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Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said that his team is working on closing out sessions and days with the advantage, as opposed to giving everything in winning one-hour periods and then fading away

Mohammad Isam05-Mar-2017Bangladesh’s players have often stressed on the need to do well in the first hour of a session. But they have understood, and justifiably so, that far too many times they have given it their all in the first hour only to fizzle out in the second.In their last three Tests in New Zealand and India, there have been examples of Bangladesh starting well in a game or a session, only to be unable to carry on for the rest of the day and press home the advantage. In Hyderabad against India, Taskin Ahmed and Kamrul Islam Rabbi started strongly on the opening day, but the pair, as well as subsequent bowlers, could not keep up the pressure on the Indian top order. The same situation transpired with the ball on a number of occasions in Wellington and Christchurch, where they could not push on after a good start.This happens even more when Bangladesh are batting. Too often, they lose wickets in a cluster in the latter part of a session after getting into a position of strength. Well-set batsmen lose focus, which is one of the two problems addressed by coach Chandika Hathurusingha.”The one-percenters and five-percenters are letting us down,” Hathurusingha said. “We know that we have the capability. There are two things – one, concentrating over a period. We sometimes switch off. The other thing is something that we have identified and spoken about, which is that we have to play the whole session rather than giving everything in the first hour and fading away in the second hour.”We have discussed the game plan, how to be competitive for two-hour sessions. We did well when we tried this in the two-day practice game. I think this is going to help us. Now, we will learn from those mistakes and identify those moments in the game when they come, and obviously, we are going to keep reminding [ourselves] those things during this series.”Tamim Iqbal, Bangladesh’s opening batsman, also spoke of the need to achieve small targets within the Test. One of the early boxes he has ticked has been getting a big score in the practice match in Moratuwa, where he cracked 136 off 182 balls with nine fours and seven sixes.”The team and I have to take on small targets so that our process remains on track. If we can bat well and stick to our plans, we can do something good. Things will be different.”I did well in one innings, but that doesn’t mean I will keep playing the same way in Galle. But, as I said, if I am on track with the process, it gives me more chance to get a big score.”Tamim said that Bangladesh have a chance to beat Sri Lanka in a Test series, something they are yet to do. “We know the importance of the series. We feel we should win it if we play good cricket,” he said. “They are also a good, young team. We are mentally prepared and everyone is trying their best to make it to the final playing XI.”Hathurusingha said that the players, having impressed more on an individual level, and sporadically as a team in New Zealand and India, would now have to put it all together for a major team effort in Galle and Colombo despite the heat, which is a worry.”I think we have a good chance this year – other than the two Test series in India and New Zealand – for various reasons. We had good performances in those conditions, but here, we stand a good chance if we execute our plans.”Skill-wise, both teams match really well. Home advantage for Sri Lanka is a huge factor. It is totally different to any other Test country. Heat is a huge factor, for concentration and building pressure. That’s the only thing that I am bit concerned about, but we are going to be very competitive.”

Green “definitely” thought he caught it, while Mohammed Shami and Alex Carey also stand on opposing sides of the raging debate

Osman Samiuddin10-Jun-20231:37

Was Green’s catch to dismiss Gill clean?

Fifteen minutes after the close of play, Shubman Gill took to social media to question the decision that led to his dismissal on the fourth day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at The Oval.Tweeting a front-on angle photograph of Cameron Green taking the catch down to his left at gully, Gill captioned it with two magnifying glass emojis followed by a facepalm emoji. That sentiment was echoed somewhat by Mohammed Shami later, who suggested the occasion of this final warranted more rigour in the decision-making.Gill was on 18 as India began their pursuit of 444 when he edged Scott Boland low to Green’s left. Green – who said he thought the catch was clean – celebrated immediately but Gill did not walk off immediately. The on-field umpires went up to the TV umpire Richard Kettleborough, with a new protocol in place now without giving a soft signal. The need for a soft signal in these kinds of decisions was scrapped recently by the ICC’s cricket committee and this was the first occasion the protocol was required.After viewing a number of replays from different angles and zooming in, Kettleborough gave the decision as out, much to the visible disappointment of both Gill and his partner, captain Rohit Sharma, as well as the thousands of Indian fans at the ground. The entire process took less than three minutes. “Yes, definitely, more time could have been taken [to verify if it was a clean catch] because it is a World Test Championship final and not just a normal match,” Shami said later. “You could have checked more and zoomed in more. But it’s okay, it’s part of the game.” That was a sentiment – that it is part of the game – that Shami would repeat later.It was Green’s second outstanding grab of the Test, after the spectacular one he took stretching to his right at gully to dismiss Ajinkya Rahane in the first innings, though he did also drop a far simpler chance earlier in the game. “At the time I definitely thought I caught it,” Green said of the Gill catch. “I think in the heat of the moment I thought it was clean. It was left up to the third umpire and he agreed.”Related

• Rahul Dravid rues India's first-day no-show with the ball

• Gill caught by Green: clean or not?

