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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.

A win in Jamaica will make Kohli India’s most successful Test captain; West Indies out to preserve improving home record

The Preview by Shashank Kishore29-Aug-20198:38

Ganga: Shai Hope should be batting in the top four

Big picture

West Indies crossed 300 twice, with a highest of 415, during their historic series win over England to regain the Wisden Trophy earlier this year. On the evidence of what we saw in Antigua, they did not even give themselves a chance to make half the batting impact they had in that series (their run of scores: 289, 415, 206, 17 for no loss, 154 and 252).As was the case then, the bowling seems to be coming along well. Kemar Roach 2.0 is often in unplayable territory with the new ball, Shannon Gabriel has cranked up pace and intensity while a fit-again Keemo Paul, coming in for Miguel Cummins, has proved to be more than just a support bowler. The same cannot be said about the batting; their inability to stick around and fight at the slightest hint of being under pressure being exposed repeatedly.For inspiration, they only need to look back to the 2016 Jamaica Test. Playing in only his second Test, Roston Chase stonewalled India on the final day as West Indies sneaked out an honourable draw. That resolve they would do well to emulate against a formidable bowling attack that is showing no signs of letting up.
India are faced with the R Ashwin question. Ravindra Jadeja has done enough to enhance his reputation as a Test batsman over time, and sent down overs of fast left-arm spin like the way he does – fast, with some bite as the surface tires – but surely, Ashwin’s 24 wickets in seven overseas Tests at 30.16 in 2018 present a compelling case?Two of his four Test centuries came on the previous tour of the West Indies and a stint in county cricket earlier in the season is enough evidence of Ashwin being match ready. As things stand, India will need to ask themselves if they want to play two spinners, and possibly leave out Mohammed Shami, or play one of Ashwin and Jadeja and three pacers. However, going by the training session, it’s likely the team management will stick with Jadeja, who batted and bowled. Ashwin was conspicuously absent.

Form guide

West Indies: LLWWL (last five Tests, most recent first)
India: WDWLW

In the spotlight

KL Rahul’s Test berth was hanging by a thread until it was somewhat revived by Prithvi Shaw’s dope suspension and India’s long white-ball season, where he struck some kind of form. In Antigua, he made scores of 44 and 38. There are two ways of looking at this: he got off to starts or that he didn’t convert. What he did right, though, is that he got into better positions, seemed to have better balance and did not dangle his bat out indecisively. The second Test is another opportunity to correct that and produce a big knock.R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja celebrate a wicket•BCCI

Kraigg Brathwaite’s got a defensive game that borders on the unorthodox. Not many opening batsmen get square on the way he does, and yet find a way to blunt bowlers day in and day out. But he hasn’t scored a century for 17 innings now. Against a quality attack, they need him to blunt the new ball and allow the middle order the luxury of coming in without having to rebuild. Maybe, he can draw inspiration from his previous Test visit to Sabina Park, where he made the last of his eight Test hundreds.

Team news

Hanuma Vihari’s 93 is sure to keep Rohit Sharma on the bench again, barring a last-minute injury shuffle. They are likely to remain unchanged, even if they are somewhat swayed to play Ashwin.India (probable XI): 1 KL Rahul, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Rishabh Pant, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Ishant Sharma, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit BumrahWest Indies will make a forced change, with Keemo Paul replacing Miguel Cummins. They may consider strengthening their bowling by possibly looking at the uncapped Rahkeem Cornwall in place of Shamarh Brooks.West Indies (probable XI): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 John Campbell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Roston Chase, 5 Shai Hope, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Rahkeem Cornwall, 9 Keemo Paul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Pitch and conditions

“Grass. We want no more spin,” a member of the groundstaff told ESPNcricinfo on match eve. The extent of greenness and how it’ll play will only be seen on match day, though. Would they really want to risk exposing their batsmen to India’s pace attack, then? It’ll be a brave call should it come down to that. For the record, West Indies’ fast bowlers picked up 18 of the 20 wickets to fall when they last played Test here, where Bangladesh were beaten inside three days.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies haven’t lost a Test series at home for more than two years now. They’ve beaten Bangladesh and England, besides finishing level with Sri Lanka. Their last defeat was to Pakistan, a thriller that brought the curtains down on two famous careers: #MissYou
• Virat Kohli needs one victory to become the most successful Test captain for India. He’s currently tied on 27 with MS Dhoni

