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Title-chasing Kent will require a backs-to-the-wall batting effort on Sunday if they are to protect their unbeaten Division Two status after tomorrow’s final day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Durham in Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network10-Jun-2017
ScorecardTitle-chasing Kent will require a backs-to-the-wall batting effort on Sunday if they are to protect their unbeaten Division Two status after tomorrow’s final day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Durham in Canterbury.Having been set an unlikely victory pursuit of 484 in a minimum of 90 overs, the hosts started their second innings just after 5.30pm and went in unscathed at stumps on 35 for nought – still needing 449 for an unlikely win.Openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson escaped the 30-minute examination without alarm despite a pitch that is waring and beginning to show signs of variable bounce.A Durham victory would finally take them above zero after they began the season with a 48-point penalty from the ECB.Kent had started the day hanging on grimly in their first innings with skipper Sam Northeast leading their fight to avoid the follow-on. However, Paul Collingwood’s side needed only 12 overs and 50 minutes’ play to mop up Kent’s two remaining first-inning’s wickets and secure a 212-run lead.Barry McCarthy polished the job off by having Yasir Shah caught behind by a tumbling Stuart Poynter for 48 and then, with his next delivery, snaring Mitchell Claydon lbw with the home score on 236.Debutant Shah featured in a ninth-wicket stand worth 113 in 34.2 overs with his new captain Northeast, who was left unbeaten on 109 after posting his 18th first-class hundred from 162 balls and with 13 fours.McCarthy finished with a career-best 6 for 63, while Chris Rushworth bagged 3 for 69 in a much-improved Durham bowling performance.Batting again before noon and after deciding not to enforce the follow-on, Durham suffered a near immediate blow with the loss of left-handed opener Keaton Jennings.Prodding half-forward and inside the line of Darren Stevens’ first delivery, an off-cutter, the ball thudded into the right pad forcing umpire Jeff Evans to raise his finger.Paul Collingwood has put Durham in sight of their first win•Getty Images

Stephen Cook needed a stroke of luck to survive with his score on 25. Driving loosely at one from Will Gidman he watched as Matt Coles, at second slip, dropped a tough chance diving in front of first slip.After lunch, Durham continued at a surprisingly sedate pace, adding 100 in the mid-session for the loss of Stephen Cook who, with his score on 44, fenced at one from Claydon to edge to the keeper.Kent’s short-leg fielder Dickson went off for treatment just before tea when Graham Clark’s full-blooded sweep against Yasir Shah struck him a fearful blow at the back of his neck and immediately drew blood. Thankfully, the South Africa-born player emerged after the interval to take up a fielding spot on the ropes as Durham started to increase their run rate.Cameron Steel miscued a hook against Coles to hole out to mid-wicket, then Clark, after reaching an 81-ball 50, was bowled around his legs by Shah.
In the quest for quicker runs Ryan Pringle was stumped off the bowling of Joe Denly and Stuart Poynter holed out to deep square leg to gift Yasir Shah his second scalp of the innings.Paul Collingwood upped the tempo further with a 49-ball, unbeaten 50 that took his side to 271 for six before his declaration with 10 overs remaining in the day.

Pakistan and UAE will need their wobbling batting to take inspiration from their fabulous bowling to open their account in the Asia Cup

The preview by Alagappan Muthu28-Feb-2016

Match facts

Monday, February 29, 2016
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)1:11

‘Amir is world-class’ – Waqar

Big Picture

Pakistan arrived late from the PSL party, misread the threat in the Mirpur pitch and fell to a new low. Essentially they had come in to work hungover. UAE, on the other hand, have been at their desk for a while, but they seem to have forgotten something. All is well when they bowl, but when it is their turn to bat, they are left a little red-faced. Like the nervous new recruit who’d turned up at the office with a pristine shirt and no pants.Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis are aware of Pakistan’s problems, though neither chose to lay blame. The pitches in the UAE had been slow but straightforward otherwise; spinners were the major threat and once they were handled, batting became simple enough. Not so in Bangladesh, where the new ball keeps zinging off a green pitch. Pakistan were still holding on against India until a couple of run-outs totally derailed them. If they can be a little more careful, runs are still on offer as the innings wears on.Mohammad Amir’s performance against India can’t be called a revelation because he was always a freakish fast-bowling talent. But he could have lost that talent after five years in cricketing exile. The fact that he hasn’t is cause for Pakistan to stay upbeat.UAE captain Amjad Javed had expressed a hope that his own batsmen take inspiration from how his bowlers have set up matches for victory. Pakistan’s batsmen should be thinking along similar lines. If they’d made 30 more runs than the 83 they had crumbled to on Saturday, who knows what could have happened?It should help that Pakistan now play a lower-profile team than India. Minus the pressure, they can work on getting used to conditions and ticking the boxes that are required to win matches. UAE, at that point where they are here for the memories, will try their best to sneak in a few trick questions.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLWL (last five completed matches)
UAE LLWWW

Watch out for

Pakistan’s batting needs a steady hand, more so considering they’ve got a few players in the top order who are still new to international cricket. Shoaib Malik can be the man to take up that responsibility. He is a former captain and he has played over 300 matches across formats for his country. He’s also known to be partial towards singles and twos to begin with but can flex his muscles later on.He has helped put UAE’s results on the right track since taking over captaincy of the T20 team, so would it be too much to ask Amjad Javed to do the same to their batting? He is noted for his ability as a powerful ball-striker, but he has a century in first-class cricket, and a List A highest of 164 off 117 balls. For the T20 fan, he struck 76 off 42 balls against Scotland only three weeks ago. Maybe he should try batting up the order.

