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Mark Pettini’s perfectly paced half-century helped Essex to top spot in the NatWest T20 Blast South Division and inflicted Somerset’s fifth defeat in eight matches.

Press Association27-Jun-2014
ScorecardMark Pettini spearheaded Essex’s run chase•Getty ImagesMark Pettini’s perfectly paced half-century helped Essex to top spot in the NatWest T20 Blast South Division and inflicted Somerset’s fifth defeat in eight matches.The opener contributed an unbeaten 60 to put his side well on course to overhaul their opponents’ modest 150 for 7 at Taunton when bad light intervened with Essex 106 for 2.After a short break, the visitors were given a revised target of 125 from 17 overs, which meant they needed 19 from 15 balls. Ravi Bopara hit the first of them for four on his way to 33 not out and Essex breezed home by eight wickets with an over to spare. Jesse Ryder hit 28 at the top of the innings.Legspinner Max Waller was Somerset’s best bowler, with figures of 1 for 22 from four overs. But their seamers erred on the short side as Pettini and Bopara hit five fours apiece and Ryder four fours and a six.With Hampshire losing to Surrey, victory was enough for Essex to overtake the previous leaders.Somerset’s below-par score was built around a second-wicket stand of 80 in 9.3 overs between in-form duo Craig Kieswetter and Peter Trego after Marcus Trescothick’s miserable T20 season continued when he top-edged a pull shot off Graham Napier and was caught at deep midwicket for 16.Kieswetter’s consistency as a run-maker in T20 is incredible. He has only had one score below 37 in his last 15 innings in the domestic competition spread over two seasons. His 40 in this game included two fours and two sixes, one of them a mighty blow over long-on off Bopara that sent the ball out of the ground.Trego was subdued by his standards, striking four fours before being run-out as he slipped when sent back by Alviro Petersen attempting a single to short fine-leg. Essex never allowed their opponents to break free of the early grip imposed by Napier and David Masters.Left-arm spinner Tim Phillips was the most economical bowler for the visitors, conceding only 24 from his four overs. Petersen did his best to bolster the total with 26 off 17 balls, but 150 did not look a particularly challenging score.After the game Essex head coach Paul Grayson said: “Our first target is a top-four finish in the group to reach the quarter-finals. If we can achieve that and push for the top two then great because home advantage and a quarter-final tie at Chelmsford would be very special.”Kieswetter said: “For some reason we are not coming up with the right formula for T20 cricket this season. All the necessary skills are in the squad, but we are not executing them consistently enough. I think the bowlers are doing a good job, but we are not giving them big enough targets to defend.”

Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell and Craig Kieswetter are the Ram Slam’s overseas signings for the 2014-15 season

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2014Ram Slam’s overseas signings for 2014-15

Kieron Pollard – Cape Cobras
Dwayne Bravo – Dolphins
Andre Russell – Knights
Chris Gayle – Lions
Darren Sammy – Titans
Craig Kieswetter – Warriors

For the third time in four seasons, Chris Gayle has been linked to South Africa’s domestic T20 competition but this time it seems he may actually play in the event. Gayle signed for the Dolphins for 2011-12 and 2013-14, but injury kept him out of the event. This time, he will be attached to Lions and will be one of six international signings for a competition that is searching for a higher-profile.Gayle is set to join Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell and Craig Kieswetter as the headline players for the event. Each South African franchise has only managed to add one overseas player to the squad although there was speculation they would be more. Kumar Sangakkara was in talks to join Lions but had to withdraw to join Sri Lanka’s ODI outfit for their trip to India and Kevin Pietersen, who was in South Africa last week to play in a sixes tournament and was rumoured to be considering appearing in the twenty-over competition, does not seem to have been snapped up.Despite that, tournament director Graeme Smith, was pleased to see the level of interest in the South African event. “In my discussions with all the superstars, it has been satisfying to note their eagerness to play in here, as they regard South Africa as one of the best cricket leagues in the world,” Smith said.Doubtless if Gayle participates this time, it would underline that notion and all indications are that he will. “It looks very promising that Gayle will play for us. We have sent him the contract and we hope to finalise things in the next 24 hours,” Greg Fredericks, CEO of Lions, told ESPNcricinfo. “We know that if he is firing on all cylinders, he could be a game-changer.”Lions were aware of Gayle’s twin pull outs from Dolphins and have been meticulous in confirming Gayle’s availability for them. “We were obviously a bit concerned about what happened last time with the injuries and we made sure to check that he is fit and ready to play, and he is,” Fredericks said.Gayle will be available for the entire competition, like his West Indies team-mates, apart from Bravo, who will miss the first match. West Indies have no fixtures during the competition, which runs from November 2 to December 12. Their next international assignment is in South Africa – a three-Test, three-T20 and five-ODI tour which starts on December 17. The only possible clash for West Indies players in the twenty-over tournament will be if they are required to play in the tour match in South Africa, which is pencilled in for December 10-12, or be part of a pre-series camp.However, a cloud continues to hang over West Indies’ future because of the ongoing dispute between the players, the board and the players’ association over payment structures. Earlier this month, West Indies pulled out of their India tour and the falling-out has yet to be resolved.That means South Africa’s international summer remains uncertain. West Indies are the only team due to tour to the country and one insider said that after last season’s curtailed visit by India, if the calendar was affected again, it would be “a disaster” for the venues. As things stand, none of them have received any information on the status of the tour but, as a source said, all are “hopeful it will be sorted out and not affect the quality of the cricket that will be played this season”.

