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Acquiring the services of a bowling coach will be one of Zimbabwe’s top priorities as they look to build for future international series

Firdose Moonda16-Sep-2013Acquiring the services of a bowling coach will be one of Zimbabwe’s top priorities as they look to build for future international series. The squad has had to do without a specialist in that department since April, when Heath Streak’s contract was not renewed because of financial concerns, and new coach Andy Waller is keen to fill the gap as soon as resources allow for it.”There is no talk of getting a bowling coach at the moment but we need one. When we are able to, we will try and get someone who can run specialist clinics,” Waller said after Zimbabwe’s historic series-levelling win against Pakistan. The victory was largely credited to the pace pack, who defended 264 on a pitch that, against expectations, became easier to bat on in the final two days.Waller admitted he was pleasantly surprised by the seam bowlers in particular, who he had “concerns” about before the series began. His worry was that without attacking bowlers like Kyle Jarvis and Graeme Cremer, they would struggle to take wickets. But the foursome of Tinashe Panyangara, Tendai Chatara, Shingi Masakadza and Brian Vitori showed they were up to the task despite, as Brendan Taylor pointed out after the match, the absence of a bowling coach.Chatara, who impressed on debut in West Indies, showed considerable progress as he led the attack. “He has recognised that he was the senior bowler and he played like one,” Waller said.Panyangara was, according to Hamilton Masakadza who led in the first Test, an unexpected workhorse whose consistency and economy rate were stellar while Vitori came back to the longest format looking more determined than he had before. “Leaving him out of the first Test gave Vits a little kick and it was good for him. He came back looking like he wanted to get wickets,” Waller said.Given that Shingi Masakadza, who made way for Vitori, also put in a good performance in the first Test, the level of competition among the bowlers has left with much to work with. “We’ve got a good crop of fast bowlers and we’re in a good place right now,” Taylor said.How Zimbabwe will continue mentoring that group is the next challenge because the current crop was all nurtured by Streak. Without him, they’ve had to rely on the advice of other players and some old-fashioned DIY, as Chatara confirmed. “I’ve just been trying to work myself into international cricket and in that way I got more experience,” he said. “Playing Bangladesh earlier in the year helped a lot as well because they are on the same level as us and it helped prepare for this series.”Former national player Gary Brent has been helping the young bowlers in the national academy, who also train at the Harare Sports Club. Chris Mpofu, who is recovering from injury, has also sought Brent’s advice as he looks to make his comeback. Mpofu himself has been meting out mentorship to the likes of Chatara and Vitori, who are eager to learn from his experiences.But Zimbabwe cannot continue to rely on the generosity of former players and Waller seemed to indicate a more permanent appointment needs to be made soon. For that, they will need to be able to afford one. Funding was the primary reason behind Streak no longer being involved.He is still in the country but has recently started coaching at Falcon College, one of the best-known cricketing schools in Zimbabwe and has plans to start his own academy. If offered a financially secure deal, he could be lured back. Zimbabwe’s bowlers would not doubt welcome any attempt to re-involve him, especially as many of them credit Streak’s coaching style and attention to detail with the progress they’ve made so far.Zimbabwe are also without a fitness coach, another casualty of the austerity measures Zimbabwe Cricket has been forced to put in place. Waller would like to see someone come in to take care of strength and conditioning but for now, he and fitness-obsessed batting coach Grant Flower are doing the job themselves. “They’ve got us fit and we are working pretty hard,” Taylor said. “And we’ll keep doing that.”

