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While the visiting Englishmen played their third warm-up game of the India tour in Ahmedabad, India’s Test side eased into its three-day preparatory camp in Mumbai ahead of the upcoming series

Abhishek Purohit in Mumbai09-Nov-2012While the visiting Englishmen played their third warm-up game of the India tour in Ahmedabad, India’s Test side eased into its three-day preparatory camp for the upcoming series with a short practice session at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in south Mumbai. All members of the squad, barring Harbhajan Singh, whose flight was delayed, arrived at the CCI in the afternoon, along with coach Duncan Fletcher, and batted and bowled for a little more than an hour after a short game of football. With the World Twenty20 and Champions League T20 having consumed most of September and October, this was the first outing for India’s Test side in nine weeks, the first after the New Zealand series at home.The fitness of Zaheer Khan, who had lasted all of 13.3 overs on India’s tour of England last year, was again in focus. Zaheer had pulled up sore, pointing towards his groin, on the third day of Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy opener against Railways last week, and had walked off the field. He didn’t bowl or field on the fourth and final day, but Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar had said Zaheer’s problem was just cramp. Today, while the other quick bowlers in the India squad, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, bowled through the mini-session, Zaheer spent the majority of his time on the massage table. He eventually did bowl for a while but was clearly not extending himself. On the other hand, Ishant and Umesh, especially, bowled with pace and rhythm.The batsmen took to the nets as per the batting order in batches of four, with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar starting off. Pujara looked in fine touch, defending and attacking confidently, though the bowling was below par at times. With various age-group matches going on in Mumbai at the moment, it was difficult to assemble decent young net bowlers. Two of those bowlers, though, managed to hit Tendulkar’s stumps once each with the batsman appearing a touch tentative. Tendulkar did loft R Ashwin crisply a few times and soon left the nets to receive a few throwdowns.Next in were Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni. Gambhir and M Vijay, the reserve opener, continued to bat into the fading light after the rest were done. After Gambhir walked off eventually, Vijay hit a few more for a while against the local spinners and was the last player to leave the nets. The squad will have a full training session tomorrow.

Veteran allrounder digs deep in low-scoring thriller to seal one-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network10-Jul-2021Northern Diamonds 110 for 9 (Gunn 27*) beat Western Storm 106 for 9 (Macdonald 4-17) by one wicketAlex Macdonald registered career-best figures to put the skids under Western Storm and help Northern Diamonds achieve a dramatic one-wicket win at Taunton to take control of Group B in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Diamonds skipper Holly Armitage won the toss and opted to field, a decision which reaped dividends when Macdonald took 4 for 17, eclipsing the 4 for 28 she claimed for Yorkshire women against Surrey in 2015. Undermined by poor shot selection and unable to build meaningful partnerships, Storm posted a below-par 106 for 9, Katie George top-scoring with 21 and Nat Wraith contributing 20.But the hosts came roaring back into contention, Danielle Gibson, Alex Griffiths and Nicole Harvey claiming two wickets apiece as Diamonds lurched to 96 for 9. It required all of Jenny Gunn’s vast experience to see the visitors over the line, the former England international hitting the winning four off the final ball to finish unbeaten on 27 from 21 balls.Put into bat, Storm were up against it from the outset, Linsey Smith pinning Georgia Hennessy lbw without scoring in the first over, and then holding a catch at point as Gibson succumbed to Gunn in the act of cutting. When Phoebe Graham located Sophie Luff’s outside edge and Sarah Taylor took a brilliant diving catch at the second attempt behind the stumps, Storm had lost their captain for a duck and were under duress at 28 for 3 in the fourth over.Having played second fiddle in a stand of 23 for the fourth wicket with George, opener Fi Morris fell to MacDonald, top-edging a catch behind and departing for 16.Dropped on 11 by Katie Levick at mid-on off the bowling of Graham in the sixth over, George made good her escape to accrue 21 valuable runs from 23 balls, striking a brace of fours in the process. Chancing her arm once too often though, she then hoisted a delivery from MacDonald high to Campbell at deep mid-on and exited at a crucial juncture in the innings with the score on 64-5 at the halfway stage.Former Gloucestershire bowler MacDonald struck again in her next over, inducing Griffiths to sky a catch to point and then removing Lauren Parfitt, held by Graham at mid-off, as Storm subsided further to 76 for 7 in the 13th over. Emily Edgecombe was comprehensively stumped by Taylor off the bowling of Levick, but Wraith mustered tail-end defiance, contributing a forthright 20 from 21 balls, before Smith returned to remove her off stump and complete a handy return of 2 for 15 from four overs.Edgecombe struck an early blow for Storm, having Armitage caught at the wicket for five in the first over, but Leah Dobson and Ami Campbell staged a progressive alliance of 27 in three overs to lay solid foundations.Yet Storm stuck to their task in the field and, when Griffiths removed Dobson and Campbell in the space of five balls in the fifth over and Gibson then bowled MacDonald for six, there was the merest hint of an unexpected outcome.The fight-back was well and truly underway when Griffiths performed a brilliant stop and throw from the deep square leg boundary to run out Taylor for 11, the former England star falling inches short in pursuit of a second run. Rachel Hopkins was trapped in her crease by Morris for two and Dutch international Sterre Kalis played down the wrong line and was clean bowled by the impressive Gibson, at which point Diamonds were teetering on 78 for 7 and heavily reliant upon veteran campaigner Gunn.Offspinner Harvey accounted for Smith and Graham in the penultimate over to set-up a tense finale. With 10 needed from the final over, Gunn held her nerve, lofting a length ball from Griffiths over mid-on to register her third boundary and clinch a memorable victory at the death.

Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford

Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2012Eoin Morgan will not face disciplinary action by Middlesex after missing their CB40 match against Lancashire at Old Trafford because he was stuck on the train from London but the club remain ‘disappointed’ by the situation.Morgan was caught in disruption on the London to Manchester line from Euston station and did not make it to the ground in time for the toss which forced Middlesex to leave him out of the side for what as a key match with semi-final places at stake.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said lessons will need to be learned. “We are disappointed and frustrated it happened. It was an important match for us,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ll have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”However, Fraser also suggested that because Morgan is still employed by the ECB on a central contact that it would be quite difficult for Middlesex to discipline him as he is not contracted to them.The majority of Middlesex’s squad travelled north on Sunday evening following the abandoned game against Leicestershire at Uxbridge although a couple of players were allowed to drive up on the morning of game. Fraser said the club were aware that Morgan wanted to take the train.During his lengthy journey, Morgan tweeted: “Just the 7 hours to Manchester… not sure the train is an option any more!!”He arrived shortly after the scheduled start time at Old Trafford, ironically as rain was falling so Middlesex’s innings had been suspended, and watched from the dressing room. The game was curtailed to a 16-over aside match and Middlesex could only muster 97 for 8 with Lancashire chasing a slightly revised target with ease.The result left both teams level on eight points but Lancashire jumped ahead of Middlesex by virtue of having four victories to Middlesex’s three. Morgan’s travel disruption could yet prove very costly for the county.

Thanks coach Hilton Moreeng as she makes “mental shift” to get her on-field performances to match her promise

Firdose Moonda14-Mar-2021Lara Goodall has dedicated her career-best 59* against India Women to national coach Hilton Moreeng, who she credited with believing in her even when she was not performing. The innings, Goodall’s second fifty in 25 ODIs, helped secure the series for South Africa Women, with a game to play.”It was nice to get the team over the line. The personal milestone was good but to be there at the end after grafting so hard in the middle and to win the game was special,” she said. “To coach Hilton, for all his faith in me. I know I haven’t always backed him up but he has always backed me as a player, so this one was for him.”Goodall was recalled by Moreeng and the selection panel for January’s home series against Pakistan after spending 15 months out of the international game. She was dropped after South Africa’s last tour of India, in 2019, where she played in two of the three ODIs and returned scores of 38 and 6. At that point, her ODI average was 15.14 – quite substandard for a middle-order batter.”I took that quite hard,” Goodall admitted, while conceding that she had clear weaknesses. “I wasn’t sure of my game and how to play spin and what my scoring options were. I didn’t really back myself so I was making half-hearted approaches.”She called what happened between training session and match day back then a “disconnect”; she was unable to translate her talent into runs for the runs national team, and she was forced to go back to the domestic set-up and refine her skills. “I looked at myself and saw that I needed to improve a lot to become a mainstay in this line-up. There was a slot in that middle-order, which I wanted to make mine.”In the 2019-20 summer, Goodall finished outside the top 10 in the CSA women’s provincial league and probably still wasn’t doing enough to be recalled. But then lockdown happened and, for her, it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. “I trained very hard during the lockdown and just came back with a different approach. It was more of a mental shift, because I felt that I always had the shots and the ability to bat.”One of the shots is the reverse-sweep, which she cheekily pulled out twice in the 48th over to put South Africa in touching distance of victory in Lucknow. “It’s a shot I’ve always backed myself to play. I’ve played it back home all the time. Once they took the slip out, that was always going to be my option. My conventional sweep wasn’t working so I had to go to that option and it came off. I was calm and I was set, which helped to execute such shots. And now that I am back I don’t ever want to go back to provincial structures for the whole season. I want to be playing for the Proteas with a view to the World Cup next year.”Related

