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Sri Lanka, perhaps for the first time, will find themselves in alien territory despite the fact that they are the home side when they meet West Indies in the second Test starting at the R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday

Sa'adi Thawfeeq22-Nov-2010Sri Lanka, perhaps for the first time, will find themselves in alien territory despite the fact that they are the home side when they meet West Indies in the second Test starting at the R Premadasa Stadium on Tuesday.There’s a new laid pitch and construction work going all round the area to get the stadium ready for the 2011 World Cup and playing a Test match amidst such a set up is not the ideal scenario. But the Sri Lankans are keen to test the pitch ahead of their World Cup so there was little choice but to play this Test match here.”As long as play doesn’t get disrupted and the match referees and teams are happy with the situation when we start the game that should be okay,” said captain Kumar Sangakkara. “We have to keep our focus mainly on what’s happening out there in the middle and the best of what we have here. This venue was picked most probably because it is a World Cup venue to try and see whether the pitches and everything was upto scratch. We’ll have to come tomorrow and see how the wicket behaves and then take it from there.”You’ve got trust the curator to give us the best wicket possible,” he added. “It was a bit damp today and hopefully the sun will dry it out and have it Test match ready by the time play is due to start tomorrow.”Being in Sri Lanka usually the wickets are nice and dry and they turn. This might be different from that, we don’t know yet. The final proof of what the pitch is doing is to actually play on it. It would have been a nice reference to have if a domestic game was played here before the Test. But that’s the beauty of playing international cricket. Sometimes you have to take things on the chin and just get on with the job.”Sangakkara felt that where his team fell behind West Indies in the drawn first Test at Galle was their failure to focus on the game plans and executing them. “We expect to play a lot better from ball one of the game, to make sure we are focused on our game plans and executing them,” he said. “That’s where we fell behind West Indies in the last game. They outplayed us on those little details. Those are the things we have to tighten.”Sri Lanka are likely to go with their usual combination of two seamers and two spinners despite the attack failing to trouble West Indies for a long periods last week. “It is sometimes tempting to go with fast bowlers but we should not get carried away by what we see,” said Sangakkara. “We need to plan out a team that can handle situations for all five days and not just one innings but four quality innings of batting and bowling.
“Our best combination is two seamers and two spinnners. Angelo Mathews might just be able to bowl a bit more in this Test match. We really need to know what the pitch is like when we leave and if there is rain tonight and how it turns up tomorrow.”West Indies are also planning on using two spinners for this Test and Sangakkara believes it is good for the game that the slow men are having such a key role to play. “It’s great, for all the talk of Twenty20, that we are finally seeing a new era for spinners. They are really dominating cricket in every format of the game.”In the shorter versions they have been more dominating than ever. It’s encouraging for sides and for countries where there are youngsters who are good spinners who haven’t had much of a go. It’s good for Sri Lanka, West Indies and other countries we see some great spinners now playing Test cricket.”West Indies’ preparations have been overshadowed by Shane Shillingford, the offspinner, being reported for a suspect bowling action but Sangakkara preferred to focus on the bowler’s skills rather than controversy. “He is an interesting bowler the lines he bowls and the little bit of variation that he has in pace. He is a bowler who can probably change direction at the very last minute the way he bowls. We had a good chat about him. We got a few plans in a few different areas to try and defend and then attack him as well.”With left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn expected to return to the team after serving a one-Test suspension, Sangakkara added: “Benn is also quite a good bowler when the conditions suit him. He is coming back after a long break so whatever combination they play it will be a tough challenge. We have also to think about their fast bowlers who bowled exceptionally well and how to combat that. They’ve got a very good bowling attack and we got stay a step ahead as far as we can.”