With the top-flight campaign nearing its halfway point at the turn of the year, Goal assesses the star men of 2020-21 to this point

Though the delay to the start of the season means that the Premier League campaign is yet to reach its halfway point, the table is starting to take shape.

Defending champions Liverpool are again out in front, but the Reds have not had things their own way and look set for a much tougher challenge when it comes to winning a second successive league title.

Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Leicester City and Everton have all shown flashes of form that suggest they could be in the hunt right until the final weeks, while the likes of Aston Villa and Southampton have also enjoyed periods in the upper echelons of the table.

But which players have been the standouts so far? Goal has selected its Team of the Season through to the end of the calendar year, though everything could change as we enter 2021…

GettyGK: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa)

It is fair to suggest that Arsenal fans were split when it was revealed that Bernd Leno had been chosen to be the Gunners' No.1 for the new season given the impressive performances of Emiliano Martinez in the closing weeks of the previous campaign.

Martinez had played a key role in helping turn around the fortunes of Mikel Arteta's side, and with first-team football not forthcoming in north London he jumped at the chance of joining Aston Villa for £20 million ($25m) in mid-September.

His form for the Villans has mirrored that of his final months at Arsenal, with the Argentina international currently leading the race for the Premier League's Golden Glove with eight clean sheets from his first 14 appearances for the club.

Martinez has rarely put a foot wrong for Dean Smith's side, saving 76 per cent of shots faced, which ranks him second among the English top-flight's regular goalkeepers in 2020-21 behind Nick Pope.

AdvertisementGettyRB: Reece James (Chelsea)

With Trent Alexander-Arnold having struggled with injuries, the door has been opened for another young, English right-back to stake his claim to become the league's best player in his position.

Reece James' form for Chelsea has been so strong that club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has been relegated to the substitutes' bench for almost the entire campaign so far, with James also having earned himself a first England call-up during the autumn.

Going forward he is a revelation, with his crossing accuracy of 22.4% the second-best among full-backs in the Premier League so far this season.

He has also proven himself to be adept defensively, winning 27 tackles at a success rate of 63%; the fourth-best ratio among full-backs in 2020-21.

Getty ImagesCB: Kurt Zouma (Chelsea)

Though new signings Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy have taken most of the plaudits for Chelsea's improved defensive record, there is no getting away from the fact that Kurt Zouma has perhaps been the most consistently impressive of the trio so far in 2020-21.

The France international was tipped to become one of the world's great centre-backs before suffering a serious knee injury in 2016 that threatened to derail his top-level career.

This season, though, he is beginning to deliver on his potential. He has 38 headed clearances – the fourth-most in the Premier League – and has won 75% of his attempted tackles as well as 66% of his duels.

He has also become an attacking weapon from set-pieces, with his four goals the most among the division's defenders.

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Getty ImagesCB: Fabinho (Liverpool)

Liverpool's title odds lengthened significantly when Virgil van Dijk suffered his potentially season-ending knee injury against Everton in October, so seeming irreplaceable is the Netherlands international at Anfield.

And yet, Jurgen Klopp's side have conceded just seven goals in 12 league games since Van Dijk's injury – a record made even more remarkable given that Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker have all also suffered injuries in the meantime.

Holding midfielder Fabinho has been entrusted with filling the Van Dijk-shaped hole in the Liverpool defence, and while he too missed time through injury, the ex-Monaco man has looked very much at home at the heart of the back four.

The 27-year-old ranks as Liverpool's leading tackler and their player with the most headed clearances so far this term as they chase a second successive league title.

