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South Africa A surged ahead on the third day in Pallekele, bowling out Sri Lanka A for 326 and extending their lead to 280 with eight wickets still in hand

Cricinfo staff12-Aug-2010
Scorecard
South Africa A surged ahead on the third day in Pallekele, bowling out Sri Lanka A for 326 and extending their lead to 280 with eight wickets still in hand.Sri Lanka began the day on 253 for 4 but collapsed to lose their last six wickets for 63 runs. Fast bowler Quinton Friend finished with four wickets and was supported by Vernon Philander and Rory Kleinveldt, who grabbed two wickets each. Sri Lanka’s overnight batsmen Kaushal Silva and Janaka Gunaratne looked good to take them close to the South African first-innings score but their dismissals put the visitors in control. Silva was run out for 84, while Gunaratne, who reached his century, fell for 122, bowled by Philander.South Africa ensured they didn’t squander their advantage. Dean Elgar Stiaan van Zyl struck half-centuries to add an unbeaten 110 and set the foundation for an imposing fourth-innings target for the hosts.

Young seamer takes 3 for 52 as Glamorgan’s perfect start continues

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2024Ben Morris blasted a hole in the Essex middle-order to introduce himself on to the first-team stage as Glamorgan maintained their 100 per cent record in this season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Chelmsford.A year after making his Glamorgan debut in the competition, the 20-year-old seamer grabbed his maiden List A wickets in only his third appearance with figures of 3 for 52 as Essex struggled to defeat. He was the perfect foil to his more experienced fellow seamer Jamie McIlroy, who took late wickets to register a career-best 3 for 33.That Essex were so close to their second win of the season was thanks to a record last-wicket stand of 68 in nine overs between Ben Allison (26) and Aaron Beard (42 not out) that would have embarrassed some of their batting superiors.That Essex had to chase 284 was largely down to Sam Northeast, who cemented Glamorgan’s innings with a 93-ball 89. He was ably supported in stands of 74 and 71 stands by Billy Root and Asa Tribe respectively.Northeast was eventually out after two hours and 15 minutes, one of seven wickets in which Essex rookie wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes was involved – five catches behind the stumps and two run-outs. Shane Snater took three Glamorgan wickets for 46 and Jamal Richards posted List A best figures of 3 for 68 as Glamorgan ran up 283.Essex put in Glamorgan on a green-tinged wicket of considerable bounce and carry early on before flattening out. Snater exploited the conditions and had Eddie Byrom caught behind off one that hissed and fizzed during a personal sequence of 12 scoreless deliveries.Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson hung around for 11 overs for 13 in a 54-run partnership with Will Smale. But his eyes lit up at a half-volley from Richards that he flashed low into extra cover’s hands. Smale stroked seven fours in an attractive 43, but departed lbw to one from Richards that nipped back.Northeast and Root looked unperturbed in a stand of 74 that spanned 16 overs until Root pushed Tom Westley for a risky single to mid-on. Northeast showed no interest, turning his back, Root kept running, Snater dived and threw to the striker’s end to complete the run-out by more than half the pitch.As the wicket flattened out, Tribe helped Northeast add another 71 in 10 overs until he tried to work Ben Allison down to third man and edged behind. Snater claimed his second wicket soon after when Tom Bevan sliced high and Fernandes made ground to take the catch at short fine leg.Douthwaite hit Richards for 24 in an over, including two sixes, but that precipitated a collapse of four wickets in 22 balls for 17 runs. At the start of the next over, Northeast attempted to cut Allison and was caught behind. Fernandes claimed a fifth catch when Andy Gorvin went to ramp Snater, and then ran Douthwaite out with a direct hit. Morris departed first ball to a catch at fine leg for Richards’s third wicket.Essex, missing bright hope Charlie Allison to a hamstring injury, were quickly in trouble. Glamorgan bowled four maidens in the first nine overs, by which time they had sent back openers Feroze Khushi and Nick Browne as well as Robin Das. Khushi got a leading edge to third man against Douthwaite, Browne hoicked McIlroy to mid-on and Das skied Douthwaite towards square leg where wicketkeeper Smale ran round to pouch.Sixteen dot balls followed Das’s dismissal before Douthwaite conceded 17 in the 10th over, including three delightful cover drives by Benkenstein, who contributed to Carlson leaking 10 more in the next to drag Essex back into the game.Benkenstein put on 61 for the fourth wicket with Westley, hitting six fours in his 41-ball 39 before misjudging one from Gorvin that kept low. Noah Thain hung around for 19 balls before taking a swing at Morris and holed out in the deep.Morris claimed his second scalp the ball after Westley had pulled him for four to reach a 72-ball half-century, and then had Fernandes bowled playing over a delivery.

