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The alert is for a section of the Great Southern Stand on December 27 and it has led to further measures for the Sydney Test

Daniel Brettig06-Jan-2021Victorian health officials have called for an entire zone of spectators in the MCG’s Great Southern Stand come forward for testing and quarantine amid fears that a mystery case of Covid-19 may have acquired the virus on the second day of the Boxing Day Test.The case, a man in his 30s who also shopped at Chadstone Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs on Boxing Day, was seated in Zone 5 of the MCG under its covid-safe protocols – likely entering the ground through gates five or six – between 12.30pm and 3.30pm on December 27, before developing Covid-19 symptoms on January 5.As a result of this case, the New South Wales government has made the wearing of masks mandatory at all times for the crowd at the SCG Test except when eating and drinking although the game will continue with a crowd at 25% capacity. Anyone who attended the MCG at the date and time of the alert is banned from attending the Sydney Test. There had already been a ban on people attending from certain suburbs of Sydney based on the outbreaks in the city.”Based on the information available from the case, the man in his 30s, was not infectious while at the sites, but there is potential he acquired the virus while there,” the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. “The man developed symptoms on 30 December and the department was notified of his positive test on 5 January. Given he has not visited any high-risk Victorian exposure sites or travelled to New South Wales, a number of acquisition sources are being investigated.”The man was present at the MCG on 27 December, the second day of the Boxing Day test and is currently isolating. He was not infectious when he attended and is not linked to any other case or to the Black Rock Restaurant Outbreak. The MCG is being investigated as a potential source for the infection.Health authorities asked for anyone who had been present in the affected zone of the MCG to get tested. “We’re encouraging anyone who was in The Great Southern Stand, zone 5 of the MCG between 12.30pm and 3.30pm on 27 December, to get tested and isolate until they receive a negative result.”A Covid-safe event plan was in place for the match and the ticketing allocation system in place has enabled effective contact tracing. The venue also utilised the Victorian Government’s QR code system in an additional measure to support contact tracing.”The department is working with Melbourne Cricket Club to contact ticket holders in the relevant area directly and to ensure that all relevant public health actions have been undertaken.”Announcing the updated masks requirement for the SCG, NSW health minister Brad Hazzard said: “From the moment effectively you get into the transport to get there, and get into the queue at the front door of the SCG, and go to your seat, and sit in the your seat, you must wear a mask.”The only exception to that [is] if you’re eating or drinking. Obviously, Dr Chant and the public health team want people to enjoy a day at the cricket, but it’s a Covid day at the cricket and that means mask on, not mask off, unless you’re eating or drinking, in which case you can have your mask off.”Australia captain Tim Paine was asked whether he believed continuing the Sydney Test with even a reduced crowd was safe as cases of community transmission continued to be recorded in New South Wales, but he deferred to those with more knowledge of the situation.”It’s not really an area I can control or worry too much about. People who are in control of making these decisions [are] at government level,” Paine said. “There’s health experts, high level people at Cricket Australia and they’re all working as hard as they possibly can to do the best thing.”Obviously we want to get people in the gates, give people a chance to come in and watch international cricket and if they’re saying the safe number is 10,000 then I certainly can’t question that. Don’t have a medical background so we trust that the people who are in those positions are making the right decisions by us and the communities. We’ll go with whatever we’re told at this stage.”

