with Huss [David Hussey] and helping a really exciting and talented bunch of players prepare for the matches. I can’t wait to get started.”Finch calls for BBL DRSCricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said that he had taken heed of calls by Australia’s T20 captain Aaron Finch for the use of DRS in future editions of the BBL, but ruled out its inclusion this season.In the opening over of the season, Usman Khawaja survived an lbw appeal against Josh Lalor which replays showed should have been given out.Finch believes DRS should be available as it now is in T20Is, the IPL and the finals of this year’s CPL. “I think we should have one review, similar to internationals and ODI cricket,” he said. “There’s so much riding on games and you know how much of an impact one ball can have or one decision can have.”Sometimes you’re on the right side, sometimes you’re not, but I think we’ve come far enough and there’s enough time in the game to have a 90-second strategy break, so to me it would make sense.”Roberts said: “We’ll review the BBL in the ordinary course at the end of the season. I was really happy to see the opening match last night and to watch that from home, the first tactical timeout as well. I think Aaron makes a really good point, and also a really good question about DRS. We’re not going to be looking at that right now but like all things cricket, as each season passes we review and we consider how we can improve and I think Aaron makes a fair point and one that we would consider going forward.”Renegades draft in Doolan; Christian ready for spinAlex Doolan has returned to the Melbourne Renegades having been drafted in as a local replacement player ahead of the opening match of the tournament for the defending champions.He comes into the squad for 19-year-old pace bowler Zak Evans who is recovering from a back injury. However, there is no place for recent Test opener Marcus Harris. The Renegades begin their title defence against the Sydney Thunder in Geelong.Meanwhile, Dan Christian was watching the Thunder’s opening match closely and was preparing himself to face plenty of spin after seeing the impact of Jono Cook, Chris Green and Arjun Nair against the Brisbane Heat. The trio took 6 for 70 from 12 overs to derail the Heat at the Gabba.

South Africa squeezed the pulp from England’s attack in the second Investec Test with a resolution that has set them up for victory at Trent Bridge, and potentially left a few psychological marks

The Report by David Hopps16-Jul-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:56

Butcher: Du Plessis’ return has driven South Africa

South Africa squeezed the pulp from England’s attack in the second Investec Test with a resolution that has not only set them up for victory at Trent Bridge, so levelling the series at 1-1, but potentially left a few psychological marks for the matches ahead at The Oval and Old Trafford.England’s openers clung on for four overs at the end of an exhausting third day – and even that required Alastair Cook’s successful review, first ball, to overturn an lbw decision for Morne Morkel, as well as much desperate defending besides.But that was about England’s only consolation as they contemplated a target of 474, assembled with utmost seriousness by a South African side determined to give no quarter. No side has made that many at Trent Bridge in the fourth innings, whatever the result, and the weather is set fair.

England face death by numbers

332 Highest successful chase by England in Tests, against Australia at Melbourne in 1928-29. The biggest target chased at Trent Bridge is England’s 284 against New Zealand in 2004.
2010 The last time Hashim Amla scored fifties in both innings of an overseas Test, against Pakistan in Dubai. Between 2008 and 2010, he managed it on four separate occasions.
4 Number of higher targets set by South Africa against England than their 474 in this game. In England, this is the second-highest they have ever set.
167 Runs by Vernon Philander in this series – the most he has scored in any series, beating the 136 he accumulated in three Tests in Australia last year. His scores in this series have been: 52, 19*, 54 and 42, with a maximum of four more innings to come.