India batter won’t alter his aggressive batting style but is hopeful of finding more consistency with it

Shashank Kishore08-Jul-2023Don’t dwell on the past, but absorb lessons from it and keep moving forward. This, in a nutshell, is what Prithvi Shaw is trying to do to push himself back up the ladder for selection to the Indian team.Shaw endured a poor IPL 2023, to the point that he lost his place at the top of the order midway through the season for Delhi Capitals. In all, he managed just 106 runs in eight innings. The ongoing Duleep Trophy is his first competitive outing since then and Shaw is looking to live by the mantra that the “next game is the most important game”.”Those few innings [at the start of IPL 2023] went in a flash,” he said. “[While] I kept thinking about the first match, I quickly realised three matches had passed. The learning was once the match is done, just leave it there. You can’t do anything about it, it’s history. You have to keep moving forward.”Whichever game I play – Duleep Trophy, a Mumbai [club] game, whichever game – it’s important for me to bring my best. I’m the kind of person who always puts the team first. I feel that sometimes you just have to take a step back and then go forward again. Things will come your way if you do the right things at the right time.”Shaw last played for India in July 2021, and was most recently part of the squad during the home T20I series against New Zealand in January this year. He isn’t part of the white-ball squad for the West Indies tour and has seen both Ruturaj Gaikwad and his Mumbai team-mate Yashasvi Jaiswal leapfrog him for a place in India’s Test squad. Asked how he views where he stands, Shaw emphasised on the importance of focusing on his immediate tasks without carrying the anxiety or the pressure of performance.Related

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“When I came back for the T20s against New Zealand, I didn’t get a chance [to play] but this is what life is,” he said. “Sometimes you get chances, sometimes you don’t. You have to accept it. It’s not like I’ll be sitting down there and thinking ‘why, why’. I mean, I do ask myself that question but at the end of the day, if you go there and perform well, do your fitness routines, score well, you’ll be there. I just try and be as positive as I can.”That positivity, Shaw said, isn’t just part of his thought process but his game, too. He is clear while aggression is part of his batting DNA, he is learning to be “a little smarter than what I am” to try to bring consistency to his game.Shaw had a mixed bag of a first-class season in 2022-23. Although he made 595 runs in ten innings, including an incredible 379 off 383 balls against Assam – the second-highest Ranji Trophy score of all time – he believes he could have been more consistent. After that innings, Shaw had spoken of how he had tried to shut out all the negativity around him while also making a plea not to be judged on social media.”If things are not going my way, obviously I’ll try and not play how I’m supposed to play in those conditions,” Shaw said when asked about his approach in bowler-friendly conditions, like in Alur during the Duleep Trophy semi-final where he made 26 in the first innings and 25 in the second. “Personally I feel, I don’t have to change my game. I have to just be a little smarter than what I am.”I try to play with the bowlers, do some things that are going to distract them and make them bowl here and there, and give me the balls that I want and not what they want to bowl. These are the things I look forward to when conditions are like this.”I feel whatever has brought me till here, I will stick to that method, be the same. If I change right now for something, for example, I can’t bat like [Cheteshwar] Pujara sir. He can’t bat like me. I just try to do what has brought me here, everything god has given me, like this aggressive batting. I don’t like to change that, be it T20 or any format. The mindset is the same across formats, obviously I won’t go slashing if I shouldn’t in red-ball cricket, but mindset is to be aggressive.”Shaw will have two more opportunities to impress in the Duleep Trophy final, against South Zone, starting July 12. After that, he could potentially feature for West Zone in the 50-over Deodhar Trophy followed by a maiden county stint with Northamptonshire in England. And he is looking forward to all of it.”I’m expecting to be better than what I was last year,” Shaw said. “I just want to be a step ahead, be a better version of myself as a good batter, as an athlete and as a good person.”

