All posts by n8rngtd.top

The holders were handed their sixth defeat of the North Group campaign by a Bears team which remains in the qualification race thanks to a solid bowling display

ECB Reporters Network09-Aug-2018
ScorecardNotts Outlaws’ hold on the Vitality Blast trophy hangs by a thread after a six-wicket defeat to Birmingham Bears at Edgbaston.The holders were handed their sixth defeat of the North Group campaign by a Bears team which remains in the qualification race thanks to a solid bowling display backed up by batting fireworks from Ian Bell and Colin de Grandhomme.Put in, Notts totalled 152 for 8 with only Samit Patel lasting more than 20 balls against a well-drilled attack led by Black caps pair Grant Elliott and Jeetan Patel with good support from Oliver Hannon-Dalby.When Birmingham were 63 for 3 in reply, the game was evenly poised but Bell and de Grandhomme added 79 in 46 balls to turn the pursuit into a cruise. Victory arrived with 22 balls to spare.The Bears will travel to Lancashire tomorrow with qualification hopes still alive, though with still no margin for error in their last three games, a situation which also applies to Notts, starting at home to Yorkshire tomorrow.Notts Outlaws coach Peter Moores said: “”We were a little bit under par at 152, we thought 165 was probably par. There wasn’t much difference to the scores after about nine overs but then Ian Bell took the game to us and used the short boundary very well. They hit ten sixes which made a huge dent in the total. We have not become a bad side overnight; we just haven’t played well enough.”The Outlaws struggled early on as spinner Jeetan Patel opened from the Pavilion End with a spell of 3-0-17-2. After Rikki Wessels lifted Hannon-Dalby to Adam Hose at deep square leg, Patel had Tom Moores caught by Hose at long off then bowled Alex Hales through a misjudged pull.That left the Outlaws 27 for 3in the fourth over but Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney rebuilt with a stand of 52 in 42 balls before the latter hoisted Hannon-Dalby to long on.Patel’s polished innings ended when he lifted Aaron Thomason to mid-on. Dan Christian soon became Elliott’s 17th victim of the Blast campaign and though Jake Libby and Billy Root landed some blows in a seventh-wicket stand of 36 in four overs, the Outlaws came in looking well under par.Ed Pollock launched the Bears’ reply with two sixes in the first over but he and Hose sent up skiers and then an excellent over from Mullaney cost just one run and brought the wicket of Hain, caught in the deep.But Bell motored classily on, passing 500 Blast runs for the season with a six pulled over mid-wicket of Ish Sodhi, and de Grandhomme was soon peppering the stands with big hits to the delight of the majority in another big Edgbaston crowd.

Malinga, who last played in an international against India last September, has made a comeback after being snubbed for the one-off T20I against South Africa in August

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2018Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been recalled to a 16-man Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup, despite not having played in Sri Lanka’s provincial one-day tournament in May and June this year. Malinga, 35, has, however, consistently been playing domestic T20 cricket in Sri Lanka. He had last played an international in September last year.

Sri Lanka squad

Angelo Mathews (capt), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Danushka Gunathilaka, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Dilruwan Perera, Amila Aponso, Kasun Rajitha, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Malinga
Standby: Shehan Madushanka, Nuwan Pradeep, Lakshan Sadakan, Shehan Jayasuriya, Niroshan Dickwella

