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Surrey director of cricket could be tempted to make switch after eight years in the role

Vithushan Ehantharajah15-Sep-2022Alec Stewart has emerged as the frontrunner to become the new England national selector.Stewart, who has been director of cricket at Surrey for the past eight years, is believed to be highly rated by Rob Key, the England team’s managing director, given his detailed knowledge of the county circuit and the talent therein, and his own success in nurturing young talent at Surrey.The role of national selector was discontinued in April 2021, when Key’s predecessor, Ashley Giles, dispensed with the services of the previous incumbent Ed Smith, and handed selection duties to the then-head coach across all formats, Chris Silverwood.However, England’s subsequent collapse in form, culminating in a run of one win in 17 Tests until the start of Brendon McCullum’s tenure as head coach in May 2022 has prompted a rethink, with Key adamant from the outset of his appointment that he would be looking to reinstate the role.Related

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Key’s decision to split the red- and white-ball coaching roles – with McCullum and Ben Stokes now in charge of the Test team, with Matthew Mott and Jos Buttler the coach-captain combination for the limited-overs formats – arguably increases the need for an independent selector to co-ordinate the priorities of the two formats.Stewart, 59, had been one of the names in the frame for the MD role that eventually went to Key, but withdrew his interest due to family reasons. However, the selector’s role, which is expected to involve less time away from home, is likely to be more appealing as he weighs up his next career move.Other names that have been mentioned in connection with the role include the former England players-turned-commentators Nick Knight, Steven Finn and Steve Harmison, with potential scope for the appointment of an assistant selector, similar to the role that James Taylor played alongside Smith.Whoever is appointed will work closely with Mo Bobat, the ECB’s performance director, and David Court, the ECB’s talent identification lead, as well as a team of talent scouts in and around the 18 first-class counties.

Northamptonshire battle in first innings after explosive lower-order batting

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2022Northamptonshire 77 for 1 trail Hampshire 400 for 9 dec (Donald 94, Organ 71, Abbott 57) by 323 runsAneurin Donald fell six runs short of an explosive century but tailender Kyle Abbott’s 57 pilfered full batting points for Hampshire in their quest for the LV= Insurance County Championship title.Hampshire pulverised Northamptonshire’s bowling attack with 171 runs coming in 28 overs, with Donald’s 84-ball 94 and Abbott’s 45-delivery barrage doing heavy damage.Having been 167 for five and 273 for seven, the idea of reaching 400 for maximum points seemed fanciful, but Abbott was astonishing in making sure the last wicket got the 46 runs required, to maintain the pressure on leaders Surrey.Hampshire declared at 400, but Northamptonshire were defiant in their defence, with only Will Young falling before reaching 77 for 1 at the close.An all-action, but all-too-brief, half-an-hour morning session before the rain hit saw Liam Dawson half-driving to second slip to the seventh ball of the day and Donald reach his half-century in 53 balls.When play returned, with Hampshire 273 for six, it proved a breathless 20-over afternoon. It started well for Northamptonshire when Luke Procter bowled Barker with the first ball on the resumption, but from then on boundaries were a regular occurrence and runs flowed.It was peak Donald as he mixed the glorious drives with agricultural aggression. One over he was swatting a six and swinging hard and getting an edge over the slips, the next he’d be caressing through the covers.The Welshman has a skill of lifting the run-rate regardless of the match situation, and more often than not makes a telling contribution, with this his third fifty in 10 innings this season.On his comeback game, against Gloucestershire in May, after two years without playing after twice breaking his leg, he scored 89. Again, looking on course for three figures, he fell six runs shy when he was lbw to Josh Cobb while attempting an uncharacteristic sweep shot.He had added 63 runs in 52 balls with the equally boisterous James Fuller – who was caught at mid-on after the highest of skiers soon after. Hampshire were 354 for nine, possibly happy with four batting points but they allowed Mohammad Abbas to keep Abbott company for a while.”A while” turned out to be just over eight overs of happy-go-lucky batting which totted up 46 runs. No.10 Abbott took the majority of the strike and intelligently swung hard to claim seven fours and two memorably long sixes. It was his 11th first-class half-century and his first since last April.A single, off an inside edge, took the score to 400 and brought about the declaration. The extraordinary session saw 127 runs pour in 119 balls, and the final-wicket pair unbroken on 46.Young and Emilio Gay were impeccable in the face of the highest, fourth-highest and sixth-highest wicket-takers in Division One.The movement off the pitch was less than Ben Sanderson and Co managed the previous day but the opening duo’s technique and resolve, especially when leaving the ball, saw them through the new ball.They managed to get through to the 20th over with the light ever dimming before Young was trapped on the crease and leg before to Abbott. Eventually bad light stopped play with the deficit still 323 runs.

