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Sri Lanka need drastic improvement in every facet of their game to compete with India, who are yet to lose a bilateral series under Virat Kohli

The Preview by Sidharth Monga23-Nov-20174:48

Dasgupta: Rohit doesn’t fit if India play five bowlers

Match facts

November 24-28, 2017
Start time 0930 local (0400 GMT)

Big Picture

Pride is an often-abused word in sports commentary. This, though, might be one justified case to evoke Sri Lanka’s pride. They have travelled to India for a full Test series for the first time in eight years, and India are not concerned about them. They are concerned about South Africa. They rested their No. 1 allrounder because they want him ready for South Africa. Now it turns out the green itch at Kolkata wasn’t a one-off; they have actually asked for similar surfaces through the tour, not to invoke some kind of home advantage or exploit some Sri Lankan weakness, but to prepare for South Africa. Even being bowled out for 170 in Kolkata is not enough to change their minds because they know they can still eventually put Sri Lanka in a state where they are hanging on for dear lives in the dying moments of the Test.As India look to simulate Newlands in Nagpur, Sri Lanka have to ask them if they have become so bad that the first thing they invoke in India is not ghosts of batsmen and spinners past but an idea that the hosts can afford to use them almost as tour games for the South Africa tour. While it is definitely a welcome move from the perspective of Indian fans, their Sri Lanka counterparts will see this as lack of respect.They will also know that their side needs to give a better account of themselves. They had everything going for them in Kolkata – they won the toss, put India in on a damp pitch under overcast skies, got the early wickets, had the best batting conditions to themselves – and yet when the last ball was bowled they were the ones who sighed in relief at having come out with a draw.It is justified to think of a hurt pride but pride alone won’t cut it. Sri Lanka need drastic improvement in every facet of their game to compete with India, who are yet to lose a bilateral series under Virat Kohli. Under the clear blue skies of Nagpur, they will look to make sure that record is kept intact even before they go to Delhi for the final Test of the series.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
India: DWWWW
Sri Lanka: DWWLL

In the spotlight

The three India openers share mutual respect despite being competitors for two slots, but for some reason or the other they also end up accommodating each other in the side. One of the three keeps getting injured or losing form to make sure the other two stay relevant. If it was the resurfacing of M Vijay’s injury that allowed Shikhar Dhawan launch a Test comeback in Sri Lanka earlier this year, personal commitments for Dhawan have now opened up the door for Vijay to present his case before India travel to tougher conditions for opening. Now it is up to him to give India more selection headaches. Pleasant ones no doubt.With his gamesmanship in Kolkata – he annoyed India and then watched them waste their own time by arguing about him – Niroshan Dickwella showed some of the qualities that have him anointed as Kumar Sangakkara’s heir. It is unlikely time will be a factor in Nagpur, though. In Nagpur, it will be more about runs. As a No. 6 batsman, Dickwella’s plate is too full too early in his career, but that is probably because Sri Lanka rate him that highly. These two Tests might be the time to justify that rating and add to the blank hundreds column in his batting records.

Team news

Vijay will take the slot vacated by Dhawan but India have different options when it comes to replacing Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who will get married during the Test. Ishant Sharma could be his like-for-like replacement or Rohit Sharma could slot in as the extra batsman or rookie Vijay Shankar could play as a seaming allrounder if India want to test a seaming allrounder for South Africa. The spinners should both play because unlike Kolkata, there will be work to do for them, especially in the second innings.India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 R Ashwin, 7 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Ishant Sharma/Rohit Sharma/Vijay Shankar, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav.With conditions not skewed as heavily in favour of fast bowling as they were in Kolkata, Sri Lanka will have to decide if they need an extra batsman. That could mean Dasun Shanaka might have to make way for Dhananjaya de Silva. Lahiru Gamage was unimpressive in Kolkata, and should vacate his place for left-arm quick Vishwa Fernando.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dhananjaya de Silva/ Dasun Shanaka ,8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, Rangana Herath, 11 Vishwa Fernando

Pitch and conditions

Another greentop awaits India and Sri Lanka, but an even covering of grass does not guarantee the same help fast bowlers found in Kolkata. Not many pitches in the world would, not even in South Africa. The weather in Nagpur is expected to be sunny and dry, and conditions, as a result, could traverse the full arc: early assistance for the quicks, flat batting conditions on days two and three, and then, perhaps, some turn and uneven bounce.”The wicket is quite hard as it usually is at Nagpur with a nice grass covering on it,” Virat Kohli said. “So, the fast bowlers should be in play for the first couple of days, for sure, because of the bounce and the nice carry off it as well. From there on, the spinners will come into play. It is a pretty good wicket for overall Test cricket, I feel.”