Hampshire remain on course for a domestic double in limited-overs cricket after Sussex’s semi-final frailties were exposed for the second week running

Alan Gardner at Hove01-Sep-2012
ScorecardMichael Carberry launched into the Sussex’s bowlers with a 36-ball 68•Getty Images

Hampshire remain on course for a domestic double in limited-overs cricket after Sussex’s semi-final frailties were exposed for the second week running. Despite a century of controlled aggression from Luke Wright, Hampshire shredded what could have been a testing chase with a 129-run stand inside the first 13 overs, to set up a repeat of their 2005 C&G Trophy final against Warwickshire.With FLt20 silverware already in the cabinet, there was a thought that one or two of the more ‘experienced’ members of the Hampshire side may have had a eye on some deckchair time by the seaside but even without the taped-up talisman of their T20 triumph, injured allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, there was no sign that the visitors had begun to build mental sandcastles. Rather it was Sussex, FLt20 semi-finalists and defeated at the same stage in this competition last year, who were left to rue another failure to launch.James Vince and Michael Carberry eviscerated the home attack with a calculated onslaught that took Hampshire more than halfway to their target, silencing the crowd and, in Carberry’s case, endangering a few of them too. “It looked difficult to score in the middle period so we had to do the early damage up front while the ball was hard and coming on to the bat,” he said.While Vince pierced the field with a series of back-foot drives, Carberry was a more muscular aggressor, smashing five sixes back down the ground. The biggest came via a huge mow that cleared the video screen on the north-east corner of the stadium, as the left-hander reached his fifty from 25 deliveries during a sequence of 6-4-4-4 against Chris Liddle.Carberry has been mentioned as a potential successor to Andrew Strauss at the top of England’s Test order and his Man of the Match performance, like Wright’s display in defeat, will not have gone unnoticed. He departed trying to smash a second six off Will Beer, underhitting by a matter of inches to be caught at long-on, before Vince fell to the same bowler one run later but Jimmy Adams and Simon Katich went about accumulating the further 90 required in the same unfussy manner of their t20 Finals Day contributions.”We’ve come into a fair amount of these games as the underdogs in various people’s eyes and that never does any harm,” Hampshire captain Adams said. “We’ve got guys capable of being match-winners and as a team there’s a belief we can do it. Today there were some standout performances that swung the game for us.”England’s south coast may often be characterised as a slumbering retirement destination but this was a feisty, energetic encounter between two sides with significant one-day pedigree. Recent t20 successes aside, Hampshire (in 2005) and Sussex (2006) were the last two winners of the C&G Trophy, while they contested the final of its successor, the FP Trophy, in 2009. Hampshire won that Lord’s encounter and repeated the trick by an even more comfortable margin here, despite the chasing given them by Wright.Wright has not played international cricket in over a year but he once again demonstrated his clean striking and the ability to clear the ropes – a much yearned-for quality among England batsmen – in a knock that provided more than half his side’s runs. He is timing his run of form into the World Twenty20 to perfection and although there will be competition from the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler when it comes to providing the middle-order gunpowder, his extra experience gained around the world, in the Big Bash league, IPL and South Africa’s domestic T20, stands him in good stead.”I suppose the silver lining is that I’ve got myself in good nick going into the Twenty20s, so fingers crossed I can push for a place and if I get a chance I can do well,” said Wright, a member of England’s successful 2010 team in the Caribbean. “The harder bit is getting in the XI and winning the title again.”In Sussex’s innings, Chris Nash started much the quicker of the openers and had scored 23 of the first 25 runs before Wright decided to even the ledger. With his spiky hair and slightly crooked grin there is a touch of anarchy to Wright’s appearance and he brought chaos where there had briefly been calm. David Griffiths, replacing Chris Wood, began with a maiden to Nash, while Wright had pottered his way to 7 from 16 balls when the two first collided – and it was the Hampshire seamer who came off significantly the worse.From the eighth over of the match, Wright carved four fours, all through the off side, then mugged Griffiths again in his next, smoking a six and a four back down the ground. To compound the bowler’s pain, with Wright on 35, Bilal Shafayat clutched at an aerial hook to deep square-leg like it was a bar of soap and put down a simple chance.Wright made sure it was an expensive fumble, reaching his second consecutive hundred in the competition and progressing to 122 before steering a short ball from Sean Ervine into the hands of Danny Briggs at short third-man. In all, Wright faced 19 deliveries from Griffiths and picked up 49 runs, including two of his three sixes. “Punk” may have been one of the one of the more repeatable words muttered by the bowler.Partnerships of 71 and 88 had put Sussex in a position, at 159 from 28 overs, to cause some real destruction but after Nash and Matt Prior had departed in the twenties, the middle order were quickly scattered like seagulls on the square. Sussex lost five wickets for four runs in 12 balls and Hampshire, having scrapped their way back into the game, once again proved that underdogs still know how to bite.