Liam Livingstone helps seal stuttering chase as England miss significant NRR boost

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Oct-2022England’s World Cup campaign is up and running thanks to a five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in their opening match in Group 1.It was very much a performance of two halves for one of the tournament favourites. They were outstanding in the field, vindicating Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first by dismissing Afghanistan for 112 with a stellar hand from Sam Curran of 5 for 10, becoming the first Englishman to take a T20I five-for.But a stuttering chase took the gloss off what could have been a complete performance. They were 65 for 3 at one stage in the 11th over, only managing to clear the fence once and in turn missing the chance to rubber-stamp this win with a significant net run rate boost.Curran stole the headlines with his career-best figures and was even on a hat-trick at one point, removing Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan off the last two balls of the 18th over. Though he missed out on a hat-trick, he did claim three in four when Usman Ghani slapped one to Liam Livingstone at deep point in the 20th over.If that was a rudimentary take for Livingstone, his first was on the other end of the spectrum: charging out from the cover boundary to take a stunning, diving catch at backward point after Hazratullah Zazai tried to flay Ben Stokes to the fence. Stokes went on to take one more wicket, benefitting again from similar brilliance in the outfield, this time from Adil Rashid.Mark Wood also claimed two with a four-over spell with an average pace of 149kph, while Chris Woakes (1 for 24) relied on nous to leave Mohammad Nabi’s side well short of a par score.While achieving a target of 113 was always expected, the manner in which England struggled, particularly against Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Nabi, spoke of a few kinks still to be ironed out. The spin trio conceded just one boundary between them and emerged with a wicket each. Ultimately, batting depth saw Buttler’s side through with Livingstone batting till the end to finish unbeaten on 29 off 21 – the only English batter to score double figures at better than a run a ball – with Moeen Ali (8 off 10) for company.Wood cranks it up, again
Wood’s first ball nipped away at 146kph/91mph, taking Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outside edge. The second – 154kph/96mph – welcomed Ibrahim Zadran to the crease. It’s safe to say Wood was not messing around. Much has been made about pace at this World Cup, and even more on his point of difference in this English attack. That brought its own pressure and Wood could not have lived up to the hype and expectation any better.Mark Wood congratulates Livingstone on a brilliant catch•ICC via Getty Images

The two wickets for 23 are what matters from a statistical point of view, but the other numbers, particularly on the speed gun, are jaw-dropping. He looks as fresh and consistent as he has ever been – a credit to the man himself and the medical team who have worked tirelessly to help him achieve a level the likes of which England have never seen.Fielding focus
One of the aspects of the Stokes conversation that punctuated discussions on selection matters heading into this first match was his fielding. Whatever role he would occupy with bat or ball, his fielding would play a huge role in Australia: his speed across those vast expanses of green, that cannon arm, and, of course, those hands. As it happens, he was excellent with the ball (2 for 19), negligible with the bat (2 off 4) and largely a spectator in the field. The last part was because those around him delivered the stunning grabs this time around. Livingstone and Adil Rashid pulled off exceptional running, diving catches – both carbon copies of Glenn Phillips’ earlier worldie against Australia. Buttler’s one-handed Superman catch of Nabi was the icing on the cake, and even a late drop from Alex Hales sprawling at point could be marked down as saving a boundary. England’s undoubted strength is their batting, but their fielding is a close second.Afghanistan botch upset
The collapse of 5 for 3 off the final 12 deliveries of their innings, the drops off Alex Hales on 4 and 17 (he was eventually dismissed for 19) and the way England did not need to take risks against their spinners, with Rashid producing a boundary-less four overs. You can see why Nabi said he wanted to defend at the toss, and why that has been Afghanistan’s modus operandi for the longest time. But you can also see why their fans might rue what might have been. An opportunity to catch England cold was spurned thanks largely to an underwhelming, borderline-naive approach with the bat. Given how the last hour of the game played out, an extra 20 runs would have gone a long way.