Will be available for the first four matches of the four-day competition ahead of the 50-over and Twenty20 events

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2009Ravi Bopara, the England batsman, has been signed up by Auckland for the domestic cricket season. Bopara, 24, will be available for the first four matches of the four-day competition, starting next week, ahead of the 50-over and Twenty20 events.”We had only been looking for someone for the Twenty20 but he’s very keen to come out for a longer period,” Auckland chief executive Andrew Eade told the .After being left out of the final Ashes Test following a dreadful run of form, Bopara recently lost his one-day spot for the tour to South Africa. He has vowed to return to the England Test side a better player after being dropped following a torrid series against Australia. At the start of the home season he was promoted to No. 3 and responded with consecutive centuries against West Indies, but found life much harder against Australia. His technique was exposed outside the off stump and he was also trapped leg before on three occasions.Eade said it was Bopara’s idea to land in New Zealand as soon as possible. “He is keen to come and contribute over a longer period for us, which is great. He has exactly the right skill set we want, a hard-hitting batsman with a bit of bowling to back that up.”

He ripped through Tasmania on the second day in Hobart as the home side were forced to follow-on

AAP07-Mar-2025Michael Neser, the forgotten man of the Australian Test pace attack, reminded everyone of his capabilities at Tasmania’s expense.He ripped through the home team’s top order in their Sheffield Shield match on Friday, taking the first six wickets of the Tasmania first innings in a devastating nine-over spell after lunch – all the wickets coming in the space of 39 balls.Related

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Replying to Queensland’s first innings of 425 for 9 declared, Tasmania collapsed after lunch from 86 without loss and were dismissed for 161 at Bellerive Oval. Tasmania followed on and were still 194 runs behind with two days left.While Queensland and Tasmania started this penultimate round as the bottom two teams, a big win would keep one of them in the hunt to make the final against SA.Following Usman Khawaja’s century on Thursday, Neser’s command performance confirmed Queensland have the game by the throat.He snared 6 for 37 from 15 overs. It is his third Shield game back after a hamstring injury in November while playing for Australia A cruelled his hopes of a Test return this summer.The 34-year-old has played only two Tests, most recently against the West Indies in late 2022. Neser has had to bide his time, stuck in Australia’s pace-bowling queue behind Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.He was faultless on Friday, always looking dangerous even when Tasmanian openers Nivethan Radhakrishnan and Jake Weatherald built their solid stand.Neser bowled Weatherald for a top score of 55 and took a wicket in each of his next three overs. When he trapped Radhakrishnan lbw for 39 and bowled Beau Webster, Tasmania were 122 for 6 and Queensland were in the box seat.Mark Steketee had Radhakrishnan caught behind for 24 late on day two, with Weatherald unbeaten on 39.Gabe Bell and Webster took three wickets apiece in Queensland’s first innings.

“There’s something within the team that is definitely unsettled,” former captain says

Matt Roller28-Oct-20232:27

Trescothik: ‘England haven’t lost faith in 50-over format’

Eoin Morgan has suggested that England’s underperformance at the World Cup in India is unparalleled across sport and that their players are “definitely unsettled” after heavy defeats in four out of their five group games.England have not been mathematically eliminated from the tournament – even defeat in Lucknow on Sunday will not officially knock them out – but they are unlikely to qualify for the semi-finals even if they put together an improbable run of form and win all four of their remaining fixtures.Morgan, who captained them to the 2019 title, said it had been “unsettling” to watch England’s plight over the last three weeks and that their confidence had taken a beating. He also hinted at wider issues than simply form, saying: “I think there’s something else going on – there has to be.”Related

