Mullaney’s century keeps Nottinghamshire ahead of Essex before dire Saturday weather forecast

David Hopps07-May-2021When Alastair Cook finally retires for good, and let’s hope in county cricket it will be a good while yet, he might well look upon Trent Bridge without too many pangs of regret.Cook only managed three half-centuries for England on this ground in 24 attempts, although he might find consolation that his only Test half-century came against Australia in 2013 in a thrilling Ashes encounter which fell to England by only 14 runs. Memory jog: Ian Bell’s sumptuous century, Jimmy Anderson’s 10-wicket match and, after a last-wicket partnership of 65, Brad Haddin given out after the thinnest of inside edges. Cue pandemonium.His record against Nottinghamshire, not a long list because of his international success, is nevertheless even less rewarding: he has never passed 50. In farming terms, which is how much of his life now plays out, every time he comes to Nottingham he must feel as forlorn as Tess of the d’Urbervilles, hacking at swedes at Flintcomb Ash.Cook has made 3 and 35 for Essex here, bowled by his old mucker, Stuart Broad in the first innings, and lbw to Lyndon James second time around. It looked plumb, although did he hint at the possibility that there might have been the slightest inside edge?If he was aggrieved then a brief cross-legged pause at the crease, followed by the tiniest glance at his bat, was a response of the utmost decorum. It was not about to bring demands for him to relinquish his knighthood in disgrace. There again, Sir Alastair, no need to worry about that, nobody resigns for anything these days.Two days into this match, Nottinghamshire are well enough ahead to be able to survive a potential third-day washout before pushing for victory on the final day that is forecast to be dry but cloudy. Essex followed up their 99 all out in the first innings with a painstaking 129 for 3 from 59 overs, and clearly have draw points on their mind, but they still trail by 95. Notts need a good Sunday morning.Steven Mullaney’s 117 was the ballast behind Notts’ first-innings lead of 224, and he passed 8,000 first-class runs in the process. All that he said could not be faulted: “I thought we bowled really well. The scoreboard’s not really gone anywhere. After two days we couldn’t hope to be in a better position against arguably the best side in the country.”After three days, though, their advantage won’t feel quite as good. The forecast looks terminal around the country, and local clubs would be wondering whether to skip pitch preparation even as they fielded premature drop-outs from players who suddenly realised they had to be in all day for a vital delivery from Amazon.Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney made a century•Getty Images

Mullaney’s century had two moods. He had feasted on some ordinary Essex bowling in reaching 63 overnight, but the loss of James and Tom Moores to Shane Snater in successive balls persuaded him that he must adopt a more watchful approach. He did just that against the seamers, although he had a couple of risky moments against Simon Harmer, not least the shot that brough up his hundred, an under-edged slog sweep which whistled to long leg. He fell to a good nip-backer from Siddle which so impressed him he depicted its course to the bowler like a budding artist before departing.Snater, a Zimbabwe-born Netherlands seamer, took a career-best 7 for 98 in only his sixth first-class appearance, as he removed James and Tom Moores in successive balls before adding two late wickets. His fast-medium possessed impressive energy and he has been the best Essex pace bowler on show.But Mullaney, who offered a difficult chance to gully before adding to his overnight 63, completed a stand of 123 with James, a home-produced allrounder of promise, and 66 with Broad, who Leicestershire supporters will forever insist is not homegrown, even though he was born in Nottingham, and whose 41 from 42 balls was a recognisable stand-and-deliver affair which climaxed with a step-away six over midwicket against Snater and an emphatic pull in the same direction against the veteran Australian Siddle in the following over; Siddle was collared so easily he must have felt his age. It’s 36.Nottinghamshire had to labour for their wickets in Essex’s second innings, with Luke Fletcher bowling well enough without reward, after his first-innings 6 for 24, to reflect that fortune had soon deserted him. The removal of Tom Westley (who might have left it) and Dan Lawrence (who played down the wrong line) left Notts in the ascendancy but Nick Browne, who has played solidly throughout, found an ally in Paul Walter as Essex batted out the last 24 overs, pining for rain.