Half-centuries from Josh Cobb, Adam Rossington and Dwaine Pretorius seal seven-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network30-Aug-2019Josh Cobb, Adam Rossington and Dwaine Pretorius powered Northamptonshire to a consolation victory at Wantage Road to deny Worcestershire a home quarter-final in the Vitality Blast. Northants chased 189 to win by seven wickets with seven balls to spare.Cobb’s 62 in 32 balls, Rossington’s 54 from 30 and an unbeaten 50 in 36 deliveries from Pretorius saw Northants end another disappointing campaign with victory. It forced Worcestershire into an away tie at Sussex in the last eight when a win would have been good enough to secure the match at New Road courtesy of Nottinghamshire’s heavy defeat to Durham.The Northants batting has struggled this tournament but they enjoyed themselves on a true wicket with Cobb playing a fine captain’s innings. The required rate had climbed to 10.7 at the half-way point but Cobb responded with four sixes in an over from Ed Barnard, the best of them a slog-sweep that sailed out of the ground.Rossington’s early striking was just as impressive. He advanced at Dillion Pennington to heave six over square leg before dancing down next ball to swing another maximum over long-on. A third six was sent flat over extra-cover in the fourth over before Rossington flat-batted four more through the off side and pulled Moeen Ali to the fence as Northants made 65 in the Powerplay for the loss of Richard Levi, stumped to Moeen’s first ball for 16.But after the first six overs, Rossington lifted Barnard into the hands of long-on and four overs went for only 16 runs. Cobb’s onslaught then revived the hosts.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pretorius completed the chase. He struggled to 8 from 19 balls before picking up the task when 40 were needed from 30 balls. He pulled Daryl Mitchell for a flat six over square leg, repeated the trick against Pat Brown before delicately late cutting Brown for four over short third man in the 19th over as Northants coasted home.Worcestershire’s 188 for 5 was built around brisk innings from Moeen, Riki Wessels and Ben Cox after Hamish Rutherford holed out to deep midwicket for 19 in the third over.Moeen bided his time before pulling Blessing Muzarabani almost for six over midwicket and flicking Pretorius for another boundary past short-fine leg. He skipped down to lift Graeme White’s first ball over extra-cover for four more before finding his six-hitting range.His first was a pull off Nathan Buck that went flat over deep square. A second strike against Buck carried long-on before he took took White for consecutive sixes into the Ken Turner Stand – the second a colossal hit that landed on the roof – as he passed fifty in 28 balls before clipping Pretorius to deep midwicket.Wessels struck his first boundary with forearm jab against Buck before cutting Pretorius for four. Consecutive sixes, picked up over the leg side, off Faheem Ashraf left Worcestershire 119 for 2 after 12 overs. But like Moeen, Wessels holed out to deep midwicket when well set and when Ross Whiteley swept and missed at Rob Keogh to be bowled for just 2, the visitors were 135 for 4 in the 15th.Ben Cox swept two boundaries off White and drove and cut Muzarabani for fours either side of a leg side heave over square leg for six. Barnard then hammered two straight fours from Buck in the penultimate over but Ashraf nailed his yorkers to only concede five from the final set.

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.

The injured fast bowler has said India’s attempts to sledge Australia were a ‘defensive mechanism’ in response to the fear that they might lose the series

Daniel Brettig22-Mar-20170:25

Steven Smith upbeat after Ranchi draw

Australia’s injured spearhead Mitchell Starc has said India’s verbal confrontations with the tourists were the result of fear over losing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after their unexpected defeat in the opening Test of the series in Pune.Starc, who flew home with a foot stress fracture after the second Test in Bengaluru but hopes to be fit in time for the ICC Champions Trophy later in June, stated that a young Australian side had not gone to India looking for fights but found themselves in several stoushes after the dramatic result in Pune.”It’s probably come a lot more from their side than ours,” Starc told . “There’s been a lot made of it before the series, there was so much hype before the series, and I think we’ve gone about the cricket as we have done for a long time now. As a young group, we’re probably still finding our way. We’re still learning about each other’s games and how we’re going as a team probably since the Hobart Test match [last year].”It’s probably showed in how the guys have been playing their cricket, especially the way they batted [in Ranchi]. A couple of young guys performed outstandingly well, [like] Peter Handscomb. It shows who we are as a group and things have come hard, and it’s almost a defensive mechanism for them that we won the first Test match, we’re here for the challenge.”They were scared of us, beating them in India the way they’ve been playing as well. So it was almost a defensive mechanism for them and obviously they come out in the second Test match, performed really well and got back into it.”‘I think we can win. I think we’ve showed throughout the series that we’re definitely up for the challenge’ – Mitchell Starc•Associated Press

