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Knott in the wickets after Adams top-scores with 48, to get back to winning ways

ECB Reporters Network30-May-2024Southern Vipers 173 for 5 (Adams 48, Elwiss 45, Wellington 3-20) Western Storm 145 for 7 (Luff 34*, Knott 4-23) by 28 runsAustralian Charli Knott put Western Storm in a spin to get Southern Vipers back to winning ways in the Charlotte Edwards Cup.Off-spinner Knott tore through Storm with her best T20 figures of four for 23, with a helping hand from some electric wicket-keeping from Rhianna Southby.Georgia Adams had struck 48 to lend herself as the backbone to Vipers’ 173 for five – the side’s second-highest score in the competition’s history – with Georgia Elwiss (45) and Freya Kemp (34) also contributing. Storm could only manage 145 in response to give the hosts a 28-run victory.It meant Vipers – who have now won two from four this season – continued their 100 percent record over Storm in both competitions in the regional era, with their last defeat coming in the 2019 Kia Super League final.Storm chose to field first which saw England quick Issy Wong finally get her first bowl since arriving on loan from Central Sparks – which began with two tidy overs.Knott and Elwiss got motoring in the fourth over as the latter carved back-to-back boundaries off Ellie Anderson – with the pair adding 46, after stands of 47 and 73 in their previous two opening partnerships together.Overseas Knott fell in the seventh over as she took on the ultra-long Utilita Bowl boundaries, the wind and fellow Aussie Amanda-Jade Wellington to offer long on a simple catch.That just began another productive partnership as Adams joined her namesake to add another 40.Elwiss fell five short of a second fifty of the competition when she was strangled on the sweep, but that only began an innings-defining alliance between Adams and Freya Kemp.Kemp was scratchy for large periods but every so often found the middle of her bat to crunch four fours and the innings’ only six, but it was Adams who was the main attraction.The 2023 MVP never looked in trouble as she found gaps and pushed extra runs to score 48, with 70 coming with Kemp.Vipers’ middle-order had cost them two matches, but here they scrambled runs while losing wickets, as they reached 173 but lost Adams and Kemp to Wellington – who returned three for 20 – with Nancy Harman giving Sophia Smale a second wicket.Storm’s reply always struggled to keep with the required rate, which started at just over eights and quickly ballooned over tens and higher.After Nat Wraith had dragged to midwicket, Emma Corney was given a life on five, which she took with consecutive fours off Mary Taylor. But when she was given another on 24 this time she quickly perished due to the rapid hands of a stumping Rhianna Southby.Sophie Luff and Niamh Holland stuck around without making a dent in the chase, their 24 together coming in 23 balls before Southby sensationally stumped Holland off Knott.Knott got Wong out clubbing to cover next ball, and even though her hat-trick ball was a wide, she bounced back to toss one out wide to Alex Griffiths and notch hand Southby another stumping.Wellington and Luff put on 46 but the run-rate had already far outgrown their capabilities as the latter was run out in the penultimate over.Mollie Robbins holed out to the last delivery as Storm remain winless.

Kushal Bhurtel’s 99 had helped Nepal post 290 for 8 but it never looked overwhelming for Zimbabwe

Danyal Rasool18-Jun-20231:36

Williams: I’m going to give that one to my dad

An unbroken 164-run partnership between Craig Ervine and Sean Williams saw Zimbabwe canter to an eight-wicket victory against Nepal to open their World Cup Qualifier campaign. At a packed Harare Sports Club, Ervine played a captain’s knock to ensure Nepal’s 290 for 8 never looked overwhelming for his side, his fourth ODI hundred the highlight of a brilliant Zimbabwean batting performance. Williams went one better, scoring Zimbabwe’s fastest-ever hundred to help the side wrap up the game with nearly six overs to spare.Zimbabwe started brightly in their pursuit, with Joylord Gumbie taking advantage of the powerplay to strike early boundaries and get the side off to a punchy start. After Sompal Kami trapped him in front, Wesley Madhevere and Ervine continued in the same vein. Zimbabwe were particularly adept at rotating the strike, and quick to punish the loose deliveries. With Nepal’s attack ill-equipped to threaten, especially on a surface as docile as this, the home side had the experience of knowing the game was theirs to lose.That experience proved especially salient when Williams joined his fellow old hand Ervine at the crease. Madhevere had been done in by the short ball, but these two left-handers were perfectly equipped to handle Nepal’s spin. Crucially, they went about neutering Sandeep Lamichhane from the very first over, getting on top of his variations and punishing him whenever he erred in line and length.In the end, the only person discombobulated by Lamichhane’s variety was the bowler himself as he struggled for rhythm. Zimbabwe ensured he registered his second-most expensive figures in ODI cricket, 10-0-77-0, and was wicketless just the third in his career.Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh added 171 for the first wicket for Nepal•ICC/Getty Images

