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The opener made an unbeaten 54 while the offspinner took 2 for 23 to consign South Africa to a seven-wicket loss

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Feb-2018Getty Images

Mithali Raj made an unbeaten 54 – her third successive fifty in T20Is – to marshal India’s chase of 165 and put them 1-0 up in the five-match series. This after T20 specialist offspinner Anuja Patil claimed 2 for 23 in her four overs to pin down South Africa’s batting line-up.After South Africa were sent in, Lizelle Lee launched the innings with three boundaries in five balls across the the second and third overs. Shikha Pandey, however, recovered from an 11-run first over to have Lee caught at mid-off in the fifth over. Dane van Niekerk then gave her side direction with 38 off 31 balls. She found support from Sune Luus (18) and Mignon du Preez (31) to haul the hosts close to 100. Chloe Tryon then provided a blazing finish with 32 off seven balls, by smacking three sixes and a four off Pandey in the last over that went for 23 runs. Eighteen-year-old medium-pacer Pooja Vastrakar – one of India’s four debutants – returned 1 for 34.India’s chase also started with a flurry of boundaries when Raj and Smriti Mandhana collected three fours and a six off Marizanne Kapp in the opening over. On 47 in the fifth over, India faced a bit of a stutter when Mandhana fell for a quick 15-ball 28 and captain Harmanpreet Kaur was run out on her first ball. However, 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, also on debut, came out all guns blazing by clobbering three fours and a six in her first seven balls of international cricket. She and Raj scored 69 runs together in under nine overs, including Rodrigues’ 37 off 27 balls, studded with four fours and a six.The platform had been set by Raj’s fifty that included six fours and a six. She was particularly severe on Shabnim Ismail, hitting 22 off 11 balls. She stayed unbeaten along with Veda Krishnamurthy (37*) to steer India home with seven wickets and seven balls to spare. Krishnamurthy continued from her two successive fifties in the ODI series and sealed the chase with a six in the 19th over. Five of South Africa’s seven bowlers conceded more than eight runs an over, and three of them more than 11 an over.

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”.

Controversy around their security arrangements in India, batting issues and changes to the squad due to injury and form mean that Pakistan enter the 2016 World T20 in a weakened state

Umar Farooq15-Mar-20165:45

Ramiz: Pakistan will be mentally fatigued

Big pictureFor the first time, Pakistan will enter the World T20 a weakened side. Over the years, they have lost their Midas touch in the format and the unpredictability that was once a defining feature, is now merely a liability.Pakistan announced their World T20 squad in early February but then made changes to their squad due to injuries and form. The last of these changes was to bring Ahmed Shehzad back into the squad in place of Khurram Manzoor, who fared poorly in the Asia Cup. Their departure was delayed following concerns over the security situation in Dharamsala, where they were scheduled to play a match against India, and this cost them one practice match. The match against India was eventually moved to Kolkata and the team arrived on Saturday.An unsettled top order and an inconsistent middle order leaves them as one of the weaker teams in the Super 10s stage. They are not being seen as favourites but the senior players – Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad – are all overdue for big performances.Pakistan’s biggest strength is the four-man pace attack, with Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Sami all capable of clocking speeds close to 150 kph. Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, has, however, stressed that the batsmen will need to support the bowlers. The tracks in India, too, might work against Pakistan, as their specialist spin department is another weak link.Road to the World T20Pakistan are ranked No. 7, close to Sri Lanka at No. 8. Their performances in the last 12 months have been poor. They have nine out of 17 games, and five of those victories came against Zimbabwe and UAE. They lost series to England (3-0) and New Zealand (2-1) followed by a dismal Asia Cup where they lost crunch games against India and Bangladesh and failed to make the final.At the helmThis is Shahid Afridi’s second and final World T20 as captain; he previously led the team to a semi-final finish in the tournament in 2010. He took charge of the side after Mohammad Hafeez stepped down following the side’s exit in the group stage of the 2014 World T20. Afridi’s form has waned recently – in the Asia Cup, he scored two runs and took two wickets. Over the last 12 months, he has scored 173 runs in 15 innings at an average of 12.35 and has taken 12 wickets at 35.41. There were calls for a change in leadership after the Asia Cup but PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan refrained from making an alteration so close to the tournament.Key stats20Number of batsmen Pakistan have tried in the top three since 2012, the most for any team. They haven’t, however, been able to find a stable top order yet and their experiments in the Asia Cup only left the team with more questions.Umar Akmal’s T20 experience and form will be crucial to shore up a brittle Pakistan batting order•AFP

