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Chris Nash and Luke Wright put Sussex in control but they suffered a late collapse against Nottinghamshire

Sahil Dutta at Hove25-May-2012
ScorecardChris Nash continued his good form but Sussex slipped away•Getty Images

First impressions proved deceptive at Hove. A hot, cloudless day at on a ground where runs normally come in bulk suggested hours of hard toil for the bowlers. And when Ben Phillips’ first over disappeared for 10 it looked as though Michael Yardy had struck gold by winning the toss and batting first.Yet despite an accomplished 128 for Chris Nash and Luke Wright’s sparky 81 on his return to first-class cricket, it was Nottinghamshire who enjoyed the better of the day as Sussex slipped to 305 for 9.Having battled through early season murk day a like this felt like the batsmen’s time to cash in. Instead too many of Sussex’s contrived in their own downfall out to give Nottinghamshire the edge.First the top-order slumped to 97 for 4 and then, having fought back to 242 for 4 on the back of Nash and Wright’s 145-run partnership, Sussex lost three wickets for 15 runs.The profligate tone was set by Ed Joyce. After an early boundary he sliced a flat-footed waft straight to Riki Wessels at point to fall for 5. Joe Gatting followed by chipping Samit Patel to the sweeper on the cover boundary for 19 and, first ball after lunch, Yardy ran himself out attempting an unlikely second to fine leg. It was generous stuff.Nash, though, anchored Sussex. After 84 and 98 in his previous match against Worcestershire, Nash this time completed a fine century. There was little flourish, just upright drives, sturdy pulls and good judgement throughout. It wasn’t, however, without luck. Adam Voges dropped him twice at second slip. The first was a simple chance when Nash was on 25. Voges had two grabs at it, parrying it to Alex Hales at first slip, who also failed to hold on. The second was a much tougher one-handed effort with Nash on 82. Given the fortune it was fitting that Nash reached his hundred by skewing an outside edge through third-man.Wright was a century-maker the previous evening in the CB40 but he hadn’t played a first-class game since the end of June last year. He made a hundred then, too, but since suffered a variety of mishaps. Knee injury, tonsillitis, suspected dengue-fever around a stint at the IPL had conspired to keep him sidelined but here he was back with his labrador-pup enthusiasm.Offered room, his flashing hands sent the ball scurrying through the offside but he blended that familiar flourish with the sort of defence his Twenty20 exploits rarely demand. He did, however, have one huge dose of fortune when on 25. Andy Carter, on his return to the side, had sweated for a first wicket and almost had two in his seventh over. First Voges dropped Nash for the second time but then Carter nipped one back through the gate to clip the top of Wright’s leg stump. Though batsman, bowler and crowd heard an unmistakeable clunk the bail refused to budge. Thereafter Wright progressed unruffled sharing the pivotal stand with Nash.Wright’s return to the side cast Luke Wells aside. Wells began the season with a century at The Oval and much fanfare followed. Since then, though, four innings have brought 47 runs. The man who was retained instead was Murray Goodwin. He has 39 runs from six matches this season and fell for 1 off Andre Adams.While Nash and Wright were easing through the hazy afternoon, Nottinghamshire’s bowlers began to tire. Harry Gurney had begun the evening with a succession of short balls but surprised Nash with one that scudded under the bat to pin back off stump.It stirred the crowd out of a mid-afternoon slumber and the Nottinghamshire fielders too. Three overs later Wright whipped Patel to short midwicket where Adams held a smart chance. It was an unsatisfactory ending to an excellent innings. Patel was soon celebrating again when he got one to grip and kiss Ben Brown’s outside edge. With the new ball looming 300 looked unlikely but the lower-order resisted and Navid Arif slashed to the point boundary to collect the third batting point as the shadows lengthened.

Hampshire thrashed Scotland by 89 runs in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Bothwell Castle, rolling their opponents for a modest 131.