Craig Overton’s career-best score helped Somerset overcome a devastating opening spell by Steve Magoffin to earn the initiative against Sussex

George Dobell at Taunton09-Jun-2014
ScorecardCraig Overton’s career-best score earned Somerset the lead•Getty ImagesIt was not, perhaps, quite as dramatic as the innings that brought Ian Botham to wider attention, but Taunton regulars will know they are witnessing the start of something quite special with the development of the Overton twins.It was way back on June 12 1974 – almost exactly 40 years ago – that Botham, then an 18-year-old who was building a reputation as a swing bowler, came in at No. 9 and, after losing a handful of teeth to an Andy Roberts bouncer, thrashed the Hampshire bowling around this charming little ground to win Somerset a match that had appeared lost. A star had been born.It would be stretching a point to suggest that either Overton will achieve the success of Botham, but it does seem fair to suggest that Somerset (or Devon) have not produced an allrounder of such potential as Craig since the days of Botham and Vic Marks. Just a couple of weeks after Jamie Overton, a bowler of rare pace, impressed with a half-century against Warwickshire, it was the turn of his twin brother to dominate.On the first day of this match, Craig Overton impressed with the ball. Content to let his natural attributes – his height, his strength and a pleasing, fluid action – work for him, he does not try to bowl too fast and does not attempt too much variation. He gains movement in the air and off the pitch, though, and for a man of his age, bowls very few poor balls. It looks as if he has plenty of pace in reserve, too. All the ingredients are there.On the second day, it was his batting that impressed. With Somerset having subsided to 125 for 7, they were facing the prospect of conceding a first innings lead. But Overton, like Botham coming in at No. 9, helped the impressive Craig Meschede add 81 for the eighth wicket before adding 77 for the ninth with Alfonso Thomas as Somerset finished with a first-innings lead of 75.Hitting the ball cleanly, Overton took advantage of the softening ball and support bowlers to reach a career-best score. If it was the thumping drives and slog-sweeps that stood out, it was the straight bat and long reach that boded best for his future. He is not, with bat or ball, a complicated cricketer, but he is already a good one and he has the potential to enjoy a long and successful career. His aim, he says, is to develop into “a batsman who bowls” and he lists Andrew Flintoff as a key role model. He gave one chance, on 45, when Ed Joyce failed to cling on to a miscued pull.Slowing after his half-century and with men out on the boundary, Overton eventually became a victim of his own lack of patience. After heaving Rory Hamilton-Brown to deep mid-on with a maiden century within his reach, his disappointment was clear to see as he left the pitch with head in his hands. “I should have hit it out of the ground,” he said. “And I’ll back myself to do that next time.”The only other man to reach 40 in the Somerset innings was Craig Kieswetter. Batting with more fluency than anyone in the match to date, Kieswetter feasted on the back-up bowlers, Luke Wright and Will Beer in particular, in a counter-attacking innings. Playing further forward than most, he has been the one man in the game to drive with assurance and will feel he largely made amends for the drop on the first day that allowed Joyce a life before he had scored.That Somerset were able to recover was not solely due to their lower-order defiance, though. It also speaks volumes for the Sussex support bowling which, in the absence of Chris Jordan and, to a lesser extent, Jon Lewis, appears inadequate. Beer was unable to sustain a good enough length and was punished severely, while Wright also bowled too short. Whatever his faults, Monty Panesar has proved hard to replace.Indeed, such was Sussex’s predicament that eight men were pressed into service as bowlers, with Luke Wells sustaining a side strain that forced him from the field and rendered him unable to bat in the evening. Jimmy Anyon did a decent job deputising as opener while, with the ball, Hamilton-Brown finished with career-best figures.Somerset’s revival was cruel fortune for Steve Magoffin who took the first six wickets to fall and at one stage had figures of 5 for 13. Maintaining a perfect, nagging line and length, he gained enough seam movement to trouble all the batsmen and defeated Nick Compton, who Magoffin suggested had batted as well against him as anyone over the last couple of years, with a beauty that demanded a shot but left him. James Hildreth, stuck in his crease, was beaten by a rare inswinger and Marcus Trescothick, expecting one angled across him, bowled by one that went straight. It was bowling of the highest class and saw Magoffin past 400 first-class wickets.His record against Somerset is absurdly good. In 2013 he claimed 20 wickets in two first-class matches against them while conceding only 132 runs. In all, in five-and-a-half matches, he has claimed 36 first-class wickets at an average of just 11.36.”I’m bowling better than ever,” he said. “Maybe in the past I was distracted by pushing for higher honours but, since I was released by Western Australia a few years ago, first with Queensland and now with Sussex, I’m more relaxed and bowling better. To come back from that – and I didn’t have a job to go to – to this is very satisfying.”