Prolific openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Yash Dhull also included in squad led by Abhimanyu Easwaran; Priyank Panchal misses out

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2022Cheteshwar Pujara and Umesh Yadav will play for India A in Bangladesh ahead of the national team’s two-match Test series next month. The tour party will be led by Abhimanyu Easwaran, the Bengal opener.Related

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Umesh and Pujara will feature in the second four-day game leading up to the first Test in Chottogram from December 14. KS Bharat, the back-up wicketkeeper to Rishabh Pant in the main Test squad, will also link-up with the India A squad ahead of the second four-day fixture from December 6-9 in Sylhet. The first four-day match will be played in Cox’s Bazaar from November 29 to December 2.Elsewhere, there was a maiden India A call-up for Kerala’s Rohan Kunnummal, who has had a superb initiation in first-class cricket. This year alone, the 24-year-old has hit four centuries in nine first-class innings.The young and prolific pair of Yash Dhull and Yashasvi Jaiswal have also made the cut, alongside Baroda’s seam-bowling allrounder Atit Sheth, who picked up 13 wickets in three Ranji Trophy matches this year. Sheth has been around the domestic scene since 2015, but has come into his own over the last few years.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Like Kunnummal, Dhull, too, has had an impressive red-ball initiation, having already hit four first-class centuries in six matches. Dhull, India’s Under-19 World Cup-winning captain from 2022, has already hit hundreds on debut in the Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy.Jaiswal has been equally prolific, becoming the joint-fastest Indian to 1000 first-class runs in September, getting to the mark in only 13 innings, equally-fastest with Amol Muzumdar and Rusi Modi. Earlier this year, he hit twin hundreds in the Ranji semi-final and backed that up with another century in the final against Madhya Pradesh. Overall, Jaiswal has five centuries and a half-century in seven first-class games at an impressive average of 84.58.The inclusion of Jaiswal and Dhull, both of whom open, meant there was no place for Priyank Panchal, the Gujarat opener, who had led India A during their previous assignment at home against New Zealand A in August-September.Tilak Varma, who gave a good assessment of himself in the first red-ball game against New Zealand A with a century, retains his place in the middle order alongside Sarfaraz Khan, another prolific run-getter in domestic cricket.Mukesh Kumar, who was the joint leading wicket-taker in the three games, also keeps his place, alongside Saurabh Kumar, the left-arm spinner. Saurabh will lead the spin-bowling unit with Jayant Yadav and Rahul Chahar, while Umesh (second game only), Navdeep Saini, Sheth and Mukesh will form the pace battery.India A squad for first four-day game: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Rohan Kunnummal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraz Khan, Tilak Varma, Upendra Yadav (wk), Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Atit ShethIndia A squad for second four-day game: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Rohan Kunnummal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yash Dhull, Sarfaraz Khan, Tilak Varma, Upendra Yadav (wk), Saurabh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Atit Sheth, Cheteshwar Pujara, Umesh Yadav, KS Bharat (wk)

Trio join former coach Gale in pulling out of delayed hearings, citing a lack of faith in process

