All posts by n8rngtd.top

Wayne Parnell takes five as Northamptonshire take upper hand on first visit in seven years

David Hopps29-Apr-2021In the week that Citizen Kane was said to have been ousted by Paddington 2 as the best film of all time, it was fitting to reflect that some people think Headingley has gone the same way. Overbearing and malevolent for much of its history, it is now held to be sweet-natured and adorable, spreading joy and marmalade wherever it goes.Well, just as reports that Paddington 2 was now No 1 film proved on further examination to be a little dubious, so the suggestion that Headingley is always awash with kindness was entirely lost on Yorkshire as they were brusquely turfed out for 206 by a Northamptonshire attack relishing their first Championship visit since 2014.Not that conditions were all that challenging. Leaden skies, and a couple of rain stoppages encouraged the decision to insert Yorkshire, but there was a good balance between bat and ball, leaving Headingley nicely placed between egomaniac newspaper baron and tiresomely cute bear.Yorkshire lie second to Lancashire in Group 3 and they are understandably regarded as one of the favourites for the Championship, but their top six remains flaky and they did not acquit themselves particularly well. Northants were then blessed by a sunnier evening as Ricardo Vasconcelos and Ben Curran scooted to 36 without loss in 11 overs to set up an enticing second day.If the weather remains crabby, Yorkshire are probably not too far off the pace, but it is interesting to note that the batter to make the most serious attempt to meet the challenge was Dom Bess, their newest acquisition, born in Exeter, schooled at Blundells, developed at Somerset. Yorkshire are having to import mental toughness these days – Dawid Malan, away at the IPL, being another example – and Bess’ 56 from 95 balls, compiled over more than two-and-a-half hours, was impressive in its responsibility.This was Bess’ first half-century of the season – and only the seventh of his first-class career – but it was perhaps the strongest indication yet that Yorkshire’s commitment to batting him at No. 7 can bear fruit. The hope will be that he can balance up the side in the way that the departed Tim Bresnan did, restoring order and common sense.Compact and judicious, he did just that. He was fortunate, on 29, that an edge against Tom Taylor reached the slips on the half-volley – had that been taken Yorkshire would have been even more in the mire at 80 for 6 – but he put away the bad ball, defended with soft hands, and his dismissal only came when he sensed he was running out of partners, as he pulled Gareth Berg to midwicket to become the ninth batter to fall.Berg, 40 now, is in danger of becoming an unsung version of Kent’s Darren Stevens, county cricket’s symbol of longevity. He also provides order – to Northants’ bowling – and he finished with commendable figures of 3 for 32 in 13 overs, also striking Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s off-stump and having Will Fraine lbw.Related

• Nottinghamshire near end of three-year drought as Derbyshire are batted to the brink

• 'I really did start hating cricket' – Dom Bess bounces back

• Notts quicks fire after Ben Slater century on 18-wicket day

• Clarke and Clark fit roles to give high-flying Hampshire a shoeing

• Gubbins, White give Middlesex the edge on solid first day at Taunton

Kohler-Cadmore has talent in abundance, but it is doubtful that there have been few looser opening batters in Yorkshire’s history. One wonders what Louis Hall, a Methodist lay preacher and tee-totaller, who carried his bat through an innings 15 times, 14 for Yorkshire, would have made of him. There again, even in the late 19th century, Hall was regarded as the odd one out in Lord Hawke’s side of “10 drunks and a parson” so maybe he would have just clutched his bible and thought: “Bloody hell, another chancy one”.Kohler-Cadmore was a picture of vulnerability, crashing along at nearly a run a ball in defiance of the fact that he has yet to make a half-century this season. He still hasn’t, although he did get to 42, with an uncomfortable number of them flying to third man off a thick edge. Perhaps two rain interruptions on either side of lunch did for him.Fraine was standing in for Joe Root, who was rested (non-stop cricket asks a lot of England’s players so nobody should chide) and even a double century in the 2s is no help when you are replacing the England captain. He was Kohler-Cadmore’s opposite, made 11 in 66 balls, and was dropped at second slip on 1 by Rob Keogh, who had been juggling handwarmers, but who failed to juggle the catch.The race to 1,000 runs by the end of May is well and truly on this year, with so many Championship rounds scheduled in this period, and a preponderance of flatter surfaces, so Graeme Hick’s status as the last batter to manage it in 1988 must be under threat. Adam Lyth is one of the early leaders, along with Durham’s David Bedingham; Lyth lasted one ball, unfortunate to be bowled by Ben Sanderson as he essayed a perfectly sensible leave-alone only for the ball to change direction after flicking his back pad.There were also five wickets for Wayne Parnell, which is an afterthought partly because he mopped up the tail, but he did make important inroads during a morning period when Yorkshire lost four wickets for 14 in 37 balls. He was all over the place, but he is an attacking bowler who makes things happen. Vascelonces, who is filling the role of captain, keeper and opening batter here, could have done with a bit less desperate diving around.Gary Ballance was an important scalp, caught at first slip by Curran after Keogh had knocked the ball up, one-handed, at second. Harry Brook registered a second-ball duck, notable for a big trigger movement where he set himself firmly back and across a full six paces before Parnell delivered. You didn’t have to be a qualified coach to wonder whether, for a left-arm inswinger as talented as Parnell, it was a bit of a gimme.

