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‘Turn up as your Super Hero’ Ryan Sidebottom was told, only to find that his Yorkshire team-mates had done just that

David Hopps04-Oct-2017Yorkshire’s players donned curly ginger wigs to pay tribute to Ryan Sidebottom and bring a distinguished 20-year career to an end in his own inimitable style.Sidebottom was told to turn up as a Super Hero at the start of Yorkshire’s end-of-season celebration only to find to his surprise that his team-mates had done just that – by turning up as him.Such get-togethers are a chance to let your hair down after a long season and this time there was a lot more hair on show than normal.Then it was time to take on the infamous Otley Run – a Leeds pub crawl that has struck fear into the hearts of Leeds students for generations and which is as arduous as any spell even Sidebottom has delivered.Quite a way to bring the curtain down on a career that brought 65 England appearances across three competitions, 762 first-class wickets and two decades of indefatigable service for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.One of Yorkshire’s most valued servants, Sidebottom had received guards of honour at Scarborough and Headingley, the latter after injury had ruled him out of Yorkshire’s final home match of the season.But nothing matters quite as much as the respect of your team-mates, especially as the pints begin to slip quietly down.

The pair added 164 for the fourth wicket as South Australia recovered from 3 for 18 to post 6 for 291 on the opening day in Melbourne

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Nov-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

A century of some panache by Jake Lehmann and a supporting hand by his captain Travis Head lifted South Australia to a decent first innings against Victoria on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.Arriving at the crease after the Bushrangers had struck three times with the new ball, Lehmann counter-attacked so effectively that he raced to 74 by lunch and ultimately made it to 103, all watched by the selection chairman Trevor Hohns, as he deliberated on who should fill the Nos. 6 and 7 slots for Australia in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.Head’s more measured innings was also an indicator of his candidacy for the role, even if he was disappointed to fall to the hook shot not long after Lehmann had also been dismissed by the short ball. Lehmann’s upper cut off Scott Boland was taken by a diving Aaron Finch at third man.In the final session, Tom Cooper and Alex Carey formed a serviceable partnership, before the wicketkeeper was visibly annoyed to slice a catch to point when a bigger score would also have pressed him into Ashes contention. Boland, Chris Tremain and Peter Siddle all bowled presentably for the Bushrangers, but, thanks to Lehmann, could not capitalise on their early successes.

Brisbane Heat were bowled out for their second-lowest total in the Big Bash League

The Report by Alex Malcolm31-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAdelaide Strikers will begin 2018 on top of the BBL table after a dominant win over Brisbane Heat. Their formula this season has been predictable yet impregnable so far: manufacture a par score and defend it at all costs. Their third straight win featured Michael Neser as the unlikely hero with the bat. He scored 40 not out from 26 balls to help lift the total from 5 for 76 in the 13th over to 7 for 147.The Strikers, then, decimated the Heat’s top order with a combination of spin and pace. Rashid Khan claimed the key wicket of Chris Lynn, albeit slightly fortuitously, in the biggest moment of the match. The legspinner finished with 2 for 19, which took his tournament figures to 6 for 63 in 12 overs.Rashid Khan had reason to celebrate, as usual•Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

