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Scrivens half-century drives run-chase to boost title hopes

ECB Reporters Network26-Aug-2024Sunrisers 189 for 7 (Scrivens 56) beat Northern Diamonds 188 for 9 (Villiers 4-36, Munro 3-25) by three wicketsBirthday girl Mady Villiers equalled her career-best with the ball as Sunrisers beat high-flying Northern Diamonds by three wickets at Chelmsford to move third in the standings.Villiers, who turned 26 today produced spin wizardry to take 4 for 36 and with Sophie Munro’s 3 for 25 lending valuable support, Diamonds were restricted to 188 for 9.Grace Scrivens’ 56 led the chase, sharing half-century stands with Cordelia Griffith and Jody Grewcock (40) as the hosts overcame a late wobble to race home with 12 overs to spare.Diamonds, for whom Sterre Kalis made 36 and Katherine Fraser 34, were left to rue dropped catches in the field, but stay second and on course for the semi-finals.Missing Lauren Winfield-Hill, away at the Caribbean Premier League, and Bess Heath, withdrawn by England, Diamonds opted to bat on a used Chelmsford pitch.Fraser provided early impetus, a cracking pull shot the pick of her four boundaries, while Emma Marlow struck successive fours off Eva Gray. The bowler gained compensation with the wicket of Fraser, caught by Grewcock from the last ball of the powerplay.The visitors advanced to 67 for 1 before Villiers began the host’s fightback, dismissing the tournament’s leading scorer, Hollie Armitage, caught at short mid-on. The dismissal continued Armitage’s recent run of low scores from the Hundred with Northern Superchargers.Villiers wheeled away to great effect, capturing the wicket of Marlow with one which stopped in the pitch, before trapping Rebecca Duckworth lbw.Kalis in company with Beth Langston counter-attacked from the other end with a 60-ball stand of 50, the former mixing powerful driving with some classy cut shots.Both though fell in quick succession Langston becoming Villiers’ fourth victim before Munro, switched to the Graham Gooch end to castle Kalis, the wicket part of a spell of 3 for 11 in seven overs from the quick on loan from the Blaze.Thereafter, a stubborn ninth wicket stand of 28 between debutant Maddie Ward and Katie Levick helped Diamonds to what looked a par score.In a strange quirk all nine Diamonds wickets were taken from the Graham Gooch End.Ward was in the action early in the field catching Gardner to give Rachel Slater the breakthrough.Kalis’ catching would prove less secure an over later, shelling a straightforward chance at first slip to reprieve Griffith on 4, Beth Langston the unlucky bowler.Griffith, who endured a difficult spell with London Spirit in the Hundred, despite the franchise lifting the trophy, celebrated the life by lofting Levick for the first six of the day. However, the introduction of Fraser brought her demise, Griffith skying the spinner’s fourth ball back to the bowler, ending a stand of 53.Scrivens, who had been driving well off front and back foot through the cover region sent another skywards in the following over which Ward got a hand to running to her right but couldn’t hold.Scare survived, Scrivens was soon back to taking heavy toll of the Diamonds’ bowling, hitting Fraser for a towering straight six which accompanied by five fours took her to 50 from 62 balls.The stand with Grewcock reached 60 before Scrivens in attempting to sweep Marlow lobbed a gentle catch to Levick at short fine leg.Villiers was given a present by the visitors when Kalis dropped her at mid-on when she’d made only four, but Sunrisers’ hearts were beating a little faster later in the over when a mix up between the batters saw Grewcock run out for a run-a-ball 40.Villiers fell with 19 needed and Fraser (3 for 37) caused late panic with the wickets of Miller and Gray but Lissy Macleod (23 not out) saw Sunrisers over the line.

