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A severe lack of bowling time did not deter Dottin from wanting to bowling a high-pressure final over, and executing to perfection to quell New Zealand

Firdose Moonda04-Mar-2022″A player like Deandra Dottin, when she says give me the ball, you just give her the ball.”Even if you had already decided someone else should bowl. Even if Dottin has only bowled 11 overs in international cricket in the last three years, and none in training recently. Even if you’ve never won a match in New Zealand before, there’s only five runs to defend, and your World Cup opener is on the line. In fact, especially if that’s the case.Related

• Back at the top of the order, Hayley Matthews proves she's still got it

• Report: Deandra Dottin stuns South Africa in Super Over finish

“Shakera Selman was meant to bowl and Deandra pretty much just come up to the stumps and said to Stef [Stafanie Taylor], ‘Give me the ball.’ And we were like, ‘What? You haven’t bowled in international cricket in like a year now,'” Hayley Matthews, whose century helped West Indies ask New Zealand to chase a record target in the tournament’s first match, said. “She literally hasn’t bowled to anyone in the nets since we’ve been here and she just came and said, ‘Give me the ball.’ A player like Deandra Dottin, when she says give me the ball, you just give her the ball. It doesn’t matter if she has bowled in a year or if she hasn’t.”Taylor thought about hesitating for a fraction of a second but Dottin was insistent and Taylor figured she could deal with the consequences later. “She [Dottin] was like, ‘Skip, I want the ball, give me the ball,’ and I said, ‘Ok, you and the coach will discuss after, that has nothing to do with me. I will give you the ball, do your thing,'” Taylor told the television broadcasters afterwards.Dottin’s thing was to concede a single off the first ball and then send down a dipping yorker that smashed into Katey Martin’s pad in front of leg stump. Martin was given out and reviewed but ball-tracking showed the delivery was going on to hit leg stump, and Martin had to go. Dottin tried to replicate that ball immediately but sent down a low full toss instead and Hannah Rowe took a single to long-on. She kept going for the block hole and Jess Kerr tried to clear mid-off but offered a simple chance to Chinelle Henry. With four to get off the last two balls, Dottin bowled length and missed everything. Fran Jonas tried to steal a bye but Rowe was slow to respond and by the time Jonas turned around, Shemaine Campbelle had collected and thrown to Dottin, who ran Jonas out at the non-striker’s end.West Indies had won, and there was nothing for Dottin to discuss with the coach, except maybe how she held her nerve. “I feel like she went into that over knowing she was going to get the job done,” Matthews said. “For her, it was like, ‘If we lose I am going to take the blame.’ Simple as that. Obviously we love that attitude. We love players that will come to the captain and say: ‘I want to do that.'”And if they win? Of course Dottin was happy to share the glory, knowing that it may be up to someone else in another match. “That’s what’s really good about our team. We’ve got so much experience and so many players we can call on. We know once we call on them, they are going to get the job done and she was the epitome of that today,” Matthews said.Dottin’s last-over heroics are even more remarkable because of the time she has spent away from bowling after sustaining a serious shoulder injury in 2019. She has only bowled 11 overs of international cricket since then, last in September 2021. Even then, she showed her mettle and kept South Africa to six runs in the Super Over, which West Indies chased easily. Taylor said Dottin is “not ready to bowl yet” but “took the responsibility of bowling the last over” anyway.It means West Indies have caused the tournament’s first upset. “We came into this tournament a bit as underdogs,” Matthews said. “It’s helped to ease a bit of pressure. To make a statement like this in the first game is massive.”

Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are part of the squad for the defending champions