Strikers’ top-order crumbles under HeatIn the first two games, Strikers were able to put up at least 160 on the board, underpinned by excellent innings from Alex Carey. But Carey fell early, the left-arm quick Josh Lalor nipping one through an open gate. Jake Weatherald was dismissed in a similar manner two overs later, but it was a slower ball that crashed into leg stump.Then Brendon McCullum turned to spin and Yasir Shah, included to replace Shadab Khan, showed his class. He bowled Travis Head with a trademark wrong’ un and then bagged Colin Ingram with the last ball of his spell to finish 2017 with figures of 2 for 18 in four overs.Butter fingersThe Heat let their opponents off the hook with some poor fielding. Jake Lehmann was given a life first ball when he was dropped by Mark Steketee at fine leg. It was a sitter too.An over later, Lalor grassed another relatively straight-forward chance at mid-on but his biggest mistake of the night was shelling Neser on 11. The three let-offs allowed the Strikers to add 45 runs in 29 balls for the sixth wicket before Lehmann’s third offering was held by Joe Burns.Neser’s life proved far costlier, and it was Lalor who paid the heaviest price. Neser deposited him into the stands twice while Rashid hit the first ball he saw over point for six to help the Strikers amass 71 runs in the last seven overs.Striking in a different wayThe Strikers only used one over of spin in the Powerplay in the first two games. Ingram bowled the first one against Sydney Thunder at a cost of nine runs and thereafter all the damage was done by the pacemen. But against the Heat, with Jimmy Peirson, McCullum and Lynn threatening to explode, the Strikers trusted themselves to take the pace off.Head picked up Peirson with his part-time offspin, the opener strangely holed out to long-on having already taken seven from the first five balls of the innings. Rashid then removed Lynn, who was unfortunate to be given out caught behind after appearing to hit the ground and not the ball.With Heat 2 for 10 after two overs, Head turned to the express pace of Billy Stanlake and Burns promptly spooned an attempted pull to square leg, Neser bowled Alex Ross through the gate, Ben Cutting was caught at point and with only seven ovres of the chase done, Heat were 5 for 38.McCullum starvedThe Heat’s captain was left watching the carnage at the non-strikers’ end but presence meant the game was not done. The Strikers, of course, had a plan. In the four overs post Cutting’s dismissal no wickets fell, but McCullum faced just seven balls for four runs. The required run-rate climbed from 7.92 to 9.20 in that time. McCullum’s hand was forced in the 11th over. He charged at Neser but could not clear the long-on fence. Lehmann’s catch was the final nail. Ben Laughlin claimed another three wickets to take his season tally to nine.

The fall of three late Bangladesh wickets lent hope the Chittagong Test may yet produce a result, after Sri Lanka had secured a first-innings lead of 200, amassing 713 for 9

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Feb-2018Dinesh Chandimal tucks the ball past short leg•Associated Press

The fall of three late Bangladesh wickets lent hope the Chittagong Test may yet produce a result, after Sri Lanka had secured a first-innings lead of 200, amassing 713 for 9. Roshen Silva completed an assured hundred, Dinesh Chandimal a measured 87 and Niroshan Dickwella a rapid 62, but it was Sri Lanka’s spinners who truly breathed life into the game. Finding turn with the almost-new ball, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan and Rangana Herath struck once each in the final 12 overs of the day. With both Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal among those dismissed, the Bangladesh middle order is now charged with carrying them to safety on day five. They are still 119 runs behind.The late wickets came after the hosts had begun their second innings with such confidence. Tamim Iqbal was not quite as belligerent as he had been in the first innings, but he was nevertheless positive, stroking Herath through midwicket early in his innings, before delectably flicking Suranga Lakmal through square leg in the fourth over. Sri Lanka raised some good lbw shouts, but batting still appeared a relatively uncomplicated exercise. Imrul Kayes was quieter than Tamim, but hardly seemed to be struggling.It was in the over that Imrul was dismissed that the vibe changed. Tamim was beaten twice by turning Dilruwan Perera deliveries before he finally managed to get himself off strike off the fifth ball. Imrul then somehow managed to get the toe-end of his bat to an attempted ramp shot, and the ball looped out towards the square leg fielder, who completed an easy take. The remaining 11.5 overs were tense; only two boundaries were struck before stumps. Tamim was largely to blame for his dismissal – prodding at a Sandakan ball that was not threatening the stumps, only to send a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Mushfiqur, however, can consider himself very unlucky. He got forward to defend a full delivery from Herath, only for the ball to hit his bat and bounce off his shoe. Kusal Mendis took a good low catch at silly point.Sri Lanka’s march to their gargantuan score was, it must be said, utterly tedious viewing, even if it may turn out to be in service of a Test win. The morning session was another speckled with Sri Lanka milestones – Roshen and Chandimal bringing up the third century stand of the innings, before Roshen completed a proficient maiden Test ton. Later in the session, after Roshen had been caught behind off a Mehidy Hasan delivery, Sri Lanka ploughed on past 600. Bangladesh’s bowlers were by now in various states of fatigue, and their four front-line bowlers had all conceded over 100 runs apiece.Where there had been urgency in the progress of Dhananjaya de Silva and Kusal Mendis on day three, Chandimal had largely been content to inch along, hitting three boundaries off the 185 deliveries he faced. Had he scored 13 more runs, he would have had a fifth Test century against Bangladesh, but soon after lunch, he allowed a straight Taijul Islam delivery to wriggle between bat and pad. The afternoon was enlivened, if only mildly, by Niroshan Dickwella’s aggression and Mehidy’s bowling.Dickwella’s sweeps and reverse-sweeps kept Sri Lanka’s score rolling – the most impressive of those shots the flat reverse sweep against Taijul that scorched to the boundary in front of square. Mehidy flighted the ball nicely and read the batsmen’s intentions well, often firing it fast and flat if he sensed his opponent would make an advance down the pitch. For his enduring boldness, Mehidy was rewarded with Dickwella’s wicket – the batsman top-edging an ill-advised reverse-sweep against the turn, to a ball that pitched well outside his leg stump. In the previous session, Dickwella had survived an lbw shout against Mehidy that could have fairly been given out, though the not-out decision would not have been overturned on review either.Dilruwan Perera contributed a largely uneventful 32 to the score, but when three quick wickets fell either side of tea, Chandimal decided Sri Lanka had batted long enough. All up, they had kept Bangladesh in the field for 199.3 overs, which was only three balls fewer than the longest stretch in the field a Bangladesh side had ever endured. Taijul’s workload was immense – he had bowled 67.3 overs in the innings.