The city of Indianapolis, Indiana has terminated its agreement to host the USA Cricket Association National Championships which were scheduled for August 21-24 in the brand new, $6 million World Sports Park facility

Peter Della Penna31-May-2014The city of Indianapolis, Indiana has terminated its agreement to host the relaunch of the USA Cricket Association National Championships which were due to be held from August 21-24 in the brand new, $6 million World Sports Park facility. Indianapolis Parks and Recreation director, John W Williams, sent a letter to USACA notifying them of the termination on Friday and a city official confirmed that the decision includes not just the 2014 championship but the entire three-year agreement which had been signed in September 2013 under former USACA chief executive Darren Beazley.In the letter, Williams cited a breakdown in communication with USACA following the announcement of Beazley’s resignation in March, a lack of information on qualifying events to determine the players and teams who would actually be participating, and an inability for USACA to work with the city to identify and secure sponsorships for the event as reasons for terminating the agreement. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s office stated in a press release that city officials had gone “months without adequate communication that was jeopardising the success of the tournament.”On Tuesday, USACA had announced the appointment of Sunil Kumar, president of the Northern California Cricket Association, as a project manager to take over Beazley’s role in relation to working with the city of Indianapolis to help coordinate logistics for the event. ESPNcricinfo spoke to Marc Lotter, Mayor Ballard’s director of communications, who said to his knowledge no one at the city or mayor’s office had received any communication of any kind from Kumar prior to Friday. Lotter said the city is still committed to helping develop cricket both locally and nationally, but hinted that they will wait until the battle between USACA and the American Cricket Federation is sorted before they commit to hosting any future events.”It’s been well documented that there’s a lot of organisational changes and things taking place at the national level,” Lotter said. “The city remains committed to working with the international body to help grow the sport of cricket in the United States and we believe we are well positioned to do so. Once the organisational changes and things that are taking place between the national and international bodies are all worked out, we’d be happy to entertain hosting a similar event.”I’m not speaking to a specific body or excluding any specific body. There are a lot of organisational changes that have been widely reported that are taking place within that organisation and its relationship to other bodies. Once all those things are worked out and the organisational changes have had time to take effect, then obviously the city would be open to working with any appropriate groups to restoring this tournament.”When asked about ticket sales at the event, Lotter said he could not provide concrete details, but admitted it had been difficult to market the event to fans and sponsors due to the lack of information provided by USACA as to who would be participating. However, a source involved with the event stated that since tickets originally went on sale in February, none had been sold.Richard J Kaplan, Mayor of Lauderhill, Florida, had told ESPNcricinfo in an interview last year that other cities in the USA looking to build stadium facilities for cricket should be wary of working with USACA following his own city’s experiences. Lauderhill’s cricket stadium opened in 2007 as part of the $70 million Central Broward Regional Park, but the field has rarely been utilised for cricket events. Lotter said that Ballard and the city of Indianapolis were aware of these issues, which is why the World Sports Park in Indianapolis was designed to be a multi-sports venue with no permanent seating structures.”We did see a lot of the media reports and the city did a lot of things differently,” Lotter said. “The city did not enter into its agreement to host these tournaments until Darren Beazley got on board and was making a lot of changes and bringing a lot of professional leadership to that organisation. As noted in that letter terminating that agreement, once Mr. Beazley left the organisation, then that communication stopped and we have taken the action we’ve taken today.”The USACA National Championships were scheduled to mark the grand opening of the park and Lotter says that currently nothing has been lined up as a replacement for those dates.USACA has yet to issue a formal response on their website regarding the termination and it is unknown if any contingency plans are in place to hold the event at an alternate location. ESPNcricinfo sought a comment from Sunil Kumar and first vice-president Michael Gale on Friday but calls and emails to both went unreturned. When ESPNcricinfo contacted USACA president Gladstone Dainty by phone to seek a response, he launched into a personal attack before hanging up.

After two days in the first Test South Africa were all-but out of the contest. After two days at St George’s Park, they have turned the tables to leave Australia under considerable pressure

The Report by Andrew McGlashan21-Feb-20140:00

‘Are South Africa the No. 1 team again?’