Teague Wyllie fell just short of a ton as Western Australia ground down the visitors at two runs an over

Tristan Lavalette05-Oct-2023Former Test opener Cameron Bancroft made an early season statement with a disciplined century to frustrate Victoria’s attack on a sedate WACA pitch to put Western Australia in a strong position in the Sheffield Shield.WA trailed by 19 runs at stumps on day two after Bancroft and Teague Wyllie combined for a 193-run second-wicket partnership.Wyllie, 19, fell short of his second first-class century when he was bowled by quick Mitchell Perry, shouldering arms as the ball nipped back to hit the top of middle stump. It was the only wicket on an attritional day, where WA scored 208 runs off 96 overs.Related

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After finishing unbeaten on 121 off 306 balls, Bancroft started his case to replace veteran opener David Warner, who is set to retire from Test cricket this summer. Bancroft has not played Tests since the Ashes in 2019.With fringe Test opener Marcus Harris not playing due to the birth of his first child, Bancroft seized his opportunity on the back of being the standout batter in the Shield last season.Even though he scored 289 more runs than second-placed South Australia batter Daniel Drew, Bancroft did not make the Ashes touring squad but issued a reminder of his indefatigable approach.It was a fitting performance for Bancroft with his mentor Justin Langer, who has acted as his private coach, at the ground.Resuming at 29 for 1, Bancroft and Wyllie dug in as WA scored just 46 runs in 30 overs during a slow first session.WA coach Adam Voges recently said domestic teams might consider adopting elements of Bazball, believing England’s aggressive approach would inevitably creep into the Shield, but Bancroft and Wyllie didn’t get the memo.The pair were forced to stonewall against typically accurate bowling from quick Scott Boland, who had clean bowled WA captain Sam Whiteman in the shadows late on day one.The first boundary was not struck until 45 minutes into the day’s play as Boland – armed with four slips – relentlessly probed outside the off-stump but without reward.WA did not cross 100 runs until midway through the day’s play, but Bancroft and Wyllie started to take advantage of a tiring Victoria in warm conditions.Though a green-tinge was still notable, the pitch flattened under the baking sun as WA eyes a big total with temperatures set to soar on day three.”I think we’re going to try to bat as long as we can…hopefully bat just once,” Wyllie said.Disciplined and playing straight, Bancroft and Wyllie batted in contrast to Victoria who were left to rue gifting several wickets late on on the opening day.Wyllie started last season spectacularly when he famously resisted celebrating his maiden first-class century in the Shield opener against New South Wales.But his form tailed off, perhaps unsurprisingly given his age, as teams exposed him outside the off stump. Wyllie only scored one half-century for the rest of the season, but WA stuck with him and he was at the crease when their title triumph was complete against Victoria.Much like at stages last season, Wyllie was similarly bogged down against Victoria’s accurate pace attack but he dug in alongside Bancroft.The smattering of fans did grow restless, but there were no bronx cheers echoing from the terraces like when Victoria batter Ashley Chandrasinghe produced a painstaking 46 off 280 balls in last season’s final.With solid defence and powers of endurance, like his idol Rahul Dravid, Wyllie kept his composure and made his move in the second session.As temperatures approached 30 degrees celsius, sensing Victoria’s attack was flagging, Wyllie put the foot down to reach his half-century amid three boundaries off Boland.While Wyllie was scoring mostly through boundaries, Bancroft calmly nudged the ball around to pick off the bowling. A rare moment of aggression was against Test offspinner Todd Murphy when Bancroft, an accomplished white-ball batter, hit a reverse sweep to the boundary.Wyllie also took a liking to Murphy, striking several lusty blows after advancing down the pitch.After another quiet patch following Bancroft’s century, Wyllie agonisingly fell short of a ton almost exactly a year since his maiden century earned him national prominence.

The allrounder is confident he will overcame an ankle niggle in time for the tournament

AAP15-Sep-2022Allrounder Mitchell Marsh isn’t ready to throw his hat into the ring for the ODI captaincy just yet, saying his full focus is on helping Australia retain the T20 World Cup crown.Aaron Finch announced his retirement from ODI cricket last week following his horror run of form, but he will stay on as skipper for the T20 World Cup in Australia, which begins next month.Test skipper Pat Cummins could take over the ODI captaincy, but David Warner is also a chance to be thrust into the job if his lifetime leadership ban is overturned by Cricket Australia. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Marsh are among the other names to have been floated.Related