There was much for South Africa to like as they looked on from Trent Bridge’s characterful old dressing-room balcony. England’s spinners, lightly used in the first half of the day, found increasing turn in the final session, and there was both steep and low bounce for the second new ball.Only in the hour before the declaration did South Africa bat in uninhibited fashion, adding 68 in 14 overs as their lead passed West Indies’ 418 for 7, the highest successful chase in Test history in St John’s 14 years ago, and 440, the highest fourth-innings in a Test in England, amassed by New Zealand in 1973 in the pluckiest of defeats.The mood of the day, though, centred upon Hashim Amla, who was so relaxed in making 80 from 180 balls, he might have been a prized professor at a school of meditation. Not that he did much to de-stress the England attack as South Africa’s lead slowly advanced. His passivity told not of negativity but of an inner certainty that a South African win would ultimately unfold before him.In reaching half-centuries, Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis maintained similar self-control.Amla’s demise was somewhat unexpected. Joe Root had been markedly reluctant to bowl his spinners, especially Liam Dawson, who had been despatched with ease by Amla in two overs before lunch. But with the seamers needing time to graze before the second new ball, Dawson had to return and he had Amla lbw advancing well down the pitch in a bid to hit him down the ground.Mark Wood endured a frustrating day and his place must be in jeopardy•Getty Images

Umpire Paul Rieffel had no option but to turn down the appeal, just as it was no surprise to find upon England’s review that ball-tracking technology suggested the ball would hit middle, halfway up. Dawson deserved it, if only for the precision of his review signal to his captain – the ‘T’ signal perfectly formed – which was either symptomatic of a Test cricket newbie eager to do things right or merely a young man of fastidious nature.As England took the field at the start of play, the Getty photographer Gareth Copley captured Stuart Broad staring at the Trent Bridge honours board, as if to build himself up for a supreme fightback, South Africa’s lead at start of play already being 205.It was not to be. Neither Broad not James Anderson found the life unearthed by South Africa’s new-ball pair on the previous day. Ben Stokes summoned his best, most aggressive form of the summer, but he had a hint of a limp by the end. Mark Wood, the weakest of the quartet, has yet to find the 90mph threat that England crave and his place must be in jeopardy.While England attempted to rectify their shortcomings of the first two days, criticism was easy to find. Graeme Smith, a former South African captain and a batsman who knew something about crease occupation, termed England’s first innings “glory cricket”. Geoffrey Boycott, another adhesive opening batsman of repute, was in the mood to collar anybody in his range to lecture them about defensive batsmanship.It felt a bit misleading. England had hared along at four an over as they conceded a first-innings lead of 130, but none of their top-six batsmen, with the possible exception of Root, had been dismissed because of attacking intent. Whether they had been dismissed because of a lack of defensive excellence was an altogether different matter.Whatever the assessment, England were up against it. They needed wickets, and quickly, but they had to make do with Elgar, prised out for 80 with lunch 20 minutes away, along with Quinton de Kock, whose danger was defused an over later with only a single to his name. Elgar’s stand of 135 in 36 overs with Amla (it felt slower) set the tone.Amla drained England by sitting in and waiting, taking boundaries from only the loosest deliveries; it was hard to remember a play-and-miss. Elgar ground forward with occasional watchful off-side drives and deflections to third man, some of them secure, some of them not. Suitably, he raised his fifty by thick-edging Anderson low through third slip. His technique was occasionally flawed, but his concentration was impeccable.England had fleeting chances to remove both of them in the opening forays. Criticised for their wanton waste of reviews, this time England missed one. When Broad flicked Amla’s outside edge, on 25, the only half-appeal came from Alastair Cook at first slip. Even Broad looked confused as to whether he should appeal, which does not often happen. TV replays showed the slightest contact.Elgar’s escape, on 55, came in the shape of a fantastic leaping effort at gully by Anderson, who got a hand on the ball as it flashed by on his left-hand side. Hardly a chance, but frustration nonetheless.The appearance of spin sparked Amla into life. He took 14 off Dawson’s second over, capped by an effortless straight six to raise his fifty: 38 scored all morning and half of them in two Dawson overs. Not the best time for Dawson to strike up a casual conversation with an England seamer. By tea, Amla’s wicket in the book, he had the right to a sentence or two.Statistics insist that Elgar is much more vulnerable to right-arm quicks coming around the wicket – strikingly so, with an average of 27 compared to 70-plus, and Broad in particular was eager to take advantage.But Elgar had 80 by the time Stokes added another around-the-wicket dismissal to the records. It was a good aggressive bouncer, uncomfortably spooned aside in front of his face and easily caught by Anderson at square leg. De Kock edged Anderson to Bairstow in the next over.By the time England took four wickets in the final session, they were but drops in an ocean of pessimism. Temba Bavuma, in other circumstances, might have been ticked off for getting out two deliveries before the second new ball – lofting Moeen to wide mid-off, there were good catches in the deep by Gary Ballance and Broad, and there was a painful blow on the wrist for Bairstow, fielding a ball from Stokes that scudded awkwardly in front of him, that might yet cause England some concern.