Williams was instrumental in taking pressure off his captain, happy to take on the role of the aggressor. This reflected in the speed with which he brought up his 34th half-century, taking just 41 balls. By then, the asking rate had been tamed, brought down well below six. Soon after a caress through the covers brought up Ervine’s hundred, and as cries of “captain” broke out from the Harare crowd, their leader saluted them back.Ervine took 111 balls for his hundred, and Williams wouldn’t be content with just a half-century either. He continued accelerating as Zimbabwe turned the chase into a formality, and the only obstacle to his century was that Zimbabwe were running out of runs to chase. But with five runs required, he slashed Gulshan Jha to the wide long-off boundary to level the scores. His hundred came in just 70 balls, and the Castle Corner was only too happy to get on its feet again.Nepal had begun so much brighter than they ended, a sensational 171-run opening stand between Kushal Bhurtel and Aasif Sheikh providing the dream platform on a placid pitch to go and push ahead past 300. But when Bhurtel, whose stroke-making all day had been sublime, was cruelly cleaned up by Wellington Masakadza on 99, Nepal’s day turned. Sheikh fell soon after, and Zimbabwe’s fingerspinners sent them back into rebuilding mode.There were cameos, especially from Kushal Malla and captain Rohit Paudel, but Richard Ngarava seared through the middle order with four wickets, and the innings began to peter out. The last five overs saw just 32 runs scored, and when the players went in for lunch, the sense was that Nepal had well and truly lost momentum.In the end, with Williams and Ervine in that kind of form, none of it might have mattered after all. As the players indulged in a lap of honour to thank a crowd that had stayed back to celebrate, this day in Harare truly belonged to Zimbabwe.

England opener says he took inspiration from team-mate Dawid Malan to score a match-winning century

Mohammad Isam03-Mar-2023A set plan to tackle the spinners with sweeps and reverse sweeps in addition to overlooking the “smoke” around his batting form allowed Jason Roy to make 132 off 124 balls in a series-winning effort in the second ODI against Bangladesh.Roy’s ton was big enough to end the hosts’ proud home record of seven unbeaten ODI series wins in seven years. Bangladesh were bundled out for 194 in pursuit of 327, and it was Roy’s innings that mainly put them out of the contest.Roy got four boundaries with reverse hits off the left-arm spinners, apart from playing the conventional sweep to milk the slow bowlers.”It was a plan [to sweep and reverse sweep] with the amount of turn,” Roy said. “To go over point was the safest option for me. I tried to go over cover a couple of times, it was just too slow and too much spin. I tried to put that to bed quickly. Once Shakib [Al Hasan] gets that undercutter, I should have hit it to the sightscreen, but I tried to sweep him [and got out]. It was a slightly poor decision but apart from that, I think you had to keep your boundary options very simple. You can hit it wherever you want when you get a lot of runs. Out there, [hitting the sweeps and reverse sweeps] was one of the only boundary options for me today.”Roy said that the Dhaka pitch played to the batters’ advantage. It was slow, but the spin was to a consistent degree, which allowed for easier strokeplay compared to the first ODI where the pitch offered uneven bounce.”I only faced four balls the other day, it was clearly a lot easier today,” he said. “But there was a bit more spin, but it was consistent. The other day it was slightly inconsistent bounce as well as turn. It was far lower scoring whereas today there was slow bounce. I think the boys showed a high amount of skill to give us that total.”Roy spoke about the relief of getting runs on this Bangladesh tour, particularly after getting out early in the first game.”Every single time [scoring a hundred] means the world. I worked hard to right my wrongs from the first match. I made a silly mistake then, and I was hungry to make some runs. There are some hundreds in the past when you get to 40, and you feel really free-flowing when you get to the hundred. Every boundary was a scrap. I built a great partnership with Jos [Buttler]. We ticked over nicely.”Every place poses completely different skillsets. None more so somewhere like here. I have scored runs in India. As far as skillset for batsmen, to score runs in these sort of conditions is as rewarding as it can get. I am very happy to score. The amount we scored today on that wicket in a series-defining match was awesome.”Roy said that he took a leaf out of Dawid Malan’s book from the first ODI when the left-hander struck his fourth ODI hundred. It saved England from defeat essentially, as Malan mastered the conditions to take the visitors home.”I have realised that very quickly once I stuck that one up in the air in the first game,” Roy said. “The way Malan went about his innings, I quickly realised to switch on, put my head in and bat some time.”It was just time at the crease. I can score a lot of runs if I batted that amount of time. As simple as that. I reduced the risk in boundary options. The one I got out to, was the highest risk for a boundary option I took. I got out stupidly.”