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAfter two days in the first Test South Africa were all but out of the contest. After two days at St George’s Park, they have turned the tables to leave Australia under considerable pressure. Hundreds from AB de Villiers and JP Duminy lifted them to a strong total, but the most significant advances South Africa made came in the final session when they claimed four wickets including two in Wayne Parnell’s first over in Test cricket for four years.Australia’s dominance of their recent Tests has been almost absolute and worthy of much admiration, but this was a situation they had not been in for some time: replying to a healthy first-innings by the opposition. Australia had not conceded 400 in an innings since the Mohali Test last March – or spent as long in the field as the 150.4 overs here since Hyderabad, on the same tour – and throughout their run of six consecutive, hefty victories their top order has remained vulnerable.Once again they stumbled. Chris Rogers survived a review for lbw in Dale Steyn’s first over, but could not save himself with the DRS when Vernon Philander straightened one into his pads. However, it was Parnell’s introduction in the 10th over that really stung Australia. His first ball angled across Alex Doolan and took a thin edge to de Villiers; on a slow pitch, the first nick off a seamer to have carried behind the wicket in the match. Then, like London buses, there was another two balls later when Shaun Marsh lunged away from his body at a delivery shaping away from the left hander.Australia were 41 for 3, but David Warner, who had already leapt out of the blocks, and Michael Clarke responded with a flurry of boundaries. Clarke, though, was cut off for 19 when he drove early at Philander and gave a catch to short cover and, again, Australia were four down for under a hundred. They have regularly fought back from such positions, but the difference this time is that the opposition have runs on the board.AB de Villiers’ hundred helped put South Africa in a strong position at the end of the second day•Getty ImagesAnd it could have been ever better for South Africa. Morne Morkel bowled a hostile spell, extracting more bounce from the pitch than any other quick, and produced a delivery which climbed at Warner when he had 43. It took the shoulder of the bat, flying through to de Villiers, but the keeper was stood closer to compensate for the low bounce and the ball burst through the gloves above his head. As so often, it was edge-of-the-seat batting from Warner as he moved to a 55-ball half-century. Then to cap a dramatic session, Nathan Lyon survived an edge down the leg side when Graeme Smith was not convinced to review before being dropped by Duminy in the gully in the final over of the day.When South Africa resumed on 214 for 5, the match was still in Australia’s favour after a series of poor shots from the middle order on day one. The hosts desperately needed their last pair of specialist batsmen to form a substantial stand. That is exactly what they delivered as de Villiers and Duminy added 149 for the sixth wicket.De Villiers already had a world record to his name when he resumed on 51 having made it 12 consecutive Tests with at least a half-century and he converted that into his 19th Test hundred from 202 deliveries as he countered a slow pitch with elegant and, at times, powerful strokeplay.While de Villiers stood out, his class and brilliance is in no doubt. But he needed some support, which was horribly lacking at Centurion Park. Duminy’s innings was equally important from both a personal and team perspective. He is battling to cement a permanent spot in the side and came in for significant criticism for his first-innings shot at Centurion when he lofted Lyon to mid-off.He dominated the strike in the early overs the day, when play began 20 minutes early due the bad light yesterday, and gave South Africa a punchy start with four boundaries in the first four overs. Three of those came in one Mitchell Johnson over when he clipped two deliveries off his pads then pulled a third through midwicket. By Australia’s recent high standards, their use of the new ball, which they took when play began, was disappointing. It was the confidence boost Duminy and South Africa needed.For the first time in seven innings Duminy passed fifty and in the knowledge that the ball would not be rearing at his throat – even from Johnson – had a far more confident presence at the crease. He employed the sweep regularly against Lyon (as did de Villiers) and was quick onto any error in length as fatigue started to play a part, causing Lyon to offer up the occasional short delivery. It was a sweep, in front of square, that raised his hundred, which Duminy greeted with understated but satisfied acknowledgement.The contest between de Villiers and Lyon had been fascinating. Back-to-back boundaries, the first a sweep and the second a back-foot drive, showed what makes him a great batsman with impeccable judgement of length and crisp footwork and brought up three figures with another crisp sweep shot. Clarke had taken innovation to a new level in his attempt to conjure a breakthrough. At one stage he had four catchers in the midwicket area, but de Villiers responded in the most brilliant and audacious fashion when he flicked Siddle over the leg side for six.South Africa may have had designs of accelerating when de Villiers pushed a return catch back to Lyon, who took it well diving to his right. During the morning session, largely due to de Villiers, runs came at more than three an over which was significantly above what had been achieved before. However, his departure seven overs into the afternoon slowed South Africa’s progress with Duminy working hard to for his own three-figure score and Clarke, while never abandoning his search for wickets, setting fields to dry up runs.Philander pottered around for 37 deliveries over six runs before driving a low return catch to Clarke who put his back through a rare bowl among a host of afternoon bowling changes and the final four wickets fell for 45 either side of tea. That, though, ensured South Africa did not get drawn into wasting time for a few extra runs; the value of the damage they were then able to do to Australia was worth much more.