Team news

Four fast bowlers seems the best way forward for Pakistan, so Mohammad Nawaz may still be sidelined. Imad Wasim, although a left-arm spinner too, may not be excluded so easily considering he can be a handy middle-order batsman. Perhaps he might come into the XI in place of Khurram Manzoor.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Shoaib Malik, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Imad Wasim, 6 Shahid Afridi (capt), 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Mohammad Sami, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad IrfanUAE have had major issues with their batting, as totals of 82 and 115 for 9 suggest, but there are not many options in their squad.UAE (probable): 1 Rohan Mustafa, 2 Muhammad Kaleem, 3 Mohammad Shahzad, 4 Shaiman Anwar, 5 Mohammad Usman, 6 Amjad Javed (capt), 7 Swapnil Patil (wk), 8 Saqlain Haider, 9 Fahad Tariq, 10 Mohammad Naveed, 11 Ahmed Raza

Pitch and conditions

Oh, don’t act like you’ve not loved the fast bowlers having a little fun. Mirpur has been sporting and good batsmen seem to like it too. Virat Kohli, last night, said Mohammad Amir’s spell was the kind a batsman to play and prove himself with.

Stats and trivia

• This will be the first time Pakistan and UAE face each other in T20 internationals. They have played three ODIs before in 1994, 1996 and 2015
• Afridi has 66 sixes from 85 T20I innings. Three more can take him up to fourth place on the all-time list, beating David Warner’s 67 and Martin Guptill’s 68

Quotes

“When we expect our players to do well, it’s frankly at the Associate level… Pakistan has a fast-bowling attack that can run a team down really quickly.”
“It was tough to bat yesterday, but we had miscalculated somewhat, because we had no idea about the conditions. It wasn’t a typical T20 wicket where you look at 170 or 180. Obviously, you learn from your mistakes, and that’s why we are here to practice.”
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David Warner saw the lighter side of his dismissal on Sunday, when he sent a delivery from Tim Bresnan to Joe Root at deep square leg

Brydon Coverdale at Old Trafford04-Aug-2013David Warner saw the lighter side of his dismissal on Sunday, when he sent a delivery from Tim Bresnan to deep square leg. The man who swallowed the catch was Joe Root, the same man who Warner tried to punch in a Birmingham bar during the Champions Trophy, an incident that cost Warner his place in the side for the first two Tests.”Hooked another one to Rooty,” Warner said. “Of all the people in the field … it’s quite comical now. I can’t wait to read Twitter a bit later.”Warner has revelled in his role as pantomime villain during this series, his suspension having cast him as a natural for the England fans to boo whenever he walks to the wicket or chases a ball in the deep. He didn’t add to his reputation with the fans by asking for a review in Australia’s first innings when he clearly edged behind. But it’s all a bit of a laugh to Warner.”I’m not well liked at the moment but this morning was actually quite entertaining down there on the boundary,” Warner said. “I actually liked the trumpeter playing the Rocky theme song [when he went out to bat], it was actually entertaining. I had a little chuckle. It’s not every day you walk out on the field and you get booed. You’ve just got to embrace it, know what your job is ahead of you, and that’s all I can concentrate on.”For Australia’s second innings, that role was to open the batting with Chris Rogers, a curious decision given the naturally attacking method of the incumbent opener Shane Watson. Warner made 41 from 57 deliveries before he sent the catch to Root and, while he expects to remain at No. 6 in the immediate future, he said it was pleasing to have another chance at the top.”I was told before we went out there I’d be opening just to try and get the run rate going, get us into a position where we could maybe declare early,” Warner said. “I would have liked a bit more of a hurry on, and we could have bowled tonight. I love opening the batting, that’s where I started my career. I’m just enjoying being back in the team. All my misdemeanours are behind me at the moment and I’m just happy to be playing cricket.”As it happened, the Australians did not get a chance to declare early, in part due to the rain and bad light and partially due to their lead not growing as quickly as they would have hoped. Warner said he had noticed the England players taking their time out on the field, reluctant to move the game too quickly, and he was confident the ICC would step in if any excessive time-wasting had occurred.”We expected that. We knew the bowlers were going to take their time,” he said. “The one they were going to review off me was a massive time-waster because they walked into a circle and said ‘let’s just hold back a little bit’, and Broady, as well, walking from fine leg to mid-off. He took his time.”You’ve just got to get into your own rhythm. You’ve got to keep yourself occupied out there. Me and Ussie were talking about what we were going to have for dinner tonight. You’ve got to try and take your mind off it and just do what you can when the bowler comes into bowl.”The captain suffers from that [if the over rate is too slow]. He can miss a game if he’s time-wasting and the overs aren’t bowled in the time allocated. That will come back to bite them on the bum.”