• Report: Kohli, Rahane keep India alive in hunt of 444

The Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey, one of the players close enough to the catch, also thought the correct decision had been made. “It looked good from where I was,” Carey told BBC’s Test Match Special. “I thought he caught it fair and square. He was pretty happy with it, so yeah, the right decision was made.”Green was the recipient of boos from a sizeable and vociferous crowd of India supporters through the rest of the day, as well as chants of “cheat” each time he was involved with the action. It didn’t, however, seem to faze him. “Obviously, the Indian crowd are so passionate and obviously one of their favourite guys Shubman Gill got out and I think that’s what they were all kind of looking forward to watching, so it is what it is and we move on,” Green said.Only time will tell whether Gill faces any consequences for his tweet. Clause 2.7 of the ICC’s code of conduct is clear that social media posts come within the jurisdiction of what constitutes a breach of the code.

“For the avoidance of doubt, any posting by a Player or Player Support Personnel of comments on a social media platform (including, without limitation, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn) shall be deemed to be ‘public’ for the purposes of this offence. Consequently, a Player or Player Support Personnel may breach Article 2.7 where they criticise or make an inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in an International Match or any Player, Player Support Personnel, Match Official or team participating in any International Match in any posting they make on a social media platform.”

Nottinghamshire were left frustrated by the pitch at Bristol after Gloucestershire batted out the final day for the loss of just four wickets

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Bristol12-Jun-2017
ScorecardAfter 11-and-a-half sessions and 374 overs of cricket, Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire had only managed two-and-a-half innings. Just 23 wickets fell on a pitch that, in the words of Nottinghamshire assistant coach Paul Franks, “makes a mockery of what good cricket should be about”. It was hard not to agree with his sentiment, or his disappointment.Nottinghamshire were undoubtedly the better side over the course of four days, of that there was no question. But Gloucestershire, too, fought to bring quality to the game. Both were hamstrung by a pitch that offered no carry through to the keeper, no pace on to the bat and little off the straight. It asked a lot of bowler, batsman and spectator. Such surfaces do more damage to the County Championship than any city-based Twenty20 competition might.In the end, the hosts were able to negotiate a draw with relative ease, even if things looked precarious when they lost Cameron Bancroft to the second ball of their second innings and were then reduced to 35 for 3 four overs into the final day. Franks, though, expected nothing less after Notts had beaten Gloucestershire by an innings and 50 runs at Trent Bridge a fortnight ago.”We knew before we got here [what to expect from the pitch],” he said. “Let’s not kid ourselves. No matter what anybody says about it, after having beaten them comprehensively on a pitch which had some pace, carry and bounce, we didn’t expect to come here and see a pitch that did the same.”It makes a mockery of what good cricket should be about. That’s just my personal opinion. I feel very strongly about it. It’s not a criticism about anyone in particular – it’s a criticism and an observation of having been in the game for over 20 years. You look at the way the wickets had fallen during the game. The pitch dictated terms. That’s a shame. It should be the players that are allowed to perform on that surface. And that wasn’t a surface suitable for a good-quality game.”It was just as bad for Gloucestershire’s attack, who deserve credit for showing up for work if this is what greets them each morning. With that in mind, it was worth singling out Craig Miles for his 29 overs in Nottinghamshire’s first innings that produced an array of half-chances which, on a more conducive pitch, might have better rewarded him than his eventual figures of 2 for 88.”The frustrating thing for me is that when the ball is not carrying to the wicketkeeper, that cannot be an acceptable situation for four-day cricket to be played,” Franks said. “Four-day cricket should be a game of skill, where seam bowlers and spin bowlers are in play and batsmen can score runs. If you bowl well then all good. If you don’t bowl well, you’ll get scored off.”That’s the way four-day cricket should be played. But this wasn’t even a good pitch for batting: 80 runs a session on average, two wickets a session on average. It’s there for everybody to see. It’s a little bit raw for us in the dressing room at the minute. But if these are the things we have to face, we have to find a way to be better, game on game.”It was unclear whether the pitch will be reported – although the whispers were that it was deemed unsatisfactory. The weather leading up to this fixture meant preparation time was limited. Nevertheless, cricket was not the winner.With Kent drawing and Worcestershire suffering defeat at the hands of Glamorgan, Nottinghamshire were looking to extend their lead at the top of Division Two, looking for nine more wickets for a valuable win. Within 10 minutes they had two of them. Harry Gurney, operating around the wicket to right-handers, trapped both Will Tavare and Gareth Roderick in front. Roderick was the wicket that stood out: any repeat of his first innings vigilance of 215-balls would take Gloucestershire closer to the draw they craved.While he could only see out eight balls this time, Chris Dent took the mantle of frustrater-in-chief. His, though, was not an innings of full-blooded defiance: classy shots through extra cover and point ensured he reached his half-century from 115-balls, as the hosts went into lunch on 100 for 3, trailing by 132.He continued on his merry way after lunch, prompting Chris Read, no more than 25-minutes into the second session, to turn to Riki Wessels, who has just one County Championship wicket to his name (Sussex’s Luke Wells, caught and bowled in 2012). It was Wessel’s first bowl since 2013 and perhaps had the desired effect. While his two overs offered little beyond novelty, it might have drawn Dent into a bit of carelessness. Brett Hutton replaced Gurney at the Pavilion End and, third ball of his new spell, tempted Dent to play a grim shot across the line and strike him in front for 71.Graeme van Buuren was keen not to let a golden opportunity to put on a score pass him by. Learning from Dent’s misjudgement, he played correctly all the way through, bringing up his half-century from 170-balls with his fifth boundary – a back-foot punch through cover. The most outlandish shot he played was a threaded two through a busy leg-side field. There was time for Cheteshwar Pujara to turn his arm over as Read called on an eighth bowler. To describe what he sent down as legspin would be meeting him more than half-way.And so Read continued: when he took the second new ball after 80 overs and gave it to Luke Fletcher, it was the 17th bowling change he had made in the day. That brought the final wicket to fall: Phil Mustard slashing to Jake Libby at point, at the start of the 83rd over. Other than a handful of near-misses – lbw appeals, the odd outside edge beaten – there was little else to play for. Even van Buuren, patient for 242 balls and 88 runs, was more than happy to shake hands within sight of an 11th first-class century.The only real moment of note was when Gurney and Fletcher were substituted off the field for James Pattinson and Stuart Broad. It might have been a different game had they been on from the start. Both had a little jog and a bowl before the start of play ahead of the Royal London One-Day Cup knockout match against Somerset, just down the road at Taunton. They go there frustrated with “just” an 11-point lead at the top of Division Two.