Islamabad’s seamers did most of the damage under cloudy skies, limiting the Multan Sultans to 113, setting up their first win of the tournament

The Report by Nikhil Kalro25-Feb-2018PCB/PSL

Not often, in T20s, does a Powerplay decide the direction of a game. When it does, it’s almost always solely down to underfoot or overhead conditions. Under atypically overcast skies in Dubai, after a 25-minute delay due to light rain, Islamabad United’s seamers capitalised on swinging conditions to leave Multan Sultans at 24 for 3 after the first six overs.That period set the tone for the rest of the match. Multan weren’t able to recover, eventually slumping to 113 all out in the final over. At one point during the 54-run fifth-wicket partnership between Shoaib Malik and Kieron Pollard, it seemed like Multan could muster a score they could defend in bowling-friendly conditions.Imran Tahir gave them some hope with 3 for 19, but Hussain Talat snuffed that out with a sparkling innings, first steadying the chase before showing off his range with a 34-ball 48 that gave Islamabad their first win of the tournament.

Where the match was won

Islamabad’s bowlers kept Multan to 24 for 3 in the Powerplay, but the next four overs damaged their hopes of a 120-plus score. Multan’s batsmen took too long looking to consolidate, adding just 18 runs in four overs for the loss of Ahmed Shehzad. With a score at 42 for 4, even a bright cameo wouldn’t have sufficed.

The men that won it

The conditions were skewed towards the fast bowlers so much that legspinner Shadab Khan was given only two overs. Islamabad’s quicks didn’t disappoint. Captain Rumman Raees and Mohammad Sami combined for figures of 7.5-0-33-5 to give their team a distinct edge. Steven Finn and Andre Russell also chipped in with three wickets between them.But the most significant contribution was from Talat. At 63 for 5, Multan were buoyant, but Talat soaked up that pressure initially, before expanding his strokeplay to find the gaps. He finished with four fours and three sixes in his match-winning knock.

Moment of the match

In three innings in this season’s PSL, Sohaib Maqsood has scored 26 runs, at an average of 8.67. That lack of confidence may have manifested into hesitation in the field. In the 10th over of Islamabad’s chase, Talat clipped a delivery from Junaid Khan towards midwicket. He called his partner Asif Ali for a run before sending him back too late. Or so everyone thought. Maqsood picked up, ran towards the bowler’s stumps, glanced at the batsman and missed an under-arm throw from a metre away.

