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Fast bowlers shine as West Indians build on a solid batting show in the first innings

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Oct-2017
ScorecardWICB

Devendra Bishoo, who had a minimal role to play with the ball during the Test series in England, warmed up for Zimbabwe with a three-wicket haul on day two of the tour-opener in Bulawayo, but the more noteworthy effort came from their fast bowling duo of Shannon Gabriel and Miguel Cummins.West Indians, who declared on 336 for 7, skittled Zimbabwe A for 143 in 44.1 overs. In their second innings, the West Indies went to stumps at 74 for the loss of Kraigg Brathwaite.Cummins and Gabriel, expected to share the new ball, picked two wickets a piece while Raymon Reifer, pushing for his first Test cap, also did his chances no harm. Reifer picked up the key wicket of the experienced Chamu Chibhabha on his way to figures of 2 for 29.Six Zimbabwe batsmen got into double digits, with just PJ Moor, the captain, topping with 32. The 39-run fifth-wicket stand between Richmond Mutumbami and Moor was the highest of the innings.Brathwaite was out for two in the second over, but Kieran Powell and Kyle Hope, who appeared to be seeking solid match practice after failing to score a half-century on the Test tour of England, were unbeaten on 34 and 35 respectively.

He is also “open to” moving down the order in Tests, if asked to by the team management

Firdose Moonda02-Aug-2022Aiden Markram won’t say it quite yet, but in spite of the bottleneck of top-order batters in South Africa’s T20I squad, he is fairly sure of his place to Australia for the World Cup. And you would think he should be.Markram is ranked third on the ICC’s T20I batting rankings, averages 42.60 in T20Is, strikes at 146.55 and contributes with part time offspin. But he has only played one of South Africa’s eight T20Is this year, missed the series against India after contracting Covid-19 and was benched for two of the three games against England in favour of Heinrich Klaasen. So if he was feeling uncertain, it would be understandable. Luckily for him, South Africa have a plan and it almost certainly includes him.”The communication has been really good from coach, management team and captain. It makes it easier to understand why they are doing it (rotating players). Building up to World Cups you want to pick your best squad and it’s important to give guys fair opportunities before you select the team,” Markram said ahead of South Africa’s two-match T20I series against Ireland, which starts on Wednesday in Bristol.Although South Africa don’t have many matches left to experiment before the T20 World Cup (their two against Ireland are followed by three in India just before the tournament), they have tinkered with the top order in the absence of captain Temba Bavuma. They started off the England series giving Klaasen an opportunity at No. 4, but even though he is capable of hitting the ball hard, Klaasen may have had his run with scores of 20 and 19 against England. Markram replaced Klaasen for the third game and hit an unbeaten 51 in the deciding match.Who bats above Markram is yet to be fully decided. Quinton de Kock will get in on reputation, if not current form, and Reeza Hendricks has done everything asked of him to open the batting with de Kock with three successive half-centuries against England. But if Bavuma is fit, that means either Hendricks is squeezed out or moved down the order, where Rilee Rossouw returned to the national set-up with an unbeaten 96 in the second match against England. If Rossouw moves down, that impedes on Markram and possibly further down where David Miller and Tristan Stubbs make up the middle order.It’s a problem of plenty, which South Africa may not yet know how to solve apart from Markram, who can see a clear role for himself in that mix.”Rilee, Tristan and Reeza are exciting for us as a team and creates some good competition for us as a squad. For me, it’s just about playing the situation. If they get us off to a flier, it’s about coming in and matching their intensity. And if not, it’s for me to up the intensity,” he said.”I would still love to be involved in all three formats and will put as much work as I can to try and keep that dream of playing in all three formats alive”•Getty Images