West Indies includes Shannon Gabriel and Darren Bravo in squad, while Temba Bavuma could return to for South Africa

Firdose Moonda17-Jun-2021

Big picture

The World Test Championship final, which starts on the same day as this match, may be the most important fixture in the Test format but for West Indies and South Africa, it’s just about the last thing on their minds. At least, if you believe Dean Elgar.Though acknowledging that “it’s going to be exciting”, Elgar admitted he has “not got a lot of interest in that fixture” because he is more concerned with South Africa attempting to win their first series on the road in more than four years.Once the best travellers in the world game, South Africa spent nine years between 2006 and 2015 unbeaten in series away from home, but that has changed. Now, they have lost four away series in succession – in England, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan – and this is their opportunity to turn that around.Related

• 'It's like scoring a hundred' after a lean patch – Rabada on five-for

• Seales provides silver lining as Brathwaite rues collapse

• After 'emphasis' on improvement, SA get slip-catching mojo back

After a near-perfect performance in the first Test, Elgar has asked for more of the same and described his expectations as “stern and straightforward”. He still wants big hundreds, five-fors and for the senior players to step up.West Indies will doubtless be after a change of fortune, having being completely outplayed in the first Test. The pre-series talk that the two teams were fairly evenly matched proved to be misplaced as the West Indies batters struggled against quality seam bowling in tough conditions and were then unable to cause the same problems for their opposition.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

West Indies v South Africa is available in the US on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+

Putting on a better score will be their first goal after they were dismissed for 97, their lowest total against South Africa, but the bowlers will also be smarting to show their worth after being talked up as the stronger suit. Though they cannot win the series, West Indies can deny South Africa an eighth series win over them and fourth on the islands.There will be an added incentive after the St Lucia government initiated a trial to admit fans for the game. A maximum of 400 spectators a day will be allowed into the Daren Sammy Stadium, providing they can show they have received two vaccine jabs prior to June 4.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LDDWW
South Africa WLLWW

In the spotlight

Once West Indies’ biggest batting prospect, Shai Hope was recalled for this series after being dropped last year, having failed translate his talent to the Test format. Hope scored 110, 84 and 64 in the ODIs against Sri Lanka in March but it is a long time since he managed to be anything like as prolific against a red ball – it is more than two years since he made a fifty, and his only hundreds came in the same Test against England in August 2017.For South Africa, it’s Dean Elgar again but only because, despite not any scoring runs, taking any wickets or being involved in any catches in the first Test, he is still managing to look like the happiest person around. Elgar is not known for having a particularly sunny disposition but the promotion to captaincy has brought out the best in him. With this being South Africa’s last scheduled Tests until the home summer, he will also want to lead from the front on the field.

Team news

Given the seam-friendly conditions, West Indies may want to find room for another seamer and, if they do, it will be Shannon Gabriel. Alzarri Joseph, who sat out of the first Test, has been left out of the squad altogether for the second but Gabriel, who had a hamstring injury, has been recalled. West Indies have also added Darren Bravo, who last played a Test against New Zealand in December 2020, with Nkrumah Bonner ruled out with concussion. Kieran Powell made his comeback after more than two years as a concussion substitute for Bonner and his inclusion would allow Hope to take up a more familiar berth at No. 3.West Indies: (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shai Hope, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Kyle Mayers, 6 Jermaine Blackwood, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 9 Shannon Gabriel/Rahkeem Cornwall, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jayden SealesTemba Bavuma’s fitness after he sat out with a hip injury in the first Test will be assessed at optional training on Thursday and if fit, he will displace Kyle Verreynne. South Africa are not expected to make any other changes.South Africa: (possible) 1 Dean Elgar (capt), 2 Aiden Markram, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Keegan Petersen, 5 Temba Bavuma/Kyle Verreynne, 6 Quinton de Kock (wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Pitch and conditions