• Stable base and consistency the pillars as South Africa Women reach new high

• No central contract for Faf du Plessis; Heinrich Klaasen and Lara Goodall get maiden deals

• Lizelle Lee becomes top-ranked ODI batter after strong run against India

• Report – SA pull off their highest successful chase to clinch series

South Africa have identified the postponed tournament as theirs to challenge for. They automatically qualified for the event by beating New Zealand in New Zealand and Goodall believes their victory in India is an illustration of how seriously they should be taken, especially if they increase the margin of their series triumph in Wednesday’s final match. “The last time we came to India we got clobbered, so we came here with a point to prove. We are a lot more sure in our games. We back ourselves a lot more than we did a few years ago. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy with conditions. It was nice to come and make a statement and nice to show we have that belief,” she said. “And 4-1 is a lot better than 3-1, so if we win 4-1 in India it is a statement to the rest of the world that we are gunning for that World Cup.”There’s still a year to go and much more cricket to be played before that and South Africa may use the time to tinker with their combinations. The middle-order was a concern before this serious, and criticised for relying too heavily on the opening pair, which Goodall recognised. “We have a world-class opening partnership in Lizelle [Lee] and Laura [Wolvaardt] and we haven’t always backed them up in the past. We could always rely on our opening partnership but as a middle order, we had to look at ourselves,” she said. “We owed it to Lizelle and Laura. Today was for them. They’ve always given us the best starts.”Although Lee and Wolvaardt were responsible for setting up South Africa’s chase in this match, neither of them was there at the end. Instead, it was Mignon du Preez, who hadn’t scored a half-century in more than two years before today, Marizanne Kapp and Goodall who finished the chase, proving that there are others who can handle responsibility in the South African line-up. “We didn’t lose wickets in clusters, which has been our problem in the past,” Goodall said. “And to come here and win without Dane [van Niekerk] and Chloe [Tryon], who are big players for us, shows the immense depth and talent we have.”van Niekerk and Tryon are not on the tour as they both recover form lower-back injuries, but South Africa also won the last two matches without stand-in captain Sune Luus, who is ill, and regular wicketkeeper Trisha Chetty, who is carrying a niggle.

“I will keep playing as long as my mind and body are going well. I don’t know what awaits me.”

Mohammad Isam05-Jan-2021Mashrafe Mortaza has left the fate of his international career to the national selectors, after he was omitted from the preliminary squad for the upcoming ODI series against West Indies, Bangladesh’s first international games since the start of the pandemic.While Mortaza, 37, did play in Bangladesh’s last ODI series, completing a 3-0 win against Zimbabwe, he was later informed by the team management that they were looking to move on from him. Last month, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan reiterated those plans, saying that Mortaza was unlikely to be considered for national selection.Related

• Bangladesh leave Mashrafe out from preliminary squad for WI ODIs

• Gibson urges Mashrafe to retire from international cricket

The significance of Mortaza being dropped is the timing, especially with the 2023 World Cup qualification in focus. Mortaza, who is currently Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in ODIs, however said that he wasn’t entirely surprised by the decision, adding that he would continue playing domestic cricket and make himself available for the senior side.”I have taken it professionally,” Mashrafe told . “It wasn’t a surprising news for myself or my family. Everything has an end. I am sure everything was considered before taking the decision.”I have mentioned my retirement thoughts before. I will keep playing as long as my mind and body are going well. I don’t know what awaits me. The selectors will decide on my international career. I won’t play any cricket after I retire. I am 37 years old. Everything comes to an end. I will leave cricket one day.”Given his age, Mortaza’s fitness is usually mentioned as a cause for concern but his track record, particularly in the last five years, is remarkable. Even during the recent domestic T20 tournament, Mortaza took a five-wicket haul in a short burst for Gemcon Khulna, shortly after recovering from Covid-19 as well as a hamstring injury.Mortaza said that speculation about his fitness has made him fitter, and helped him enjoyed cricket more.”I have never failed a fitness test in my 18-year career. I have always believed that hard work pays off. I knew my fitness would be a talking point so I always kept my fitness intact; even during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup, I passed the fitness test. I am pleased with the cricket I have played, which is why I want to continue playing,” he had said.

Worcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road.

17-Aug-2012
ScorecardWorcestershire’s lower-order batsmen made the most of a window in the weather late in the third day against relegation rivals Lancashire at New Road. The match was at standstill for more than five hours before Gareth Andrew and Ben Scott came out to add 27 runs and lever their side up to 251 for 7.Scott (14 not out) twice drove Kyle Hogg for four and when Andrew (12 not out) clipped the same bowler backward of square to register a second bonus point, Daryl Mitchell called his side in. With 27 balls still available before the 110-over cut-off, his declaration denied Lancashire an opportunity to try for the two wickets they needed for a third bowling point but Paul Horton and his new opening partner, Luke Procter, negotiated seven overs to the close.Allrounder Procter, promoted to the top of the order after Stephen Moore was left out, nudged the only boundary off Chris Russell as they made 10 without loss. Where the game goes from here depends on whether the captains are prepared to strike a deal. Otherwise the last day is set to be a battle for bonus points.Only eight overs were squeezed in before lunch but that was enough to dash Worcestershire batsman Neil Pinner’s hopes of making a maiden century some 15 months after being dismissed for a duck in his only previous Championship innings.Resuming on 79, the 21-year-old, who has been playing for Kidderminster Victoria in the Birmingham League, confidently clipped Glen Chapple’s third ball for two but this was the only action before a shower stopped play after two overs. After a 35-minute delay, Pinner added a single in the first over but 21 dot balls were logged before Worcestershire added another run.For Pinner, that proved to be the end of the road after batting for nearly four hours. As on Saturday, when he was out for 98 in Kidderminster’s game at Himley, a three-figure score eluded him. Having played so well, hitting 11 boundaries from 190 balls, he was leg-before for 82 when moving across his stumps as he shaped to turn a delivery from Chapple off his pads.It was a well-deserved success for Chapple, Lancashire’s 38-year-old captain, who eventually got through 31 overs with a return 4 for 60. Like his new-ball partner, Hogg (2 for 63), he beat the bat often enough to merit even better figures.

Kruger van Wyk has been ruled out of taking further part in the Bangalore Test, due to an injured arm

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-2012Kruger van Wyk, the New Zealand wicketkeeper, will not take any further part in the Bangalore Test, due to an injured arm. Brendon McCullum will take on the wicketkeeping duties when India bat in the fourth innings.Van Wyk was hit on the left forearm while batting, late on the third day, by a short of a length ball from Umesh Yadav; he wasn’t wearing an arm guard at the time. An X-ray confirmed the arm was not* fractured, but he failed to pass a fitness test on the fourth morning.That was the second blow van Wyk had taken off Umesh’s bowling during his innings of 31, having been struck on the helmet after coming down the track to a short ball the previous delivery. He was set to return to New Zealand after the Test, as he was not picked in the Twenty20 squad that will play India in two games on September 8 and 11.*7:08 GMT, September 3: The article had originally said ‘was fractured’. The typo has been corrected.