Rest of India secured the Irani Cup by virtue of a whopping first-innings lead and then, instead of enforcing the follow-on, chose to bat again and batter Rajasthan further

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShikhar Dhawan got his second century of the match•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rest of India secured the Irani Cup by virtue of a whopping first-innings lead and then, instead of enforcing the follow-on, chose to bat again and batter Rajasthan further. And batter them they did. Shikhar Dhawan and Abhinav Mukund scored at breakneck pace, made substantial centuries, and helped Rest of India amass 354 for 2 in 54 overs. The late declaration, however, reduced Rest of India’s chances of an outright win as Rajasthan had all ten wickets intact at stumps, chasing an impossible 618 for victory.Rajasthan began the fourth day in Jaipur needing 157 to avoid the follow-on with four wickets in hand. They managed only 93. Ashok Menaria, who had resumed on 59, made 20 more before falling to left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Menaria had charged and lofted straight to long-on. In his next over Ojha had the other overnight batsman, Deepak Chahar, lbw with an arm-ball.Tailenders Madhur Khatri and Sumit Mathur were both dropped by Manish Pandey at slip as they swung freely for a few quick runs. They added 50 for the ninth wicket before Vinay Kumar trapped Khatri lbw for 31 off 28 balls. Minutes later, Ojha completed his five-wicket haul by inducing an edge to slip from Mathur. Rajasthan were dismissed for 400, trailing by 263.Parthiv Patel decided to bat again, instead of giving his bowlers more time in the field, and Rest of India pursued quick runs. The openers attacked from the start with Dhawan continuing to punish Chahar for pitching too short. He brought up his half-century off 53 deliveries, by driving a full ball from Chahar to the cover boundary. Abhinav made up for his first-innings failure and reached his fifty off 73 balls. They continued plundering a clueless Rajasthan attack and by tea the opening stand was 200 in 33 overs, with both Dhawan and Abhinav in the 90s.In the first over after the break, Dhawan cut Chahar and ran a double to bring up a century off 90 balls. He became the first batsman to score a hundred in each innings of the Irani Cup. Abhinav reached his century a few overs later, off 121 balls. It was his third successive hundred in the Irani Cup. Dhawan then laid into Robin Bist, hitting him for two fours and a six in one over and four fours and a six in another.The partnership had swelled to 310 in the 46th over when Dhawan miscued a loft to long-on and was caught for 155 off 126 balls. His innings contained 22 fours and three sixes. Mukund fell a few balls after bringing up his 150, holing out to long-on off Menaria. Rest of India were 328 for 2 and the declaration came not long after.With the Irani Cup already lost on the first-innings lead, Rajasthan could only battle to avoid an outright defeat and their openers survived seven overs before stumps. They made 28 and will need to negotiate a testing period on the final morning to help secure a draw.

Ambati Rayudu, the Hyderabad batsman, has decided to play for Baroda in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Sep-2010Ambati Rayudu, the Hyderabad batsman, has decided to play for Baroda in the 2010-11 Ranji Trophy. DS Chalapati, secretary of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), confirmed that Rayadu had asked for an NOC from the association to allow him to play for Baroda.Hyderabad were relegated to the Plate League after a poor performance in the Super League during the Ranji season last year. Venkatapathy Raju, the Hyderabad coach, was unhappy with Rayudu’s decision to play for Baroda, who are part of the Super League.”It was done in bad taste,” Raju told . “As a senior member of the team, he should have taken the responsibility to guide Hyderabad this season. He should have been loyal to Hyderabad. This move reflects his commitment to the Hyderabad team.”Rayudu, who played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, made his first-class debut for Hyderabad in 2001-02 but, after a disappointing 2004-05 season, transferred to Andhra for the following season. He returned to play for Hyderabad in 2006 and then played for the Indian Cricket League in 2007. After serving a two-year ban Rayudu made a comeback to the Hyderabad Ranji team last season.

