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Visitors need to re-write history after fifties to Clarke, James and Hameed set lofty target

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2022Leicestershire 93 and 20 for 0 (Evans 10*, Azad 4*) need 479 runs to beat Nottinghamshire 201 and 390 for 7 dec (Clarke 67, James 61, Hameed 60)Division Two leaders Nottinghamshire put their foot firmly on Leicestershire’s throat on day two of their rapidly evolving LV= Insurance County Championship match at Trent Bridge, setting their winless opponents a fourth-innings target way beyond anything achieved in the county’s history.After Monday saw 20 wickets fall on a first-day pitch conducive to swing and seam movement, with the home side bowled out for 201 but Leicestershire succumbing for a paltry 93 in reply, Nottinghamshire made good use of much more docile conditions before declaring their second innings on 390 for 7.It left Callum Parkinson’s team needing 499 runs to win – 105 runs more than the 394 the post-war Leicestershire team scored to beat Derbyshire at Grace Road in 1947, which remains the county’s highest fourth-innings total to win a Championship match.After the declaration, openers Sam Evans and Hassan Azad negotiated 13 overs at the close without mishap – although Azad was dropped at third slip off Dane Paterson on one – but two more days is too long for Leicestershire to survive, realistically, against a Nottinghamshire side intent on completing a seventh win of the season and stretching their lead over Middlesex, currently in second place, to 50 points.Earlier, there were half-centuries for Nottinghamshire’s Joe Clarke, Haseeb Hameed and Lyndon James. Michael Finan, the left-arm seamer, dismissed Hameed and Matt Montgomery to claim two more debut wickets, but such good balls as he did deliver had to be set against his 10 no-balls, giving him a match total of 17.In the morning, under cloud cover so heavy and threatening that bad light caused an interruption after only 39 minutes, Leicestershire had hoped wickets might tumble as they had on day one as Nottinghamshire resumed on 15 without loss. Yet they were disappointed.Instead, the home side progressed to 112 for 1 at lunch, with Ben Slater the solitary casualty. The pitch was offering less help to the bowler after the heavy roller was deployed, but Leicestershire served up too many loose deliveries.Slater – dropped on nine off Finan as third slip Rishi Patel spilled his fourth catch of the match – fell on 39, giving a rather tame return catch to Ed Barnes. Hameed completed an 80-ball half-century just before the interval.The Leicestershire vice-captain, enjoying his most productive summer since his breakthrough season with Lancashire in 2016, looked in complete control, so it came as a surprise when he was dismissed half an hour or so after lunch for 60, seeming to change his mind about whatever shot he intended to play to a short ball from Finan, yet still getting a touch, which Harry Swindells eagerly grabbed behind the stumps.If a second breakthrough was some kind of encouragement for Leicestershire, the next 75 minutes or so were not, thanks largely to Clarke, who looked as comfortable at the crease as he has all season, punishing every error as he rushed to a 45-ball half-century with nine fours.Combined with Montgomery’s 32 and another batch of no-balls from Finan, Clarke’s runs were enough to put the contest effectively out of reach of Leicestershire, the third wicket partnership adding 101 in 112 balls before Montgomery miscued a short ball from the errant Finan, the one bright spot in an awful over that cost 17 runs.Clarke, still without a first-class hundred this season, fell soon afterwards as Parkinson found his outside edge, but by then the Nottinghamshire lead was 353.James and Steven Mullaney extended it to 403 in less than 10 overs before the latter, making room for himself, was caught at slip off Louis Kimber. James went past fifty for the seventh time this season before he was caught behind off a rank legside delivery by Roman Walker and after Tom Moores was caught at deep backward point, terminating a six-over thrash with Liam Patterson-White, Mullaney signalled the declaration.