“Final warning” issued after members of squad breach quarantine protocols

Umar Farooq26-Nov-2020Six members of Pakistan’s touring contingent in New Zealand have tested positive for Covid-19. According to an NZC release, four are new cases, while two of the positive results have been deemed “historical”.It is unclear whether the six who tested positive are players or other members of Pakistan’s touring party.The results are from tests conducted upon Pakistan’s arrival in New Zealand on November 24. Each member of the squad will have to undergo a minimum of four tests while in managed isolation.The six who tested positive have been moved to a different floor of the managed isolation facility in Christchurch where Pakistan are currently based. The team will not be able to train until investigations are completed, and their 14-day quarantine period has been reset, meaning it begins afresh.NZC also revealed that some members of the Pakistan contingent had “contravened protocols” on day one of their managed isolation. “We will be having discussions with the tourists to assist them in understanding the requirements,” the release said.A New Zealand Ministry of Health release said these breaches of protocol had been caught on CCTV, and that the team has been issued a “final warning.”It is understood that another breach can get the player involved deported, and put the entire tour in jeopardy.ALSO READ – Fakhar Zaman ruled out of New Zealand tourESPNcricinfo has also learned that assistant coach Shahid Aslam hasn’t joined the rest of the team in Christchurch. He is undergoing his 14-day quarantine in Auckland – Pakistan’s first port of entry into New Zealand – after declaring a sore throat in his travelling form. He has cleared a Covid-19 test and will join the rest of the team when his quarantine ends.According to New Zealand Covid regulations, the tourists need to be isolated in separate rooms, not permitted to mix with each other for the fortnight to be spent in quarantine. They will be tested on the third and twelfth days of isolation. Once they return negative tests, they will not need to form a bio-secure bubble within the country, given the near-total absence of community transmission of Covid-19 in New Zealand.New Zealand earlier issued a warning to the touring West Indies party for breaching quarantine regulations during isolation. They were found to be socialising in the hallways, which Covid regulations do not allow.All members of the Pakistan contingent who flew out of Lahore had returned negative results from four separate tests. Opening batsman Fakhar Zaman had been left out of the tour as a precautionary measure after showing possible symptoms of Covid-19.Pakistan are due to play three T20Is on December 18, 20 and 22 in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier respectively, before playing two Tests in Mount Maunganui (December 26-30) and Christchurch (January 3-7).