“The easiest thing for me is to not have these conversations but that’s not who I am,” says India coach

Shashank Kishore20-Feb-2022Wriddhiman Saha “deserved honesty and clarity”, and Rahul Dravid’s chat about him potentially not being picked in India’s Test team going forward came from a “deep respect for Saha and his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket”, the head coach has explained.On Sunday, Saha told ESPNcricinfo that Dravid had indicated to him the team management’s inclination to groom a younger wicketkeeper as Rishabh Pant’s understudy following the South Africa tour, and that he could “take some other decision” if he wanted.Moments after India’s 3-0 series win over West Indies, Dravid was asked about the selection call and how he felt about a private conversation being played out the way it has, in public.”I’m not hurt at all,” Dravid said. “I have a deep respect for Wriddhiman Saha and his achievements and contributions to Indian cricket. My conversation with him actually came from that place, from my respect for him. He deserved honesty and clarity. I didn’t want him to hear about it from the media.”These are conversations I constantly have with players. I’m not hurt about it at all because I don’t expect players to always like all the messages or agree with everything I have to say about them. That’s not how it works. When you have difficult conversations with people – sometimes you have to have them with players – you don’t always expect them to agree with you or like you, but that doesn’t mean you brush it under the carpet and don’t have the conversations.”Related

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Dravid elaborated on how he and Rohit Sharma, who has now been elevated to all-format captaincy, have ensured players are constantly being spoken to about their roles, and how those not in the XI are given reasons for their exclusion.”Before every playing XI is picked, even now, either me or Rohit will speak to the guys not playing and are open to answer questions on why they are not playing and what are the reasons a particular XI might play,” Dravid said. “It’s natural for players at times to get upset and feel hurt, but I just feel that because of the respect I have for them, my team deserved clarity and honesty, and that’s all I was trying to convey.”Saha last played for India in November 2021 against New Zealand in Kanpur, when the team management rested Pant. The 37-year-old Saha battled neck spasms to make a fighting, unbeaten half-century in the second innings to set up India’s declaration. It was in the same Test that KS Bharat, ten years Saha’s junior, stood in admirably as a substitute wicketkeeper and impressed with his neat glovework on a turning surface.Saha retained his place in India’s squad on the tour of South Africa, where he didn’t play a single Test, even as the chorus over the inclusion of a younger second wicketkeeper, Bharat, grew louder.India are scheduled to play five more Tests this year, two of which will be against Sri Lanka next month at home. The third Test, one that was postponed in Manchester last year following a Covid-19 outbreak in the Indian camp with India leading 2-1, will be played in England in July, while two are lined up in Bangladesh later in the year.The squad for the Sri Lanka series was announced on Saturday, with Saha among four senior players – Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma the others – to be left out. This was the first time since MS Dhoni’s retirement in 2014 that Saha has been left out of India’s squad altogether, with the selectors preferring Bharat, a veteran of 79 first-class matches.”We have only three Tests [five] this year and with Rishabh Pant having established himself as our No. 1-choice wicketkeeper, we were looking to groom a younger wicketkeeper,” Dravid explained. “That was it. This doesn’t change my feelings or respect for Wriddhi or his contribution.”Like I said, the easiest thing for me is to not have these conversations or not speak to players about it, but that’s not who I am or what I am going to do. I don’t expect them to like it, but at some stage I hope they will respect the fact that I was at least able to front up and have these conversations with them.”