In Karachi, Yasir Shah finished with eight wickets in Balochistan’s win

Danyal Rasool28-Oct-2020Last year at the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, only 10 matches in the entire season produced results. The opening round saw all two off three matches drawn, with huge scores dominating games and little chance of a result in sight. The signs this time indicate this could be a very different QeA season. All three games ended up producing winners and losers; two of them saw results inside three days. The one likeliest to result in a draw, though, was saved by some aggressive captaincy by Azhar Ali, though it didn’t quite work out for him the way he’d have liked.Sarfaraz Ahmed pips Azhar AliThis game held particular intrigue from a personal match-up point of view, with the two men leading Central Punjab and Sindh also the pair who have swapped captaincy at international level for much of the past five years. And with Azhar’s Test captaincy reputed to be slipping from his grasp, a positive result here might have revived his fortunes. So as soon as he saw the game meandering to a draw, he declared Central Punjab’s second innings, setting Sindh 212 to win in just under two sessions.It was the sort of captaincy Azhar isn’t exactly reputed for, but set up a tantalising finale to what should have been a bore draw. Sindh came out all guns blazing, while Central Punjab’s bowlers didn’t quite carry the threat their captain might have hoped for on a fading final afternoon. Saud Shakeel’s 69-ball 61 led the charge, while Asad Shafiq, hopelessly out of form internationally, took over once he’d been dismissed to ensure Sindh didn’t just bat for light. Hassan Mohsin gave him good company, and with minutes remaining before the light faded decisively, Shafiq cleared his front leg to deposit the ball over cow corner to seal a dramatic finish.Hussain Talat, Shan Masood get South Punjab off to flying startNorthern were the underdogs everyone rooted for along their run to the final last year, but repeating the feat may prove trickier on the evidence of the first match. Nauman Ali’s side were routed from the outset, bowled out inside 50 overs despite electing to bat first. Zahid Mahmood and Agha Salman took seven of the wickets before South Punjab batted Northern well out of the match thanks mainly to Hussain Talat and Shan Masood. Talat amassed a career-best 253, while Masood scored 134 of his own to give their side a colossal 342-run lead in the first innings.With clinical efficiency, Northern’s bowlers set to work once more, Zahid Masood completing a 10-for with six wickets in the second innings. Mohammad Abbas removed two at the top to open up the middle order early, and there was little sign South Punjab would be forced into batting again. Hammad Azam’s 79 was the only thing resembling resistance from Northern, but it wasn’t to stop them from crumbling to an innings defeat.Yasir Shah belts out an appeal•Getty Images

Yasir Shah leads Balochistan to winning startYasir Shah might face an uphill task if he is to convince Pakistan’s selectors to send him with the national side off to their next assignment in New Zealand, given his poor record in the southern hemisphere. Here in Karachi, though, he couldn’t have asked for a better start, taking eight wickets – four in each innings – to help Balochistan beat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Bismillah Khan’s century saw them get to 362 in the first innings, before Yasir and Khurram Shehzad, who took a five-fer, skittled KP out for 167.That slowed Balochistan to set them a virtually insurmountable 413 to get in the fourth innings, and with five sessions to go, batting out ad raw seemed out of reach, too. Yasir was the man who ran through some middle order resistance to guarantee the game wouldn’t even need a fourth day, as he and Kashif Bhatti finished with a combined eight wickets to consign KP to a 186-run defeat.