David Payne chimes in with two wickets as Gloucestershire beat Middlesex

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2023Oliver Price produced a telling performance with both bat and ball to guide Gloucestershire to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Middlesex in an ultimately one-sided Vitality Blast contest at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.The Oxford-born allrounder top-scored with 46 and shared in crucial partnerships of 60 with Miles Hammond and 52 with Zafar Gohar for the second and third wickets respectively as the home side chased down a target of 140 with 10 balls to spare to register their second win in three days.Middlesex have struggled to post big totals in the short format this season and this match was no exception, the visitors struggling to build meaningful partnerships and coming up short on 139 for 9 after being put into bat. Jack Davies hit a defiant unbeaten 46 and Max Holden contributed a valuable 34, but veteran left-arm seamer David Payne claimed 2 for 21 and off spinner Price 2 for 18 as Gloucestershire took wickets at regular intervals to keep a lid on things.Victorious in three of their last four outings, improving Gloucestershire kept alive their hopes of progressing to the knock-out stages, but Middlesex are already down and out, consigned to the foot of the South Group after losing their opening six games.Just as they did against Surrey on Friday night, Gloucestershire restricted their opponents to a below-par total and then managed the chase in a controlled fashion.Promoted to open the innings on the back of his record-breaking 19-ball 50 against Essex last week, Ben Charlesworth has yet to spark at the top of the order, and he was stumped off the bowling of Josh de Caires for 12 as Gloucestershire lost their first wicket with 24 on the board in the fourth over.Also pushed up the order, Hammond made a better fist of things, twice cover driving Blake Cullen to the boundary and then stepping down the track and hitting Thilan Walallawita straight down the ground as the home side advanced their score to 43 for 1 while the fielding restrictions were in place.Cautious beginnings gave way to adventure on the part of Price, the 21-year-old tucking into spinners de Caires and Walallawita to provide Gloucestershire with crucial momentum. The 21-year-old plundered a brace of fours off de Caires in the sixth over and then repeated the feat against Walallawita in the ninth, Gloucestershire reaching the halfway stage of their innings well-placed at 73 for 1.Requiring a further 67 runs at 6.70 an over with nine wickets in hand, Gloucestershire were well served by their second-wicket pair, who accumulated in a controlled fashion to lay the foundations for a successful chase. By the time Hammond squirted a catch to extra cover off the bowling of Luke Hollman, the partnership was worth 60, the Cheltenham-born left-hander having contributed 34 of those from 38 balls with four fours, and the rate remained at just over a run a ball.Within four runs of a maiden T20 50, Price attempted to reach that landmark and win the game with a single blow in the 18th over, only to over-balance and fall to a sharp stumping by Davies. Left to finish things off, Zafar remained unbeaten on 37 from 22 balls, with a six and three fours, while skipper Jack Taylor hit the winning run.Gloucestershire performed at the top of their game to reduce Surrey to 29 for 4 in the powerplay at Bristol 48 hours earlier, but were unable to emulate that feat on this occasion. They began well enough, Payne having Stephen Eskinazi caught at the wicket in the act of driving recklessly and Joe Cracknell hoisting Danny Lamb to square leg as Middlesex lurched to 20-2 in the third over.But the home side then blotted their copybook when Holden, still to get off the mark, was put down at point by Matt Taylor off the bowling of Zafar with the score on 26. He and Pieter Malan advanced the score to a respectable 45 for 2 at the end of the powerplay as the visitors sought to make the most of their good fortune.But Gloucestershire continued to press hard and Price had Malan caught at long-on for a 19-ball 21 and Zafar bowled former team-mate Ryan Higgins for one as Middlesex, struggling to contend with spin from both ends, were reduced to 52-4 in the eighth over.Fortunate to still be at large and determined to make good his escape, Holden led a Middlesex fightback of sorts, partially rebuilding the innings with a restorative fifth-wicket stand of 24 with de Caires. Gloucestershire were already regretting dropping the left-hander when he hoisted Matt Taylor for the first six of the match, and he went on to add a quartet of fours in a progressive innings that yielded 34 from 22 balls.Veteran slow left armer Tom Smith eventually put paid to Holden’s antics, luring him into a trap that saw him hit straight to Price at deep mid-wicket as Middlesex slipped to 76 for 5 in the eleventh.A good deal of responsibility resting on their shoulders, de Caires and Davies ran hard between the wickets and scored at slightly better than a run-a-ball in adding 29 for the sixth wicket. But Gloucestershire stuck to their task and de Caires, having made 18 from 20 balls, hoisted Price to substitute fielder Zaman Akhter at long-on and perished going for the big hit with the score on 105, while Luke Hollman was run out for one by Smith’s throw from deep backward square as Middlesex slumped to 114 for 7 in the sixteenth.Worse followed for the visitors, Tom Helm falling cheaply to the returning Payne, who applied concerted pressure at the death, keeping things tight to further frustrate Middlesex.In danger of running out of partners and forced to take matters into his own hands, Davies batted with real purpose to finish just four runs short of a half century, his 33-ball innings containing 3 fours and a six. Blake Cullen stayed with him long enough to stage a ninth-wicket alliance of 22 in 20 balls, but there was no escaping the strong suspicion that the Londoners had fallen short.

