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Malan, Billings, Livingstone, T Curran all land deals but Hales, Roy and Rashid go unsold

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-20211:00

Moeen Ali ‘excited’ to play under Dhoni at CSK

Moeen Ali has ended a difficult week in India on an unequivocal high, after being picked up for Rs 7 crore (US$959,000) by Chennai Super Kings at the IPL auction.The price tag is almost four times the figure that Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs 1.7 crore; US$265,000) paid for Moeen in 2018, and marks an immediate return to the tournament after he was released by RCB at the end of the 2020 season.Having entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore (US$274,000), Moeen was the subject of significant interest from the newly rebranded Punjab Kings before being secured by CSK, where he will link up with his fellow England allrounder Sam Curran.CSK are in the progress of a rebuilding phase, after failing to reach the IPL play-offs for the first time in the competition’s history, and the signing of Moeen came after they had narrowly missed out on the services of his fellow spin-bowling allrounder, Glenn Maxwell, who was picked up by Moeen’s old franchise, RCB, for Rs 14.25 crore (US$1.95million)L Balaji, CSK’s bowling coach, said of the signing: “We were focusing on an allrounder and power-hitting. Moeen is a good buy. He is handy with the ball and also can bat in the top order. [Shane] Watson gave us that flexibility in the top order. Now Moeen gives us depth and the option of a dual role – [I’m] 100% sure he’ll fill in what we’re looking at.”Moeen’s IPL credentials are likely to have been enhanced by his performance in the second Test against India at the Chepauk Stadium this week, where he claimed eight wickets in the match – his first Test appearance for 18 months – then signed off with an explosive cameo of 43 from 18 balls in the final moments of India’s 317-run win.Related

• Dobell: Spurned Moeen begins long kiss goodnight

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Either way, Moeen’s involvement in the tournament is a boost to his prospects of playing a major role in England’s T20 World Cup campaign, which is also due to be staged in India at the end of the year. Moeen was part of the squad that toured South Africa in December, but was left out for all three T20Is as England opted to field a single frontline spinner.Though he has been named in England’s T20I squad for their five-match series against India next month, Moeen’s departure from the Test squad this week attracted controversy when it was implied by Joe Root, England’s captain, that he had “chosen” to go home rather than compete for a place in the final two Tests, with the series currently locked at 1-1.Root subsequently apologised to Moeen, as did England’s head coach Chris Silverwood, who acknowledged that a request had been put in for Moeen to stay on tour, but that his absence from the Ahmedabad Tests had been decided by the ECB in advance, in accordance with their rest and rotation policy.Moeen played only three times in the 2020 IPL season•BCCI

The request had been put in by England as a consequence of Moeen’s disrupted winter schedule. He contracted Covid-19 on arrival in Sri Lanka in January and was required to spend a fortnight in quarantine, as a consequence of which he missed both Tests at Galle as well as England’s victory in the first Test against India in Chennai.Moeen’s reluctance to accede to England’s request stemmed in part from the prospect of him picking up a new IPL contract, which would have meant a stretch of five months away from his young family, with the tournament due to end in the first week of June.To date, Moeen has played 19 IPL games for RCB, scoring 309 runs at a strike rate of 158.46, and taking 10 wickets at an economy rate of 7.14.Moeen was the star attraction among English players in the opening rounds of the auction. Dawid Malan, ranked the world’s No. 1 T20I batsman by the ICC, was signed by Punjab Kings for Rs 150 lakh (US$204,000), while Jason Roy, Alex Hales and Adil Rashid were all unsold. Mark Wood withdrew from the auction on Wednesday.Having gone unsold initially, Sam Billings picked up a bid of RS 200 lakh (US$273,000) from Delhi Capitals. Tom Curran will join him at the franchise, after he was sold for RS 525 lakh (US$719,000) following a bidding war against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Liam Livingstone was the other Englishman picked up, returning to Rajasthan Royals for RS 75 lakh (US$102,000) after skipping the 2020 season.