A round-up of the Pro50 Championship games that took place in March 14, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-2014Mid West Rhinos collapsed in the face of a modest target, losing by 22 runs to Matabeleland Tuskers in Bulawayo. Chasing 165, Rhinos were comfortably placed at 72 for 2, but the loss of Brendan Taylor triggered a collapse, with the offspinner John Nyumbu running through the middle order with a four-wicket haul.Taylor and Malcolm Waller added an exact 50 for the third wicket after the openers fell early. Taylor was run out for a brisk 47 off 49 balls in the 16th over and in the following over, Nyumbu struck with his first wicket, dismissing Peter Moor for a duck. The Rhinos lost their way and when Waller was trapped lbw by Nyumbu for 40, they were struggling at 125 for 7. The innings was wrapped up in the 35th over and the bottom-placed Tuskers picked up their third win. Earlier, the Tuskers batsmen too struggled to put up big partnerships. At 95 for 7, they were struggling to post a competitive score, but a 52-run stand for the eighth wicket between Nyumbu and Tawanda Mupariwa turned out to be crucial to the final outcome. The left-arm spinner Bradley Wadlan picked up 3 for 24.It was a one-sided game at Mutare Sports Club, with Mountaineers strolling by nine wickets against Southern Rocks. Chasing a meagre 139, Hamilton Masakadza smashed an unbeaten 83 off 78 balls to power Mountaineers home in just 27 overs. The opener Tino Mawoyo made a more sedate 34 off 65 balls with two boundaries but it was Masakadza who took charge with 11 fours and two sixes in his knock to guide his side to their third win.The Mountaineers could have been chasing a more paltry target, having flattened the Rocks to 26 for 5 at one stage. The seamers did the damage, with Tendai Chatara removing the openers before Donald Tiripano ran through the middle order to finish with 3 for 39. Stubborn resistance from the lower order kept the Mountaineers in the field for nearly all the 50 overs, but they could only muster 138. Prince Masvaure top scored with 34.

Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series, with three to play as they inflicted a 218-run defeat on England in the Adelaide Test to follow up their overwhelming 381-run win in the opening match in Brisbane

The Report by David Hopps at Adelaide Oval09-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:00

Kimber: The return of the happy hookers

Australia took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series, with three to play as they inflicted a 218-run defeat on England in the Adelaide Test to follow up their overwhelming 381-run win in the opening match in Brisbane.It took Australia only 11.4 overs to remove England’s last four wickets for the addition of a further 65 runs after light morning rain, which delayed the start by 10 minutes, cleared and the Test was completed with floodlights piercing the gloom.England’s one consolation was a return to form for Matt Prior, albeit in insignificant circumstances. Prior, 31 not out overnight, was ninth out for 69 from 110 balls, the first time he had passed 50 in 17 attempts, a sequence stretching back to his match-saving century against New Zealand in Auckland in March. It will probably be enough to protect his place in Perth.Prior pulled with gusto, but the shot also proved his downfall as he deposited Peter Siddle into the hands of Ryan Harris at deep square. It was a bountiful morning for Siddle and Harris, who had toiled away impressively on the fourth day, but who did not have to extend themselves unduly to round things up with two wickets apiece on the final morning.Siddle and Harris took seven wickets between them. That should not alter the salient fact: Mitchell Johnson might not be the only reason for the shift in power, but he has been the overriding reason.Australia, after seven defeats in nine, have now won two Tests on the bounce; England, unbeaten in 13 before this series, have been heavily beaten in both. Under the coaching influence of Darren Lehmann, Australia are playing positive cricket, fielding tigerishly and their bowling plans are working. England look weary and disorientated, a team which has so far failed to challenge the notion that it is in decline.No England team has ever come back from 2-0 down to win a series in Australia, the one thing in England’s favour being that they only need to draw the series to retain the Ashes.But England will be particularly unsettled by the fact that they have lost so heavily in Adelaide where a dry pitch of comfortable pace bore a similarity to surfaces on which they have achieved many recent victories and offered arguably their best opportunity of the series.Adelaide’s first drop-in pitch displayed the ground’s traditional characteristics, offering more spin as the match progressed, and will have delighted the curator Damien Hough.Peter Siddle finished with 4 for 57 in the second innings•AFPAlastair Cook said three times at the post-match ceremony that England need to “look at ourselves”. It will be the mantra ahead of Perth. He said: “We had a few opportunities on that first day to put pressure on that first day and we missed them. Mitchell Johnson has bowled well and quickly and we have to look at ourselves, our techniques and our shot selection.”Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, admitted that he had been unsettled when he drew back the curtains to see rain falling. He said: “The last thing we wanted was rain today – and I guess not enforcing the follow-on made me a little more nervous. I thought our bowlers could do with a rest and come out fresh in the second innings.”We have to be realistic: that is only our second Test win in [11] months and that is not good enough if we want to be the No 1 Test side in the world – and that is our goal.”Johnson, man of the match after his first-innings 7 for 40, can now look forward to what is routinely viewed as his banker: the WACA. He said: “I’m really excited about being back in this team.” He confirmed the mo stays on for the rest of the series.Once the skies cleared so quickly, England’s cause was hopeless: 304 runs short of victory with only four wickets remaining. They played as if they knew it.Quite what Stuart Broad was up to, only he knew. Five balls into the day, he became the third England batsman to perish to the hook shot. Siddle fired in two short balls in his first over of the day. The first, a lackadaisical affair, was pulled by Broad for six. The next ball was quicker and shoulder height and Broad hooked it into the hands of Nathan Lyon at deep square.Harris, delayed until first change, was also presented with a wicket in his first over as Graeme Swann dangled his bat at a wide one, which moved away slightly, and presented a comfortable catch to second slip. His second wicket of the morning, Panesar driving feebly to short extra, completed the job.