Danushka Gunathilaka, who was suspended for the limited-overs leg of the recent South Africa series for breaking curfew on a Test-match night in July, is also back in the side, following good performances in the ongoing provincial T20 competition. But there is no such luck for legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay – another player who had recently been sanctioned over a disciplinary breach. Sri Lanka have instead opted for the left-arm spin of Amila Aponso, who has been in and out of the Sri Lanka team for the last two years, and the offspin of Dilruwan Perera, who last played limited-overs cricket in April 2017.The specialist seam-bowling contingent, meanwhile, comprises of four players. In addition to Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera returns to the ODI side following an injury layoff, while Suranga Lakmal and Kasun Rajitha have also been named. There is no place for Lahiru Kumara, who played in the recent ODI series against South Africa.Niroshan Dickwella’s omission was the only major surprise on the batting front. Dickwella had hit 2, 69, 10, 34 and 43 in the recent series against South Africa, but was nevertheless excluded. Shehan Jayasuriya, the spin-bowling allrounder, also failed to retain his place following modest showings against South Africa, while seam-bowling allrounder Dasun Shanaka makes it to the squad thanks to his strong performances in the same series. Dinesh Chandimal, who sat out the series against South Africa largely due to an ICC-imposed spirit-of-cricket suspension, is back in the squad.Malinga’s inclusion represents something of a climbdown for the selectors, who had long insisted that he plays in domestic cricket in order to stand a chance of being selected for the national team. Although Malinga has generally performed well in domestic T20 cricket this year, he had chosen to complete a consulting stint with Mumbai Indians at the IPL this year instead of playing the premier one-day tournament in the Sri Lanka domestic calendar. In July, coach Chandika Hathurusingha had also said that Malinga’s fielding needed to be of a good standard in order for him to be considered for selection, but importantly, neither Hathurusingha or the selectors had shut the door on him. In the ongoing T20 provincial competition Malinga has an economy rate of 8.62 – mostly bowling at the death – with three wickets in six games.The Asia Cup will be played from September 15-28 in the UAE.

It was also the first outright result in a first-class match at the MCG since February 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2018Marcus Harris celebrates his century•Getty Images

Victoria moved a game clear at the top of the Sheffield Shield table by claiming the last New South Wales wicket for an innings and 107-run victory at the MCG, the ground’s first outright result in a first-class match since February 2017.Scott Boland bowled Mickey Edwards with his last ball of the second over of day four to conclude the match, also handing the one-time Australian ODI paceman handsome innings figures of 6 for 49 and a match return of 8 for 84. However, the match award went unsurprisingly to the left-handed opener Marcus Harris, who was comfortably the difference between the teams in compiling an unbeaten 250 in the home side’s only innings.That performance, at a time when Australia’s selectors are desperate for batsmen to show themselves worthy of selection at the highest level, will mean Harris can make a concerted case for his own inclusion in the team to face India, especially if he puts up more high scores in the remaining Shield rounds before the squad is selected for the first Test in Adelaide from December 6.Another potential Test batsman, the NSW vice-captain Kurtis Patterson, contributed a double of 63 and 53, maintaining his extraordinary consistency but also a tendency to fall short of major scores – he has only five first-class centuries in 54 matches.This match was the first at the MCG since considerable work by the ground staff to prepare pitches with a better balance between bat and ball, after all five fixtures resulted in draws last season. That tally included a dull draw in the Boxing Day Ashes Test, resulting in the surface being rated “poor” by the ICC, and leading to a pitch that is notably grassier and more lively for this season.

The defeat against South Africa in the first ODI in Perth was Australia’s seventh in a row

Daniel Brettig08-Nov-2018

Big picture

Australia’s public – at least those with a match-day ticket or a Foxtel subscription – will turn their lonely eyes towards Adelaide Oval on Friday, hopeful that the national team will put on a better show than the one in Perth on Sunday. Against a well organised and confident South Africa, Aaron Finch’s team looked cloudy in mind and slow of feet, whether in terms of the footwork required to blunt the pace attack or the tactics to unsettle the visitors’ pursuit of a paltry target.Mitchell Starc can at least expect to return to new-ball duty after a short-lived attempt to try Nathan Coulter-Nile instead, a change leapt on by Quinton de Kock at the top of the South African chase. In the midst of a seven-ODI losing streak, it was understandable for the Australians to try some things, but relegating your leading new-ball bowler by a distance to first change seemed redolent of overthought.It will be intriguing to see whether there is much on-field reaction to the removal of the long time team performance chief Pat Howard, who had always favoured statistical evidence-based solutions and analysis of the game. Finch spoke sympathetically of Howard’s role, but there is little doubt that the coach Justin Langer will appreciate a little more clear air around him in coming weeks and months.”When you’re in his position, you’re in a no-win position,” Finch said of Howard. “A lot of the time you have to rob Peter to pay Paul to change all the structures around. And whatever is best for the men’s side might not be the best thing for one state in particular at the time. He was in a really difficult situation and did an unbelievable job during that period. It’s unfortunate that Pat has gone, I know how much he loved the game.”For South Africa, the opportunity is there to add to Australia’s baggage ahead of next year’s World Cup in England by sailing to a series win in two matches. At the same time, young players like Reeza Hendricks and Lungi Ngidi have the chance to get used to beating Australia away from home – a mental advantage they can carry into future tours down under.