There are already signs that the new head of high performance at Cricket Australia has brought a calmer outlook

Daniel Brettig13-Nov-2019Following seven stormy years in which Pat Howard stood atop Cricket Australia’s team performance wing with all the energy but also friction of a perpetual change agent, the appointment of Ben Oliver as the head of national teams for the governing body has been accompanied by a move into far calmer and contemplative waters.This coincides neatly enough with their respective characters: Howard a man very much of action, whether others liked that action or not, Oliver a far more measured and contemplative figure, for more than five years the quiet consigliere alongside Justin Langer’s Godfather-like leadership of Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers. As the brother of the laconic Castlemaine football product Stephen Oliver, he of several striking cameos for Carlton in the early 1990s, Ben Oliver played as an allrounder for Victoria and Tasmania, before injuries led him through jobs with Cricket Victoria, CA, and the ICC before the WACA.As a product of so many cricketing backgrounds, he brings welcome empathy to a realm that had, since 2011, been known as much for debate as collaboration, with disconnection between the states and CA, its national teams and programs being a long-running issue. In stepping directly from WA to CA, Oliver has joined Langer and the new senior assistant coach Andrew McDonald in knowing both worlds, and it is no surprise to hear him speak repeatedly of the need for “connection”.ALSO READ: A lot to learn about mental health issues – Cricket Australia’s Ben Oliver“That’s an important part of being able to connect Australian cricket and really unite and inspire the high performance system,” Oliver said of appointing McDonald. “Really pleased that’s fallen the way it has, I think Andrew will be an outstanding person within the team, he comes with great leadership experience and a really strong set of values”He’s an excellent communicator, great passion for the game, exceptional work ethic and he’ll bring some really interesting experiences to the coaching group in support of Justin and the players. I think it’s important we keep finding ways to connect our domestic cricket with our Australian teams and that’s an example of how that’s coming to be.”Asked what has struck him as uniquely difficult about the job, Oliver points quickly to the schedule. In the case of CA adopting an improved domestic program for 2019-20, marrying Sheffield Shield more closely to domestic limited-overs games while tightening the BBL, Oliver can see the sort of progress long wished for at international level.”The schedule is a complex challenge, inherently within that there’s likely to be trade-offs from time to time,” he said. “That’s one thing we’ve got to keep working on and keep finding a path through. Pleasingly that’s landed very well this domestic season, Peter Roach and his team have done an excellent job in picking up on some of the recent feedback from state and territory associations, from players, from CA staff. So the domestic schedule this year is very positive.”As Langer’s longtime offsider in WA, Oliver had to cope with the competing demands of state and BBL teams and the wider needs of the state association and CA. He is working assiduously at ensuring that the movement of players between one level and the next is smooth and also attentive to their needs.Ben Oliver during his playing days for Victoria•Getty Images

In choosing McDonald, Oliver has worked to establish a core coaching group that will remain more or less consistent across formats, with the conditional and tournament based additions of other experts. Short stints by the likes of Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey will be a consistent thing depending on what Langer and McDonald need.”One of the shifts is creating a coaching group around the men’s team that consists of some core leaders within that group who are really driving the team’s culture and the team strategy and that are consistent across the three formats,” Oliver said. “Then really complementing that with some other expertise from a specialist skill coach perspective or a mentor coach perspective.”In terms of how it’s shaping up that’s a subtle shift. For the Test summer, I’m really excited about the fact we’ve got Graeme Hick in there, Troy Cooley in there and Sridharan Sriram supporting Justin and Andrew. A really strong group of coaches, but that’ll evolve as we work our way through different series and tournaments.”In contrast, there has been no shift in the structure of the selection panel. While Langer and the chairman Trevor Hohns are soon to be joined by another selector, likely with more contemporary, T20 era experience, they will remain in classical operation, rather than slimming down to a more coach empowered model. The difference Oliver wants is more attitudinal than structural: connection again.”There are a number of views on selection structures and that was certainly part of the initial considerations in terms of our next step,” he said. “Ultimately we feel as though a three-person panel will continue to serve our needs. The critical part here is making sure we get a really aligned but complementary set of skills on the panel and that we’re really connected to our state, territory BBL and WBBL network.”Langer, it seems increasingly likely, will be given respite by having McDonald work as head coach at times, though Oliver hesitated to suggest a clearer succession plan was now in place. “No doubt that being head coach of the Australian cricket team across three formats is a challenging task, an incredible workload, and we’ve got to continue to find ways to support Justin in that as we need to do with our players and other staff who are working across all three formats,” he said. “There’s an element of that, and I’m very comfortable we’ve got Andrew in that role.”In terms of the future, I think that’s something that will just evolve as we understand the schedule and the demands of the role and as the world around us continues to change, we’ll need to be agile and creative in the way we set up our coaching team.”And as for the so commonly discussed area of fast bowler management, Oliver said that he and his high performance colleague Drew Ginn were looking at taking on many views from around the game, in pursuit of what will ultimately look like a far more individually tailored management plan for each bowler, as opposed to the “broad-brush” theories so often thrown around.”That’s a really healthy place to be, something that’s important for our game, for our teams, for the individual players to keep finding the best way to prepare our pace bowlers. Also to allow them to recover and prepare again,” he said. “So it is about balancing the different considerations that exist around management of pace bowlers, but if you were really to strip it right down, what we’re trying to achieve is the best preparation for our players for each match and series and year and keep building on that. I think we can often get caught up in the detail, but we’re very open about the fact we’re continuing to learn.”Calm and considered, with a wealth of cricket behind him, it seems likely that any Oliver-led revolutions will be of the quieter kind.

