Category Uncategorized

David Warner’s 156 off 128 balls – his seventh ODI hundred in 2016 – headlined Australia’s 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand

The Report by Daniel Brettig at the MCG09-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDifferent crowd, different context, similar result. Australia returned to the scene of their 2015 World Cup final hiding of New Zealand and duly inflicted another enormous defeat on the visitors, completing the first clean sweep of a Chappell-Hadlee series in a decade, in front of a far smaller gathering than last time.Only 20,591 spectators were on hand to see the heavy lifting done by the vice-captain David Warner, who soared to his second ODI hundred in as many innings and seventh of the year, in conditions far more challenging than those prepared for either of the first two matches of the series.Warner’s innings was all the more laudable for the fact that most batsmen found scoring difficult on a slow and capricious pitch. After his 156, the next best score on either side was a doughty supporting hand of 37 by Travis Head, part of the only century stand of the match.On a chilly December day in Melbourne, the visitors had bowled with accuracy to some nifty plans devised by the captain Kane Williamson, notably catching out Aaron Finch and Steven Smith with a fielder placed at a shortish square leg. However Warner endured through the difficult passages and accelerated during a rearguard stand with Head, reaching his century, then going on to guide the Australians to a total that proved well beyond New Zealand.Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood both proved fiendishly difficult to counter in the evening, while Head made a further contribution to the match with the wickets of Martin Guptill and BJ Watling. James Faulkner chimed in with the vital dismissal of Williamson. The failure of New Zealand’s batsmen to make any impression on the scoreboard undermined some decent work earlier in the day by their bowlers, Warner’s excellence excepted.Trent Boult performed nicely for New Zealand, while the recalled Lockie Ferguson again demonstrated the high pace he is able to generate from a fast-arm action. It was Ferguson who came closest to dismissing Warner early on, but Henry Nicholls was unable to cling onto a difficult, diving outfield chance when the opener was on 18.The hosts had gone in with an unchanged team for the third match, retaining their fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins while also continuing to ignore the all-round skills of Glenn Maxwell. New Zealand had to leave out Jimmy Neesham due to continued pain in the arm that was struck by Starc in Canberra, while also recalling Ferguson at the expense of Matt Henry.Mitchell Starc blasted out Henry Nicholls and Colin Munro with lethal reverse-swinging yorkers•AFP

While the new ball did not swing a great deal, Boult bowled the ideal lines to coax Finch and Smith into false strokes towards the leg side that were snapped up by Nicholls. Smith’s wicket was a particular source of satisfaction after his tall scores in the first two matches of the series.George Bailey, again showcasing his backside-to-the-bowler stance, hung around to add 62 with Warner, but when his dismissal by Colin de Grandhomme was swiftly followed by Mitchell Marsh being bowled off bat and body, the Australians were in difficult straits.Warner was able to find a useful ally in Head, who struggled with timing but was at least able to rotate the strike and form a partnership, ultimately worth 105. That stand gave the hosts something to work with, and Warner was able to push on further once he passed three figures, surging beyond 150 and only being dismissed via a run out on the final ball of the innings.Matthew Wade and James Faulkner had provided some support at the back end of the innings, ensuring Australia were able to set New Zealand a total of good value on a sluggish pitch and expansive outfield. Guptill and Tom Latham made a fair start to the chase, reaching 44 in good time before Pat Cummins coaxed Latham into granting another catch to square leg, this time patrolled by Faulkner.Williamson was pinned in front of the stumps by Faulkner from around the wicket, and two overs later Guptill cracked Head’s very first ball into the outstretched hands of Bailey at cover. Nicholls was comprehensively yorked by Starc, and when Watling was found to be lbw to Head on a DRS review the game was all but up.Smith ended the match with another ripping catch, this time diving to his right at slip. While a vast match and series victory over a New Zealand side lacking both confidence and sharpness, this was no World Cup final. By their restrained celebrations it was clear that both Australian players and spectators alike were well aware of this fact.