Freya Kemp set to bat at No. 5 at Edgbaston in allrounder’s absence

Valkerie Baynes10-May-2024Nat Sciver-Brunt will miss England’s opening T20I against Pakistan at Edgbaston on Saturday after undergoing a “minor medical procedure”, her captain Heather Knight has revealed on the eve of the match.Knight said the absence of allrounder Sciver-Brunt opened the door for left-hander Freya Kemp to bat at No. 5. Allrounder Kemp is in England’s T20I squad purely as a batter as she continues her return from a back problem.”Nat Sciver-Brunt is unavailable tomorrow,” Knight told reporters on Friday. “She’ll be available for the next game. She’s had a minor medical procedure, so this game tomorrow comes a little bit too soon for her.”We obviously played those three T20s in New Zealand without her as well and without a few other players, so that gave us an opportunity to find out about a few people and add to our depth a little bit. There’s some good young allrounders coming through. Dani Gibson has been impressive, particularly with the ball at the back end. Freya Kemp is obviously a massive clean ball-striker and a left-hander which we don’t have a lot of in England, and when she’s back bowling as well, she’ll become a real asset.”There’s some really good talent coming through. It is just about guiding those younger players and keeping them on the right track to fulfil the potential that they have.”Related

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Maia Bouchier enjoyed a breakthrough tour of New Zealand in March, making the most of her opportunities at the top of the order amid the late arrivals of Danni Wyatt and Sciver-Brunt from the WPL as England won the T20I series 4-1.That tour was an important stepping stone in England’s build-up to the T20 Women’s World Cup in Bangladesh in October, as is this visit by Pakistan and the upcoming home series against New Zealand in June and July.”In New Zealand I felt like our T20 game evolved a little bit,” Knight said. “We played on pitches that were slightly more tricky in the powerplay, slightly bigger boundaries, and we had to play a slightly different game. That was really good for us. It probably added a few more tools in our bag and made us be a bit smarter with how we attacked, and how we put pressure back on the bowlers. There was a lot more hitting into pockets, hitting twos, it was harder to hit sixes out there.”I feel like that’s evolved us a lot as a side and evolved our method a little bit. That’s going to be the same in Bangladesh, it’s conditions that we haven’t played a huge amount of cricket in as a squad, so it’s about having as many skills in our cricket toolbox to try and call upon when we need them, and building settled positions. As a bowling unit as well, having different people to bowl in different positions and giving opportunities as and when there is the chance to do that.”Heather Knight during a practice session in Birmingham•PA Images via Getty Images

Meanwhile Pakistan are coming off the back of a disappointing tour by West Indies, who won their T20I series 4-1 and swept the ODIs 3-0. But Knight said there would be no complacency in her side as a result.”They’ve had some good results as well in New Zealand, they won that series away, which is a really good result for them,” Knight said of a Pakistan side captained by Nida Dar since last year, taking over from Bismah Maroof who recently retired from international cricket.”They’ve also got a new captain and a few retirements in their team and that quite often I think brings energy and reinvigorates the team, so we’re certainly not underestimating them at all. They’ve obviously got a few gaps to fill, so it’d be interesting who they bring in and what young talent they potentially bring in. It’ll be a good challenge for us.”The match in Birmingham is the first of three T20Is between the sides, with games in Northampton and Leeds to follow ahead of a three-match ODI series.