Heather Knight’s 97 guided Western Storm to a seven-wicket win in the opening match of the Kia Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jul-2018Western Storm 166 for 3 (Knight 97, Mandhana 48) beat Yorkshire Diamonds 162 for 5 (Kimmince 55, Winfield 41) by seven wickets

ScorecardHeather Knight posted a superb match-winning 97 as defending Kia Super League champions Western Storm defeated Yorkshire Diamonds by seven wickets in a high-scoring contest at Taunton.Australia’s Delissa Kimmince posted an unbeaten 55 in her maiden KSL innings as Diamonds registered a competitive 162 for 5 after being put in to bat on a true pitch.But that proved meat and drink to England captain Knight who, aided and abetted by overseas star Smriti Mandhana, guided Storm to a comfortable victory in front of their home crowd with 4.3 overs remaining.Mandhana marked her debut with a hugely entertaining knock of 48, but it was Knight’s 62-ball innings that did most to seal victory, the 26-year-old accruing 13 fours and 5 sixes.Out-played by Storm in each of the last two seasons, Diamonds at least put up a fight this time around in a high-scoring match that produced 15 sixes, a KSL record.Eager to regain her place at the top of England’s order ahead of this Autumn’s Women’s World T20, Yorkshire captain Lauren Winfield produced an eye-catching performance in front of the Sky TV cameras to serve notice that the visitors had come to win.Far from being fazed by the departure of Australian opener Beth Mooney and Sri Lanka international Chamari Athapaththu – run out by Stafanie Taylor and pinned lbw by Claire Nicholas respectively with the score on 12 in the second over – Winfield went on the offensive.No respecter of reputations, she took fellow World Cup winner Anya Shrubsole to task during a power-play which yielded 44 runs, greeted England rookie Freya Davies with a straight-hit six and then plundered successive fours when teenage seamer Danielle Gibson was introduced from the Somerset Pavilion end.Storm breathed a collective sigh of relief when Winfield succumbed to a Davies in-swinger, having raised 41 from 29 balls with 6 fours and a six and added 48 for the third wicket with Davidson-Richards.With Winfield, Mooney and Athapaththu back in the pavilion, Storm could have been excused for thinking the hard work was done. But they were soon disabused of the idea as Davidson-Richards and Australian all-rounder Delissa Kimmince provided crucial mid-innings momentum in a fourth-wicket stand of 56 in 6.2 overs.Davidson-Richards scored 33 at a run a ball before offering a return catch to Taylor in the 16th over with the score on 116, but the breakthrough provided the defending champions with only temporary respite.Seeing the ball clearly, the clean-hitting Kimmince picked up the cudgels to raise 50 from 37 balls, in the process receiving valuable support from Beth Langston and Thea Brookes as the Yorkshire tail wagged.Regarded as a short-form specialist in her native Australia, 29-year-old Kimmince took full advantage of Taunton’s short boundaries, plundering 5 fours and a brace of sixes to suggest that Storm might not have things entirely their own way.That feeling was reinforced when talismanic opener Rachel Priest, Storm’s match-winner in last season’s final, departed for a first-ball duck, pinned in her crease by leg spinner Helen Fenby.That was the cue for Mandhana to take centre stage, the diminutive Indian demonstrating her intent by hitting Fenby for two straight sixes in as many balls and then plundering three further maximums in one over to blast Kimmince out of the attack.Knight also opened her shoulders to good effect as the power-play yielded 64 runs, at which point Storm were required to score a further 98 runs at seven-an-over.Having rushed to 48 via 20 balls, with 3 fours and 5 sixes, and dominated a stand of 80 in 7.5 overs with her captain, Mandhana missed out on a quickfire half century, driving a length ball from Davidson Richards straight to cover point.Trading almost exclusively in boundaries, Knight ensured there was no loss of momentum, going to 50 from 39 balls and dominating a partnership of 81 with Taylor for the third wicket.A hundred was there for the taking for Storm’s captain but, with just two runs needed to achieve that landmark and victory, she holed out to deep mid-wicket, leaving Taylor (12 not out) to hit the winning runs in the 16th over.