In an uncanny reminder of 2019 semi-final defeat at Edgbaston, Notts fritter away another sure thing

David Hopps09-Jun-2021Nottinghamshire, the T20 Blast holders, lost their captain and inspiration, Dan Christian, on the eve of the tournament to an Australian white-ball training squad so large it could apply for city status, and for a flickering moment at New Road last night they will also have wondered if they have lost their mojo.In an uncanny reminder of their 2019 semi-final defeat at Edgbaston, in which Worcestershire fought back to triumph by one run, they frittered away another sure thing, this time at least escaping with a tie when Peter Trego was run out by Ed Barnard, who was in from the rope to save two at long-on and whose flat throw was accurate enough for wicketkeeper Ben Cox to complete the job.Steven Mullaney, a Championship captain charged at the last minute with taking up the reins in the Blast, was aghast that Notts failed to secure an opening-night win. Worcestershire’s 152 for 6 was 20 runs short in the estimation of their captain, Moeen Ali, and Notts’ pursuit could hardly have begun in more daunting fashion as Joe Clarke and Alex Hales raised 76 in the Powerplay.With half the runs bagged, the game was theirs, but Worcestershire have a habit of rescuing games from unpromising situations and they scrapped on a slow surface. Five were needed from Josh Tongue’s last over. Tongue’s trusty right boot ran out Luke Fletcher as he failed to steal a leg bye and Trego did not get back on strike until the final ball.Related

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Mullaney at least had a tie but talked about it as if it was a loss: “It’s a game we should never have lost after the Powerplay,” he said. “We lost wickets at key times with some decisions and poor executions.”One of the most damning was the loss of Samit Patel, who is one of only a handful of players to have played in all 18 seasons of the Blast. In boxing parlance, he looked as if he had gone up a weight and his sluggish attempt to run two after he had driven Brett D’Oliveira through Moeen’s hands at short extra was beaten by Charlie Morris’ throw. Moeen had earlier accounted for Ben Duckett, hit on the back pad by one that turned, and Tom Moores, who was was well caught by Ross Whiteley, diving forward, at deep midwicket.Notts had cramped up after some serious muscle flexing in the Powerplay. Ben Dwarshius was the leading wicket-taker for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash but his first two overs went for 15 during an undistinguished debut. Tongue’s first over bled 23, plus a couple of leg byes. There were seven sixes, none better than the two Clarke produced in the space of three balls against Tongue as he touched speeds just below 90mph/145kph – an elegant front foot pull, and a cheeky ramp shot after he had survived an lbw appeal.Hales’ most notable moment was a stunningly timed straight six against Tongue when he did little more than hold a defensive pose. Shunned by England, but as dangerous as ever, he played with grim and resolute expression, looking every inch like Johnny Ringo in Tombstone. The last over of the Powerplay did for him as he pulled Morris to long on.Joe Clarke set Nottinghamshire on their way•PA Photos/Getty Images

Worcestershire were held together by a batsman Nottinghamshire knew only so well. Jake Libby is better known as one of county cricket’s tenacious openers, and he got only limited white-ball opportunities during his years at Trent Bridge, but he has had a chance to expand his role with Worcestershire. With a Championship record of 776 runs at 64.66, his form was not in question, but his ability to score at a match-winning rate still is.Libby’s 52 not out from 43 balls was far from explosive, but it was a sticky pitch, and it arose from a troubled start of 26 for 3 in four overs. He survived a return catch to Mullaney, worked hard for the gaps, and only had the release of three boundaries; two of those came from a thick edge and a misfield.Worcestershire’s tinkering with the order did not pay off. Matt Carter deceived Brett D’Oliveira, who is being tried out as an opener, with a short ball that beat his advance down the wicket on his leg side and had him stumped by yards. Moeen also failed in a foray down the pitch and was bowled leg stump by one that turned through the gate. Add Riki Wessels’ run out, beaten by a direct hit from deepish mid off by Mullaney and Nottinghamshire’s authority was soon established.After Cox had been picked off by Mullaney’s return catch, Libby found support from Whiteley in a stand of 78 from 57 balls. Notts’ bowlers settled into the season. Fletcher ran through his repertoire of slower balls, although he will hope to gain more control as the season goes on; and Calvin Harrison, a legspinner signed this week on a three-month contract, and with previous experience at Hampshire, also settled into his season.Notts took pace off the ball like the old pros they are. Moeen gambled on reserving his slower bowlers until deep into Notts’ reply and limited Barnard to a single over. It paid off, although nobody was entirely sure how or why.