Stats and trivia

• Umesh Yadav is three short of 100 Test wickets. If he gets there with his current average of 35.89, his will be the sixth-worst cost-per-wicket among fast bowlers who have taken 100 wickets. No. 5 is Ishant Sharma, whose wickets have cost 36.93 each.
• If India happen to play both Ishant Sharma and Vijay Shankar, this will be the first time in their history that they will have included four seamers in their XI in a home Test, not counting Mohinder Amarnath who occasionally bowled.

Quotes

“If you take the Indian team, they are a very good side. It is a big challenge for us as a team to come here and win a game or a series. But I am sure we can do some miracle here. We have to do our basics, stick to our game plans. In the middle we have to execute our game plans. If we can do that, we can put the Indians under pressure. We are looking at that as a team.”
“I like to see that competitiveness on the field. In the heat of things, I will do anything for my team to win. Afterwards we had a normal chat [with Dickewella], and on the flight as well. Those things end on the field. When you are competitive as an opponent, we always respect that about any opponent.”

Late blows from Steve O’Keefe and Ben Dwarshuis left Sydney Sixers needing eight off three balls, but Michael Neser sealed Adelaide Strikers’ second win with three yorkers

The Report by Alex Malcolm28-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAdelaide Strikers belied expectations after holding their nerve against Sydney Sixers at the SCG.The Strikers were in control after high-quality innings from Alex Carey and Jonathan Wells and excellent Power-play bowling upfront left the Sixers needing 61 from 30 balls will no recognised batsmen left. But Steve O’Keefe, Johan Botha and Ben Dwarshuis found a way to reduce the equation to 22 off seven before O’Keefe and Dwarshuis hit consecutive sixes off Ben Laughlin and Michael Neser. Another well-run two made it eight runs off three balls but Neser responded with three pinpoint yorkers to secure the Strikers second straight win.Conversely, the talent-laden Sixers slumped to their third straight loss after their batting line-up failed to fire again.Lefties galore
The Strikers’ new-look top four is made up exclusively of left-handers. It allowed the Sixers to set up their attack specifically to counter them. The Sixers made several changes to the side that lost their first two matches. Moises Henriques was ill, with Botha standing-in as captain. Dwarshuis came in for Doug Bollinger as a like-for-like but the Sixers picked the extra right-arm off-spinner in Will Somerville specifically to counter the left-handers. Jake Weatherald has a poor record against left-arm quicks in the BBL and the trend continued after he skied a Dwarshuis short ball in the first over. Botha and Somerville were able to bowl six of the first 12 overs at Carey and Travis Head, conceding 40 runs between them and picking up Head. By the time Colin Ingram fell to Dwarshuis for a run-a-ball 15 the Strikers had only managed to score 7.23 per over through 13 overs and were headed towards a below-par total at the SCG.O’Keefe not used, Carey and Wells cash in
According to , Steve O’Keefe has the third-best economy rate at the SCG in the last three BBL seasons. Botha, understandably, did not use the left-arm spinner in the first 13 overs against the four left-handers. But when the right-handed Wells walked out, with one boundary significantly larger than the other, it seemed a perfect time to bring O’Keefe on. Instead, Botha opted for Somerville again. Wells nailed a sweep, with the turn, for four to get himself going. Wells and Carey put together an unbroken 74-run stand in the last seven overs to get the total up to 167 without facing a single delivery from O’Keefe.Carey displayed power and placement early to get to his maiden BBL half-century. But despite losing his timing late in the innings, his supreme fitness saw him sprint four twos and one three. He finished with an unbeaten 83 from 59 balls. Wells’ cameo was outstanding too. He hit two fours and a massive 104m six onto the roof of the Bill O’Reilly stand in the last four balls of the innings to finish with 33 not out from 19 balls.Strikers strike early again
Taking early wickets in the Powerplay has been Perth Scorchers’ modus operandi for years when defending totals. The Strikers look to have copied the blueprint, attacking with their seamers upfront. Billy Stanlake conceded just two runs in the first over. Jason Roy flicked him for a huge six in the third over, but Stanlake set the trap for Daniel Hughes tucking him up with two men back and Hughes picked out one of them on the boundary. Neser had Nic Maddinson nicking off with Carey completing an outstanding one-handed catch. Roy, who looked to be fighting his way out of a form slump, did not do his homework on Ben Laughlin, lofting a predictable slower ball first-up high to mid-off. The Sixers were 3 for 42 at the end of the Powerplay before spin was needed.Silk road too long
Jordan Silk did his best to make the chase interesting. In his first appearance for the season as a replacement for Henriques, he struck ball as sweetly as any batsman all night. He raced to 50 off 31 balls with seven classy boundaries. But when he chopped Rashid Khan onto his stumps all hope seemed lost.Rashid had earlier bowled the Sixers’ last recognised batsman in Sam Billings. Botha and O’Keefe kept hopes alive with a 17-run over off Neser. O’Keefe and Dwarshuis then raised heart-rates with two massive blows inside the last seven deliveries after Laughlin and Neser missed their lengths. But Neser found the mark with his last three to wrap up the Strikers’ win.