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Marsh has plenty of captaincy experience at Western Australia, but he played a straight bat when asked about the prospect of taking over as ODI skipper.”I need to be very careful what I say here, you know I don’t like headlines,” Marsh said with a smile. “I think there may be conversations down the track. But this World Cup is so important to us as a team, and for me personally it’s everything I’ve worked for over the last couple of years.”Cricket Australia have a bit of time to make that [captaincy] call over the next few months, and we’ll see where it lands.”Marsh was full of praise for Finch, who averaged 38.89 during his glittering 146-match ODI career.”He will be sorely missed in our change rooms over the next few years,” Marsh said. “[He scored] 17 one-day international hundreds and I really hope he goes down as one of the greats of Australian cricket when it comes to white-ball cricket. Just a ripping bloke and a great captain.”Mitchell Starc (knee soreness), Marcus Stoinis (side strain) and Marsh (ankle) were all ruled out of next week’s three-match T20 series in India.Marsh is confident his ankle injury will heal in time to allow him to take part in home T20 fixtures against the West Indies, England, and India prior to the World Cup.”The ankle is coming along pretty well,” Marsh said after Western Australia’s season launch on Thursday. “It’s on the minor end of the [scale] but with the World Cup coming up, it’s really the only opportunity to get it right for that.”I’m certainly not worried about it, it’s coming along well and hopefully I’ll be right to play against the West Indies in a few weeks’ time.”

Bangladesh captain urges team-mates to “back each other” and stay focused amid waves of public criticism

Mohammad Isam25-Nov-2021Mominul Haque has the monumental task of changing Bangladesh’s mood in and out of the dressing room. There has been an air of negativity around the team for the past two months. Nine defeats, fiery press conferences and public criticisms in the T20 World Cup was followed by a siege mentality during the T20I series against Pakistan in Dhaka.Everything from the cricket team, the board, and the overall structure and culture of Bangladesh cricket has come into question.On the eve of the first Test against Pakistan, Mominul urged his team to stop worrying about what is being said, and do what they are supposed to do, by bringing the focus back to cricket.Related

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“This is not the first time Bangladesh has gone through such a phase,” Mominul said. “We have overcome such situations before too. People become mentally weak, because they take outside talk seriously. My job is to bring back focus from thinking about what everyone is saying, and focusing on our job. We have to back each other. You cannot shut anyone’s mouth but I think you can shut off your own ears.”But the job at hand – playing a Test match against Pakistan – is doubly hard for Bangladesh as injuries have kept out big names like Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, while Mahmudullah has retired from Tests. Taskin Ahmed, who has shown good form in his Test comeback, is also out with a finger injury he sustained during the third T20I in Dhaka.”I don’t want to call it a difficult challenge. ‘Difficult’ has a negative meaning. I don’t want to see it negatively. Tamim gives us good starts that we have often capitalised on. Shakib is two players in one. Taskin has been bowling well recently.”We are effectively missing four players. It makes my captaincy a bit more challenging but Mushfiq and I have to take on the added responsibility.”Mominul wants the focus on those who are in the squad, including Abu Jayed, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Taijul Islam, a bowling trio that has carried a major bulk of the attack. “Mustafizur (Rahman) hasn’t played a Test for a long time. Both Taskin (Ahmed) and Shoriful (Islam) are unfortunately injured. But we have to think about those who are in the squad.”(Abu Jayed) Rahi has been our leading wicket-taker in the World Test Championship. Ebadot is also playing Tests regularly. We also have (Mehidy Hasan) Miraz and Taijul (Islam). I have confidence in my bowlers. I think if we bowl well, we can take 20 wickets in this game,” he said.Mominul also expects Liton Das to bounce back from his T20I downturn, which cost him his place during the Pakistan series last week.”There’s a big difference between Tests and T20Is. When we keep mentioning T20s, it becomes difficult for me. I think Liton has overcome the (mental aspect) of it.”He has averaged 45-50 in Tests in the last 12 months. I think he can handle it well. He had a mental break. Everyone is supporting him.”Mominul said that Bangladesh’s next couple of Test series will offer a peak into their Test future. They were without Shakib for almost the entire 2019-21 WTC cycle, although Tamim and Mushfiqur have been heavily involved. Mahmudullah’s Test chapter has also drawn to a close, which means that Bangladesh are now forced to think about younger cricketers for these vacant spots.”Everyone wants results. Not just me. I think it is a good opportunity for the youngsters. You will get a picture of the direction our Test team is taking in this, and some of the future series. We definitely have long-term plans in Tests. We want to build slowly, and within a series or two we will know where our Test team stands.”