Where they stand

Being the only team with two wins in the tournament, Multan retained their position at the top of the table. Islamabad stayed at fifth spot with one win in two games.

The visitors piled up 9 for 375 on a free-scoring first day at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2018Victoria 9 for 375 (Dean 111, White 57, Stoinis 3-63) v Western Australia
Scorecard
A patient hundred from Victoria opener Travis Dean was an outlier on a freewheeling day of scoring for the Bushrangers against Western Australia at the WACA.Dean made 111 from 195 balls with 18 fours and one six to help the Bushrangers to a strong position midway through the first day after Aaron Finch won the toss and chose to bat. Dean and Marcus Harris put on 113 for the opening wicket. Glenn Maxwell made an entertaining 47 from just 52 balls to push the score to 1 for 193 after 50 overs of play.But Maxwell, Will Pucovski and Dean were dismissed in the space of 12 overs to halt Bushrangers’ momentum. Dean fell to a stunning diving catch from Simon Mackin at mid-on. Cameron White steadied with his fourth consecutive 50-plus score. Wicketkeeper Sam Harper played a late cameo to push the total to 9 for 375 at close.The Warriors used seven bowlers, all of whom conceded more than 3 runs per over.

The ICC has set October 1-3 for the hearing on the PCB’s dispute with the BCCI, and the decision of the panel will be final

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2018The BCCI and the PCB’s dispute over two unplayed bilateral series moved a step forward after the ICC constituted a three-person dispute panel four months after Pakistan decided to take the legal route in pursuit of its resolution. The hearings will take place in Dubai from October 1-3 and the decision of the panel will be final.”The International Cricket Council today confirmed that the Hon Michael Beloff QC will chair the Dispute Panel in the matter of proceedings between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India,” the ICC said in a statement. “The other two members of the panel, which has been established under the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, are Mr Jan Paulsson and Hon Dr Annabelle Bennett AO, SC. The hearing will take place in Dubai from 1-3 October and, as per Article 10.4 of the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, the decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable and shall remain the full and final decision in relation to the matter and binding on all parties.”The PCB claims up to $70million worth lost revenue from failure of the BCCI to play two series – in November 2014 and December 2015 – which were agreed by the boards in April 2014. Both series were officially slotted into the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP) with Pakistan as host. However, amid a deteriorating political situation, the BCCI refused to honour that agreement.The PCB, saying they had no option left, sent a notice of dispute to the ICC. Under the watch of the ICC, both boards met on a number of occasions to try and reach a resolution in good faith, to no avail.In a final motion, a three-person dispute panel headed by Beloff with Paulsson (Pakistan representation) and Bennett (Indian representation) will have a three-day hearing at the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Beloff, incidentally, was head of the ICC tribunal which banned Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif for spot-fixing in 2011. The proceedings are likely to be conducted in private.”Unless the parties agree to settle their dispute in the meantime, the Dispute Panel shall decide the outcome of the case following deliberation in private,” read the terms of reference. “They shall endeavour to reach a unanimous decision, but a majority decision shall suffice. No member of the Dispute Panel may abstain from voting on the outcome of any dispute, but any member may record a dissenting opinion which may be attached to the majority decision with the permission of the Chairperson of the Dispute Panel. “The bone of contention is the original agreement between the two sides in 2014, which is expected to be a central pillar in the PCB’s arguments. It had agreed on both sides playing six series between December 2015 and November-December 2022, and also an effort to play a short limited-overs series in Pakistan (or a neutral venue) in November 2014. But amid tense relations between the two governments, any chance of a resumption in bilateral ties had always looked distant. And that has been the BCCI’s core claim all along – that it does not have government permission to play Pakistan.India and Pakistan have not played a full series since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which India blamed on militants based in Pakistan. Pakistan visited India for a short limited-overs series in December 2012, but that did not do enough to thaw the frosty relationship.