Kohli’s men, though, have lost back-to-back games and are still sweating on Saini’s fitness

Saurabh Somani30-Oct-2020

Big picture

Both these teams began their IPL 2020 campaigns against each other, and in some ways how they began is how their tournament has gone. The Royal Challengers Bangalore pulled off a win on the back of their bowling, having first put up a competitive score. The Sunrisers Hyderabad looked like they were making smooth progress in their chase, until a middle-order collapse did them in.At the other end of the league phase now, both teams find themselves with different equations. The Royal Challengers haven’t yet secured qualification but are still second on the points table. One win will take them through. The Sunrisers, on the other hand, need to win both their remaining games. They’ll be a bit more confident of doing that, because a match earlier, they had needed to win three in three – and against the top-three teams. The Delhi Capitals have been knocked off quite spectacularly, and the Sunrisers have to do the same against the Royal Challengers now.For the Royal Challengers, there might be a hint of worry given that they have lost two on the bounce, to the Chennai Super Kings and then the Mumbai Indians. Their batting didn’t show up in either game, emphasising the importance of AB de Villiers in the line-up. Whenever he has fired, the Royal Challengers have looked powerful. When he hasn’t, the batting has not been able to break free into impregnable totals territory for the most part.

In the news

• The Royal Challengers will be waiting on Navdeep Saini’s fitness status. The fast bowler had split the webbing of his right hand in the loss to the Super Kings. Not having Saini available forced quite a few changes for their game against Mumbai. The Royal Challengers had to bring in Dale Steyn to cover for Saini, but that also meant Moeen Ali having to sit out. Shivam Dube was brought back for Ali. Steyn didn’t have a great game against Mumbai, so Isuru Udana might come back instead of Steyn if Saini continues to be unavailable.
• The Sunrisers’ swap of Jonny Bairstow for Kane Williamson led to Wriddhiman Saha being pushed into the opener’s slot, but a circuitous route yielded a bountiful result, as Saha tore apart the Capitals, who have among the IPL’s best bowling attacks. Historically, Saha’s best position in the IPL has been to bat in the powerplay, and with Baistow not having fired as expected, Saha’s success at the top has lent much greater stability to the Sunrisers middle order with Williamson in there. The New Zealander was sorely missed when the Sunrisers crashed to a 12-run defeat against the Kings XI Punjab chasing only 127 for victory. Incidentally, the Sunrisers had crashed to a similar defeat in their first match against the Royal Challengers in IPL 2020 too, losing by 10 runs. Williamson had been absent from the XI then too, due to injury.

Likely XIs

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Josh Philippe, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 Gurkeerat Singh Mann, 6 Shivam Dube/Moeen Ali, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Isuru Udana/Navdeep Saini, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalSunrisers Hyderabad: 1 David Warner (capt), 2. Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 T Natarajan, 11 Sandeep Sharma

Previous meeting

It was both teams’ first match of IPL 2020, and the Sunrisers were 121 for 2, needing 43 runs in 4.5 overs with Bairstow on song, when Yuzvendra Chahal wrecked the middle order. Inexperience played a part in the collapse, as Sunrisers subsided to 153 all out, having lost a chase they looked in control of for large parts.The Sunrisers had gone with Mitchell Marsh as their fourth overseas player then, and he pulled up short without completing an over and hobbled out to bat at No.10. They’ve covered for Marsh with Jason Holder now, and they’ve got Williamson fit again.

Strategy punt

• Outside of the IPL, de Villiers has had a lot of success against Rashid Khan. But in the IPL, where Rashid has bowled to de Villiers as part of a generally strong bowling attack, it is the legspinner who has come out on top, with de Villiers taking only 17 runs off 16 balls and dismissed twice. Rashid has also had the better of Virat Kohli, with the Royal Challengers captain having taken 18 runs off 18 balls while being out once. Keeping Rashid for the men who will bat at No.3 and No.4 might be a good move for the Sunrisers.
• David Warner began IPL 2020 by batting conservatively, looking to play through the innings. While he did get 283 runs in his first eight matches, they came at a strike rate of 121.88, and a Smart Strike Rate of 116.83. In his last four games though, Warner has spoken about going “old school” and reverting to his attacking ways. His strike rate has gone to 167.03 and his Smart Strike Rate has shot up to 203.03, meaning Warner is effectively scoring almost twice as fast as he was. The quick scoring hasn’t come at the expense of runs: Warner has 152 runs in his last four games, and a much higher average (50.67 to 35.50). Continuing to be aggressive at the top seems to be the way to go for Warner.
• So how do the Royal Challengers counter Warner? Deploy Washington Sundar. He has a couple of factors going for him: he’s going to turn the ball away from Warner, he’s capable of adjusting line and length later than most bowlers, and he’s already bowled extensively in the powerplay this IPL and been among the most economical bowlers in the competition. Warner hasn’t been dismissed by Sundar, but he has taken only 22 runs off him from 22 balls faced – and it’s 20 off 20 in the powerplay. Keeping Warner quiet in the powerplay will be a significant advantage in itself, and could affect how the rest of the Sunrisers batting goes, much as it did before Warner rediscovered his free-stroking avatar.