Nottinghamshire cricketers were in no mood to be drinks waiters at Durham’s revivalist party as they sliced through them on the opening day

Paul Edwards at Chester-le-Street14-Apr-2017
Scorecard”We’re not angry with you,” the ECB’s panjandrums told Durham last autumn.”Just very disappointed?” queried the county’s officials, who had rapidly adjusted to their role in the patient parent lectures naughty teen routine. And so it continued, the board telling Durham that sanctions were for the greater good and the county mumbling “Whatevs” while waiting for nice Uncle Ian to come and stay. It was thus a relief when shrugs and moodies were replaced by competitive, wicket-strewn cricket on the first day of this game and BounceBackTogether could be more than a hashtagged slogan.Nottinghamshire cricketers, though, were in no mood to be drinks waiters at Durham’s revivalist party. Supporters at Trent Bridge were themselves both bloody angry and very disappointed when their team was relegated last September, a demise caused not by a shortage of cash but by a lack of points. What was worse they went down without a semblance of a fight, 41 points shy of seventh-placed Lancashire in the final table.It will therefore have comforted the away spectators when Nottinghamshire’s seamers followed last week’s ten-wicket demolition of Leicestershire by controlling the opening exchanges of this match, taking six wickets for 24 runs either side of lunch as the home side crumbled to 71 for 7. Then much later in the piece, Samit Patel and Michael Lumb put on 85 for the visitors’ fourth wicket and their alliance was only ended deep into the evening when Lumb, having laboured worthily over 33 runs, was leg before to one from Mark Wood which kept low. That wicket fell in a 29-ball session watched by fewer people than you would find in the average ECB committee meeting. It ended a day marked not quite so much by Durham’s resurgence as by Nottinghamshire’s grit.Indeed, we had got to middle of the afternoon before north-eastern hope was personified in the chunky shape of Stuart Poynter, whose 59-ball half-century hoisted his side’s first innings total to a barely respectable 162. The ball itself did a fair bit of #bouncingback and forth during Poynter’s innings, not least when he uppercut the impressive James Pattinson to the longstop boundary, a shot which brought a roar of delight from the 2190-strong crowd, their attendance encouraged by the £5 price of admission.Durham’s wicketkeeper-batsman breathed in the oxygen of approval and more boundaries followed, the best of them driven through the covers. Poynter hit a dozen fine fours in his 65 and had added 52 for the last wicket with Chris Rushworth before he was bowled making room to work Luke Fletcher through the off side.But last-wicket partnerships often foreshadow early breakthroughs and so it was at a chilly Riverside where Rushworth and Graham Onions took three wickets in seven balls inside the first five overs of Nottinghamshire’s reply. This was probably the best part of the day for the Durham supporters who had turned up with the intention of showing the authorities that it takes more than points deductions to crush their collective spirit.”Betrayed, Cheated but not Defeated” read a banner just to the left of the sightscreen at the Lumley End and one did not need to be “Dilly” Knox to fathom the acronym “FTECB” printed alongside the rhyme. Onions probably did not express himself quite so frankly when he caused Greg Smith to edge a drive to Paul Collingwood; neither might Rushworth have been so candid when he trapped Alex Hales for a five-ball duck. But their joy was evident all the same and a reminder that Collingwood still possesses one of the best seam attacks in either division.Lumb and Patel, though, staunched the flow of wickets with careful flourish-free batsmanship. Spectators may not have discounted the possibility of Durham beginning their second innings of the first evening of this game but only Lumb’s wicket fell. Patel had hit eight boundaries when the umpires took the players off about an hour into the final session but Wood had looked relatively innocuous and the 80-minute break in play may have come as something of a disappointment to batsmen who seemed at ease in their work.All of which served as a pleasing complement to the first session of the day when it had been Nottinghamshire’s seamers who had made the most of Read’s decision to bowl first. Stephen Cook’s first competitive innings for Durham ended after 11 balls when he attempted to leave a ball from Jake Ball but only edged a catch to Chris Read. Jack Burnham added 41 with 11 overs Keaton Jennings but then declined to attempt a stroke to the final ball of Luke Fletcher’s first over. It was a fatal misjudgement. Burnham’s off stump Beth Tweddled back to Read, the ash pole performing a gymnastic feat well beyond the bowler’s capabilities, albeit that Fletcher has chiselled down his previously megalithic build.Burnham’s wicket was the prelude to further success for Fletcher and his colleagues. Pattinson produced what was by far the seed of the day to bowl Jennings for 26, the ball angling in before straightening to take out the off stump. Michael Richardson’s tentative push gave a slip catch to Greg Smith; Collingwood and Ryan Pringle fell to successive deliveries from Ball and Durham were in the soup before the media had digested their lunchtime lasagne.