Solitary Test cap came during Devon Malcolm’s famous Test at The Oval in 1994

Andrew Miller09-Mar-2021Joey Benjamin, the former Warwickshire, Surrey and England seam bowler, has died at the age of 60 after suffering a heart attack.Benjamin, whose solitary Test appearance at The Oval in 1994 would prove to be one of England’s most memorable victories of the decade, claimed 387 first-class wickets in an 11-year career that began at Warwickshire in 1988.Born in St Kitts in 1961, Benjamin moved to England with his family at the age of 15, and settled initially in the Midlands, where he played Birmingham League cricket, and earned initial recognition with occasional fixtures for Staffordshire.It wasn’t until the age of 27 that he earned his first county contract, but with Warwickshire’s attack led by Gladstone Small, Tim Munton and Allan Donald, opportunities were limited and he played 25 first-class matches in four years before relocating to Surrey in 1992.With a bustling action and a distinctive whirl of arms in his delivery stride, Benjamin bowled accurate, lively away-swing from a high action, and immediately thrived in his new surroundings. In 1993, his second season, he was named Surrey’s Player of the Year, with a haul of 64 wickets at 27.85 including a career-best 6 for 19 against Nottinghamshire.The following year, his form was even better – 80 wickets all told at 20.72 – but Benjamin still seemed a long, long way from international recognition when, in the final weeks of the international season, he was handed his maiden England call-up at the age of 33.The venue was at least familiar. With England 1-0 down against South Africa after a bruising defeat in the first Test at Lord’s, Benjamin was picked on home soil for the series finale at The Oval, where he was preferred to Angus Fraser in England’s final XI, and completed a four-man pace attack alongside Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm.Devon Malcolm offers a cup of tea to his chicken-pox-afflicted team-mate Joey Benjamin in his hotel room•Graham Chadwick/Getty Images

He impressed from the outset, claiming 4 for 42 in 17 overs as South Africa were bowled out for 332, but the second innings was all about one man. Malcolm, famously struck on the helmet by Fanie De Villiers during England’s own first innings of 302, responded with the bowling spell of his life, scattering South Africa with a career-best 9 for 57 to set up an extraordinary eight-wicket win.And as was often the case at the time in English cricket, Benjamin’s success in the final Test of the summer was enough to secure him a winter tour berth, with Fraser omitted from England’s initial Ashes squad, and Kent’s Martin McCague also earning a recall.It would not prove to be an auspicious winter. Both Malcolm and Benjamin succumbed to a bout of chicken pox in the lead-up to the first Test at Brisbane, and despite having featured heavily in England’s warm-up fixtures at the start of the tour, he was not considered thereafter as England turned instead to a raft of seam-bowling replacements, Fraser and Chris Lewis among them.Benjamin did play in two matches of England’s B&H World Series one-day campaign, against Australia at Sydney and Zimbabwe at Brisbane, where he bowled Mark Dekker for his solitary ODI scalp. However, it had been clear long before the end of the tour that Benjamin was destined to remain a member of England’s one-Test wonder club.He didn’t dwell on what might have been, however, as he returned to Surrey in 1995 and claimed 53 wickets at a very respectable 25.01. But as the end of the decade approached, his opportunities began to wane, and he would be released by the club in 1999, just as Adam Hollioake’s team was embarking on its run of three County Championship titles in four years. He finished his Surrey career with 313 first-class wickets at 29.22, and a further 146 at 31.36 in List A cricket.His batting was very much of the hit-and-miss variety, as shown by a highest first-class score of 49 and an average of 11.38. His finest hour, however, was the one that got away – a thrilling NatWest Trophy semi-final in 1994, when his long-levered assault on Worcestershire’s then-towering target of 358 in 60 overs so nearly came good. With eight runs needed from two balls, and Benjamin on 25, he launched Stuart Lampitt towards the long-off boundary, but the lanky figure of Tom Moody was waiting on the rope to crush Surrey’s dreams.After retirement, Benjamin remained close to Surrey, and turned his focus to coaching at club and school level in his home town of Reigate.Martin Bicknell, Benjamin’s long-term Surrey team-mate, led the tributes to his fellow seamer on Twitter. “Just heard some shocking news about the loss of Joey Benjamin,” he wrote. “Joey was one of a kind, incredibly popular in the Surrey dressing room back in the day, so sad. RIP Benjy.””It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we must report the passing away of Joey Benjamin, long-time and much admired cricket coach at Reigate Priory Cricket Club and previously long-serving coach at Reigate Grammar School,” wrote the club chairman, John Bramhall, in an email to members.”Joey was a good friend to many of us at the club and at the school, and was much loved by those who he taught over the years. We all have good memories of Joey, who was a very special person.”Richard Thompson, Surrey’s chairman, said: “I’ve known Joey for 25 years and have gloried in his triumphs. I particularly remember the final Test at The Oval in 1994, where his performance earned him an Ashes tour. It was a long time coming as anyone who watched him bowl that season would testify.”Everything he did was with a smile and grace. He wore the brown cap very proudly with absolute distinction and will be long remembered at Surrey County Cricket Club. He has been taken too soon.”A Warwickshire statement said: “It is with great sadness that today Warwickshire County Cricket Club has learned of the passing of former fast bowler Joey Benjamin. The thoughts of everyone at Warwickshire CCC are with Joey’s family and close friends at this difficult time.”The ECB said in a statement: “The ECB is saddened to learn of the death of former England bowler Joey Benjamin at the age of 60. Our thoughts are with Joey’s friends and family.”