Offspinner battles through injury to finish with 14 in the match

ECB Reporters Network11-Aug-2020Simon Harmer spun his way to match figures of 14 for 131 as county champions Essex beat Surrey by 169 runs to maintain their perfect start to the Bob Willis Trophy.Offspinner Harmer had taken 6 for 67 in the first innings, before producing his well-worn fourth-innings trick by steamrolling Surrey with 8 for 64. Harmer had been on course for the first 10-wicket haul in county cricket since Ottis Gibson for Durham in 2007, but Aaron Beard took two late poles to deny him history.Incredibly, Harmer, who bowled unchanged from his River End on day four, is playing through an abductor strain, which medical staff had recommended would rule him out for up to six weeks.With 20 wickets in two matches this season, he continues his quest to be the country’s leading red-ball wicket-taker for a second successive season – and already has a six-wicket lead over his nearest challenger.Essex, who have now won their last ten first-class matches at Chelmsford, jump to the top of the South Group table, while heavily depleted Surrey remain the only winless side in the conference.”The wicket at Chelmsford always suits me,” Harmer laughed. “Professional cricket is about performance and failures and when it is your day you have to make the best of it because I don’t know what will happen next week at Hove.”When the wicket is turning, I’m going to cash in as much as I can and that’s what I did today. I knew they would be under pressure. I am very happy with the way the ball is coming out at the moment but cricket is a funny game so you can’t take anything for granted, but touch wood may the form continue.”When I got to six wickets the boys started talking about how if I pulled my finger out then I might have been able to get all 10. Those things don’t happen very often in cricket but I’ll take that catch and an eight-for any day.”Harmer had started his haul with the last ball of the third day, when Mark Stoneman was leg-before to one which didn’t turn – with Surrey requiring an unlikely 310 to win from the final day.It took his 23 morning deliveries to breakthrough Scott Borthwick’s defences as the once-capped England Test player attempted a forward defence only to see the ball spin off his outside edge and into Adam Wheater’s gloves.Surrey weren’t going to roll over and hand Harmer and Essex the wickets they required, with Ryan Patel and Will Jacks providing a blocking rearguard.Patel, in particular, seemed immovable as he grappled to hold onto his wicket, showing intense concentration to see out 97 balls. But the 22-year-old lapsed for a moment to sky a pulled short to Jamie Porter at midwicket while attempting to cash in on a shorter delivery from Harmer.Jacks saw out 93 balls with his laser focus, while also putting on a 51-run stand with Jamie Smith – as the pair held Essex up for 20 overs.But having refuelled over lunch, Harmer took his next two wickets in three balls. Jacks, who had batted beautifully scored 70 in the first innings, attempted to go back and work to leg side only to be pinned – that brought up Harmer’s 10 wickets in the match. Two balls later, Evans, on loan from Sussex, skipped down the track, missed the ball and was stumped by Wheater.Rikki Clarke twice used his feet to strike Harmer for two boundaries down the ground but departed for 14 from 27 balls when Varun Chopra held on to a simple catch at short leg.Wicketkeeper-batsman Smith once again showed why he is so highly rated at The Oval with a two-hour vigil. The 20-year-old scored 45 in 89 balls but departed at the hands of Harmer – although not through his bowling. Smith edged Beard to second slip, where Harmer swooped low to pull off a stunning catch, which ended his own shot at immortality.Harmer returned to his first skill again in the next over as Gus Atkinson, who had hit him for six, ran past a straight one to be bowled.
Beard saw off James Taylor, caught at cover, for a seven-ball duck before Harmer wrapped up the victory at 3.35pm when Amar Virdi slapped to mid-off.

Explosive batter riding a new wave into his Ashes debut

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Jun-2023Of the players arriving into this Ashes riding the crest of England’s nu-wave, Harry Brook is probably at its very peak. Which explains the confidence he has in stating the faster Australia bowl, the quicker they will get sent to the boundary.”Obviously they might have a little bit of extra pace, but if they bowl quicker it tends to go to the boundary quicker,” he said, when asked about the arsenal of the visiting quicks. They will be the best and sharpest he has faced so far. And he doesn’t seem all that bothered by them at all.All to a man speak of belief and a love of being where they are and doing what they are doing. But few wear it as proudly as Brook. The 24-year-old has tangible proof of just how highly he is regarded in the England set-up.That the return of 2022’s Bazball totem Jonny Bairstow meant losing Ben Foakes, a reliable performer and certainly a superior wicketkeeper, was a testament to how the Yorkshire wunderkind has made the position his own. Seven caps in, 818 runs, four centuries, averaging 81.80 and striking at 99.03 – in a free-wheeling group, he is non-negotiable.Related

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“There was a lot of talk of me opening the batting – thank god I’m not doing that,” laughed Brook, perhaps remembering a 10-game stint for Yorkshire across 2018 and 2019 in which he averaged 14.94 at the top of the order.”I was never asked. It gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I’m going to be batting five and they back me batting there.”To have established himself so early and in such fashion – after picking up a T20 World Cup winners’ medal, he then toured Pakistan and New Zealand, scoring more runs in nine innings than any in Test history – speaks to a high base level of self-regard dovetailing with undoubted ability. The drive to get to this level has been evident throughout, and the enthusiasm to replicate the exploits of the England stars of 2005 – a fond series for him, albeit on DVD years after given he was six at the time – is clear. Some of his mates will be on hand in the Hollies, and will no doubt toast Brook’s Ashes debut repeatedly throughout the day.This Test, however, is the first with a sense of responsibility around Brook, even if the McCullum-Stokes ethos is geared towards quashing anything that promotes caution. That he feels part of it all is in some way an acceptance of those expectations.”It’s a dream come true to be involved in my first Ashes,” said Brook. “Growing up I was watching some of these players who are still playing, against the best in the world and the best Australians. I’m looking forward to it.”I feel like I’m more part of the team now. Obviously as a deputy you don’t quite feel like you’re meant to be there if you know what I mean. So to have been contributing and gain a few match-winning performances this winter has meant the world and I feel a big part of the team now.”Harry Brook launches a drive down the ground•Getty Images