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Feb-2023Matthew Hoggard and Tim Bresnan, the former England fast bowlers, have hit out at the ECB’s disciplinary process after confirming that they will not be attending the hearings into historical racism at Yorkshire. Former Scotland international John Blain has also criticised the process and withdrawn his cooperation.Hoggard, a veteran of England’s 2005 Ashes victory, told the BBC that the inquest into allegations of institutional racism made by their former Yorkshire team-mate Azeem Rafiq had “failed everybody”, while Bresnan told the Times that they had pulled out because they believed they had “no chance of a fair hearing”.The three former Yorkshire cricketers were among seven people due to appear before the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) in March, on charges levelled by the ECB in June in the wake of Rafiq’s emotional testimony before the DCMS select committee in Westminster in November 2021.However, Hoggard, Bresnan and Blain have now taken the same approach that their former captain and ex-club coach Andrew Gale took last year, informing the ECB that they have lost confidence in the process and that they will not attempt to defend themselves against the charges.”The process has failed everybody,” Hoggard said. “Every party involved has a problem with the way this process has been dealt with. Azeem has a problem with it, all the respondents have, [former Yorkshire chairman] Lord Patel has, Yorkshire have. There has got to be a better way.”After what the ECB described as a “thorough and complex investigation”, the players were charged in accordance with Directive 3.3, which says: “No participant may conduct themselves in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.”Gale, the former club captain and latterly head coach – who is also Bresnan’s brother-in-law – responded two weeks later with a statement that denied all the allegations against him, adding that he had “moved on with his life”. He was also one of the members of staff who won an employment tribunal against Yorkshire last year, after their collective sacking in the wake of the allegations.In a subsequent statement, the ECB insisted that the laying of the charges in June last year had “not been a finding of guilt”, and claimed that the disciplinary process had been undermined by “significant misreporting” in the media.”Individuals are entitled to choose not to participate in the hearings if they wish, but the cases will still be heard in their absence and we are satisfied that the disciplinary process in this matter has been both rigorous and fair,” the statement read.”The ECB’s investigation and disciplinary process has been overseen by an independent committee and specialist leading King’s Counsel (KC).”As with any case before the Cricket Discipline Commission, defendants are entitled to a fair hearing by an independent and experienced CDC Panel where they can call witnesses, and they can also challenge the evidence in support of the charge, including through cross-examination of the ECB’s witnesses. It is entirely the decision of defendants if they choose not to take advantage of this opportunity.”At the end of the hearing it is for the independent CDC Panel, not the ECB, to determine guilt or otherwise and any sanction.”Hoggard’s witness statement, parts of which were revealed in The Cricketer last week, will be his only contribution to the commission. However, he told the BBC that he was pulling out because he didn’t think it was a “fair process”.”There are no winners in this,” he added. “It is not an admission of guilt. The people who know the truth, know the truth. That is all that matters to me. I, as a respondent, have not been spoken to by the ECB once.”Bresnan, who played in the 2010-11 Ashes win in Australia and was also part of the England team that won that year’s World T20, likened the experience to “being charged [by police] and tried without even being arrested”.”The thing that is hardest to swallow is that these allegations came out in such a way. It has been two-and-a-half years of nonstop articles, leaks, tweets, different stuff coming out without any right of reply,” he told the Times. “I had witnesses who wanted to provide statements in private, but we couldn’t guarantee they wouldn’t appear in the public domain.”Blain said: “The decision to withdraw was quite an easy one in the end, given the process we have gone through. But it slightly hurts me, because I know my role in this and what I was at the club at the time.”For nearly 800 days I’ve kept my counsel on this. I haven’t been interviewed by the ECB and yet they’ve charged me without talking to me. It’s an allegation that was brought for an incident on an unstated date.”The leaks have been quite distasteful and reduced the whole thing to a bit of a circus. It didn’t have any class or traditional values about it. It had this feeling of being substandard.”Responding to the trio’s decision, Rafiq issued a statement in which he insisted his claims had been “vindicated time and again”.He added: “This has included: a legal investigation that confirmed I was a victim of racial harassment and bullying; a Yorkshire commissioned panel that concluded I suffered discrimination; numerous apologies, both public and private, from people who witnessed or were involved in this behaviour; and others have come forward to confirm the culture in the wider game.”It is regrettable that these defendants are not willing to go to a public hearing and face what happened.”At the time of writing, only Hoggard’s former England captain and fellow 2005 Ashes-winner, Michael Vaughan, and former bowling coach Richard Pyrah are due to participate with the process. Gary Ballance, who has left Yorkshire and returned to play for Zimbabwe, the country of his birth, accepted his CDC charge on five counts, including the use of racist language, but will not appear at the hearings.In November 2022, the CDC announced the hearing would be made public which in turn led to a delay in the process due to respondents appealing the decision. However, the ECB confirmed to the Press Association on January 13 that those appeals had been dismissed by an independent Appeal Panel convened by the CDC.The CDC panel comprises chair Tim O’Gorman, a lawyer and former professional cricketer, alongside Mark Milliken-Smith KC and Dr Seema Patel, a Senior Lecturer in Law who is an expert on discrimination in sport.