South Australia captain says Sheffield Shield final is the priority but he would be keen to play county cricket if an opportunity arose

Alex Malcolm07-Mar-2025Nathan McSweeney would grab the opportunity to play county cricket if a chance arose as he pushes to try and win back a spot in Australia’s side with one of the opening slots still to be locked in for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June.McSweeney, 25, began the summer debuting as Australia’s Test opener at the the start of the Border-Gavaskar series but was dropped after three Tests for Sam Konstas having run aground against Jasprit Bumrah, scoring just 72 runs in six innings.He was taken on the tour of Sri Lanka but ran the drinks as the spare batter ahead of Konstas who was also left out and sent home to play in the Sheffield Shield with Travis Head moving up to open and Josh Inglis sliding into the middle-order.Related

• Green unlikely to play Shield cricket before county stint

• O'Neill, Boland share nine as McSweeney shines in Junction arm wrestle

• Neser's six-wicket burst leaves Queensland in command

Head will move back to No. 5 for the WTC final leaving a vacancy at the top of the order but Cameron Green’s impending return as batter means Australia’s selectors have a challenge in finding room for him while also finding an opener to partner Usman Khawaja.McSweeney made a gritty 60 off 199 balls for South Australia against a Victoria attack featuring Scott Boland, who took four wickets on a green pitch at the Junction Oval on Friday. Speaking at the end of play, McSweeney was asked whether he felt like the opening spot in the WTC final was a way back into the Test team.”I don’t know,” he said. “All I can do is make runs and get back to being a consistent run-scorer which is what got me the opportunity in the first place. So wherever my spot is, if the opportunity comes I’m happy to bat wherever. And I think my game is suited to that. All I can focus on now is trying to punch out some runs. Hopefully that means South Australia in a Shield final,”He will get a second innings in this game before South Australia host Queensland in the final round of the season. That game and a possible final will be his only playing opportunities before the WTC final unless an opportunity in England presented itself.Nathan McSweeney was dropped after three Tests against India•Getty Images