Jimmy Adams admitted it was “a hard slog” and added: “I would not teach my kids to bat like me”

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2018
ScorecardJimmy Adams missed out on his first Specsavers County Championship century of the season as bad light frustrated both Hampshire and Essex at the Ageas Bowl.Opening batsman Adams began his innings at 11.30am on the first day and reached a slow-paced 87 runs before he was finally dismissed at 3.10pm on the third day.”It was a hard slog,” he said. “I wouldn’t teach my kids to bat like me.”But overcast conditions created light issues for the second day in a row to allowed only 28 overs to be bowled on Sunday – meaning 135 overs had been lost to bad light in the match, in addition to 81 overs to rain.Adams and Hashim Amla had batted wonderfully during the morning session, having returned on 57 and eight respectively overnight.Batting was again tricky, despite the older ball, with dark clouds hanging over the ground with the floodlights turned on throughout the day.South African star Amla provided the shot making, while Adams dropped anchor as he took 20 minutes to get odd the mark for the day.Amla scored his first Hampshire half century at the Kia Oval last week against Surrey and continued in his usual classy style to record another milestone – coming off 80 chanceless deliveries.Meanwhile, Adams was enjoying a battle with fast bowler Jamie Porter – with balls regularly speeding past the outside edge.Porter managed to find the 37-year-old’s edge, when on 62, but Alastair Cook spilled the regulation chance at first slip -before the morning action was curtailed to just 23.2 overs.Play eventually recommenced at 2.45pm, just two overs into the new ball.And the fresh ball worked wonders for Porter and Peter Siddle as Amla fell to the latter in the first full over following the return to the wicket.Australian Siddle set-up his fellow overseas, with shrewd swing bowling, as he found exaggerated movement in both directions, before catching the outside of the bat before wicketkeeper James Foster completed the catch off the last ball of the over.Amla departing for a well-made 52, with the wicket ending a 93-run partnership for the third wicket.Porter then managed to end Jimmy Adams’ 264-ball, and almost six hour, stay at the crease with an angled delivery coming around the wicket to pin the left-hander lbw, for a patient 87.The half an hour mini-session earned Essex an impressive analysis of 18 for two in 29 balls but that was all the action possible after 3.15pm.

Kent equalled their highest one-day total and Surrey never got close to challenging them

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2018
ScorecardKent swept aside neighbours Surrey by 220 runs to land a fourth successive Royal London One-day Cup victory with almost 20 overs in hand on a flat pitch in Beckenham.Heino Kuhn’s century helped Kent post 384 for 8 – their best List A score against a first-class county – then Kent fielded tigerishly in support of Darren Stevens’ career-best 6 for 25 as Surrey succumbed for 164 inside 30.1 overs.Chasing at 7.7 an over, the visitors lost deposed England opener Mark Stoneman when he dabbled outside off against Matt Henry to be caught behind, then Sam Billings pouched another as Will Jacks nicked an ambitious back-foot force against Mitch Claydon.Though he needed treatment for a bruised right thumb early on, Jason Roy eased to a 39-ball 50, but might have gone run out for 52 when Sean Dickson missed with a direct hit from backward point.Left-arm spinner Imran Qayyum, on his season’s debut, teamed up with Calum Haggett to send down a string of tight overs that forced Roy to try and break the shackles only to chip to long-off and exit for 68.Qayyum struck again, holding a sharp overhead return catch to account for Ben Foakes then, with the run-rate edging past nine an over, Stevens clipped Ollie Pope’s off stump as the right-hander aimed to push-drive.Stevens snared Rikki Clarke leg before with an off-cutter, had Rory Burns held at mid-on for 42, rearranged Tom Curran’s stumps and trapped Jade Dernbach lbw for his third career List A five-for before taking his sixth wicket in 29 balls by having Gareth Batty caught in the deep.Batting first after losing the toss, Kent equalled their highest total in List A cricket and their best against Surrey, easily beating their 337 for 3 at Canterbury a decade ago.Openers Kuhn and Daniel Bell-Drummond laid the foundations in notching 55 in the 10-over Powerplay though Kuhn was dropped on 21 when Dernbach downed a low return chance.Bell-Drummond lifted the 3,000-strong crowd with the first six of the day, clearing the left leg to a Curran free-hit, he easily beat the ropes over long off as he and Kuhn added 93 before Bell-Drummond slashed at a Curran wide to be caught behind.Kuhn reached his second half-century of the campaign from 58-balls and, in the process went past the 4,000-run milestone in List A cricket as he and Joe Denly kept the board ticking at a run-a-ball.Denly broke loose with a flat, straight six off Batty to raise his 45-ball 50 as Kent reached 156 for 1 at the innings mid-point, but, with his score on 78 from 71 balls, Denly smashed a Curran long-hop to wide mid-on to end a second wicket stand of 138 inside 19 overs.Kuhn posted his maiden List A century for Kent from 91 balls with 10 fours and a six, yet soon lost skipper Billings when, in looking to glance, he gloved to the keeper and gifted Clarke a wicket.Alex Blake plundered four successive sixes off Batty to raise Kent’s 300 and his own 50 from 24 balls. In looking to clear the ropes again, Blake skied to Roy at long off to go for 59.Kuhn, who cramped up toward the end of his 193-minute stay, departed for 117 after top-edging a hook to long leg against countryman Morne Morkel, then Dickson, in attempting to reverse paddle, was bowled by Dernbach.Cameos from Stevens and Haggett helped Kent equal their List A record total against Berkshire at Finchampstead in 1994, while, of Surrey’s bowlers, only Curran with a flattering 4 for 75, will want to remember the day.