Australian seamer joins county after helping Perth Scorchers to BBL title

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2023Andrew Tye, the Australia seamer, has signed for Northamptonshire for the 2023 T20 Blast.Tye was the stand-out performer in Durham’s Blast campaign last season, claiming 21 wickets in 10 matches, to take his overall record in the competition to 67 wickets in 48, following a previous spell at Gloucestershire between 2016 and 2019.He joins Northants off the back of his fourth BBL title, having helped Perth Scorchers overcome Brisbane Heat in last week’s final. In the course of that match, he picked up his 300th T20 wicket in just his 211th match, surpassing the previous record set by Rashid Khan (213 games).”I’m very excited to be joining Northamptonshire for the Blast,” Tye said. “They’re a good team that’s had success in the competition in the past so I’ll be hoping that we can recreate that success this year.”Tye, 36, will be reunited with his Australia team-mate Chris Lynn at Wantage Road, and has also played alongside the club’s bowling coach, Chris Liddle, during their Gloucestershire days.”I’m looking forward to joining Lynny, it’s always better to have him on your team than to try playing against him,” Tye added. “I’m excited to work with John Sadler too, I’ve heard really good things about him plus Chris Liddle and I go back to his playing days at Glos so I’m excited to see him and work together again.”Sadler, the head coach, added: “To get AJ on board is really pleasing, he’s an amazing addition and gives our team a great balance.
“His experience and skill set is exactly what we needed and he knows what’s required to win games and win competitions too. He’ll be a super asset for us this season.”Northamptonshire, two-times winners of the T20 Blast in 2013 and 2016, have struggled in the competition in recent years, with a solitary quarter-final appearance in the past five editions. However, with England’s David Willey also returning to the club after his spell at Yorkshire, the captain Josh Cobb believes they will have a “world-class” core in 2023.”AJ’s got a fantastic record in T20 cricket and we were looking for someone to come in and bring real experience to the attack, someone that can bowl the tough overs in the latter part of the innings and be a banker for us at the death,” Cobb said.”Willo [David Willey] coming back is a great addition for us as an allrounder, then we’ve got Lynny [Chris Lynn] at the top of the order and AJ now with the ball. It gives us a real solid core of world class experience throughout the side.”We know we fell away last year but we played some excellent cricket in the tournament, so hopefully with these two coming in alongside Willo we can push and go one step further this summer.”

Only four India batters reached double-figures after not having answers to Starc’s swing and pace

Sreshth Shah19-Mar-20233:21

Tait: Starc close to being an Australia all-time great

Mitchell Starc produced a masterclass in new-ball swing bowling before openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head hammered rapid fifties to complete a knockout performance against India and level the series 1-1. India received a thrashing like no other in Visakhapatnam – their heaviest defeat in terms of balls remaining – when they were bowled out for 117 in just 26 overs.Starc was the tormentor in chief with his 5 for 53, his ninth five-for in ODIs, and gave Marsh and Head freedom to bat with no scoreboard pressure; Marsh raced to 28-ball fifty before Head got to his in 29 balls and Australia chased the target down in just 11 overs.Starc got deliveries to swing in as well as angle across to the right-hand batters in equal measure. His work up top allowed Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis to join hands and run through the lower middle order thereafter. In all, the Australian bowlers were done with their shift inside two hours and 20 minutes, with the three seamers sharing all ten wickets.When Starc got the deliveries to angle across, he tempted Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to drive away from their bodies, only for both to get dismissed cheaply. Gill was the first to go, out for a duck in the first over, when he chased a full and wide delivery and drove to point, in what was a repeat of his dismissal from the Mumbai ODI. Rohit, returning to the side in place of Ishan Kishan, was out in the fifth over. He had had moved to 13 by relying on leg-side flicks, but then swung big against a wide ball to edge to first slip.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Suryakumar Yadav walked in looking to make up for his first-ball duck from the first ODI, but he suffered the same fate when Starc swing the ball into him again, and had him lbw for another golden duck. In what was another repeat from the first ODI, KL Rahul came in trying to survive a hat-trick delivery. He did that successfully, but could not last too much longer. The half-centurion from the previous game was also trapped lbw by Starc, on 9, with another inswinging delivery that got him missing a shot across the line.At 48 for 4, India needed a recovery job, but that wouldn’t come. Abbott got a length ball to bounce a bit more and Hardik Pandya poked at it only to see Steven Smith take a stunning one-handed diving catch at first slip to rock them further. Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja tried to resurrect the innings, but they failed as well this time. Kohli was trapped lbw by Ellis when, on 31, he swiped across the line to a full ball, and didn’t bother reviewing the on-field decision. Ellis then came around the wicket to get Jadeja edging a catch to the wicketkeeper Alex Carey. At 91 for 7, India were on the mat and the crowd was completely silenced.That India reached triple-digits was because of Axar Patel’s unbeaten 29. He was circumspect at first alongside Kuldeep Yadav as India went past 100. But when Kuldeep and Mohammad Shami fell in quick succession to Abbott, Axar realised the end was coming soon. He smacked Starc for back-to-back sixes but ran out of partners as No. 11 Mohammed Siraj became Starc’s fifth victim after seeing his off stump rattled.Marsh and Head thwarted India’s hopes of staging any kind of fightback. While Head’s 30-ball 51 was dominant when taken in isolation, it almost paled in comparison to Marsh’s 66 off 36 balls.When the full deliveries from Siraj and Shami were put away in the initial burst of overs, both bowlers tried to go short. The openers were equally competent to the short ball, and made use of the day’s best batting conditions just before sunset.Marsh pulled, drove and punched his way to his second straight fifty after his 81 in the first ODI. Head’s boundaries were more streaky but the highlight was his four consecutive fours against Shami in the sixth over soon after Australia had crossed 50. Marsh also launched three sixes in a Hardik over before finishing the game in the 11th.The ODI series now moves to the decider in Chennai on Wednesday. After the way they have put India’s batters in trouble in these two games, Australia will quietly think they go into the final game as favourites.