Form guide

Australia LLLLL
South Africa WWWWL

In the spotlight

Having fallen cheaply in the series opener, Travis Head will take the field at his Adelaide Oval home ground knowing two things. The first is that this Australian side is short of confidence and in desperate need of someone to turn this around for them, preferably from the top of the order where he is posted alongside the captain Finch. The second is that in recent times, Head has made a habit of starts that do not become big scores – three consecutive fifties in the ODI series in England might so easily have been more, and he also slipped frustratingly short of a debut Test hundred in the UAE. Selection in this series also means he lacks the Sheffield Shield platform to shore up his spot in the longer form of the game.No-one set things up for South Africa in Perth quite like Dale Steyn in his opening spell. While new ball swing was only subtly available, he used this to his advantage with a wonderfully precise length, line and angle across the left-handers in particular. The combination of experience and cutting edge Steyn provided in the opening match spoke volumes for his quality as a paceman, and also sent Australia spiralling in a manner from which they never quite recovered. On an Adelaide pitch that also promises at least a smattering of grass, fortune may well hide in the palm of Steyn’s right hand.

Team news

Australia are hopeful of returning Shaun Marsh to No. 3 following minor surgery for an abscess on his buttocks, at the expense of D’Arcy Short. They must also consider the inclusion of the legspinner Adam Zampa.Australia (probable) 1 Aaron Finch (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Chris Lynn, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh HazlewoodGiven how balanced and settled the South Africans appeared in Perth, an unchanged side appears likely.South Africa (probable) 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Faf du Plessis (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen, 7 Andile Phehlukwayo, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Imran Tahir

Pitch and conditions

Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitch generally sports a coverage of some grass to aid pace off the surface and also the bat. The weather forecast is for fine, temperate conditions of about 20C.

Stats and trivia

• Australia require a win to end what, at seven, is already their longest ever sequence of consecutive ODI defeats. The previous sequence of six in late 1996 was part of the path that led to Steve Waugh taking over the limited-overs captaincy from Mark Taylor. This time around, Finch will hope his just-begun tenure can move clear of the recent wreckage.
• South Africa defeated Australia by eight wickets in their only previous ODI meeting at Adelaide Oval, on Australia Day in January 2009.

Quotes

“When there are changes, and there’s things being said and written about, I think it’s hard not to read it sometimes when it’s everywhere. For me personally, I don’t think it affected me in terms of my preparation or my performance. You might spend a little bit of time reading it, and putting some kind of doubts in your mind at times. But I think it’s about each individual being 100% committed to their plans and doing whatever the team needs to get the job done.”
“If you do get an opportunity against Australia where you can put your foot on the gas, it’s really important to try and do that because it’s not often you get those opportunities.”

Peter Handscomb was immediately in the runs in the BBL while Sandeep Lamichhane produced another fine display to help set up the Melbourne Stars’ first victory

The Report by Andrew McGlashan27-Dec-2018Different format, different conditions, different bowlers, but Peter Handscomb produced a thrilling response to his Test omission as he hammered a 22-ball half-century to power Melbourne Stars to their opening victory of the 2018 Big Bash campaign.The Stars were chasing a modest 131 and Handscomb’s innings made it a long way short of competitive as he tore into pace and spin alike on an SCG surface where all other batsmen had found timing the ball hard work.Sydney Sixers limped to 9 for 130 against a Stars attack well suited to the conditions. The spinners, led by the ebullient Sandeep Lamichhane, took 4 for 62 from 11 overs between them and the slower-ball variations of Jackson Coleman and Dwayne Bravo, who both struck with their first deliveries, bagged five wickets.The result lifted the Stars off the bottom of the embryonic table and left the Sixers with two defeats following their opening-match victory against the Scorchers which had raised expectations.Peter Handscomb struck a rapid half-century•Getty Images

