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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.”

Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has been ruled out of the remainder of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka with an injury to his lower back

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2016Fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile has been ruled out of the remainder of Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka with an injury to his lower back. Australia have named a 13-man squad for the two T20s that round out the tour, with wicketkeeper Peter Nevill retaining his place and allrounder Glenn Maxwell and batsman Chris Lynn set to join the group.But Coulter-Nile, who played in all four of Australia’s matches at the World T20 in India earlier this year, will not be part of the series and will instead fly home to have his injury assessed. Coulter-Nile has been in Sri Lanka since the start of the tour as part of the Test and ODI squads but has not played a match.”Nathan had been experiencing a gradual increase in lower back pain which is now preventing him from bowling at match intensity,” Australia’s physiotherapist David Beakley said. “He will now return to Perth for further investigation which will determine the extent of the injury and possible return to play timelines.”Coulter-Nile will not officially be replaced in the ODI squad for the remaining three matches, with the selectors comfortable that enough cover is already present. Scott Boland and John Hastings, who are in the T20 squad, have arrived in Sri Lanka early and are travelling with the ODI team and could be called on if fast-bowling cover is needed.Maxwell, who was dropped from the ODI squad due to disappointing batting form, will get a chance to impress in the two T20s alongside Lynn, who has played five T20s for his country.”Both Chris and Glenn are dynamic players who are both capable of winning a game from their own bat and they also bring that x-factor in the field,” national selector Rod Marsh said.Matthew Wade had been Australia’s preferred gloveman in the T20 format until the selectors sprung a surprise by installing Test wicketkeeper Nevill for the World T20 in India earlier this year. Wade remains the incumbent ODI keeper, and scored a career-best 76 in the second ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Wednesday, but Nevill remains the choice for T20s.”Peter is the incumbent wicket-keeper in the T20 side and had a very good World T20 for Australia, the panel wanted to keep that consistency heading into these two matches,” Marsh said.Australia play Sri Lanka in two T20s in Pallekele and Colombo on September 6 and 9. David Warner will captain the side in the absence of Steven Smith, who is flying home to rest ahead of the upcoming tour of South Africa and a busy home summer.Squad David Warner (capt), Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Moises Henriques, Peter Nevill (wk), James Faulkner, John Hastings, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Scott Boland.

Brendon McCullum offered no excuses for his side’s loss in Adelaide despite being at the receiving end of a contentious call involving Nathan Lyon. Instead, he chose to harp on the positives

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide29-Nov-2015In the chorus of happy voices singing the praises of this Test, it was a shame that one jarring note marred such an enthralling contest between Australia and New Zealand.While Test cricket may have taken a giant leap in its evolution with the introduction of the pink ball and day-night cricket, the evolution of technology and it’s use by officials continued to cause controversy.The pivotal moment of this match hinged on third umpire Nigel Llong’s decision to uphold the on-field umpire’s call of not out when Nathan Lyon appeared to have grazed a Mitchell Santner delivery. While New Zealand made no excuses for their failure to recover quickly from that point, Brendon McCullum acknowledged it was critical to the way the session – and, subsequently, the match – played out.”At the time it was incredibly frustrating,” McCullum admitted. “It definitely had a bearing on the game, you hope when mistakes are made, they don’t have a major bearing on the game but none of us are naïve enough to overlook the fact it did in this instance.”At the same time, to Australia’s credit, they seized that opportunity, they were able to put on two very strong partnerships which gave them a short lead but more importantly time out of the game in terms of us having to bat under lights. It had a bearing but at the end we had an opportunity and weren’t good enough to take it.”Compounding New Zealand’s frustration was the fact that while Llong was in the process of making his decision, Lyon had – after seeing the replay on the big screen – walked half way back to the race, clearly anticipating the decision was about to be overturned. McCullum said it wasn’t his place to point that out to the umpires at the time.”I didn’t make the point,” McCullum said. “Officials are there to make those decisions and it’s not up the captain out on the field to coerce someone into it. Everyone saw it and everyone knows what happened and we’re all of the same opinion. But we should focus on the fact that this Test was a roaring success and a hard fought game. There were frustrations but we’re not going to blame that. That’s not our mentality as a side.”Instead, McCullum’s mentality was to draw positives from a series he desperately wanted to win, or at least not lose. This is the first time New Zealand have lost a series since June 2013 and they will now aim to start a new streak with victory at home to Sri Lanka in December and keep it running when they host Australia for a two-match series in February.Brendon McCullum chose to focus on the positives at the end of a tough series that New Zealand lost 2-0•AFP