Their XI is likely to include PJ Moor and James McCollum, who went to Mumbai to prepare to face Bangladesh’s spinners

Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2023There is excitement in the Ireland camp ahead of their return to Test cricket after more than three years. Captain Andy Balbirnie, himself about to lead the Test team for the first time, set the scene by talking about how they could have several Test debutants, one of whom could also be cutting his teeth in first-class cricket. Ireland have been so out of loop from Test cricket that they stopped playing the longer-version game at home.But it won’t just be the novelty factor of playing a Test match. The excitement has translated to couple of them, PJ Moor and James McCollum, taking the extra step. The pair were in Mumbai couple of weeks ago to have a few sessions of specifically playing spin in the Global Cricket School. It is a cricket programme, founded by Sachin Bajaj in 2007, quite popular with county and European cricketers.Related

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Moor and McCollum worked under Vinayak Mane, the former Mumbai batter, at the Parsi Gymkhana ground. Mane said that their focus was obviously on spin as they were preparing for the Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka this month.”They were mainly playing spin,” Mane told ESPNcricinfo. “They will be facing that in the Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They were mainly facing different kind of spinners. Our role was to arrange lots of spinners, and give them a feedback how they approach. I think they are pretty well equipped. They have decent techniques. They are very aware of what they will encounter in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They will be facing couple of left-arm spinners and offspinners. Nowadays professionals do have a lot of information about their opposition.”Mane said that he impressed upon Moor and McCollum the general playing style of encountering spin in the sub-continent.”Being an Indian batsman, I always think of it as a game of cat and mouse, more so against spinners,” Mane said. “In a Test match, you set a spinner up. You can hang back and get him to come towards you and move out. There are times you move out and then hang back. It is a tactical game, which you can keep playing in a Test match.”Former Zimbabwe batter PJ Moor will be the most experienced player in Ireland’s Test line-up•AFP

Moor has played in this region previously. In fact his last Test was for Zimbabwe at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in 2018. Ireland captain Balbirnie said that Moor’s experience is invaluable to a team that comes up short in that aspect.”[Moor] brings experience, he has played eight Tests. More than double of any of our players,” Balbirnie said. “He has played a number of first-class matches too. I think he played a Test here with Zimbabwe so he has knowledge of the ground. He is really good with the younger guys. He will be crucial for us for the next two or three weeks.”Ireland’s big challenge in the one-off Test in Dhaka will be to stretch themselves in all departments. Balbirnie said their players have to bat, bowl and field for longer periods than they are used to in white-ball cricket.”I think [the challenge will be] the longevity. A lot of our guys don’t have a huge amount of first-class experience,” Balbirnie said. “Five-day Tests are very different. A lot of our guys have been brought up on white-ball cricket. A batter has to set himself to bat for as long as possible. Bowlers have to be as disciplined as possible. That’s going to be the biggest challenge. Conditions will play a part in terms of the heat. These guys need to learn on the job.”He called the occasion so unique that one of their players, Matthew Humphreys most likely, could be making his first-class debut in this Test match. “It is not many times in recent history that there’s going to be a lot of Test debuts,” Balbirnie said. “It only happens to the new nations. It would have happened to Bangladesh in the early 2000s. We are going to have a bit of a get-together tonight to do some presentations. I think if we do it in the morning, it will take too long.”It is certainly unique. We have potentially someone making his first-class debut tomorrow. I can’t think of a cricketer who has done that before.”In fact, the last time so many cricketers made their Test debut for reasons other than inaugural Tests, South Africa’s readmission or West Indies’ 2009 players’ boycott, was a South Africa-New Zealand Test in 1961.Ireland have only four survivors from their last Test in 2019•Getty Images