New Zealand captain is glad youngsters in the side stepped up to set up a historic win for the side

Ashish Pant20-Oct-20242:01

Manjrekar: Rachin looking like one of the best overseas batters in India

Fast bowlers asking “questions after question” and Rachin Ravindra’s calmness were the major factors behind New Zealand claiming their first Test win in India after 36 years, captain Tom Latham has said.”We’re blessed with a couple of guys on our side, a couple of young guys that have stepped up in this match,” Latham said after the win in the first Test in Bengaluru. “I think the way Will [O’Rourke] bowled was outstanding, but I think I also look at the other two seamers, Tim Southee and Matt Henry, the pressure they were able to apply with that new ball on day one was outstanding. Matt got the rewards and Will got the rewards in that first innings.”It was a combination of everything. [It is] a really special feeling to be in this position. I think the work we did in the first and second innings with the ball and then obviously with the bat, really set the game up for us. It’s obviously a proud moment for this group and the one we will celebrate.”Related

• Ravindra aces spin test in style on way to 'special' century

• O'Rourke: 'I've been pretty streaky, pretty hot and cold with the ball'

• Ravindra headlines NZ's first Test win in India since 1988

• Stats: A win for New Zealand in India after 36 years

Latham was effusive in his praise for Ravindra, who played a key hand in stretching New Zealand’s lead past the 350 mark in the first innings followed by a 39 not out in the second when New Zealand were two down early in the chase with the ball doing a fair bit on the final morning.Ravindra, who is just ten Tests old, showed his composure while forging an eighth-wicket partnership of 137 with Southee in the first innings after the visitors had slipped to 233 for 7.”The way he [Ravindra] played the situation of the game was really important for us,” Latham said. “A 137-run partnership with a No. 9 batter is awesome. I think the way he played leading up to that [second] new ball was really important.”Even this morning, the way he came out with the game in the balance where another couple of wickets there and it could have been a nervy 50-60 runs, but I think the way he calmed the dressing room with his composure out there for a young guy in his ninth or tenth Test to play in that fashion is obviously exciting.”We’ve seen the talent that he has got over the last 12 months and certainly happy he is on our side.”Despite bowling India out for 46 in the first innings and then amassing 402 when they batted, New Zealand had to work hard for the win. India replied strongly in their second innings, erasing the deficit losing just three wickets with Sarfaraz Khan and Rishabh Pant looking set for more.Rachin Ravindra celebrates his second Test hundred•BCCI

The second new ball, however, brought about a change of fortunes as India collapsed from 433 for 4 to 462 all out and New Zealand had to chase only 107.”From our perspective, we knew India were going to come back,” Latham said. “From the wicket point of view, it’s probably at its best over those couple of days [three and four] for a bit to bat, so we certainly knew it was going to be a challenge against India, who obviously have a lot of firepower in that line-up. They certainly keep challenging us, they keep asking good questions and obviously to get a lead from the position that they were in was obviously a quality effort.”But the work we did with the new ball yesterday evening was outstanding. I think Tim Southee, Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke with that new ball, just asked lots of questions and obviously managed to get the rewards.”At that point we certainly knew India were going to get themselves right back in the game and certainly [we were] just happy we weren’t chasing too many more than 100.”While Latham had led New Zealand in nine Tests previously, this was his first since being appointed full-time captain after Southee stepped down after the Sri Lanka series last month. He cheekily admitted that he was “very happy” to lose the toss on the second morning as he too would have opted to bat first. The opening day was washed out due to rain and with the pitch under covers for the better part of two days, New Zealand ran the Indian batting unit ragged.”I guess it’s just one of those times where you fall on the wrong or right side, whatever way you look at it, it’s always hard,” he said. “I guess the time that the wicket was under the covers, they obviously didn’t have the preparation time that they probably would have liked and [I am] happy that it fell the right way for us.”I think you try to look at what’s going to be harder. Is it going to be harder on day one or is it going to be harder on day five? We expect the match to go the duration of the game and I think we even saw it this morning when [Ravindra] Jadeja got that one out of the foot marks that hit Rachin in the head.”Obviously, the pitch was deteriorating. The cracks were starting to open a little bit more and we certainly saw that from a seamer’s point of view when the ball did hit those cracks that went up and down a little bit. I guess that’s a fine balance when you come over here and there’s not many times that you win the toss and bowl. So yeah, happy it fell on the right side.”It could end up being a red-letter day for New Zealand cricket. The men’s team won a Test in India after 36 years, and the women’s team now have the chance to claim their maiden ICC title when they face South Africa in the T20 World Cup final later in the evening in Dubai.”Yeah, it’s obviously been a great morning for New Zealand cricket from our point of view, but hopefully it can be an even better day for New Zealand cricket,” Latham said. “Obviously, the guys have been following the tournament a little bit and we’re obviously excited when they won that semi-final and I think for them to be in the position now with a chance of winning a T20 World Cup is obviously really special. Good luck to them.”