Energy in the middle order is where South Africa’s squad has seen its biggest change from the team they were a year or two ago. Rather than rely on one player to finish an innings – Miller historically – they now have Markram, Stubbs, Miller and Andile Phehlukwayo with Stubbs adding a new dynamic to the squad. “It’s exciting for us to have a player with his x-factor ability,” Markram said. “He (Stubbs) is on cloud nine now and it’s about staying there and enjoying every second. He is a bit of a free spirit and has always got a smile on his face.”The hype around Stubbs may remind some of the same hope Markram brought with him after South Africa won the 2014 Under-19 World Cup and he was promoted to senior international cricket three years later. Markram said he “hasn’t quite got it worked out,” how to manage those expectations but his advice to Stubbs is that since “it’s been an awesome six months for him, the longer he can drag that out, the more awesome things will come for him.”That’s how Markram has played since the IPL, where he had a “decent bit, not amazing” tournament for Sunrisers Hyderabad, with three fifties in his 13 innings. “Confidence is a massive part of this game. This IPL tournament provided me with that confidence, that belief that I was lacking [earlier],” Markram said.While Markram may be fairly sure of himself in T20Is, he can’t be quite as assured in other formats because “I can appreciate that I might have not scored as many runs as I should have.” Specifically, his role as a Test player will come into sharp focus later this month, when South Africa play England for three games, starting on August 17.Markram has been included in the squad, after missing the series against Bangladesh because of the IPL and following a particularly poor run. Before that, Markram had gone 13 Test innings with only one half-century and an average of 16.38. He has since been replaced by Sarel Erwee as Dean Elgar’s opening partner, and does not think he will find his way back into the XI anytime soon. “I am not even expecting to play to be honest,” he said. “If you look at the makeup of the top three, they’ve done really well over the past few series. I’m over the moon for the three of them.”Asked if he could consider moving down the order in the longest format, as he has done in shorter ones, Markram said, “it’s something I would be open to,” but that South Africa haven’t had any planning around that yet. “We haven’t had too many discussions with regards to red-ball cricket. That will be next week,” he said. “I’ve only ever done top of the order stuff but it’s something I would be open to. If there is a role to fill in the middle order and the coaches and selectors think there is a space for me, I would be open to trying it and I would have to prepare accordingly. And make those slight mental adjustments.”Wherever, or perhaps whether, he finds himself in the line-up, Markram remains committed across longer and shorter formats even as an increasing number of players find themselves choosing between them. “I would still love to be involved in all three formats and will put as much work as I can to try and keep that dream of playing in all three formats alive.”

India’s pacers claimed yet another batting line-up after the batsmen laid the foundation for a 240-run victory at The Oval

The Report by Varun Shetty30-May-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Dinesh Karthik’s fluent 94 set up India’s massive win•IDI/Getty Images