“I’d love to get over and play some county cricket but at this stage I’m just staying in Adelaide,” McSweeney said. “I haven’t looked too much past the next couple of weeks for us. It’s massive for South Australia. So hopefully we can nail the end of this game and the next couple of weeks leading into hopefully a Shield final. But post that I’d love to head overseas and keep working on my game.”McSweeney’s 60 was a welcome return to some run-scoring form. It was just his third first-class innings since being dropped from the Test side in mid-December having scored 20 and 7 in South Australia’s last game against Tasmania. But he had also registered scores of 28, 8 and 7 in South Australia’s final three 50-over games in the Dean Jones Trophy, which they won in emphatic style thanks in part to his role with the ball in the final.”It was nice to spend some time middle,” McSweeney said. “It’s been a little bit of a stop start season for me, I guess, and I haven’t played heaps of cricket. Not the score I would have liked. But it’s nice to spend some time out there and face plenty of balls and hopefully I can get make use of that in the second innings and really come out and hopefully score a bit more freely.”The selectors were pleased with what he showed technically and temperamentally in his first three Test matches but there were concerns over his scoring limitations, which ultimately was the reason why they opted to omit him. His innings at the Junction Oval perfectly incapsulated both the positives and the negatives of his game.He showed outstanding defensive skill and decision-making to withstand Test-quality spells from Boland but struggled to rotate the strike, particularly in the evening session on day one when he was 9 off 52 balls and the morning session on day two. He got busier and more proactive as the innings wore on before nicking a good delivery from Victoria seamer Fergus O’Neill who also probed with unerring accuracy all innings to claim five wickets.McSweeney’s brief taste of Test cricket has shown him that he needs to keep trusting the foundations of his game but add some different scoring options.”A little bit of both,” McSweeney said. “I think I know a method that works in Shield cricket for me, but you’re also trying to keep learning, keep getting better. And from my experiences in Test cricket, there’s definitely some learnings to try and add and scenarios where I can tinker with my game to hopefully be better for it.”I think it’s also important to know what worked for me leading into that and what makes me a good player. So it’s been an enjoyable last couple of months, a challenging one, no doubt, but I definitely like to think I’m better for it.”McSweeney confirmed that in-form wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey would return to South Australia’s line-up for the Shield final if they get there but confirmed that Head would be unavailable due to IPL duties.

Moeen Ali has said that the security arrangements that dominated England’s planning ahead of their tour of Bangladesh never crossed his mind during their opening practice match

Mohammad Isam05-Oct-2016Moeen Ali has said that the security arrangements that dominated England’s planning ahead of their tour of Bangladesh never crossed his mind during their opening practice match against a BCB Select XI in Fatullah on Tuesday.”I didn’t think about it once. No one mentioned it and I can’t remember thinking about it,” he said on Wednesday, as the England players took a day-off from training.Moeen was speaking at the team hotel, which has been given several layers of extra security because of the presence of the England contingent. On their way to Fatullah, they were accorded VVIP security so that their long convoy could cut through Dhaka traffic at morning rush hour. There was no need for the fleet of vehicles to stop at any crossing or roundabout in the busy Bangladesh capital.The convoy flowed at one speed, before reaching the destination which was 25 kms south of their hotel. A typical ride takes about 90 minutes but this one took half the time.While the match was going on in Fatullah, the security agencies held their final rehearsal at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, where the first two ODIs and the second Test will be held. The forces involved in maintaining security in this series include the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, SWAT, Special Branch, Detective Branch, Rapid Action Battalion and the Bomb Disposal Unit.The Mirpur venue is now under full CCTV coverage. During the first ODI, there will be body checks at the main gate and at the gallery gate. When the England team’s convoy nears the stadium, at least 1 km is blockaded, and only those on foot can go through. The stadium perimeter wall has been raised too. All the shops in the stadium will be closed on the eve of the match and each shop owner has to sign a bond that declares that their shops don’t contain anything harmful.This is what the Bangladesh government, in conjunction with the BCB, assured Reg Dickason, the ECB’s security advisor, in mid-August. Based on this, Dickason and the ECB sanctioned the tour.Although England’s assistant coach Paul Farbrace had said that the security in Bangladesh isn’t as “in your face” as it was for him in Pakistan, the level provided this time is unprecedented, certainly for Bangladesh.And it must be doing a good job if Moeen didn’t notice it in Fatullah where fans had to go through two walk-through scanners to watch them play. He said that he was happy with the measures taken during this tour.”I’m pretty laid back about it. My theory’s a bit different. I think you’re probably not safe anywhere, if you’re meant to go you’re meant to go.”It doesn’t mean I’m going to go out but so far it’s been the best we’ve ever had in terms of security, and I think any other country would do well to beat it,” he said.A helicopter patrols above the stadium in Dhaka•Getty Images

Moeen said that if the security provided during the Bangladesh Premier League is up to the mark, the English cricketers should not feel unsafe although the PCA has, earlier this week, warned them against participating in the Bangladesh Premier League on security grounds.”It’s up to the guys. I know the PCA have sent emails and stuff around to the guys. I don’t see why they shouldn’t go. If the security’s fine and the guys are happy then they should come. It probably won’t be as tight as this but they would have good security still,” he said.Moeen has been in Bangladesh before, playing for Mohammedan Sporting Club in the 2010-11 Dhaka Premier League and later in the 2013 BPL for Duronto Rajshahi. He said that he understood what it would mean to people in this country when England arrive for their tour.”I know the people here. They are very nice, and generous. I’ve always got looked after here. I’ve got a lot of friends here. I thought it was important for us to come out. It’s a great experience playing out here.”