Franchise says “the team is still under the process of review” after failing to make the playoffs in IPL 2023

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Jul-2023Royal Challengers Bangalore have not yet renewed their contracts with director of cricket operations Mike Hesson and head coach Sanjay Bangar following a sixth-place finish in IPL 2023, a development that could signal a major revamp at the franchise.The contracts are usually up for renewal around September, ESPNcricinfo has learned, but the franchise management is deliberating changes to its coaching staff. It could not be confirmed whether RCB have informed Hesson and Bangar, both of whom did not respond to a query from ESPNcricinfo.”Their contract with RCB is still intact,” RCB said in a statement. “The team is still under the process of review. We will come back if any announcement on the changes in the team.”Related

• Middle-order woe leaves RCB empty-handed again

• Langer takes over from Flower at LSG

• Chahal on parting ways with RCB: 'I did not receive any phone call, no one even spoke to me'

Hesson came on board in August 2019 following a revamp of the coaching staff after their last-placed finish that year, while Bangar began his tenure ahead of the 2022 season, after Simon Katich parted ways with the franchise.Under Hesson, RCB finished fourth in the league in 2020 and lost the Eliminator to Sunrisers Hyderabad; third in 2021 and lost the Eliminator to Kolkata Knight Riders; fourth in IPL 2022 before winning the Eliminator and then losing Qualifier 2 to Rajasthan Royals; and failed to qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2023.RCB have made it to three IPL finals – in 2009 , 2011 and 2016 – but are yet to win an IPL title.RCB could become the second franchise to make changes to its team management since IPL 2023, after Lucknow Super Giants replaced Andy Flower with Justin Langer as their head coach.If RCB part ways with Hesson, it could also mean a revamp of the support staff of the RCB women’s team. Hesson was also director of cricket for the team during the inaugural Women’s Premier League, where they finished fourth among five teams, with two wins and six losses.

Keemo Paul is also flying to Pakistan as a late addition to the West Indies squad

Sreshth Shah08-Jun-20222:48

Pooran on Netherlands series, challenges in Pakistan and assessment of debutants

The intense Multan heat has been a major talking point ahead of the Pakistan vs West Indies ODI series. The games are set to start at 4pm local time to counter the weather conditions, but with West Indies desperate to win more World Cup Super League games, Nicholas Pooran doesn’t want to focus on uncontrollables, like the weather, at all.But, keeping in mind the heat, the in-form Keemo Paul has been flown in to bolster the squad. While lead selector Desmond Haynes said in a CWI press statement that the injury-prone Paul had earned his spot after his successful run in the regional four-day championships for Guyana, where he displayed high fitness levels while taking 20 wickets in five games, Pooran indicated that the heat meant an extra squad member would be useful.Related

• Pooran: 'We definitely need to buff up on ourselves, myself especially'