New Zealand lifted their fielding, and exposed West Indies’ brittle batting to get an 88-run victory

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran11-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Nathan McCullum, promoted to No. 7 ahead of Jacob Oram, did more than what was expected of him•DigicelCricket.com

New Zealand’s tour seemed to have hit rock-bottom midway through the third ODI against West Indies when their only consistent batsman of the series, BJ Watling, joined their lengthy list of injured players. This was after their struggling and inexperienced batting line-up got the gift of a pancake-flat track, a tiny ground where the straight boundaries are only 60m long, and the chance to bat first, but could only reach 249. It was, the pundits agreed, a total that wouldn’t challenge Chris Gayle & Co, and West Indies seemed set to continue their dominance in this series.Instead, New Zealand had their best session of the series, and picked up their first win of the tour. The first sign that New Zealand weren’t completely demoralised by their woeful performances so far came in the second over. Trent Boult fired in a yorker in his first ball in ODI cricket, which Gayle managed to squeeze out. The baby-faced Boult walked back to his mark with a smile, unfazed by the pressure of bowling to the most destructive batsman in the world.All the talk in the lead-up to the match had been about how to stop the marauding Gayle – he had four fifty-plus scores in four games coming into this match. So far, Gayle had combined casual brutality with consistency to put West Indies in charge of every match. This time, though, he was out early, as he edged an away-going delivery from Tim Southee to slip, exposing West Indies’ explosive-but-brittle batting line-up.The one department in which New Zealand have been as good, if not better, than West Indies is the fielding. Today was no different, as they pulled off three run-outs and a sharp catch. That catch by Nathan McCullum sent back Dwayne Smith, who continues to infuriate and enthrall by turns, for 19. Dwayne Bravo was run out soon after, as he attempted a third after Southee had fired in a laser-guided throw from deep midwicket, which reached the bowler inches from the top of the stumps. Martin Guptill made up for his batting failures with a sensational stop at cover that resulted in Marlon Samuel’s wicket – on making the save, Guptill instantly flung the ball towards middle stump at the striker’s end to catch Samuels short of his ground.

Smart stats

• The 88-run win is New Zealand’s third-highest margin of victory in ODIs against West Indies and their best against West Indies in the West Indies. Their best win is the 107-run win at Lord’s in 2004.

• New Zealand’s 249 is their fourth-lowest first-innings total in an ODI win against West Indies. The lowest total they have defended successfully against West Indies is 158 in Guyana in 1996.

• Andre Russell’s 4 for 57 is his fifth four-wicket haul in 25 ODIs. The number of runs conceded (57) is joint-sixth on the list of most runs conceded by a West Indian bowler in a match in which he has picked up four-plus wickets.

• For only the second time in ODIs against New Zealand, three West Indies batsmen were dismissed run out. The previous occasion was at Lord’s in 2004.

• West Indies’ total of 161 is their lowest in St Kitts. Their previous lowest was 172 against Australia in 2008. It is also the lowest total at the venue by a Test-playing team (completed innings).

• Russell’s strike rate of 175 is the fourth-highest for a West Indian No.9 batsman (40-plus score). It is also the highest strike rate for a No.9 batsman against New Zealand (40-plus scores).

Kieron Pollard whacked a full ball straight to deep square leg, and Darren Sammy played one from McCullum too early, lobbing a return catch to the bowler. West Indies had stuttered to 95 for 7 and the game was up, despite Andre Russell showing off some clean hitting and highlighting the lack of gremlins in the track at the end.At the start of the match, far higher scores were predicted. Former fast bowler Ian Bishop was talking about how glad he is that he wouldn’t have to bowl on this pitch, and former wicketkeeper Jeff Dujon was hoping there was a sufficient stock of balls as he expected plenty to be hit out of the park. That sort of talk ceased midway through New Zealand’s innings, as they had lost half their side and were in the middle of a 12-over boundary-less spell.An already flatlining innings shifted to an even lower gear as Rob Nicol, the only top-order batsman to capitalise on the perfect batting conditions, miscued a catch back to the bowler Samuels. New Zealand were 125 for 5 and the priority switched from looking to belt the bowling around, to trying to play out the entire quota of overs. Once again the young top order failed: Guptill added to his run of low scores, Daniel Flynn didn’t improve his pedestrian ODI record, Tom Latham made 12 and Kane Williamson played-on for 9.One man who would have thrived in these conditions, Brendon McCullum, wasn’t picked as New Zealand decided to give him time to acclimatise – he only flew in to the Caribbean a day ago. His brother Nathan, promoted to No. 7 ahead of Jacob Oram, did more than what was expected of him, reaching his fourth ODI half-century, and Watling made his third significant contribution of the series to ensure New Zealand didn’t collapse to an embarrassing score.During a 66-run stand with McCullum, Watling again showed his enterprising brand of batting. There were scoops, sweeps and his bread-and-butter nudge in front of square leg, and with West Indies trying to force him to score on the off side, he unleashed several cuts and a terrific inside-out lofted drive over extra cover for six.He exited trying another scoop, after which McCullum started to take more risks, even hooking Dwayne Bravo over deep-backward square leg for six. Till Watling’s dismissal in the 41st over, McCullum had been cautious, happy to work the singles and make sure no more wickets went down. He finally fell in the final over of the innings, pretty much making sure no overs went to waste.It still looked too small a total for New Zealand to defend, but a combination of kamikaze batting, outstanding fielding and disciplined bowling proved enough to consign West Indies to their fourth straight defeat at Warner Park.