20-May-2012
ScorecardHampshire thrashed Scotland by 89 runs in their Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at Bothwell Castle, rolling their opponents for a modest 131.Michael Carberry top-scored with 76 as Hampshire finished on 220 all out with two balls of their innings remaining but Scotland could not mount a credible challenge – Jean Symes’ 33 their best score as all six Hampshire bowlers took wickets.Kabir Ali, with 2 for 17 in six overs, and Danny Briggs – who returned 2 for 31 in eight – were the pick of the bowlers, while Majid Haq took three wickets for Scotland.Josh Davey was first man out for 13, bowled by Ali, before his opening partner Calum MacLeod was run out with the total at 28. Ali removed Ryan Flannigan lbw for duck and the dangerous Richie Berrington managed only nine before David Griffiths struck.That left the score at 58 for 4 but Symes and Preston Mommsen (22) dug in to extend the total to 94 before Symes – who batted for 48 deliveries and hit four boundaries – handed Chris Wood a wicket. Carberry’s part-time spin accounted for Haq and Liam Dawson ended Mommsen’s stay as the innings crumbled. Another run out and two tail-end scalps for Briggs ended the disappointing chase with seven overs remaining.The visitors made a swift start to their innings and were 66 for 1 in the ninth over when Jimmy Adams was caught behind by Craig Wallace off Gordon Drummond. James Vince joined Carberry in the middle and attempted to continue the rapid pace of the scoring and made good progress before being bowled by Haq.Simon Katich (six) was trapped lbw by Haq after facing just eight balls and Sean Ervine faced just a solitary delivery and was bowled with the next ball. Carberry could only watch on from the non-striker’s end but some stability was restored when Dawson joined him in the middle. Dawson kept the scoring going, but fell for 16 when he was caught by Drummond off the bowling of Mommsen.Carberry was running out of partners when Wood (4) and Michael Bates (2) fell in successive Davey overs and Carberry finally perished himself in the 33rd over following an innings which featured 10 boundaries. Ali (32) and Briggs (17) attempted to steer the visitors to a respectable total but both fell to Symes in the final over.

While Pakistan decision to leave Saeed Ajmal was a ‘costly miss’, it was their lapses in the field, once again, that let them down in the final ODI against Sri Lanka, according to captain Misbah-ul-Haq

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jun-2012While Pakistan’s decision to leave Saeed Ajmal was a ‘costly miss’, it was their lapses in the field, once again, that let them down in the final ODI against Sri Lanka, according to captain Misbah-ul-Haq. Pakistan looked to be on top in the match on Monday, after reducing Sri Lanka to 138 for 6 in a chase of 248, but Angelo Mathews and a number of lower-order cameos won the match and series for the hosts in a thrilling last-over finish.”I think we were about 15-20 runs short, yet were in a better position,” Misbah said after the game. “Again there were too many fielding lapses and in my opinion this was the difference.” Pakistan had put two catches down, and missed several run outs during the course of the chase.”In the end Mathews took the game away from our hands,” he said. “[Jeevan] Mendis played an excellent innings, even [Nuwan] Kulasekara can bat a bit. We know that Mathews is a very good allrounder, he can finish the game. We thought that if we got Mathews out the game was ours.”Pakistan had not played their premier spinner, Ajmal, opting to play three seamers instead. The conditions prompted this decision, Misbah said. “I think given the conditions [we made that choice], the ball swings in the evening … It’s a difficult decision to make, regarding the balance of the team. If we play two regular spinners, we miss the third seamer. Leaving out Ajmal though was a costly miss.”Off the three seamers who played, Sohail Tanvir impressed, taking three wickets – including those of the Sri Lanka openers – for 42. On the contrary, in a game where none of his team-mates went at over 4.80 an over, Mohammad Sami leaked 75 runs from 9.4 overs for no wicket – this was the most expensive spell for a Pakistan bowler in an ODI in Sri Lanka. Bowling the final over, with Sri Lanka needing 15, Sami bowled a length delivery that Mathews dispatched over long-on for six, and followed up with a short of a length ball on off stump that was punched through point for four.However Misbah, while praising Tanvir’s effort, still extented support to Sami. “He [Tanvir] showed good control. In the death overs he used good variety and he really was our strength.”Sami was in good form coming into this game. He bowled well in the Twenty20s and the first one-dayer. Anyone can have a bad day. He was a bit unlucky.”Another big name not in Monday’s playing XI was Younis Khan, one of Pakistan’s senior batsmen. Younis, Misbah said, was happy to sit out for the cause of the team. “He was out of form. He’s always for the team. He said it was okay to give someone else a chance. Besides, before the Tests it’s good for him to get some time off.”Pakistan will now play three Tests on the tour, with the first one beginning in Galle on Friday. The last time Pakistan had lost a Test series was in July-August 2010, when they were beaten by England in England. His team, Misbah said, would do well to remember this fine recent record. “We need to forget about the one-dayers and start afresh. We have done well in Test matches in the last two years. We need to recall those performances and start afresh.”