Stats that matter

• None of these teams have gone through a season with an all-win record against the other when they’ve played at least two games, splitting wins each time. They played each other thrice in 2016, with Sunrisers beating the Royal Challengers in the IPL final.
• Of the ten IPL 2020 games played at Sharjah so far, the split between winning batting first and second is five-five. However, the last four matches at Sharjah have been won by the chasing team, with dew playing a more prominent role as the tournament has gone on too.
• Kohli has played 14 matches against the Sunrisers. He made more than 40 in six of his first seven games against them, but in the latter seven games, he has gone past 40 just once.

Batsman says England “didn’t play well enough for long enough” at Edgbaston but denies that the defeat served as a wake-up call

Matt Roller at Lord's10-Aug-2019Jos Buttler has insisted there is no need for England to panic after their defeat in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, and denied the loss would serve as a wake-up call.Despite having Australia 122 for 8 in their first innings, England fell to a 251-run loss in Birmingham, with a final-innings capitulation that might have been expected to bring about wholesale changes.But they are likely to make only two changes at Lord’s, one of them injury-enforced, with Jofra Archer and Jack Leach primed to replaced James Anderson and Moeen Ali.”We’re one-nil down, but there’s four matches to go in the series,” said Buttler, speaking at a Kookaburra event at Lord’s. “Test cricket is hard – you’re playing against the best players in the world.”If you’re not good enough for long enough, then you’re not going to win the game. But we’ve got a fantastic team … nothing really changes. We’ve lost that game, but we come here with a lot of excitement and belief that we’re a good enough side to win this Test and make it one-all.”Despite the heavy margin of defeat, there were positives for England in their win, not least the first 45 overs of Australia’s first innings, and Rory Burns’ maiden hundred.And Buttler emphasised that England had not been completely outplayed from first to last at Edgbaston.”My view is we didn’t play well enough for long enough, really,” he said. “The first couple of days especially, we played a lot of really good cricket, and got in a really good position. Any time you lose James Anderson is a huge moment in the game, isn’t it?”Not being able to take those two wickets quicker [from 122 for 8] was obviously a huge part of the game. Steve Smith played an excellent innings. That’s Test cricket – you’re playing against great players.”We know how Test cricket generally happens in England: there can be periods of the game that tend to meander along and then periods that happen very fast. If you look back to the India series [last summer], the big moments in those games we managed to get out on the right side and play well – that will be the same throughout this series.”Buttler struggled with the bat at Edgbaston, as he was dismissed twice by Pat Cummins for single-figure scores, but says he feels he is “not far” from his best form.”I’ve felt in good form for 18 months or so. I feel like I’m the best version of myself that I’ve ever been, so I take a lot of faith from that. I’ll prepare well, and give myself the best chance.”Several of England’s World Cup winners have opened up about the emotional comedown after the drama of the final, with Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett both revealing that they had struggled in the days immediately after.And while Buttler hinted at having similar thoughts, he said it was important to “accept your emotions” to come to terms with the squad’s achievement.”A lot of people invested a lot into the World Cup, not just in the tournament but in the time before. Obviously people had never experienced that before [but] sport always moves on, doesn’t it. Certainly for me it was nice to have a bit of time away to let what happened sink in and get energised for the next challenge.”Buttler said it was important that England’s World Cup winner “accept their emotions”•Getty Images