Rachin Ravindra’s 3 for 30 and Finn Allen’s unbeaten 115 took New Zealand home with eight wickets and 63 to balls to spare

Shashank Kishore in Tauranga13-Jan-2018
ScorecardRachin Ravindra and Finn Allen, two men who were part of New Zealand’s disastrous Under-19 World Cup campaign two years ago in Bangladesh where they finished tenth, opened the 2018 edition at home with stirring displays. West Indies, the defending champions, slumped to a eight-wicket defeat at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, the manner in which they collapsed reminiscent of their seniors, who endured a winless tour of New Zealand not too long ago.Ravindra picked three wickets with his left-arm spin while Allen, the No. 3 batsman, brought up a counter-attacking 92-ball century, his first in youth ODIs, as New Zealand cruised home with plenty to spare. Allen, who was unbeaten on 115, forged a second-wicket stand worth 163 with Jakob Bhula, who made 83. Ravindra’s dismissal for 16, flashing at a short and wide delivery that he nicked to the wicketkeeper off Ronaldo Alimohamed, was the only blot in an otherwise ruthless display.A hint of rain and a thick cloud cover made conditions ideal for West Indies’ pacers to exploit. But they sprayed the ball all over the pitch. Their sloppiness on the field didn’t help either. What could’ve been an intense contest turned rather cold halfway through the chase. Allen was strong square of the wicket, but his use of the sweep against spin was particularly impressive as he chugged along consistently at over a run-a-ball. Bhula, slightly more circumspect to begin with, grew in confidence but fell to a tame caught-and-bowled dismissal with the target within touching distance. Allen then saw off the chase with captain Kaylum Boshier just as rain started to spit down.While Allen polished off the runs, it was Ravindra who broke West Indies’ back after their openers Kimani Melius and Keagan Simmons, nephew of batsman Lendl Simmons, put together 123 in 27.2 overs to set a solid platform. Ravindra, who cleverly varied his pace and use of his angles, finished with 3 for 30 off seven overs as West Indies, handily placed at 149 for 2, were restricted to 223 for 8 in 50 overs. Simmons, who battled through the innings and looked set for his maiden youth ODI century, was left unbeaten on 92.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board, however, has not yet made an announcement of his unavailability

Mohammad Isam11-Feb-2018Bangladesh’s T20I plans were further dented when their captain Shakib Al Hasan said his finger injury hasn’t fully healed. On Saturday, Shakib was named in the 15-man squad announced for the first T20 against Sri Lanka, on February 15.”There is still no official statement regarding this issue but the doctor has told me that the injury will take another two weeks to heal. So, if that is the case then maybe it is unlikely that I will play in the T20 series,” he said.The Bangladesh Cricket Board has not made an announcement of his unavailability.Shakib injured his finger during the tri-series final on January 27, which ruled him out of the subsequent Tests against Sri Lanka. It would have been his first series in his second stint as the Test captain.Bangladesh’s T20I squad includes five uncapped cricketers who impressed during the 2017 BPL.