The sight of Rory Hamilton-Brown heading for the nets at Edgbaston must have provoked bitter-sweet emotions in Surrey supporters on the third day of their Championship battle against Warwickshire

George Dobell at Edgbaston29-Jul-2012
ScorecardChris Woakes followed his hundred with important wickets•Getty Images

The sight of Rory Hamilton-Brown heading for the nets at Edgbaston must have provoked bitter-sweet emotions in Surrey supporters on the third day of their Championship battle against Warwickshire. While they will surely delight in the reappearance of the club captain after a harrowing few weeks, it was a reminder, if any was required, of how much weaker their side’s batting has become since the tragic events of a June night changed the fortunes of several of this team forever.In Hamilton-Brown’s absence, Surrey are slipping ever deeper into the relegation mire. With Durham achieving their first win of the Championship season and Worcestershire having games in hand, Surrey are facing a last-day battle to avoid an innings defeat at Edgbaston having been forced to follow-on 285 runs behind. Such events matter little compared to the life of a young man, of course, and there will be no pressure applied on Hamilton-Brown to return before he feels the time is right. But there is no doubt that his team miss him and, in time, he may even find some comfort in a return to routine.It was a former Surrey man who troubled them on the third day of this game. Rikki Clarke, bowling with unusual pace and hostility, found life in this sluggish pitch that had been absent even for Stuart Meaker. Generating sharp reverse swing and making judicious use of the short ball, Clarke unsettled the Surrey middle-order in an excellent spell of three wickets for seven runs in 29 balls. Had Keith Barker, at backward square-leg, held on to a chance offered by Murali Kartik, Clarke would have taken the five-wicket haul his performance deserved.Generally, Clarke was well supported in the field. Boyd Rankin also worked up a decent pace, while William Porterfield took a series of superb catches; the one-handed diving catch at gully to see off Steven Davies, thick edging in a wearingly familiar way, was barely even a chance. Rory Burns, unsettled by bounce, lost concentration and flashed at one, Chris Jordan was forced back and beaten by a swinging yorker – a masterful piece of bowling – and Meaker’s brave innings was ended when he edged an attempted force to gully.The wicket remains flat, though, and Surrey did show some fight in recording their highest first innings total away from home this season. Gareth Batty and Meaker added 57 runs in 20 overs for their eighth wicket before Jon Lewis joined the latter to add a further 45 for the ninth. It was not enough to avoid the follow-on but, on a day when 14 overs were lost to the rain, it devoured time that may prove crucial on the final day.So might an incident in the dying moments of the day. Zafar Ansari, opening the Surrey second innings, appeared to fall to a routine outside edge to Porterfield at slip off Jeetan Patel but, unsure whether the ball had carried, was reprieved after the umpires conferred. While it does not excuse Warwickshire’s prolonged complaints, replays suggest Ansari could count himself fortunate to survive. Warwickshire players later expressed their disappointment that the fielder’s word at not been taken but, in this day and age, such ideals seem to count for little.If Warwickshire do go on to win their seventh County Championship title this season, they will surely have the remarkable number of all-rounders in their team to thank for it. Just as their lower order revived their innings in the first half of the game, so it was men with first-class centuries to their name who did the damage with the ball. While Clarke performed valiantly with the old ball, Chris Woakes followed his century with some clever bowling earlier in the day.Woakes had Zander de Bruyn playing across a straight one before Jason Roy, kept scoreless for 12 deliveries, gave in to frustration and drive his 13th to mid-off. Arun Harinath had departed to the second delivery of the day, attempting to withdraw his bat and gloving a catch through to the keeper off the deserving Barker.The England selectors’ decision to plump for James Taylor for the second Test is quite reasonable; he is a high-class player with a bright future. But, bearing in mind the issues they face with the balance of the side, the evidence of this game reinforces the impression that either Woakes or Clarke could, batting at six or seven, provide a further bowling option while hardly weakening the batting. Woakes is, by some distance, the closer to a call-up but when Clarke produces performances of such pace, hostility and consistency – and, over the last couple of years, he has done so regularly – he really does make a strong case.