Peshawar Zalmi have signed the West Indian trio of Fabian Allen, Rovman Powell and Fidel Edwards

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2021The Lahore Qalandars have picked up allrounder Shakib Al Hasan as their replacement for Rashid Khan for the remainder of PSL 2021. The Karachi Kings snapped up Martin Guptill to fill in for Colin Ingram, while the Quetta Gladiators picked Andre Russell to replace Tom Banton, and Islamabad United brought in Usman Khawaja to cover for Alex Hales in their top order.These were some of the biggest signings made on Tuesday night, when the six PSL teams met to choose replacements for the players who will miss the remainder of the 2021 season, which is set to resume on June 2. On March 4, the tournament was suspended mid-season when a number of players tested positive for Covid-19.The Lahore Qalandars were the busiest team during the PSL 2021 replacement draft•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The teams’ rosters of local players remain intact but most of the overseas players, who were around before the postponement, will not be available for one reason or another. The English players will be busy with the Vitality Blast T20 tournament, while some others will be on national duty.The six teams were given a list of over 135 players across all five categories. Lahore took a big hit, losing their middle-order core as well as their ace spinner Rashid. They picked up five players at the replacement draft to fill their vacant slots. Peshawar Zalmi suffered a big blow to their roster too, with key players Mujeeb Zadran, Saqib Mahmood and Ravi Bopara unavailable. They plugged the gap by signing three West Indian players in Fabian Allen, Rovman Powell and Fidel Edwards, with all three available for the entire remaining leg.Karachi and the Multan Sultans picked up four players each while Quetta picked just one replacement.The order of picks was settled through a randomiser, and Lahore won the first pick in the Platinum category. Russell was a high-profile option, but since he will only be available for a part of PSL 2021’s remainder, they went with Shakib instead.Other than Hales, Islamabad will miss Lewis Gregory and Phil Salt but the franchise have roped in Khawaja and the South Africa batsman Janneman Malan and will welcome back Colin Munro, who missed the initial leg due to New Zealand’s quarantine rules. Quetta have only picked one replacement so far but may look for more once the availability of Chris Gayle and Dale Steyn become known.The PSL will clash with several other series, making it tricky for the franchises to choose their combinations. An initial seven-day mandatory quarantine in the last week of May will directly clash with the IPL playoffs. This will be followed by an ODI series between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. West Indies and South Africa, meanwhile, are playing a Test and T20I series in June, while England will host New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the same timespan.ESPNcricinfo understands that the newly picked players won’t be considered for retention for the next edition of the PSL. The nineteen players picked so far will be treated as provisional while the original roster (before the postponement) will be effective for next year’s pre-draft business.The remainder of the tournament will be played in June, with all matches in Karachi, in a bio-security bubble being put in place by a UK-based company. The teams will assemble by May 23 to begin their mandatory seven-day quarantine, and action will resume on June 2, with the final on June 20.

Karnataka kept their slate clean with a win over Jharkhand, while Haryana defeated Rajasthan