Hashim Amla has admitted that he hasn’t fully come to grips with being South Africa’s captain, but is confident he will “learn more with every series”

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2014Hashim Amla had just begun to answer the first question at the press conference when Denesh Ramdin spotted a problem. Amla’s voice, which usually barely rises above a whisper, was not being projected at all. Ramdin though, knew how to fix that. He reached across Amla and turned on the microphone in front of him, much to the giggles of the audience who soon realised there is one thing Ramdin has more experience in than Amla: captaincy.Although Amla and Ramdin are almost equally new to the leadership role – Ramdin has been in charge for five Tests, Amla for three – there are some differences that are also underlined in their similar trajectories as leaders.Amla and Ramdin both captained their respective Under-19 sides to age-group World Cup finals but while Amla was a reluctant franchise skipper who stepped down after a season, Ramdin seemed to relish the role for his domestic team Trinidad & Tobago. He was their regular captain for the better part of the last five years before being recently relieved of the job.Ramdin’s familiarity means he did not have to change anything about his own game when he was elevated to the captaincy, but Amla is still easing in to his position and hopes to use this series to make strides as an international leader.”What I’ve learnt is that I’ve got to manage time wisely. That is one of the reasons I am batting at No. 4,” Amla said. “It gives me little bit of extra time gathering my thoughts before going in to bat. That’s been my biggest challenge so far but it’s getting better and I’m sure with every series, I will learn.”This series will also be the first Amla captains at home, and the first home series in more than a decade without Graeme Smith at the helm. Amla knows all eyes will be on him. “Having made my captaincy debut overseas, I didn’t have the hype and the attention, which probably was a good thing because now I am a bit more settled,” he said. “Captaining at home will be something special.”Apart from his own game, Amla is also aware that the South African public are anticipating seeing something new from a team in transition. They will bear witness to Dean Elgar opening in Smith’s place for the first time, Stiaan van Zyl’s debut and possibly, even those of Temba Bavuma or Kagiso Rabada. Amla wants to show them South African cricket is in good hands.”It’s been very exciting. We always knew when Graeme and Jacques retired, we would go through a transition but luckily, there are still a few of us who have played for a long time, who hold the fort,” Amla said. “The core of the team has remained the same and it has allowed the culture of the team to continue. When we leave, these are the guys who will take the team forward. So passing on knowledge and experience is the responsibility we have.”Fostering growth while still focusing on on-field success requires a careful balance, which Amla believes South Africa have struck. “You want to try and make the transition as natural as possible but there is an element of putting the work in. No relationship is without any hard work,” he said. “You’ve got to pass on what you’ve learnt and what the Proteas stand for, but the most important factor is to try and make sure we are winning matches.”Ramdin was listening closely to that answer, perhaps because West Indies need to do something similar in their squad. A mix of youth and experience is what they have to take on South Africa, and gelling that into a competitive outfit that can take on the world’s top-ranked Test team is Ramdin’s mission.”It’s going to be a very challenging series. South Africa are the No.1 team and they have been doing something very good to be at the top of the Test rankings. It’s going to be tough to beat them at home,” Ramdin admitted. “But we have guys like Kraigg Brathwaite, Jerome Taylor, Shannon Gabriel who have all been doing well so we are in good stead.”

Calum MacLeod made the second highest score by an Associate player in an ODI and third highest by an Associate player in List A cricket in a 170-run romp over Canada to seal a place for Scotland in the Super Sixes