Brad Hodge is concerned that young players will stop focusing on Test cricket as their ultimate goal as Cricket Australia’s pushes its resources into the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jul-2011Brad Hodge is concerned that young players will stop focusing on Test cricket as their ultimate goal as Cricket Australia’s pushes its resources into the Big Bash League. Hodge is retired from first-class cricket and will play with the Melbourne Renegades in the new eight-team competition, but one of his career highlights was playing six Tests for Australia.Now, with greater opportunities for fringe players to break into domestic cricket in Twenty20 rather than the longer format, and with bigger pay cheques on offer, Hodge is worried that the lines might be blurring for younger players seeking to make it.”My whole life was founded on trying to play cricket for Australia at Test level and I wish the mental side of the younger player was the same, but I’m just not sure it is,” Hodge told the . “Most of the talk around here is about this Twenty20 competition … no one gives a toss about the other two forms of the game at the moment.”It’s hard for me to think about what a young player would want, but the few I have spoken to, what they want is to play IPL, to play Twenty20, and Test cricket is probably not right up there.”Hodge, 36, chose the Docklands-based Renegades over the Melbourne Stars in part because of the team’s pulling power with a pace duo of Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes. However, he said splitting the city into two teams, while retaining the traditional Victoria side in the Sheffield Shield and one-day competition, could be dangerous.”There is a risk to state cricket … the Bushrangers brand is very fragile. I just can’t see how it’s going to compete against the Stars and the Renegades for market share,” Hodge said. “Shield cricket and one-day cricket are just going to fall off the perch, unfortunately.”The reality is that people want to play Twenty20 and the public want Twenty20 and I’m not sure people are going to be interested in watching Test match cricket or one-day cricket … as much as the administration say they are going to protect [Shield cricket], I think it’s going to fall away and become obsolete.”However, the Victoria coach Greg Shipperd does not share Hodge’s pessimistic views on the future of Sheffield Shield cricket. Shipperd told ESPNcricinfo earlier this month that he believed Twenty20 cricket, far from taking players away from the longer format, would help them develop their game.”I don’t see any players that are really just interested in that form,” Shipperd said of T20. “The ones who have found their way through one-day cricket and T20 cricket into the system are just as hungry to improve their skills and play as many days of cricket as they can. We still see a great appetite for learning the skills in the longer form of the game. By being exposed to these pressure situations in the shorter form of the game, and the need for variety, it actually adds to their skill set.”Shipperd’s theory has been backed up by the development of the batsman David Warner, who played T20 cricket for Australia before he had even made his first-class debut. But despite originally being pigeon-holed as a short-form slogger, Warner has developed his longer game and was player of the series in Australia A’s recent first-class games in Zimbabwe, where he made a career-best 211.”My main focus was to try and score runs in the four-day stuff and it happened,” Warner told AAP. “[Test cricket] is my goal and hopefully one day I think I can achieve that. My aspirations are to get the baggy green and at the moment I’m going the right way about it.”

Will Porterfield finally ended Gloucestershire’s century jinx with a career-best 175 out of a total of 324 for 4 on the opening day against Worcestershire at Cheltenham

04-Aug-2010
ScorecardWilliam Porterfield celebrates Gloucestershire first Championship hundred of the season•PA Photos

Will Porterfield finally ended Gloucestershire’s century jinx with a career-best 175 out of a total of 324 for 4 on the opening day against Worcestershire at Cheltenham. It was the first ton by any of the county’s batsmen in County Championship Division Two this season after no fewer than six scores of 90-plus by team-mates.Porterfield received good support from Alex Gidman (40) and James Franklin (50 not out) as Gloucestershire recovered from the early loss of Jonathan Batty. Matt Mason was the pick of the Worcestershire bowlers with three for 68 off 23 overs.After Batty’s miserable season with the bat continued when he was lbw to Mason for a single, heavy rain threatened to wipe out the day’s play with the home side on 6 for 1. But an early lunch was taken and only nine overs had been lost when the match resumed at 1.10pm.Hamish Marshall helped Porterfield take the score to 52 before fending at a delivery from Mason that bounced more than he expected and was well taken at first slip by Vikram Solanki. Porterfield demonstrated his growing confidence by lifting Alan Richardson over mid-wicket for six but he had a life on 31 when Daryl Mitchell spilled a difficult chance above his head off Mason.The Ireland captain gathered momentum and moved to 99 with a third pulled six, this time off Shakib Al Hasan. The following delivery brought a sumptuous back-foot shot through the off side for a boundary and a century off 118 balls, which also featured 13 further fours.It was clear to see what the ton meant to Gloucestershire as a team. Batting partner Gidman raised both arms with clenched fists as if he had got the ton and then embraced Porterfield in mid pitch. Gidman contributed well as the hosts added 120 in 30 overs for the third wicket before he got a good one from Mason to give Solanki his second slip catch.That was 172 for 3 but Franklin soon joined Porterfield in putting on some of the most attractive batting of the day. The New Zealand allrounder hit a glorious straight six off Moeen Ali and looked in excellent form. That also applied to Porterfield, who reached 150 off 199 balls and then reverse swept Shakib for his 23rd four.On 39, Franklin benefited from a missed stumping as Ben Cox failed to gather the ball when he was beaten by Moeen. Porterfield then hit his fourth six to beat his previous best first-class score of 166, made for Ireland against Bermuda in a 2007 Inter-Continental Cup match.He looked on course for a double hundred when miscuing a ball from Shantry to mid-on where Mason took the catch. It was the 209th ball Porterfield had faced and his final boundary count was 26 fours and four sixes. Franklin’s fifty was brought up in 122 balls, with four fours and a six.