With Steven Smith injured, David Warner resting and home advantage on their side, New Zealand will be keen to set the record straight after losing 0-3 to Australia in December

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale29-Jan-2017

Match facts

Monday, January 30, 2017
Start time 1100 local (2200 GMT)

Big Picture

After nearly six years without a standalone Chappell-Hadlee series, Australia and New Zealand are about to embark on their third in 12 months. Last February, New Zealand won at home. In December, Australia swept their own home series 3-0. And now, they are in New Zealand to defend the trophy two months later. It is all a bit of a whirlwind, for Australia in particular. On Thursday, they were in Adelaide wrapping up a one-day series win against Pakistan. On Monday they will play New Zealand in Auckland. And straight after this series, several of their squad members head off for a Test tour of India.Amid such a hectic schedule, it is perhaps not surprising that the selectors chose to rest the vice-captain David Warner, who they hope will be a key player in India and who has not missed an international in any format since the middle of last year. But an ankle injury suffered by captain Steven Smith in the Adelaide ODI last week threw a spanner into Australia’s plans, forcing the hasty appointment of a stand-in skipper for these three games in New Zealand. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade was given the honour, and will lead a squad that is at least full strength in the bowling department if not in the batting order.New Zealand will see this series as a prime opportunity to regain the trophy, given the absence of Australia’s two best batsmen. Warner in particular has been in breathtaking ODI form of late, his six hundreds in the format this summer – including two against New Zealand – propelling him to the No.1 batting ranking. Kane Williamson’s men were disappointing in the series in Australia in December – the margins of 68 runs, 116 runs and 117 runs indicate just how disappointing – but on their home turf they will be a much greater threat.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


New Zealand: WWWLL
Australia: WWWLW

In the spotlight

Luke Ronchi’s adductor injury meant a wicketkeeping question mark for New Zealand. The uncapped Tom Blundell is in the squad, but New Zealand have instead opted to hand the gloves in the first game to Tom Latham. To prepare for the role, Latham kept wicket during a Ford Trophy game on Saturday and completed two stumpings. Latham has previously kept wicket for New Zealand in three ODIs and four T20s, though he has not done so since 2013.Australia are coming off a record opening partnership in their previous ODI, the 284-run stand between Warner and Travis Head against Pakistan. But a different opening pair will take the field in Auckland. Head might get the job again, but it is also possible that Australia will turn to Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh, whose 246-run partnership against Scotland in 2013 made them the previous record-holders. Finch is keen to make himself a first-choice ODI player again after a lean patch led to his axing, while Marsh will be happy to be back in the national setup in any format for the first time in nearly three months, after recovering from a finger injury.

Team news

Ross Taylor returns to the ODI side having missed New Zealand’s two series in December due to eye surgery. By giving Latham the wicketkeeping duties, the selectors have also opened up another middle-order spot that could either go to a specialist batsman or an allrounder.New Zealand (possible) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Neil Broom, 6 Colin Munro, 7 James Neesham, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry/Lockie Ferguson, 11 Trent Boult.The absence of Smith and Warner will mean a minimum of two changes to Australia’s XI from the side that beat Pakistan on Thursday. Whether or not Head opens again after his hundred in that match remains to be seen.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Peter Handscomb, 4 Travis Head, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Matthew Wade (capt & wk), 7 James Faulkner, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Pitch and conditions

Eden Park’s tiny boundaries often tempt batsmen, though as the low-scoring thriller between these sides during the 2015 World Cup showed, that does not necessarily equate to high totals. The forecast for Monday in Auckland is for a fine day and a top of 24C.

Stats and trivia

• Wade will be the third wicketkeeper to captain Australia in ODIs; Adam Gilchrist led the team in 17 matches and Ian Healy stood in as captain eight times
• New Zealand have won their past four ODIs at Eden Park, and two of those were against Australia
• It is nearly four years since Australia have played an ODI without Smith, Warner and George Bailey – the last time was against West Indies at the MCG in February 2013

Quotes

“We know we weren’t at our best. We probably didn’t have the resources that we’ve got available now.”
“Steven and David have put their stamp on the team; it’s just about me keeping driving those messages through to the players. We’ve performed really well in one-day cricket over a period of time, so it’s not about trying to change too much, it’s about keeping the ball rolling.”

Eyes have frequently been looking skywards in this tournament. However, there will also be a few glancing downwards to the pitch for a crucial contest