Sixers’ top-order worriesIt has not been a great start to the BBL for the Sixers’ top four, among whom Joe Denly, Jack Edwards and Moises Henriques are yet to reach 30 runs for the tournament in three innings. They got away with it against the Scorchers when a stand of 124 between Daniel Hughes and Jordan Silk provided a match-winning total. But, against Sydney Thunder, they slid to 6 for 56 which couldn’t be saved, despite the efforts of Tom Curran, and this time they were 6 for 70 before the last four wickets forged 60.That was largely due to Silk’s 41 off 37 balls. There was not much more he could do than try to see out the innings and he managed just two boundaries – one of them off the final ball – but he is the Sixers’ highest scorer so far. There could well be a case for moving him up the order.Another star turnLamichhane has made a terrific start to the campaign and now sits jointly at the top of the early wicket-taking chart. He was fortunate to gain Curran’s wicket as replays showed the ball was comfortably missing leg when Curran tried the reverse sweep, but the first strike to remove Henriques was all his own skill. A perfectly-pitched googly spun past the inside edge and slammed into the front pad to continue Henriques lean start to the competition.With each success – and plenty of moments in between – came a huge smile from Lamichhane. He is having the time of his life. As was the case in Canberra in the Stars’ opening match, there was a group of Nepal fans cheering on every move of his at the SCG. They even brought large cutouts of their hero. When Lamichhane went back to the boundary, he saw these giant versions of himself, gave another huge smile and an appreciative clap to the fans.Sandeep Lamichhane leaps into the arms of Glenn Maxwell•Getty Images

Handy night for HandscombHandscomb was quickly released from Australia’s Test squad after his Boxing Day omission so he could play the BBL. A very sensible decision for all concerned. And he did not waste time making an impact for his T20 team. His evening started well with a superb piece of glovework to stump Edwards. Beaten by Adam Zampa’s second-ball leg-break, Edwards lifted his foot out of the crease and Handscomb timed his move perfectly to break the stumps before the toe was grounded.Then, with the bat, it all looked somewhat different to his Test struggles. He was making a far more positive forward movement into the ball, albeit against a very different attack than the one he faced in Adelaide or Perth. Still, it was a show of mental strength that he could move on from the recent disappointments and come out swinging – maybe it was even cathartic.Handscomb’s off-the-mark shot was a pull for six and he used swift footwork against the spinners. He plundered 14 off Curran’s first over, also tore into Greg West and was largely responsible for overs six, seven and nine going for a combined 52 runs. None of it meant the Australia selectors had made a mistake (although those who booed Mitchell Marsh may disagree), but it was a reminder of the side of Handscomb’s game that gets so many people excited.

Kane Williamson’s team tried everything, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen were just too good