Balbirnie said Ireland are up against a Bangladesh side that is known to do well at home, so the message to the team has been to simply play without any trepidation.”A lot has happened.” he said. “We have been through a pandemic. There’s been so much changes. Players have gone. Players have come in. It was a memorable occasion in 2019 for a lot of Irish cricket people. This is memorable as well.”This is a big cricketing nation, playing against a top team. A lot of good teams have come here and got unstuck. The message is to go out and play, not hold too many fears. There’s not a lot to lose in a one-off Test. So we want to enjoy it.”Balbirnie himself is leading the Test side for the first time. He said he may have to lean on his team-mates for help from time to time. “It will be nice. I was fortunate to play under William Porterfield for a long time. I know how much it meant for him to captain the Test team. It is certainly different for me.”I don’t think I have captained in first-class cricket so it brings its own challenges as well. It is exciting. There will be times I will have to think on my feet, and look for help from the other players. It is part of the challenge of being a Test cricketer.”Ireland’s return to Test cricket is already a memorable moment for them. The excitement will start from the eve of the Test when they will hold a special cap ceremony.They will also have a keen follower from Mumbai. “Couple of guys who did the sessions with me will play for Ireland tomorrow,” Mane said. “In any case I love Test cricket, so I will definitely be eager to follow the game tomorrow.”

Sussex slump to fourth defeat in five as Glamorgan pair do it again

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2023Glamorgan made it four wins out of five in their Vitality Blast campaign when they beat the Sussex Sharks by 32 runs at the 1st Central County Ground.For the third match running, their dominant figures with the bat were Colin Ingram (48) and Chris Cooke (50), whose rich vein of form swept them to a formidable total.The Sharks, though, are moving in the opposite direction. This was their third straight defeat, and their fourth in five games, and they now have a mountain to climb if they are to progress in the competition. In their most recent defeats it was their batting that let them down, but here it was their bowling.Ravi Bopara, Sussex’s captain, said: “I thought we were very poor with the ball. Obviously that’s where we lost the game. We bowled about 12 or 13 extra balls. To chase that down was always going to be hard work. That’s where we lost it.”It’s frustrating to be without certain players. We had high hopes for Ali Orr in the blast this year. That’s been a massive blow for us and we haven’t really replaced him as an opener. In this format you need quality openers. They’re generally the guys who win you games.”The guys are still learning. And learning quickly is important. It’s important we stick together. I remember at Essex we won only one game out of six or seven and we went on to win the tournament.”Chasing a huge victory target of 220, Sussex never looked in the chase despite a plucky charge from Tom Alsop, who scored 58 from 41 deliveries. Tom Clark, pulling across the line, was bowled by Jamie McIlroy in the third over and in the next fellow opener Tom Haines departed, unluckily run out through a deflected straight drive by Alsop.Sussex needed something special from Bopara, but their skipper departed in sloppy circumstances, lifting a full toss from Kiran Carlson to long-on for just ten. And two overs later Shadab Khan was caught at cow corner, just below the dressing rooms, for three.The situation was hopeless. But no-one told Alsop. And for a short period, while he found a reliable partner in Michael Burgess, the near-impossible looked on. With ten overs to go Sussex needed 148. Then, from the last five, they needed 90, at an improbable rate of 18 runs an over.But then Alsop was yorked by Dan Douthwaite to make it 133 for 5 in the 16th over and even the most diehard Sharks supporters gave up hope, not even encouraged by some poor catching by the Glamorgan fielders. At least some late hitting by Nathan McAndrew, who struck four sixes in an unbeaten 28, entertained those spectators who remained from a large crowd.Glamorgan had made the most of a flat pitch, a fast outfield and some wayward bowling and fielding from the Sharks to pile up 219-5, with Ingram and Cooke again the stars of the show. There were 23 extras in the innings, including eight no-balls and nine wides.They got off to a flyer, scoring 71 for 1 in the powerplay. There were also two dropped catches in that opening passage of play, to add to the fielding side’s frustrations, including a sitter by James Coles.Glamorgan did lose the dangerous looking Eddie Byrom early on, the batsman, injuring himself in the course of a 10-ball 17, and had to be helped off the field. But captain Carlson maintained the impetus of the innings with two sixes and three fours in a 16-ball 26 before he skied Henry Crocombe to the wicketkeeper Burgess.Sam Northeast, quiet in the opening overs, picked up his pace and raised the hundred from the final delivery of the 10th over when he clouted Shadab over square-leg for six. The Sharks dismissed Northeast at 106 in the 11th over when the batsman drove Crocombe to short extra-cover where Bopara took an excellent low catch.But because of their poor start the Sharks had difficulty stemming the flow of runs as Ingram and Cooke plundered their bowling. Shadab, bowling the 14th over, went for 18 runs and then the next over, bowled by McAndrew, went for 19 runs as Cooke raised the 150 with a marvellous stroke, carving McAndrew over extra-cover for six. Tymal Mills, Crocombe and Bopara had reasonable bowling figures but the other three, Fynn Hudson-Prentice, McAndrew and Shadab were very expensive.