Australia’s attitude on the tour has been one of learning and humility, as demonstrated by the way Handscomb and Shaun Marsh played out the final afternoon of the Ranchi Test to secure a draw under concerted Indian pressure. Starc pointed to the eagerness of 20-year old Matt Renshaw to learn about the game – so much that he has tried the patience of some team-mates – as an example.”The more time he spends out in the middle the less time we have to listen to him,” Starc said, laughing. “He’s different but he’s a lovely kid. Loves his cricket, just loves batting – so I think that’s obviously shown in how he’s gone about his cricket in India.”His first trip there, he’s learning – he’s probably not eating the right things, being sick all the time – but he’s performing quite well. He says some strange things, he comes up with some strange theories. He talks a load about [Don] Bradman and whether he scored those runs. He keeps talking about bats these days. He talks like he’s 35.”Starc said his foot fracture was not as serious as the one that kept him out of much of the 2015-16 season. “The foot is okay. It’s not snapped in half like the one 18 months go,” he said. “It’s the same foot, so I did the third metatarsal the last time, this is the fourth. Nice fracture. It’s not displaced though.”I don’t need a boot fortunately. I’m still in the gym getting myself ready for when I do come back whenever that might be. I see the specialist on Thursday and hopefully get a clearer picture then. But the Champions Trophy is clearly not out of the picture.”Looking ahead to the final Test in Dharamsala, Starc said the Australians had demonstrated their ability to defend and attack at the right times. “I think we can win. I think we’ve showed throughout the series that we’re definitely up for the challenge,” he said. “We’re in the fight – we have been for three Test matches. We can knuckle down when we need to but we can attack when we want to and we can.”

West Indies Women narrowed the gap down to four points between themselves and first-place Australia in the ICC Women’s Championship points table after a 57-run win over South Africa Women

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo: West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor top-scored for her side with 79 off 83 balls•WICB Media/Randy Brooks

West Indies Women narrowed the gap down to four points between themselves and first-place Australia in the ICC Women’s Championship points table after a 57-run win over South Africa Women in East London. The result follows a 15-run win by West Indies at the same venue on February 24 and they’ll seek a series sweep in the final ODI on Monday.West Indies were 25 for 2 at the eight-over mark after electing to bat when captain Stafanie Taylor (79) and Deandra Dottin (61) teamed up for a 135-run stand, four short of equaling the West Indies Women’s record mark for a third-wicket partnership set by Juliana Nero and Pamela Lavine against Ireland at the 2005 Women’s World Cup. It’s also the sixth-highest partnership overall in West Indies Women’s ODIs and the fifth century stand between Taylor and Dottin in ODIs.The stand ended on the first ball of the 32nd over when Taylor was runout and Dottin perished not long after to end the 34th over. Dottin was the first wicket on the day for 20-year-old legspinner Suné Luus, who finished with 3 for 34 as West Indies were eventually bowled out in the last over for 232.South Africa made a bright start to the chase, reaching 85 for 1 in the 22nd over before Shaquana Quintyne sparked a slide by taking the wickets of captain Mignon du Preez and Marizanne Kapp two overs apart. South Africa’s hopes rested on opener Trisha Chetty to carry her team through but she was the fifth wicket to fall for 51, bowled by Anisa Mohammed. South Africa then lost their last five wickets for 40 runs with Hayley Matthews spinning out the tail to end South Africa’s reply for 175 in 45.3 overs.

The IPL’s governing council will meet before the BCCI’s working committee in Delhi on Friday and is likely to discuss the findings of the IPL inquiry panel

Amol Karhadkar01-Aug-2013

Cricket Association of Bihar files a caveat

The Cricket Association of Bihar, on whose petition the Bombay High Court passed its order, has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court that will enable it to be part of any petition filed in appeal by the BCCI. There are indications that the BCCI will lodge an appeal against the High Court order in the Supreme Court via a Special Leave Petition (SLP). Court rules stipulate that SLPs are listed for hearing only on Mondays and Fridays.