Bangladesh, who face England in the Champions Trophy opener on June 1, collapsed spectacularly, falling to 22 for 6, before eventually getting bowled out for 84 in their chase of 325 against India in the warm-up game at The Oval. After allrounder Hardik Pandya had clattered an unbeaten 80 off 54 balls to propel India to 324, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar ripped through Bangladesh’s top half with the new ball. The seamers utilised the overcast conditions, and extracted sharp movement and bounce from a pitch that had hitherto appeared benign, taking three wickets each.The procession began when Soumya Sarkar slashed away from his body at an Umesh delivery that straightened in the corridor. Sarkar appeared confused when the Indian fielders went up for a caught-behind appeal, walking down the track to consult Imrul Kayes about a possible review, before quickly realising there weren’t be any available. Perhaps, it was an early sign of what was to come for Bangladesh, who would soon lose Kayes and Shakib Al Hasan to misguided hook shots.Sabbir Rahman had his stumps rattled by a full inswinger, while two vicious deliveries that climbed from a length took the outside edges of Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain. The chase had effectively ended with only 45 balls bowled. Mehedi Hasan, who had earlier bowled an economical spell (9-1-39-0), offered resistance with 24, but could not find enough support from the other end.India had lost the toss, but Virat Kohli was happy at being put in. Shakib stood-in as captain in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal, who were both rested ahead of Thursday’s fixture against England. Bangladesh’s intention was to give their bowling line-up a lift after they had failed to defend 341 against Pakistan on Saturday.Rohit Sharma, who last played for his country in October 2016, opened alongside Shikhar Dhawan. He, however, lasted only three balls before dragging a short and wide ball from Rubel Hossain onto his stumps. At the other end, Mustafizur Rahman troubled Dhawan outside the off stump, before inducing a loose shot from Ajinkya Rahane – pushed down to No. 3 on Tuesday – and disturbing his stumps via the inside edge.Dinesh Karthik, streaky throughout his nine-ball duck in the previous warm-up game against New Zealand, started tentatively again before finding his timing. He strung together a 100-run stand for the third wicket with Dhawan. The stand, though, ended when the opener played one shot too many against left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam, hoicking him straight to midwicket after hitting 10 runs off the first three balls of the 23rd over.Karthik, dropped on 29, brought up his fifty in the 26th over, before shifting gears, getting his next 43 runs off only 26 balls. Karthik had to retire six short of a hundred, having staked his claim for a middle-order spot in India’s XI. Yuvraj Singh, who missed the previous warm-up match because of viral fever, did not bat in this game, but the lower-middle order fired.Kedar Jadhav, who did not play against New Zealand as well, made 31 off 38 balls at No. 5. Hardik and Ravindra Jadeja then dominated the last 15 overs. Hardik motored along positively, picking the gaps when he couldn’t find the boundaries, eventually showing his ability to finish the innings with four powerful sixes. Jadeja’s stay wasn’t as fluent. Apart from a release shot that flew over long-on, Jadeja struggled to rotate the strike and his 36-ball innings yielded only 32.

South Africa, who will be playing their first Test in more than seven years, should “apply themselves over long periods of time,” she says

Firdose Moonda23-Jun-2022South Africa will need to develop a patience game with both bat and ball as they embark on their first Test in eight years when they take on England in Taunton next week. That’s the assessment of vice-captain Chloe Tryon, one of only five members of the current squad to have played a Test before.While recognising that they are coming up against a vastly more experienced side – England have played 97 Tests compared to South Africa’s 12, and three in the last three years – Tryon is hopeful South Africa will be able to apply themselves over long periods of time to compete in this encounter.”Our concentration has to be a bit higher [than usual] because it’s a really big mental game,” Tryon told ESPNcricinfo. “We’ve got to be able to bat for longer, with the ball, you’ve got to be okay with bowling the same length all the time and as a fielding side, we also have to be really awake. When an opportunity comes and when you are playing a team like England, you can’t drop world-class players and then they go on to make hundreds. It’s important to be really switched on, and for us to use this opportunity for girls to make big scores and take plenty of wickets”.Related

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The dearth of Tests in women’s cricket – no team other than England, India or Australia have competed in Tests since 2015 – means that South Africa don’t have a lot of historical knowledge to go on. Tryon, Lizelle Lee and Marizanne Kapp played in the 2014 Test against India in Mysore, which South Africa lost by an innings and 34 runs.”India batted for about two days and we just tried to survive,” Tryon said of that match. “It was a really good memory because I always wanted to play a Test match.”Still, she called it a “different and weird” experience but one she is “excited” to try again. Other than the trio, Shabnim Ismail was part of South Africa’s previous Test, seven years earlier, against Netherlands in 2007, while Trisha Chetty is the only member of the current squad to have played in both those matches.South Africa’s domestic set-up does not include a red-ball programme for women, or any multi-innings or time cricket matches, which means that none of these five players have played any competitive long-format cricket since their respective last Tests while the rest have never played anything other than limited-overs cricket. That means South Africa will have to field at least six debutants against England next week, and all of their squad have almost no red-ball experience other than the occasional match at school.Still, Tryon believes they have had as much preparation as possible with intra-squad matches at a training camp in Pretoria last month, though those who were part of the FairBreak Tournament, like Ayabonga Khaka and Laura Wolvaardt, had to miss it. A three-day warm-up match against England A at Arundel is ongoing. From the latter, South Africa have an example of how to approach Test cricket in Wolvaardt, who scored a century in the first innings against England A, and Tryon expects big things from the top-order batter. “Laura has adapted really well to the situation,” she said. “It looks like she is enjoying it and the rest of the batters are taking up the roles.”Given the lack of familiarity in the format, does Tryon think South Africa’s participation could be farcical? It seems not. “As players, the game has evolved and we want to grow it as much as we can. While ODI and T20I cricket is growing, we should also be able to grow the Test matches. It can be an exciting way for us to develop.”However, not even the most important decision-makers in the game think so. In an interview with BBC’s earlier this month, ICC chair Greg Barclay said he didn’t see women’s Tests “being any part of the landscape moving forward to any real extent at all,” and cited lack of resources and structures in most countries and the push for white-ball cricket to be the future as justification for his views.England’s coach Lisa Keightley was disappointed with that analysis and England’s captain Heather Knight also came out in support of long-format cricket, and now Tryon has added her voice to the discussion as well. “I’ve always been a person that’s loved Test cricket. I grew up watching Test cricket and I love Test cricket now,” she said. “It would be great for us to be able to play a few more Tests.”