A cheering sight must have been the performance of Mitchell Santner who, apart from dropping Steve Smith on the final day, made an impressive debut. His left arm spin is still developing but Santner batted with composure and positivity in both innings, a remarkable feat considering the challenges provided by the pink ball and the pressure of the match situation.”I thought he was outstanding,” McCullum said. “You always hope when a guy makes his debut he’ll be quite unflappable. He is the most laidback bloke I’ve ever seen make his debut. He’s shown everyone he has huge future in this and game and we are incredibly lucky to have got two very good allrounders at home in Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham. Mitchell Santner has put his hand up and said don’t forget about me. For us to have three potentially world-class allrounders is a good problem to have.”New Zealand will also hope that, after a full summer of cricket, Trent Boult and Tim Southee will provide a greater challenge to Australia’s batsmen on home soil. “By Boulty’s own admission he wasn’t at his best in the first two test matches but, under an injury cloud, the way he bowled in this game showed how good a bowler he is,” said McCullum. “Him and Tim Southee both had injury concerns in this match and we lose sight sometimes that they’re still young guys and they’re going to have the odd bad test match.”They’ve shown they’re resilient enough to bounce back and I couldn’t be prouder of the way those two operated. And Doug Bracewell, he’s gone from strength to strength and he’s a real positive out of this three-match series. It’s not always easy after a 2-0 series but there are some huge positives for us.”And in a summer that will finish in the way it has started, with the two neighbours fighting for Tasman bragging rights, McCullum isn’t quite ready to concede that undefeated streak.”After what we have seen in last two Test matches, it’s closer to what we want to be as a team,” he said. “By the time Australia arrive on our shores after a pretty intense summer, we’ll be nearing our peak as a team, in our own conditions, it should be an interesting and enthralling series. If we can win those, a 2-2 draw over five Tests, our unbeaten run continues.”

India maintained their unbeaten T20I record in Sri Lanka, comfortably defending a first innings total of 138

S Sudarshanan23-Jun-2022Sri Lanka have never beaten India in a T20I at home. They last won a T20I against them in 2014, which was just one of their three wins in 19 encounters against India in the format. India ensured this record stayed intact by beating the hosts by 34 runs in the first of the three-match series in Dambulla.Jemimah Rodrigues at No. 5 made a crucial 36* first to help India get to 138 for 6, before the spinners applied the brakes on the Sri Lankan batters.Ranasinghe sends early jitters
India didn’t get the desired start after opting to bat. On a slowish surface, Sri Lanka pressed their slow bowlers into action early on, stifling Smriti Mandhana. The left-hander then tried to break the shackles against offspinner Oshadi Ranasinghe, only to miscue one straight to mid-on. On the next ball, Ranasinghe dismissed Sabbhineni Meghana for a first-ball duck to jolt the tourists early.But Shafali Vermaand captain Harmanpreet Kaurmotored along and prevented the hosts from making inroads. Harmanpreet put the sweep to good effect to transfer the pressure back to Sri Lanka while Shafali was happy to use her feet to milk singles as well as score boundaries.Rodrigues’ flourish after Ranaweera’s stifle
Shafali was dismissed by Chamari Athapaththu on her second ball, holing out to long-on for a run-a-ball 31. Soon left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera got into the act to stifle the middle order. She first trapped Harmanpreet in front for 22 before dismissing Richa Ghosh and the dangerous Pooja Vastrakar in successive overs.India were 106 for 6 after 17 overs with Deepti Sharma joining Rodrigues, who had managed to get a good measure of the surface. Along with Deepti, who played an impressive eight-ball cameo of 17 after walking in at No. 8, Rodrigues helped India add 32 off the last three overs, including taking 20 off the final over delivered by offspinner Kavisha Dilhari.Familiar storyThe 139-run chase from Sri Lanka had a familiar look to it with Athapaththu scoring 15 of the 25 they scored in the powerplay. But Radha Yadav, playing her first T20I since the tour to England last year, dismissed Athapaththu and Harshitha Madavi in the same over to kill off the chase.Dilhari finished unbeaten on 46 after walking in at No. 4 but couldn’t receive enough support from the other end. India used 12 overs of spin, including that of Shafali’s offspin – where she had Ama Kanchana stumped for her maiden international wicket – to keep the home side in check and start off their tour with a win.