Andrew McGlashan in Cardiff08-Jun-2017Eyes have frequently been looking skywards in this tournament – and will continue to do so on Friday in Cardiff although, and whisper it quietly, the rain is meant to largely stay away. However, there will also be a few glancing downwards to the surface rolled out for a match that will keep one team on tenterhooks for another 24 hours.It will be a new pitch used for the New Zealand-Bangladesh match and one that has spent considerable time covered in the last 24 hours, after more heavy rain swept through Cardiff. New Zealand, who took Wednesday off while Bangladesh trained in the sunshine, have not had a close look at the strip since the end of the game against England.The ‘Cardiff ridge’, which England located consistently in the second innings of that match, made a few New Zealand players jolt upright – not least Ross Taylor, who saw a back-of-a-length ball smash into his grille – although it should be added that the excellence of England’s bowling earned them the right to exploit any changes to the surface. It was certainly not a minefield and, in a format so dominated by the bat, the sudden sight of some help for the bowlers should not be greeted by alarm.”You don’t really prepare for the balls to kind of hold up a bit like they did,” Trent Boult said. “Definitely, from our innings, it was a bit of a surprise in terms of we didn’t really get that result out of the wicket. But whether it was due to a bit of rain or simply the wicket dried out, we’re not sure. But I’m presuming it’s going to be a decent surface prepared, and a few runs made.”Hugh Morris, the Glamorgan chief executive, sought to temper any criticism of the previous surface with a reminder that, before New Zealand’s final collapse of 8 for 65, the bat had dominated for both teams”I thought it played really well,” Morris told the BBC. “England got 310 and were probably hoping to get 330, which on any ground is a competitive total.”When New Zealand were 158 for 2, ahead of the required rate and ahead of the [DLS method], they probably thought they were on course for a victory.”The rain the day before was torrential and the ground staff did magnificently well to make sure the pitch and outfield was in good condition to start on time and get a whole day’s play in.”New Zealand’s attack has threatened in this tournament, but has struggled to swing the ball prodigiously•Getty Images

On the eve of this match, the groundstaff have again had to battle the elements. Torrential rain fell during the morning and heavy showers later in the afternoon, with Bangladesh briefly taking advantage of a dry interlude to train in the middle for a couple of hours. The surface remained covered, even though Mashrafe Mortaza was able to grab a glance. He reported a good covering of grass although it was due to be cut again before the match.The pitch will be a fresh one, but New Zealand hope to be able to take some lessons from the England match. “I guess it’s a bit of an advantage, but I’m sure the Bangladeshis have done their homework, and no doubt would have watched what went down the other day,” Boult said. “But on a new surface, it’s going to be interesting to see if it plays anything like the other one did.”A feature of the previous match, as throughout the tournament, was a lack of significant new-ball swing. Though New Zealand managed to bowl England out with three balls of the innings unused, the coach Mike Hesson said he did not feel his side were ever really in control of the innings, due to the run rate, and that the bowlers needed to find ways of taking wickets before partnerships developed and opposition batsmen took greater liberties.”Not just myself, but the rest of the bowlers on our side, the swing bowlers generally like to exploit anything out of the air or off the seam,” Boult said. “But when it’s not seaming and it’s not swinging, obviously we need to look at different measures.”I don’t think it’s a technical thing from my point of view or from any of the bowlers but, looking across the tournament, no one’s really swung the ball as we have seen in the past, for example the World Cup a couple years ago.”It is a bit disappointing. You would like to see the ball banana-ing around, especially at the top of the innings. I’m not too sure what you can put it down to. It’s one of those things and it’s a good challenge to test your waters and see how you can get wickets in other ways.”Another factor New Zealand are aware of is the need to get through their overs at a swifter rate. Kane Williamson narrowly avoided a ban after the England match when New Zealand were ruled two overs short, so it only classed as a ‘minor’ offence instead of the ‘major’ one which led to Upul Tharanga being banned for two matches.”It’s up to the players to hustle through the overs. I’m not too sure what the allowances are with wickets,” said Boult. “And you seem to have to walk about 2km to get out to the ground from the changing room; so whether that has anything to do with it.”But to be as slow as we were the other day was a bit disappointing, it’s something that we need to address because, come the crunch time in the tournament when you are under pressure and you’re running out of time, it’s just going to make it harder.”That crunch time has come now.

The Netherlands batter backs the side to move forward and learn from the defeat against Sri Lanka ‘as quickly as possible’

Shashank Kishore21-Oct-20237:49

Maharoof: The new-ball spell of Madushanka and Rajitha set up the win

If this was the Netherlands of 2007, or perhaps even 2011, Sybrand Engelbrecht may have soaked in the satisfaction of notching up an important personal milestone – a maiden ODI half-century – in a World Cup fixture. But the class of 2023 thinks differently.Three nights after stunning South Africa in a sensational defence in Dharamsala, Netherlands appeared to have gone cold early on against Sri Lanka in Lucknow. Feet weren’t moving, wickets kept tumbling, the scoreboard appeared stalled and there was a sense of hopelessness to proceedings at 91 for 6. Teams of the past may have unravelled. This Netherlands team didn’t.Related