After a decent deck for bowling in the first Test, Elgar expects something similar for the second. A mitigating factor might be the wet weather in the lead-up to the Test which could result in a surface that Elgar said looks “a little bit softer” and which may have less even bounce. Concerningly, rain is forecast for every day of the match, with the most significant showers set to come at the weekend. There is a 60% chance of a downpour on Saturday, and 70% on Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have won six Tests since the start of 2019. In those victories, their seamers have shared 112 wickets between them, while the spinners have claimed just four.
• Jermaine Blackwood and Aiden Markram need 41 runs and 180 runs respectively to reach the 2000 Test run landmark.
• Of batters with more than 2000 runs, Kieran Powell has the second-worst batting average, 26.64.

Quotes

“We have enough experience in the dressing room. Once we get our plans right, once we are patient and execute as well as we have been doing for the last few years. I don’t see why we can’t out-bowl the South African team.”
“Clinical, ruthless, our bowlers led the pack and our senior players put their hands up. One Test win has done so much for us already. We need Test wins and we need series wins. I want a Test win and to seal the series 2-0.”

Head coach believes they’re in a “luxurious position” going into the two-Test series

Alan Gardner31-May-2021Head coach Gary Stead believes New Zealand are in something of a “luxurious position”, with competition for places and just a couple of question marks around their preferred XI to take on England at Lord’s this week. The identity of Tom Latham’s opening partner and how New Zealand choose to balance the side in the absence of Trent Boult are two major selection issues that will be determined between now and Wednesday.Stead also confirmed that Boult, New Zealand’s regular new-ball partner for Tim Southee, was unlikely to feature in the series against England. The left-armer will fly to the UK this week, after being allowed home to spend time with family after the curtailment of the IPL, but New Zealand hope he will be in contention for the World Test Championship final against India, which follows the England Tests.”I don’t think you’ll see Trent in the two Test matches here,” Stead said. “He arrives on Friday, our planning and what we’re looking at doing with Trent is having him ready for the WTC final. He’s been home, he has had a week of bowling over there which has been great after the fair amount of isolation time at the end of the IPL. But our view with Trent right now is it’s unlikely that he will play the Test at Edgbaston. He’s more likely to be just available for the one-off Test.”New Zealand have several pace options available to deputise for Boult in their 19-man squad, and Stead said that the surface rolled out for the first Lord’s Test since August 2019 would influence their thinking.”Within our squad here, Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell, and Jacob Duffy are the other seam-bowling options, so they’re the ones that I think are in contention to come in there,” he said. “Or we look at a rebalancing of the team. The conditions we face here in England are slightly different to New Zealand and looking at the pitch at Lord’s today, you see a pitch that has a green tinge definitely.”We’re still two days out. But it’s cut to about 6mm – we’re used to a lot more grass on wickets than that. So we have to make that decision around that final balance of our team before we go into the match.”With Southee, Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson all pencilled on to the team sheet, Colin de Grandhomme, who is returning from ankle surgery and likely to be limited as a bowling option, and Daryl Mitchell are the candidates to provide more all-round depth to the side.Will Devon Conway make his Test debut at Lord’s?•Getty Images