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And Morgan went as far as to suggest that England’s campaign has been among the worst in sporting history, in the context of the widespread expectation that they would reach the semi-finals. “I’ve never come across a sports team that has underperformed like this England team, given the level of expectation that is on their shoulders,” he said on Sky Sports.”There’s something within the team that is definitely unsettled. The method which they’re trying to use and given the substantial nature in which they’ve lost the game[s], it is definitely called into question, the morale within the changing room and the confidence. It must be at its lowest that it’s been for a considerable period of time now.”Morgan said that it was “an unacceptable excuse” to simply say that players were all out of form at the same time. “I think there’s something else going on – there has to be,” he said. “When you look at the strength in depth, particularly with the bat, England are as good on paper as any other side in this tournament, but they haven’t yet fired.”They’ve made mistakes with selection: they’ve really struggled to find a balanced side and one that’s effective enough to compete, never mind win this tournament. It’s been unbelievably challenging for Jos and his team… they have to regain the confidence in the method that they’ve used for so long that has made them double world champions.”Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, said that the squad are “feeling the heat” and “gutted” about their results to date, and admitted that he has been unable to get his head around their collective failures with the bat. England have lost 47 out of a possible 49 wickets (Reece Topley was absent hurt against South Africa) and no batter has made an individual 50 in their last two matches.”The thing that’s baffled me the most is that it’s been consistent across the board,” Trescothick said. “Bar the game at Dharamsala, where we played Bangladesh, where one got a big score [Dawid Malan’s 140] and we got a few other big scores around it, there’s just never been the consistency of people getting the runs.”I think they’re trying to understand it… it [their form] has not gone, it’s just hiding in a funny place at the moment. It’s not suddenly disappeared and they’re never going to score runs again. They’ll rebound from this and rebound back into form at some point. But it might be, unfortunately, disappointing that it’s going to be too late for this competition.”Dawid Malan is bowled for 140•Getty Images

Sunday’s match in Lucknow will be played on a used pitch, the same one that was used for South Africa’s win over Australia two weeks ago.”The timing actually couldn’t be any worse,” Morgan said. “Given India are still out and out favourites to win this tournament on home soil, that challenge just becomes far bigger now than it probably would be if you were playing on a fresh pitch.”England just have to play what’s in front of them,” he added. “For a lot of this tournament, I believe that they’ve been carrying other things or looking outside of the camp, as opposed to their own performance. They need to stay in the present for as long as they can tomorrow and turn India over.”

There is a bigger squeeze than ever to fit in all the bilateral cricket alongside global events and the expanding domestic leagues

Alex Malcolm17-Aug-2022Mind the BBL gap
Cricket Australia have made the BBL a top priority under new chairman Lachlan Henderson with a fresh broadcast deal looming in 2024. It has faced numerous hurdles recently with the proliferation of rival leagues in the UAE and South Africa even as it tries to recover from the impacts of Covid-19. CA had previously said it would like a free window in January, which now has a crunch of leagues, to allow Australia’s international stars to play in the BBL. The plan has been partially successful.Australia don’t have any white-ball commitments in January over the next four years, but there will be Test cricket that will take the multi-format players away. They are scheduled to host West Indies in two Tests in mid-January 2024 as the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023 creates a squeeze on Australia’s home summer. Meanwhile, in January-February 2025, there is a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka. That series will need to be played before the Champions Trophy, which does not leave CA much room to keep the Test players at home for the BBL. Then, in early 2027, Australia will make another unusual summer away trip to India to play five Tests in January and February.CA’s head of scheduling, Peter Roach, confirmed that CA had tried to create a January window. “That was the priority to try and free the white-ball players so they can compete in the whole BBL,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “But we understand Test cricket works in that window as well. So it’s trying to find that balance between the opportunity for everyone to play versus making sure that our Test product is still really strong.”Related

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Homeward March
There is another significant knock-on effect of the five-Test tour of India in 2027. Australia have not hosted a Test in March since 1979 with their home matches played almost exclusively between November and January each year, with the exception of the rare winter series. But, in the new FTP, there will be two Tests against Bangladesh in March 2027 with the home summer essentially split in half by a trip to India. Australia begin that home summer with limited-overs matches against England in November 2026 before hosting Tests against New Zealand over Boxing Day and New Year. Then, after heading to India, they will return to host Bangladesh at a time when traditionally only Sheffield Shield cricket has been played in Australia. It will also be just the second time Bangladesh have played a Test series in Australia, with the first coming way back in 2003. It will also complete a run of ten Tests in four months for Australia to finish their 2025-2027 WTC cycle.Back-to-back West Indies
One of the vagaries of Australia’s new FTP is that they will host West Indies for Test matches in consecutive home summers because of the new World Test Championship starting next year. They visit for two Tests in December this year during the final stages of the current WTC cycle, but the new one starts afresh thereafter and Australia are drawn to host them again the following summer for two more Tests. It’s understood CA did try to change the order of the series to avoid the back-to-back visits but it was unable to find a solution. Australia will also travel to the Caribbean in 2025 for three Tests and three ODIs.In 2027, Bangladesh are scheduled to play their first Tests in Australia since 2003•AFP via Getty Images