“Not being close to winning any games, you get a bit of self-doubt, and the players get a little bit niggly”

Hemant Brar09-Apr-20222:19

Jaffer: CSK are missing a wicket-taker in the powerplay

Chennai Super Kings have never had a worse start to their IPL campaign than the one they have made in 2022. After their fourth loss in as many games, talks have already started about what the defending champions need to do to stay alive in the tournament.On Saturday, after an eight-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad, repetitive questions about what all has gone wrong for Super Kings left their head coach Stephen Fleming seemingly ticked off.Related

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Eventually, he cut it short: “I think it’s clear. Batting, bowling and fielding is what we need to work on. And moving forward we improve batting, bowling and fielding.”That reflects in the margins of defeats as well. Before their latest drubbing, Super Kings had lost two games by six wickets and one by 54 runs. In a tournament where dew has played a vital role, losing three out of four tosses hasn’t helped either.According to Fleming, not even getting close to winning has affected the self-belief of the side.”Probably each facet [of the game] is a concern, if not at one stage then altogether,” Fleming said. “We were well outplayed today. We’re sort of learning. We’ve got some issues around player availability, and in some areas a little bit underpowered, that we’re just looking for players to step up. So we’ve got some learning to do still around our players and our squad.”And we haven’t had any evidence that sort of helps the belief. We are not winning any games. Not being close to winning any games, you get a bit of self-doubt, and the players get a little bit niggly. So we just got to work through that pretty quickly and try to find some rhythm and get back in the tournament.”Super Kings were dealt a blow even before the tournament started. Deepak Chahar, their powerplay specialist whom they bought for a massive INR 14 crore (approx. US$ 1.86 million) at the mega auction, suffered a quadricep tear during the third T20I against West Indies in Kolkata. He is yet to recover.Then, Adam Milne picked up a niggle against Knight Riders in the opening game of the tournament. It’s not clear if he is available for selection.”Deepak is a loss but if I could summarise, it’s probably batting, bowling and a little bit of fielding – it’s pretty much everything,” Fleming said when asked to specify which area they are lacking in.”But it’s just pressure, we’re just not getting ourselves in positions to pressurise the opposition and we’re just coming a distant second. It takes one or two good performances and then you get a bit of belief and a bit of evidence that you’re an okay side and away you go. But at the moment, we look a long way away from that.”