Fidel Edwards bagged his best figures for Hampshire to earn a significant lead

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2018
ScorecardJames Vince crashed his 23rd first-class century as Hampshire put themselves in a strong position in their Specsavers County Championship fixture against Nottinghamshire.Vince, who lost his place in the England Test line-up after a disappointing winter in Australia and New Zealand, effortlessly collected 147.His innings was backed up by Tom Alsop, who notched his 10th career half century, and Fidel Edwards’ best bowling figures for the county.Edwards had been the main architect with his analysis of 6 for 50 as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 166 in the morning session.But the afternoon belonged to Vince, who scored his first 50 from 65 balls to go alongside his first innings 74. The prime attribute of Vince’s innings was his supreme sprinting between the wicket, which saw his score increase quickly and put pressure on both the fielders and the bowlers.He had been brought to the crease in just the second over when Jimmy Adams was beaten by a swinging delivery from Mark Footitt. Vince soon saw Joe Weatherley lbw to Matt Milnes and Sam Northeast caught behind off Steven Mullaney.Vince offered no clear chances in his almost flawless innings, although popped up two leading edges into gaps either side of reaching his landmark. Nottinghamshire skipper Mullaney appeared lost for plans to dismiss Vince, with three extra covers deployed at one stage in an attempt to lure a mishit drive.Vince appeared in no mood to lose his wicket and reached three figures for the third time this season in 139 balls.For all Vince’s guile, Alsop played the anchor for the partnership as he scored slowly, yet effectively. He eventually reached a half-century in 112 deliveries, brought up with an out of place swipe over long-on for six.Vince and Alsop collected career records, moving past 9,000 and 1,000 first-class runs, as the fourth wicket reached a stand of 171 before Milnes knocked over his off stump. But the damage had been done with Hampshire reaching close with a lead of 364, with Alsop unbeaten on 63.Nottinghamshire had started the day staring at a heavy first innings deficit after Edwards’ day one evening spell of 3 for 9. And Edwards didn’t let up in the morning as he struck in just the second over of the day, with Samit Patel failing to add to his overnight total as he was lbw.Edwards almost added Riki Wessels to his list of victims, but Rilee Rossouw spilled a regulation chance at first slip with the batsman on 3. But Wessels only managed another eight runs before Kyle Abbott struck him on the pads with a hint of nip back into him.Nottinghamshire had needed somebody to steady the ship, like Vince had done in Hampshire’s first innings, and their own captain Mullaney somewhat fit the bill. Mullaney countered with 38 off 53 balls but before he could get away Gareth Berg teased him outside his off stump to edge behind.Luke Fletcher continued the aggression with a quick-fire 43, which saw him smash Abbott for a six over midwicket alongside seven more bludgeoned boundaries. But he failed to control a strike across the line against the extra pace of Edwards and skied to Liam Dawson at long-on.Edwards completed his six-wicket haul by dislodging Matt Carter’s leg stump with a yorker, before he completed the Nottinghamshire innings by catching Billy Root at long-on.