Buttler knows the two men likely to come into the England team better than most – he has spent the last two IPL seasons in the same squad as Archer, and first played with Leach for Taunton Deane under 11s – and expects both of them to succeed.”I’m excited for [Leach],” he said. “He’s worked very hard to be in the position he’s got himself into. He’ll come in and he’s a great person to bring into the team. He brings a lot of energy, a lot of skill with the ball, and he’ll be excited for the challenge. I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to batting at Lord’s again.”Archer proved his match fitness by bowling 31 overs for Sussex’s seconds this week, and after ending the World Cup as England’s leading wicket-taker, it might be expected that there would be big expectations on his shoulders.ALSO READ: Archer bowls long spells for Sussex seconds to prove Ashes fitnessBut Buttler played those down, and suggested that Archer would be able to shut out any outside noise. “Certainly not from within, there’s no big expectations on him,” he said, “but he tends to cope with those things quite well.”He’s a pretty laid-back character who has an immense trust in his game, so if he gets his chance I expected him to perform really well.”Buttler also played down the decision to give the vice-captaincy back to Stokes. Buttler had taken on the role last summer ahead of the India series, but said it had always been the plan to relinquish it when Stokes was ready.”I enjoyed it. They said to me in time they’d like Ben to do the role again when he can, so I was very aware that was the situation, and the natural thing to happen.”It doesn’t really change a lot for me: I’m always willing to offer advice and I’m there if Joe wants to talk to me as are a lot of other players in the team as well who aren’t vice-captain. It doesn’t change a lot.”

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.

Andrew Ellis, who finished seventh and eighth on the list of leading run-scorers and wicket-takers respectively in the Plunket Shield, won the accolade for the second time in three years

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2017Canterbury captain Andrew Ellis has been named New Zealand Cricket’s Domestic Player of the Year for the second time in three years. The 35-year-old allrounder pipped Todd Astle, Scott Kuggeleijn and George Worker to the accolade, having already bagged two of the three men’s domestic trophies – the Plunket Shield and the Ford Trophy – this season.Ellis’ tally of 652 runs, from ten rounds, at an average of 40.75 earned him a place among the country’s top seven run-scorers in first-class cricket this season. He also finished in the top eight on the list of leading wicket-takers, with 27 wickets at 24.59. His match figures of 8 for 92 helped Canterbury defeat Otago by an innings and 119 runs in what was the biggest margin of victory in New Zealand’s first-class summer.Selector Gavin Larsen said the jury particularly took in account Ellis’ role as a “leader in pressure situations.””In addition to his significant performances with bat and ball, we considered Andrew Ellis’ role as a leader in pressure situations – a season in which he led by example both on and off the field,” Larsen said.”Todd Astle [Canterbury], Scott Kuggeleijn [Northern Districts] and George Worker [Central Stags] would all have been a worthy winner, and the panel would like to acknowledge their excellent individual seasons.”

A fine performance by Sri Lanka’s spinners was capped by a stroke-filled 95 from opener Avishka Fernando as they brushed England aside by six wickets to move into the semi-final of the Under-19 World Cup

Mohammad Isam07-Feb-2016Sri Lanka had done most of their job before the umpires called for the lunch break. They hadn’t just bowled England out for 184 runs in 49.2 overs, with the bat they had reached 51 for no loss in eight overs.While some bowling sides struggle to fit in 50 overs in three-and-a-half hours, Sri Lanka got through theirs in an hour less as 42 overs were bowled by spinners. After a short ten-minute break, opening batsman Avishka Fernando then tore into the England attack.He had already reached 35 off 24 balls, with the help of seven fours, by the lunch break. Four of them came on the trot in one Sam Curran over. He hammered the ball over cover and point for the first two fours before hitting one with the bottom of his bat towards the off-side. The final boundary in the over was square-driven past point.The tone was set as he reached his fifty off 44 balls and added a six over midwicket. His final flurry of boundaries was in the 80s when he whipped one down the leg-side for four before late-cutting another to enter the 90s. He ramped another four to get to 95 but, next ball, was caught off an edge while attempting to flay at another Saqib Mahmood short ball.But by then, Sri Lanka were just 14 runs away from a place in the semi-final. Fernando, who went to St Sebastian College in Moratuwa, said there was no regret at not getting to his century. “I am not disappointed but it was a very good opportunity,” Fernando said. “I am very happy today. I played very well. I am doing the basics right.”Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka said that Fernando clicked after a run of middling form. “He is a good batsman but he couldn’t get to his rhythm in last matches,” Asalanka said. “Today he played his natural game.”He also admitted that they were given a dressing-down by the coach Roger Wijesuriya after losing to Pakistan in their final group match in Mirpur on February 3. Asalanka and Fernando broke into a giggle when asked about this stern talk.”There was a little problem with our batting,” Asalanka said. “The guys played really bad shots. He was angry at that time. He told us to play good cricket and play for the team. It helped us with what the coach told us. He told us to bat longer.”