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Engelbrecht and Logan van Beek hit sprightly half-centuries in a 130-run stand that brought them back into the game and gave their bowlers a score to defend. It wasn’t to be, though, despite the best efforts of their spinners who had combined figures of 4 for 125 off 28.1 overs in a defence of 263; Aryan Dutt was particularly impressive with his offspin that brought him 3 for 44.”I must admit it’s still a bitter pill to swallow,” Engelbrecht said after Netherlands’ six-wicket loss to Sri Lanka in which he made 79. “Getting 260-odd after that start we thought it was a very competitive score. Maybe the pitch got a little bit better, but I thought they controlled the innings really well. And we just didn’t quite pitch up today with the ball, unfortunately. So, yeah, not the ideal result for us, but we’ll move forward and we’ll try and be better and learn from this as quickly as possible.”Engelbrecht was particularly effusive in his praise for van Beek, who struck his maiden half-century (59) on Saturday. His enterprise during their partnership helped take the pressure off Engelbrecht, who was the more industrious of the two.”I think a lot of credit needs to go to Logan, I thought he batted brilliantly, and we just tried take it as deep as possible,” he said. “We just told ourselves, if we can get to the last ten overs with six down, we’re giving ourselves a good chance.”So, for us, it really wasn’t necessarily about trying to accumulate runs. It was just about making sure that we got into positive positions and pick up the runs when we could. But to try and lay a bit of a foundation for us to start scoring a little bit more freely to the back end, which we managed to do. So, happy with the partnership.”Would they have taken 262 after all that?”At the halfway stage we thought we had a decent score,” Engelbrecht said. “I don’t think we would have taken it necessarily. I think, you know, the pitch definitely got better as the day went on, but I mean, I spoke to Max [O’Dowd] about it as well, and there was still consistently something in the pitch if we bowled the right areas. And I just thought we didn’t string enough good balls together for long enough to put the Sri Lanka team under pressure.”In recent times, Sri Lanka have been a bit of a bogey team for the Netherlands. Twice at the World Cup Qualifiers in June, they fell short, including in the final. In both games, Netherlands were more than in with a shout at the halfway mark but collapsed at the first sign of spin. Which is why their revival on Saturday feels like a vindication of the work they’ve put in behind the scenes, including a long pre-World Cup camp in Bengaluru to acclimatise to different surfaces and conditions.Sybrand Engelbrecht brought up his first ODI half-century•AFP/Getty Images

“We were very confident in the growth that we’ve shown as a team over the last 6-12 months,” Engelbrecht said. “We’re a better team now than we were when we played them at the Qualifier and we thought that if we stick to our processes, if we implement our plans and execute well for long enough, we stood a really good chance. And I think there were periods in the game that you could definitely see that. So, credit goes to them. They played well. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t string it together for long enough.”At a personal level, Engelbrecht has had to grapple with challenges, like several others in the team, of working a day job and balancing cricket on the sidelines. In the highest level of club cricket back in Netherlands, Engelbrecht has been a heavy scorer for Voorburg Cricket Club, who he helped steer to three straight finals.Engelbrecht said he hadn’t made too many adjustments to his game coming into the World Cup. It’s understandable too, considering he didn’t think he even stood a chance of playing in the tournament and only came into the system after the Qualifiers in June-July.”I haven’t made a lot of adjustments,” he said. “I’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible. I think when you do make the step up from club cricket in the Netherlands, you could maybe sometimes think, ‘oh wow, I need to do so much more, you know, things differently.'”But the reality is, in our changing room we’ve got really good cricketers and we just need to back ourselves and our processes and stick to our plans. So, nothing really changed, it’s just trying to be as clear as possible and to watch the ball as closely as possible. So, I’m happy that it came off for me personally today, but as I said, we’ve got really, really good cricketers in our changing room and it will show as we go along.”

ICC chief executive David Richardson stated that until the laws of the game are amended, the practice of charging players when evidence shows a breach will continue

Firdose Moonda25-Nov-20162:03

David Richardson: “Unless the Laws are changed, the current practice of charging players when the evidence shows an obvious breach will continue”

The ICC has said it does not agree with Cricket South Africa’s assertion that law 42.3 is unclear in its definition of what constitutes an artificial substance and is “disappointed” with Faf du Plessis’ decision to appeal his guilty verdict for ball-tampering. Although the ICC cannot comment about the matter in detail until the appeal is heard, CEO David Richardson addressed the media in Adelaide and emphasised his organisation’s understanding of the fair- and unfair-play laws.”These state that a player should not use artificial substances to shine the ball,” Richardson’s statement read. “The ICC understands that to include, but is not limited to, sunscreen, lip ice and residue from sweets.”He confirmed that the ICC “does not wish to prevent players from using these substances for legitimate purposes. However, any deliberate attempt to apply such substances to the ball, as was the case here, will not be acceptable.”Richardson did not rule out the possibility that the law could be changed, but stressed that until such an amendment, the laws in their current form will be applied. “This will continue to be reported and the ICC confirms that unless the Laws are changed, the current practice of charging players when the evidence shows an obvious breach will continue. ICC Umpires will remind all teams of the Laws as they stand.”While CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said he hoped to engage with the ICC at their next cricket committee meeting in May – and said it was due for discussion even before the du Plessis incident – Richardson confirmed it could be put on the agenda in light of the recent saga. “I think he (Lorgat) jumped the gun in saying it’s on the agenda. But I think that in light of this incident and of other comments being made by players around the world, I think it’s fair to say it should be discussed by the cricket committee going forward.”Any discussions would be part of what Richardson called a “two-stage process”, the first of which would concentrate on the appeal. A date has not been set but the ICC said the appeal would be heard at “the earliest convenience”. Although the ICC recognised du Plessis’ right to appeal, Richardson maintained that CSA’s conduct, in particular the press conference at the MCG when Hashim Amla stood with the entire squad alongside him and dismissed the allegations against du Plessis, was disrespecting the process.”I think it’s fair to say I’m disappointed that they don’t respect that the laws are there. They are there and the process is not necessarily respected. I was disappointed in the initial sort of comment that this is a joke – that kind of comment,” he said. “But full marks to them, subsequent to that they’ve acknowledged we attend the hearing, go through the process and follow it. So perhaps that initial reaction I thought was uncalled for but subsequently it’s within their rights.”David Richardson on the decision against Faf du Plessis: “These decisions are not taken lightly because it was just so obvious under the current laws that we thought we had to report him.”•Getty Images