Players incensed by ECB clampdown on permissions to play in overseas leagues

Matt Roller06-Dec-2024A group of English players have discussed the possibility of boycotting the Hundred in 2025 as the fall-out from the ECB’s new policy on No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) continues.The reported the boycott threat on Friday, and ESPNcricinfo understands that players have raised it as a nuclear option with their agents, and in crisis talks with the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA), if the policy does not change. The PCA declined to comment, and the prospect of a boycott has so far been discussed independently of the players’ union.The timing is particularly unfortunate for the ECB ahead of Monday’s second-round deadline in the Hundred’s sales process, which will see prospective investors submitting offers for stakes in the eight teams. The ECB declined to comment, while a source insisted that the timing was coincidental and that the potential for a boycott would have been raised regardless.The latest development comes after a chaotic week behind the scenes in the English game, with players scrambling for clarification over the new policy. There is confusion at apparent discrepancies between the wording of the policy itself and the details briefed by the ECB, and frustration at limited consultation with the PCA before its publication.Around 40-50 players put their frustrations across to the PCA across two group calls staged on Monday, and suggested potential next steps. These included the idea of a collective policy of non-engagement with the Hundred’s retention process, which is expected to begin imminently and run until late February.Related

• ECB plans huge wage hikes, increase in overseas player limit in the Hundred

• 'Anger and resentment': PCA holds crisis talks over ECB NOC policy

• Players threaten legal action over new ECB stance on NOCs

• PCA chief: Counties will be 'discerning' about players' franchise availability

• 'A broken sport': Franchise free-for-all compromises players' incentives

In practice, such a move appears unlikely – not least because the ECB’s board are understood to have ratified pay rises for the 2025 edition of the Hundred, ahead of further increases once deals with private investors have been signed off. The group of players who have raised the option is not thought to include anyone on an England central contract, though does feature some who were among the Hundred’s higher earners last year.Several players were incensed to learn on Monday – via ESPNcricinfo’s reporting – that players with ‘pay-as-you-play’ red-ball provisions in their contracts would be considered the same as all-format county cricketers. Those frustrations were raised by agents in a PCA meeting on Wednesday afternoon, who cited inconsistencies with precedents around insurance.The PCA is awaiting legal advice before working out its own next steps, while several players want answers as to whether they will be granted NOCs to fulfil long-standing commitments for the winter. Male English players have already featured in leagues in Abu Dhabi, Guyana and Nepal since the end of the season, with Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL) starting next weekend.Players also want to know where they stand before the six Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchises step up recruitment for the 2025 season, which will clash with the first two months of the County Championship. Some English players have already agreed deals in principle to play in the PSL, with a draft date and recruitment regulations expected to be published this month.The first-class counties are understood to be generally supportive of the new policy. One source predicted that the regulations would prompt a handful of players to retire from first-class cricket, but said that the English game as a whole would benefit from the ECB’s attempts to stave off the perceived threats posed by a significant player drain to overseas franchise leagues during the English summer.

Hugh Morris announces decision to step down as Glamorgan chief executive

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2023Kent have appointed Simon Cook, the former seamer who is currently the club’s bowling coach, as their new director of cricket. Cook will take over from Paul Downton at the start of October, after Downton announced his intention to retire after six years in the job.Cook, 46, played for Kent between 2005 and 2012, before rejoining the club’s coaching staff in 2019. In between, he served as head coach and high performance manager for Hong Kong.As Kent’s lead bowling coach, he has overseen the specialist fast-bowling programme at age-group level and with the academy. He also took charge of the first XI as interim head coach for the One-Day Cup campaign in 2022 – when Kent won the competition – and again this year, while Matt Walker was working with Oval Invincibles at the Hundred.Related