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.

Batsman 48 not out heading into final day at Cheltenham with visitors three down in fourth innings

Paul Edwards07-Jul-2021
For two days, so we have been told, Cheltenham has dodged the showers. This attributes a degree of agility to the College Ground that even so magical a location might struggle to achieve but it is still a fair reflection of our good luck. While other matches in this round were hosed upon ‘big style’ on Monday and Tuesday Gloucestershire and Middlesex’s cricketers went about their business more or less unimpeded. Such splendid good fortune is no more than Cheltenham and its staff deserve but it came to a wet end this morning when a couple of determined downpours prevented any play before luncheon.The gruffer critics, recalling Middlesex’s disintegration on Tuesday afternoon, observed that a few showers at least offered the prospect of this game lasting into its fourth morning. Sadly there was brutal justice in that view. One of the tougher joys of the county programme is its insistence that a side’s capacity for resistance should be tested over six months and there were suggestions in the visitors’ first innings that one or two batsmen were resigned to a grim fate. Six defeats in eight games do that to cricketers.The job of the coach and captain at such times is to convince their mentally battered players that a seventh defeat is not pre-ordained, even at points in the season when they have mislaid their powers of resistance. Put simply, therefore, when Middlesex began their pursuit of 420 to win this game in the middle of this third afternoon their players had to believe a rot could be stopped.Related

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Two players’ innings suggested the message had been received. After both openers had been removed inside the first six overs, Stevie Eskinazi and Peter Handscomb, each of them with just one first-class half-century to their credit this season, defied Gloucestershire’s confident attack for 30 overs adding only 48 runs in the process but at least showing the kind of fight their side has frequently lacked this summer. The cricket was absorbing as James Bracey rotated his six-man attack intelligently, never over-bowling Dan Worrall and Matt Taylor, his main threats, but keeping all his bowlers fresh, secure in the knowledge that this game has another day to go.Handscomb, while he is no Hashim Amla, was unconcerned by his failure to score freely and went 45 minutes without adding to his 13 runs. However, having pushed a single to midwicket, he fell leg before to Worrall and it was left to Eskinazi and Daryl Mitchell to resist Gloucestershire’s bowlers for another hour. They did this in relative comfort and that rich period of play also featured the two huge sixes that Mitchell whacked over long-on when he came down the pitch to the off-spinner Ollie Price. All the same this was classic County Championship fare, old-school cricket, if you will. The fact that it took place at Cheltenham made the vintage even richer. And there will be cricket here tomorrow when Eskinazi will resume his innings on 48 not out.The cultured and discriminating defence offered by Middlesex’s middle-order was all the more vital given the early dismissal of their openers. First to go was Josh de Caires, who punched his third and fourth balls through midwicket for pleasant twos but was then dropped by Glenn Phillips at first slip off his sixth ball but caught by the same fielder off his tenth when attempting a drive. Given that de Caires nearly ran himself out at the non-striker’s end in the over between his first escape and final snaring, it would be fair to describe his second innings in big school as nervy yet even this was understandable given that he was facing Worrall, whose sponsorship by a firm of funeral directors is very fitting.But it was Matt Taylor, a slightly more civilised fellow and consequently receiving financial support from auctioneers, who took the next wicket when he brought one back in to have Sam Robson leg before for nought. There was the slightest suspicion the ball pitched outside leg but this did not really justify Robson leaning on his bat and delaying his departure with the air of a man visited by undeserved malignity. That, though, is what happens when the bottom has dropped out of your grocery bag too many times in one summer.We then settled into a wonderful few hours during which no home supporters barracked the batsmen and few spectators left the College Ground. All the same, the dot-stuffed tension of Middlesex’s innings had been preceded by a far more carefree 85 minutes’ cricket in which Gloucestershire lost their last four wickets in scoring a further 84 runs. The highlight of this session of play was a fine seventh-wicket partnership of 65 in 17 overs between Ollie and Tom Price, a stand in which both brothers played a series of attractive strokes. Ollie was eventually caught behind off Tim Murtagh for 33 but Tom ended the innings unbeaten on 35 and the pair’s value to Gloucestershire is plainly enhanced by their useful bowling. There was no value in the Prices simply occupying the crease – the lead was already 345 when their partnership began – but their self-possession was impressive and somehow emblematic of a county that is enjoying a prolonged and deserved revival in their fortunes. One does not need to hail from Prestbury or Painswick to be pleased by that.