Woakes, Archer, Sam Curran claim three wickets each as Australia crumble

Valkerie Baynes13-Sep-2020England 231 for 9 (Morgan 42, Zampa 3-36) beat Australia 207 (Finch 73, Labuschagne 48, Woakes 3-32, Archer 3-34, S Curran 3-35) by 24 runsEngland’s bowlers answered every question asked of them to snatch an unlikely victory and level the series 1-1 as Australia capitulated in the second ODI at Emirates Old Trafford.Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer gave England every hope of avoiding their first bilateral ODI series defeat at home since 2015 by claiming three crucial wickets each before Sam Curran chimed in with three wickets of his own after a staggering Australian collapse to seal the win and keep the series alive going into Wednesday’s final encounter.Aaron Finch and Marnus Labuschagne put on 107 for the third wicket to build on the solid foundation set by Australia’s bowlers, who restricted England until a late partnership worth 76 between Rashid and Tom Curran gave the hosts something to bowl at.Chasing 232 for victory after England had won the toss, Australia stumbled to 37 for 2 and then lost four wickets in the space of 21 balls – three of them to Woakes – to give England more than a sniff of the victory which had seemed so distant after their performance with the bat and again when Finch and Labuschagne were cruising.Archer defied a used pitch which had been keeping low with devastating speed and bounce in an excellent five-over opening spell which delivered 2 for 22. He dismissed David Warner for a seventh time in international cricket with a scorching delivery up around the ribs which drew an edge through to Jos Buttler.Archer hit Finch on the helmet but the blow failed to trouble the visiting captain who, having passed the necessary on-field concussion testing, settled back into his rhythm even in the face of another wicket as Archer struck again with a short ball that reared up and found the shoulder of the bat as Marcus Stoinis fended awkwardly and was caught behind. Finch and Labuschagne wrested back control until Archer and Woakes returned and wreaked havoc.England brought in the Curran brothers for Mark Wood, who pulled up with a sore ankle, and Moeen Ali, left out in what Eoin Morgan described as “a tactical move”.Those tactics came under the microscope on a pitch which rewarded Australia’s legspinner, Adam Zampa, whose 3 for 36 combined with some miserly bowling by the seamers had contained England so well. But the decision paid off amid Morgan’s masterful captaincy as England again stood up against huge pressure.Zampa’s opposite number, Adil Rashid, was wicketless after his first three overs, having conceded 27 runs from them. Rashid returned from the opposite end only to be punished by Finch bringing up his half-century with a bottom edge through fine leg and a straight hit that sped through Rashid’s hands and all the way to the rope at long-off.Both Currans had failed to make inroads up to that point, prompting the return of Archer and Woakes. Archer struck Finch another brutal blow on the chest but Finch shrugged it off by clipping the next ball to the leg side and running a swift two.Labuschagne pulled Woakes gloriously for four and then brought up the 100-stand with Finch via a single off the next delivery. But Woakes made the breakthrough England so desperately needed when he dismissed Labuschagne lbw for 48 from 59 balls after England successfully reviewed umpire Michael Gough’s original not-out decision, sparking Australia’s collapse.Mitch Marsh entered with Australia needing 88 from 20.1 overs, having scored 73 in the first ODI and an unbeaten 39 in a player-of-the-match performance as Australia won the third and final T20I. But when Archer had Marsh so flummoxed on the sixth ball he faced that he chopped on, the spring returned to England’s step.They were positively jumping when Woakes bowled Finch for 73 as Australia lost a third wicket for just one run in the space of 11 balls. Archer had just completed his 10 overs with 3 for 34 when Woakes struck again next ball, bowling Glenn Maxwell for 1. From 144 for 2, Australia were 147 for 6 needing 82 runs from the last 15 overs.With Archer and Woakes – who claimed 3 for 32 – bowled out, England turned again to Rashid and the Currans. It was Sam Curran who claimed two wickets in consecutive balls, bowling Pat Cummins and having Mitchell Starc caught behind as Australia crumbled further to 166 for 8.Zampa survived the hat-trick ball but Sam Curran had the final say when he had Zampa caught by Archer to claim his third and put England within one wicket of triumph. Rashid claimed the last wicket when he had Alex Carey stumped off a googly as England won by 24 runs with eight balls to spare.Australia were unchanged from their 19-run victory in the first match despite Steven Smith passing a second concussion test in a move Cricket Australia insisted was precautionary after he took a blow to the head during training which kept him out of that game.Starc almost struck with the second ball when he had Jason Roy given out lbw to a delivery that pitched in line and nipped back in. Roy had the decision overturned on review when the DRS showed that the ball was going over the top of the stumps, but Starc made a breakthorugh a short time later with a ball that held its line and found the edge from a prodding Jonny Bairstow, caught behind for a duck.He inflicted more pain when Joe Root attempted to drive and edged the ball hard onto his back knee, and when Roy was run out to a sniper-like throw from Stoinis in the covers, England were 29 for 2.Root laboured to 39 off 73 before Zampa had him caught by Finch at first slip, putting England at 90 for 3. Root’s dismissal sparked a mini gear-shift from Morgan, who struck three fours in five balls from Marsh and Zampa, but when Finch changed up the attack with the re-introduction of Cummins, who struck with his third ball back to trap Buttler lbw for 3, England suffered another setback.Zampa dismissed Morgan lbw for England’s top score of 42 and Sam Billings with a legbreak that was too full for the cut attempted by Billings, who ended up chopping onto his stumps and trudging off with just 8 from 28 balls. The hosts then lost Sam Curran and Woakes in quick succession, but Rashid’s rearguard 35 from 26 balls combined with Tom Curran’s 37 off 39 limited the damage.