Leading menMohammad Amir
The 2016 World T20 will be Mohammad Amir’s first ICC event since his return from a five-year suspension for spot-fixing in September 2015. He made his presence felt in the Asia Cup with a charismatic bowling show, particularly against India, and will be an important player for Pakistan.Ahmed ShehzadShehzad was first dropped from the World T20 squad and then added at the last minute after Khurram Manzoor failed in the Asia Cup. He has scored the most runs by a Pakistan opener in T20Is – 912 – but can be an inconsistent performer. He made his way back to the squad because the selectors were forced to revisit their original pick and the onus is now on Shehzad to produce the performances expected of him.Umar AkmalUmar Akmal has been in and out of Pakistan’s Test and ODI sides but is an important player in the side in T20 format. With 1611 runs in 75 matches at an average of 27.30, he is Pakistan’s highest run-getter in T20 internationals and fourth overall in the format. Currently he is in assured form – in the Asia Cup, for instance, he played a crucial 50 off 46 balls to help Pakistan overcome a scare from UAE. With the top order looking brittle, he has a vital role to give his side momentum with his flamboyant batting. In three World T20 appearances, he has scored 408 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 134.65.Burning questionCan Shahid Afridi sign-off with a bang?Afridi’s 20-year career has had exhilarating highs and excruciating lows, and he is now nearing the end of his international career. His career and extravagant persona have made a significant impact on Pakistan cricket. He brought the curtains down on his ODI career with a quiet 2015 World Cup and the World T20 is his chance to mark his remarkable career with a perfect farewell.World T20 historyThey finished runners-up in the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2007, losing to India in the final. In 2009, they won the title and finished semi-finalists in 2010 and 2012. In 2014, however, they failed to move beyond the group stage.In their own words”It’s a matter of the entire team clicking together and this is the only pattern of Pakistan winning a game. Gone are the days when one player stood up and finished off the game single-handedly. Now we need to perform as a unit, and every single player in the side has to play his role. We all know what to expect and who to expect, and the answer to every question is batting. And the day we manage to get consistent with the bat, we will become the best team in the world.”
Aakash Chopra on Pakistan’s strengths and weaknesses

Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Sep-2016

Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground. SLC has issued an apology, and condemned the actions of spectators who forced their way into the venue.This is the first series in which SLC has sold its tickets through BookMyShow – a ticket distributor of Indian origin. Tickets were sold at outlets in many of the main towns in the region, as well as online. However, the perception that a move towards online ticket sales marginalised a large portion of cricket fans is what is understood to have angered some of those who swarmed the gates of the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium last week. Wednesday’s ODI had even seen a large protest at the entrance, which led to severe congestion on the Colombo-Dambulla main road.”SLC has clearly advertised the selling points of tickets, and has sold their tickets prior to the match at 18 outlets island-wide, including in Dambulla, Matale and Anuradhapura,” an SLC release said. “Ninety per cent of the tickets were reported sold through the above network and only 10% via internet.”Public who did not purchase their respective tickets prior to the match behaved in an unruly manner, causing a situation outside the main gate. As a result, even the people who purchased the tickets could not come into the ground, due to the heavy traffic congestion caused by the unruly crowd who were blocking the main road in protest. Sri Lanka Police made several requests to the protestors to move out of the road to enable the genuine ticket holders to enter the ground. More than 2000 spectators who had purchased tickets complained that they could not get into the grounds within the first two hours of the play.”The standoff between the police and the “unruly crowd” had only been resolved after the gates were opened even to those who had not bought tickets, in order to clear the road.In the previous match, on Sunday, thousands were seen entering the ground illegally, which led to the 18,000-capacity stadium having to accommodate up to 45,000 people. The protesting crowd had pelted the police with stones on Wednesday, but there have been no reports of major injury as a result of either incident.”SLC would like to state that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and would like to denounce the violent behaviour of the protestors who pelted stones at the police and damaged property of the stadium. As a result, Sri Lanka Police had no choice but to use minimal force to curb the situation.”The new ticketing protocols have been in place right through the tour, but Dambulla is the only venue at which substantial crowd-control issues have emerged. Dambulla also has the lowest capacity of the three limited-overs venues.