The IPL’s governing council will meet before the BCCI’s working committee in Delhi on Friday and is likely to discuss the findings of the IPL inquiry panel, the setting of which up was declared “illegal” by the Bombay High Court on Tuesday. The council’s stand on the report – to accept it or to abide by the court order and investigate afresh – will decide how the working committee plays the issue.It is currently unclear what decision the council meeting – likely to be chaired by Arun Jaitley, the DDCA president – will take but there is some build-up of opinion in favour of the report being shelved and the court’s directions being honoured.On the eve of the meetings Niranjan Shah, a BCCI vice-president, said he believed it would be best to appoint a fresh committee to investigate the alleged corruption in the IPL. “It is my personal opinion that following the Bombay High Court order, it is in the best interest of the board to appoint a fresh probe panel,” Shah told ESPNcricinfo.The two-member committee, which had submitted its report on Sunday, had essentially cleared the owners of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings of wrongdoing in the IPL. However, following a petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar, the Bombay High Court had questioned the legality of the process by which the panel was set up and said the matter should be investigated afresh.The governing council will discuss the inquiry report and, if it endorses the panel’s recommendation of acquitting Raj Kundra, co-owner of Rajasthan Royals, Jaipur IPL Cricket Pvt Ltd, Royals’ holding company, India Cements, owner of Chennai Super Kings, and Gurunath Meiyappan, Srinivasan’s son-in-law and Super Kings official of wrongdoing for want of evidence, then the report will be tabled in the working committee meeting later in the day and Srinivasan’s quest for returning to power would get a boost.If the governing council rejects the report, then the working committee may be compelled to set up a fresh inquiry, and the voices of dissent within the BCCI against Srinivasan may be heard. However, despite Shah’s stated reservations, it is uncertain to what degree the members will stress their growing feelings of uneasiness over BCCI’s method of functioning at the meeting.The inquiry committee was set up by the BCCI following multiple arrests for alleged spot-fixing and betting in the IPL. Given the implication of his son-in-law and India Cements, the company of which he is vice-president and managing director, Srinivasan had stepped aside as board president for the duration of the probe and passed on the duties to Jagmohan Dalmiya. As per the probe report submitted at the working committee meeting in Kolkata on Sunday, the panel, comprising two retired high court judges T Jayaram Chouta and R Balasubramanian, didn’t find any evidence to prove corruption charges.

Yorkshire reached their first T20 Finals Day with a 29-run win over Worcestershire, inspired by Joe Root’s maiden Twenty20 half-century

Alan Gardner25-Jul-2012
ScorecardJoe Root hit 65 and then pulled off an excellent piece of fielding as Yorkshire reached their first Finals Day•Getty Images