Claydon to join Sussex next season after seven years with Kent

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2019Veteran seam bowler Mitch Claydon will leave Kent for Sussex at the end of this season.Sussex head coach Jason Gillespie said the 36-year-old Claydon would bring a wealth of experience to his squad. “We have been looking to secure an experienced seamer for the short term to add depth to our bowling stocks and Mitch fits the bill perfectly. His experience and knowledge will be valuable in our dressing room.”He is an important part of our plan for our seam bowling department. We are also seeking a younger, more long-term signing to complement our current bowling stocks.”Originally from Sydney, Claydon used his British passport to join Yorkshire, where he played alongside Gillespie in 2006. Claydon moved to Durham, where he was part of the Championship-winning sides of 2008, 2009 and 2013. A successful loan stint at Kent in 2013 led to a seven-year association with the club, where he was reunited with Gillespie in 2017 when the latter became an interim assistant coach.Having helped Kent win promotion to the Championship’s top division in 2018 and reach the final of the Royal London One-Day Cup the same year, Claydon was not offered a contract extension beyond this season.Claydon said: “After playing with Dizzy in my first year in England and spending time with him when he was with Kent, I’m really excited to be playing under him again. I still feel as though I have plenty to offer and look forward to hopefully putting in some match-winning performances for Sussex.”I’d like to give a huge thank you to all my coaches and team-mates over the past seven years at Kent. I’ve made memories and friends for life in the Garden of England.”Kent Head Coach Matt Walker said Claydon had been “an outstanding servant” to the club. “He’s also produced some great performances for us, whether that be in red-ball cricket or at the death in limited-overs formats. He’s been a real match winner for Kent on the field and a true champion off it. He’ll be hugely missed.”

Harsh lessons of 2014 serve England’s new director of cricket well, as he lays out vision for his tenure

George Dobell09-Jan-2019It speaks volumes for Ashley Giles’ determination – and confidence – that even at one of the lowest points of his career, he was planning his comeback.In April 2014, Giles was sacked as England coach. Paul Downton, who was the managing director of England cricket at the time, called at his house one day and informed him that he was to be replaced by Peter Moores.His reaction? Anger, certainly. But also determination. And before Downton’s car had disappeared from sight, Giles had turned to his wife, Stine, and informed her he would be back and he would be the boss.”I don’t know if I was sacked or made redundant,” Giles says, “but whichever way it was, it wasn’t very nice.”But I said I would be back at the time. I don’t know if I said it to Paul, but I certainly said it to my wife. And, if you look at my career progress over the last four or five years, I have sort of prepared for this role. If you are a performance director, this is the pinnacle.”You can understand why Giles was angry. He was one of only two long-serving men – Kevin Pietersen was the other – completely cut adrift by the ECB after the debacle of the 2013-14 Ashes, despite having no direct involvement in the coaching of that team. And while results at the 2014 World T20 were not pretty – England had been eliminated even before a heavy defeat against Netherlands – Giles had some mitigation. As the junior partner in a split coaching structure – Andy Flower was very much the dominant figure – he had become used to seeing his first-choice players rested from white-ball cricket.But that anger has long since faded into something more constructive. And while Downton has now made the reverse journey – he is doing a fine job as director of cricket at Kent – and Flower is a strong favourite to take up Giles’ old role as director of cricket at Warwickshire, Giles himself now looks back on the episode as the making of him.”We all feel hard done by when you leave positions,” he says now. “But now I think it was a great learning curve for me.”I didn’t manage that balance between the short-term plans and long-term vision well. I always had in mind that I would one day become Test coach and perhaps, if I hold my hand up, I took my eye off the importance of winning tomorrow. In coaching you can’t afford to do that.”I think that experience will help me in this role. In this role you have to worry about tomorrow and the long-term strategy.Ashley Giles, ECB’s new director of England cricket, at Lord’s•Getty Images