That Bairstow is behind him offers him license to go even harder, if that is possible. And with Moeen Ali behind the keeper-batter, Brook is excited by the prospect of seeing how a blockbuster lower-middle-order can perform out in the middle.”It’s a long batting line-up, that’s for sure. There’s a lot of T20 experience in there and lads batting with the tail tend to go harder and hit as many runs in a short period of time. To have them boys batting at seven and eight is ridiculous really.”That Brook has never faced Australia – the match at last year’s World Cup was rained off – puts a little bit extra on this. There is no doubt he will be the subject of a lot of their attention. The numbers – what he’s posted and his age – have put a target on his back, and he will not be lost for people to talk to when batting as the visitors look to disrupt his flow.There is no doubt the man will be willing to go toe-to-toe and give a bit back. He is certainly aiming to carry on his domineering ways out in the middle, even against the best attack in the world right now. And especially against one of the modern era’s premiere off-spinners in Nathan Lyon.”If I get a good ball I’m going to try and survive against that good ball, and if he bowls me a bad ball I’ll try and hit it for four or six. So it’s not necessarily I’m going to come after him and try and hit every ball for six. I’m going to respect the bowler and whatever he bowls and if it is a bad ball I’ll try and hit it for six.”

“We knew even if the asking rate got up to 14-15, we could use that one short boundary with the right-left combination”

Hemant Brar10-Jun-20221:23

Rassie van der Dussen: ‘We knew if we take it to the end, we could win it’

“To be honest, I thought 150 would have been a very good total.”That was Ishan Kishan speaking to host broadcaster Star Sports after he helped India post 211 for 4 against South Africa in the first T20I in Delhi. The reason behind Kishan’s assessment was not only did the new ball move off the seam, but it also didn’t come onto the bat well. Even if Kishan was slightly off the mark, India’s should have been a winning total. And it looked so when South Africa were 86 for 3 after ten overs in their chase.At that stage, Rassie van der Dussen was batting on 15 off 16. David Miller had just joined him and was on 4 off five. South Africa needed another 126 runs – no team had scored that many in the last ten overs of a T20I to win the game. But van der Dussen and Miller didn’t panic.Related

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• Stats: South Africa's record chase cuts short India's winning streak

• Miller, van der Dussen see off India challenge in high-scoring contest

“When David came in,” van der Dussen revealed after the game, “I said to him, ‘You can play it as you see it but I’m pretty happy to take between 12 and 13 an over in the last ten.’ Because if you were in on this wicket, you could really capitalise. So we didn’t panic at all. We knew even if the asking rate got up to 14-15, we could use that one short boundary with the right-left combination. We knew we could target the bowlers.”That’s exactly what they did. Miller, arguably in the form of his life, hit Harshal Patel for a four and six off successive deliveries in the 12th over. In the next over, he did one better against Axar Patel with 4, 6 and 6.The Indian seamers had watched the first innings closely and hatched their plans accordingly, especially on how to use the slower ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had dismissed Temba Bavuma with one at the start of the innings, in a spell where he conceded only seven off two overs.He tried the same tactics again when he returned in the 15th over. But by now the pitch had eased out, and Miller dispatched his back-to-back slower balls for four and six. He raced away to his half-century off just 22 balls, which meant South Africa were still very much in the game despite van der Dussen crawling along with 29 off 30 balls.”I think I had put myself and the team under a bit of pressure by not being able to get boundaries early on in my innings,” van der Dussen said. “But it wasn’t through lack of intent, or lack of planning, or lack of clarity of mind. You know, sometimes it just doesn’t come off.”van der Dussen was finding it difficult to time the ball. When he got the timing right, he hit it straight to the fielders. Then came the slice of luck that enabled him to convert a potentially match-losing innings into a match-winning one. With 63 needed off 29 balls, he hit Avesh Khan towards deep midwicket where Shreyas Iyer put down a regulation catch.Rassie van der Dussen hit a 37-ball half-century in Delhi•Associated Press