Wicketkeeper-batsman Suresh Lokeshwar’s unbeaten 92 helped India hold on to a draw on the final day after collapsing to 61 for 6 in their chase of 238

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2017
Scorecard
File photo – Max Holden’s 170 led England to a big total in the first innings•Getty Images

An unbeaten 92 from wicketkeeper-batsman Suresh Lokeshwar helped India hang on to a draw against England in the first Youth Test of the two-match series.India were set 238 to win on the final day, and found themselves four down at the start of the sixth over. Subsequently, they were reduced to 61 for 6. Seamers Henry Brookes (3-56) and Aaron Beard (2-24) took the first five of those, before Arthur Godsal removed first-innings centurion Daryl Ferrario for 37. This left Lokeshwar about 34 overs to survive in the lower order’s company. He did so with a partnership of 39 for the seventh wicket with Sijomon Joseph that took 13.1 overs, followed by more attacking stands of 61 at 4.11 with Kanishk Seth and an unbroken 28 at 4.54 with Vineet Panwar. Lokeshwar hit 14 fours during his knock and struck at 73.60, but India’s early breakthroughs meant 189 for 8 was as far as they could get in the chase.The chase itself was set up with a six-wicket haul by offspinner Joseph, who inflicted a collapse on England that saw them fall from 151 for 4 to 167 all out on the final day. Right-handed batsman George Bartlett didn’t get to bat with Max Holden in the second innings, with whom he had put on a record 321 runs in the first innings, but was involved in England’s biggest partnership in the second innings too, putting on 73 for the fifth wicket with Ollie Pope (26) after the visitors were reduced to 78 for 4. He fell to Joseph for 68 and Pope followed shortly after, falling to Ferrario (2-17) and opening up an England collapse that spanned 11 overs.The second innings for both teams were in stark contrast to the first, where runs were more easily had. England skipper Holden had won the toss, chosen to bat, and gone on to score 170 after his record partnership for the second wicket ended with Bartlett’s stumping off Joseph for 179. Allrounder Delray Rawlins then scored an unbeaten 70 off 94 balls to lift England to 501 for 5. In response, India declared on 431 for 8, with sixties from Abhishek Goswami (66), Saurabh Singh (62) and Joseph (62*) complementing Ferrario’s 117.

A round-up of the final round of Ranji Trophy matches from Group B on December 8, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2016Saurashtra opener Kishan Parmar, who was playing his second first-class match, struck his maiden century to revive his team from 130 for 5 to 234 for 5 against Delhi in Vadodara. Saurashtra closed the day with a lead of 89 runs.Seamer Navdeep Saini and offspinning allrounder Nitish Rana had done the damage with the ball, sharing four wickets between them. This came after Delhi’s lower order, led by Pradeep Sangwan’s 75 off 100 balls, opened up a first-innings lead of 145. Sangwan was briefly assisted by Manan Sharma (33) in a 62-run stand for the eighth wicket to frustrate Saurashtra. Kushang Patel, the new-ball bowler, picked up his third five-for in first-class cricket as Delhi were dismissed for 237 in 58.3 overs.Half-centuries from debutant Pavan Deshpande and opener R Samarth helped Karnataka gain the upper hand over Maharashtra in Mohali. Resuming on 67 for 1, Karnataka were ahead by 150 as they ended on 313 for 9, with the second-wicket stand of 101 between Kaunain Abbas (41) and Samarth (64) forming the bedrock of the innings. Deshpande then helped consolidate the lead with Stuart Binny and CM Gautam.Karnataka, who could have been down to 10 players after Maharashtra denied them a replacement for Manish Pandey, who was called-up to the India Test squad as a replacement for the injured Ajinkya Rahane, were handed a reprieve after Swapnil Gugale, the opposition captain, did a U-turn. David Mathias, the fast bowler, came in to bat at No. 7 but fell cheaply. Vinay Kumar, the Karnataka captain, struck an unbeaten 36 to all but knock Maharashtra, who need an outright win, out of contention.Left-arm seamer Tanvir Ul-Haq negated Vidarbha‘s advantage as Rajasthan, bowled out for 140, came storming back to dismiss their opponents for 116 in Greater Noida. Tanvir finished with career-best figures of 6 for 21 in 10.3 overs as the Vidarbha innings lasted just 41.3 overs after bad light delayed start of play by over an hour. Siddesh Wath, the wicketkeeper-batsman, playing his second first-class game, top-scored with 50. Rajasthan’s openers Manendar Singh and AV Gautam batted 11 overs to end on 10 without loss.