He replaces Jason Holder, who had been at the helm for the last four seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2022South Africa batter David Miller has been named the captain of Barbados Royals for the 2022 CPL season, replacing Jason Holder, who had been at the helm for the last four seasons.Miller, who will return to the CPL for the first time in three seasons having last represented Jamaica Tallawahs in 2018 and St Lucia Zouks in 2016, was snapped up by Royals earlier this month along with his South African team-mate Quinton de Kock. He has scored 332 runs in 15 innings at a strike rate of 146.90 in the tournament.Miller is also coming off a superb run in the IPL, where he scored 481 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 142.73 for champions Gujarat Titans. He will now renew ties with a Royals franchise, having played for Rajasthan in the IPL in 2020 and 2021.”During my time at the Royals in the IPL, I always felt very valued and have been able to establish a deep connection with the team,” Miller said. “It is an exciting time for me to come to the Barbados Royals, and a privilege to have been appointed as the captain. It is a team that has an abundance of young and experienced talent from the Caribbean and I am looking forward to working with the entire group to get down to achieving our objectives for the 2022 season”Head coach Trevor Penney added, “Having worked with David (Miller) before at the Rajasthan Royals, we knew he has a cricketing brain which not only reads situations very well on the field, but is also very passionately involved off the field. He is someone who helps in creating a perfect environment for his team-mates to excel in, and that is what we are expecting out of him here at Barbados, where he will be leading the franchise. He has shown tremendous experience and guile in the last few months, and drove his team to IPL glory, unfortunately beating us in the final. We are all delighted to have signed him and look forward to working with him during the season.”Holder played a key role in taking Royals (then Tridents) to their second title in 2019. However, they endured back-to-back tough seasons, finishing fifth in 2020 and last on the table in 2021. Penney said the allrounder will continue to be a “pillar” for the side.”I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jason (Holder) for his contribution to the team as the captain, and for agreeing to our decision of having a new leader for the team. He is one of the pillars of this Barbados side and will continue to remain so going forward.”The 2022 CPL will be played from August 31 to September 30, with Royals kicking off their campaign against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on September 1.

Australia captain Steven Smith singled out a good opening partnership as the key to Australia’s success in the Caribbean ahead of their tri-series opener against West Indies on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2016Australia captain Steven Smith has singled out a good opening partnership as the key to success in the Caribbean ahead of their tri-series opener against West Indies on Sunday.

Davison has been massive for me – Lyon

Nathan Lyon has credited mentor and Cricket Australia spin coach John Davison for being a huge influence on his game. Lyon praised the former Canada allrounder for being approachable and was sure that he would be able to use his guidance to good effect during his time in the Caribbean. “For me, John Davison has been a massive player. He’s someone that I can pick up the phone anytime and anywhere and give a call and throw back ideas,” Lyon said.
“I’m lucky enough to have some really good mates in and around the squad here who have played in a lot of spinning conditions and they give me a fair amount of feedback here and there, but Davis is probably the one I can pick up and call just about any time. And I know he’ll be at home watching closely and if he sees anything, he’ll send me a text or give me a call the next day.”