Yorkshire reached their first T20 Finals Day with a 29-run win over Worcestershire, inspired by Joe Root’s maiden Twenty20 half-century, not to mention an impudent piece of fielding on the deep midwicket boundary that brought a boisterous Headingley crowd to their feet. Root also opened the bowling – admittedly to slightly less spectacular effect – in a display that will have again given the England selectors a tug on the sleeve.Phil Hughes’ unorthodox power and placement helped keep Worcestershire in the game but his unbeaten 80 was not enough, as fellow Australia international Mitchell Starc returned to keep a lid on the final overs, finishing with 3 for 24 from his allocation. In the face-off between the tournament’s leading run-scorer and its leading wicket-taker, Starc was the victor on points.After Hampshire’s dramatic victory over Nottinghamshire later on Wednesday, Yorkshire were drawn against big-hitting Sussex for what promises to be an explosive semi-final encounter between the North and South Group winners on August 25.Worcestershire, who were also aiming to reach Finals Day for the first time, kept pace with the Yorkshire par score but were lacking the blast of nitrous oxide provided by the batting of David Miller and Gary Ballance, who hammered 82 from the last five overs earlier in the day. A similar power-up was not forthcoming from the visitors’ middle order, despite forceful twenties from James Cameron and Gareth Andrew.The former was sent on his way by Root – though his name won’t appear on the scorecards. Having hoisted Rich Pyrah high into the outfield, Cameron may have been expecting to record his second six; but Root, running round from long-on, demonstrated quick-thinking to go with his quick feet, catching the ball, steadying himself in front of the rope and then tossing it back to Miller as his momentum took him out of bounds.The third umpire was consulted, as a matter of course, but both Root and his team-mates knew he had pulled off a piece of fielding that is no less exhilarating now that T20 has made it a more common sight. “The cameras are here aren’t they, so you’ve got to make it look good,” Root said, over his on-pitch mic.Root’s contribution with the bat was even more important, if a little less showy. He is an accomplished strokeplayer in the classical mould, though he repeatedly turned to the reverse sweep in a largely unsuccessful attempt to show he could play the peacock too. Perhaps hitting three of his four first-class sixes in a superb innings of 222 not out at West End earlier this month has convinced him to broaden his batting horizons.His runs were scored all around the wicket, though his first boundary came via an edge between keeper and slip. He could – possibly should – have been dismissed on 40, when a reverse dab against Brett D’Oliveira looped off the top edge to Andrew’s left at short third man but the fielder went at it one-handed and only succeeded in fisting the ball to the boundary. Two overs later, Root drove Aneesh Kapil behind square to reach his fifty, from 36 balls, and he was in full flow against Worcestershire’s England Under-19 allrounder, cutting, driving and pulling three more boundaries off successive deliveries before spooning a slog straight up to be caught and bowled.Root, appropriately, had anchored Yorkshire, as Worcestershire chipped away early on. Yorkshire have twice broken the club record for opening stands in T20 this season but Andrew Gale and Phil Jaques combined to less sparkling effect in the first over of the innings, with the Australian run-out off a wide. Jack Shantry’s delivery swung down the leg side, before deflecting away off the wicketkeeper Ben Scott’s pads, and Jaques was three-quarters of the way down before it became apparent that Gale was not for haring.The Yorkshire captain had missed a month of cricket with a hip injury, so was perhaps just feeling a bit ginger early on. After scoring three singles off his first eight balls, he crashed five fours off his next ten, taking 16 off a Shantry over before chipping Daryl Mitchell’s extremely slow medium-pace back to the bowler. Worcestershire’s captain also accounted for Jonny Bairstow, whose mighty bash wasn’t quite mighty enough to clear long-on and at the halfway stage Yorkshire were 83 for 3, behind the rate on a good pitch.Kapil’s costly over, though it saw off Root, was the trigger for a run rush that saw Yorkshire pile on 104 from the last seven. Miller hit the first six of the innings from the last ball of the 16th over, slog-sweeping Moeen Ali into the stands, and Ballance cracked the next ball, from Shantry, over cover for six more. Miller then smacked sixes over long-on and long-off, before pulling a flat missile through midwicket for four more, progressing to a 23-ball fifty in the following over before miscuing a heave at David Lucas.Shantry finished with 0 for 46 from three overs but Lucas, bowling the final over, was not to be spared either. A single off the first ball brought Ballance on strike, red-faced but cool at the crease, and he cleared the ropes four more times – a bottom-handed club over wide long-on; a flat swipe through midwicket; a stand-and-deliver punch down the ground; and a wristy flick over deep backward square leg – to lift Yorkshire to their highest total in this year’s FLt20 and just one run shy of their best in T20.Root, a slight 21-year-old, is not yet the man for such power-hitting but his all-round abilities meant he was given the new ball as Yorkshire started with an over off offspin. Root went for 10, though both of Moeen’s boundaries – an inside edge past the stumps and a paddle past the diving Moin Ashraf at short fine leg – could have resulted in wickets. Starc then struck in the second over, Vikram Solanki pinned lbw despite the ball looking a touch high, to bring Hughes to the middle.His first boundary was a six down the ground but a succession of partners could not match his efforts. As Root showed, it isn’t over until it’s over the rope – and neither could Worcestershire get over the line.