Watch highlights of the key events from the third ODI between West Indies and India in Antigua

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jun-2017All series long, West Indies have looked to bounce Virat Kohli, but on a damp surface that had seen rain pretty much throughout yesterday, the sticky steep bounce troubled Kohli much more than it ever did in the series. Kohli swayed out of a couple, fended at one that fell safe, and eventually couldn’t control one as he attempted a single to third man.In the 17th over of India’s innings, West Indies let the horse bolt. Yuvraj Singh nearly guided the first ball to gully and got a single. They responded by reinforcing the field with a slip to go with the gully, and Yuvraj took a single third ball. For some reason, though, they forgot to call the slip back in when Yuvraj came back on strike for the fifth ball. Kesrick Williams produced a regulation edge, which would have settled in the first slip’s lap and made a 300-ODI veteran his first ODI wicket. Instead Yuvraj got four.The horse kept coming back, though. After letting Yuvraj off early, West Indies reprieved him again when they didn’t review a plumb not-out on-field call off the bowling of Devendra Bishoo. Four overs later, though, Bishoo appealed for a similar lbw, drew a similar response from umpire Dharmasena, but reviewed this time and got the decision in his favour.As MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav took 81 off the last 7.4 overs on a slow pitch, they needed some innovation. Dhoni targeted Jason Holder, stunningly fetching one length ball from wide outside off and depositing it flat over square leg for six. Jadhav saw Dhoni’s innovation, and raised him a sweep shot off Miguel Cummins, having gone on a knee and well outside off well before Cummins released, and then pulling off the shot with surprising ease thanks to his still head.Brought on to bowl in the 11th over, Hardik Pandya used the bouncer effectively, to break a 45-run second-wicket partnership between Shai and Kyle Hope. He accounted for both batsmen in his spell using the short ball, ending with returns of 32 for 2 in six overs

A round-up of the first day’s action at ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Jersey

Peter Della Penna in Jersey21-May-2016Opener Ademola Onikoyi’s unbeaten 68 propelled Nigeria past Tanzania for a six-wicket win at St Martin. In a match reduced to 28 overs a side, Tanzania chose to bat first but struggled to reach 115 for 8. Sesan Adedeji was the main source of disruption with the ball, taking 3 for 14 in five overs.Kassim Nassoro top-scored with 30 for Tanzania and struck twice with the ball during the Nigeria chase but couldn’t remove Onekoyi. The right-hander brought up his 50 in 61 balls on the way to victory achieved with 19 balls to spare.Guernsey claimed victory by five runs on the Duckworth-Lewis method after their 26-over chase of Vanuatu’s 127 for 6 was halted by rain at 105 for 6 after 21 overs at St Clement. Opener Matthew Stokes top-scored in the Jersey chase with 34 after having taken 2 for 23 in the field. Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale followed up his 27 by taking 4 for 19 to put Guernsey in trouble at 81 for 6 in the 16th over, but a steady 24-run stand between Ben Ferbrache and Thomas Kirk ensured Guernsey were ahead of the par score when the players came off.Vanuatu had been sent in and opener Jonathon Dunn anchored a methodical innings, making 42 off 57 before being dismissed in the 23rd over with the score on 103 for 4. David Hooper and Thomas Kirk also took two wickets apiece for Guernsey.The feature game of the day at St Saviour between hosts Jersey and World T20 qualifiers Oman ended with no result after just nine overs of the Jersey chase could be completed due to persistent rain. The two sides will restart the game from scratch on Monday’s reserve day.The match began after a five-hour rain delay and was reduced to 23 overs a side with Jersey sending in Oman and restricting them to 132 for 9. Oman initially raced out to a superb start behind Zeeshan Maqsood, who made a streaky 29 off 14 balls before one too many top-edged pulls finally found Cornelis Bodenstein at deep square leg off Charles Perchard.Oman were looking good at 71 for 2 in the 12th over before offspinner Rhys Palmer disrupted the innings with the first of three wickets on the day. To the last ball of his first over, he induced a mistimed drive from Vaibhav Wategaonkar which was taken at mid-on by Anthony Hawkins-Kay for 26. Jatinder Singh was Palmer’s second victim, driving to Jonty Jenner at mid-off for 24 in the 18th before Mehran Khan’s brief assault on Palmer ended with a skied slog taken by a diving Ben Stevens charging in from point for 14 to make it 114 for 6 after 20.Brought back at the death, Perchard struck two more times to finish with 3 for 17. He claimed Rajesh Ranpura to a diving Peter Gough at midwicket for 3 before Aamir Kaleem was stumped for 10 by Jake Dunford standing up to Perchard’s medium pace.In reply, Jersey got off to a confident start behind Gough and Jenner, who added 46 for the first wicket. Jenner made 25 off 23 balls before he was trapped prodding forward against left-arm spinner Aamir Kaleem to end the eighth over. The rain became progressively heavier over the course of the next over before the umpires took the players off. It means both Jersey and Oman now face the prospect of playing five times in five days due to the scheduled rest day on Monday being used as a reserve day to replay the original encounter as a fresh 50-over game under WCL rules.