Unlike the faster pitches at home, the surfaces in the Caribbean are expected to become slower as the innings progresses, and how Australia handle the new ball could determine how they fare in the tournament. The Providence Stadium in Guyana stayed true to reputation during West Indies’ four-wicket triumph over South Africa on Friday, with both sides finding run-scoring difficult.”My thoughts before yesterday’s game was that it wasn’t going to be a high-scoring game,” Smith said on the eve of the match. “It’s about being smart, particularly through the middle overs against the spinners, making sure we’re able to rotate the strike, and if we get a bad ball, put it away. Whereas in Australia, the bounce is consistent, the ball doesn’t spin a great deal, so you can hit through the line and take the game on a little bit more.”I don’t think you need to tell Davey Warner or Aaron Finch how to play too much. I think that’s just their natural instinct, to play their shots, which hopefully will get us into a good position. It looks as though it might be one of those wickets where the new ball is the easiest time to bat and then the wicket slows down, making it harder to score. If we try and make the most of those first six to ten overs, hopefully we can hold ourselves in good stead for the rest of the innings.”Smith’s observations were along the lines of how South Africa’s innings panned out. They made a solid start after choosing to bat and were 52 for 1 in the 10th over. By the time AB de Villiers fell in the 31st, they were scoring at less than 4.5 runs an over. Sunil Narine, on international comeback, then wrecked the middle order to finish with career-best figures of 6 for 27 as South Africa lost eight wickets for 58 runs.”I think it’s about each individual batter having a plan against him,” Smith said about facing Narine. “Obviously, he’s a quality bowler with a different set of skills than we’re used to seeing. I think most of our guys have seen him play in the IPL or for the West Indies and know what he brings to the table. It’s just about going out and executing our skills against him.”As for Australia, Adam Zampa will likely have a big role to play, although with Glenn Maxwell’s offbreaks and the presence of a senior spinner in Nathan Lyon, a final call will only be taken after pitch inspection on match day. Smith had words of praise for the young legspinner.”He has a lot of confidence. I think he’s come a long way in the last couple of years. He’s confident in his skill set and what he brings to the table,” Smith said. “He knows what he’s trying to do, reads the batsman very well, and I think his control has improved a lot as well.”I was really impressed with how he bowled in New Zealand in the one-dayers, and throughout the T20 World Cup and the IPL in India. He’s come on a long way, and hopefully can continue to improve and get better as well.”Lyon felt it was the confidence in his ability and the knowledge of what he’s trying to do that has elevated Zampa to the next level. “I’m not sure if I’m the senior spinner. We (he and Zampa) are really good mates, that helps,” Lyon said. “I’ve known him for a fair few years now, he’s developing into a great spinner. It’s been a privilege to work with him in the nets, and hopefully, if we get the chance to play together, we can win a couple of games for Australia.”I think he’s backed himself. He understands where his game is at the moment. He trusts his spinning ability. It’s exciting to see an upcoming legspinner, especially in the one-day format.”Maxwell has spoken in the past of the difficulty of him and Lyon playing in the same Test XI as both spin the ball the same way. But this tri-series could well see the two of them playing together and Lyon didn’t believe it was impossible. “Maxi bats in the top-five, doesn’t he? He’s a batter who can bowl offspin pretty well, so there’s definitely room for two spinners, especially given Maxi’s skill with the bat. So I don’t see a problem playing with Maxi.”A regular feature of the Test team, Lyon has made only sporadic appearances in the shorter format – he has played 10 ODIs and one T20I – and he felt every opportunity would be a chance to make the spot his own. Having made two trips to the country also helped his case as he has knowledge of the conditions. “It (the Providence pitch) looks like a typical Caribbean wicket. I’ve been fortunate enough to be over here a couple of times now, so hopefully understand the wicket here. But it looks like it’s going to be a tough one-day series. Every bowler is going to be a threat, it’s just about bowling in partnerships and attacking and defending at the right time.”Lyon also dismissed notions that bowling in the shorter format may affect his performance in Test cricket. “It’s definitely not going to damage my bowling. I’m confident in my skills to get the job done in any format. It’s just about being able to adapt – the best players in the world adapt – and that’s one of my goals.”

Bangladesh may receive most of the plaudits for their plucky performance for most of the three days of the drawn first Test but Hashim Amla believes that South Africa were in pole position when the weather intervened