Alex Davies and Dan Mousley miss out on hundreds as visiting batters make hay

ECB Reporters Network11-Jun-2023Warwickshire ended day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge in a strong position on 361for five after Sam Hain posted his third century of the season, sharing a fourth-wicket partnership of 171 with Dan Mousley, who made 87, after opener Alex Davies had scored 93 earlier.Nottinghamshire have seen two sides of Hain in little more than a week following his 97 not out against them in the Vitality Blast at Edgbaston on June 3. On that occasion, he smashed eight fours and four sixes from just 52 balls but made the switch from white ball to the different qualities required for red-ball cricket look effortless in a patient innings spanning 258 minutes and 192 balls.Having hit eight fours and four sixes and not offered a chance until then, his only regret will be that he was out inside the last four overs of the day’s play for exactly 100.On a tough day in which home attack gained late rewards for their persistence, the highlight was two wickets for Jake Ball as he returned to first-class action for the first time this season for only his third appearance in three seasons following recurrent back problems.On the same pitch that saw Nottinghamshire pile up 662 runs batting first against Durham last September, Warwickshire’s decision to bat first quickly looked the right one, its green colour proving deceptive.Having been eased back into action in the Vitality Blast, collecting 10 wickets in three appearances, Ball marked his first red-ball appearance for almost nine months by taking a wicket in his fifth over as Rob Yates, driving somewhat loosely, was taken comfortably behind the stumps by Tom Moores, who missed the last four Championship rounds with a broken finger.It happened to be Ball’s 100th first-class wicket for Nottinghamshire but it was his side’s only success in the morning session, albeit one made up of just 27 overs. Davies was troubled early on as Ball found occasional extra bounce from the pavilion end, taking a bang on his right hand for his pains, but otherwise he and Will Rhodes asserted themselves effectively as Warwickshire reached 91 at lunch.In the event, Rhodes fell five balls into the afternoon session. Ball was again the bowler, although it was a somewhat self-inflicted dismissal by the visiting captain, who took his bat away from one that he plainly thought would miss his off stump and paid the price.Nottinghamshire maintained an all-seam attack until 18 overs into the second session. In the absence of Liam Patterson-White, who has had a modest season to date and is currently nursing a hamstring injury, 25-year-old Calvin Harrison retained his place following his Championship debut in May and it was the tall legspinner who denied Davies what had looked a likely second century of the season.Harrison induced a miscued drive from Davies in his third over. Presented with a tempting, loopy delivery in the next over, Davies opted to block only for the ball to evade his bat and hit him on the front boot, leg before for 93.Incoming batter Mousley seemed prepared to go after Harrison when he hammered one down the ground for six but did not persist with the tactic and in the overs before tea there was something in the surface for the legspinner and for the offspin of Matt Montgomery, against whom Hain was lucky with an edge that just evaded first slip, albeit in an over containing three boundaries. Harrison, who had switched ends, then had Mousley and Hain in turn surviving by a whisker and Warwickshire were probably relieved to reach tea with no further casualties at 227 for 3.Yet if the spinners were able to threaten from time to time they found it much harder to contain the fourth-wicket pair. There was no appreciable pace in the pitch and they had time to work the gaps in the field and keep the scoreboard moving in singles, a straight six in the last of Harrison’s 18 overs a rare show of aggression from Hain.To their credit, the home attack did not flag and Dane Paterson picked up the wicket of Mousley with the second new ball as the left-hander drove extravagantly and was caught behind off an inside edge, before Hain, having just completed his century, was bowled by a fine delivery from Lyndon James that squared him up and took the off stump.