Winter cricket back in northern Australia
Australia are hosting Zimbabwe and New Zealand in the coming weeks during late winter in the north of the country and will have more internationals during that period in years to come with the climate in the Northern Territory and North Queensland perfect for cricket. Australia have experimented with winter cricket previously, starting with ODIs under the roof at Docklands in Melbourne in 2000 and 2002, to Test matches in Darwin and Cairns in 2003 and 2004, before abandoning the concept after an ODI series against Bangladesh in 2008.It wasn’t a popular offering for local broadcasters as it clashed with the football codes that dominate the winter airwaves. But they will host ODIs and T20Is with South Africa in August of 2025 and then a Test, and T20Is ODIs against Afghanistan in July and August of 2026. “We hope that [winter cricket] becomes a little bit more regular,” Roach said. “I don’t think it’ll be every year but we know those games will be really well supported by all those fans and we also know the fans around the country, whilst they’re deep into their footy season, still relish the opportunity to watch some cricket during our winter months.”The Afghanistan question
Australia were set to host Afghanistan in a one-off Test last year prior to the Ashes but it was postponed after the Taliban seized control in Afghanistan with CA taking a stance on women being prevented from taking part in the sport (the game had previously been postponed from 2020 due to Covid-19). Australia have two bilateral commitments against Afghanistan in the new FTP – an away T20I series in August 2024 and the aforementioned tour in northern Australia in 2026 – which will mean the CA board may have to make another decision on their position depending on the situation when the series are played.More broadly, CA knows it will need to pull its weight in playing the developing nations and alongside the away T20Is against Afghanistan will also tour Ireland for white-ball matches in 2024.”We want world cricket to be really strong, and it’s not going to be really strong if we restrict ourselves to a handful of opponents,” Roach said. “Having the opportunity to go and play these opponents, developing countries in some respects, is something we’re really focused on doing. Not so much to be a good citizen, it’s the right thing to do because we know what value it brings to our players and also the players in the opposing teams.”

Australia’s men’s FTP 2023-2027

(* = home series)2023-24
Jun: World Test Championship
Jun/Jul: England vs Australia (5 Tests)
Sep: South Africa vs Australia (5 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
Sep: India vs Australia (3 ODIs)
Oct/Nov: ODI World Cup – India
Nov/Dec: India vs Australia (5 T20Is)
Dec/Jan: Australia vs Pakistan (3 Tests)*
Jan/Feb: Australia vs West Indies (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)*
Feb/Mar: New Zealand vs Australia (2 Tests, 3 T20Is)2024-25
Jun: T20 World Cup – West Indies and USA
Aug: Afghanistan vs Australia (3 T20Is)
Aug/Sep: Ireland vs Australia (3 ODIs, 1 T20I)
Sep: England vs Australia (5 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
Nov: Australia vs Pakistan (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)*
Dec/Jan: Australia vs India (5 Tests)*
Jan/Feb: Sri Lanka vs Australia (2 Tests)
Feb/Mar: ODI Champions Cup – Pakistan2025-26
Jun: World Test Championship
Jun/Jul: West Indies vs Australia (3 Tests, 3 ODIs)
Aug: Australia vs South Africa (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)*
Oct: New Zealand vs Australia (3 T20Is)
Oct/Nov: Australia vs India (3 ODIs, 5 T20Is)*
Dec/Jan: Australia vs England (5 Tests)*
Feb: Pakistan vs Australia (3 T20Is)
Feb/Mar: T20 World Cup – India and Sri Lanka
Mar: Pakistan vs Australia (3 ODIs)2026-27
Jun: Bangladesh vs Australia (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
Aug: Australia vs Afghanistan (1 Test, 3 T20Is)*
Sep/Oct: South Africa vs Australia (3 Tests, 3 ODIs)
Nov/Dec: Australia vs England (3 ODIs, 5 T20Is)*
Dec/Jan: Australia vs New Zealand (3 Tests)*
Jan/Feb: India vs Australia (5 Tests)
Mar: Australia vs Bangladesh (2 Tests)*