Saurabh Somani22-Nov-2019Baroda and Karnataka surged to the top of the Super League groups A and B, winning their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on Friday. While Baroda held off Delhi by a solitary run, Karnataka beat Jharkhand by 13 runs in a game they looked like they would win at a canter at one stage. The victories gave them both eight points each from two matches.Rajasthan and Jharkhand, who have both had a close defeat each in high-scoring games, now find themselves with two defeats in as many Super League games, making a spot in the semi-finals difficult.Like on Thursday, there were IPL scouts from at least four franchises in attendance for the matches, making performances in the Super League particularly crucial given the IPL auction that is scheduled for December 19.Baroda v Delhi
A combined effort by the Delhi bowlers kept Baroda to 151 for 6. However, Delhi’s chase stuttered and finished on 150 for 9. Babashafi Pathan, the right-arm medium-pacer, took 3 for 24 for Baroda, while Kunwar Bidhuri fought a lone battle for Delhi.Bhiduri, handed a game due to Shikhar Dhawan’s injury, had a sparkling T20 debut, hitting 68 off 51 balls at the top of the order. However, he lacked support from the rest of the Delhi batsmen. He was ninth out at the start of the 20th over. Delhi needed 19 to win from the remaining five balls and though Suboth Bhati swung his bat during an unbeaten 20 off 8 balls, Delhi could make only 17 runs.Baroda didn’t have any batsman making a standout innings, though Aditya Waghmode continued his good form, top-scoring with 36 off 31 while opening. Only Deepak Hooda (26 off 19) among the other batsmen crossed 20, though useful contributions right through meant Baroda got to a competitive – and eventually winning – total.Tamil Nadu v Mumbai
Tamil Nadu put behind a comprehensive defeat to Karnataka to hand the other tournament favourites – Mumbai – a resounding loss, by seven wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Left-arm spinner Shams Mulani had a remarkable day, but the rest of the Mumbai team crumbled.Tamil Nadu’s bowlers ensured Mumbai could get only 121 for 9, despite Mulani hitting 73 off 52 after being promoted to No. 4. R Sai Kishore continued his good run with figures of 3 for 18 in four overs, while M Siddharth took 4 for 16. Prithvi Shaw made 30 off 19 at the top of the order, but no other Mumbai player got into double-figures.Tamil Nadu sent in Shahrukh Khan to partner Hari Nishanth at the top of the order, and the duo gave the team a rapid start. Shahrukh fell in the fourth over, bowled by Mulani, with B Aparajith following him back two balls later. However, Nishanth, who didn’t have a good outing against Karnataka, came to the fore in style, smashing 73* off 44 balls.Mulani took all three wickets to fall – Dinesh Karthik being the third – to complete a fabulous all-round day with figures of 3 for 26 in four overs, but Vijay Shankar ensured he stayed alongside Nishanth as victory was raised in just 13.5 overs.Karnataka v Jharkhand
Put in to bat, Karnataka rocketed off the blocks, before losing their way in the second half of their innings. Their fantastic start nonetheless ensured a sizeable 189 for 6 on the board, and though Jharkhand fought gamely, the required rate was always a touch above what they looked like achieving, eventually finishing on 176 for 5.Karnataka’s start was driven by Devdutt Padikkal – in many ways the batsman of the tournament so far – who raced to 63 off 30 balls in an opening stand that brought 114 in 9.3 overs. His opening partner KL Rahul was more sedate in comparison, while Manish Pandey came in and picked up where Padikkal had left off. However, both men fell shortly thereafter, though at 130 for 3 in 11 overs, Karnataka were still looking at a total well in excess of 200. However, with their three main batsmen gone, the rest of the line-up struggled and could only score at around a run a ball thereon. Left-arm spinner Sonu Singh did most of the damage, with 3 for 28 in four overs. He took out both Rahul and Pandey, and added the wicket of Karun Nair too.Jharkhand’s reply was driven by Virat Singh’s 76* off 44 from No.3, but the batsmen around him couldn’t keep up with the required rate. They needed 87 runs in the last six overs, which is when Virat and Sumit Kumar (23 off 16) cut loose, but though they scored at more than two runs per ball, the eventual target proved too steep.Haryana v Rajasthan
Tight bowling by Haryana gave them a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan with 4.4 overs remaining, with Harshal Patel putting in an all-round show once again.Harshal, who has been opening the batting in this tournament, first took 1 for 19 in his four overs as Rajasthan were restricted to 123 for 8. Ankit Lamba top-scored with 38, but took 41 balls, and only Chandrapal Singh (25* off 14) crossed 20 among other batsmen. Rahul Tewatia, recently traded from Delhi Capitals to Rajasthan Royals, was the most successful bowler, with 3 for 18 in four overs.Interestingly, Haryana opened with two leggies in Yuzvendra Chahal and Amit Mishra, while Tewatia – another leggie – was the first change bowler.Harshal led Haryana’s reply, smacking 41 off 25 at the top of the order to be the highest score of the match. Haryana didn’t have too many others contributing, but given the small target, they didn’t need to.