Alex Hales made 99 and Jos Buttler an unbeaten 48 from 28 balls as England took a 2-0 lead in their five-match ODI series against South Africa

The Report by David Hopps06-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSt George’s Park, the oldest of South Africa’s international venues, stayed true to its nature by overseeing a one-day international with an old-fashioned flavour on an inhibiting surface. A keenly-fought affair, in which both innings seemed locked together throughout, had the makings of a last-over nail-biter. Instead, thanks to Jos Buttler’s sudden lift of tempo, it fell England’s way by five wickets with 20 balls to spare.Inhibitions? Not when you have just won your first IPL contract and are nearly £400,000 richer. Buttler gave the impression he would have played just as freely on the cobbled streets of his native Somerset as he logged an unbeaten 48 from 28 balls.Three successive fours off Kyle Abbott, the first of them streaky (where was South Africa’s slip?) then three sixes in a row off Imran Tahir in the following over sent England scooting to victory. South Africa’s pace bowling had gone up a notch since their defeat in Bloemfontein but they now trail 2-0 in the five-match series.It was Alex Hales’ 99 from 124 balls that placed England for victory, although there was work to be done when he was fifth out with 59 needed from 52 balls – caught down the leg side pulling at Abbott with visions of a hundred. Front-foot pushes and crafted singles had supplanted what has become the common avalanche of sixes but the incoming Buttler recognised only a day of dreamy blue skies.Hales has played more exciting innings, he has played fine innings in more draining conditions, but this was one of his most judicious ODI affairs. The Test series did not advertise the emergence of a rounder game, but his selectivity did here. With the exception of AB de Villiers, whose 73 from 91 balls was a notable return to form, he managed the conditions better than anybody.Abbott, fit again after hamstring trouble, put in a combative shift, a bowler of great physicality, nipping one through to gate to bowl Jason Roy for 14 – Norton anti-virus would insist on a patch to stem that weakness. Root was at his most conservative, labouring 64 balls over 38 before he tried to advance to Abbott and deflected a rising ball into his stumps.Eoin Morgan came in at No 4 – shrewdly, no promotion for Buttler on this occasion with grafting to be done – and kept England in touch with the rate with judicious sixes against Imran Tahir and Farhaan Behardien before Morkel defeated his blow-down-the-ground shot with a wide cutter.Stokes’ fate was an eventful duck. Tahir nearly had him twice in an over, sweep and reverse sweep both failing in turn with a review needed to spare him on the second occasion. In the next over he deflected Morkel into his stumps. The pressure was on England, but not, it became evident, on Buttler.Financially, Chris Morris was even better served than Buttler by the IPL auction – he was sitting on a cool million dollars after a bidding frenzy that eventually saw him move to Delhi Daredevils. No matter: he had to watch from the outer. South Africa, seemingly of different persuasion, dropped both him and his Bloemfontein new-ball partner Marchant de Lange.The match did not turn solely on Buttler’s late merrymaking – Chris Jordan also played a crucial part in South Africa’s innings. De Villiers came into the match with three successive ducks to end the Test series and 8 in the opening ODI, but he did the hard yards, his form flooded back and he signalled his intentions as South Africa reached the last 10 overs by lashing Jordan over midwicket for six.But Jordan is a multi-faceted cricketer, dangerous with the bat, outperformed by few at slip and in the deep, and when de Villiers failed to middle another mighty hit over the leg side off Ben Stokes in the following over, Jordan was equal to the challenge.It was a hugely difficult catch, a white ball falling out of a blue sky, a swirling breeze strong enough to fleck the sea and shake the branches of the trees outside the ground holding the ball just within range: Jordan’s range anyway as he dashed back full tilt to take the ball over his shoulder at mid-on with remarkable poise.De Villiers had built his own stage in the early part of South Africa’s innings but the final onslaught which could have carried the game away from England never materialised. Only 64 came from the last 10 – respectable but not a game changer.By the 20th over, South Africa had been three down for 98, Hashim Amla bowled when Reece Topley’s semblance of inswing developed into something straighter, Quinton de Kock’s bountiful run of form ended when Stokes had him lbw with a fullish delivery, and du Plessis’ confident innings fell just short of a half-century when Adil Rashid found drift and turn to have him caught at slip.Rashid and Moeen Ali throttled the mid-innings, both stints completed by the 37th over. That left a lot of onus on Jordan, and he could have done without Buttler spilling a very acceptable catch, one-handed to his left, when JP Duminy tried to run him to third man on 37. Five overs for 33 did not flatter him, but the catch released him from his troubles and Topley, maintaining a full length, squeezed South Africa to a chaseable total.A slow pitch was to get slower still. The breeze was lifting. The match was in the balance. Hales got a break on 17 when he scrunched a full toss from Tahir into no-man’s land and played with great responsibility. Then came Buttler, the liveliest breeze of all.

Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, believes that some of the players could be playing for their careers come the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval

Brydon Coverdale13-Aug-2013Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, has said that some members of the squad could be playing for their careers during the final Investec Ashes Test at The Oval next week. Lehmann said the loss at Chester-le-Street on Monday was “bloody hard” and that Australia should have won “quite comfortably” given the strong platform set by the openers Chris Rogers and David Warner, who contributed to a start of 147 for 1 in a chase of 299.But the loss of No.3 Usman Khawaja, lbw to Graeme Swann, then Michael Clarke to a ripper from Stuart Broad, Steven Smith hooking a bouncer down onto his stumps, and Shane Watson and Brad Haddin walking across their stumps to be lbw meant a collapse of 6 for 34, leaving far too much work for the tail. Lehmann said the continued failure of the Australians to stand up at the big moments meant there was much on the line at The Oval.”Yep. There is nothing wrong with that. I’m happy for you to write whatever you write there,” Lehmann said when asked if players could be playing for their careers. “To play for Australia, you have to perform to a level that’s acceptable to everyone in our team, and also the Australian public and the media, and at the moment we’re not doing that.”I think they’ve fought really hard and they’ve shown glimpses of challenging a really good side obviously, but we haven’t done that consistently enough. So we’ll back them as we have and we will continue to back them, but at the end of the day performances count.”From our point of view the blokes have got to learn. If they don’t learn we will find blokes that will … If they’re not, and making the same mistakes, then we’ve got to change, and that’s a simple fact of cricket and results.”The manner in which several of the Australians got themselves out during the chase was especially frustrating to Lehmann, who simply wanted his men to play straight. England’s bowlers, Stuart Broad in particular, bowled well after tea and dried up the runs, but Lehmann said several of the Australian batsmen had contributed just as much to their downfall.”Blokes are missing straight ones. That doesn’t help,” Lehmann said. “I thought Warner got a good ball, to be fair, Clarke got a ripper and probably Rogers got a decent ball. The rest should have played a lot straighter and they know that.”The one silver lining for Australia on the fourth day was the 109-run opening stand between Warner and Rogers, Australia’s best opening partnership in a Test chase since 1995. Warner played a mature innings that mixed defence with a desire to score, and Rogers added to his first-innings 110 with a tenacious 49, leaving them locked in as the opening combination for the time being.”The way they played today, yes,” Lehmann said when asked if Warner and Rogers could stay at the top for the next year or so. “Warner was very good today. I was very impressed with him today and Rogers has been probably the find of the tour for us, the way he has gone about it, and his demeanour off the field and what he brings to the playing group as an experienced player. So I have been really impressed with both of them.”So much so that when Lehmann was asked if Watson would be considered at The Oval if he was unable to bowl due to his hip/groin injury, he responded that “no-one’s guaranteed, apart from Michael Clarke and Chris Rogers, I would think”. The Australians travel to Northampton this week for a two-day tour match ahead of the final Test.