Mashrafe Mortaza has said that while Mustafizur Rahman’s early success was extraordinary, it should not be expected of him so regularly

Mohammad Isam25-Apr-2017

Mustafizur Rahman needs to work harder if he wants more success as batsmen have begun reading his bowling better. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who made this observation, also said that Mustafizur’s success early in his career was “extraordinary” and urged that he shouldn’t be put under too much pressure.”What he got in the early stage of his career was extraordinary so what is happening to him now is what is supposed to happen to any bowler,” Mashrafe said before Bangladesh’s departure to England for a preparatory camp ahead of their Champions Trophy campaign. “It is unbelievable that he got so many wickets in the first few games of his international career. Now he has to work hard to take wickets. Batsmen are reading him better. Every team has top-quality computer analysts who find out his strengths and weaknesses.”Injuries have also bothered him, and he has just recovered from the latest injury few months ago. He is only 19 or 20 [21]. So with everything in consideration, he is having a tough time off late. So we also shouldn’t put him under pressure. He has already proved that he is Bangladesh’s future. If we can keep him relaxed by not weighing him down with expectations, he can be a wonderful asset for us in the next ten years.”After coming back from a shoulder surgery late last year, Mustafizur was out of sorts in New Zealand and was dropped for the Hyderabad Test in India to allow him more time to recuperate. He bowled well in patches in Sri Lanka, especially in the Test series, but wasn’t at his best in the two completed ODIs and the first T20I.In the second T20I against Sri Lanka, however, he took 4 for 21 but was expensive in his only appearance for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2017, conceding 34 runs in 2.4 overs. He has been benched since then, which has raised concerns over his form and mental state.Mustafizur was scheduled to join the team on Tuesday but will now do so on May 4. Despite his recent patchy form, he remains an important cog in Bangladesh’s pursuit of a strong result in the Champions Trophy. Mashrafe said that the tournament will be a difficult one for the team, as they are placed in the same group as hosts England, Australia and New Zealand.He said that the preparatory camp in Sussex does not guarantee success but will give the players a better understanding of local pitches and overhead conditions.”Realistically, it is going to be a difficult tour,” Mashrafe said. “The Champions Trophy won’t be easy when you look at our opposition. We have defeated England in that condition. We beat Australia in Cardiff once and, although these are history, I think it is still possible. A lot will depend on how we prepare our mentality.”The camp will give us an inkling about the pitches. Weather conditions change quickly in the early part of the English summer. We had a good World Cup after an early camp in Australia in 2015 but the same didn’t pan out in 2016 when we prepared for the New Zealand tour.”One area Mashrafe is concerned about is the team’s fatigue towards the end of a long tour. Given that the Champions Trophy falls in the latter half of their tour, the team will have to devise ways to avoid falling into that mental hole.”This is not the first time we are on such a long tour,” Mashrafe said. “But we do have that problem of becoming fatigued at the end of such tours. History tells us that we have a really bad session after a good one in the latter part of a tour.”Maybe in Australia [during the World Cup] we didn’t feel too bad as we were always in the hunt. Winning in the early stage could help us fight fatigue, which we can start in Ireland. It is important to keep everyone together, in our group of 17-18 players, especially those who won’t go through a good time in the early stages. Keeping them like a family.”Bangladesh will leave for the Sussex camp on April 26. Their tri-nation series, against Ireland and New Zealand, will be played between May 12 and 24, after which they will return to London for the final part of their tour.