“That period with Andy Flower and the unravelling of the team in the Ashes and then the debacle against the Netherlands in Bangladesh, I guess that was almost a catalyst for me going back to university, studying, taking a masters and changing paths slightly. It was a good life lesson. It got me where I am today.”Giles’ behaviour in the months following that sacking is instructive. Instead of publicly criticising the ECB – as Pietersen did in a now-infamous book – Giles persuaded them to fund his return to university as part of his severance package. As a result, he went to Manchester Metropolitan Business School and gained a Master of Sport Directorship.And, instead of applying for coaching jobs, which he concluded left him vulnerable to fluctuations in fortune that could not always be controlled, he turned his interest to director of cricket roles which seemed more secure and more appropriate to a man with a hip replacement who no longer feels especially comfortable in a tracksuit. Less than a year ago, he declined an invitation to apply for the role of National Selector – a role subsequently filled by Ed Smith – in the belief that was a backward step for a man who had already served as a selector.So, what can we expect from Giles? Well, any player expecting a relaxation of the curfew that has been in place since the last Ashes tour is likely to be disappointed, for a start. And, in the long term, it seems the habit of playing football ahead of training every day may well be in jeopardy.”Curfews are in place to protect the guys,” he says. “I discussed curfews years ago. I don’t think we should look at those as being a negative thing. Everyone needs boundaries so it’s important that we have things in place that protect our guys.”We have got a responsibility to protect our players and the discipline side of things is really important to me. I have a reputation as being quite firm, but I think I am fair.”We’ve got to keep our best players on the park and I’m not sure playing football is the best way of going about that. If you look at what football does, the benefits from a physiological and fun point of view are outstripped by the dangers. In the long term we’ll perhaps see a change there.”But when you talk about short-term derailers I don’t want to be blamed for losing the World Cup because we are not playing football. I am not coming in with an iron rod right now. It’s something I’ll speak to the captains and coaches about.”There are other areas we may see change. Giles is likely to be asked to ‘rationalise’ – a euphemism for ‘cut’ usually – the budget at Loughborough with a growing realisation that spending has exceeded achievement there over the last few years. And he hopes to improve the relationship between the counties and the England team, drawing on the knowledge around the circuit and ensuring domestic cricket is well placed to produce international players.”The domestic system is hugely important,” he says. “So it’s important we get our system right in Championship cricket, because that is where our Test cricketers are coming from.”The counties do a fantastic job. There was a meeting yesterday of the county directors of cricket and I looked round the table and realised there was a hell of a lot of knowledge I can tap into. That relationship is important and I think it could be better than it has been. I want to see much stronger collaboration with the counties.”And then there’s the coaching role. Despite his own experiences, Giles has always maintained that a split coaching arrangement could work well. There is an acknowledgement that some of the best candidates may be reluctant to take the year-round workload required for an England coach, so there seems every chance that the role will be split once more. Paul Collingwood (for the white-ball sides) and Gary Kirsten (for the Test side) may well be among the frontrunners.”Whatever we do – two coaches or one – we need to make it normal and acceptable that coaches have time off and are able to watch some other cricket or have a break,” Giles says. “The programme is extremely busy, so to expect one or two head coaches to be there all the time is quite challenging.”Part of my role is coach development so, absolutely, we should be developing future England coaches and giving them opportunities. Perhaps the new competition is part of that? But I’m not silly enough to think the next coach has to be English. We need the best man – or two men – for the job.”