Firdose Moonda25-Jul-20153:01

We had an advantage going into fourth day – Amla

Bangladesh may receive most of the plaudits for their plucky performance for most of the three days of the drawn first Test but Hashim Amla believes that South Africa were in pole position when the weather intervened. Amla, who is only in his seventh Test as captain and remains undefeated, saw an opportunity to push for a win had play been possible on the final two days.”We had a slight advantage, with Bangladesh having to bat on the last day. Even if we had got a score of 250, it would have been tough for Bangladesh to chase,” Amla said. “At 61 without loss, going into the fourth day, we had the advantage with us. The game was poised in our favour.”When play was called off midway through the third session on Thursday, South Africa were 17 runs behind Bangladesh’s first innings total but had not lost any wickets. Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl looked comfortable and were scoring quicker than South Africa had done for most of their innings. Given that, Amla’s idea that South Africa could have added another 267 runs does not seem unreasonable. Whether they would have been able to bowl a confident and mature Bangladesh line-up out on an unhelpful surface is another question.That’s why South Africa will probably take more out of the Chittagong Test from a batting perspective than a bowling one. Although their batting let them down in the first innings, the promise shown by Elgar and van Zyl bodes well for South Africa’s search for a new opening pair. Both are confident and bullish. Elgar, in his 16th Test and eighth as opener, had already adopted seniority. He was the grinder. Van Zyl, a regular No. 3 and in his fourth Test, compliments Elgar as the aggressor.Both offer a little bit with the ball as well, which did not hurt in a match where the rest of South Africa’s attack struggled. With no pace, no bounce and no swing, Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were challenged. Amla praised their effort without being overly critical, perhaps because they all seemed to be getting back into the groove as the Bangladesh innings ended and may have been in it by the time Bangladesh batted again. “Our seamers tried exceptionally hard. “The wicket was probably the best to bat on when Bangladesh were batting and to their credit they batted really well. Our seamers tried hard and I think they put in a good showing,” Amla said.Worryingly, they did not seem to have put any effort in the weeks leading up to the series. Modern cricket’s packed schedule means rest is essential but so is preparation. Steyn and Philander did not even have a warm-up game before the first Test and Morkel bowled just five overs in the third ODI. Managing the pace pack is likely to be South Africa’s biggest challenge for the next nine months, which includes a full tour of India, a home series against England and the World T20.At least two of those series – the India tour and the World T20 – will require match-winning spinners and in that department South Africa are starting to become spoilt for choice. Simon Harmer was the most impressive bowler in the first Test, found considerable turn and showed fight in his willingness to flight the ball and invite the batsmen to take him on. He followed up a seven-wicket debut haul with a three-for in Chittagong and could push Dane Piedt to the edges of the picture.”Simon Harmer is turning out to be a good spinner for us; he showed good control, he has got a lovely energy and he fits into the team well,” Amla said. So much so that Amla “did not feel the need” to bowl their other offspinner, JP Duminy, before the 95th over of the Bangladesh innings. “We had Simon bowling offspin and Stiaan filled up a lot of overs in holding the game,” Amla explained.South Africa may further explore their spin options in the second Test in Dhaka where Amla said, “if it looks like a two-spinner wicket, it may be an option,” to play Aaron Phangiso as well as Harmer. It may also be an option to give Kagiso Rabada a run, especially if South Africa take inspiration from what Bangladesh have done with their young gun, Mustafizur Rahman.The hosts have provided a lot for South Africa to learn from, primarily that they are not to be taken lightly. South Africa saw that in the one-day series and after being humbled there, would want to ensure they make a statement in the format where they remain the top-ranked team.”We’ve come all the way from SA, so we want to be playing cricket. There’s no use getting frustrated with the weather. What counts is when we do have an opportunity, whether we take it or not,” Amla said. That opportunity will come again next Thursday.

The fact that Hampshire, and the club’s Ageas Bowl ground, remains a key local concern was evidenced by a walk-on part in the general election hoopla on Monday

Alan Gardner at the Ageas Bowl27-Apr-2015
ScorecardA new hotel finally reaches completion at the Ageas Bowl•Getty Images

The fact that Hampshire, and the club’s Ageas Bowl ground, remains a key local concern was evidenced by a walk-on part in the general election hoopla on Monday. Cricketers are notoriously apathetic when it comes to politics but Nick Clegg, the deputy prime minister (for a few more days at least), was there instead to draw attention to another business venture, of the sort that are increasingly important to the finances of counties as modern-day institutions.Hampshire’s picturesque amphitheatre on the outskirts of Southampton was noticeably more busy than usual for a chilly April morning, though sadly it was not all down to the eternal pull of the Championship. Liberal Democrat leader Clegg had turned up to be photographed shaking some hands and taking a tour of the newly completed Hilton hotel at the ground.The hotel – which will feature a steakhouse called Beefy’s, the first foray into the restaurant business by Ian Botham, a close friend of Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove – is part of a £48m redevelopment, though it has been a source of controversy for its reliance on public money and the delays caused by one of the contractors going bust.Party activists bustled around the place holding placards and attempting to drum up support for the incumbent MP. The Liberal Democrats also run Eastleigh council, which helped fund the development and hotel construction after buying the ground of Hampshire in 2012. The hotel is due to open this week, a year behind schedule, and Hampshire hope it will help make their ground among the more attractive international venues in England. The question, a wag might ask, is which will be extinct first: Test matches or the Lib Dems?