Veteran commentator says he hadn’t blamed Sharma, and was referring to a video put out during lockdown

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2020Anushka Sharma, India captain Virat Kohli’s wife, has criticised Sunil Gavaskar for his “distasteful” commentary on Thursday and “accusing a wife for her husband’s game”. In an Instagram story posted the day after Kohli’s team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, lost an IPL match comprehensively to Kings XI Punjab, Sharma took objection to a part of the commentary where Gavaskar was discussing Kohli’s lack of practice with co-commentator Aakash Chopra.ESPNcricinfo has reviewed the relevant footage from the Hindi commentary, spread over the second and third overs of Royal Challengers’ chase. This passage took place while Kohli was at the wicket and not after his dismissal, although it did make a mention of the two catches dropped by Kohli earlier in the evening.”[Josh Philippe’s early dismissal] has given Virat Kohli a chance to play more overs [Kohli walked out in the 12th over in RCB’s first match],” Gavaskar said when Kohli walked out. “He dropped two catches in the field. So he knows he has to do something [special].”After a bit of live action, Chopra said just after Kohli was beaten on a pull shot: “Players are playing after a long time. So you can see the rustiness. They are not yet fully ready… If you see his [Kohli’s] IPL record, he is unparalleled. But Sunny, it is not easy to not play any cricket for six to eight months.””Absolutely,” Gavaskar said in response. “He hasn’t had the chance to do the practice you need. He always wants… he knows that the more he practises the better he will be. And during the lockdown, he has only practised against the bowling of Anushka as seen in that video. That is not going to be enough.”Gavaskar was referring to a clip circulated on social media during the lockdown where a neighbour had shot Kohli facing throwdowns from Sharma on the terrace of their house. Chopra then went on to rue the lack of privacy for the couple. Kohli then got out for one, and the conversation moved on.Following the criticism his comment attracted, Gavaskar said he hadn’t blamed Sharma in any way.
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“Firstly, I would like to say, where am I blaming her, I’m not blaming her. I am only saying that the video showed she was bowling to Virat. Virat has only played that much bowling in this lockdown period,” Gavaskar told the channel.”It is a tennis ball fun game that people have to pass time during the lockdown, so that’s all, so where am I blaming her for Virat’s failures.”In her post, Sharma said: “That, Mr Gavaskar, your message is distasteful is a fact but I would love for you to explain why you thought of making such a sweeping statement on a wife accusing her for her husband’s game? I’m sure over the years you have respected the private life of every cricketer while commentating on the game. Don’t you think you should have equal amount of respect for me and us?”I’m sure you can have many other words and sentences in your mind to use to comment on my husband’s performance from last night or are your words only relevant if you use my name in the process?”It’s 2020 and things still don’t change for me. When will I stop getting dragged into cricket and stop being used to pass sweeping statements.”Respected Mr Gavaskar, you are a legend whose name stands tall in this gentleman’s game. Just wanted to tell you what I felt when I heard you say this.”It is also worth mentioning here that when Gavaskar’s comments first went viral on social media, he was misquoted. The initial quote that went around accused Gavaskar of saying, in Hindi, that during lockdown Kohli had practised only with Anushka’s “balls”, and not “bowling” as Gavaskar had originally said.