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.

Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Cook has been awarded a CBE, having previously received an MBE five years ago, while Broad has been made an MBE

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad have been honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. Cook has been awarded a CBE, having previously received an MBE five years ago, while Broad has been made an MBE.Cook became the first England batsman to reach 10,000 Test runs – and the youngest of all time – during the Chester-le-Street Test against Sri Lanka. Broad is currently the No. 3 ranked bowler in the world having held the top spot earlier this year.”Receiving this kind of honour means a great deal to me and it’s also a hugely proud moment for me and my family,” Cook said. “I also see this as recognition for my team-mates, my coaches and family and friends who have all helped me in my England career over the last ten years – and, of course, the England fans who have always given me such fantastic support at home and abroad.”Broad said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to be recognised in this way. I’m obviously delighted and very proud. It is a lovely moment for my family too. My parents will be delighted after guiding me into cricket and instilling me with a love of the game from an early age.”Cricket has been a constant part of my life ever since and I would like to dedicate this honour to all the people that have supported me at different stages of my career. They’ve all helped me fulfil my dream of playing cricket for my country. “Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, paid tribute to both players saying that Cook had become a “true great of the game” and Broad was “one of England’s finest ever fast bowlers”.”It’s great to see our England players win national recognition and this is a tremendous honour for both players,” Graves said. “Alastair’s cricketing achievements now place him among the true greats of the game and he can be very proud of what he has given to the England team over the past decade – both as a world-class opening batsman and a highly successful England captain. His dedication and determination to succeed are an object lesson to any young cricketer and today’s news is a fitting honour for one of this country’s finest sportsmen.”Stuart is rightly renowned as one of England’s finest ever fast bowlers and his new-ball partnership with James Anderson has been an integral part of the England Test side’s recent successes. Today’s award also caps off a wonderful for year for Stuart in which he produced career-defining spells of fast bowling at Trent Bridge and Johannesburg which will live long in the memory of all England fans. Our congratulations to Stuart on an honour which will mean a huge amount to him and his family.”

Back-to-back defeats against the two relegated counties have given Northants a tough start to their Division Two campaign

ECB Reporters Network22-Apr-2018

ScorecardRyan Sidebottom took 10 wickets in the match as Warwickshire got their bid for an immediate return to Division One of the Specsavers County Championship underway with an innings-and-48-run victory over Northamptonshire on the third afternoon at Wantage Road.Sidebottom, after a career-best 6 for 35 in the first innings, added a second-innings 4 for 61 to help bowl Northants out for 218 as Warwickshire’s dominance on the game brought a huge margin of victory. Five of their nine defeats last season came by an innings but here they were on the right side of such a result and took 22 points to Northants’ two.The Bears were always in command of the game after firing out their hosts for just 147 on day one. They were made to work harder for 10 wickets second time around but only one partnership of note provided significant resistance – Adam Rossington and Josh Cobb added 72 for the sixth wicket between lunch and tea.Sidebottom claimed the crucial wicket of Rossington with the second new ball. With the first delivery with it he struck Rossington on the left hand and then caught him on the crease to remove the Northants keeper lbw for 58.Rossington and Cobb saved Northants from an even bigger defeat. They looked liked tumbling away as they slumped from 87 for 1 to 100 for 5 in the fourth over after lunch after Rob Keogh prodded forward to Sidebottom and edged to wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose for 6 from 51 balls.But Rossington advanced at Jeetan Patel to clip him wide of midwicket for four and the first runs off Patel for 35 balls. He twice hit the offspinner wide of extra-cover and lofted him over mid-off. Another aerial stroke – a swept six over midwicket off Patel – took him to fifty in 135 balls.Achilles heel flares up – Ripley

David Ripley (Northants head coach): “At Lord’s I felt it was much tighter than the scores suggested but here we’ve been well beaten. Our first innings batting was where the damage was done, it was a good toss to win and to come out with only 147 was where the game was lost.
“It was difficult to score on that pitch but to get knocked over is another thing. The Lord’s game we were properly bowled out but back here it was the old Northants Achilles heel of giving too many wickets away that we could have done more about.