Durham, once bereft in North Group, added leaders Worcestershire to their victims as they continued to transform their season

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2018
ScorecardBen Stokes put on a clinic with bat and ball to guide Durham Jets to a dominant seven-wicket victory over Worcestershire Rapids in their Vitality Blast clash at Emirates Riverside.The England all-rounder was imperious with the ball, claiming figures of 4 for 16 from his four overs. He then opened the innings to blast a score of 43 off 24 deliveries, and with Graham Clark’s knock of 55, the home side were able to canter to a comfortable win.Durham have won their last three matches on the bounce against tough opposition and are well in contention to reach the knockout phase of the competition, while the Rapids have now dropped their second game in a row, needing a response to stop their slide after their strong start.Clar said: “”We’ve played some good teams. We’ve beaten the two finalists from last year and to beat top of the group tonight it’s standing us in good stead. Confidence is sky high at the moment and hopefully we can keep winning in this competition.”The Jets on the toss and elected to bowl boosted by the return of Stokes, although Paul Collingwood and Chris Rushworth missed out. Worcestershire had Moeen Ali back in their ranks and hit the second ball of the innings to the boundary over point, but James Weighell responded to dismiss him in the next ball. Martin Guptill struggled to get the ball off the square and was to fall victim to a Stokes’ delivery that kept low for seven.Travis Head’s form at the crease allowed his side to post 40 from their opening six overs. Rimmington turned the momentum in favour of Durham by removing Daryl Mitchell. Head continued his knock, although his strike rate did not get away from the home side. The Australian fell for 40 as he was undone by a straight delivery from Imran Tahir, sparking a collapse in the Rapids’ innings.Stokes returned to the attack to have both Ross Whiteley and Ben Cox caught on the boundary, while Tahir notched his second strike of the innings as Ed Barnard knicked off. Luke Wood continued the procession of wickets, drilling straight to Liam Trevaskis in the deep. Stokes ensured that the Rapids were held in check as he claimed his fourth scalp by bowling Dillon Pennington, while a fine piece of fielding ended the innings for 121 as Rimmington ran out Patrick Brown with a flick out of the back of his hand.Graham Clark and Stokes got their side off to a flying start in their chase. Both openers were able to find the boundary with regularity, putting the home side comfortably ahead of the required rate. The duo reached their fifty partnership at the end of the fifth over, compounding their advantage at the crease.Stokes dispatched Ali over long on for a huge six to reach 43, but his England team-mate had a semblance of revenge as Guptill took a catch on the fence from the following delivery, ending the opening partnership at 77. Clark continued to put the Rapids to the sword after the loss of Stokes, reaching his fifty off 35 balls, including seven boundaries and a six. The opener fell before the Jets could close out the victory as Trevaskis hit the winning runs.