‘If players aren’t able get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it’

Alan Gardner02-May-2020England batsman Jason Roy has conceded that it might “make sense” to postpone this year’s men’s T20 World Cup, with the possibility of travel restrictions and biosecurity issues around the spread of the coronavirus set to impact on the viability of Australia hosting the tournament in October and November as scheduled.While Australia has managed to achieve relatively low numbers of infections and deaths related to Covid-19, and guidelines are already being drawn up with a view to allowing the resumption of professional and recreational sport – possibly as early as later this month – there is a great deal of uncertainty over the global cricket calendar.The ECB has put back the start of the English season until July 1 at the earliest, and delayed the introduction of the Hundred by a year. There have been discussions about continuing the season into October or even taking competitions overseas – although it also remains a possibility that no cricket will be played at all. International tournaments face even greater challenges, with many borders currently closed and less than six months to go before the start of the T20 World Cup.ALSO READ: England tour rearranged for January – SLC chief“If players aren’t able to prepare in the right way and are not able to get over to Australia, then it makes sense to postpone it,” Roy said. “But if it goes ahead, it’s our job to play cricket – and if we’re told we have three weeks to prepare to go and play in the World T20, all the boys will be putting the yards in to make sure we’re ready for that. I think all the boys are on edge, waiting for the call saying, ‘Right, we have a month turnaround or a six-week turnaround. Get in the nets and go hit some balls.’ I think the boys will be as ready as they can be.”While Roy said it would be an “incredible feeling” to be able to return to the field of play, he emphasised that safety was paramount, but added that he placed great faith in the ECB and, in particular England’s limited-overs captain, Eoin Morgan, when it came to decisions about cricket’s resumption.”I’ll do what I’m told by [the] bosses,” Roy said. “I won’t be going to my bosses and saying, ‘Put me in the frontline.’ I’ll just get told what to do. I’m just a pawn in the sporting world.”I’ve got a huge amount of trust in the ECB; I think they will look into every single avenue of all the positives, all the negatives. So, I guess I would trust in what they say, probably have a chat with Morgs and see where his head’s at and go with that. I don’t think I’ll have too many questions, especially when it got to the stage of ‘Right, we’re going to play’, because there’ll be a lot of people in those meetings discussing whether it’s the right thing to do or not.Jason Roy works off the pads•AFP/Getty Images

“I just want to play some cricket to be honest. I think for us to be able to go out there and play some cricket would be an incredible feeling. I feel like a kid again. I guess we’re governed by the government here, we don’t really know what is going on or what the safety measures are. There’s way bigger things out there. I’m more than happy to play behind closed doors, it would just be nice to get out there.”The summer of 2019 was a tumultuous one for Roy, who had to battle back from injury during the ODI World Cup at home and then played a key role in England’s success – including fielding the last ball of the Super Over to help pip New Zealand in the final at Lord’s – and made his Test debut before being dropped at The Oval following a torrid time during the Ashes.He will turn 30 this year, and was set to be a key part of England’s back-to-back T20 World Cup planning, as well maintaining hopes of a Test recall. All that is on hold, but while admitting a lost summer would be “a huge chunk out of my international career”, Roy was keen not to dwell on that aspect of the current shutdown.”I try to concentrate on the now, getting as fit and strong as I can now and hopefully reap those rewards coming towards the end of the year,” he said.”I try not to look at it too negatively. It is a huge shame what is happening now and to be missing this amount of cricket is quite a daunting feeling because you don’t quite know how you are going to feel when you get back. You can watch videos and make yourself feel good and train well but, until you’re facing that first ball in the middle, you don’t really know. You worry after three or four months out of the game, are you going to be able to bat, or whatever?”I think mentally over the last year or so has been the best place I’ve been in, barring the end of the summer. Obviously, the Ashes was a very tough time mentally. I think I’ve been in a fantastic place. All I’ve done is just forward on that. Trying to stay as positive as possible, keep a perspective and look at the bigger picture.”