Durham and Glamorgan to contest most downgraded one-day final in English cricket history

David Hopps18-Aug-2021Durham and Glamorgan contest the most downgraded one-day final in English cricket history when they meet under the Trent Bridge floodlights on Thursday – but Durham’s captain, Scott Borthwick, insists that it remains a prize worthy of a sleepless night or two.For Alex Lees, Durham’s opening batsman, it probably means a more disturbed night than most. With England’s top order in disarray, there are a few noises about England potential again, although the days when a Player of the Match award in a 50-over final could get you on a plane for a winter tour are long gone.With a sizeable chunk of professionals engaged in a Test series against India, or taking part in the inaugural season of the Hundred, county squads have been stretched to the limit. The Royal London Cup, a tournament that in recent years was already playing second fiddle to Finals Day in the Blast, is now further down the food chain.With the play-offs, semi-finals and final all crammed into a six-day period, and the final scheduled for midweek, Trent Bridge will be relieved to be more than half full, and the ECB are already indicating that there could be a return to a weekend final whatever the make-up in the tournament in 2022.This is now a tournament easy to knock, but the county game remains the lifeblood of hundreds of cricket professionals and is cared for by hundreds of thousands of followers. For many – maybe not enough, but many all the same – this final is not just an entertaining day out, but is fought out on their behalf by a club embedded into their lives.Borthwick, who is in his first season as Durham captain, sees a Trent Bridge final as further indication that county cricket’s most northerly outpost is putting troubled financial years behind it and can again become a powerhouse in the professional game.”From the outside it might look like the Hundred has taken the glory and rightly so because that has been an amazing competition and brings money into the game,” Borthwick said. “But every team has taken it seriously and playing in it feels important.”I’m sorry it’s not at Lord’s, it’s like an FA Cup final not being at Wembley, but having said that Trent Bridge is a fantastic ground and to captain the side in a final is a great honour.”Part of our plan at the start of the season was to win a white-ball competition and this was one of them. We just missed out on Division One but we played some outstanding cricket and the belief is coming back. We showed we deserve to be playing proper cricket with the big boys.”It is perhaps no surprise that one of the finalists, Glamorgan, have been raided comparatively lightly by the Hundred; Welsh Fire’s men’s team is most notable for not actually having many Welshmen. Durham have had to make do without a trio of pace bowlers in Ben Raine, Matty Potts and Brydon Carse, as well as their oft-absent England pair, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood, although their top order has remained intact and has been a prime reason for their success.Related