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2020Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are part of New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield squad that will depart earlier than planned for the hub in Adelaide following a return of Covid-19 cases around Sydney.On Wednesday, three new cases of community transmission were confirmed ending a 12-day run of zero cases outside of hotel quarantine in New South Wales.There is currently an open border between New South Wales and South Australia so Peter Nevill’s squad will head into the Shield hub on Thursday to avoid any potential tightening of restrictions.The defending champions do not start their campaign until October 22 with their first-round match against Victoria pushed back to mid-November due to the need for Victoria’s players to undergo 14 days quarantine in Adelaide.While it is yet to be confirmed how many games Starc will play ahead of the international season, which is due to begin in late November, coach Phil Jaques was hopeful than Lyon would be available for all the Shield matches in the first block of fixtures.Starc, Lyon and Sean Abbott recently completed two weeks quarantine in Adelaide following their return from the limited-overs tour of England but were able to train at Adelaide Oval during that time.Chris Tremain, who moved from Victoria over the winter, is included in the squad as is 18-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha.”At times when you win a Shield, there can be a little bit of complacency within the camp, I’ve seen it in teams I’ve played in, but I certainly haven’t seen it at all through this whole off-season,” Jaques said.”There continues to be a real hunger to keep improving and take our cricket to the next level. [During the preseason] we were operating in groups anywhere from four up to full squad training, but changing weekly, so the guys have had to be really adaptable throughout the preseason.”I can’t commend them enough for how adaptable they’ve been to get a really good body of work done and be as prepared as we are.”New South Wales squad Peter Nevill (capt), Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Kurtis Patterson, Moises Henriques, Daniel Solway, Jason Sangha, Matthew Gilkes, Sean Abbott, Trent Copeland, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Nathan Lyon, Liam Hatcher, Harry Conway, Jack Edwards, Tanveer Sangha

Gary Kirsten will oversee the Cardiff-based men’s team while Matthew Mott will take charge of the women’s set-up

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2019The ECB has confirmed two more coaching appointments for The Hundred, with Gary Kirsten and Matthew Mott taking charge of the Cardiff-based men’s and women’s teams respectively.Kirsten, the former South Africa opener, coached India to World Cup victory in 2011 and then oversaw South Africa’s rise to the No. 1 Test ranking. He has had extensive experience in the world of franchise T20, working with Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash.”To be involved in English and Welsh cricket from a coaching perspective is something that I have never done,” Kirsten said. “It’s great to be given that opportunity and to come to Cardiff.”This is a new format that I am sure will grow and grow. The real win is that it will grab the attention of families and expose the game of cricket to as many environments and communities as possible.”Mott knows Cardiff well from his time in charge of Glamorgan between 2011 and 2013. He has previously coached in the Sheffield Shield, and took charge of the Australia women’s team in 2015, leading them to the title at last year’s T20 World Cup, and overseeing their successful recent defence of the Ashes in the UK.”Cardiff is a special place for me and my family and that was a big part in my decision to return,” Mott said.”I’ve got no doubt The Hundred will be a success for the women’s game. I’ve got a young son who is a Sydney Sixers fan and he doesn’t see gender – he just sees the team. The Hundred will provide that sort of platform in England and Wales and I can’t speak highly enough of what that can mean for the game.”

The PCB has issued a show cause notice to the 37-year old allrounder for questioning the ICC’s system of finding players with suspect actions

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2018Mohammad Hafeez has been served a show cause notice by the Pakistan Cricket Board for his outburst against the ICC’s process of calling suspect actions.The 37-year old allrounder has been cited for an illegal action three times in his career, most recently in October 2017. He has since worked on reducing the flex of his elbow below the 15-degree limit and was cleared to bowl again on May 1.Nevertheless, Hafeez was cynical about the ICC system currently in place, suggesting that the power of certain cricket boards came into the picture and questioning how on-field umpires could spot the tiniest errors in a bowler’s delivery. He told that the results of his testing in Loughborough showed that he flexed his elbow only a couple of degrees over the acceptable limit of 15. “So I have my doubts about this calling system. This is suspicious, why are match referees or on-field umpires not able to see those flexing up to 35, but me with 16 degrees.”The PCB did not seem concerned when Haffeez’s comments were first aired, but now that the ICC has taken notice, they have given Hafeez seven days to explain himself and have also barred him from speaking to the media. Being a centrally contracted player, he may face sanctions ranging from a reprimand to monetary fines to match suspensions.In a separate, but similar incident, batsman Umar Akmal was banned for three games after he alleged to the press that Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur had used abusive language towards him. He was also slapped with a hefty fine of 1 million Pakistan rupees and had the no-objection certificates that he needed to participate in overseas leagues revoked for two months.Hafeez was first reported for his bowling action over 13 years ago during an ODI tri-series in Australia in 2005. Regulations concerning illegal actions were different back then and he soon returned. In 2014, his action was reported during the Champions League T20, and then again following a Test match against New Zealand later that year. Having twice been found over the legal limit for elbow extension in that short period, Hafeez was banned from bowling for 12 months. He after undergoing remedial work on his action once again, only for this latest episode to restart the cycle.Over the years Hafeez has always been sceptical after being reported for his action, often remaining adamant about any flaw in his action.