New Zealand could also have a decision to make over spinner Mitchell Santner, who has only played one Test since the 2019-20 tour of Australia. Santner can provide runs at No. 7 or 8 – he scored a maiden Test hundred against England at Mount Maunganui in 2019 – but suffered a cut to his spinning finger during the intra-squad warm-up last week. Lord’s has not been a spin-friendly venue in first-class cricket so far this season, although temperatures are set to rise ahead of the Test.”Mitchell Santner’s come from the IPL, he’s had I guess a reasonably quiet time there. He actually cut the top of his finger the other day in the warm-up game [while] fielding, which was a bit of a blow to him and he’s only had his first bowl back today. But he came through it really well, and what Mitch does is he provides a little bit of a different balance to our team in that he provides you batting opportunity as well.”So the decision we will have to make is will we go with four frontline seamers, as we have in the past year, when Colin was injured and Kyle came into the team and put that different sort of balance on our team; or do you go with three seniors and then you play the allrounder in De Grandhomme and the allrounder in Santner as well. So they’re the different options that we look at when we are balancing our team, the pitch will ultimately I think determine which way we go.”On the question of who will get the nod at opener, Stead was keeping his cards close to his chest, although he did say “we’ve been pretty consistent around the way that we select our Test teams, and I don’t think that’s going to change too much at this stage”. Tom Blundell has opened in seven of New Zealand’s last eight Tests, while Will Young, who debuted against West Indies in December, comes into the series in good form, having scored two hundreds during his stint in county cricket with Durham.Devon Conway, meanwhile, scored an unbeaten half-century after opening with Latham in the game in Southampton. South Africa-born Conway is yet to be capped in Tests, but has piled on the runs in domestic cricket during his qualification period for New Zealand and comes on tour with averages of 75.00 in ODIs and 59.12 in T20Is after a prolific start to his international career.”We will disclose that when we get to the morning of the game but yeah he [Conway] has been one guy we’ve looked at who is certainly an option at the top for us,” Stead said. “But we’ve also got other guys who have done a great job for us in Tom Blundell and Will Young, as well. So it’s a luxurious position to be in a little bit when you’ve got some of the resources that we’ve got at the moment. But yeah, we’ll hold off naming that till match morning.”

ESPNcricinfo has learned that he informed his team-mates at the end of day three in Harare

Mohammad Isam09-Jul-2021 • Updated on 11-Jul-2021Mahmudullah has announced to his Bangladesh team-mates that he has retired from Test cricket.ESPNcricinfo has learned that he made the announcement shortly after the end of the third day’s play of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Harare. He didn’t say anything with regards to his decision on the BCB’s video to the media after the day’s play, where he only spoke about his 191-run ninth-wicket partnership with Taskin Ahmed, nor did he announce the news on his social media handles. But confirmation came on the final day of the Test, when his team-mates gave him a guard of honour ahead of play.His decision drew a sharp reaction from BCB president Nazmul Hassan, who said that Mahmudullah’s announcement in the middle of a match would negatively affect the team.Related

• Mahmudullah: 'It's the right time to end my Test career'

• The strange silence on Mahmudullah's last day of Test cricket

• Mahmudullah shines in Test swansong as Taskin, Miraz hand Bangladesh big win in Harare

• Mahmudullah recalled to Bangladesh Test squad for one-off game in Zimbabwe

• Mahmudullah and Taskin Ahmed revel in comeback party

This Test is his 50th match in the format, and he celebrated the occasion by scoring his fifth Test century. He finished unbeaten on 150, and his stand with Ahmed came after Bangladesh had slipped to 270 for 8.Mahmudullah was a last-minute addition to the Test side, picked as cover after Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim were injured during last month’s DPL T20s. This was Mahmudullah’s return to the Test side after 18 months, having last played against Pakistan in Rawalpindi last year.Hassan said that he was informed of Mahmudullah’s decision, which he called “unusual”, “unacceptable” and based on “emotion”.”I have not been informed officially but someone called me on the phone and said he doesn’t want to play Tests anymore,” Hassan told the Bengali daily . “Apparently, he told the dressing room. I think it is highly unusual, since the match isn’t even over. I think he did it from emotion. Such an announcement will have a negative impact on the team. It is unacceptable. I have no problem if someone doesn’t want to play, but there is no need to create a mess in the middle of a series.”Hassan said that prior to the Zimbabwe tour, Mahmudullah confirmed to the BCB that he wants to play the three formats as part of the board’s policy to ask each player about their availability in each format before drawing up their contract.”Four or five days before they left for Zimbabwe, we asked all the players to inform us which formats they want to play,” Hassan said. “Riyad wrote that he wants to play all three formats. Regarding Tests he wrote that he wants to play in the format if given the opportunity, which is why we picked him in Tests.”I called him to my place twice, where he confirmed me that he wants to play Tests. I find it astounding that he is talking about retirement.”Mahmudullah was an all-format player from his Test debut in 2009 to 2017, but in the last four years he has been dropped twice from the Test side. The latest was last year when he was dropped following low scores against Afghanistan, India and Pakistan in the 2019-20 season. He was then given a white-ball central contract for 2020. He has played 197 ODIs and 89 T20Is, a format in which he has been Bangladesh’s captain since 2019.Coincidentally, during Bangladesh’s last tour of Zimbabwe in 2013, Mushfiqur Rahim announced his resignation as captain in the middle of the ODI series. He overturned his decision after returning home, and captained Bangladesh for another four years.