The Lancashire bowler will take up the role vacated by Sandeep Lamichhane when he heads to the BPL

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2018Lancashire and England Lions legspinner Matt Parkinson has signed with Melbourne Stars for the Big Bash.He will play half the season for the Stars when Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane switches to the Bangladesh Premier League.Parkinson has established himself as one of the leading limited-overs bowlers in English domestic cricket. He was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2018 T20 Blast with 25 scalps at 16.60 and an economy rate of 7.32, which backed up being the leading bowler in the 50-over Royal London Cup with 18 wickets, as he pushed his claims for full England honours.”I am hugely excited to have signed for the Melbourne Stars. It’s one of the biggest T20 competitions in the world and I can’t wait to get over there and meet the rest of the squad,” Parkinson said. “It’s a competition I have watched and admired for a long time and one that I’ve always wanted to play in. To have the chance to play for the Stars at the Melbourne Cricket Ground would be a dream come true.”Whilst I’ve been really pleased with my T20 form over the last couple of years, I still have a lot to learn with the white ball and this will be another fantastic opportunity for me to develop my game, learn from some of the best players in the world and challenge myself in-front of some really big crowds.”Legspin will play a key part for the Stars throughout the competition with Adam Zampa, who has been recalled by Australia for the series against Pakistan, also in the squad.

Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz, who were all part of Pakistan’s last T20 series in the Caribbean, have been dropped

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2017Fast bowler Sohail Khan, who last played a T20 international in September 2011, has been recalled to the Pakistan squad for the three-T20I series against World XI, which will be led by Faf du Plessis. Several experienced players who were part of Pakistan’s last T20 series in the Caribbean earlier this year – Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal and Wahab Riaz – were dropped. Instead, allrounders Faheem Ashraf, who was part of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy-winning squad, and Aamer Yamin, and batsman Umar Amin were picked.

Pakistan squad

Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Umar Amin, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Ruman Raees, Usman Khan, Sohail Khan.
IN: Umar Amin, Faheem Ashraf, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Sohail Khan
OUT: Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz

Yamin, who last played for Pakistan in 2015, and Amin, whose last appearance for the country came in 2014, returned, thanks to strong domestic performances. Yamin was the leading wicket-taker in the 50-over Pakistan Cup with nine wickets to add to 163 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of 140.51. Amin, meanwhile, was the top-scorer for Punjab with 296 runs in three innings at an average of 98.66 and strike-rate of 106.47. Ashraf, who had been fast-tracked into the Pakistan squad for the Champions Trophy, finished as the second-highest wicket-taker in the Pakistan Cup behind Yamin with eight wickets.”The team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions and the recent performances of some players in the domestic and international tours,” chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said. “The squad (sic) consists of a combination of the fine blend of youth and senior players. Faheem Ashraf, Ruman Raees, and Aamer Yamin make a place in the squad due to their splendid performance in the domestic tournaments.”Sohail, who was the joint-third highest wicket-taker in the Pakistan Cup, Ruman Raees, Hasan Ali and Usman Khan, who last played international cricket in 2013, are part of a bowling group led by Mohammad Amir, who had been rested for the T20 leg of the West Indies tour. Sohail Tanvir, who was not given a central contract in July, was not part of the squad. Legspinner Shadab Khan will be assisted by left-arm spinners Mohammad Nawaz, who has served out his two-month ban for failing to report an approach in the PSL 2017, and Imad Wasim.The three-T20 series, which has international status, begins on September 12, with the next two matches to be played on September 13 and 15. All three games will be held in Lahore. A one-off T20 against Sri Lanka in Lahore is in the works, followed by a three-T20 series against West Indies in November.

Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have taken part in a high-level meeting, the first of its kind, to discuss the road map for the next one year (2016-17) of Indian cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2016Anil Kumble, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid have taken part in a high-level meeting, the first of its kind, to discuss the road map for the next one year (2016-17) in Indian cricket. The meeting, which took place in Bangalore on Sunday, was organised by the BCCI, which said the primary idea was to bring “all stakeholders on the same page”.Apart from the two captains and the coaches of India’s senior and junior sides, the meeting was attended by Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, Venkatesh Prasad, the head of the junior selection committee, WV Raman and Narendra Hirwani (batting and spin bowling coaches at the National Cricket Academy), Patrick Farhat (India physio), Andrew Leipus (NCA physio), Shankar Basu (India trainer), and MV Sridhar, the BCCI’s general manager.The brainstorming session lasted a few hours with the main motive of setting in place plans to lift India to the top of the world rankings, and how the various support systems could play a role in fulfilling that goal. “Issues ranging from domestic cricket set-up, India A tours, injury management and workload of the players, and strengthening the bench strength of Indian cricket were discussed in detail to synchronise the efforts of everyone working for the betterment of Indian cricket,” a BCCI release said.According to Kumble, who was recently appointed India’s head coach, the meeting was a “very fruitful” exercise. “Sitting here, we all have one intention and agenda: To align our actions to maximise the potential of Indian cricket. For that we all need to work as one unit.”Other members attending the meeting said it was a significant development and they welcomed the idea of the free exchange of information and everyone being kept in the loop. It is understood both Dhoni and Kohli were keen to ensure players’ fitness reports were monitored properly so they were in peak fitness and ready to play before they were picked for a series.

Worcestershire lost their last six wickets for 22 runs as New Zealand completed their preparations for the Test series with a second warm-up win

George Dobell at New Road17-May-2015
Scorecard2:58

Dobell: ‘Guptill, Henry likely to make New Zealand XI’

It may not pass into sporting folklore in quite the manner of Devon Loch, Greg Norman or almost every limited-overs side South African have selected in the last 20 years, but Worcestershire produced a choke of museum quality to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against New Zealand at New Road. At this very moment, the Duchess of Kent may be consoling Shaaiq Choudhry as he weeps on her shoulder.Perhaps that assessment is harsh. Not on Worcestershire – who certainly lacked composure – but on New Zealand who, at the key moment, performed with the skill and intensity of a confident, united side that backs itself to prevail under pressure. This was not, by any means, a wholly convincing performance from the tourists, but by turning a confidence-sapping defeat into a memorable victory, they depart for Lord’s with spirits high.The key facts are these: with seven wickets in hand and requiring just 55 more runs from the final 16 overs of the match to complete their first win against a touring side this century, Worcestershire lost their last six wickets for 22 runs. Having eased to 119 for 1 in pursuit of 246, they were bowled out for 230. As Steve Rhodes, their director of cricket, said afterwards: “It was the one that got away from us. We collapsed to lose the game. You have to give them credit, but we should have seen it home, for sure.”While New Zealand bowled – and caught, in particular – very well, most of the Worcestershire batsmen will reflect that they played a large part in their own downfall. Requiring less than four an over, they lost their heads and their wickets with a series of attempted slogs that spoke of a naivety within the dressing room. Perhaps, in such a young side, such failings are inevitable on the road of progress.There are various caveats to this result. As is the increasing custom of many warm-up games played by touring sides, this was not a first-class match – New Zealand utilised 14 players; Worcestershire 15 – and there was, at times, a lack of intensity to proceedings. Moeen Ali missed the final day having joined up with the England squad, too.Matt Henry took the last three wickets to fall and was rated the best New Zealand bowler by Worcestershire’s batsmen•Getty Images