Virat Kohli has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the ODI and T20I squads against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order

Arun Venugopal in Pune14-Jan-2017Virat Kohli, India’s new limited-overs captain, has said Yuvraj Singh was included in the squads for the ODI and T20I series against England to reduce the burden on MS Dhoni in an inexperienced middle order ahead of the Champions Trophy in June.Kohli also said Ambati Rayudu, who made a century for India A in a warm-up against England, was not picked in the squads because he had not had enough game time after missing the Ranji Trophy season because of an injury.Yuvraj, on the other hand, scored 672 runs at an average of 84 in five matches for Punjab, with score of 260 and 177. Though he had averaged only 18.53 in his last 19 ODIs going back to 2012, Yuvraj was selected because there wasn’t enough time to groom a younger batsman: India have only three ODIs before the Champions Trophy.”We cannot leave so much burden on MS alone in the middle order,” Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI against England in Pune. “I am willing to take responsibility up the order, but there needs to be one more guy with him down the order in case the top order doesn’t fire.””If the top order doesn’t fire, you are left with MS alone and he is guiding the youngsters more often than not, which is fine if you have 15-20 games till a big tournament. When you have only three games, you need to make sure the guys who have been picked are in good form. That’s why I said we brought in Yuvi, to have the best batting combination possible, and Yuvi has had a very good first-class season. This just gives the team much more balance in the middle and lower-middle order with MS and Yuvi.”Yuvraj and Dhoni have scored 2795 runs in partnership at an average of 50 in 63 ODIs, and Kohli said Yuvraj’s return would allow Dhoni to play shots without worrying about the thinness of the line-up after him.”I think he [Dhoni] will have a bit more assurance knowing that he doesn’t have to think twice before attempting a big shot,” Kohli said. “They feed off each other’s momentum and one can play the aggressive role and one can keep knocking it around in singles. I’m sure they will be looking forward to doing it together.”To have two experienced guys compared to one is a massive difference. I am sure Hardik [Pandya] and Kedar [Jadhav] can learn a lot from them batting along with them.”In his first series as full-time ODI and T20I captain, Kohli said he wanted to learn from Dhoni. “I think he’s been so successful because he’s been able to find the right balance in being offensive with his plans as well as understanding the game when it is dominated by the opposition on how to slow things down,” Kohli said. “I think that’s his biggest strength. It happens in Test cricket but in the shorter format you have to make it happen even quicker because the game can drift away quickly.”Having played a lot of white-ball cricket batting at No. 3, I have a good understanding of how situations can go wrong or turn immediately. It helps when you are a top-order batsman yourself, to understand what the opposition batsmen would be thinking at what stage and which are the bowlers they would find uncomfortable.””But again, MS’ views will be priceless for me as well. It’s just that I am in charge of decisions now and he will be giving his views, which was the case before as well where I’d be giving my views and still his decision was paramount. I think we both understand as professional cricketers, and it’ll be pretty smooth.”With India having begun to use the DRS – one review per innings in ODIs – Kohli said Dhoni’s role was “priceless”. “I saw a stat yesterday that 95% of his appeals that he’s made in his career have been successful,” Kohli said. “He’s one voice, if he tells me it’s outside the line or it is missing, the decision stands there – it’s not left for any further debate. His word will be the one that I will trust as far as DRS is concerned because he is in the best position, plus he’s the most intelligent cricketer around.”Kohli also said he would like to take the bulk of the responsibility with the bat and free up Dhoni to experiment more with his attacking game. “I’m sure having that extra burden of taking responsibility, sometimes it can restrict you,” Kohli said. “I’ve also felt that quite a few times but maybe because my game is dependent on me playing in an offensive way, I haven’t had to curb my game too much. I know it won’t improve my game and it won’t benefit the team.”MS was able to absorb that pressure for a long time. But I’m sure he’ll be able to experiment a bit with his offensive game that he displayed when he came in. Not that he didn’t later on, but he was calculative with it, understanding the team situation. I’m not saying he will go out there and slog every ball. He’s a smart cricketer and we’ve all seen that.”

an Bell is to replace Varun Chopra as Warwickshire captain, following his axing from England’s Test squad and his retirement from limiited-overs cricket