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Wellington19-Dec-2018New Zealand tried bowling short from around the wicket. They tried bowling full to tempt a loose drive, with plenty of catching men in front of square to snaffle a low chance. They bowled their spinner unchanged from one end for an entire session, then switched around their quicks so the ones who were running into the wind, now had the breeze behind them. There were short legs, square gullies, short mid-ons, every variation of the fine leg imaginable, leg slips, wide slips, and at one point, a fly slip.But through the course of 108.4 overs, Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis dodged every arrow New Zealand fired at them. Not only did they not lose their wickets, they refused to even give the opposition so much as a half chance. There were no strong lbw shouts, and no edges that dropped just short (though a few balls did beat the bat).At the end of it all, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson felt he could not fault his own team for effort or creativity, and could only praise the opposition batsmen for their epic feat of endurance.”I don’t think I’ve been part of a game where two guys have batted a whole day together and not given an opportunity,” Williamson said. “Very rarely do you go a whole day where there’s not an opportunity regardless of what you try. There were a couple of wide balls that lobbed maybe 10 centimetres in the air toward point, but only five metres in distance. I think that was the best we got. Without bounce in the surface and the defensive strokes that were played, nothing was carrying through to the keeper. We tried a number of short deliveries, which we’d like to think might have brought about something foreign in terms of strokeplay, but it was very difficult.”That is one of the beauties of Test cricket – two guys put their hand up and didn’t give us an opportunity for a day.”New Zealand’s quicks had gone searching for swing with the new ball through their spearheads Tim Southee and Trent Boult, while Colin de Grandhomme had also attempted to get seam movement off the pitch. When those ploys failed on a surface that had become incredibly flat, short-ball barrages were attempted. Left arm spinner Ajaz Patel even tried going around the wicket.”We sat down and had a number of conversations with other senior players at the breaks and said: ‘What’s something else we can try?’ We tried pretty much all of it,” Williamson said. “The guys had bowled a number of overs in the first innings as well, so it was about trying to balance that out and keep them fresh so we were able to apply pressure. There wasn’t a lot happening off the pitch. We tried a few short balls and changes of tack, and tried to build pressure for a period of time to buy a wicket to a certain extent. But it wasn’t to be.”New Zealand might have had a chance of breaking through and securing victory had rain also not arrived to wash out all but 12 overs of play on day five. Despite Mathews’ and Mendis’ record stand, Sri Lanka were still nine runs in arrears when play stopped. It is conceivable that had another 40 overs been played, New Zealand could have got themselves into a winning position.”Shame to have the weather around today because we felt if we could pick up a wicket and get into their lower order there was still very much a chance of a result,” Williamson said.

The last non-Asian women’s team to tour Pakistan, WI women are set to play a three-match T20I series from January 31 to February 3 in Karachi

Umar Farooq and Annesha Ghosh24-Jan-2019West Indies, the last non-Asian women’s team to tour Pakistan, are set to play in the country again after nearly 15 years. The series, comprising three T20Is, will take place in Karachi from January 31 to February 3, and will mark the resumption of women’s international cricket in Pakistan since they hosted Bangladesh for two T20Is and two ODIs in September 2015.

Pakistan v West Indies fixtures

• 1st T20I: 31 January, Karachi

• 2nd T20I: February 1, Karachi

• 3rd T20I: February 3, Karachi

• 1st ODI: February 7, Dubai

• 2nd ODI: February 9, Dubai

• 3rd ODI: February 11, Dubai

West Indies had last toured Pakistan in March 2004 for an ODI series. They were only the second team overall to play in the country, after Netherlands. They will play the three T20Is at the Southend Club in Karachi, before moving to Dubai for three ODIs that will be part of the 2017-21 ICC Women’s Championship. The first ODI will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, while the second and third matches have been assigned to the ICC Academy ground. The West Indies women will arrive in Dubai on January 26 before travelling to Karachi on January 30.”The visit of the West Indies women’s team to Karachi is great news not only for Pakistan cricket but for women’s cricket in general,” PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said. “We are thankful to Cricket West Indies and their players for trusting the PCB and agreeing to play three T20Is in Karachi.”The decision of Cricket West Indies endorses our position that Pakistan is as safe and secure as any other country. On behalf of the PCB, I would like to say that we are confident that this tour will go a long way in the complete revival of international cricket in Pakistan.”The PCB and the CWI have a very long history of collaboration and mutual respect, and this decision further illustrates strong relationship between the two boards. With the West Indies women’s cricket team’s agreement to partake in the three T20Is, the CWI has reiterated their support for a key member of the cricket fraternity in a time when we are working extremely hard to get international cricket back into our backyard.”By playing in Karachi, they will also contribute to the growth and popularity of women’s cricket in this part of the world. I am sure this series will inspire a number of young women cricketers to take up this great sport.”Bismah Maroof scoops the ball•International Cricket Council