Trent Johnson will captain the Ireland squad for the Intercontinental Cup and the RSA Series one-day internationals against The Netherlands in August

Cricinfo staff30-Jul-2010Trent Johnston will captain the Ireland squad for the Intercontinental Cup and the RSA Series one-day internationals against The Netherlands in August. He will be standing in for William Porterfield, who is unavailable due to county commitments with Gloustershire.Ireland will also be without opening bowler Boyd Rankin, who will be on duty for Warwickshire, and wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien, who underwent surgery on his damaged finger last week and is expected to be out of action for about two months.Gary Wilson, who top scored for Ireland in their last ODI against Bangladesh, will don the gloves in place of O’Brien.Ireland Squad: Trent Johnston (capt), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, James Hall, John Mooney, Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson (wk), Craig Young, Nigel Jones (ODI’s only)

Ireland are targeting victories in their two ODIs against Bangladesh this summer

Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2010Ireland are targeting victories in their two ODIs against Bangladesh this summer – at Stormont on July 15 and 16 – as a chance to gain valuable ranking points and as an important benchmark for the side as they attempt to assert their readiness to step up to cricket’s top level.”For the last three years or so, we have targeted matches against the lower-ranked full members as the most important means of measuring our progress and determining our readiness to step up to the elite level,” said Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive.”All our players will be aware of the perception that strong results against Test-playing countries create, and will be keen to maximise home advantage to good effect in the year that we are applying to move higher in the international firmament.”Ireland coach Phil Simmons sees the games as a chance to test his side ahead of the World Cup in 2011, where they will meet Bangladesh in the group stage at Dhaka. “It’s great that we have a chance to play them on home soil,” he said. “We lost to them badly in 2008 in Bangladesh but on our home turf I’d be confident of doing well.”We have beaten them in both the 2007 World Cup and in the World Twenty20 last year, so I don’t think there’s much to choose from between the two teams. It’s a great opportunity for us to gain valuable ranking points.”

Their statement is in response to criticism that called on CSA to boycott Afghanistan for the Taliban government’s treatment of women

Firdose Moonda19-Sep-2024Cricket South Africa has confirmed it will continue to engage Afghanistan in bilateral fixtures because it does not believe in punishing the men’s team for the Taliban’s actions in their home country.CSA’s statement comes in response to severe criticism including from activist organisation Lawyers for Human Rights, which said that by playing Afghanistan, South Africa were tacitly endorsing a repressive regime and called for CSA to boycott Afghanistan. The Taliban government has not only banned women from playing sport but from most areas of public life which the South African government has expressed grave concern over while not calling for outright sanction. CSA has taken a similar approach.In a statement issued on Thursday, CSA confirmed that although it believes “women’s cricket deserves equal recognition and success,” it would not unilaterally isolate the Afghanistan men’s team for its country’s government policy.Related

• South Africa sports minister: Afghanistan at Champions Trophy is 'hypocritical and immoral'