• 'We're governed by things we can't control' – Hong Kong coach Cook

• Glamorgan to conduct external review after grim 2018

• Morris steps down as Glamorgan director of cricket

“Simon was the outstanding candidate throughout the very rigorous selection process,” Kent Cricket’s chair, Simon Philip, said. “He provided a compelling and clear vision of how he wants the club to move forward from the pathway to the first XI, allied to a very strong view of the brand of cricket that he wants the club to play.”His existing knowledge as player and coach will prove invaluable in delivering his vision. I’m sure that all members and supporters will welcome Simon to his new role.”Meanwhile, Glamorgan have announced that Hugh Morris, the former England managing director, will step down as chief executive after ten years in the role. Morris, who was capped three times by England, spent his entire playing career with the Welsh county, later moving to the ECB as technical director before serving as chief executive and then managing director. He departed the national set-up in 2013, returning to Glamorgan soon after in a dual role as CEO and director of cricket.Morris, 59, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2022, and said “the time is right for me to spend more time with my family, enjoying other pastimes, and focusing on my ongoing treatment”.Richard Thompson, ECB chair, added: “Hugh has served cricket in England and Wales both on and off the field, with extraordinary distinction. Few if any have given what Hugh has, both in terms of impact as well as commitment.”To say he has made a difference would not be enough. I know that Hugh has been focused on re-establishing cricket as the national summer sport in Wales and ‘making Wales proud’ of cricket’s achievements on and off the field. Over many decades he has made both Wales and England very proud and given more than anyone could ever ask. He has been exceptional in every sense.”

Gujarat Titans fell short in the last over and lost their second game in a row

Sidharth Monga06-May-20223:30

Are Pollard’s powers on the wane?

Almost out of the tournament, needing a lot of permutations and combinations in the rest of the tournament to stay alive, Mumbai Indians still gave their raucous home crowd something to cheer about, defending eight runs in the last over with six Gujarat Titans wickets in handTitans, who have snatched wins from the jaws of defeat on a few occasions earlier in the tournament with some incredible six-hitting, took the defeat out of a victory’s grasp thanks to quick ones and twos that resulted in run-outs.For about 33 overs between the Mumbai powerplay and the last over of the match, Titans looked on track for a win that would all but seal their qualifications to the playoffs. They restricted Mumbai to 177 despite a flying start, Rohit Sharma’s best in all IPL matches. Then both Titans openers got fifties followed by quick innings from Hardik Pandya and David Miller. However, thanks to the run-outs, Titans contrived to lose on a night that Jasprit Bumrah went for 48 runs.Rohit shows form
Rohit began the match with an average of 17 and a strike rate of 123 this IPL, but looked in great touch. He took on Alzarri Joseph to begin with but went after every bowler in the first six overs, scoring 42, more than he has ever done inside an IPL powerplay. The smooth hitting was back on display. Ishan Kishan was not so smooth, benefiting from an edge or three, but he too kept scoring quickly. The 63 for 0 after six overs was easily their best powerplay in a disappointing season.Rashid strikes back
Teams have decided to not give wickets to Rashid Khan and Sunil Narine even if it means playing them out at a sub-optimal run rate. Rashid came into this match with just nine wickets but at under seven an over. Rohit, though, was looking to attack everyone because this was a good pitch and they needed a big total. Rashid went for 13 in his first, bowled inside the powerplay. In Rashid’s second, all it took was two dots to bring out the reverse-sweep. Rashid, though, was too accurate for that and trapped him lbw.2:51

Vettori, Bishop laud Sams’ execution of slower balls

Middle-overs muddle
Three Mumbai batters scored more than 40 runs at a strike rate higher than 150, but their eventual score was the lowest among 134 such T20 innings. Kieron Pollard, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav scored 38 off 41 between them to offset 132 off 78 between Rohit, Ishan Kishan and Tim David.Pollard, especially, was a slightly strange choice to walk in during the 13th over when he was going to play out Lockie Ferguson and Rashid. He was looking to play Rashid out, but Rashid was good enough to turn a legbreak past his forward-defensive and hit the top of off.To their credit, Titans responded well to the powerplay by mixing the pace in the rest of the innings to restrict Mumbai. David, who took them to 177 with two sixes in the final over, was despondent at the halfway mark, saying they were well short.The Saha-Gill show
 
At the start of the chase, Saha continued his excellent intent and took the pressure off Gill, who has been short of a gallop. He went after Bumrah, using his pace, taking 25 off nine balls in his first two overs, more than anyone has taken off Bumrah in a T20 powerplay. Around the end of the powerplay, it was Gill, who took the load off Saha, who tends to slow down once the field is spread. He took a six and a four off M Ashwin followed by a hat-trick of fours off Daniel Sams and then a six and a four off left-arm wristspinner Kumar Kartikeya.Now Gill must have fancied Ashwin after his earlier success off him, but it was perhaps time for Saha to go after the bowling and for Gill to set up to bat through. However, Gill was the first one to attack and holed out at the start of the 13th over. Saha followed in the same over, top-edging a sweep.Titans run themselves out
Hardik Pandya, though, continued in the flow he has managed through the season. Despite the hit-wicket dismissal of Sai Sudharsan – trying to hit the pants off a slower bouncer from Pollard and losing the bottom hand on the bat – Titans were on track, needing 22 off 15.This is when Pandya called David Miller through for a quick single when the ball was rolling through to the keeper. A dive or a full stretch would have got Pandya in, but the replays surprised him, catching him on the line when the wicket lit up.In the 19th over, despite an off night, Bumrah created some tension, conceding just four off four. Miller, though, seemed to have sealed the chase when he hit the fifth, a short ball, for a flat six to make it 10 required off seven balls.At eight off five, Rahul Tewatia missed a slower ball from Sams. Off the next ball, he tried a second but couldn’t make it despite a slow and an off-target throw from deep midwicket. Rashid took a single off the fourth ball to give it to Miller with six required off two.Sams managed to go past the bat on both occasions with full and wide slower balls.