• Azam hopeful Pakistan can beat the heat and West Indies

• Multan reclaims spotlight as Pakistan, WI go to battle

“Coming from Netherlands, from the cold to heat [is not ideal],” Pooran told the media on Tuesday. “Today we had our first training session and it went really good. We trained at 4pm, and it was windy. For now, it’s okay. Hopefully it doesn’t affect us. Coming from the Caribbean, it is quite similar, so I think we’ll be alright.”The guys are coping well, the medical team is doing everything to keep us protected. You can’t see the future, but I don’t think the heat will be too much of a problem after what I saw this afternoon.”Pooran wasn’t too concerned about his own form coming into the series. He had a high score of 10 in three innings in the Netherlands, even though there were four centuries and four fifties from his team-mates. He was out all three times to offspinner Aryan Dutt in that series, but despite that, Pooran felt batting against spin remained one of his strongest suits.”No, I’m fine, this is not the first time I haven’t scored runs,” he said. “Have to check my stats, but I am always scoring runs. Obviously, I’m disappointed by my personal performance in the Netherlands. Some people may say that I should’ve scored runs in the Netherlands. But I believe I am a good player of spin and don’t think I have to overthink it too much.”It’s just a matter of time, I need to get a start and then capitalise on it.”Pooran acknowledged that for West Indies, beating Pakistan in Pakistan was a challenge from the outset, but wanted his team to accept it instead of fearing it. As for tangible goals for the Pakistan series, Pooran revealed two such plans: hold on to catches and bat long as a team, consistently.”Some world-class bowlers and batsmen here [for Pakistan], but I want the players to embrace the challenge,” he said. “If we can take our catches, get some runs, you never know what can happen, the game can turn in a couple of balls. We want to use our momentum [from the Netherlands] and continue to be consistent as a team.”Cricket is played on its day. We had three guys getting centuries [in Netherlands]. We saw Brandon King being consistent with the bat. This is obviously really good for us. As a batting group, we want to bat 50 overs. In the Ireland series, in the India series, we haven’t batted all 50 overs.”Yes we are coming to Pakistan, yes they have good bowlers as well, but I believe we have the ability and confidence to bat the 50 overs. We appreciate the small goals and as a team we want to achieve it. One step at a time, and we’ll take it from there.”

Senior batsman says nothing but a series win will do in home conditions

Umar Farooq22-Jan-2021Azhar Ali, Pakistan’s senior-most batsman, has urged young players to shrug off their insecurities to give themselves the best chance to perform at home against South Africa. As many as nine uncapped players have been named in their initial squad of 20, with at least two of them likely to debut in the first Test starting January 26.For all practical purposes, this is the first time Pakistan are playing South Africa at ‘home’ since 2007-08. Azhar (83 Tests) aside, only Babar Azam (29 Tests) has had any kind of significant Test experience to speak of. Abid Ali is eight Tests old, Fawad Alam seven and Mohammad Rizwan, who captained in New Zealand, has 11 Test caps. Among the bowlers, Yasir Shah has the most experience with 43 Tests, and will do a bulk of the bowling alongside automatic pick Shaheen Afridi (13 Tests) and the returning Hasan Ali.”International cricket is always a challenge,” Azhar said. “Even if you play as a youngster or up there for long, pressure will remain for ever. But obviously for a new player it is a challenge to handle pressure and then there are insecurities in our culture around what if they are dropped.”Obviously we understand that there is a big difference between international and domestic cricket which make them a bit insecure. But as as a senior player my advise to them is to trust their skills and stick with that they are doing to do well because that is what is going to give them a best chance to performance. If you think too much that will bring negativity and hold you from doing well. So be positive and grab the opportunity.”Misbah-ul-Haq will have two more coaches in the set-up•Getty Images