ECB issues joint statement with PCA ahead of further Ashes discussions

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jul-2021The ECB has issued a joint statement with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) saying it is committed to “putting player and staff welfare as the main priority” in the planning process for this winter’s Ashes tour of Australia.Concerns have been raised about the nature of the touring party England will send, amid suggestions that families may be prevented from joining the group at any stage. With the Ashes set to follow on from a T20 World Cup in the UAE, some of England’s senior, multi-format players with young children, such as Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, could face months of separation from their loved ones.The ECB held talks this week with the England players and representatives of the Team England Player Partnership. Further discussions are planned with Cricket Australia before tour arrangements are finalised, with the ECB stressing the importance of sending a team “to compete with the best players and at highest possible standard” as England’s men attempt to regain the Ashes.Related

• Tom Harrison says ECB 'working closely with Cricket Australia' to ensure Ashes goes ahead

• FAQs: Will the Ashes 2021-22 go ahead as scheduled? What are the major issues?

• 'I would want to make sure the players' families can get to Australia' – Strauss

• Kevin Pietersen: Four-month Ashes tour without families is "utter madness"

• Shane Warne: England should pencil Matt Parkinson in for Brisbane Test

“This week, several meetings have been held between the England men’s players, ECB and Team England Player Partnership to discuss provisional plans for the tour of Australia later in the year,” the statement said.”All parties are collaborating and will continue to work together to understand protocols around bubble environments, family provision and quarantine rules that will be in place for the tour during the current Covid-19 pandemic.”With player and management’s welfare paramount, the ECB will discuss planning and operational requirements with Cricket Australia in the coming weeks and how they seek to implement their policies in partnership with state and federal governments.”All stakeholders are committed to putting player and staff welfare as the main priority and finding the right solutions that enables the England team to compete with the best players and at the highest possible standard that the Ashes series deserves.”Earlier in the week, after former England captain Michael Vaughan used his column in the to suggest Cricket Australia should consider delaying the Ashes rather than host a weakened touring team, Dom Bess became one of the first England players to speak on the subject, saying he would “never, ever turn down” an Ashes touring spot.Australia’s Covid-19 entry and quarantine rules are among the strictest in the world, with a number of English players pulling out of last year’s Big Bash over concerns around bubble fatigue.Kevin Pietersen, the former England batter, last month described the idea of a four-month trip to Australia without access to families as “utter madness, suggesting that players who withdrew would have his support.

Australian opener joins from Leicestershire on all-format, two-year deal

Matt Roller30-Sep-2021Gloucestershire have billed the signing of Marcus Harris, the Australian opener, as a “big statement of intent” after convincing him to join on an all-format, two-year contract as an overseas player.Harris, 29, spent the 2021 summer playing for Leicestershire in the County Championship and the Royal London Cup but turned down two improved offers from the club and said that the opportunity to play in the T20 Blast for Gloucestershire was a major factor in his decision-making.”The signing of Marcus Harris is a big statement of intent from the club,” Will Brown, their chief executive, said. “We are heading into next year off the back of a season in which we won more County Championship matches than any other county and the most in our history since 1998, but we want to be fighting for trophies.”Marcus is an ambitious player with a huge amount of talent and we are delighted that he has seen the vision of the club and wants to be a part of that over the next two years.”Leicestershire released a statement last week saying that Harris had “received and intends to accept a substantial offer from another county” and Sean Jarvis, their chief executive, stressed that the club “have to work within our budget and sustain our business in the appropriate way”.Harris made 655 Championship runs at 54.58 in 13 innings for Leicestershire and 232 runs in four Royal London Cup innings, but was not involved in their Blast campaign as the club opted to sign a T20 specialist in Josh Inglis – who finished as the competition’s leading run-scorer – instead. Harris last played T20 cricket in January 2020 and has limited pedigree in the format, though Gloucestershire cited his 2017-18 Big Bash, in which he was Melbourne Renegades’ leading run-scorer, as evidence that he was “capable of performing in the shortest format”.”I’m delighted to sign for Gloucestershire for the next two years at what is a really exciting time for the club,” Harris said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about the club and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity.”The other aspect that attracted me to Bristol is the opportunity to play in the T20 Blast for the very first time. I’d also like to thank Leicestershire for giving me my first opportunity to play county cricket – I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I wish them all the very best for next season.”Gloucestershire are in the process of recruiting a new performance director, head coach and club captain ahead of next season, with the first two positions expected to be filled in the coming weeks.