There was relief and hope for Somerset: relief that their pitch had been given the all-clear following several sessions of close scrutiny, and some hope of a vital backs-to-the-wall victory

David Lloyd at Taunton04-Sep-2013
ScorecardJames Hildreth’s innings has put the match back on an even keel•Getty Images

There was relief and hope for Somerset: relief that their pitch had been given the all-clear following several sessions of close scrutiny, and some hope – despite the galling last ball of the day dismissal of Craig Kieswetter – of a vital backs-to-the-wall victory in this relegation nerve-tingler.ECB pitch inspector Bill Hughes was among those present yesterday when the ball turned and bounced significantly from the outset, for home spinners Piyush Chawla and Jack Leach. At the close of play, umpire David Millns confirmed the surface was being “monitored”.Today, Hughes settled down behind the bowler’s arm, alongside groundsman Simon Lee, and announced during the lunch interval that his work was not yet done. But by tea, he declared himself satisfied; meaning any threat of a points penalty had been removed.Of even more importance for Somerset – and potentially more damaging for Derbyshire – the balance of power had started to shift out in the middle. A daunting first innings deficit of 195 was eaten into by Marcus Trescothick’s sixth half-century of this, so far, hundred-less season and then wiped away completely through the combined efforts of Nick Compton and James Hildreth.By stumps, the hosts were ahead, by 36. And if only Kieswetter had defended Shiv Chanderpaul’s final delivery instead of trying to cut the now extremely occasional legspinner, they would have had seven wickets in hand. The ball cannoned into the stumps via a bottom edge and Derbyshire celebrated an unexpected and badly needed late gift.But even now, the visitors can anticipate a testing fourth innings run-chase, thanks in no small part to a stand of 116 between Compton and Hildreth.Trescothick, dropped on 35 by second slip Richard Johnson off Tim Groenewald, was unable to benefit fully from his slice of luck. And Hildreth, having looked all at sea early on against the spinners, prospered splendidly yet still failed, by 19 runs, to turn what was only his third Championship fifty of the campaign into a second hundred – under-edging an attempted pull into his stumps. But Compton remained reassuringly rock-solid throughout.The, for now at least, former-England batsman dropped down to No. 3 so he could have treatment on a stiff neck. But once in the middle he looked happy enough, negotiating 151 deliveries while accumulating 64 unbeaten runs. No wonder Derbyshire were looking hot and bothered before Kieswetter played into their hands.Last year’s Division Two champions were recently penalised for a pitch producing excessive turn during a YB40 match and at least some in their camp will believe they saw enough evidence on the first day here for Somerset to have been convicted of a similar charge.The problem, in more ways than one, for the visitors is that their spinners were unable to extract as much turn and bounce as Chawla and Leach – at least not on anything like a regular basis.They had chosen to leave out 19-year-old offspinner Peter Burgoyne, who has played in the last four games, while left-armer David Wainwright started this match with a season record of 13 wickets at 55 runs apiece. He posed some problems, inevitably, but no more than occasional tweaker Wayne Madsen. It was more in hope than expectation, then, that Chanderpaul was called upon, but what a good decision.Derbyshire had added 78 for 5 this morning which was both a fair bit better than seemed likely at 256 for 9 but ultimately just a tad disappointing when they were all out, following a last wicket stand of 42 between Tim Groenewald and Mark Footitt, with a third batting point only two runs away.Alfonso Thomas did most of the damage with the ball, taking 3 for 19 in six overs with the help of two outside edges and a bad misjudgement from Palladino, who padded up to an in-ducker.Derbyshire might have expected to face another trial by spin. Instead, Trescothick ignored left-armer Leach completely and kept Chawla’s powder dry until 55 minutes into the session. When the little Indian leggie did appear, his sixth delivery – one that hurried through – easily defeated Johnson’s ill-advised attempted pull.Johnson deserved a career-best but had to settle for 68, four short of that landmark. Still, his earlier partnership of 103 with Tim Poynton had gone a long way towards putting the visitors into a position of strength – and it did not go unnoticed by Somerset supporters that the stand was worth precisely what the hosts could muster, in total, in their first innings.That should have been just about it. Instead, the last pair made merry (when they weren’t playing at fresh air during Chawla’s five-over spell) and Groenewald’s almost-straight six off the legspinner was a treat to behold. In the end, with 300 beckoning, confidence got the better of Footitt and a sliced drive against Craig Meschede brought the curtain down.

Brendan Taylor will have the treble role of leading the side, anchoring the batting and playing as the first-choice wicketkeeper at the World Twenty20

Firdose Moonda12-Sep-2012All 12 captains at the upcoming World T20 will have issues on their mind ahead of the big event, none more so than Zimbabwe’s leader Brendan Taylor. He will have the treble role of leading the side, anchoring the batting and playing as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Taylor has done all three jobs before but never all at the same time. That makes this tournament as stern an examination of his ability as multi-tasker as it will of his team and the progress they have made since their return to Test cricket last August.Taylor took over the captaincy shortly before Zimbabwe were ready to re-enter the elite club of the game and has shown himself to be creative, unafraid and a strong performer while in charge. He led Zimbabwe through a successful comeback and has kept the armband for longer than most of his counterparts. He has also earned many personal accolades in the time and was being picked up by T20 leagues in New Zealand and Bangladesh as reward for his efforts.He has developed into one of the country’s most reliable batsmen and when Tatenda Taibu announced his retirement from the game in July, to follow his spiritual calling in the church, Taylor had to become its premier gloveman as well. Whether he will do the job in the longer format remains to be seen but he is man in possession for now and has shown no signs of being overburdened.Taylor took the gloves in the unofficial T20 tri-series played in June, which Zimbabwe won after beating a South African XI in the final of the competition, which also featured Bangladesh. Taylor was the second highest run-scorer in the tournament, making 163 runs in five matches, including a half-century.Zimbabwe’s openers, Hamilton Masakadza and Vusi Sibanda, ensured that Taylor was rarely under pressure in at No.3. On one of the occasions when he was, in the final, Taylor featured in a 118-run partnership with Masakadza and scored 59 to guide Zimbabwe to victory.It was a small example of the way Taylor responds to increased responsibility. Zimbabwe’s most experienced player, Ray Price, has no doubt that Taylor would continue in that vein at the World T20. “I think he’ll sweat quite a bit in this weather but I think he’ll do well,” Price said at Zimbabwe’s arrival press conference in Colombo. “When you’re keeping it’s also easier to manoeuvre the field and in T20, he’ll be pressed for time, so that will be a big advantage for him.”Taylor’s position behind the stumps is not the only thing he has going for him ahead of the tournament. He was the only Zimbabwean player to feature in the recently completed SLPL and while he did not find any form for the Uthura Rudras, with just 46 runs in his six innings, he was able to get first-hand experience of conditions in Sri Lanka and gathered information to pass on to his charges.Most notably Taylor thought that there would be more life in the tracks on the subcontinent, despite their reputation. “I thought the wickets moved around a bit so it was fairly challenging,” Taylor said. “Last year we were here for the World Cup and I think the wickets have changed a little bit since then so it will be quite interesting to see how it goes.”Price said he also expects something for Zimbabwe’s bowlers in the group stage. “Hambantota does swing around and there’s quite a bit of wind there as well,” he said. “The most important thing is to attack as much as we can. Kyle Jarvis and Chris Mpofu have been bowling really well, so it will be interesting to see how they apply what they’ve learnt from those past experiences.”More than the conditions, the place itself may give Zimbabwe an advantage. Known as one of the most remote international grounds, Hambantota has been criticised for the lack of other facilities, such as hotels and shops, in the area close to the ground. Taylor is aware that some teams, including the hosts, would be uncomfortable in the city. “It’s new to the South Africans as well and I know the Sri Lankans would probably rather play elsewhere,” he said.For Zimbabwe though, just playing international cricket is enough. Their national team has not been in action since January when they toured New Zealand and have had to make do with unofficial tournaments and training camps since then. Lack of preparation has been a common thread for Zimbabwe.”It hasn’t been ideal but our preparations back home have been close to what we’ve wanted. We had a good six or eight weeks together, playing a lot of T20 matches and team-building so we feel prepared and we’re all ready to go. I think we’ve covered all the angles. We’ve all played enough cricket in the past so it’s just we’re all ready to go.”Sparse competition at the top level means that Zimbabwe do not see their role as making up the numbers, even though the groupings would suggest otherwise. Each three-team ensemble has one outfit that are likeliest to exit early and Zimbabwe are under no illusions. Taylor insists he won’t let that stand in the team’s way.”We know what we’re up against and to be honest we’re not too flustered about it,” he said. “It’s going to be extremely tough but that’s why we’re here. We want to showcase our talent and skills and it’s great to be part of a good tournament. Hopefully we can have a so-called upset but we feel we’re good enough to go out there and win.”As Price will remind him, it will only take one good performance to advance to the Super Eights. “The good thing is if you win one game you’ve got a good chance of going through,” he said. “If we can scratch a win between the two of them it will be very good for us.”

Dawid Malan struck a brilliant century as Middlesex took control on the third day of their top-of-the-table clash against Northamptonshire

25-Aug-2011
ScorecardDawid Malan struck a brilliant century as Middlesex took control on the third day of their top-of-the-table clash against Northamptonshire in Division Two of the County Championship at Wantage Road. Malan made a fantastic 113 off 170 balls including 17 fours and Ollie Rayner
blasted 57 off 48 deliveries as Middlesex declared on 479 for 8 – their highest total this season.James Middlebrook took 5 for 123 for Northants, who then survived nine overs in the evening to close on 22 without loss with a deficit of 181 runs to make up.Middlesex began the day on 149 for 2, 127 runs behind their opponents, with their captain Chris Rogers and nightwatchman Toby Roland-Jones both resuming on 3. Rogers was to go past 50 off 82 balls with a four through mid-wicket off Lee Daggett and Roland-Jones was to make his highest score for Middlesex.He went past his previous best total of 26, but he was to perish on 28 when he dragged Middlebrook’s first delivery, in the 64th over, onto his stumps. Middlebrook was to strike again when Rogers, who had moved on to 55, was well caught by Northants captain Andrew Hall at slip.There was a flashpoint before lunch when David Lucas gestured towards a group of spectators who sarcastically applauded him for stopping a Malan drive at mid-off after he had previously misfielded in the same position.The visitors were on 244 for 4 at the interval, but they lost Jamie Dalrymple for 40 when he was caught by Daggett, running from long leg, off Chaminda Vaas. However, by this point they had already passed Northants’ total to take the lead before Malan reached 50 off 110 balls.Resuming after tea on 371 for 5, Middlesex wicketkeeper John Simpson went cheaply for 24 in the fifth over of the evening when he launched Vaas to Alex Wakely at deep square leg. Malan then kicked on to complete the seventh first-class century of his career and his second of this season off 165 balls with a four through third man off Daggett.But he finally had to walk when he feathered Middlebrook him to Northants wicketkeeper David Murphy. Rayner then smashed an explosive half-century off just 43 balls but Middlebrook
had his 10th first-class five-wicket haul when he was caught behind by Murphy just before the visitors declared.A rain delay meant the loss of three overs but Rob Newton and Stephen Peters survived until the close and will resume tomorrow on 14 and six respectively.

England have added Tim Bresnan to their squad for the final Test of the summer against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday

Cricinfo staff22-Aug-2010England have added Tim Bresnan to their squad for the final Test of the summer against Pakistan at Lord’s on Thursday.Having taken the unprecedented route of naming their starting XI three days in advance of the third Test, which they went on to lose by four wickets, England have returned to their more established option of naming a squad this time round, with Bresnan the only addition to the team that lost at The Oval.Going into the match it was Alastair Cook’s position at the top of the order that was most under scrutiny but he responded with 110 in the second innings and Geoff Miller, the national selector, feels his performance was a bright spot in the defeat.”There were some real positives from the last Test such as Alastair Cook’s outstanding century and the way the team fought hard on the final day defending a small total,” said Miller. “But ultimately the team is looking for an improved performance to finish the series well.”Bresnan kept his spot ahead of Yorkshire team-mate Ajmal Shahzad after replacing him in the squad for the first Test when Shahzad suffered an ankle injury. It gives Shahzad another opportunity to work on his game at his home county, after taking seven wickets in Yorkshire’s recent Championship victory over Durham.”We have been saying throughout this entire series that consistency is key and that certainly remains the case. We know Pakistan are a dangerous side, which they showed in the last Test, so we will be looking for a strong performance across the board in this final Test match of the summer.”England squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan

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.”