Pakistan had a miserable time in New Zealand, losing both Tests comfortably while winning just the one T20I on tour. Those results, coupled with their poor returns in England and Australia, means there is going to be much scrutiny on the team as much as there will on Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach.Azhar remains optimistic of returning to winning ways. “Home conditions bring confidence in players,” he said. “If you remember, our batsmen in previous two home series (against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) had big chunks of runs and did really well. But on away tours, ts always tough for Asian teams. But our batsmen fought it out. In England and New Zealand there was at least one batsman who made a century.”There is a different level of pressure on away tours, but at home, everyone expects nothing less than a win. We must take the responsibility as a team to win matches at home. We will try to take this benefit [of playing at home] positively and maximise this opportunity at fullest to keep the opponent under pressure.”‘No one is undermining anyone’ – Azhar on extra coaches joining teamTo ease some load off Misbah, the PCB has added coaches from the High Performance Centre to assist the team management. Mohammad Yousuf will work alongside batting coach Younis Khan while Saqlain Mushtaq will guide the spinners. Having so much of experience in the coaching set-up comes with the risk of information overload, at times, but Azhar hopes this will onl be beneficial.”Yousuf and Younis both being in the camp isn’t undermining anyone,” Azhar said. “This is mainly for conditioning and we are taking an advantage of their experiences. Younis bhai is our main batting coach and we are lucky to have Mohammad Yousuf around as well. The Test is starting in few days and we don’t have much time either for any change in our batting (technique) but both are getting us ready for the Test.”South Africa is a very strong team especially with their bowling they are the top side. Their fast bowlers are good but then if we get a spin track, we are wary of their left-arm spinner Mahraj who he is a seasoned bowler and is playing Tests for long. He is bowling consistency well. We have to come up with our A game to compete so I believe they have everything covered in their bowling and our batting must take this challenge and score big enough for our bowlers to get them out.”

Board pledges £20 million over two years and announces 40 new domestic contracts

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2019The England & Wales Cricket Board has pledged a funding boost for women’s cricket of £20 million over two years, and plans to invest £50 million in the next five years, in a bid to make cricket into a gender-balanced sport.The challenge of transforming women’s and girls’ cricket was one of six priorities within the ECB’s ‘Inspiring Generations’ strategy for 2020-2024, and part of the new remit is a commitment to the funding of 40 full-time professional, domestic contracts, in addition to the existing central contracts for England Women’s elite players.A ten-point action plan was unveiled by Clare Connor, the ECB’s managing director for women’s cricket, at an event in London, with a focus on five key objectives:Participation: To increase the number of women and girls playing cricket recreationally

Pathway: To develop aspiring female cricketers (U11-17) as players and people

Performance: To drive the performance of England women’s cricket through a new semi-professional, eight region structure

Profile: To elevate the profile of women’s cricket through The Hundred, the England Women’s team and the elite game

People: To increase the representation of women across the cricket workforce”Cricket has been an integral part of my life, as a player and in my role of Managing Director of Women’s Cricket. I have never been more excited by the opportunity in front of us right now,” said Connor.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Recent initiatives have given women and girls more opportunities to play, such as All Stars Cricket for 5-8-year-olds, the South Asian female activators programme, and the Kia Super League for our most talented domestic cricketers. But to truly transform women’s and girls’ cricket, we must now move from targeted standalone programmes to addressing the whole pathway as one.”We have an amazing opportunity to make cricket the sport we want it to be – a sport that is modern, innovative and inclusive. I have been so heartened by the level of enthusiasm, commitment and support for this plan from everyone involved in cricket.”Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, added: “During the development of Inspiring Generations, and extensive conversations and research across the game, the strong appetite to transform cricket’s relationship with women and girls was abundantly clear.”There is tremendous energy across the cricket network to pursue the game’s largest growth opportunity and to increase the number of women and girls playing, watching and volunteering at every level of the game.”This plan, formed in collaboration with the whole cricket network, and supported by our commercial and media partners, represents a crucial step in achieving our ambition of making cricket a gender-balanced sport.”The plan was produced following two years of consultation with all 38 Counties and Cricket Wales, and detailed analysis of thousands of survey responses from the recreational and elite game.To test some of the recommendations for the recreational game, ECB has run pilot programmes with over 600 cricket clubs to better understand the essential criteria in creating the most sustainable women’s and girls’ clubs.”This action plan is a really exciting next step in the continued growth of women’s cricket,” said Heather Knight, England Women’s captain. “We need more young girls to be inspired to play and those young girls need to be able to see a clear pathway above them that encourages them to continue pursuing the game.”As England players we’re fortunate enough to meet lots of young girls who love the game and it means so much to us to see how much they love cricket. Much of this plan is about normalising the game for women and girls and I’m excited to see how this increased opportunity takes the game forward.”

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”