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Neil Snowball, the ECB’s MD of county cricket, has called the Thursday final “a one-off” but an awful lot more debate will take place before the latest jumble commonly known as the English cricket season is revealed to the world.Much attention will focus on Durham’s prolific opening pair, Lees and Graham Clark, who can boast the most runs and highest averages in the competition. Lees’ early years at Yorkshire brought praise from that most demanding of judges, especially when it comes to opening batters, Geoffrey Boycott, only for him to lose his way and head further north to Durham. Clark, who like Lees is 28, has had no such England pretensions, but he is enjoying the most successful period of his career.”The way the two of them dovetail is lovely,” Borthwick said. “They have got us off to a fantastic start time and again. Graham has come out and played his shots and gone really hard and Alex has had a strong season.”I think Alex has the ability and mindset to play Test cricket. He is a very strong character. He is a much-improved player over the past couple of years. He is a mature batsman, knows his game and wouldn’t let anybody down. He has turned himself into a very consistent run-scorer in four-day cricket and the white ball as well.”Graham didn’t actually get a big score in the T20, he got us off to flyers. I spoke to him before the competition and wanted him to keep playing the same way but if he got to 20 or 30 to realise he could kick on. His tempo has been brilliant. He has had the ability to make those starts into big scores.”

Dhaka pitch in focus as is unseasonal rain which is forecast from the second to the fourth days

Mohammad Isam03-Dec-2021

Big Picture

Bangladesh have narrowed the gap in skills with Pakistan, but they are still some way off acquiring the mental steel needed to turn corners, handle clutch moments and win Tests. The Dhaka Test is the home side’s last chance to pose the visitors a stern challenge and turn things around for themselves.Shakib Al Hasan’s return to full fitness should help Bangladesh on many fronts. Taskin Ahmed, meanwhile, will be expected to inject a bit of pace.Pakistan’s approach to difficult situations helped them dominate most of the Chattogram Test. When Mushfiqur Rahim and Liton Das put together 206 runs for the fifth wicket in the first innings, they responded with a strong showing on the second morning. When Bangladesh bowled Pakistan out for 286 in their first dig, their bowlers again got them back in the game.Related

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Shaheen Shah Afridi and Hasan Ali didn’t just bowl exciting deliveries to get the wickets, they also put together a bowling partnership that left very little wiggle room for the Bangladesh line-up. Such was their dominance over Bangladesh’s top four that the rest of the batting order was left scrambling to compile a big effort.Abid Ali was Pakistan’s batting enforcer in Chattogram. Their gamble to try out newcomer Abdullah Shafique also paid off handsomely, as he struck two fifties in his debut Test. Babar Azam and the rest of the batting order will look to make amends for not contributing much in the first Test.Bangladesh’s batting is their major concern. The top order combusted easily in both innings, which included captain Mominul Haque. Shakib’s inclusion will bolster the batting that was heavily dependent on Mushfiqur and Liton. The bowling, too, will be spin-heavy now that Shakib is back, but how they balance it with pacers is also a big question. The bowling composition will be an early indication of the type of pitch that curator Gamini Silva might dish out.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh LWLDL
Pakistan WWLWW

In the spotlight

Abid Ali more than made up for his duck against Bangladesh last year with his 224-run tally in the first Test, which included a first-innings 133. Batting like a solid opener, he shifted gears with aplomb, getting into his shell to see Pakistan through good spells of bowling and then opening up quickly to punish errors against spinners and quick bowlers alike.Liton Das bounced back admirably in the Chattogram Test after the T20 World Cup debacle. His maiden Test hundred came at a crunch phase for Bangladesh when they looked down and out. For a player with an aesthetically pleasurable style of play, his inconsistency, though, is frustrating for Bangladesh.

Team news

Shakib and Taskin are set to return to the XI while Mahmudul Hasan Joy could make his Test debut in Saif Hassan’s vacated spot.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Shadman Islam, 2 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 4 Mominul Haque (capt), 5 Mushfiqur Rahim, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Liton Das (wk), 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Ebadot HossainPakistan are likely to be unchanged.Pakistan (probable): 1 Abid Ali, 2 Abdullah Shafique, 3 Azhar Ali 4 Babar Azam (capt), 5 Fawad Alam, 6 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Nauman Ali, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 11 Sajid Khan

Pitch and conditions

Spinners will definitely come into play at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. The question is when. Unseasonal rain is in the forecast from the second to the fourth days.