• Rashid's birthday five-for, Gurbaz's ton give Afghanistan series win

• Inexperienced SA brace for Afghanistan challenge amid loud backlash

• Temba Bavuma echoes SACA's stand for women's rights in Afghanistan

• SA reaffirms support for women's cricket ahead of Afghanistan series

“CSA remains mindful that gender equity should never come at the expense of one gender over another,” the statement said. “We recognise that advocating for the advancement of one gender should not undermine the rights of the other. CSA believes there is no justification for subjecting Afghan cricket players – both male and female – to secondary persecution for the actions of the Taliban. We will continue to engage with member countries within the formal structures of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to address this matter.”CSA’s stance is also in line with the position of the ICC, which is wary of banning Afghanistan despite their being the only Full Member without a women’s side. ESPNcricinfo understands that among the complexities of forcing the ACB field a women’s team is the risk it could take of retribution from the Taliban, which could include putting those women’s lives at risk.Cricket Australia, on the other hand, has taken the opposite position and on advice from its government has refused to play Afghanistan bilaterally in protest against human rights abuses. CSA does not believe this tactic will be effective and prefers to apply a wide lens on the issue. “Gender advocacy in cricket should never be advanced by meting out punishment on innocent cricket administrators and players for the misdemeanours of a regime that stands to lose nothing from that punishment,” its statement said.South Africa are in a unique position to comment such as this because they were banned from international sport themselves from 1970, as a global response to the Apartheid regime. One of the continued discussion points of their isolation was what it would do to sporting careers. At the time, only white South Africans were allowed to represent South Africa, while people of colour had no hope of a professional sports career. South Africa were readmitted after two decades and questions over racial representation remain part of their reality. When asked whether the banning of their organisation also punished administrators and players, an insider pointed out that while it did, it was not effective in advocating for change. “The apartheid government continued with its atrocious policies despite their athletes being banned from international sport. What truly broke the camel’s back were economic sanctions.”CSA also argues that the situation at the ACB is slightly different as there were steps being taken to have a women’s team prior to the Taliban takeover. “Any measures we consider must take into account the progress made by the Afghanistan Cricket Board in promoting women’s cricket prior to the Taliban’s ban on female participation in sports in August 2021.”In 2020, the ACB pledged contracts to 25 female players, which showed steps towards creating a women’s team were being made. Those players attended a training camp and were due to play against Oman but the games did not take place. Many of them are now in exile in Australia and have called on the ICC to support the creation of a refugee team for them based at the East Asian Cricket office. It is not known if any of the refugee sportswomen are in South Africa.CSA’s statement is also a nod to the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) who, last week, issued an advisory supporting the promotion of women in cricket and called on CSA to use its leverage to highlight rights for Afghan women. Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s ODI captain, echoed SACA’s sentiments and called women’s rights “something that is quite strong within my own values.”South Africa and Afghanistan are currently playing a three-match ODI series in the UAE. Bavuma missed the first match, which South Africa lost by six wickets, with illness. The second and third ODIs are scheduled to be played on Friday and Sunday. This three-match contest was not on the original Future Tours Programme (FTP) and was sought by CSA and the ACB with a view to preparing for next year’s Champions Trophy.

For CSK, this game comes with barely any time to prepare and against one of the most consistent teams of recent years

Alagappan Muthu11-May-20243:33

Aaron: ‘Ruturaj should open; he shouldn’t be batting at No. 3 at all’

Match details

Chennai Super Kings (4th; W6, L6) vs Rajasthan Royals (2nd; W8, L3)
Chennai, 3.30pm IST (10am GMT)

Big picture: CSK in a spin

Will this be MS Dhoni’s final home game in the IPL? He played through a severe knee injury last year. He has been pushing through side strains and other discomforts this year. Even under that duress, he has produced some vintage moments, but CSK are suddenly in a bit of a fight to make the playoffs.They would ideally want to win both of their two remaining games but this one comes with barely any time to prepare and against one of the most well-rounded teams of recent years. RR don’t have a title to back the claim but they have been the most consistent unit since 2022. Plus, they have won each of the last four meetings against CSK. Central to that is the performance of their spinners, particularly R Ashwin, who has intimate knowledge of how Chepauk behaves. With this being an afternoon game, there is every chance that spin will dictate terms.