Victorian premier Andrews said there will be no crowd cap at the venue, which can hold up to 100,000 spectators

AAP09-Mar-2022Shane Warne will be publicly farewelled at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, home to many of his greatest sports moments, later this month.Victorian premier Daniel Andrews has confirmed the MCG as the venue for a state memorial service on March 30 to honour the Australian legend, who died suddenly due to heart attack in Thailand last week.Related

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“There’s nowhere in the world more appropriate to farewell Warnie than the ‘G,” Andrews tweeted on Wednesday.The MCG was the stage of the legspinner’s famous Ashes hat-trick in 1994 and the 700th Test wicket on Boxing Day in 2006, his final series before he retired from international cricket.Ticket information for the evening event is yet to be released, but the premier said there will be no crowd cap at the venue, which can hold up to 100,000 spectators.”It’ll be a very big event. It will be a celebration of his life as it should be,” Andrews said.Autopsy results showed that Warne died from a suspected heart attack, confirming the death was due to natural causes with no signs of foul play.Deputy director of Samui Hospital Songyot Chayaninporamet said the autopsy showed Warne, 52, died of a “congenital disease”.Following his death on the Thai resort island of Koh Samui, Warne’s body was taken by ferry to the mainland city of Surat Thani on Sunday. It was transported to Bangkok on Monday night and was being prepared to fly home to Melbourne, according to media reports.Warne’s family issued a statement on Monday describing the night of his death on March 4 as the beginning of “a never-ending nightmare”.

Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh said that time out of the Test side, during the home series against South Africa last year helped him work on a few aspects of his game, which he feels will be beneficial

Melinda Farrell in Bengaluru02-Mar-20171:16

‘Want to continue our winning ways at this ground’ – Marsh

It’s an odd anachronism that 21 is still considered such an important age.In Australia, for example, 21st birthdays are widely celebrated much the same as 18th birthdays, even though minors legally become adults once they turn 18. Cards are adorned with keys, cakes are baked in the shape of them, symbolizing the bestowing of the keys of adulthood to people who have been adults for three years.For whatever reason, turning 21 remains a mystical moment. The coming of age.If Mitchell Marsh plays in Bengaluru, his Test career will turn 21. But it feels as though he’s been coming of age for a very long time.Consider Marsh when he first hit adulthood. After captaining Australia to victory in the U19s World Cup, he was playing for Deccan Chargers in the IPL as an 18-year-old alongside Adam Gilchrist in a team coached by Darren Lehmann, a fact that seems almost ridiculous in its generational incongruity.Seven years and 20 Tests down the track, Marsh has a batting average of 22.79 and 29 wickets at an average of 37.27. That he is blessed with an abundance of talent is undeniable; that talent comes with expectations his critics feel have not been met.Marsh-bashing is a frequent occurrence on social media and the selection of brothers Mitchell or Shaun is guaranteed to spark a new round. The younger brother has the added burden of being an Australian allrounder, a position that attracts more scrutiny and criticism than most.Just ask Shane Watson.In fact, Marsh does just that. Heralded as the natural replacement for Watson at the end of his Test career, Marsh now seeks him out for advice.”I’ve spoken to Watto,” Marsh said. “Since he’s retired he’s been fantastic. He’s always been open to me giving him a call or a text. I could use him a little bit more, he’s always open for a conversation which is great.”Watson could no doubt give just as much advice on how to cope with flak off the field as he could on how to perform on it. When he passed the allrounder’s mantle on to Marsh it came with a target attached, something that unsettled Marsh to the extent he stopped reading comments about himself on social media altogether.”I try not to look too much into it,” said Marsh. “I wouldn’t have too much confidence if I read all the comments on Facebook. That’s part and parcel of playing cricket for Australia at the top level. People are always entitled to their opinion, that’s fine by me. It doesn’t stress me out. I used to read a lot of it then I had 10 innings where I didn’t get over 30, I didn’t have much to read so I stopped reading it.When the selectors cut a swathe through the Australian squad in the wake of the humiliating loss to South Africa in Hobart they didn’t miss Marsh. He had played only the Perth Test and was left out of the Hobart match in favour of Callum Ferguson. With no opportunities available to play first-class cricket, he returned home to join up with the Perth Scorchers.”In a way it was probably a good thing because I just went back to the Big Bash and enjoyed myself, tried to slog a few and managed to get a few out of the middle,” said Marsh. “But away from the game I worked on a few things that I feel will hold me in good stead if I can play in Australia again or play in other conditions. Sometimes it’s nice to get out of the spotlight. I was obviously under a lot of pressure for a while so in a way it was nice to get back to play with the Scorchers and here I am.”Marsh wasn’t required for bowling duties in the first Test but he applied himself for a watchful 31 runs on the crumbling pitch. For a powerful, attacking batsman, it was a commendable show of restraint in such conditions. It was followed by dressing-room celebrations that Marsh described as the best four hours of his life.”It was good, it gave me a lot of confidence,” said Marsh. “Even though I made only 30, being out in the middle for 80 balls certainly gave me a lot of confidence. Hopefully this wicket is a little better and I can turn it into a big score for us.””I think it’s just about adapting. That’s something we always speak about, Steven (Smith) always talks to us about it. In these conditions you’ve got to earn the right to attack and that’s by having a solid defence. That’s what I’ve been working on.”Marsh has also been working on gaining the trust of his brother. Shaun’s nine-month old son, Austin, is on the tour and Uncle Mitch is being allowed to babysit his nephew for the first time.”You earn your trust,” said Marsh, while conceding he wasn’t very confident on nappy-changing.”It’s taken me a while but I’ve got there now.”If he can produce his best in India, that’s a statement he may make for many Tests beyond his 21st.