Tasmania dethroned three-time defending champions Victoria to face Queensland in their first Sheffield Shield final in five years

Alex Malcolm16-Mar-2018Andrew Fekete runs in to bowl•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Tasmania has marched into its first Sheffield Shield final in five years after dethroning three-time defending champions Victoria on the back of a career-best 10-wicket haul from fast bowler Andrew Fekete.The Tigers began the third day with a lead of 235 and six second innings wickets in hand but looked in danger of failing to reach a lead of 300 after losing Matthew Wade and Simon Milenko early.Thomas Rogers came to the rescue with a sensational 80 which was laced with 13 boundaries. It was his first Sheffield Shield half-century. He was well supported by Jake Doran and Jackson Bird to set Victoria 378 for victory.The Bushrangers chase started disastrously when Fekete found the inside edge of Marcus Harris and outside edge of Glenn Maxwell from consecutive balls in the fourth over. Aaron Finch and Cameron White fell shortly after to leave the visitors 4 for 37 and they never recovered.Travis Dean and Dan Christian made useful contributions but Fekete accounted for both of them in his second spell to finish with 10 wickets for the match. Chris Tremain made 45 to go with his eight wickets in a losing cause.The Tigers will now face Queensland in the Sheffield Shield final seeking their first title since 2012-13.

Aggressive bodily contact, shoving, agitated yelling, pointed fingers and a shattered dressing room door, all marred the rancorous finish and the immediate aftermath, of the Nidahas Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo16-Mar-2018Aggressive bodily contact, shoving, agitated yelling, pointed fingers and a shattered dressing room door, all marred the finish and the immediate aftermath of the Nidahas Trophy match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.The shattered door was likely the doing of somebody inside the Bangladesh dressing room. An outward-facing camera caught a number of Bangladesh players racing down the steps in front of their dressing room as bits of glass were strewn on the stairs, the door probably having been shattered in those moments. Match Referee Chris Broad has seen the footage and spoken to some of the catering staff who have named the player they believe to be responsible, but Broad had suggested that those statements could not necessarily be taken as fact for the purposes of his work, and has asked for footage from the outside looking in. Bangladesh’s team management is understood to have offered to pay for the damage.The shoving – or one instance of it, at least – was by a Sri Lanka player on a Bangladesh substitute. The substitute had been on the field to deliver drinks immediately after the umpires had refused to award a no-ball when Isuru Udana delivered a second short-pitched delivery in the over. While batsman Mahmudullah was making an agitated case to the umpires, the substitute had become involved in a tense exchange with Sri Lanka players elsewhere on the field. He was pushed – not particularly hard, but not lightly either – as a group of Sri Lanka fielders followed him closely towards the boundary.Nurul Hasan and Thisara Perera were involved in a heated exchange•AFP

The shove, as well as the umpire’s refusal to award a no-ball, then tipped Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan into a fury. Shakib, along with several team-mates, immediately rushed to the edge of the boundary, where he entered into a heated exchange with reserve umpire Lyndon Hannibal. He then beckoned Mahmudullah and Rubel Hossain off the field, only the batsmen appeared very reluctant to follow those instructions, and ambled half-heartedly towards the boundary as many of the Sri Lanka fielders took their places. Eventually, Shakib relented and play was allowed to resume after the fracas had eaten up several minutes.After the winning runs were hit, the Bangladesh team charged the field, to enter into euphoric celebrations, but more vitriol was exchanged as the teams were walking out. This time it was Kusal Mendis – generally a composed and easy-going player – that was furiously pointing and yelling at someone in the Bangladesh group. Some senior Bangladesh players and interim coach Courtney Walsh were seen trying to calm tensions. Tamim Iqbal was gently restraining Mendis, and later put a friendly arm around his shoulder as the two exited the field. Mahmudullah was also seen taking an agitated Nurul Hasan – a substitute player – away from the crowd, to lecture him.After the match both sides were keen to play down the incident, but Shakib did confirm that it was the missed no-ball call that triggered Bangladesh’s indignation. He believed that one of the on-field umpires had initially called a no-ball when Udana delivered the second bouncer of the over, but had then reversed his decision. Throughout the tournament, all umpires have been Sri Lankans.”I don’t want to talk about it, but what happened was that the square-leg umpire called a no-ball and after a discussion they cancelled it,” Shakib said. “I didn’t think it was the right decision. I don’t know what happened after the first ball, which was a bouncer. But after the second ball, the umpire called a no-ball. We are all human, we should take it in the chin and move forward.There was also an admission that perhaps players, including himself, had allowed their emotions to get the better of them at the game’s denouement. “Many things happened that shouldn’t have happened. I need to remain calm. I was overjoyed. Excitement was there. I must know how to react next time. I will be careful.”What happens in the field should never spill over off the field. To be honest, we are all good friends. We see each other in the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier League. The two boards have great relations. We help each other a lot. Just like I would want my team to win at all cost, they would have the same feeling. I am sure that both teams will never let it go off the field.”The ICC is yet to officially comment on the incidents, but is expected to do so on Saturday. The Nidahas Trophy final will be contested by Bangladesh and India on Sunday.