CWI chief executive Johnny Grave said: “This tour is a further major step for our friends at the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring their cricket back home, and we are pleased that our players and support staff have recognised this and supported this venture.”The security plan arranged by the PCB is of exactly the same level that the Windies men’s team had last year and independent security advisors, Eastern Star International (ESI), have confirmed to both the CWI and WIPA that they are satisfied that the risk is manageable and can be mitigated to an acceptable level.”We have made it very clear to the players and support staff that should any of them have any personal reservations about this tour, than we fully understand and accept their position.”Last year, the West Indies men’s team played three T20Is in Karachi, snapping a near-decade absence of top-flight, bilateral international cricket in Pakistan, enforced by the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. Zimbabwe, too, toured in 2015, for five limited-overs games, while World XI exhibition T20s, a T20I against Sri Lanka and a few Pakistan Super League matches have been played in the past two years.Although Pakistan women made their international debut in 1997, a continued conservative outlook towards women in the sport has meant only 23 ODIs, two T20Is and a solitary Test have been played on home soil. Only two non-Asian women’s teams – Netherlands and West Indies – have played international cricket in Pakistan, the former becoming the first side to tour the country for a seven-match ODI series in April 2001.West Indies played three ODIs in Pakistan in 2004 and although the home team lost the series 2-5, the headlining acts of the tour came during the drawn one-off Test. Pakistan opener Kiran Baluch surpassed Mithali Raj’s 214 to make 242, which still stands as the highest individual score in women’s Tests. Shaiza Khan, the Pakistan captain, followed up Baluch’s heroics with the best match figures of 13 for 226, including a hat-trick in West Indies’ first innings.Bismah Maroof is set to return as the Pakistan captain for the West Indies series. Following a sinus surgery in July 2018, Maroof had stepped down from the position. She recovered in time for the World T20 in November, but the experienced Javeria Khan had to fill in as stand-in captain.

‘He is just so good that he goes about his work with minimal fuss,’ New Zealand’s batting coach said. ‘But he scores just as quickly as anyone in world cricket’

Mohammad Isam in Hamilton02-Mar-20193:16

McMillan lauds Williamson’s 360-degree scoring ability

Kane Williamson quietly scored 107 runs off 125 balls on the third day of the Hamilton Test and, quite characteristically, made little noise when he reached the second double-hundred of his Test career. You can ascribe that to the New Zealand way of keeping things low-profile, but a team batting performance as gigantic as 715 for 6 perhaps needed a batsman like Williamson, who exudes calm while holding one end as the others accelerate around him.But don’t be fooled by his demeanor for his effort was as worthy of the highlights packages as the big hits from Colin de Grandhomme or Neil Wagner. Williamson gathered himself in the morning as Wagner rocked the young Bangladesh attack, and then fed de Grandhomme the strike during an unbroken seventh-wicket stand that took New Zealand past 700 runs for the first time in their Test history.It may have been easy for a batsman of Williamson’s stature to take it easy against a bowling attack sorely lacking bite, but by putting his head down, he made it nearly impossible for the Bangladesh bowlers to do anything significant. The full face of Williamson’s straight bat is a big barrier for any bowler, and when he brings his wrists, footwork and arms into play after he gets set, it spells trouble for the entire opposition attack.Batting coach Craig McMillan said Williamson doesn’t allow the bowlers a lot of margin for error, mainly because he has a shot for every type of delivery. McMillan said Williamson focused on building partnerships, which helped the others bat around him.”He is just so good that he goes about his work with minimal fuss,” McMillan said. “But he scores just as quickly as anyone in world cricket. It allows other guys to play like they did today. He plays cricket shots and he is tough to bowl at, because he plays all around the wicket. Bowlers only have to err a fraction with Kane, and he hurts them.”It takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes. It was sublime today; whenever the Bangladeshi players missed he hurt them. He was very efficient when they offered scoring opportunities. There were partnerships that we spoke about in the batting group. Terrific for Williamson to get 200, but there were other significant contributions as well.”McMillan said Williamson’s exceptional Test average put him on par him with the likes of Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steven Smith. “These four players are the best in the world,” McMillan said. “He is deservedly [worth a] mention among those other names. He is averaging 53 in Tests, which is exceptional. We have had no one in New Zealand average 50-plus in Tests before for an extended period of time. We are happy to have him on our side.”McMillan said having Williamson, Henry Nicholls and Tom Latham among the ICC’s Test Team of the Year, and Trent Boult and Tim Southee among the top ten in the Test bowlers’s rankings showed that the New Zealand team was not just performing well, but doing it over an extended period of time.”It is very pleasing to be consistent with bat and ball. I think it has shown in where we rank in Test cricket at the moment. I think we have been [a] consistent performer for a number of years. To have three guys in the ICC Test side of the year, was very pleasing. Trent and Tim are among the top ten bowlers. So we have a number of performers in our side, and not reliant on one or two.”