All the big moments from the second day of the Boxing Day Test, dissected

Andrew McGlashan27-Dec-2020*Most recent entry will appear at the top, please refresh your page for the latest updates. All times are local.

6.15pm: Stumps – India 277 for 5

A century of the highest calibre by Ajinkya Rahane put India in control of the second Test after it appeared Australia would bowl themselves back into contention. Instead, with the help of a string of middle-order allies, chiefly the recalled Ravindra Jadeja, Rahane lifted his team to an advantage of 82.Australia started the day very well – Pat Cummins producing a magnificent eight-over spell that removed both overnight batsmen, Shubman Gill and Cheteshwar Pujara, and included barely a delivery off line – but tailed off during the final session which including shipping 45 runs in the 11.3 overs of the second new ball. Rain brought a slightly early finish, what ended up being the final delivery of the day bringing Rahane his third life when he fended a short ball to point against Mitchell Starc but the chance burst out of Travis Head’s hands as he hit the turf.They had two other opportunities to remove Rahane – one a miss and the other a drop. On 57, he edged Starc between Tim Paine and the lone slip Steven Smith moments after the off-side field had been strengthened at the expense of the cordon. Then, on 73, in the first over with the second new ball a chance went to hand, Rahane jabbing at a full, wide delivery, but Smith was late to react above his head at second slip. By the end of the day, Australia were ragged and in need of regrouping.

5.40pm: A great century

What a performance from Ajinkya Rahane – he has brought up a magnificent century as India continue to build their lead. This will rank right up there with any of his batting performances.

5.00pm: New ball

The 80-over mark has been reached and, unsurprisingly, the new ball has been taken (and a momentary delay where the fourth umpire, Gerard Abood, realised he didn’t have it with him much to Paul Reiffel’s amusement). The lights are on, it’s gloomy afternoon, not sure we’ll get all the overs in but it should be a good time to bowl. The lead is now at a stage where Australia need to wrap things up fairly quickly. This has been an excellent partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja.And Rahane has been dropped in the first over, on 74, when he jabbed a full delivery which flew quickly above Steve Smith’s head at second slip…Here’s Sid Monga:

At his pre-match press conference, Ajinkya Rahane was asked a question, which I felt he would find disrespectful. He was asked if he will stay in touch with Virat Kohli for advice through the series. Rahane must be used to people questioning his place in the side, so perhaps this was no surprise. Very politely he said he would not like to disturb Kohli, wary as he might have been if he had said it was his team now and he didn’t need advice and that it wasn’t as if he would take the side in some diametrically opposite direction. He also said his aggression is seen in his batting not body language.

As much had been visible in his role in his batting away from home. It was possible to bowl to others with set plans, but Rahane liked to dominate. You had to get him early. Somewhere along the way, after he was dropped in South Africa, he perhaps lost that natural tempo. In this series he has worked hard on his defence and has looked to get himself in before he looks to dominate.

Rahane averages more away than home, more against pace than spin, and this innings will go a long way in reinstating him as one of India’s first picks in away Tests.

4.40pm: Stringing them together

Ajinkya Rahane raises the bat after reaching his fifty•Getty Images

From 64 for 3 when Cheteshwar Pujara fell, this has been a superb effort from India’s middle order:Rahane + Vihari = 52 runs
Rahane + Pant = 57 runs
Rahane + Jadeja = 50 runs*

4.15pm: Big miss for Australia?

India have taken the lead since tea – with the rain having cleared – with Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja making steady progress ahead of the arrival of the second new ball. Australia had a chance to remove Rahane on 57 when a thick edge flew between Tim Paine and Steven Smith who was the lone slip, Paine having strengthened the off-side field moments before.

3.10pm: Tea – India 189 for 5

That was India’s session. Some proactive batting by Rishabh Pant and a terrific captain’s innings from Ajinkya Rahane has put them within sight of a precious lead – two sets off four byes when Mitchell Starc was bowling were helpful. Australia will need a big push early in the final session before the new ball becomes due. There is some rain floating around the area which arrived shortly before the break so hopefully that stays away.

3.00pm: Who’s ahead?

Mitchell Starc has broken a very threatening stand to give Australia a lift shortly before tea. Rishabh Pant went for a cut and got a thin edge to Tim Paine, giving Starc his 250th Test. Now it’s over to Ravindra Jadeja to try and repeat the partnership with Ajinkya Rahane. India are less than 20 behind if they could get somewhere around 75 ahead that would be priceless.