Ollie Pope’s second century of the season deepened the belief that he is a young batsman to reckon with

ECB Reporters Network11-May-2018
ScorecardOllie Pope celebrates his century•Getty Images

Ollie Pope enhanced his reputation as one of the best young batsmen in the country by scoring his second Specsavers County Championship hundred of the season to lead Surrey’s fightback against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval.England captain Joe Root, leading Yorkshire for only the fourth time after Gary Ballance was struck down by illness, saw Surrey slump to 69 for 4 on a well-grassed pitch.But Pope, who is playing only his tenth first-class match, added an unbeaten 131 to his 145 against Hampshire last month as Surrey recovered to 366 for 7 at stumps on day one.The 20-year-old helped Dean Elgar (61) add 68 for the fifth wicket then counter-attacked with Rikki Clarke in a punishing stand of 129 in 28.2 overs for the seventh wicket as batting conditions improved.Pope played some eye-catching shots through the off side and picked off anything aimed at his pads when Yorkshire’s seamers tried a leg-stump line. He left well too and his only moment of alarm came when he took a single into the covers to reach 50 and would have been run out had Harry Brook’s throw at the non-striker’s end hit the stumps.His second 50 came off 67 balls while Clarke offered made the most of a life on 16 when he was put down at slip by Cheteshwar Pujara. His 71 off 91 balls included ten fours and two sixes, both swiped over mid-wicket off Josh Shaw, and he reached 10,000 first-class runs when he was on 26.The stand was broken when Adam Lyth held on at the second attempt at second slip in Jack Brooks’ first over with the second new ball but Pope and Jade Dernbach punished some wayward bowling before stumps, adding 72 in 11 overs. Pope has faced 194 balls and hit 22 fours.Rikki Clarke has reached 10,000 runs•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It was all in sharp contrast to a difficult morning for Surrey as the Yorkshire seamers shared four top-order wickets. England opener Mark Stoneman’s tough start to the domestic season – he has yet to pass 30 so far – continued when he was lbw half-forward to Tim Bresnan. Rory Burns became Brooks’ 400th first-class wicket, Scott Borthwick played a very loose shot outside off stump and Ben Foakes feathered a thin edge off Steve Patterson.Elgar stood firm though as he passed 50 for the first time since joining Surrey and it was a surprise when he lost his leg stump when Root came on after lunch to bowl his off-breaks. It was Root’s first Championship wicket for 13 months.When Patterson angled the ball across Sam Curran to pick up his second wicket Surrey were 162 for 6 but then Pope and Clarke changed the complexion of the day.

Australia coach wants his team to play hard, play fair, but not give an inch during their ODI tour of England