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings LWLWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LLWWW

Team news and Impact Player strategy

Chennai Super KingsCSK have carried Ajinkya Rahane all through this campaign and now at the pointy end, they are stuck with a batter who is out of form. Dropping him now and having a youngster take on a role as important as opener might be just as big a risk but they could potentially use Daryl Mitchell up there and make room for Sameer Rizvi down the order as a ten-ball hitter.Likely XII: 1 Rachin Ravindra, , 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 Mitchell Santner, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Tushar Deshpande, 12 Rajasthan RoyalsDonovan Ferreira attended the pre-match press conference, which suggests he might once again make the XI, which in turn suggests Shimron Hetmyer isn’t quite up to speed yet (and there might be a degree of caution in play here since he is part of the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup in June). The other question RR face is between choosing Rovman Powell, who will have it tough on a spinning pitch, and Keshav Maharaj, who is an excellent weapon to have as a bowler, but shortens the batting line-up.Likely XII: , 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shubham Dubey, 6 Donovan Ferreira, 7 Rovman Powell/Keshav Maharaj, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Sandeep Sharma,

In the spotlight: Shivam Dube and Yuzvendra Chahal

Given the expectation of a slow pitch, batters capable of coping with that become instant difference-makers. That is Shivam Dube to a T. With his long reach and incredible power, he has the ability to send good balls soaring over the boundary. Most teams have tried to hide their spinners when he is at the crease – he has faced only 40 balls from them – but RR won’t shrink like that. They have quality in their attack.The Chepauk pitch should suit Yuzvendra Chahal more•AFP/Getty Images

Yuzvendra Chahal has broken back into India’s T20I team through sheer weight of wickets. This is a time when even wristspinners are asked to be quick through the air and Chahal has understood that, occasionally getting the speed gun up to 95kph, but in between those, he still trusts the old, loopy legbreaks that seem like they could go the distance before they end up as catches on the boundary. He has lost some of his form over the last few games – 1 for 48, 0 for 62, 0 for 48, 1 for 41, 0 for 54 – but three of those took place in Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad, which have been extremely high-scoring venues. In Chennai, he might have better luck.

Stats that matter

• The MA Chidambaram stadium is the toughest challenge for a visiting team, with a win percentage of only 27.3%. Therein lies solace for CSK. In a crunch match, against a big team, they will be happy to draw on the strengths of their home crowd and familiar conditions. The only thing is, their fortress has been breached twice already this year.
• Jos Buttler has unfavourable T20 match-ups with Mitchell Santner (80 runs off 70 balls, one dismissal), Moeen Ali (74 off 51, with five dismissals) and even Maheesh Theekshana (51 off 45, no dismissals) if CSK consider bringing him in.
• But if CSK go all in on spin, that brings Yashasvi Jaiswal into the fray. He is a left-hand batter, and Ravindra Jadeja and Santner’s stock ball will be turning into his hitting arc. Jaiswal, in the IPL, averages 67 against spin with a strike rate of 144.
• Sanju Samson vs Jadeja is an all-action match-up with 73 runs in 52 balls and three dismissals.
• Dhoni might not be spending too much time at the crease but it is all by design. He is fulfilling his cameo role perfectly, to the extent that he has the highest strike rate (227) by any batter during the first five balls of their innings this season.
• Ashwin has won eight of the 11 matches he has played against CSK. He has 13 wickets against them at an economy rate of 7.75.

Pitch and conditions

There have only been four day games in Chennai since the end of 2019. Three of them went in favour of the chasing team. Two of them produced sub-140 totals by the team batting first. That’s when the ball holds in the pitch, and when the evening comes, it gets better to hit through the line. The problem with chasing, though, is that team will have to spend a lot of time melting away in 40°C heat.

Quotes

“I don’t think really that you can be 100% prepared because this heat and this humidity is crazy. But hopefully we’ve been training in this heat and this humidity the last two days so that should condition us to be ready for the game

Commanding unbeaten 165 leaves newly relegated attack looking toothless once more