George Dobell21-Jan-2016Ian Bell has described his appointment as Warwickshire captain as “the fulfilment of a boyhood dream.”Bell is replacing Varun Chopra, whose form with the bat has declined since taking on the captaincy.But Bell insists his ambitions to win back a place in the England Test team remain undiluted and hopes that the longest break he has enjoyed from the game in more than a decade will spark a revival in his own form.”If I play at my best, I know I’m good enough to get into that England team,” Bell told ESPNcricinfo. “But I know I haven’t played at my best, or scored enough runs, in the last few months.”Warwickshire have asked me to do this job in the understanding that I still want to play Test cricket. I haven’t picked up a bat since the end of the UAE tour – the longest break I’ve had in 12 years at least – and I won’t do so until February 1. I feel fresher than I have for many, many years and I’m hoping we’ll see that time off pay dividends.”Bell is steeped in Warwickshire folklore. Having supported the team as a boy – he was in the crowd at Lord’s when they won the 1993 NatWest Trophy – he then represented the team at every stage of their youth system. As a result, representing them has always been about far more than a means to an end in winning England selection.And while he gained a reputation for diffidence in the England dressing room, he is a giant at county level. In an environment where he has been almost unconditionally valued, respected and supported from the start, he has batted with a confidence and dominance he has shown all too rarely at international level.To see him captain Warwickshire, meanwhile, has been to see a man confident in his ability as batsman and leader, inspired by a love for the team and deeply admired by colleagues and team-mates. He previously led the side to the Clydesdale Bank Trophy in 2010, scoring a century in the final, and has always said it was his ambition to captain the club at some stage. This is a role he will value and embrace. It is not a surprising decision.”The club and Edgbaston have been a huge part of my life since an early age and, in the past, I have made no secret of my desire to captain the Bears,” Bell said. “I am very proud to now be given the opportunity to lead this exciting squad and to challenge for titles in all forms of the game.”My England ambitions haven’t changed. But I’m trying not to think about that. If I do my job for Warwickshire – lead well and score the runs I know I can – England will look after itself.”Bell will know, however, that he may be in territory once occupied by Mark Ramprakash. However many runs he scores, however many games he helps his team to win, England may have moved on. He has been assured that is not the case – he has had face-to-face meetings with Trevor Bayliss and Andrew Strauss – but, now aged 33 and having retired from limited-overs international cricket last year, his chances of a recall are dwindling. Warwickshire, with Bell and Jonathan Trott in the middle order, may just be able to give Yorkshire a fight in the County Championship this year.”That’s the aim,” he says. “We have to ask ‘how do we become like Yorkshire?’ How do we get eight Warwickshire players in the England squad?”I want to help us win trophies, yes, but I also want to create an environment where everyone enjoys playing and is able to give of their best. I want to help Sam Hain become the next top player for England and find the next crop of top England and Warwickshire players.”And, of course, he wants to win back that England place. Despite their success in South Africa, nobody has nailed down Bell’s spot in the batting order and he certainly believes it is still possible.”I haven’t watched a huge amount of it, because I really was trying to have a break from cricket,” he says. “But what they have done in South Africa is magnificent. I’ve played there; I know how hard it is to win.”I’m delighted for them. I have a lot of friends in that side and even if I never represent them again, I’ll always be an England supporter. Being left out doesn’t change that.”But seeing them win just makes me more determined to be part of it.”Ian Bell could be a regular fixture in Warwickshire’s teams throughout the 2016 season•Getty Images

Chopra led Warwickshire to the NatWest Blast T20 trophy in 2014 and second place in both other competitions that season. But his form with the bat appeared to deteriorate with the responsibility of leadership – after recording 1,000 first-class runs in 2011, 2012 and 2013, he failed to do so in his two seasons as captain – and, as a result, his own international aspirations dwindled.His captaincy also gained mixed reviews. While his calm demeanour was a fine quality when his side was under pressure in the field, in limited-overs cricket especially, it was sometimes interpreted as something approaching apathy over the course of a long season. He is not understood to be especially upset by the decision – indeed, he was party to it – though it will increase the possibility that he returns to a club in the London area in the relatively near future.”I was surprised when I was offered the job,” Bell said, “but it sounds as if Varun wasn’t in the best place to continue. If he can concentrate on scoring the runs he has for us in the past, we’ll be in a great position. I consider him a key member of the side.”Warwickshire were fifth in Division One of the County Championship in 2015 – a modest result for a strong squad – and made it to the semi-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast. They finished the season looking oddly weary, however, and with the dressing room less content than it had been for several years.”I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as captain of the Bears and regard our NatWest T20 Blast success in 2014 as one of the best moments of my career,” Chopra said. “Whilst it has been a difficult decision to make, I feel that focusing on my batting is in the best interests of the team and I’m looking forward to fully supporting Ian and hopefully contributing to more success in 2016 and beyond.”There is talk within the club that Dougie Brown, the current director of cricket, could also make way in the relatively near future. There are those, not least some players, who feel that Jim Troughton, the captain when the team won the Championship in 2012, would make a better director of cricket. Brown’s record, however, is impressive – he won a trophy in 2014 – and the club have limited resources to make such a change. He, like Bell, is part of the fabric of the club; it would be a shame if they could not work together.While they announced record profits of £3.7m for the last year (before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) earlier in the week, Warwickshire face a tricky year or two, with lower-profile international fixtures to host and a huge debt to service. They recently cancelled their pre-season tour of Barbados and replaced it with a cheaper tour to Dubai.”The relationship between the captain and the coach is always vital,” Bell continued. “So it’s very important to get that right. Hopefully we can do that.”Being appointed to this job is a dream. It is a role many of my boyhood heroes – people like Dermot Reeve, Neil Smith and Tim Munton – had before me.”But it is only the start. Making a success of it over the next few years is the key thing now. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of the second day in Deventer