Andrew Miller at Lord's06-Jun-2018″Sledging is fun!” says Australia’s new coach!Okay, so Justin Langer was referring specifically to the “banter” (note: definitely NOT abuse …) that flies across the table when he and his daughters are playing the card game UNO. However, there was a steely message lurking within an otherwise amusing metaphor, as he and Tim Paine, Australia’s captain, faced the media at Lord’s in their first official engagement of this month’s tour of England.”Everyone talks about this word ‘sledging’, but there’s a difference between banter and abuse,” Langer said. “Abuse is no good – it doesn’t matter if you’re off the field or on the field, there’s no room for it ever. But there’s plenty of room for banter, or what we call sledging. It’s a fun part of the game!”If I’m playing with my daughter, she wants to beat me big time, so we have a bit of banter, or what we call sledging. She’s pretty good at it, all Australians are good at it, we take it so seriously, but that’s okay. I never abuse her, and if she abuses me … there’s trouble you know!”It was all said with a smile on the face, as Langer laid on a charm offensive to diffuse the tension that might have been anticipated – especially in what must surely have been the smallest room laid on for a press conference at Lord’s since Michael Atherton faced the music after his own ball-tampering scandal in 1994.But, after all of the talk of “headbutting the line” when England and Australia last met during the winter (as well as the widely held view that a line was crossed where Jonny Bairstow in particular was concerned), here was Langer’s attempt to draw a new line under the issue for Australia’s post-apocalyptic world.His squad, after all, have arrived in England without their best two batsman – Steve Smith and David Warner, banned in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal – and with none of their big three bowlers either; Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are all missing through injury.Therefore, to take the field at The Oval next week, against the No. 1 ODI team in the world, without recourse to the tongues in their heads would have been an indignity too far, especially for a team that has always prided itself on “playing hard and playing fair”, and which is desperate to earn back that reputation after a season defined by some grievous misdeeds.”We certainly we won’t be silent out in the field,” Paine said. “We are going to be speaking, we’re going to be trying to put pressure on opposition teams and players like we normally do, but there’s got to be a respectful element to it.”We know what’s right and what’s wrong, so it’s pretty simple,” he added. “But I’m sure you’re going to hear us talking through the stump mic and see us talking on the ground. It’s up to me and Justin, and our senior players, to make sure that we start on the side of banter and never go to abuse. While I’m captain and Justin is coach, that is not going to be accepted.”Justin Langer and Tim Paine face the media at Lord’s•Getty Images

A further Australian grandee will be on hand to help guide a young and inexperienced squad through the rigours of an England tour, with the news that Ricky Ponting, Langer’s former captain, has been recruited to the team’s support group. Ponting was already due to be in England on commentary duties for the series, but given the huge scrutiny on the tour, not to mention its significance to Australia’s defence of their World Cup title in England next summer, Langer felt that his “experiences, tactical expertise and leadership” would be invaluable.Ponting certainly knows a thing or two about dealing with hostile crowds, having become something of a pantomime villain on his two tours as Australia captain in 2005 and 2009. And Paine was under no illusions about the flak that was about to fly the way of his players.”We’ve spoken about this,” he said. “We think it’s going to be pretty full-on, we expect that when we come to England. All the time we cop a little bit of a ribbing and, this time, we come with a bit more reason for them to do it. But it’s one of the challenges of international cricket, and sides get it when they come to Australia, so it’s part and parcel of the game.”And yet, for all the focus on the merits, or otherwise, of sledging, it was another and far more damning word – “cheating” – that caused Australia’s behaviour to hit the headlines in South Africa. And with that in mind, Paine admitted that his team had arrived in England with a reputation to restore.”There’s no doubt our reputation as a cricketing nation took a bit of a battering from South Africa,” Paine said. “It was difficult for the players to come to terms with what happened and what we’d done, but certainly coming to England and having a few new faces, a new coach, and getting back into cricket is a great opportunity to move on and show the world that we have made changes.”But Langer, a hard-nosed veteran from Australia’s old school of world-beaters, was unapologetic about what was about to come to pass. And once again, though he spoke with a smile on his face, his subtext was unmissable.”Even if we are so nice, everyone is still going to think we are still a bunch of rough-edged Australians,” he said. “That’s just how it’s going to be, mate. So whatever, we can go about our business really well, behave well on the field and off the field, but we’ll still be called sledging Australians. It’s been happening the last 30 years. We’ll work with that.”We have written down our values and our expectations, and that’s really important,” he added. “But the truth is, and I’ve said this for 25 years, we can put all the fanciest mission statements and values together, and put the fanciest posters up on the wall, but if you don’t live them, they are like toilet paper. The words are irrelevant. It’s how we live them all the time that is going to be important.”