Bird flies back to Australia

Hampshire have confirmed that Jackson Bird, the Australia seamer who was due to fill their overseas slot, will return home for treatment on a shoulder injury. Fidel Edwards, a Kolpak signing for the second half of the season, could join the county earlier than anticipated in order to cover the gap.
“Fidel wasn’t supposed to be coming in until later in the season, but we need that strike bowler with the new ball,” Hampshire coach Dale Benkenstein told the BBC. “We don’t know how long Jackson will be out yet, but if he does recover, he could play the last half of the season.”

Hampshire will host two ODIs this summer, featuring the touring New Zealand and Australia sides, but Bransgrove’s goal has always been to turn the Ageas into one of England’s leading Test grounds. A 2019 Ashes Test was not forthcoming when the ECB announced its most recent major match allocation but India will return in 2018; last summer, England began their Test revival with victory here but the scheduling, which saw the game start on a Sunday, and out-of-town location affected overall attendances.On-field success is only part of the equation, then, but Hampshire’s return to Division One after three years in the second tier provides further evidence of progress. Their opponents in this match, Nottinghamshire, are among those expected to compete for the title but Hampshire gave a good account of themselves on a slow day of wary cricket.Clegg did not hang around much beyond the start of play and neither did Alex Hales, Nottinghamshire’s first-innings centurion. With a general election around the corner, most parties are worrying about the polls; Hales didn’t do quite enough to protect his poles and lost off stump to former Nottinghamshire team-mate Andre Adams in the sixth over of the morning.Adams and Gareth Berg, with 73 years and plenty of historic niggles between them, helped Hampshire take 3 for 13 and the ninth Nottinghamshire wicket in time for another bonus point, before a 47-run stand between Luke Wood and Jake Ball held them up. While Wood spent the rest of the day bustling to the crease in the manner of Darren Gough, Ball’s contribution with the ball was limited to 1.5 overs before limping off with a back problem.The cloud cover that had encouraged Hampshire’s captain, Jimmy Adams, to bowl on the first day returned during the afternoon, during which the floodlights were switched on. Vernon Philander had deceived Liam Dawson into leaving his second ball – his first he had driven for four – to be bowled before lunch but Adams and Michael Carberry accumulated carefully during a second-wicket stand worth 66.They were separated by Wood, Nottinghamshire’s former England U-19 left-armer, who pitched the ball up and bowled with good pace, when he induced an edge from Carberry that was taken low at second slip by Samit Patel. Wood stood out for his nagging line and he also removed Adams, poking at one even as he thought better of it, for a gritty 61.The run-out of James Vince a few overs later gave Nottinghamshire hope of forcing the pace of the game but, as the Hampshire members huddled in the stands, Will Smith and Adam Wheater diligently plodded on until fading light brought an early close. Nottinghamshire, having drawn their opening two matches, will be hopeful that the morning brings about fresh impetus and perhaps better news on Ball. Harold Wilson is often quoted as saying “a week is a long time in politics” but, as the Test match in Grenada demonstrated, 24 hours can make quite a lot of difference in cricket.

Josh Cobb and Richard Levi steered Northamptonshire to a third win in three matches in the NatWest T20 Blast

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2016
ScorecardOlly Stone is helped off the field after injuring himself celebrating•Getty Images