The Kolkata Knight Riders captain also said the side’s spin attack is “one of the best” in the tournament this season

Sruthi Ravindranath31-Mar-20215:17

Eoin Morgan: Middle order versatility Knight Riders’ biggest positive

Eoin Morgan has said that he has progressed well enough to have a chance to play in the Kolkata Knight Riders’ season opener against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 11 after sustaining a hand injury that kept him out of the last two ODIs against India in Pune. Morgan, the Knight Riders captain, also called his side’s spin attack “one of the best” in the tournament this season, adding that they could make a huge difference especially on the turning tracks in Chennai, where they will be playing their first three matches.Morgan required stitches after splitting the webbing between his thumb and index finger while attempting to stop the ball during the first ODI last week. While he batted in England’s unsuccessful chase in the match, he declared himself unfit after taking part in a fielding drill at training last Thursday.Related

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“I feel a lot better than I did a week ago,” Morgan said during a virtual press conference on Wednesday. “The plan moving forward is to remove the stitches tomorrow and continue to progress my batting in the coming days and fielding at the back-end of that. Given the time frame that I have available to me, it’s looking very good.”While the Knight Riders could not out-bid other franchises at the auction for big names this year due to their small purse, they managed to buy Harbhajan Singh and Shakib Al Hasan, for INR 2 crores and 3.2 crores respectively. The experience of Singh, who previously played for the Chennai Super Kings, and Shakib further bolsters their spin contingent, which has the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Pawan Negi (who was also bought at the 2021 auction) and Sunil Narine.”I think adding Harbhajan to our squad has strengthened us in a good way,” Morgan said. “When you look at our spin department as a whole on paper it’s one of the best in the tournament. You look at the options we have and the conditions we might play in, particularly in Chennai which notoriously can turn or at least raise the eyebrows of our spinners. I think it’s an area that I think if we play well our spinners would play well. Our squad is very well-rounded and in certain departments it is very strong.”The IPL is the biggest tournament in the world which has the best players. One of the challenges throughout is battle with injury and illness along the way. Whether you like it or not it happens throughout the season. Planning needs to be put in place to strengthen your squad in all areas. I think we did that in the auction.”The Knight Riders were left hurting last season majorly because of Narine and Andre Russell’s poor outings, and with Dinesh Karthik’s batting never hitting full tilt, they couldn’t settle down on their ideal XI and their batting order remained fluid. Morgan, who took over captaincy from Karthik after seven games, had a breakthrough season as a middle-order batsman, making 418 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.80 and strike rate of 138.41, but there were questions if his batting ability was left underutilised because he was pushed down the order to play as a finisher.”One positive among all those was the versatility in the middle order and the flexibility to either promote Sunil or myself or DK [Dinesh Karthik]. The strength within that middle order. I think a lot of teams will not enjoy playing against us. So as it is one of the strengths of our side, we need to make the right call in when to play the best hand. That’s one thing we learnt from last year.”In the 2020 edition, the Knight Riders finished with 14 points, the same as the teams that finished third and fourth, but an inferior net run rate among the three sides consigned them to fifth place.”It is a supremely competitive tournament,” Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore said. “You reflect back and think of every single run that made the difference. Last year after we missed out on qualification on NRR, somebody pointed out to me that the difference was just about eight runs for the entire tournament. That’s how close the entire tournament is. It is a tribute to the quality of the tournament. We have to be on top of our game. The beauty of KKR is that we are always a contender. Hopefully some stars need to align in a long tournament like this. Hopefully we’ll go the full distance this season.”

Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings among group bound for Mumbai, Jonny Bairstow to join James Anderson, Mark Wood in Potchefstroom

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2019A clutch of prospective England batsmen and spin bowlers will embark on a specialist training camp in Mumbai this week in an effort to hone their skills in unfamiliar conditions.On the day England fell to an innings defeat in New Zealand, the ECB announced that batsmen Will Jacks, James Bracey, Dan Lawrence, Keaton Jennings and Sam Hain would travel to India with spinners Dom Bess, Mason Crane and Amar Virdi for a three-week camp starting on Tuesday.Jacks, the 21-year-old Surrey batsman, produced a jaw-dropping 25-ball century during a pre-season T10 clash with Lancashire in Dubai in March and, on the other end of the spectrum, Jennings is hoping to resurrect his international career having played the last of his 17 Tests against West Indies in February.The batsmen will work with Surrey assistant head coach Vikram Solanki, while the spinners will train under the guidance of Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson and former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath.The camp encompasses a series of so-called “Individualised Programmes” of training for players aimed at “delivering better prepared players” to England head coach Chris Silverwood, according to ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat.”The Individualised Programmes are a great opportunity for some of our best young cricketers to focus on specific areas of their game in unfamiliar and challenging conditions around the world,” Bobat said. “Some of the players involved are in England’s immediate plans, while others will be working on areas that will benefit the national team’s medium and long-term needs.”The ECB also confirmed that Jonny Bairstow would attend a training camp in South Africa from December 1-14, working with former England batsman Jonathan Trott in his bid to return to England’s Test squad. Bairstow, who averaged 23.77 during the Ashes, was dropped for the two-Test tour of New Zealand. He was briefly called back into the Test squad during the T20 series against New Zealand as cover for Joe Denly but returned home when Denly recovered from an ankle injury in time for the first Test at Mount Maunganui.Earlier this month, Ashley Giles, the managing director of England’s men’s cricket, revealed that James Anderson would take the next step in his return from injury at the camp in Potchefstroom. Anderson will be joined by fellow quicks Mark Wood, Olly Stone, Craig Overton and Ollie Robinson.Anderson and Wood have been undergoing intensive rehabilitation with ECB staff with a view to being available for selection for England’s tour of South Africa starting next month.Anderson has been sidelined since he broke down after bowling just four overs in the first Ashes Test in August with a recurrence of a calf injury he suffered while playing for Lancashire in early July. Wood was ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a side strain during the World Cup final and he has since had surgery on his right knee. Stone, meanwhile, is recovering from a stress fracture to his back.

He will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind

Liam Brickhill02-Oct-2018Imran Tahir will turn 40 two months before South Africa pack their bags for the 2019 World Cup. Any thoughts of retirement, however, are far from his mind as he focuses on staying at his best for what could be a career-defining event. When he does go, he wants to make sure it’s with his head held high.”I’m trying to go as long as I can,” Tahir said as South Africa prepared for the second ODI of their series against Zimbabwe in Bloemfontein. “Make sure I enjoy my game and I give what the team requires of me. I wouldn’t want to overstay in the team for too long. I want to leave with respect.”It’s also clear just how much it would mean to Tahir to leave the international game a World Cup winner, and he said if South Africa did win the tournament, he’d probably “call it”.”It’s a bit early for me to say anything [about retirement],” he said. “I’m loving the game at the moment. One thing I can say, if we win the world cup then I’ll definitely probably call it. It’s early for me, and I’m enjoying every opportunity I get to play for South Africa.”Tahir had been left out of South Africa’s squad for their trip to Sri Lanka so that the coach and selectors could have a look at some of the team’s other spin options – namely Tabraiz Shamsi and Keshav Maharaj. As a result, Tahir hadn’t played an ODI since February before he returned against Zimbabwe on Sunday, but there was no rust on his wrong ‘un as Tahir – ever the journeyman – spent his time ‘off’ playing T20 cricket in the Vitality Blast and the Caribbean Premier League. “I’ve been playing the game, which is very good for me,” he said, “I’d rather be playing than having a rest.”Tahir picked up a Vitality Blast contract with Durham (astonishingly, the seventh county he has represented), and quickly allayed any fears over his sharpness in cricket’s shortest, youngest format with 15 miserly dismissals, reviving his team’s campaign. He then went on to play a crucial role in Guyana Amazon Warriors’ run to the CPL final. He was the third-highest wicket taker at the CPL, with 16 scalps at an average of 17.75 and an economy rate of under a run a ball.While his short format bowling rhythm is certainly in working order, maintaining fitness is particularly important for Tahir as he tries to stay in peak bowling condition, and he admitted that South Africa’s training standards set the bar high. “I’ve been working really hard on my fitness,” he said. “We’ve got so many fit guys in our team, so if you want to keep the standards up, a guy like me, I need to be really up from a fitness point of view and make an impact. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m the kind of guy who loves challenges.AFP