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jul-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGeorge Dockrell took three wickets as Ireland dominated Netherlands on the second day of their Intercontinental Cup match•ICC/Sander Tholen

Ireland took control of the Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands after building up a healthy 252-run lead at the end of second day, on which 14 wickets fell, in Deventer.After bowling out Ireland for 332 on the first day, Netherlands needed an innings similar to John Anderson’s yesterday to get close to Ireland’s total, but they lost their first wicket in the 15th over when Lesley Stokkers was caught by Andrew Balbirnie off a John Mooney delivery. The situation got worse for Netherlands as they lost their next four batsmen for the addition of 27 runs to end the first session on a precarious 58 for 5. Ireland’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Mooney accounting for the openers.Netherlands continued to lose wickets through the second session and were it not for two brief, but crucial, partnerships they could have fallen before their eventual score. The first was a 30-run stand for the sixth wicket between Tom Cooper and Peter Borren and the second, a 38-run partnership between Cooper and Pieter Seelar. Cooper was the last batsman to be dismissed, stumped on a George Dockrell delivery, soon after he completed his half-century.Ireland had the option of asking Netherlands to follow-on, but with 35 overs remaining in the day, they came out to bat. The decision seemed to backfire as Ireland lost their first wicket in the second over. John Anderson and James Shannon helped the team to settle with a half-century stand, but Netherlands struck thrice in the last half an hour to limit the damage.

Captain Veerasammy Permaul led West Indies A’s fightback in the second unofficial Test, helping them gain a slender lead over India A after the visitors had taken the honours on the first day

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2012
Scorecard

Awana departs for the Caribbean

Parvinder Awana, the seamer who played for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, left for the Caribbean on Sunday to join the India A squad. He was held up due to visa issues. Awana was named as a replacement for the injured RP Singh prior to the tour but, according to reports, it took a while for him to be granted a transit visa through the UK.

Captain Veerasammy Permaul led West Indies A’s fightback in the second unofficial Test, helping them gain a slender lead over India A after the visitors had taken the honours on the first day. Permaul grabbed five wickets with his left-arm spin and was well supported by the rest of the bowling crew – each of the five bowlers bagged at least a wicket. Cheteshwar Pujara, captaining his team, impressed once again, scoring his third half-century in as many innings but even he couldn’t prevent West Indies from bowling India out for 202.Veerasammy Permaul picked up 5 for 58•West Indies Cricket

Seamer Shami Ahmed brought an early end to the West Indies innings on the second day, removing opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who had batted out the opening day, for 66. He then trapped Devendra Bishoo in front to finish with 4 for 48 and keep West Indies to 217.But India were under pressure early in the chase. Abhinav Mukund, who bagged a pair in the first unofficial Test, was lbw to seamer Jason Holder for 8 while Shikhar Dhawan was cleaned up by Delorn Johnson for a duck. Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara, however, tried to bail India out of trouble. Pujara took the bulk of the strike in the 74-run third-wicket stand but Permaul struck to undermine the hard work.Permaul, who made a quick 36 in West Indies’ innings, had Rahane caught at slip for 18 before taking a return catch from Rohit Sharma to dismiss him for 1. Pujara brought up his half-century with a six over long-on off legspinner Bishoo, but he too fell to Permaul, edging to the wicketkeeper. Manoj Tiwary, who had added 27 with Pujara, followed soon.Wriddhiman Saha and the lower order, though, stepped up. Saha added 38 with Rahul Sharma. Rahul then put together 32 with Shami. The last four wickets added 79 runs for India, but Permaul completed the innings by dismissing Shami and Ashok Dinda and bagged a five-for.West Indies were six without loss in the second innings, a lead of 21.