Leicestershire remain on course to win three consecutive championship matches for the first time in 20 years

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2018
ScorecardLeicestershire are strong favourites to win three consecutive championship matches for the first time in 20 years after setting Middlesex a fourth innings target of 381 to win their match at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.Increasingly variable bounce on the previously used pitch, evident throughout the Leicestershire second innings, makes it an even tougher prospect for the 2016 county champions.It was also a huge factor in the fall of the second last wicket of an absorbing day’s cricket, when Middlesex opener Sam Robson, having batted impressively in going to 31, received a delivery from Gavin Griffiths that both seamed back in and stayed horribly low to pin him leg before wicket.The dismissal broke a partnership of 51 between Robson and Steve Eskinazi, who came together after just three balls of the innings, when Max Holden had edged a Ben Raine delivery which both lifted and left him outside off-stump.Had Eskinazi and skipper Dawid Malan been together at the close, there would still have been real hope for the visitors, but with eight balls remaining in the day, Malan pressed forward to Raine and edged to wicketkeeper Hill to leave his team still needing 299 runs with just seven wickets in hand.The tone of a day which saw Middlesex show real spirit after conceding a huge first innings lead of 194 was set by Middlesex seamers Tim Murtagh and James Harris. Murtagh, having taken 5 for 52 in Leicestershire’s first innings, conceded just 14 runs in bowling 13 consecutive overs from the Bennett End, and with Harris almost equally parsimonious from the Pavilion End, Leicestershire opener Harry Dearden faced 71 balls in scoring just six runs before edging Murtagh to the wicketkeeper.By then Harris had bowled Colin Ackermann, scorer of 196 not out in the first innings for just 3, and when a disbelieving Mark Cosgrove went leg before to the occasional offspin of Holden, Leicestershire were struggling, the more so when Harris bowled Hill with a delivery which seamed back in.A stand of 50 between Raine and Neil Dexter gave Leicestershire’s innings a modicum of impetus, but Dexter will want to quickly forget his dismissal, wandering out of his crease after bottom edging a Murtagh delivery along the ground to wicketkeeper Simpson. The alert Simpson rolled the ball back on to the stumps, and Dexter, not attempting a single, had indeed been stumped.Leicestershire’s tail, as has regularly been the case this season, made useful contributions to drag the score up to 186, with Murtagh finishing with 3 for 27, and overall match figures of 8 for 79.

Durham have plenty of downtime ahead of Friday night’s Vitality Blast quarter-final against Sussex while Glamorgan’s coach has lots to ponder

ECB Reporters Network21-Aug-2018
ScorecardDurham’s bowlers needed only 8.2 overs to dismiss the remaining three Glamorgan batsmen at Sophia Gardens this morning to gain their third championship win of the season, and inflict on Glamorgan their third successive championship defeat and their sixth in the last seven games.Resuming on 79 for 7, Glamorgan soon lost Craig Meschede, who was leg before to Chris Rushworth in the fourth over of the day, and the Durham seamer struck again in his next two overs when he bowled Lukas Carey and Michael Hogan to end Glamorgan’s misery.The victory margin, an innings and 30 runs, was a fair reflection of Durham’s dominance throughout the game, while Glamorgan were to reflect on another hugely disappointing performance which will little to restore confidence or morale.Rushworth ended with 5 for 28, and match figures of 8 for 64 as throughout the match Glamorgan’s batsmen were unable to counter the movement Durham’s seamers obtained in both innings.It all left Glamorgan’s coach Robert Croft with much to ponder as he seeks to keep momentum in the season after the county’s failure to reach the last eight of the Vitality Blast.Had the weather not intervened in this game, Glamorgan would have been beaten inside two days in successive games, and although they have been unlucky with their overseas signings and Marchant De Lange, one of their leading bowlers, has been out injured since mid-May, the fact is that their young batsmen have been unable to cope with opposing attacks.Meanwhile, Durham, who will have an extra day off before Friday’s T20 quarter final game against Sussex at Chester Le Street, will be delighted with their performance, especially their two debutants Alex Lees and Axar Patel.Lees, signed from Yorkshire, was soon into his stride with an assured 69, while Indian all rounder Patel, took three wickets in the game and struck an aggressive 95 and rescue Durham following a mid -innings collapse.A dejected Glamorgan captain Michael Hogan said after the crushing defeat,”it was not ideal, it was just another of those days. The dressing room is pretty low at the moment, and we have to give them the opportunity to have some fun, and get some smiles back on their faces. We will have nets on Thursday and get some practice before the game against Warwickshire next week.”Durham seamer Chris Rushworth, who took eight wickets in the game, said” it was good to field in bowling conditions on the first day, and it suited our bowlers. We were clinical, and that’s what we need to be to beat the teams around us in the championship. Everyone contributed, and it was a very satisfying victory”