Cobb also played well but failed to provide the big innings his side needed. He steered Sidebottom through point for two boundaries but edged Patel between first and second slip and almost presented a bat-pad chance to short leg off the same bowler. He pulled Chris Wright through square leg for a third boundary but in the over before tea, pushed at Wright to get a feather edge behind to fall for 30.Sidebottom cleaned up Brett Hutton for his 10th wicket of the match and it was left to 18-year-old Henry Brookes to claim the final two wickets, taking out Ben Sanderson’s middle stump to complete victory.It looked like being harder work for Warwickshire after the first hour where Alex Wakely and Rob Newton settled the home side after the loss of Ben Duckett – caught behind driving lazily at Sidebottom. But in the second hour of the morning, Patel took two wickets in two balls.Northants captain Wakely began with a flowing cover drive off Sidebottom and skipped down the pitch to lift Patel into the Wilson stand. But after a second six over long on, Patel came round the wicket and a quicker ball caught Wakely on the crease and he fell lbw for 25. Next ball, Richard Levi played forward and got an inside edge onto his pad that looped up to Jonathan Trott diving forward at slip.The double strike saw Northants grind to a halt and they only scored 12 runs in the remaining 13 overs to lunch, with Newton scoring only one run from 31 balls before he tamely chipped Chris Wright to short square leg for 46. That wicket, a quarter of an hour before lunch, cleared Warwickshire’s path to victory.

Ireland broke their sixteen-game rut in limited-overs cricket, spanning nearly two years, with a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in their last match ahead of the Women’s World T20 Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2018Ireland captain Isobel Joyce talks to the media•AFP/Getty Images

Sixteen straight losses across limited-overs cricket over the past two years. Heavy defeats against New Zealand in ODIs and T20Is. An unassailable 2-0 lead to Bangladesh in the T20 series. All of this gloom headlined Ireland’s home summer.If the tenth-ranked hosts needed a performance to break their long-drawn-out rut ahead of the Women’s World T20 Qualifier next week in the Netherlands, it couldn’t have come in more thrilling a form than their final-ball, six-wicket victory over ninth-ranked Bangladesh in the third and final T20 in Dublin. The match was also to be the last appearance on home soil for Ireland’s 37-year-old batsman Clare Shillington and 38-year-old legspinner Ciara Metcalfe.With 11 required off the last over and seven wickets in hand, Ireland would have fancied themselves to avoid a clean sweep. But in their path to the 152-run target lay a final over from Jahanara Alam, who memorably sealed Bangladesh’s maiden Asia Cup title with the bat, and then dominated Bangladesh’s last two T20I wins with her all-round exploits.Ireland captain Laura Delany (46 off 38) and veteran allrounder Isobel Joyce (22 not out off 14), however, ensured four singles, one four, and a two were enough – despite Delany’s run-out off a wide three balls into the over – to seal Ireland’s 11th win in their 48 games in the format and third over Bangladesh in seven overall T20I encounters. While Joyce struck the winning single after leveling the scores with a boundary on the penultimate ball, Alam took away the Player-of-the-Tournament award.The major swell of impetus to Ireland’s victory came much earlier through 17-year-old Gaby Lewis’s 31-ball 50. Her seven fours and a six complemented the seven combined fours from Delany and Joyce. A 93-run third-wicket stand between Delany and Lewis took Ireland to 123 for 2 in 16.2 overs before both were run out three overs apart.Earlier, Bangladesh collected 151 for 4, after being sent in. No. 3 batsman Fargana Hoque’s unbeaten 66 and an opening partnership of 47 between Shamima Sultana (30 off 27) and Ayasha Rahman (27 off 26) set the tone of Bangladesh’s innings. Fargana then partnered Sanjida Islam to smash 38 off three overs at the death before Delany removed Islam at the start of the final over. Hoque’s highest T20I score took Bangladesh past 150 on the back of six fours and two sixes.