A round-up of the Regional Four-Day Tournament matches that ended on December 14, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2015
ScorecardFile photo: Tagenarine Chanderpaul struck an important second-innings fifty in Guyana’s victory•WICB Media

Gudakesh Moti, the left-arm spinner who made his first-class debut only a month ago, has taken a fourth five-wicket haul in five matches to entrench Guyana atop the Regional 4-day Tournament points table for 2015-16. He bowled 23.3 overs, allowed a meager 33 runs, and snatched up six wickets to hand Jamaica their second loss of the season, by 117 runs at Sabina Park.Fourth-innings chases are invariably tough, but the hosts’ battling line-up did not do themselves any favours. They had already been bundled out for 146 in their first innings, which was the major reason for their target being 326. In the second innings, as many as six batsmen faced more than fifty balls each, but none of them could reach a score of fifty. That is not to slight the increased determination. Tamar Lambert made 30 off 128, debutant Rovman Powell spent over two hours at the crease for his 23 and Jamaica batted out more than 100 overs in search of the draw, but it wasn’t to be as Motie broke through. The 20-year old dismissed the final six batsmen, including Lambert and Powell to become the top wicket-taker in the competition.That mantle had been with Jamaica’s own left-arm spinner Nikita Miller only a few days ago. He had taken 6 for 46 off 26 overs to restrict Guyana to 189 in their first innings, and claim the top spot. Motie only got one wicket off 11 overs on his first try, but Jamaica didn’t have it much easier as his left-arm team-mate Veerasammy Permaul spun them out with 5 for 25 in 22. 5 overs, an economy rate of 1.09.Guyana claimed a lead of 43, then Tagenarine Chanderpaul became the only batsman with a substantial score in the entire match, a situation his father Shivnarine has come across many a time. Tagenarine made 81 off 249 balls and, with handy contributions down the order, pushed the lead past 300.
ScorecardA string of top-order fifties from Trinidad & Tobago beat a string of lower-order fifties from Windward Islands for the first-innings points in St Lucia.T&T won the toss and their bowlers put on a strong show to reduce Windward Islands to 76 for 5. Then came the rally with Andre Fletcher digging in for 63 off 159 balls and offspinner Shane Shillingford eventually outscoring him with 64 off 161 balls. No. 10 Mervyn Matthew chipped in with 48 runs, including seven fours to drag Windward Islands to 306.T&T had help from the lower order too – No. 10 Marlon Richards whacked 60 off 58 balls with five sixes – but their total of 382 was set up by No. 3 Yannic Cariah’s 70 off 216 balls and middle-order batsman Yannick Ottley’s 99 off 218 balls, with 12 fours. They took a lead of 76 runs, and the subsequent seven points that came with it. Left-arm fast bowler Kevin McClean took 4 for 66.Windward Islands then batted out 81.4 overs and were at 189 for 8 when the match came to a close. It was a slow moving draw, with the run-rate less than three in all three innings Devon Smith made 56 off 186 balls at the top of the line-up and Shillingford again showed his capability to bat by spending 94 balls at the crease for his 34, which included 4 sixes.