Stats and trivia

• In the Chattogram fixture, Abid Ali missed out to become the third Pakistani opener, after Hanif Mohammad and Wajahatullah Wasti, to score hundreds in both innings of a Test match.
• Afridi is tied with R Ashwin as the top Test wicket-taker in 2021 with a tally of 44.
• Liton Das has the second most Test runs among wicketkeepers this year.

Quotes

“Everyone from the subcontinent plays spin very well, so it is better not to give them a spin wicket. I think everyone else would do the same. I prefer a flat wicket.”

“Where’s the planning? We talk about planning but I can’t see where that planning has got to”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Dec-2021Alastair Cook has questioned England’s planning and criticised the “simple, avoidable mistakes” they have made in the first two Ashes Tests after their 275-run defeat in Adelaide saw Australia take a 2-0 lead.Cook, England’s captain during their 5-0 defeat in Australia eight years ago and their leading run-scorer on their victorious 2010-11 tour, said that England’s decision-making “hasn’t been good enough”, and said that there was little evidence of the planning that Chris Silverwood – England’s head coach and Cook’s former Essex coach – had regularly referred to throughout his two years in charge.”Ultimately, England are ruing the fact they’ve made too many mistakes in these two games,” Cook said in BT Sport’s coverage. “Their fielding isn’t as good as Australia’s, the decision-making off the field to get to this point hasn’t been good enough, and you can’t afford – on a tour like this – to make mistakes. It’s such a tough tour anyway.”Hindsight is the easiest place to come from but we’ve gone into this tour with all the stuff from Chris Silverwood, saying ‘we’re going to be the best-prepared England team’, ‘we’ve prepared for this’, ‘we want to arrive with this, this and this.’ Yes, there have been some circumstances they can’t have avoided like the Covid situation, the weather they’ve had, the T20 World Cup rescheduled.Related

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“But they turned up to play the biggest Ashes game which is the first one, where you set the tone, where you start to get in the series, and played a bowling attack that had never played before together. Where’s the planning? We talk about planning but I can’t see where that planning has got to.”Cook was also critical of the decision to omit Stuart Broad from the first Test at the Gabba, suggesting picking him should have been “a no-brainer”.”I don’t think James [Anderson] was fit to play that game, so that’s fine,” he said. “So then you go for a guy who’s got a good record at the Gabba, Stuart Broad, who you know can handle big situations, has delivered for England in the past… and you don’t play him. I’m sitting there going ‘really? Like, really? How’s that decision been made’. To me, that’s a no-brainer.”Matt Prior, England’s wicketkeeper on the 2010-11 tour and Cook’s vice-captain during the 2013-14 whitewash, highlighted England’s “unforced errors” as well as their decision-making, describing their profligacy in the field as “a huge negative”.”Before you even look at batting vs batting and bowling vs bowling on the two sides, it’s England’s unforced errors,” he said on BT Sport. “Dropping seven catches in two Test matches, that’s a huge negative and it’s one that can be trained and practised and shouldn’t happen at this level, quite frankly.”Taking wickets with no-balls and the amount of no-balls being bowled by this England team – it’s those elements that will be as frustrating as not leaving as well as the Australians, or bowling a bit fuller, or everything else.”People talk about one-percenters, but taking catches? That’s a 20-percenter. England aren’t at a place where they’ve focusing on one percent here, one percent there – get your 20 percent right first and then you can go from there.”But I agree with Alastair that some of the decisions that have been made so far in these two Test matches… I mean, talk about putting yourself behind the eight-ball before you’ve even got on the pitch. It’s been a real tough one.”