James Taylor, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar have all been included in an expanded 14-man squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan28-Jul-2013James Taylor, Chris Tremlett and Monty Panesar have all been included in an expanded 14-man squad for the third Investec Ashes Test at Old Trafford. Steven Finn, who was left out at Lord’s in favour of Tim Bresnan, and Graham Onions have been dropped, while Kevin Pietersen is included with his calf injury, which is progressing well, due to be assessed closer to the match.The recalls for Tremlett, who last played for England against Pakistan in the UAE early last year, and Panesar reflect the conditions that are expected at Old Trafford where traditionally, pace, bounce and spin come to the fore. However, it remains unlikely that England will tinker with the bowling attack that was so impressive at Lord’s.Tremlett’s return is a significant blow for Finn, who was in the three-man pace attack just two Tests ago but does not even feature in a 14-man squad now. He has been working on technical aspects of his run-up and delivery for most of the year and in Test cricket has rarely looked completely comfortable.Tremlett trained with the England squad during the Lord’s Test as he continues to build up his workload during the season after missing the majority of 2012 with a series of injuries, the most serious of them being to his back. England are keen to have him available for the Ashes in Australia later this year after the impact he had during the 2010-11 series.Last month, he told ESPNcricinfo that he was confident his body would now allow him to get through Test matches again. “If I was picked for a Test tomorrow I’d be confident,” he said. “If you had asked me that three games into the season, my honest answer would have been that I’m not ready to play Test cricket. But now I have some games under my belt, I have my confidence back. I feel I’m ready now. I’ve no doubt.”

Lofty options

Steven Finn
Tests 23 Wickets 90 Ave 29.40 SR 48.3
Chris Tremlett
Tests 11 Wickets 49 Ave 26.75 SR 54.8

Panesar, the other bowler brought into the squad, remains England’s second spinner in Test cricket despite a difficult tour of New Zealand where he had to take on the main role in Graeme Swann’s absence. He enjoyed some success against the Australians at Hove with 3 for 70, which followed a five-wicket haul against Middlesex, although his overall Championship returns this season are a modest 21 wickets at 40.09.Geoff Miller, the national selector, said: “Chris Tremlett has worked hard to regain fitness and form following a couple of injuries and his performances for Surrey this season have been very encouraging. Including an additional spinner in Monty Panesar who has plenty of international experience provides Alastair Cook and Andy Flower with a number of options.”Kevin Pietersen is continuing his recovery from a calf strain and he will be assessed by the medical team closer to the start of the Test and we have therefore included an extra batsman in James Taylor who has been in good form for Nottinghamshire this season.” Miller said. Taylor is currently playing for Sussex against the Australians in the tour match at Hove.It would be a quirk of fate if it were to be Taylor who replaced Pietersen, given the stories that emerged following his Test debut against South Africa, at Headingley last year, where he had an extended partnership with Pietersen, although may not have overly impressed his senior team-mate.After being abruptly dropped after his two appearances against South Africa, and not even named in the England performance squad at the start of the season, Taylor was told to churn out the runs at domestic level and work on some technical flaws which concerned the selectors, specifically his ability to handle deliveries outside off stump.His performances for Nottinghamshire, where he has made 824 runs at 58.85 in the Championship, mean he has done all he can at county level to make the selectors consider him again.Squad Alastair Cook (capt), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar