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The 23-year old batsman from Tamil Nadu took India Red from 205 for 9 to 383 to give them a chance in the Duleep Trophy game against India Blue

Deivarayan Muthu15-Sep-2017

Double-hundred in maiden Duleep Trophy match. First Indian to hit a double on pink-ball debut. Rallying India Red from 205 for 9 to 383. Dominating the highest tenth-wicket stand (178) in the tournament, and the second-highest in Indian first-class cricket. B Indrajith could not have asked for a better start to the 2017-18 first-class season.The 23-year old batsman from Tamil Nadu was in his sixties when the ninth wicket of the innings fell. Scoring a hundred, let alone a big one, seemed far fetched.But Indrajith combined with Vijay Gohil and blunted the India Blue attack under the floodlights to lead a remarkable recovery. “This is a very, very special innings for me,” he told ESPNcricinfo from Kanpur. “I did not expect to score a hundred after we were nine down. To reach a double-hundred from there is very special. Vijay Gohil defended tightly and I found a rhythm. Without his support and partnership, it would not have been possible.”After closing the first day at 120 off 181 balls, Indrajith reached his 200 off 280 balls, smashing 20 fours and six sixes. This despite India Red captain Suresh Raina posting five men on the boundary as soon as the batsman had moved past his century.”I later took calculated risks when the ball was in my area,” Indrajith said. “I hit out against the spinners and targeted some medium-pacers. I told Vijay ‘I will face the first three balls of the over and then try to turn the strike and give it to you’. I asked him to push for two and run hard whenever he found the gap in the outfield and dealt with the situation. He also showed good application, defended tightly, and left balls outside off.”In addition to the match situation, which was complicated enough, Indrajith had to deal with a couple of issues with the pink ball. “At times, it is hard to spot the seam,” he said. “I usually play the red ball looking at the shine, I could not do the same against the pink ball. It swung in the first five-six overs; once you see that off and settle down, you can score runs.”I did not find it easy to pick the spinners, too, particularly under lights. Wristspin is more difficult to pick but India Blue did not have a wristspinner. At the nets, I found it difficult to pick my team-mate Karn Sharma under lights… The trend has been that wickets fall to the new pink ball under lights. But me, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi and Vijay Gohil hung on.”Indrajith is into his fifth season as a first-class cricketer. In 2015, two years after his debut, he was named the Tamil Nadu vice-captain but a sharp decline in form forced him out of his leadership position. Able to concentrate solely on his batting again, he struck 697 runs from 14 innings in 2016-17, playing a vital part in Tamil Nadu’s run to the Ranji Trophy semi-final. He was selected to play for India A against the touring Australians on the back of that performance.Indrajith starting the new season with a back-to-the-wall double-century was the result of his preparation leading up to it. His personal coach and former Railways player S Balaji said: “He has been working hard at training before the season and there a few aspects to it.”Firstly throwdowns, sometimes we use a steel pipe instead of the bat – the pipe is roughly the same weight as that of the bat. Then visualisation: what length the bowler might bowl and respond to various situations. Then during 22-yard practice, we ask for certain wickets, whether seaming pitches or turners. We also practiced at [team-mate] Vijay Shankar’s terrace, where one end of the make-shift indoor pitch has tiles. The ball turns madly and sometimes jumps from there. It has helped all three [Indrajith, his twin brother Aparajith and Shankar] of them deal with uneven turn and bounce.”Balaji hoped the Duleep Trophy innings was the start of a Indrajith rectifying a flaw in his career so far: “I have been telling him in the last few years the impact innings haven’t been coming and that he needs to improve. He is due for bigger call-ups. He has been hitting fifties and hundreds in Ranji Trophy, but there weren’t many high-impact innings. In fact, 10 days back, VB Chandrasekhar called me and asked ‘why he hasn’t been scoring big’? Hopefully, this turns out to be that innings.”

South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has been cleared to play the third Test Zealand after being a doubt due to a finger injury

Firdose Moonda in Hamilton24-Mar-2017

While New Zealand have been ruling several injured players out of their XI, South Africa have found a way to include one of their wounded. Wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock will play the Hamilton Test after passing a fitness test to determine whether the tendon damage on his right index finger was severe enough to sideline him.De Kock, however, will need at least four weeks to recover from the injury and Cricket South Africa ruled him out of playing the 2017 IPL season for Delhi Daredevils in order to be available for the Champions Trophy and the England Tests that follow.Although in some pain on the eve of the Hamilton Test, de Kock was able to bat and catch with strapping and a finger splint, the brainchild of physiotherapist Brandon Jackson. When asked why South Africa were risking de Kock when they have a reserve gloveman in Heinrich Klaasen, Faf du Plessis explained the occasion was too important to leave de Kock out.”It’s a big game. Quinton is someone who you don’t just replace. From my side, I am trying to have Quinton in my team all the time,” du Plessis said. “He has had problems with his fingers for quite a while. It’s part of being a keeper. It’s never nice to catch balls on the fingertips all the time and it’s been painful for him for a while. Maybe the cold New Zealand conditions make it worse. It’s hurting for him a bit more now but because it’s a big game, resting him for someone else is not an option.”Du Plessis explained that if de Kock was carrying “three or four broken fingers then obviously he won’t play,” but because the issue could be kept at bay for a while, South Africa were willing to take their chances. More so, because three of the top six (Stephen Cook, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy) were out of form and de Kock, who was one half of a match-winning partnership with Temba Bavuma in Wellington, was among the runs.The news that neither Tim Southee nor Trent Boult would be playing for New Zealand also did not influence South Africa’s team composition, as they aimed to assemble the strongest side they could in search for a 2-0 series win.”We are trying to put as much pressure as we can on New Zealand,” du Plessis said.At the start of the series, du Plessis admitted South Africa would target Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, who they regarded as New Zealand’s keybatsmen, because they sensed vulnerability in the rest of the line-up.”It’s a huge blow (for New Zealand). I always take reference to our own team – if we lose guys like them in our side, it will be a huge loss. Seamers that have got experience and the numbers behind them – you don’t just replace that in Test cricket,” du Plessis said. “But we know whoever comes in can do a job for the day and we have to respect that and play at our best. If we do that, hopefully it will be easier but it’s never a guarantee.”

New Zealand began with six wicket standing, but lasted only a little bit after lunch as Austrlia’s bowlers swung them out for an innings-and-52-run victory

The Report by Daniel Brettig14-Feb-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:38

Farrell: Test was decided on the first two days

Emphatic doesn’t quite do it justice. Unrelenting throughout, Australia put on another exhibition of high quality bowling to seal a vast victory over New Zealand and place one hand on the ICC Mace awarded to the world’s No. 1 Test team. A deflating result for the visitors in Brendon McCullum’s 100th Test was only a tail-end flurry short of New Zealand’s heaviest ever loss at home to Australia.Having set up the match with expert use of seaming early conditions on the first morning, Australia’s bowlers asked quite different questions on the fourth morning. Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird all used reverse swing to good effect, while Nathan Lyon homed in on a footmark outside the right-handers’ off stump to gain sharp spin. The absence of Peter Siddle, resting a back complaint, was well compensated for.Steven Smith will be a most contented captain, having overseen a performance in which many questions about this team have been answered. They chose the right XI for the conditions, they bowled impressively, and most importantly batted with command even after Joe Burns and David Warner were out cheaply with the ball still new on day one. New Zealand will be left to wonder over the significance of the “no-ball” that reprieved Adam Voges early.Henry Nicholls endured longest for the hosts, on the way to making the highest score by a New Zealand debutant batting at No. 4. But his dismissal on 59 by Bird left the tail exposed to the bounce and conventional swing of the second new ball. Southee and Trent Boult entertained another strong Basin Reserve crowd with a late flurry against Lyon, but it was merely a parting shot.Having lost McCullum from the last ball of day three, New Zealand’s chances of survival were slim, and they narrowed further when the 63-over old ball began bending in both directions. Corey Anderson struggled with the ball moving away from him around the wicket, but after a few play and misses Smith directed Marsh to go over the wicket and try to straighten one down the line.Two balls into the tactic, Marsh pitched one in line and swung it back to pin Anderson in front. Like McCullum he reviewed, but it was a futile gesture for a delivery crashing into middle and leg.BJ Watling arrived and his first ball from Lyon hit the aforementioned footmark and narrowly missed spinning back to strike the off stump with the batsman offering no shot. Lyon took note of this, and it was not long before he delivered a slightly flatter delivery on the same line that had Watling playing back, fatally. The turning ball was through him in an instant.Nicholls had absorbed all this pressure, but Bird’s decision to send one down at a full length made the difference, coaxing the batsman into a flick across the line. Again there was some swing, and the ball flicked off the pads into the stumps. At this, the Australians took the second new ball, and a Hazlewood lbw review against Doug Bracewell was declined due to a lack of conclusive evidence before the interval.Hazlewood had his due reward soon after resumption, when Bracewell was struck in front: this time there was no bat to confuse the issue. Southee’s blows dented Lyon’s figures somewhat, but the bowler was content to keep tossing it up in expectation of a miscue, which was exactly what happened.Mark Craig and Boult entertained for a time also, but in playing so freely they did nothing so much as underline how well the Australians had bowled to the batsmen. A match over in fewer than four days had taken place on a pitch that would still be good for batting on day five. In pursuit of Test cricket’s top perch, Smith’s men had played to a very high standard indeed.

تحدثت صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية عن النجم المصري محمد صلاح ومستقبله مع ليفربول، خاصة في ظل تألقه هذا الموسم، وكانت آخر لحظات توهجه أمس الأول ضد توتنهام.

وواجه ليفربول خصمه توتنهام، في ملعب الأخير في الجولة السابعة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، حيث فاز الريدز بستة أهداف مقابل ثلاثة.

وتمكن محمد صلاح من تسجيل هدفين وصناعة مثليهما، ليحقق عددًا من الأرقام القياسية، أبرزها كونه أصبح الهداف الرابع في قائمة هدافي ليفربول عبر العصور.

وقالت صحيفة “ميرور” الإنجليزية في تقريرها: “ربما كان إنجاز محمد صلاح التهديفي الجديد بمثابة خبر جديد بالنسبة للبعض، ولكن ليس بالنسبة للنجم المصري، حيث أدرك كل شيء عن أهمية تجاوز بيلي ليدل الأسطوري في قائمة هدافي ليفربول على مر العصور ليحتل المركز الرابع بـ 229 هدفًا”.

وأضافت: “يعيش صلاح من أجل تحطيم الأرقام القياسية، وفي حين أن حصيلة إيان راش البالغة 346 هدفًا في صدارة القائمة ستكون بعيدة المنال بالنسبة له، إلا أنه سيضع صاحب المركز الثالث جوردون هودجسون في مرمى بصره (كهدف قريب)”.

وواصلت: “سجل هودجسون 241 هدفًا مع ليفربول، وكان هداف النادي حتى حل روجر هانت محله في الستينيات، وهذا مهم لأن محمد صلاح يريد كتابة اسمه بحبر لا يزول في الأنفيلد”.

وتابعت: “هو لا يريد الرحيل في الصيف المقبل حيث يشعر أنه لديه الكثير مما يريد تحقيقه في ليفربول، يرغب في البقاء ومحاولة تجاوز حصيلة هانت البالغة 285 هدفًا وتعزيز مكانته في مجموعة أساطير النادي”.

وأردفت: “كل هذا يعزز موقف ليفربول في محادثات تجديد عقد محمد صلاح الذي سينتهي في يونيو المقبل، ولا يمكن كذلك التقليل من حجم غرور محمد صلاح حيث يحب اللعب في بطولتي الدوري الإنجليزي ودوري أبطال أوروبا”.

وأوضحت: “إنه يعلم أنه لن يكون تحت الأضواء العالمية بقدر ما هو عليه الآن إذا غادر، وبالتأكيد ليس في الدوري السعودي، كما أنه يتوق إلى جائزة الكرة الذهبية ويشعر أنه لديه فرصة أخيرة لتحقيقها هذا الموسم إذا كان يستطيع مساعدة ليفربول على الفوز إما بالدوري الإنجليزي أو دوري أبطال أوروبا، أو كليهما”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. أنفيلد ووتش: تصريحات أبو تريكة ستطرب آذان جماهير ليفربول بشأن مستقبل محمد صلاح

واسترسلت: “لا توجد بطولات كبرى الصيف المقبل، مثل كأس العالم، ويشعر أن لحظته قد تأتي أخيرًا بعد أن أصبح أول لاعب في الدوري الإنجليزي يسجل 10 أهداف ويساهم بـ 10 تمريرات حاسمة قبل عيد الميلاد، لقد نجح بذكاء في إقناع الجماهير بالوقوف إلى جانبه من خلال تصريحه علنًا عن الجمود في المحادثات”.

واستكملت: “ورغم الجمود، يتحدث ليفربول بهدوء مع وكيله رامي عباس خلف الكواليس، مع العلم أن المشكلة بالنسبة لـ محمد صلاح أنهم لا يعرضون عليه ما يشعر أنه يستحقه، سواء من حيث المدة أو المال، حيث لا يقدم النادي صفقات لأكثر من عام واحد للاعبين في سن صلاح، الذي سيبلغ 33 عامًا في يونيو، سيرغبون في تقديم حوافز كبيرة لأي صفقة جديدة لتعويضهم إذا أصيب صلاح أو عانى من فقدان لياقته”.

واعترفت: “من الصعب الجدال مع مجموعة فينواي الرياضية (المالكة لـ ليفربول) حيث سبق لهم اتخاذ جميع القرارات الكبرى تقريبا بشكل صحيح بشأن اللاعبين في السنوات السبع أو الثمانية الماضية”.

وأشارت: “غادر جورجينيو فينالدوم وساديو ماني في صيفين متتاليين لأنهما شعرا أن النادي لم يعرض عليهما ما شعرا أنهما يستحقانه، لكن كلاهما شهدا هبوطًا حادًا في حياتهما المهنية بعيدًا عن أنفيلد”.

واختتمت: “لن يقدم المُلاك لـ صلاح سوى ما يشعر أنه مناسب من حيث هيكل الرواتب، وسيكون أمرًا ساذجًا من جانب الجماهير أن يعتقدوا أنهم سيقدمون كل شيء من أجل لاعب واحد، خاصة إذا كان هذا اللاعب راغبًا في تحطيم المزيد من الأرقام القياسية”.

Winward Islands posted their first win of the season, Kyle Mayers’ match haul of nine and Devon Smith’s twin centuries helping them trounce Jamaica by 118 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2017

Seamer Kyle Mayers’ final-innings five-for handed Winward Islands their first win of their season, a 118-run thumping of Jamaica in Gros Islet. Jamaica slipped from 180 for 3 to 279 all out as Mayers scythed through the line-up, ending with career-best match figures of 9 for 124.Jamaica bowled Winwards out for 226 after having elected to bowl, with Devon Smith (107 off 247 balls) and Kirk Edwards (57 off 98 balls) making the only significant contributions. In reply, Jamaica faltered to 108 for 8 with Mayers and Sherman Lewis striking back-to-back as they finished with a four-for each. Jamaica declared on 112 for 9.With Winwards sliding from 111 for 2 to 263 for 9 in their second innings, it was once again Devon Smith who ensured an adequate score, extending his staggering form in the tournament to be last man out on 154. His ton gave Jamaica a target of 398.Winwards’ Delorn Johnson struck of successive balls in the sixth over to cause a top-order crash, but a 115-run partnership between Brandon King (88 off 108 balls) and captain Paul Palmer (46 off 90 balls) just about kept Jamaica in the game. However, Mayers returned to wreck the innings, taking out both set batsmen in quick succession, and Jamaica fell away quickly.

Key highlights from the second ODI between West Indies and India

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2017When West Indies won the toss, they looked at damp conditions underfoot and heavy skies overhead. It was atmosphere that called for length bowling to use the conditions: slowness, possible seam movement and variable bounce. However, the West Indies opening bowlers failed to get the length right, bowling either too short or two full. The result: eight fours, one six and 63 runs in the first 10 overs without even a half chance created.Ajinkya Rahane hasn’t had a great relationship with limited-overs international cricket. He starts off well, but hasn’t converted many of those starts into performances that guarantee him a spot in the XI. Before today he had crossed 50 19 times, converting them into hundreds only twice. Now, as KL Rahul nears fitness, this could be Rahane’s last chance in a while if he doesn’t grab it. He was predictably nervous as he neared his hundred before finally getting there in style.

High humidity, drizzle around, high pressure of bowling to Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, with floating yorkers as your weapon of choice, you leave yourself a low-percentage game as a bowler. Jason Holder realised that as three of his attempted yorkers at the death ended up as high full tosses. One of them was so slow Dhoni had time to rock back and pull it away for four. Another front-foot no-ball added insult to injury; fact that he got Kedar Jadhav out on that ball berated it further.Virat Kohli started off circumspectly but accelerated dramatically, scoring his last 50 runs in 25 balls. Hitting wasn’t that easy on a slow pitch with the humidity sapping players. There was an extra effort to set that solid base and concentrate on the swing of the bat and not the power. The head stayed down in all four of his sixes, none of which he over-hit.Wristspinners make the ball turn both ways legally, and the variation is harder to pick than the carrom ball – which is legal – from fingerspinners. That is why wristspinners have become an important part of limited-overs sides. Bowling for the first time in ODIs, Kuldeep Yadav – left-arm bowler to boot – showed what difference the variation could make, with West Indies left-hand batsmen failing to pick the one turning back into them

Chris Tremain and Jon Holland took five wickets between them to leave New South Wales at 5 for 125 after Glenn Maxwell’s 278 had pushed Victoria to a mammoth 9 for 562

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2017Getty Images

With a mammoth first-innings score behind them, Victoria seamer Chris Tremain and left-arm spinner Jon Holland took five wickets between them to leave New South Wales reeling at 5 for 125 on the second day of the Sheffield Shield match in Sydney. Victoria ended the day with a lead of 437 after Glenn Maxwell, batting overnight on 213, pushed his score to 278 and propelled Victoria to 9 for 562.Batting in the same aggressive manner as he had done on the opening day, Maxwell went about compiling the eighth highest knock by a Victoria batsman in the Sheffield Shield. He added nine fours and a six to his overnight tally of boundaries, before falling to Steve O’Keefe for 278 off 318 balls, having batted for nearly eight hours.”He probably just understands it’s a bit more than flashy periods of brilliance and actual runs are far more important,” Maxwell’s team-mate Cameron White said. “It’s great to see that he’s churning them out consistently. Throw that big knock in, it’s what selectors want to see and we as Victoria need him to do. It’s good to see.”Maxwell was Victoria’s fourth wicket, with the score on 478. New South Wales pushed back with a few quick wickets but Tremain’s handy 45 not out ensured Victoria surged past 550.Tremain then returned with the ball to undo a good start by the New South Wales openers, Daniel Hughes and Nic Maddinson. The pair had added 75 before Tremain dismissed them in consecutive overs and Holland capitalised on this opening to dismiss the next three batsmen cheaply. New South Wales lost five wickets for 50, and need another 288 runs to avoid the possibility of a follow-on.

Australia’s captain led from the front before England’s top order was rattled in a hostile final session to tilt the opening Test the home side’s way

The Report by Andrew Miller25-Nov-2017England 302 and 2 for 33 lead Australia 328 (Smith 141*, Marsh 51) by seven runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the course of what is rapidly developing into a supernatural Test career, Steven Smith has surpassed himself time and time again. But in the course of 57 Tests and 21 centuries, it is hard to believe that he has compiled a more brilliant and vital innings than his unbeaten 141 in the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes.On Smith’s dogged and indomitable watch, Australia seized hold of a rapidly freefalling first innings, and dot by dot, nudge by nudge, turned what had at one stage looked like being a 100-run deficit into a vital lead of 26.And then, as if ignited by their skipper’s deeds, Australia’s bowlers tore into England’s top order in a gory final hour. Josh Hazlewood ripped out two prize wickets, including Alastair Cook for his second failure of the match, before Mitchell Starc clanged England’s captain, Joe Root, a savage blow on the helmet. Root and Mark Stoneman limped to the close on 2 for 33, a lead of 7, but in the course of 16 high-octane overs, the legend of the Gabbatoir had burst back to prominence in no uncertain terms.It was a sensational day’s cricket, glacially slow at times – particularly during a morning session in which Smith added just 17 runs to his overnight 64 – but never less than utterly absorbing, thanks to a match situation in which two wholly committed teams have surged and slipped like a pair of boat-race crews hurtling under Hammersmith Bridge.But, by the close of day three, it was abundantly clear which team had pulled ahead by a length. Hard though England toiled in the field, not least in the build-up to the second new ball, when Jake Ball and Chris Woakes – backed up by funky leg-side fields – set themselves to slow the run-rate to a crawl, their efforts were as nothing compared to the pace and fury that Australia’s seamers were able to generate on a surface that is appreciably quicker now than it had been on a sluggish first day.From the outset of England’s second innings, it was clear that Starc and Hazlewood were generating a touch more heat than their English counterparts. However, Cook was still taken completely by surprise in Hazlewood’s second over, when he fizzed down a pinpoint bouncer that the former skipper could only flap off his eyebrows to fine leg, where Starc had only moments earlier been changing his boots and now dived forward to scoop up a stadium-igniting catch.In came James Vince, England’s hero of the first innings, who moments earlier had been pictured shadow-batting in the dressing room. He got off the mark with a neat clip off his pads, but could go no further than that, as Hazlewood zeroed in on his outside edge, for Smith to snaffle a flying edge at second slip.And before Root had had a chance to settle, it was Starc’s turn to leave his mark on the innings – or more specifically the peak of Root’s helmet, as he smashed a stunning bouncer flush into the corner of the visor and sent his ear-guard flying in the process. Australia’s fielders showed instant concern for the England captain, and the team doctor rushed out to give him a standing count, but with Mark Stoneman showing his mettle once again, England managed to reach the close with their hopes more intact than the fury of the session might have suggested.And yet, England will have regrouped at the close of play wondering how they were not firmly in control of this contest. The simple answer is that Smith refused to let them take control, although there were also some crucial questions flying around about the fitness of James Anderson, whose withdrawal from the attack after just three overs of the second new ball undermined England’s hopes of a quick kill, after he and Stuart Broad had struck twice in as many overs to reduce Australia to 209 for 7.To focus on England’s tactics in that particular instance, however, would do a disservice to the immense levels of skill and determination shown by Smith in particular, but Pat Cummins too – whose innings of 42 from 120 balls helped add 66 vital runs for the eighth wicket, as Australia put crease occupation ahead of forward momentum in a bid to endure by whatever means necessary.Smith had resumed his innings knowing full well how vital his continued presence would be, given that England’s own innings had featured three half-centuries but nothing more substantial than Vince’s 83. And, having converted 20 of his previous 41 fifties into three figures, he was in the right frame of mind to go on again and give Australia the best possible chance of extending their proud unbeaten run at the Gabba.In total, he needed a hefty 261 balls to bring up his hundred, which he finally achieved with a crunching drive through the covers off Broad, one of the few occasions when he allowed his natural ability to over-ride his defensive mindset. His moments of alarm could be counted on one hand – on 69, he was caught unawares by a perfectly directed throat-ball from Ball, but the spliced opportunity plopped short of the slips. But beyond that, Smith was happy to duck the short balls and get firmly into line against the straight ones, and bide his time in a manner that few players of the modern era are willing to do.Shaun Marsh rather proved that point in the manner of his dismissal. He had been Smith’s partner when Australia resumed on 4 for 165, and though he marked his return to the Test team with a hard-fought fifty, he was eventually done in by a canny piece of bowling from Broad. Lured onto the front foot by an apparent wide half-volley, Marsh failed to clock that Broad had rolled his fingers down the seam, and Anderson collected a dolly of a lofted drive, as the ball skidded off the splice to mid-off.Tim Paine, who had made his Australia debut alongside Smith against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, came out to join Smith for his first Test innings for seven years. And though he looked solid for a while, he had no answer to the ball of the day from Anderson. Armed with the new ball, as well as the knowledge that he needed to make it count, Anderson produced a snorter that angled into the right-hander, nipped away, and kissed the edge for Bairstow to collect a fine one-handed catch behind the stumps.Starc started his innings with eye-popping intent, slamming his second ball, from Broad, clean over long-off for six – to induce a wry grin and a shrug from the bowler. Two balls later, however, Broad had his revenge, hauling his length back just an inch or two to collect another attempted drive in his follow through. At 7 for 209, Australia were on the ropes.But then came Anderson’s apparent injury – a clutch of his side midway through his third over with the new ball, and a guarded chat with his captain. Though he initially remained on the field, he was delivered a tablet by England’s 12th man before lunch, and departed into the dressing room for further treatment in the afternoon. And without his incisive attack-leading, England’s remaining bowlers went flat at precisely the moment that a moment of magic was required. That it was left to Root himself to end the innings, courtesy of Cook’s leg-side catch off Lyon, was an indictment of a fielding performance that finally ran out of steam. Australia’s bowlers, by contrast, haven’t looked fresher all match.

Misbah-ul-Haq has asked whether Australia’s abysmal recent record in Asia warranted a similar rethink the way one was suggested by Ian Chappell after Pakistan’s recent 0-3 whitewash

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jan-2017

Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq has hit back at Ian Chappell’s criticisms of Pakistan, saying they were “uncalled for and unbecoming” of someone with Chappell’s stature in the game.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo minutes after Pakistan lost the third and final Test of the series in Sydney – their 12th successive Test loss in the country over 17 years – Chappell had said Cricket Australia should reconsider the utility of a future Pakistan tour to the country.”Pakistan have now lost 12 Test matches on the trot in Australia, and somebody’s got to give them a kick up the bum,” Chappell had said. “Cricket Australia have got to start saying ‘listen if things don’t improve we will stop with the invites’.”You can’t continue to [play poor] cricket. You can’t bowl poorly, have conservative field placings and field sloppily and expect to play decent cricket in Australia.”Writing in his column for , Misbah, whose captaincy bore the brunt of further criticism, asked whether Australia’s abysmal recent record in Asia warranted a similar rethink.Australia have lost their last nine Tests in a row in India, the UAE and Sri Lanka; since 2008 they have lost 13 of their 18 Tests in Asia and won only one.”The comments do not make any sense or suit a cricketer of his stature,” Misbah wrote. “Australia themselves have been on the losing side in the recent away tours. They were clean swept by a Sri Lanka side that did not have Mahela Jayawardena or Kumar Sangakkara and some of their players didn’t even have 10 Tests to their names.”Then Australia lost the one-day international series 0-5 in South Africa. In the recent past they have been whitewashed by us in the UAE and in India. If we apply Chappell’s comments to Australia, does that mean if they continue to get whitewashed on the subcontinent on a regular basis then they should also not travel there? And if Australia does not travel to Asia or the Asian teams do no travel to Australia then how are they going to improve?”Misbah has come under pressure at home as well, though in this case for comments he made post-match in Sydney. Asked whether he felt his team represented the best chance Pakistan had in Australia to reverse the long run of defeats, Misbah had said, “Yes, you can say, but in ’99 when Pakistan came, I think that was one of the strongest teams ever, strongest bowling attack, in terms of experience, in terms of the batting, so many superstars in that team. We lost then as well. “That side, led by Wasim Akram, counted Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed among its attack; Saeed Anwar, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ijaz Ahmed were part of the batting order.The Australian side that whitewashed them was soon to become one of the greatest in Test history, though some might argue that that Pakistan side was past its peak.Misbah’s comments, however, have been construed as an attack on the 1999 side. It has forced him to issue a clarification on Twitter, unusual for him and also indicative of the pressure he is under to retire from Test cricket.”My reply was that 99 team was our best team,” Misbah tweeted. “My aim wasn’t to disrespect them. I wasn’t trying to use them as an excuse. They’re our legends… have nothing but respect for the 1999 team. ‪@wasimakramlive who was captain then, is someone who I’ve worked with, & has helped me a lot”.In his column, Misbah said he was taking a “time-out” from the discussion about when he goes. “I want to spend some time at home and then play in the PSL. I will then analyse how much passion for cricket I have left in me and whether I can play on… The PSL will be important for me in making a decision on my international future.”

ESPNcricinfo is set to start the County Championship Cricket season with a bang as it sets off on a cross-country road trip which aims to take in action from every match on the opening day of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Apr-2017ESPNcricinfo is set to start the County Championship Cricket season with a bang as it sets off on a cross-country road trip which aims to take in action from every match on the opening day of the season.Dan Norcross and Ebony Rainford-Brent will be taking on the ESPN #CountyCricketLive Road Trip as they try to see a ball of cricket at each match on Friday, April 7. The pair will attempt to visit six grounds, witnessing cricket in three Division One matches and three Division Two contests on the day.To mark their arrival at each venue, the pair will reprise their familiar roles as radio broadcasters by attempting to commentate on at least one delivery of the BBC’s local radio coverage.The challenge starts at 11am in Leeds at Headingley with Yorkshire v Hampshire, then Norcross and Rainford-Brent will travel down the M1 to Grace Road for Leicestershire v Nottinghamshire, followed by Northampton where Northamptonshire host Glamorgan at the County Ground.After navigating the M25, Chelmsford will be their next stop, for Essex v Lancashire at the County Ground, before they head down the M2 to visit the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury as Kent face Gloucestershire. The final leg of the journey will see the duo race down to London and The Oval, where Surrey are playing Warwickshire, trying to catch some action before play ends at around 6pm.The journey will see the pair competing against traffic as well as the clock, and they will keep cricket fans up to date using ESPNcricinfo’s #CountyCricketLive, sharing live updates, pictures and video throughout the day. The hashtag is an extension of the site’s comprehensive county coverage and live county cricket blog, which in October 2016 won “Online Publication of the Year” for the fifth year running in the ECB’s County Journalism Awards.”The first day of the county cricket season is one of the great days in the British sporting calendar,” said Andrew Miller, ESPNcricinfo’s UK editor. “We’re very excited to start the campaign with this celebration of the game. Dan and Ebony are a great pairing and they are looking forward to the challenge. It’s the perfect complement to ESPNcricinfo’s in-depth coverage of the day, which includes writers covering the matches at all three of the Division One venues.”You can track our progress throughout the day on ESPNcricinfo’s social media channels across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.