And, in truth, such games are not about results. They are about preparation. So even if New Zealand had lost, they could take comfort from the performance of Martin Guptill – who forced his way into the side for the first Test at Lord’s – and even when they won, they would have been a little concerned about the form of some of their batsmen – notably Ross Taylor, who remains a little out of sorts.They will be boosted greatly by the arrival, by Monday lunchtime, of all four of the players currently absent on IPL duty. While it is not ideal for Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee to go into a Test without any meaningful red-ball cricket for five months, it is also a regular symptom of the modern game and should not unsettle the rest of the squad.”It’s been that way for the last eight years,” Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach told ESPNcricinfo after the match. “We don’t pay high enough wages to dictate to the players what they do and we have actually encouraged them to go to the IPL.”Hesson all but confirmed that Guptill – who scored 150 in a New Zealand innings in which the second highest score was 30 – would play at Lord’s but was less revealing about the identity of the third seamer in the Test side. While the plan remains for Mark Craig to provide the spin and Corey Anderson, who rested on the last day here, to play as the seam-bowling allrounder, it remains unclear whether Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry or Neil Wagner will take the final position.Bracewell was probably – and by only a marginal distance – the least impressive of the three, while Worcestershire’s batsmen rated Henry both the quickest and the pick of the trio. He also offers a bit of extra batting in the lower-order.”Guptill played superbly,” Hesson said. “It was a decisive performance. He has done exactly what we wanted. Henry is really good talent and Wagner has never let us down, so we have a difficult decision to make there.”To some extent, though, New Zealand’s frailty with the bat was masked by Guptill’s century. Had he been caught by Ben Cox, a top-edged cut off Choudhry, they may well have lost. Taylor drove to mid-on, BJ Watling glanced to leg slip and Luke Ronchi edged a sweep as New Zealand’s batsmen tried to accelerate in conditions were accumulation was more appropriate. But they did declare in both innings and they were keen to test themselves under pressure, so it might prove unwise to read too much into the relatively low scores.Worcestershire will take some pleasure from the performance, too. Nine years into a first-class career that has encompassed only 22 games, Choudhry claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in first-team senior cricket, while Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ed Barnard – whose bowling caught the eye of Hesson – both provided evidence of talent that should serve the club well for a decade or more.While Choudhry, a left-arm spinner whose opportunities are generally limited to a spoiling role in limited-overs cricket, didn’t exactly rip out batsmen, he showed the benefit of a winter working with Norman Gifford on bowling a little quicker and maintained his composure when attacked.This was a missed opportunity, though. The last time Worcestershire beat a touring side – Australia in a limited-overs game in 1997 – Steve Waugh had just claimed that their current chief executive, David Leatherdale, was such a modest talent that he “wouldn’t get a bowl in a Chinese restaurant”. Leatherdale responded with figures of 5 for 10 and an anecdote that he will continue to enjoy for years to come. A young, developing side could have taken heart from such a victory.New Zealand, meanwhile, might not have enjoyed perfect preparation. But they look stronger and more resilient than the last time they were here and represent dangerous opposition to an England side embarking on yet another period of change and transition.

Former Test spinner Paul Harris believes Robin Peterson should be considered for the second Test in Adelaide