“When Shreyas dropped it, I knew I had to make them pay because I took the balls to get myself in,” van der Dussen said.And he did make India pay, by smashing 45 off the next 15 balls.With 56 required off four overs, he targeted the shorter boundary on the leg side against Harshal, who has been the death-overs specialist for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the last two IPL seasons. But it just wasn’t Harshal’s day. Bowling around the wicket, he missed his mark twice and van der Dussen duly dispatched the two full tosses over long-on and deep-backward square leg.”I’ve been watching him a lot in the IPL, he has been brilliant,” van der Dussen said. “He has got such a good slower ball. So after getting those first two sixes away, I knew he has to go to his slower balls. But still you have to execute. It’s a very tough ball to hit as he gets a lot of dip on it. But again, he is only human and you know that at some stage, he is probably going to miss.”After the first two balls, Harshal switched to over the wicket and tried to hide the ball outside off. But van der Dussen shuffled across and found another four and a six to tilt the game in South Africa’s favour.”I suppose the other lesson [during the chase] was if you hit a six or two in an over, don’t let the guy get away. Keep him under pressure, keep looking for those options because an over of 20 – I think that Harshal over went for 22 – goes a long way in getting it right back under control.”The Harshal over brought the equation down to 34 needed off 18 balls. India’s last hope was Bhuvneshwar but now with both van der Dussen and Miller striking it well, he too could do little. Miller started the over with a six and van der Dussen ended it with 6, 4, 4. As a result, what seemed like an unsurmountable target at the end of the first innings was achieved with five balls to spare.

Former Yorkshire fast bowler starts work immediately after answering call to help club

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2021Darren Gough has been appointed managing director of Yorkshire cricket* as the club looks to rebuild in the wake of last week’s sacking of its coaching and medical staff.Yorkshire confirmed Gough’s appointment on Monday morning amid the fallout from Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the club. Gough will start work immediately on an interim basis, initially until the end of the 2022 season, and one of his first tasks will be to oversee the recruitment of a new coaching team.”Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been part of my life since my earliest days in cricket when I made my debut in 1989, and I spent 15 happy years at the club,” Gough said in a statement issued by the club. “Like many, I have followed how the club handled the recent racism allegations with sadness and anger.”I want to play my part in rebuilding cricket in Yorkshire and I am looking forward to working with the exceptionally talented group of players here. I am also aware of my wider responsibility to listen to everyone and ensure that every person who is associated with this club feels welcome, instilling values we want associated with the White Rose: honesty, straight talking, hard work, integrity and excellence.”Gough added that he shared “the collective determination to face the issues head on with a series of positive actions”.”Change will not happen overnight, but I am certain that we can make Headingley roar again,” he said.Lord Kamlesh Patel, the club’s new chairman, said: “As a former captain of the club, Darren’s impact on the Yorkshire and England teams was considerable as a player. His infectious enthusiasm and will to win will be so important as we aim to be the best on and off the pitch.Darren Gough spent two weeks working with England in New Zealand in 2019-20•Getty Images

“As we start on this journey with Darren, we want to engage everyone at the club and involve as many people as possible in shaping our direction. We have a considerable job ahead of us, but we are ready to embrace the opportunity together and build a brighter future for Yorkshire County Cricket Club”.As one of the most popular players in Yorkshire’s history, Gough claimed 453 first-class wickets in 15 years with the club, during which time he also picked up 229 wickets in 58 Test appearances for England, before finishing his career at Essex, where he still lives.Gough, 51, has been working in the media – doing commentary and hosting talkSPORT’s Drivetime radio show – and been involved in coaching on a consultancy basis since his retirement in 2008, including a stint with England’s Test squad in New Zealand in 2019-20.His new role is expected to be focused on strategy, planning, recruitment and development as he steps into the role vacated by Martyn Moxon on Friday – one of 16 members of the back-room staff axed in a dramatic statement of the club’s determination to put the racism scandal behind them.That issue is unlikely to resolved without further revelations, however. The 16 former employees are expected to seek legal advice on Monday, after it transpired that several of their number had sent a joint letter to the Yorkshire board in October, seen by ESPNcricinfo, outlining their deep unease at the club’s handling of the racism case, and its failure to rebut Rafiq’s extensive claims.*December 6, 10am GMT – This story was updated throughout after confirmation of Gough’s appointment