2.25pm: Change in momentum

Ajinkya Rahane receives some treatment to his groin•Getty Images

Rishabh Pant is putting the pressure back on the Australia bowler, scoring at a run-a-ball in the early stages of his innings as the deficit is whittled down at a rate not seen previously in the match. So far, Pant has shown excellent shot selection and hasn’t done anything reckless despite plenty of encouragement from the Australians. The first two overs of Pat Cummins’ comeback spell went for 20 – his eight overs earlier in the day cost just 12. Meanwhile, Ajinkya Rahane is playing his part with a very measured innings but seems to be having some problems with his back.Australia might be getting to the stage where they have half an eye on the second ball, but that’s still 25 overs away and if they are still batting India will be in the lead by then.

1.45pm: Lyon in the game

The signs are that Nathan Lyon could have a big say in this game. There has been significant turn for him since lunch, one delivery ragging sharply down the leg side from outside off and then another almost getting through Ajinkya Rahane as he tried to cut. He has provided the breakthrough that Australia needed, removing Hanuma Vihari from a gloved sweep that looped to slip. It was the ball after Vihari had played a delightful back-cut to bring up a hard-working fifty-run stand. Rahane has also needed some treatment on what looked like it could be a back problem. It’s a big test now for the middle-order allrounders.

1.00pm: Pitch praise

Australia’s coach Justin Langer was full of praise for the MCG pitch in his lunchtime conversation with Ricky Ponting on Seven:”From my point of view it was a brilliant cricket wicket. Like the first Test with Damian Hough, amazing job. The most important thing for Test cricket is the wickets we play on and a contest between bat and ball. In Adelaide it was definitely that and yesterday I thought the same. We didn’t play with the bat as well as we could’ve. I thought Matt Page and his staff have done an incredibly job to have the game moving forward. The best players will make runs and the bowlers will be rewarded if they bowl as well as India did yesterday and we are at the moment. Really good Test wicket this one.”He also gave an update on David Warner:”As we’ve said for the last few weeks, there’s no one more professional and he’s doing everything possible. We saw him bat the day before the game. He’s batting again this afternoon here at the MCG. So in terms of his batting, he’s flying. It’s just he’s still having some trouble with his groin, and we know how dynamic he is – his running between the wickets, the way he’s moving all the time. So he’s getting closer and we’re hopeful that he will come good. He’s certainly hopeful he’s going to come good, but time will tell. We still have a few more days till the next Test match. Fingers crossed he’s ready to go for that third Test match.”

12.30pm: Lunch – India 90 for 3

That was tough Test cricket: 54 runs in 26 overs. Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane have done very well to get India through to the break without further loss. The bowling has been very demanding, led by Pat Cummins, but the pair have repelled everything so far. Mitchell Starc, who waited behind Cameron Green in the bowling queue today, caused problems by moving the ball both ways but the frustrations of not adding to his early wicket were just starting to show. However, Australia will know that there is uncertainty in what follows in the India batting order with a couple of allrounders before the bowlers. This game is too close to call at the momentHere’s a nugget from Shiva Jayaraman of the stats team:

It’s been a hard toil for the India batsmen in this series and runs have been hard to come by even when they have managed to hang around at the crease. It’s evidenced in how Ajinkya Rahane has gone about scoring in this series. Rahane scored 1 and 3 in the first 25 balls he faced in the first innings at Adelaide and here, respectively. This is among his lowest five scores when he’s faced 25 balls in a Test innings (81 innings). Rahane’s average scoring rate in off the first 25 balls he faces in a Test innings is 59.4.

11.35am: Cummins, again

Tim Paine took a brilliant catch to remove Cheteshwar Pujara•Getty Images

Australia are surging back through a fantastic spell from Pat Cummins. After beating the edge again and again he then drew one from Shubman Gill, driving away from his body, which was a regulation take for Tim Paine. The next catch, however, was anything but regulation as a Cummins beauty drew a nick from Cheteshwar Pujara, it wouldn’t have carried to first slip (like a few today), and Paine dived full-length to his right to hold it inches off the turf. Now we’ll get a proper look at this reshaped India batting order. The game is wide open.Here’s Sid Monga:

That Pujara wicket was the 33rd time India were not in control this innings. During the 36 all out, they were bowled out in 32 such not-in-control responses. Shows you how unlucky they were in edging everything and those edges carrying. This one wicket for 11 false responses is about the going rate in Test cricket, where you need to do it for a little over 10 times to get a wicket

11.15am: Australia miss early chance

Tim Paine dropped an inside edge•Getty Images

It has been a nip-and-tuck start to the day and Australia should have had a wicket. Tim Paine couldn’t hold onto an inside edge in the second over the day off Shubman Gill. Australia had also used a review on the opening delivery when Pat Cummins nearly took Cheteshwar Pujara’s edge, but the small sound was bat clipping the pad. Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are making life hard work on an overcast, warm day with the floodlights already on.

10.30am: Have your say

10.00am: Can India take control?

The opening day of the Boxing Day Test could not have gone much better for India, but now they need to make it count. It was a good effort to lose just one wicket yesterday evening – now, if they can bat the day, they’ll be in a very strong position. However, Australia’s attack will have other ideas. It felt as though they pushed a little hard last night, but that can often be the case in a short session.Here’s Dan Brettig on another uncertain batting display from the home side.