Richardson did not read too much into the role broadcaster’s play in bringing transgressions of this law to light, comparing it to instances when the stump microphones pick up players bringing the game into disrepute. “I don’t think the players – or we – should be too worried or concerned about that (the broadcasters). It’s a similar argument when it comes to bad language used around the stump microphones. If you’re going to use bad language and somehow it is picked up by somebody – you’ve got to live with it. So decide what kind of behaviour you want to show and behave accordingly,” he said.And, because it is not easy to monitor which artificial substances are being used, Richardson maintained that if someone is caught, they will be punished.”This has always been an issue that’s been quite difficult to police,” he said. “Even before we spoke about using mints and sweets, lip ice – and we’ve been using lip ice and sunscreen on our faces for years – we understand that inadvertently in shining the ball there’s a potential for it to get onto the ball. And for that reason we’re not going to go around wildly accusing players of cheating and using the lip ice, sunscreen or sweets. We’ve taken the approach that we will only really charge someone if it’s obviously being done for that particular purpose.”There’s two examples in the past. One was Rahul Dravid where he actually took the sweet and rubbed it on the ball, you probably couldn’t get more obvious than that. And in our opinion this instance. So if anyone does something similar we will hopefully get to see it, treat it in exactly the same way we’ve treated Faf in this case. These decisions are not taken lightly because it was just so obvious under the current laws that we thought we had to report him.”Asked what he thought about Steven Smith’s acknowledgment that all players shine the ball the same way, Richardson distanced himself. “I’m not sure he exactly went that far as to say the same way he was talking about shining the ball.”He moved even further away when asked to respond to Lorgat’s comment that Richardson himself was part of the South African brigade that shined the ball.”I thought that comment was probably inappropriate but I can speak for myself and I can confirm I never – probably because I was the wicketkeeper and had no real need to shine the ball in any way, but I can confirm I never used – and I used lip-ice and sunscreen religiously for 30 years – and never put it on the ball.”

Seam-bowling allrounder who played more than 250 games for England, retires from professional cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2022Jenny Gunn, the seam-bowling allrounder who played more than 250 games for England, has retired from professional cricket at the age of 36.Gunn retired from international cricket in 2019 after a 15-year England career and had initially intended to stop playing shortly after, but was convinced to play for Northern Diamonds in the inaugural Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy by her former team-mate Dani Hazell – Diamonds’ head coach – the following summer.She spent the next two seasons representing Diamonds and was ever present for Northern Superchargers in the 2022 edition of the Hundred, where she had acted as Hazell’s assistant coach the previous summer.Related

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Diamonds announced Gunn’s retirement on Wednesday afternoon. James Carr, their director of cricket, said: “Before I knew Jenny personally, I had huge admiration for the international career that she had.”It’s been a huge privilege for us all to work with her and learn from her. She’s produced on and off the field, and she’s been one hell of an asset for us.”Meanwhile, Diamonds will also be without Linsey Smith, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder who has played nine T20Is for England, in 2023 after she signed a contract with Southern Vipers.Smith, 27, was a key part of Diamonds’ Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy success last year, taking 2 for 24 in her 10 overs in a tense two-run win over Vipers in the final at Lord’s, but has opted to move south.”Linsey’s one hell of a competitor,” Carr said. “She’s an absolute firecracker who can carry people with her. She’s developed her batting to be an allrounder and, with the ball, almost single-handedly dismantled the Southern Vipers’ batting during the last two weeks of the summer. We’re sad to see her go, but what a way to go.”Smith was part of the Vipers side that won the inaugural Kia Super League in 2016 before moving to Loughborough Lightning and then Diamonds. Adam Carty, Vipers’ director of cricket, said: “It’s great to have her back at the team she started her career with.”Linsey has proven to be a tough and highly respected opponent in recent seasons, and in her we’ve got an experienced, proven performer who offers plenty with bat and ball whilst being a fine inner ring fielder.”