Gayle chipped in with a 45-ball 51 as well as Sylhet were shut out of the BPL playoff race

Mohammad Isam08-Feb-2022How the match played outFortune Barishal ended Sylhet Sunrisers’ hopes of a place in the BPL playoffs, beating them by 12 runs. After putting together a formidable 199 for 4 batting first, Barishal waited out Colin Ingram’s 49-ball 90 before closing out the game with tight overs in the second half of the chase.Shakib Al Hasan once again turned in an all-round performance, but this time it was his 2 for 23 from four overs that made more of a difference. His fourth over going for three runs helped Barishal turn the corner, before part-timer Najmul Hossain Shanto removed the well-set Ingram and Mizanur Rahman off consecutive balls to put the pressure back on Sylhet.The win solidified Barishal’s position on top of the table with 13 points from nine games. Sylhet remain rooted at the bottom after their sixth defeat in eight outings.Big hitBarishal’s batters combined to hit 14 sixes, the most in an innings in this season’s BPL. Munim Shahriar started the big-hitting by taking 17 runs off Sohag Gazi in the first over. He struck three sixes and six fours, reaching his maiden BPL fifty off just 26 balls.Shakib continued the run-spree with his 19-ball 38, hitting four sixes over midwicket, backward square leg and wide long-off. All this time, Gayle bided his time at the other end, playing a supporting role. He struck his first six in the 16th over, and although he went on to score a fifty, it was Dwayne Bravo towards the end who did actual damage. Bravo struck four sixes, one sliced off Shiraz Ahmed, and the others conventional over long-off and wide long-on.The left-handed Ingram gave Sylhet a brilliant start by hitting ten fours in the powerplay overs, the most by any batter this season. Six of those fours were off the usually economical Mujeeb Ur Rahman.Ingram reached his second BPL fifty in no time, as he crashed Mehedi Hasan Rana for 21 runs in the 10th over. He struck four boundaries, all along the carpet on the offside, bringing down the required run-rate below ten for the first and only time, in the chase.But a combination of Shakib, Bravo, Ziaur Rahman and Shanto made all the difference for Barishal.Big missSylhet leaked a lot of runs, mainly due to left-arm quick Shiraz who had an outing to forget. He conceded 56 runs in four wicketless overs. The Barishal batters took a liking to his pace, it seemed, hitting him for five sixes and three fours. It is the worst bowling figures in the BPL this season, beating Taskin Ahmed’s 1 for 53 from four overs. In his second game for Sylhet, Shiraz remains without a wicket in the tournament.Mujeeb also had an off-day, giving away 40 runs in four wicketless overs. It was rare to see the mystery bowler go for so many, with Ingram hitting him for six fours in the powerplay. Some of the fours were streaky, but Mujeeb was certainly knocked off his length by the left-hander.

Australia vs India game will kick off the tournament on July 29, with the final scheduled for August 7

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2022Sri Lanka, after winning the ICC’s Commonwealth Games (CWG) qualifier in Kuala Lumpur last week, have completed the line-up of eight teams that will take part in the women’s T20 competition at the Birmingham edition of the games later this year. The other teams in the fray are Australia, Barbados, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa.A joint announcement by the ICC and the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) on Tuesday confirmed that cricket had become the first discipline to make public the complete line-up for CWG, following the “CGF ratification of the island nation’s entry”.”It’s good to have finalised the identity of the teams participating in the Commonwealth Games, and congratulations to Sri Lanka for making it after playing so well in the qualifier,” Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s chief executive, said in a statement. “We will have eight of the best teams competing for the gold and I am sure we will get to watch a highly competitive tournament.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“The Commonwealth Games are an important part of the women’s cricket calendar over the next year. It is a huge opportunity for us to take cricket beyond the traditional strongholds and give more people around the world the chance to enjoy the game, whilst the players are very much looking forward to being part of a multi-sport games.”The competition will be played in a league-cum-knockout format, with Australia and India, who made the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2020, which Australia won, kicking things off with the first game, on July 29. Australia and India are in Group A, along with Barbados and Pakistan, while Group B has the rest of the teams. The medal matches are scheduled for August 7.Chamari Athapaththu, who led Sri Lanka to the title at the qualifiers, said, “It’s a great feeling to have qualified for the Commonwealth Games and all of us are really excited to be part of the multi-sport extravaganza. I’m sure it’s going to be a different experience for all of us.”Cricket has featured only once in the CWG, back in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur, when it was a 50-over event for men. South Africa won the gold then, with Australia winning silver and New Zealand bronze.