04-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Surrey held their nerve in a high-scoring contest before a 5,500 sell-out crowd at Whitgift School to beat Sussex by 18 runs in the Friends Life t20 South Group.Steve Davies top-scored with a brilliant 99 not out from just 56 balls in Surrey’s 203 for two, adding 105 with captain Rory Hamilton-Brown, who hit a 36-ball 51. Davies hit two sixes and 15 fours in his man-of-the-match performance.The Sussex reply was launched thrillingly by Luke Wright, who smashed five sixes and eight fours in a cavalier 72 from a mere 31 balls. However, when he was caught at long-on off the bowling of Chris Schofield in the 10th over the Sussex chase lost its spark.Ben Brown made a valiant 68 from 52 balls, with four sixes of his own, after adding a Sussex record 109 for the first wicket with Wright. However, Matt Prior was out for just 4, top-edging a sweep to deep square leg, and Lou Vincent laboured 19 balls for his 14 as Sussex fell short despite reaching the 15th over all but level with where Surrey were at that stage.Chris Nash hit both the fifth and sixth balls of the 19th over for six, but even that late burst off Chris Tremlett still left Sussex needing 23 from the last over and it proved too much. Spinners Schofield and Zafar Ansari were both impressive for Surrey, who also fielded tigerishly in defence of their total on a compact ground which made almost any target achievable.Surrey’s innings began in spectacular fashion with Jason Roy clubbing the first ball, bowled by off-spinner Ollie Rayner, over long-on for six. Roy also hit the fifth ball for six, with an even bigger hit, but on 18 he was foxed by a slower delivery from Chris Liddle and lobbed up a catch to Rayner at mid-on.Davies was also away quickly, leg-glancing the first ball he faced, from Wayne Parnell, to the long leg boundary, and a beautiful extra cover four off Liddle showed Davies was in excellent form despite a relatively quiet record so far in the competition.After five overs Surrey were 44 for one and Hamilton-Brown, after taking a while to get going, swung a slower ball from Luke Wright over wide midwicket and onto the tiled roof of the striking brick pavilion. Davies’ half-century arrived from 29 balls and a six off Liddle was later followed by another maximum, this time over extra cover off Umar Gul.Hamilton-Brown had helped Davies to put on 105 in 11 overs for the second wicket when he drove over a ball from Nash and was bowled after advancing down the pitch. Davies, on 94 when the last over started with Maynard on strike, heaved Parnell’s third ball wide of long-on for four but, having taken a single off the next ball, failed to get the strike back as Tom Maynard flicked the penultimate delivery over square leg for six.Maynard, who finished unbeaten on 29 from 18 balls, led a charmed life as he was dropped three times – on three, 13 and 14 – as another 66 runs were added for the third wicket in just over six overs.Gul and Parnell, Sussex’s two overseas fast bowlers, conceded 85 runs between them from their four-over stints as Surrey sealed an important victory as the battle for a quarter-final place hots up.

Sulieman Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, has been suspended for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his team’s third Test match against South Africa in Barbados

Cricinfo staff10-Jul-2010Sulieman Benn, the West Indies left-arm spinner, has been suspended for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the third Test against South Africa in Barbados last month. South Africa had asked the ICC to take disciplinary action against him last week following his altercation with fast bowler Dale Steyn on the third day of the Test.Benn pleaded guilty to a Level 2 breach of the code and was penalised by match referee Jeff Crowe. His previous disciplinary troubles means he now faces a ban of one Test or two ODIs or two Twenty20s, whichever comes first.The incident took place during lunch on the third day at the Kensington Oval when Benn barged into the South African dressing room and taunted some of the players and management. This followed the dismissal of Steyn a few overs before lunch when the fast bowler appeared to spit in the direction of Benn as he walked towards the pavilion. That cost Steyn his entire match fee, though the match referee agreed that Benn had provoked Steyn in the overs leading up to his dismissal.”Whatever had gone on before Sulieman entered the Proteas’ dressing room, while helping to explain his behaviour, cannot justify it,” Crowe said. “Clearly, Sulieman has acted inappropriately here and in a way that is contrary to the spirit of cricket.”Benn has had behavioural issues over the past year, including a dust-up with Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin during the Perth Test in December, which earned him a two-ODI ban. He was fined his full match fee by the West Indies management last month after he was ordered off the field by captain Chris Gayle for failing to follow his instructions during the fourth ODI against South Africa.His spat with Steyn was not the only ugly incident in an ill-tempered final Test in Barbados. Fast bowler Kemar Roach lost half his match fee after a run-in with Jacques Kallis during the closing stages of the match. He repeatedly walked up to and exchanged words with the batsman after testing him with a series of bouncers. The stand-off threatened to escalate and required the intervention of the umpires and West Indies fielders to come under control.

Wareham was player of the match and Gardner player of the series as both took important wickets and made crucial runs in the third T20I in Brisbane