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2014Calum MacLeod made the second highest score by an Associate player in an ODI and third highest by an Associate player in List A cricket in a 170-run romp over Canada to seal a place for Scotland in the Super Sixes and put an end to Canada’s consecutive World Cup streak dating back to 2003. Scotland join UAE and Hong Kong from Group A in the Super Sixes.Canada won the toss and sent Scotland in to bat in the hopes of restricting them to a low total that they could chase down quickly to pass Scotland on net run rate. MacLeod erased any chance of that happening with 175 off 141 balls in Scotland’s total of 341 for 9.Matt Machan teamed up with MacLeod to add 144 for the second wicket and MacLeod looked to have a rare ODI double-century in his sights before perishing on the first ball of the 46th over to Khurram Chohan – who finished with 5 for 68. MacLeod was left to settle for the highest score by a Scotland player in an ODI.Canada never threatened to chase Scotland’s hefty total, especially after opening bowlers Iain Wardlaw and Rob Taylor wiped out the top four to leave Canada at 42 for 4. Wicketkeeper Matty Cross had a terrific day behind the stumps, taking six catches and also effecting two runouts. Hamza Tariq was last man out for 71 as Canada succumbed for 171 in 39.2 overs. Taylor, Wardlaw and Safyaan Sharif all finished with two wickets apiece for Scotland.Irfan Karim produced a scintillating 108 for Kenya to pave the way for a stunning four-wicket upset of Netherlands on Thursday at Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. The defeat put Netherlands in fourth place in Group B, denying them a spot in the Super Sixes. Kenya go into the next stage from Group B, along with Papua New Guinea and Namibia.Netherlands, the pre-tournament favourites were sent in to bat by Kenya, as the latter team looked for the best chance to progress on net run rate. Wesley Barresi scored 137 not out for Netherlands and was part of a 136-run second wicket partnership with Eric Szwarczynski that spanned 30.4 overs. Netherlands entered the final 10 overs of their innings on 188 for 3, but their steady pace from the start of the innings and an overall lack of a sense of urgency came back to haunt them in the end as they finished on 265 for 5.Kenya needed to achieve the target in 36.1 overs to leapfrog over Netherlands on net run rate into third place in Group B. While Barresi’s first innings ton consumed 150 balls, Karim torched the Netherlands attack to reach his century with his 15th four off just 81 balls. He received excellent support from Ragheb Aga (86) and the pair added 148 for the second wicket in 20.2 overs. Karim was the third wicket to fall with the score 240 in the 32nd over, leaving Kenya with 26 to score in 4.5 overs in order to pass Netherlands on net run rate.After a brief flurry of wickets, captain Rakep Patel and Steve Tikolo held their nerve, striking a pair of boundaries as part of a 13-run 35th over to make it 262 for 5 entering the 36th. Ahsan Malik removed Patel on the first ball of the 36th, but singles came off the next three deliveries before the winning run arrived off a wide. Kenya reached the target with room to spare in 35.4 overs. The win keeps Kenya’s hopes of maintaining their World Cup streak alive.Patel later said the win was a relief. “There was a lot of pressure on the boys today. They really performed and got us through to the next round,” he said. “Chasing 265 could have been very difficult. But the way Irfan Karim and Ragheb Aga batted today was very good, and Collins Obuya finished things off nicely. This win means a lot to the team, and to everyone back home. The boys have believed in themselves and changed their own luck. The senior players are displaying real leadership and commitment.”Netherlands captain Peter Borren admitted the lack of runs in the last 10 overs had made the match difficult for the side.”A lot went wrong today, in the field particularly. Their two batsmen played beautifully, and we didn’t respond well,” Borren said. “We probably didn’t get enough runs in our last ten overs. We could have killed them off there with wickets in hand. But they bowled well and we struggled to get it away. That was pretty crucial.”Papua New Guinea opener Lega Siaka scored his second century of the tournament to ensure his side finished atop Group B courtesy of an eight-wicket thrashing of Namibia at Mount Maunganui. Namibia won the toss and chose to bat first but were under pressure immediately after Pipi Raho and PNG captain Chris Amini nipped out two wickets each in their opening spells to leave Namibia at 16 for 4 in the sixth over.Gerrie Snyman provided Namibia’s best resistance with 54 at number six, but lacked any genuine support. Snyman was dismissed by Mahuru Dai in the 41st over to make it 137 for 8 before Namibia were eventually bowled out for 163 in 48.4 overs. Siaka’s 112 not out dominated the chase and PNG’s next best score was Assad Vala’s 16. PNG needed only half of the allotted overs to reach the target and vaulted to the top of the group in the process.Lega Siaka scored a match-winning century for Papua New Guinea•ICCUAE prevented Hong Kong from going undefeated in Group A, defeating their Asian rivals by 22 runs. UAE won the toss and batted and captain Khurram Khan led the way with 78. Khan’s team-mates wasted the platform he laid for them as his dismissal in the 39th over sparked a mini collapse. UAE went from 185 for 4 to be bowled out for 249 in 48.1 overs. Haseeb Amjad led the way with the ball for Hong Kong taking 3 for 33.Manjula Guruge dismissed the dangerous Irfan Ahmed early in the chase. The best partnership in the innings was 49 for the third wicket between Waqas Barkat (24) and Mark Chapman (59) as Hong Kong lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to sustain any momentum. Guruge finished with 4 for 39 as Hong Kong was bowled out in the final over for 227.Entering the Super Sixes, Papua New Guinea has a distinct advantage on the other five teams, carrying over four points into the next phase by virtue of their wins over Kenya and Namibia during play in Group B. Kenya has the biggest hill to climb carrying zero points forward after losses to Papua New Guinea and Namibia. Scotland, UAE, Hong Kong and Namibia all carry two points forward from the group stage into the Super Six phase, which begins on Sunday.