Maxwell’s 37-ball 52 gave Australia a glimmer of hope, but another top-order failure meant that Pakistan took an unassailable lead

The Report by Danyal Rasool26-Oct-2018It will take something truly special to put an end to this purple patch Pakistan are basking in as far as T20I cricket is concerned. As another top-order collapse saw Australia fall short by 11 runs, it became patently obvious this particular visiting side aren’t that special someone.Pakistan, again, weren’t at their very best with the bat, and it was only a string of medium-sized scores that took them to 147. But it was in the field that their swagger was on full display, with an exceptional bowling performance – and at times an even better fielding one – snuffing out Australia’s chances.It was a final result that made the game look closer than it really was. It wasn’t until the last five overs that Glenn Maxwell and Nathan Coulter-Nile finally took control of the chase and started finding the boundaries with regularity, and it was then that Pakistan found themselves under pressure in the field. They had, however, done enough during the first half of the innings by way of controlling the runs and taking regular wickets to ensure Maxwell’s late salvo wouldn’t imperil their inexorable path to sealing the series -their tenth in a row – at the earliest opportunity.Chasing a target similar to the one they were tasked with on Wednesday, Australia didn’t make quite the calamitous start that saw them lose six wickets on that occasion. That, unfortunately, was all that could be said for it, with the top three falling for a combined 12 runs, and as Mitchell Marsh and Maxwell tried to rebuild, they fell far behind the asking rate.It is when Pakistan have teams on the rack in this very fashion that they’ve sculpted their T20I fortunes on. Imad Wasim was teasingly accurate, conceding eight runs in his allocated quota, while Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Hafeez almost queued up to torment Aaron Finch’s men. In the field, Pakistan were taking flying catches and inflicting miraculous run-outs. One from Fakhar Zaman may arguably be the best run-out inflicted all year, with Zaman diving forward while throwing backwards at the non-strikers end without even looking at the stumps. He hit middle, with a non-plussed Ben McDermott finding himself trudging back, victim to two sensational run-outs in as many games.Australia were arguably unfortunate at the start of their innings in the manner D’Arcy Short was dismissed. When Finch drove Imad back to the bowler, he got a finger on it as the ball hit the stumps. The third umpire deemed Short to have his bat in the air, but no one could be sure; indeed, certain angles seemed to imply he had it grounded all along.That began a furious and prolonged remonstration from Finch against the umpire that may yet see him part with a portion of his match fee. Australia’s sense of being against it intensified, while Pakistan began to constrict them as the asking rate soared. Soon enough, Maxwell -who had managed to hang around as the rest of his teammates found their stays at the crease prematurely curtailed – realised he’d have to do it all by himself. For the briefest moment, it appeared he’d make a match of it. Twenty-seven came off a couple of overs bowled by Shadab and Hasan, and for the first time Pakistan began to lose their rag slightly. Hafeez dropped a sitter at the cover, and the young Shaheen Afridi lost his bearings and bowled a couple of wides to send the jitters through everyone involved with Pakistan. But when Maxwell – who scored a gutsy half-century – fell in the final over, Australia’s fate had been sealed.Pakistan’s first-innings total was once more set up by Babar Azam and Hafeez, a 70-run partnership between the two taking Pakistan to 99 with six overs still to remain. Neither, however, pushed on to provide Pakistan a flourishing finish, and Australia picked up wickets at regular intervals as they dented Pakistan’s march towards a big total. Coulter-Nile, who was the most disappointing of the three seamers in the first game, was the pick of Australia’s bowlers here: his three big wickets for 18 an instrumental factor in containing Pakistan to under 150.But it is the innings too short to even count as cameos that have made enormous differences in both games. In the first, it was Hasan Ali whose big-hitting meant Paksiatn smashed 17 in the final over to undo much of the good work the visitors had done to seize the initiative. Here, Faheem Ashraf played that role in the final over, with Andrew Tye clobbered for 15, once again robbing Australia of the uplifting finish that would enable them to carry over the momentum to the second innings.It isn’t merely a matter of fortune, though. Winning these small moments has enabled Sarfraz – still unbeaten in a T20I series – to win some big matches over the past two years. Once the final ball had been bowled, Sarfraz raced to the middle of the pitch and let out a roar that was part elation, part relief. Judging by the captain’s reaction, this T20I felt as big as any he has won in the green of Pakistan.