Firdose Moonda17-Nov-2012A frontline spinner is likely be included in South Africa’s starting XI for the second Test against Australia next week after the dalliance with an all-pace attack proved unsuccessful in Brisbane. While Imran Tahir is the obvious choice, being the incumbent, former Test player Paul Harris had some other advice for the national selectors.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo before the series, Harris said he would “love to see Robin Peterson get a go in Test cricket”. Peterson may always be remembered as the man Brian Lara took 28 runs off in a single over at the Wanderers in 2003, still the most expensive over in Test history, but he has made massive strides since then.While Peterson has only played six Tests, his last more than four years ago against Bangladesh, he has become and ODI and T20 regular. He was South Africa’s top wicket-taker at the 2011 World Cup and was preferred to Johan Botha in the home series which followed that summer. Botha has since relocated to Australia, which has created more opportunity for Peterson, and he has made the most of it. He also finished the August one-day series in England with the most scalps and has been involved in the past three touring Test squads.”He has always been a good bowler and has had a chance to show that now,” Harris said. “What I’ve been impressed with is the way he flights the ball, he is not scared at all.” Having a more permanent place in the side is something that has helped Peterson shed the fear, according to both Peterson himself and Harris. “It’s a massive thing to know you are backed,” Harris said. And he would know.Harris played 37 Tests for South Africa between 2007 and 2011, during which he was often criticised from the outside but praised from within for his ability to dry up an end. He formed an important part of South Africa’s building to the No.1 ranking and was part of the squads that won in England and Australia in 2008. During Harris’ time, South Africa did not lose a series on the road and although he was not given much credit for that run, he did have something to do with it.”I knew I had a job to do and a lot of the time my job was to hold up an end,” he said. “With the attack we had at the time, it wasn’t part of my role to be attacking. And maybe it would have been nice at time to be able to be more aggressive and take wickets but that wasn’t the strategy then and I was happy with that.”Harris thinks Peterson is in a position where he may be able to do both. “Robbie has got the ability to take wickets and we’ve seen that but he is also capable of doing the holding role,” he said. “That is an important job too, even if it’s not very glamorous.”The South African attack’s inability to keep Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey quiet during the Brisbane Test was proof that a so-called boring bowler is not surplus to requirements. Debutant Rory Kleinveldt and Graeme Smith both admitted that the unit did not bowl well “in partnerships,” and even where one bowler strung a few quiet periods together, the others could not back him up.Tahir could easily fall into that category too and has been expensive in the past. Harris believes the selectors should take note of Peterson’s ability to be miserly. Peterson is also a competent lower-middle order batsman and, with South Africa having lost JP Duminy, may fit better into Andrew Hudson’s preferred “like-for-like replacement” category than Dean Elgar, a top-order batsman who joined the squad yesterday.Harris said it would also be novel to see both Peterson and Tahir in the same XI, as South Africa’s attitude to spin has changed enough to accommodate two. Spin went from being a defensive must-have to a genuine attacking option when Tahir made his debut in November last against Australia. Tahir has played 10 Tests since, although his return has been a modest 26 wickets at an average of 40.19, but much has been invested in him.Not since Paul Adams has South Africa had a wrist-spinner. Both captain Graeme Smith and coach Gary Kirsten have said they are excited by the option Tahir provides and have suggested they will continue to back him in future. So far, they have reneged on that twice, both times for tactical reasons.An all-pace attack was fielded in Wellington in March this year when Jacques Kallis had a stiff neck overnight and South Africa had to make last-minute adjustments to their XI. In that match, Duminy made his comeback and bowled 10 overs and was due to perform a similar role in Brisbane. If Harris has his way, Peterson could take over in the near future.

The brothers McCullum ensured that New Zealand sealed their two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a convincing win in the second game

The Report by Firdose Moonda17-Oct-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrendon McCullum set up New Zealand’s big total with a rapid half-century•AFP

The brothers McCullum ensured that New Zealand sealed their two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe with a convincing win in the second game. Brendon scored 64 off 37 balls and Nathan took three key wickets with his offspin to wreck Zimbabwe’s hope of evening the series. The hosts were more competitive than they had been in the previous game; after an ordinary performance in the field they batted bravely, but the target was too tall for them.Chris Mpofu started well, with five, precise, back-of-a-length deliveries but indiscipline crept in when his sixth delivery was a legside wide that ended up costing five runs. Kyle Jarvis also had an impressive initial burst with his first ball resulting in a confident appeal for lbw against McCullum. The ball looked destined for middle and leg stump but the umpire did not think so. McCullum was on two at the time and went on to capitalise on his good fortune. The floodgates opened when he clipped Jarvis over mid-wicket for six in the same over.Another six, off an Mpofu slower ball took New Zealand to 28 without loss when rain interrupted play after three overs. The 20-minute break shaved four overs off the game, reducing it to 18 overs a side. It should also have given Zimbabwe’s bowlers enough time to rethink their strategies, but it served only to motivate McCullum and Guptill, who returned to the crease breathing fire.The better they batted, the worse Zimbabwe bowled. Jarvis could not find the right length; Prosper Utseya tossed it up too much and even Ray Price was guilty of dropping it too short. McCullum took a particular liking to Utseya, smacking him for two sixes in the ninth over to get to the brink of his half-century. His fifty came up, surprisingly, with a single off Elton Chigumbura.Just when it looked as though the rest of New Zealand’s batsmen might not get a chance to occupy the crease, Zimbabwe got a breakthrough with the first ball of Jarvis’ third over. McCullum tried the paddle scoop and missed.But the dismissal was a false dawn. Even as it sent one powerhitter back to the dressing room, it brought another one out. Jesse Ryder played carefully for the first few balls he was at the crease and then pulled Utseya over square leg for four to announce his arrival. With McCullum gone, Guptill took over and reached a fifty of his own, without taking many risks. He pummelled Mpofu in the 16th over, before falling to a big shot off Jarvis.Although the stats do not reflect it, Zimbabwe’s bowlers produced a number of good deliveries. Unfortunately for them, they also sent down at least one hittable delivery in every over. Mpofu finally got it right in the final over, when he bowled full and straight and was able to squeeze the New Zealand batsmen, but it was too little, too late.Zimbabwe will take heart from their chase, which started in promising fashion, was quickly pegged back with early two wickets but then took flight again. With moisture still hanging in the air, Hamilton Masakadza was undone by seam movement from Doug Bracewell and was caught behind. In the next over, Brendan Taylor was bowled by a slower ball from Aldridge.Instead of allowing the innings to unravel, Chamu Chibhabha and Elton Chigumbura took the fight to New Zealand. Chibhabha, a man known for his ability to hit the ball a long way in domestic cricket, tucked into debutant Graeme Aldridge, who bowled too full at first and too short later. Chigumbura dealt with changes in length and speed in the same fashion, by taking dispatching the deliveries over the boundary and Chibhabha did well to attack the spinners. Their third-wicket partnership of 57 threatened to give Zimbabwe an unlikely chance at victory but Nathan McCullum put an end to any thoughts of a win.He got rid of Chigumbura after reacting speedily to take a good return catch and dismissed Charles Coventry for a duck in the same fashion. Chibhabha continued to fight hard but, after reaching his highest score in this format, was undone by the two brothers: he was stumped by Brendon off Nathan. With Chibhabha gone, Zimbabwe’s chase fizzled out and came to an ignominious end with four wickets falling in four balls in the 17th over, two of them run-outs.

Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2010Ricky Ponting has questioned whether England have the batting strength necessary to retain the Ashes by winning in Australia, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished since Mike Gatting’s team did so in 1986-87.”Kevin Pietersen, obviously, is a big question mark for them at the moment,” Ponting told UAE’s Radio 2 (listen to the entire interview on ESPNcricinfo’s ). “Alastair Cook is just holding on to his spot by the skin of his teeth, and [Paul] Collingwood has probably not had the best Test summer of his life either. So there is enough happening around there to know that they will be a little nervous when they arrive in Australia.”Pietersen averaged 27.25 in four innings against Pakistan this summer and hasn’t scored a century in 19 months. John Buchanan, the former Australia coach who has accepted a consulting role with the ECB, had also suggested that Pietersen could be a ‘major problem’ for England.Cook had been under intense pressure following a prolonged lean spell before earning some breathing room with a gutsy 110 against Pakistan at The Oval. Collingwood had a successful tour of South Africa last winter but six of his previous eight Test innings have been scores of five or less.Ponting said that England could pose a strong challenge, especially with the rise of offspinner Graeme Swann and fast bowler Stuart Broad, whose five wickets at The Oval were vital to England reclaiming the Ashes last year, continuing to deliver in crunch situations.”They have some good players in their side at the moment, who are playing well,” Ponting said. “Graeme Swann is probably the stand out. Stuart Broad, and probably their captain [Andrew Strauss], these have been the guys who have stood up for them over the last couple of years. But they have certainly been the more consistent team than any English team I have played against in the past.”Australia have a formidable home record, having lost only one series since 1992-93. They blanked England 5-0 in 2006-07, and Ponting hoped his side could repeat that performance. “We all know how hard opposition teams find it coming to Australia, and particularly starting at the Gabba, they always find it a difficult place to win. So as an Australian, and an Australian captain, we are hoping for a very similar series to the last one.”Ponting has played in more Test wins than anyone else and already has three World Cup trophies – two as captain – but insisted his hunger for the game hadn’t waned.”There is no doubt about that. I mean, I would have not worked as hard as I have over the last eight weeks if the hunger wasn’t there,” he said. “I am as excited about the next period of cricket, with the Ashes and then the World Cup at the end of that, so that is about six or seven months of biggest cricket tournaments that you ever play.”