Albie Morkel, the South Africa all-rounder, will be out of action for up to 10 days due to an ankle and South Africa have called in Faf du Plessis

Firdose Moonda at Headingley31-Jul-2012Albie Morkel, the South Africa all-rounder, will be out of action for up to 10 days due to an ankle and South Africa have called in Faf du Plessis as cover. Morkel will remain with the squad as he awaits results of his scans and the expectation is he will be available for the third Test if required.Morkel, who was unlikely to come into contention for the Headingley Test, was one of the reserves who impressed in the tour match against Worcestershire last week. He scored a half-century while batsmen in the Test XI, Alviro Petersen, Jacques Rudolph and JP Duminy failed.Morkel has only played one Test, against Australia in 2009, and was initially called up as a replacement when he took the place of fast bowler Marchant de Lange who had to leave the tour in the first week. De Lange sustained a back injury in last month’s unofficial Twenty20 tri-series in June and could not recover in time for the series. Morkel was easily accessible for the visitors as he had been playing in the Friends Life t20 for SomersetDu Plessis has recently been captaining South Africa A in a fifty-over tri-series in Zimbabwe, which also included Sri Lanka A. His much improved first-class record in the previous season, in which he batted at No.4 or 5 instead of lower down as was the case previously for his franchise Titans, has put him in contention for a Test spot recently. During the 2011-12 season he scored 599 runs from four matches including three hundreds.He is also due to lead South Africa A in a series against Ireland which starts next Monday. If he is not required for a Test debut at Headingley, which would only come about due to injury, he will leave the squad on Thursday and join up with the A team in Wicklow.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket award, for a sporting gesture during a Test against Zimbabwe

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Sep-2012Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand left-arm spinner, has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket award for a sporting gesture during a Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last November.The match was heading for a tight finish, when Vettori accidentally collided with the non-striker Malcolm Waller during his follow-through. The clash hindered Waller from taking a single, and by that time the striker Regis Chakabva was too far down the track to get back. Though the wicketkeeper Reece Young took off the bails, Vettori immediately indicated that he had blocked Waller, and New Zealand decided to not appeal for Chakabva’s wicket.”It was the right thing to do at the time and we as a team try and play with the right spirit of cricket,” Vettori said after receiving the award in Colombo. “It’s hard to define the spirit of cricket, but go out on the field with the general mindset to play the game in the right way and always in the right frame of mind.”Vettori’s gesture earned him the award ahead of Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez and the South African pair of Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers. MS Dhoni had taken the award last year, for recalling Ian Bell after a controversial run-out during the Trent Bridge Test.

Ernest Hilaire, the outgoing chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, has revealed that a “commercial Twenty20” league in the Caribbean is in the works

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-2012Ernest Hilaire, the outgoing chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), has revealed that a “commercial Twenty20″ league in the Caribbean is in the works. Hilaire’s term comes to an end on September 30, but he said he would like to leave having finalised the deal, which was being supported by an unnamed investor.”We’re in the advanced stages of discussions to have a commercial Twenty20 league in the region and I have been leading the negotiations on that. We’re very close to completing the negotiations. I would like to complete that whole process before I move on,” Hilaire said in an interview with the Antigua-based . “We are in discussions with an investor. Once we have an understanding, we can move forward with it.”Hilaire did not elaborate on the exact structure of the Twenty20 league and if it would be a mirror image of other popular domestic leagues like the IPL. He did make it clear though that the existing Caribbean Twenty20 will be played next year. “We will be having the Caribbean Twenty20 in January as scheduled. The board will meet next week and make some decisions on its structure and how it will be organised.”On September 14, the WICB directors are scheduled to meet to discuss the governance structure of the board. Hilaire said the board would also discuss the planned T20 league and finalise its structure. He would be bringing on board both the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) to discuss issues pertaining to players, he said, to make sure there were no hurdles. “We will need to speak to WIPA and FICA, and other stakeholders, to make sure everybody is on board.”

Lance Murray, a former Trinidad & Tobago player and cricket administrator, died on Sunday at the age of 91

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2012Lance Murray, a former Trinidad & Tobago player and cricket administrator, died on Sunday at the age of 91. Murray, the father of the former West Indies wicketkeeper Deryck Murray, was a former director of the WICB.”Lance and I served as directors on the WICB, and I always found him an excellent colleague,” Julian Hunte, the WICB president, said. “He was disciplined, articulate and was a true Caribbean man. Although he represented T&T, his focus was always on what was necessary, and he was an able representative of the WICB at ICC board meetings in the past.”Murray, a legspinner, played three first-class matches for T&T between 1956 and 1960. He was one of the 50 people honoured by the T&T Cricket Board last month during the country’s 50th independence anniversary celebrations. He was inducted into the T&T Sports Hall of Fame in 1995 for his role as a sports administrator.

Delhi’s openers, Unmukt Chand and Shikhar Dhawan, gave their team the advantage after the toss was lost at Feroz Shah Kotla

Sharda Ugra at Feroz Shah Kotla24-Nov-2012
ScorecardUnmukt Chand is one of many prodigies almost mysteriously produced by Delhi cricket. Now only 19, he has already played 16 first-class games since his debut in 2010. That his second century came in his 17th match brought relief to the young man.In this Ranji season Chand must, at double speed, graduate from being India’s under-19 captain to one of Delhi’s more reliable openers. He will bat in worse conditions and face tougher bowling attacks in the future. But his 134 not out against Tamil Nadu on day one at Feroz Shah Kotla was a personal triumph over the more youthful side of his batting and mistakes of his past.On a slow day, in which only 80 overs were bowled, Delhi ended on 287 for 1 after they were sent in to bat. The lone wicket was that of the captain Shikhar Dhawan but not before he completed his first Ranji Trophy century in a prolific domestic season. Dhawan had already scored more than 600 runs in the Duleep Trophy and the Challenger Trophy.Dhawan’s 104 was a dominant and confident innings but Chand’s sparkler of a 134 was as significant. It was an innings that began with Chand being considered the weaker link among the openers but the day ended with an acknowledgement that he was actually growing up.The first session made the toughest demands on Chand, the ball swinging as it is expected to. Chand was judicious in picking what to leave and also checked himself from launching into a few of his eye-catching strokes. The off side was packed, there were two wide gullies, and it took him 12 balls to get off the mark.The first hour brought a total of 28 runs to Delhi and Chand had a streaky half-chance off J Kaushik go past a diving third slip. Shouts came from the boundary asking him to be patient. Patience took its time arriving, and Chand slashed Kaushik again to the point boundary.As the ball lost its shine and zip heading into lunch, and the sun began to climb, the Delhi batsmen opened their shoulders. Chand hit three boundaries in an over from L Balaji, through mid-on and cover and a screaming cut through point.Dhawan seized control of the innings after the first hour, and at the first sight of spin, the batsmen lit up. Offspinner M Rangarajan was hit out of the attack after five overs that cost 27 runs. Chand turned the strike over to the more experienced Dhawan and then, by hitting the hard working left-arm spinner Aushik Srinivas for six over long off, spread the field.It took Chand 102 balls and nine boundaries to get to his 50. The next 50 took 64 balls, but offered fewer chances with six fours and a six. “We were able to stick to the messages we got from the dressing room,” Chaid said. No losing early wickets, and capitalising in the post-lunch session. As his 100 neared and Delhi lost Dhawan, Chand went from 95 to 100 in singles. “I had got tempted to score quickly in the past when on 93 and 86 and the thought came in my mind that I should not repeat the same mistake.”Delhi had lost the toss but they made only gains after that. The pitch was different from the previous drawn game against Baroda, but had they won the toss, Dhawan said with a grin that Delhi would have loved to bat.

Otago scored a crushing 82-run win over Wellington at the University Oval in Dunedin

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2012
ScorecardOtago scored a crushing 82-run win over Wellington at the University Oval in Dunedin.Openers Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom scored half-centuries in a 105-run opening stand that laid the path for the daunting total, which was followed by a 29-ball 60 from Netherlands allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate. In reply, Wellington’s openers Tamim Iqbal and the in-form Jesse Ryder also played aggressively, but both departed by the eighth over, which was followed by regular wickets that sealed the contest.Wellington, after opting to field, were behind in the game right from the outset. They achieved their first breakthrough in the 11th over, but by then their opponents were already going at more than 10 runs per over. After a calmer period in the middle of the innings, ten Doeschate added 37 in 3.4 overs with Michael Bracewell, and at the death smashed 41 runs off 11 deliveries, in the company of Ian Butler, to push the score beyond 200. Three of Wellington’s bowlers were dismissed for at least 10 runs an over.Wellington’s response, apart from the opening stand, lacked resistance. Spinner Nick Beard claimed figures of 4 for 16, as they were bowled out for 122 in 17.4 overs. Seven batsmen scored in double-digits, with only one of them, Ryder, scoring more than 14 runs.With the result, Wellington are tied at eight points apiece in the points table.