“I’m trying to focus my training and take that into the World Cup. I’m developing some bowling and fielding plans and things like that. And preparing for some difficult times when I might need to bowl, and I need to be really up for it whenever the captain needs me to bowl.”In many ways, Tahir’s situation is similar to that of Dale Steyn. Both are in the twilight of their international careers, vital cogs in South Africa’s World Cup plans, and happy to fill a double role of mentoring and guiding the young players around them. Tahir is particularly excited by the prospect of potentially playing in the same starting XI as Shamsi, who he labelled a “mystery bowler”.”It’s a really exciting time that we have another mystery bowler, Shamsi, and I’m really looking forward to playing with him if we play both together in any game. We do talk a lot about the game and make plans well in advance in any series or any game. And from my point of view I’m more than happy to help anyone who wants to talk about spin.”It’s nice to see the spinners coming up. I’m really looking forward to sharing my knowledge with him, and with all the spinners I play with, even at franchise level for Dolphins.”Indeed, Tahir’s value to any team comes not just in the form of his nagging legspin variations, but in his immense, almost unparalleled experience in having represented no less than 37 professional cricket teams. He’s picked up wisdom and dispensed advice virtually the world over.”I always try to help spinners as much as I can wherever I go and play, anywhere in the world. I love to talk about bowling, and whoever comes for help I’m always there. Even in IPL, PSL, I try to help the youngsters as much as I can.”Tahir’s epic cricket pilgrimage has taken him from age group to county, franchise to province, around the world and finally onto the international stage. The journey has made him the quintessential team man.”I want to take as many wickets as I can for South Africa,” he said. “But it’s not always your personal performance. It’s always nice when you do perform, but it’s more important what the team requires from you.”

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight shared the highest stand in the KSL’s brief history

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2017Rachel Priest struck a powerful century•Getty Images

Centurion Rachel Priest and captain Heather Knight led Western Storm to a record-breaking Kia Super League win over Yorkshire Diamonds at York as they chased down 161 to win by 10 wickets with three overs to spare.New Zealander Priest led the way with some fearsome hitting, albeit taking advantage of a bit of luck along the way as the Diamonds spilt a couple of boundary chances.She finished with 106 not out off 65 balls and Knight unbeaten on 48 off 38. The pair shared the highest stand in two seasons of the KSL.A second win from three matches puts Storm level on eight points with the Diamonds in third place with a game in hand in the race to reach Finals Day.Home captain Lauren Winfield, batting in her home city, had earlier posted 58 off 44 balls as England’s World Cup winning hero Anya Shrubsole returned to action following a side injury with 1 for 30 from four overs.Despite the early loss of Sri Lankan Chamari Atapattu, run out by a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from Stefanie Taylor from mid-on, the Diamonds got off to a healthy as another Kiwi Sophie Devine cut loose with 41.Devine hit offspinner Claire Nicholas for two big sixes over long-on and midwicket as the score reached 55 for 1 after five.Devine played on trying to hoist Shrubsole to leg with 75 on the board in the eighth over before Winfield, happy to take few risks, reached 50 off 38 balls in the 16th over as the score reached 132 for 3.The Diamonds then lost four wickets for 19 in the last three overs, the first of which was Winfield bowled by a Davies slower ball, to slip from 141 for 3.Hollie Armitage then dropped a couple of catches at long-on, with Priest on 25 being the most costly.Her 39-ball fifty included two sixes over long-on, the second off compatriot Devine’s first ball in the tenth over as Storm reached halfway at 81 without loss. Fours and sixes continued to come at ease as Yorkshire’s heads dropped.Priest reached her century off 64 balls, the second in KSL history, with 13 fours and three sixes with the penultimate ball of the match.Storm’s next fixture is against Surrey at the Oval on Wednesday, while Yorkshire’s final game comes against Southern Vipers at Arundel on Saturday.