The new set-up at CWI means that players previously frozen out of selection could be given a chance to return

Vishal Dikshit10-Apr-2019Kieron Pollard last played an ODI in October 2016 but may still have hopes of making it to the West Indies World Cup squad because of a new set-up running Cricket West Indies (CWI). After smashing his highest IPL score – 83 off 31 balls – to help Mumbai Indians edge Kings XI Punjab in a last-ball finish in Mumbai on Wednesday night, Pollard was asked if he thought he would be picked in the World Cup squad that will be announced later this month, and he indirectly said anything could be possible.”Every time I get the opportunity to play, I want to do my best,” Pollard said. “There has been a lot of turmoil in West Indies cricket over the last couple of years. We have seen in the last couple of weeks there’s a change. Pollard was one of the guys blacklisted. The most I can do every time I step on the cricket field is try to put runs on the board. There’s people there who have the job to select and whatever and let’s see how that goes. As I said, I’m 31 years, Chris Gayle is still playing, he’s 39, and he’s whacking it all around.”Pollard was referring to Dave Cameron’s controversial reign as the CWI president coming to an end last month when Ricky Skerritt, a former West Indies team manager, beat Cameron by an 8-4 margin in the board elections. Cameron had several fallouts with senior West Indies players, especially Darren Sammy who led them to two World T20 titles.ALSO READ: Smart Stats – Kieron Pollard easily outshines KL RahulWhen asked if West Indies could be one of the stronger sides at the World Cup, given the form of some of the West Indies players in the IPL, Pollard said: “Yeah, of course you can say that. But again, as I said that’s why there’s people…we have a new chairman of selectors, there’s a new president of the cricket board, and as I said you take it as it comes. Last year, you might not have been asking me that question. Yes, I scored runs tonight so all sorts of questions will come but for me it’s just about enjoying cricket and doing my best with my god-given talent.”We know what we can do and I think Chris batted superbly. A fellow West Indian is [Andre] Russell…he’s smacking the ball and it’s great to see the way he’s hitting the ball and [Sunil] Narine. These guys are having a good tournament and again, when your mind is free, you just go out and enjoy cricket. You don’t think about much because there are a lot of opinions, there are a lot of things, but it’s people as close to you and what they think matters.”Pollard had recently returned to the T20I squad for West Indies when in October it emerged that the door was opening for some senior players to feature in the World Cup. CWI officials had stated that availability for domestic tournaments was a requirement to be picked for West Indies squads, and they advanced the domestic 50-over competition (Super50 Cup) from February 2019 to October 2018 to avoid a clash with any T20 leagues. CWI had said if the players featured in the Super50 and performed, they could be picked for the World Cup.Pollard represented his domestic side Trinidad & Tobago in all seven games but with unimpressive figures – 69 runs from seven innings to average under 10, and took three wickets in the 50 balls he bowled in the tournament.However, Pollard then went on to score 284 runs in the PSL in 13 innings at a strike rate of 173.17, and take five wickets, for Peshawar Zalmi. In the IPL, he has so far scored 179 runs in six innings, with two unbeaten knocks, to average 44.75, and is striking at 194.56.