Alex Malcolm24-Sep-2024Skillful all-round displays from Georgia Wareham and Ashleigh Gardner helped Australia secure a 3-0 series sweep over New Zealand following a six-wicket win in the final T20I in Brisbane. It was also the visitors’ 10th loss in a row in T20I cricket.Wareham took 2 for 21 with her legspin to help restrict New Zealand to 146 for 6 after Georgia Plimmer’s maiden T20I half-century had put the visitors in a position to post something a bit more imposing.Wareham was then promoted to No.3, in move that could be replicated at the T20 World Cup, and thumped 26 off 16 balls to ease any run-rate pressure in the chase before Ellyse Perry and Gardner compiled a 61-run stand to put Australia on the brink of victory with Perry making 36 and Gardner 33. Two late mistakes from the duo, that cost their wickets respectively, were the only blemishes in an otherwise controlled partnership. Tahlia McGrath and Phoebe Litchfield finished the job but did get some help from Fran Jonas who spilled a sitter off Litchfield.Gardner, like the Player of the Match Wareham, also bowled beautifully to put the brakes on New Zealand, taking 1 for 27 to follow up her 3 for 16 in the second T20I and was named player of the series. New Zealand had reached 118 for 1 in the 17th over after Plimmer reached 50 off 47 balls while Amelia Kerr had also made 40 off 36 in a 73-run stand for the second wicket. But their dismissals, to Wareham and Gardner sparked a collapse. They lost 5 for 28 off the final 22 balls with Annabel Sutherland picking up two in an over. Maddy Green, playing her 100th T20I, made 12 not out off five balls to ensure they at least posted in excess of 140 but it was never enough.Georgia Plimmer launches over midwicket•Getty Images

Plimmer delivers on the promise

The pressure was mounting on Plimmer ahead of the World Cup. Her 23 T20I innings prior to this game had yielded a highest score of 28. She finally broke through with a hard-fought half-century. It wasn’t fluent. She took six balls to get off the mark and was striking at well under a run-a-ball through her first 27 deliveries. She was also dropped twice having offered sharp return catches to Sophie Molineux and Tayla Vlaeminck. But she finally broke free in the 11th over with two crisp strikes off Sutherland, one a powerful blow over midwicket and another over long-on. The longer her innings went, the more balanced she was at the crease and her striking became crisper as a result. She shared a 45-run powerplay with Suzie Bates, which was New Zealand’s best of the series before Bates was bowled trying to sweep Wareham off the first ball of the seventh over. Plimmer then added 73 with Kerr for the second wicket which appeared to lay an excellent platform for a final overs assault. There was palpable relief on her face when she reached her first half-century in international cricket off 47 balls. New Zealand were 118 for 1 with 22 balls left. Kerr was 35 from 33 and although the scoring rate was just over seven an over, there were enough wickets in hand to post a score of 160 with some good late hitting.

Late overs slump shakes the foundation

New Zealand’s hopes of 160 disappeared in the blink of an eye as they lost 5 for 28 from the final 22 balls of the innings. Plimmer fell the very next ball after reaching her half-century. Wareham picking up her second victim in an outstanding spell. Gardner accounted for Kerr in the next over, clattering her stumps as she tried to cut. The bottom then fell out of New Zealand’s order. Sophie Devine and Brooke Halliday both holed out in the penultimate over from Sutherland who was rewarded for some excellent death bowling have earlier been dispatched by Plimmer. There was a moment when New Zealand looked like they might not post 140. But Green proved again she is potentially batting too low in the order, cracking a six and a four off Molineux in the final over to finish with 12 not out off 5 and post 146 for 6.Georgia Wareham was promoted to No.3•Getty Images

Wareham at No.3 offers options

Healy said pre-series that Australia would not experiment ahead of the World Cup. So when Beth Mooney’s lean series continued as she was clean bowled by a brilliant arm ball from Eden Carson for 6, it was a shock to see Wareham walk out at No.3. Wareham had done it once before, in Australia’s most recent series in Bangladesh in April when she made 57 off 30. It proved another masterstroke and looks a genuine option for the World Cup. Wareham struck the ball as powerfully as anyone had in the series and looked very comfortable against pace and spin, scoring at a rate well above everyone else in the game bar those who faced five balls or less. While Healy battled for timing during a tortured 27 from 29, Wareham stood still and smashed four boundaries in 16 balls. She raced to 26 to remove any run-rate pressure from the chase. But she threw away a golden chance at another half-century when he miscued a low full toss off Hannah Rowe to deep midwicket. Her assault allowed Perry and Gardner to settle into a rhythm and the pair played with typical composure to close out the game with a 61-run stand. Perry shook off the rust she showed in the first two games to produce a classy 36 from 29 with five boundaries. She was frustrated not to finish the job when she sliced Jonas to cover. Gardner was scratchy by comparison but still found the rope consistently. She too was frustrated not to finish unbeaten after she failed to execute a paddle scoop attempt and was pinned lbw by Carson, who was the pick of New Zealand’s bowlers finishing with 2 for 29.