Greece international blunts Middlesex attack after Helm’s burst brings him nine match wickets

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2022Debutant Sussex tailender Aristides Karvelas thwarted Middlesex’s hopes of victory with a defiant career-best half-century to secure a draw at Lord’s despite Tom Helm’s best efforts with the ball.Karvelas, a Johannesburg-born Greece international, batted for over two hours to blunt the Middlesex attack after Helm’s morning burst – which earned him record match figures of 9 for 146 – had raised the prospects of a final-session run chase.Helm picked up three wickets in 14 balls to reduce Sussex to 96 for 7, an overall lead of just 134, but a stubborn partnership of 45 between Karvelas and Archie Lenham steered the visitors towards safety.The 28-year-old was eventually dismissed after top-scoring with 57, but by then his efforts had saved the game and the captains agreed on a draw with Sussex on 181 for 9 in their second innings.Although Ali Orr perished cheaply for the second time in the match – run out by Toby Roland-Jones’ direct hit from mid-off – there were few indications during the opening hour that a clatter of wickets might accelerate the game.Tom Clark batted well for a chirpy 56, hitting successive fours off Roland-Jones and also depositing Helm over the short boundary for a maximum as Sussex progressed to 53 for 1.But Helm, following up a tight spell by Tim Murtagh at the Nursery End, then blitzed the visitors with a trio of rapid wickets – including the prize scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara, a rising delivery looping off the shoulder of the bat to second slip.When Clark played on to Umesh Yadav on the stroke of lunch, Sussex had slid to 69 for 5 and were looking vulnerable – even more so after Helm claimed his fourth wicket, with Delray Rawlins taken low at first slip.Sussex’s advantage still looked fragile when Murtagh bowled Dan Ibrahim through the gate, but Karvelas swiftly increased it by heaving a series of short-pitched deliveries from the Middlesex captain away to the short boundary.Murtagh rotated his seamers without success as Sussex’s eighth-wicket pair repaired the damage, using up 16.2 precious overs before Roland-Jones finally made the breakthrough, with Lenham (19) leaving the ball alone as it careered back to hit off stump.However, former Middlesex man Steven Finn joined Karvelas to snuff out any thoughts of a positive result, finishing 10 not out after his partner was finally dismissed, pushing forward at Sam Robson and offering a catch to gully.