ECB Reporters Network12-Apr-2024Opener Emilio Gay struck a stylish, commanding 165 not out, the fifth first-class century of his career, as Northamptonshire took full advantage of being put into bat against Middlesex. The hosts finished in a dominant position on 311 for three on day one of this Vitality County Championship match at Wantage Road.Gay, 24 on Sunday, celebrated his birthday early, striking his highest first-class score off 272 balls with 17 boundaries.He found a supportive partner in his skipper Luke Procter who hit 73 in a 189-run stand in 65.2 overs, eclipsing Northamptonshire’s previous highest second-wicket partnership against Middlesex (179) set by Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely in 2010.Middlesex’s bowlers, who were punished after inserting Glamorgan at Lord’s last week, must have had a sense of déjà vu but stuck diligently to their task on a largely docile wicket, deploying the short ball as the day wore on in a bid to make inroads with the Kookaburra ball.They had cause to celebrate themselves when Ryan Higgins removed opener Jason Broad lbw in the second over of the day. But the next breakthrough would not come until after tea as Procter and Gay took control.Once Procter fell to spinner Josh de Caires, Gay shared an 86-run stand with Karun Nair (41) before the Indian batter played on to a delivery that jagged back from Toby Roland-Jones.The day was also memorable in that Northamptonshire secured their first home batting points of 2024 – a feat they did not achieve until 26 September last year.Procter picked up where he left off after making 92 against Sussex. He was solid in defence, but played some crisp attacking shots during the morning, driving opposite number Roland-Jones down the ground and striking Tom Helm through square for four.Gay at times looked vulnerable outside off-stump early on, playing and missing against the seamers when they found some movement. But he grew in fluency, playing some attractive clips off his legs, taking on the short ball, and driving firmly down the ground. A highlight of the morning session was a classy drive for four through the covers off Helm.The pair had taken Northamptonshire to 106 for one at lunch and it appeared as if they would continue scoring at the same pace after the break as Gay pulled Helm disdainfully through midwicket.Scoring slowed significantly though, with just 24 runs coming in the first hour of the afternoon. Procter grew becalmed in the forties, eventually posting his half-century off 126 balls.As Middlesex banged the ball in short, Roland-Jones struck Procter under the armpit, but otherwise the Northamptonshire captain was largely happy to duck out of the way. Gay took a more attacking approach, his pull shots were mostly well controlled, although at times he kept the leg-side fielders interested.The scoring rate increased as tea approached, Procter taking full advantage of a full toss from de Caires, smiting it over midwicket for the first six of the innings.Gay then reached three figures in style by rocking back and slashing Higgins through point for his ninth boundary.After the interval, Procter put another de Caires full toss away to the ropes, but when he attacked the spinner’s next over, he could only pick out Helm at mid on to leave Northamptonshire on 190 for two. He had faced 194 balls and hit six fours and one six.Karun Nair cut de Caires behind square for four but was troubled by a couple of well-directed short balls from Helm, fending one away which fell safely between a group of advancing close catchers. But he found the sweep and reverse sweep profitable as he took consecutive boundaries off de Caires and soon settled into the groove.Gay meanwhile continued on his way, backing away to slice Helm through the covers and using his feet to de Caires to drive him through the same area.With Northamptonshire approaching 250, Middlesex took the new ball. Ethan Bamber and Roland-Jones found helpful movement off the seam, but Gay looked untroubled, playing an exquisite shot off his legs and a glorious cover drive shortly before stumps.

Litton has been called up by Bangladesh to face Ireland in a three-match ODI series between May 9 and 14