Gary Kirsten has decided not to renew his contract as South Africa coach

Firdose Moonda10-May-2013Gary Kirsten’s tenure in charge of South Africa will end on July 31 after he decided not to renew his contract for a further two years. Kirsten, who was appointed in 2011, cited the needs of his sons, Joshua and James and daughter, Joanna, who are all under the age of 10, as the only reason for him opting not to continue to be in charge of the team he took to No.1 on the Test rankings. His last assignment will be the Champions Trophy in England before he settles in to spend more time with his family.”I feel I can no longer cope with the lengthy periods of separation from my family that this job demands,” Kirsten admitted. “Last year, I had 250 days away from Cape Town, my home. I believe my absentia as a father is compromising my responsibilities to my family. I’ve just had five weeks at home now, which is the longest period I have had there for a few years and I began to realise the impact my absence as a father has had on my family.”When Kirsten took the job as South Africa coach, he made it plain to his employers, CSA, that his first priority was to his family. His contract included terms relating to the amount of time he could spend at home, even during the season and on tours, because he did not want the job to rob him of his primary role of husband and father.At the time, he and his wife, Deborah had a policy in place about the maximum number of days they would spend apart – 21. Kirsten also assured her if the separation ever became “unbearable”, he would not continue as coach. He has now decided it has reached those levels and Deborah was among the most surprised by that conclusion.”I don’t think she believed me when I said I was not going to renew,” Kirsten said. “But that’s how I feel about the importance of the institution of family. I don’t want to be a statistic so that when my kids are grown up, they say they didn’t see their dad. Right from the outset of my contract, it was a concern – how I would be able to manage the time apart. I even considered doing only one format of the game but we felt it would be unfair on many people. The last five weeks at home have made me more aware of my responsibilities.”Kirsten denied that political reasons pushed him, although there was some suspicion he was under pressure for a slow transformation rate, especially in Test cricket. Although South Africa has not had a quota system in place for several years, it was widely frowned upon that no black African played in the longest format for South Africa during Kirsten’s time in charge. “No, that has nothing to do with it. I’ve given my reasons and those are 100%,” he said.Kirsten leaves South African cricket in a healthy state at Test level, where he had the best record of all past coaches. The team won 63% of the Tests they played and Kirsten was the only coach who took them to No. 1 in the world with victory over England. “The Test team moved to new heights,” he said. “We’ve got an incredibly strong senior player base. They are the heartbeat of the team and they drive the values and the culture of the team, so I move away very comfortable that that is in place.”His limited-overs returns were not as striking. So far, Kirsten is the third-worst performing coach in the fifty-over game with a win percentage of only 56%. He conceded, “performances in ODIs and Twenty20s haven’t been where we wanted them to be. But we’ve built a good base of players.”After winning the World Cup with India in 2011, Kirsten was widely thought to be the man who would help South Africa finally lift that trophy. But he said that was never part of his plans. “It was not my intention to go to the World Cup. My work is part of a process to help the players and South African cricket reach the goals they want to reach,” he said, although he did have some advice for the man who takes South Africa to the 2015 event. “Going into the World Cup in two years, we don’t have to shift the team around too much.”Kirsten has one more chance to achieve success in the fifty-over format with the team in a month’s time. He pledged to approach the Champions Trophy with “renewed vigour,” but after that family will have him around almost full-time.Kirsten confirmed he will not seek any other employment immediately although he will not rule out contributing to South Africa in a consultancy role. “I like to think my time is not done. I don’t think I will ever leave coaching but it would have to be in a way that suits my needs,” he said.CSA will appoint a committee to handle the appointment of the new coach, who will take over for the limited-overs series in Sri Lanka in July and August. Kirsten himself could be involved in the process and hinted his assistant, Russell Domingo may be best placed to take over.”My relationship with Russell has always been a close one. He is passionate and clinical and he has done a lot of coaching. I have no doubt that he is very capable of doing high-level coaching jobs,” he said. Domingo and bowling coach Allan Donald’s contracts also expire at the end of July and they will only know if they will continue in their roles after the new head coach has been appointed.Donald appears interested in continuing. He is currently coaching Pune Warriors in the IPL and told ESPNcricinfo that if it was up to him, he would stay on. “I spoke to Gary personally a couple of days ago and I respect his decision 100%,” he said. “At the moment we are very focused on the Champions Trophy and I’m sure that this team needs no motivation to go and win this tournament for Gary. As far as I’m concerned, we’ve just got to let this whole thing take its course and, for me, there is no decision to be made about my future with the Proteas.”

A round-up of the Pentangular Cup matches that took place on January 26

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2012Shahzaib Hasan and Faisal Iqbal scored centuries to give Sind a huge lead against Baluchistan on the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. Resuming on 127 for 1, with Hasan on 66, Sind were dismissed for 487, leading by 323 runs. Hasan scored 119 off 129 deliveries, while Faisal’s century was more rapid – 112 off 134 deliveries. There were useful contributions from Fahad Iqbal (68) and Mohammad Sami (48) as well. Fast bowler Rahat Ali took 5 for 106 for Baluchistan but was unable to prevent Sind from taking firm control of the Pentangular Cup game.Punjab dismissed Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province for 210 and then reached 95 for 1 on the first day of their Pentangular Cup match at the at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Raza Hasan took 5 for 80 after Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chose to bat, and he was supported by Asif Raza, who took 3 for 29. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were in fact in danger of not reaching 200, but the No. 9 Khalid Usman scored 59 off 48 balls to lift them from 144 for 7. No other batsman made more than 50 in the innings. Punjab lost Nasir Jamshed for 8 in their reply but Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Malik steered them through to stumps without further loss. Shehzad scored 57 off 77 balls in Punjab’s 95.