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer

08-Jun-2011
ScorecardAbdul Razzaq turned the match at Old Trafford on its head•PA Photos

Debutant Abdul Razzaq stunned Lancashire with a brutal innings as Leicestershire claimed their second Friends Life t20 win of the summer at Old Trafford. Chasing a Duckworth-Lewis boosted target of 165 from 19 overs, the Foxes had slumped to 99 for 6 in the 15th over and later needed 62 off the last 24 balls.Pakistan’s Razzaq then clubbed five sixes and three fours in a 30-ball 62 with a little help from tailender Wayne White. The pair shared an unbroken 66 inside five overs for the seventh wicket as White hit two maximums in 17 off 10 deliveries.Razzaq only landed in England the day before but helped to take 25 off the 16th over bowled by home skipper Steven Croft. Having been dropped by Stephen Moore on 26, the allrounder cleared the long-on fence with successive balls.White then hit maximums in a similar area off Gary Keedy and Kyle Hogg in the last two overs as the points were secured with four wickets and one ball to spare. Fellow overseas allrounder Andrew McDonald had laid a solid platform with an excellent 57 off 40 balls but Leicestershire slipped from 60 for 2 in the seventh.The hosts’ trio of spinners, Keedy, Simon Kerrigan and Stephen Parry all struck, with Keedy and Kerrigan getting two wickets each to put the skids under the visiting reply.Lancashire openers Moore and Tom Smith were the reasons why their side posted a competitive total, adding 88 inside 10 overs after a slow start. Moore top-scored with 48 off 39 balls and Smith 45 off 27, increasing their scoring rate after taking only 29 runs off the first five overs.Despite Smith holing out to McDonald at long-off as part-time spinner Josh Cobb struck in the 10th, the hosts scored 60 runs off the next five. Smith pulled Matthew Hoggard for six and whacked Cobb over long-off – the ball before departing – and Moore square-cut Hoggard for another maximum.Claude Henderson played a part in dragging things back by getting Moore stumped by Paul Nixon and Croft caught and bowled in the 13th over on the way to figures of 2 for 26 from four. Lancashire also lost Paul Horton and Gareth Cross but a four and six off the last two balls of the innings from Jordan Clark boosted the total.Smith then got Cobb caught at mid-on by a juggling Clark with the first ball of the Leicester innings before McDonald found his feet quickly. He shared 33 for the third wicket with James Taylor but the innings slipped as soon as the latter was trapped lbw by Kerrigan.Nixon was stumped by Cross off a Keedy wide, McDonald punted the same bowler to Horton at long-off and Jacques Du Toit found Clark at midwicket off Kerrigan before Razzaq’s fireworks turned the contest and inflicted a first defeat of this season’s campaign on Lancashire.

Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team including Brian Lara against Pakistan, at Lord’s, on June 27 to mark the start of their tour of England

Cricinfo staff10-Jun-2010Sourav Ganguly will captain an MCC team that includes Brian Lara against Pakistan at Lord’s on June 27. The match marks the start of Pakistan’s tour of England, and is part of the MCC’s sponsorship of the neutral series against Australia under the Spirit of Cricket banner.It will be the first time the MCC has played a Twenty20 match at Lord’s and the team also includes Chaminda Vass, who is currently playing for Northamptonshire, Ian Harvey and Victoria batsman Aiden Blizzard. Glenn Querl, an MCC Young Cricketer, who has played for the Unicorns in the CB40 this season is also included.”MCC is delighted to welcome to Lord’s a Pakistani side who have a proven track record in Twenty20 cricket,” John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket, said. “Shahid Afridi’s men will face an exciting MCC team comprising world class performers and up-and-coming talent.”Brian Lara is one of the finest batsmen to have ever played the game and Sourav Ganguly is a world-leading Twenty20 cricketer. The match will provide spectators with a fantastic opportunity to see wonderful cricket and great cricketers.”Pakistan’s tour includes two Twenty20 internationals and two Tests against Australia before they face England in four Tests, two Twenty20s and five ODIs.