Graeme van Buuren turned the game as Gloucestershire claimed an unlikely 125-run victory over Glamorgan on a bizarre final day of the Specsavers County Championship match

ECB Reporters Network18-May-2016
ScorecardMark Wallace made a half-century before falling to the debutant Graeme van Buuren•Getty Images

Graeme van Buuren turned the game as Gloucestershire claimed an unlikely 125-run victory over Glamorgan on a bizarre final day of the Specsavers County Championship match at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.Chasing 269 to win in 76 overs, the visitors progressed serenely to 87 without loss, only then to lose all ten wickets for 56 runs from a seemingly winning position.Three of them fell to the left-arm spin of South African van Buuren on debut. He removed the top three Glamorgan batsmen Mark Wallace (50), Jacques Rudolph (36) and Will Bragg in a nine-over spell from the Pavilion End that ended with figures of 3 for 15.Craig Miles (3 for 55) and Jack Taylor (4 for 16) then continued the carnage, Miles removing the middle order and off-spinner Taylor taking two wickets in his first over and two more after tea to end the game.Gloucestershire took 21 points, while Glamorgan claimed six after a meek batting collapse that rendered their competitive efforts of the first three days immaterial.After a delay of 15 minutes at the start of the day because of overnight rain, the home side resumed their second innings on 302 for 8 and soon lost David Payne for 12 to a loose drive off Timm van der Gugten, which saw him caught at point.But Miles and Josh Shaw then frustrated Glamorgan with a last-wicket stand of 29. It ended when Shaw was caught at first slip by Bragg off Harry Podmore, leaving Miles unbeaten on a hugely valuable 39.By lunch Glamorgan had made 18 without loss and required a further 251 in the final two sessions. When Rudolph and Wallace continued where they had left off with the sun shining at the start of the afternoon session the outcome began to look inevitable.But everything changed when Wallace, who had faced 72 balls and hit seven fours, was bowled by van Buuren.
Rudolph edged to slip and it was 97 for 3 when Bragg lofted a comfortable catch to Taylor at mid-off. At that point van Buuren had taken three wickets in the space of 22 balls.Miles got in on the act when Andrew Salter, promoted in the order, top-edged to George Hankins at fine-leg. The batsmen crossed and in the same over Chris Cooke chipped a catch to Cameron Bancroft at midwicket.Suddenly Gloucestershire were in total control. Aneurin Donald miscued an easy catch to mid-on off Miles before the introduction of Taylor in place of van Buuren paid instant dividends.With his first ball of the innings, Taylor bowled Podmore and in the same over van der Gugten was caught at slip as he pushed forward.Tea was taken at 120 for 8, with Graham Wagg not having batted due to an injury to his forearm sustained in the first innings.He bravely appeared after the interval, batting with an arm guard and hit a defiant straight six off Taylor followed by a square-cut four.Rain then brought a short interruption and six overs were lost, leaving 24 to be bowled. With the fourth ball after the resumption, Taylor bowled Wagg with one that kept low and it was all over when the same bowler had David Lloyd caught behind down the leg side, sweeping.