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2023Two-time T20 World Cup champion Johnson Charles has joined Kolkata Knight Riders for the remainder of IPL 2023 as a replacement player for Litton Das.Charles, a member of the West Indies team that was crowned champions in 2012 and 2016, brings with him extensive experience at the top of the batting order. He has opened in 179 of his 219 T20 innings, averaging 25.47 and striking at 125.72. He is, however, only just reacquainting himself with international cricket.Charles spent six years out of the West Indies set up, returning in October 2022 and playing seven T20Is since. He made a 39-ball century against South Africa in March. This will be the 34 year-old’s first stint in the IPL, having previously been part of franchise leagues in the Caribbean, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.Litton had left the Knight Riders camp earlier this month to attend to a medical emergency in his family. He played only one game in IPL 2023 having been bought for INR 50 lakh (approx USD 60,000) at the auction in December last year. Litton had also been called up to play for Bangladesh in an ODI series against Ireland starting next week. He would have missed three of the Knight Riders’ four remaining matches as they continue to fight for a place in the playoffs.KKR have been struggling for stability at the top this season, having gone through six opening combinations in nine games. Their first wicket partnership averages 21.33 – only Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals fare worse – and has crossed fifty just once.Charles, brought in for INR 50 lakh (approx USD 60,000), does have some experience batting in the middle order as well. He’s hit two of his three T20 centuries from Nos. 3 and 4, which may come in handy given KKR have two other players who present an attractive package as opening batters.Rahmanullah Gurbaz was in top form in thelr last game – a loss to Gujarat Titans – and Jason Roy showcased excellent skill, especially against spin, in two of his three innings so far. If these two keep their spots, Charles may not get a lot of game time considering Andre Russell and Sunil Narine walk into the XI every time they’re fit. IPL teams can only pick four overseas players for each game.Knight Riders, currently eighth on the points table, face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday and have matches scheduled with Punjab Kings (May 8), Rajasthan Royals (May 11), Chennai Super Kings (May 14) and Lucknow Super Giants (May 20).

Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver displayed all of their international experience in steering Surrey Stars to their first Kia Super League victory

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2016
ScorecardTammy Beaumont struck 47 in Surrey Stars’ chase•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont and Nat Sciver displayed all of their international experience in steering Surrey Stars to their first Kia Super League victory, chasing down the 135 set for them by Yorkshire Diamonds with six wickets in hand and 11 balls to spare.In front of 2250 people at The Oval, England opener Beaumont compiled an assured 47, contributing to stands of 65 for the first wicket with Bryony Smith and 57 for the third with Sciver, who was unbeaten on 29 when clobbering the winning runs behind square leg.Earlier, Alex Hartley was crucial with the ball. The visitors had gotten off to a flyer, 72 without loss at the half way mark with Hollie Armitage and Lauren Winfield batting with ease. It was the left-arm spinner who removed them both in the space of three balls, Winfield caught and bowled for 29 then Armitage bowled for 43.It was the catalyst for an excellent second ten overs for the hosts, restricting the Diamonds to 5 for 62 in that period. Hartley was the clear stand out with 2 for 18 from her four overs without conceding a single boundary, while seamers Sciver and Rene Farrell bowled with considerable control at the death of the innings.Surrey’s fielding also improved dramatically, after twice dropping early chances Sciver executed a superb direct hit run out of dangerous Australian Beth Mooney, her throw released in one motion after completing a diving stop.In reply, Surrey’s innings followed in a similar fashion to the first, the openers able to see off the initial threat from England spearhead Katherine Brunt before 19-year-old Smith took the quick for three consecutive boundaries in the fifth over to turbocharge the chase.Her 50 stand with Beaumont was raised in 35 balls, and the score was 65 before Yorkshire made their first breakthrough when Smith was deceived one of Jenny Gunn’s myriad slower balls, a top edge taken at short third man.A sharp stumping from Mooney, also off the bowling of Gunn, removed No. 3 Cordelia Griffith shortly thereafter, bringing Sciver to the crease to join Beaumont with a further 62 needed at just under a run a ball.But it was the pace of Brunt that again helped the batting side when it mattered most, 13 taken from the 14th over (including three wides) to take Surrey score beyond 100, making the final result a relative formality.After the hard work was done Beaumont holed out with five required for victory, appropriate reward for offspinner Steph Butler who impressed in her first game of the tournament.With two losses to start the start their season, Yorkshire now have no margin for error. Their next fixture is at Southampton on Monday against the Southern Vipers.Meanwhile for the winners, after squaring their ledger at one and one they play the Western Storm on Sunday at Bristol.