Senior England bowler also says decision to use 2017-18 Dukes ball is “logical” one

George Dobell09-May-2019Whatever issues Jofra Archer may have experienced in winning acceptance in England’s ODI side, it seems the Test team has long been convinced of his potential value.Certainly Stuart Broad, one of those seamers who may come under pressure for his Test place if Archer is in the mix, is in no doubt of the younger man’s qualities. Not only does Broad expect Archer to break into England’s Ashes squad this summer, he has revealed that he even sought his advice a few months ago when he was working on shortening his run-up.”I can’t see a way that Jofra doesn’t play some sort of role in that Ashes series,” Broad said at the launch of NatWest’s 2019 #NoBoundaries campaign. “He has the rhythm, the style, the pace. He generates pace with ease, which is always exciting as a fast bowler. He has everything you would want in a fast bowler to succeed at the top level.”He’s got the character to play at the top level. I’ve seen him run in all day when things don’t quite go his way, which is a good sign. I hope he’s in front of The Oval pavilion lifting the Ashes urn come September because he’s a very exciting cricketer.”Broad hadn’t met Archer when he called him for a chat last year. But so impressed was he with the pace and rhythm achieved by Archer from a relatively short run, he asked a mutual friend for his number with a view to gaining some technical insights; a somewhat surprising request from a man with more than 400 Test wickets to a man without any. To put it in perspective, the other bowlers Broad approached were James Anderson and Richard Hadlee.”I’d not actually met Jofra, but I got his number through Luke Wright,” Broad said. “I messaged him because I loved the style of his run-up. It’s short and he keeps his stride pattern. When he wants to generate a bit more pace he lengthens his run. It looks like he bowls well to left-handers from over and round the wicket.”Far from feeling threatened by Archer’s emergence, Broad welcomed the addition to England’s pace options. With five Tests against Australia and one against Ireland within eight weeks, he feels such reserves will be vital.”There is a huge amount of cricket from that Ireland Test on July 24 to the middle of September and the end of the Ashes,” Broad said. “So you’re going to need a battery of fast bowers. The likes of Chris Woakes, Mark Wood and Archer – all members of the ODI squad at present – are all potentially going to play a lot of cricket over the next two months leading into a ridiculous amount of cricket in the period after that. We’ll need a rotation of bowlers.”Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Joe Root and Moeen Ali at a NatWest #NoBoundaries event•NatWest

Broad also welcomed the news that the 2017-18 version of the Dukes ball will be used in the 2019 Ashes series. He admitted he spoke to Ashley Giles, the director of England’s men’s teams, to express his concerns over the quality of the new ball.”I spoke to Gilo after the first two rounds of the County Championship and told him I didn’t think the 2019 ball was international quality,” Broad said. “It goes out of shape early and the period between 35 and 80 overs was dull.”The last few seasons of Test cricket have been exhilarating, fun to play in and great to watch. So we didn’t need to mess around with potentially seeing what a new ball might do in the men’s Ashes.”I don’t think it’s a pro-English decision, in that Australia have got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Josh Hazlewood, who are all brilliant bowlers. I think it is a decision that makes cricket more interesting and exciting because, on a sunny day and on a dry pitch, the 2019 ball could result in games where 600 plays 600 and everyone shakes hands. It is a really sensible, logical decision.”Meanwhile Broad described Alex Hales, his sometimes England and Nottinghamshire team-mate, as “devastated” by the realisation he had ruined his chances of playing in the World Cup. But Broad said he backed the decision to drop Hales.”In my opinion, the correct decision was made,” Broad said. “He is very aware he has made a couple of dreadful decisions. He is very aware he has let himself down.”I had him round the day after he came back from Cardiff. Just as a friend. He came round to chill and watch some football. He was naturally devastated having to come back.”He seems okay but I think it will be hard for him once the World Cup kicks off. Because there will be a sense of ‘this is what I am missing’ and I am not sure he will have a lot of cricket going on in that period.”Stuart Broad was speaking at the launch of this year’s NatWest #NoBoundaries campaign, which will see NatWest continuing its work to ensure cricket remains a game for all, offering access and opportunity to people no matter their background