The International Cricket Council on Monday confirmed that it has charged and provisionally suspended Hong Kong batsman Irfan Ahmed for a breach of the anti-corruption code

Mohammad Isam11-Jan-2016The International Cricket Council on Monday confirmed that it has charged and provisionally suspended Hong Kong batsman Irfan Ahmed for a breach of the Anti-Corruption Code.The offence is under Article 2.4.2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code (effective from 10 October 2012 to 10 November 2014) which states, “Failing to disclose to the ACSU (without undue delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of the Anti-Corruption Code.”An ICC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo that, “In accordance with the terms of the Code, a disciplinary process is currently underway and the ICC is not able to make any further comment on the matter pending the outcome of the disciplinary process.”Hong Kong Cricket Association CEO Tim Cutler said, “We are firmly committed to upholding the integrity of our sport and we fully support the ICC’s broadened concern around this grave threat to the soul of cricket. We must always put player welfare at the centre of our concerns and no matter what, there is a young man here who needs to be our immediate concern and we will be there for any support we can offer.”The 26-year old Ahmed has played six ODIs since his debut in 2008, as well as eight T20Is, the last of which was in July 2015. He had been in the top bracket for centrally contracted cricketers in Hong Kong in 2014-15, but was not retained for the 2015-16 season.

Test cricketers Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie and Neil Broom are among 18 players named by New Zealand Cricket for their A-team tour to India and Sri Lanka in August

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013Test cricketers Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie and Neil Broom are among 18 players in New Zealand’s A team tour to India and Sri Lanka starting late August. The team is scheduled to play one three-day match, one four-day match and three one-dayers against India A before travelling to Sri Lanka for two four-day matches and three one-dayers.”It’s a very strong New Zealand A squad with a lot of experience on the international scene,” Kim Littlejohn, the general manager of national selection, said. “The likes of Doug Bracewell, Neil Broom and Mark Gillespie have all played at Test level and will benefit from further time facing international teams.”However, three players – Broom, Derek de Boorder and James Neesham – will only be available for the two longer-form matches against India A, before being released for the Champions League. They will be replaced by Anton Devcich, Andrew Ellis and Scott Kuggeleijn.”Players like Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi and Matthew Henry are all exciting prospects for the future, and this offers them an opportunity to continue their development and understand the demands of cricket at a higher level,” Littlejohn said.”The experience of playing in subcontinent conditions will be of immense value for all these players and we’re confident they’ll grasp this opportunity with both hands.”New Zealand A squad: Corey Anderson (Northern Knights), Todd Astle (Canterbury Wizards), Derek de Boorder (Otago Volts), Doug Bracewell (Central Districts), Neil Broom (Otago Volts), Carl Cachopa (Central Districts), Mark Gillespie (Wellington Firebirds), Matthew Henry (Canterbury Wizards), Tom Latham (Canterbury Wizards), James Neesham (Otago Volts), Adam Milne (Central Districts),
Daryl Mitchell (Northern Knights), Colin Munro (Auckland Aces), Luke Ronchi (Wellington Firebirds), Ish Sodhi (Northern Knights)Players out after first two matches in India: Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder and James NeeshamPlayers in after first two matches in India: Anton Devcich (Northern Knights), Andrew Ellis (Canterbury Wizards), Scott Kuggeleijn (Northern Knights)

South Africa A played out 56 overs in the fourth innings with the loss of only two wickets to deny Sri Lanka A a chance to square the two-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2012Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSouth Africa A played out 56 overs in the fourth innings with the loss of only two wickets to deny Sri Lanka A a chance to square the two-match series. South Africa had beaten the visitors by an innings in the first match in Durban.Sri Lanka A started the day with opening batsman Dimuth Karunaratne, on 99 overnight, reaching his century in the first over of the morning with an off-drive to the boundary. Karunaratne, who had scored 83 in the first innings, went on to take Sri Lanka past 300 and completed 150 runs in the process. He declared the innings soon after, giving a target of 349 runs in a minimum of 71 overs to the home team.South Africa A lost openers Dean Elgar and Reeza Hendricks with only 37 runs on the board, but Stiaan van Zyl, 39 off 140 balls, and Faf du Plessis, 55 off 120, combined together in an unbeaten 93-run partnership as the game meandered to a draw.