Josh Cobb and Richard Levi steered Northamptonshire to a third win in three matches in the NatWest T20 Blast with a seven wicket win that ended Worcestershire’s perfect start to the competition but included a bizarre injury to seam Olly Stone.Stone claimed the key early wicket of Moeen Ali and celebrated with exuberance – a huge leap and punch of the air. But on landing he fell in a heap and treatment followed. Stone attempted to finish his over but collapsed in his delivery stride and had to be carried from the ground.Chasing 145, 63 runs came off the Powerplay to break the back of the chase and measured batting from thereon saw Northants cruise to victory with three overs to spare and just a third win over Worcestershire in the last 11 T20 meetings.Cobb, from No. 3, struck three sixes in his 56 from 45 balls – pulling Matt Henry into the mobile bar behind the midwicket fence and lifting Jack Shantry over long-on. His third six, again over midwicket, won the match.Levi did most of his work in the Powerplay, exploding the chase into life by taking 18 from the fifth over bowled by Joe Leach. Three times in succession Levi lifted boundaries over wide mid-off before a full toss was whacked backward of square leg. Levi went past 4,000 T20 runs in the process. He hoisted Brett D’Oliveria over long-on for the first six of the innings but offered up a return catch via a leading edge later in the over.His 44 in 25 balls gave his side the perfect start and they went on to chase successfully for the third match in succession.Such a quick start rendered Worcestershire’s 144 for 6 far under par. And that required an innings from Daryl Mitchell that he has largely become known for as Worcestershire captain. Carefully manoeuvring the bowling around and running well between the wickets, he made 44 in 36 balls. He struck just two fours but it was a vital innings as Worcestershire managed only four overs in double figures.After poor starts with the ball in the opening two games, Northamptonshire enjoyed an excellent Powerplay in which Worcestershire only made 37 for 3. Tom Kohler-Cadmore fell to the fifth ball of the innings – skying a drive to Josh Cobb at mid-on. Then came the big wicket of Moeen Ali – caught down the leg side trying to hook an Stone bouncer. Joe Clarke followed, edging Azharullah to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington trying to work a ball across the line.Stone’s injury took the edge off the atmosphere on a cloudy night at Wantage Road and the remainder of Worcestershire’s innings did little to enliven the crowd. Alexei Kervezee only found long-on trying to up the scoring rate and from 65 for 4, careful batting was needed to steer Worcestershire through the innings.They took eight overs between boundaries – Ross Whitely eventually swinging Graeme White over the long midwicket boundary, and he fell two overs later, caught at deep-square leg. The visitors found little to pick themselves up for the rest of the night.

Sarah Taylor, the England women’s wicket-keeper batsman, has broken into what was previously a jealously-guarded male preserve by becoming the first woman to play Australian first grade cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-20150:46

Sarah Taylor joins the men

Sarah Taylor, the England women’s wicket-keeper batsman, has broken into what was previously a jealously-guarded male preserve by becoming the first woman to play Australian first grade cricket. She gatecrashed what reputedly has been one of the last bastions of the macho Australian male by making her debut for Northern Districts in the South Australian Premier Competition on Saturday.Not all statisticians seem entirely happy to let a Pom to take the accolade, with references also made to a T20 match in Victoria once played by Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who stepped down as coach of the Australian women’s team in May, but Taylor’s achievement in being selected for a two-day game will gain universal recognition.SACA Premier Cricket is a two-day competition and represents the highest level of cricket played in South Australia outside first-class cricket.Taylor took on keeping duties and was scheduled to bat at No 8 for Northern Districts – aka the Jets – in the first match of the 2015-2016 season against Port Adelaide Magpies at the Salisbury Oval, alongside players such as South Australia and Leicestershire’s Mark Cosgrove and the former Hampshire batsman Joe Gatting – nephew of ex-England captain Mike Gatting.She joined a list of players that includes former Australian Test cricketers Darren Lehman and Ryan Harris to have represented Northern Districts CC in this competition.Taylor went to Brighton College, the same school as the former England wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, who said her catching talents were immediately apparent. She is particularly talented standing up to the stumps and has been advocated at times as worthy of a match in English county cricket. Mike Selvey, cricket correspondent of has championed her as unique: the only women’s cricketer he has ever seen with all the attributes to play at first-class level.”I’m really excited about this opportunity – it’s completely unexpected and offers another new challenge and environment for me to test my skills against some very strong cricketers. I had no idea that I would be the first woman to play at this level in Australia, but I am sure that I won’t be the last. I have grown up playing boys cricket at Brighton College and more recently in the ECB men’s premier league for Walmley CC, so I am used to playing with the guys.”Taylor will also feature in the Women’s Big Bash for Adelaide Strikers and is also currently playing 50-over state cricket for the Breezair SA Scorpions in the Women’s National Cricket League.The sight of women playing in what was traditionally men-only cricket has gradually become more common in England over the past 20 years. Earlier this year England women’s fast bowler Kate Cross became the first woman to play in the Central Lancashire League, one of the country’s most reputable and traditional leagues.