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As back-to-back ODI tours of India and UAE loom, Finch is in a race against time to hit peak form ahead of the World Cup

Alex Malcolm in Melbourne17-Jan-20195:04

Improvements over last 8-10 months visible – Finch

Australia’s ODI captain Aaron Finch has spent the last few days reminding himself that he is “still a very good player” ahead of the series-decider against India at the MCG on Friday.Finch has struggled at international level over the past six months. Since scoring a stunning record 172 against Zimbabwe in a T20I in Harare in July, he has averaged just 18.48 in 26 innings across formats, with just two half-centuries, both in Tests. In the ongoing series, he has been bowled twice for 6, having faced 11 and 19 deliveries respectively in Sydney and Adelaide.”I’ve had a chance to go back and have a look at some footage and see what’s worked really well when I’ve got hundreds for Australia and felt like I’ve been playing really well,” Finch said. “It’s just about making sure that I give myself the best chance.”Maybe I’ve been too tentative in the last couple of games, letting a bit of pressure build up. It’s always a fine balance between attack and hanging in there and waiting for the right time to sort of be aggressive and take on the game. I still feel I’m a very good player. I think 13 international hundreds suggest that I do know what is required.”It’s just a case of getting through that initial part and probably looking to put a bit of pressure back on the bowler. I think at the moment I’ve just been a little bit tentative in my thought process and in my footwork at times. I think it’s just about going back to my natural game and just letting that flow and finding the right rhythm.”The schedule has been unrelenting. Since Finch was selected for the Test tour in the UAE, he has played 42 days of cricket out of 111, travelling to 15 cities across two different hemispheres, with seven format changes. He has also been captain for 14 of the 21 matches. Virat Kohli, who plays as much cricket as any international player, has played 16 matches and had five format changes in the same period. Finch is clearly in a need of a break and some respite is coming given he is not going to play in the IPL this season.”April is going to be some time off, which is a month off after the Dubai series (ODIs against Pakistan), before we head up to Brisbane for a camp before the World Cup,” Finch said. “So that’ll be the first real long break that I’ve had in a long time. That will be an opportunity to go on a quick holiday with my wife which hasn’t happened in the five-and-a-half years we’ve been together. It’ll be nice.”But in the meantime, he still needs to find some form in the final ODI on Friday, as back-to-back ODI tours to India and the UAE loom large as important preparation for Australia’s World Cup hopes. He will also have some BBL cricket ahead of the India tour.”India at home and then away followed by Pakistan in the UAE,” Finch said. “It doesn’t get much tougher than that in terms of conditions and opposition. After this series it’s just a bit of Big Bash. The Renegades schedule has a few breaks in it as well which will be really crucial. Just a time, like I said leading into this series, to recharge and just get back to getting out there and trying to slog a few around.”Aside from his own form, Finch was extremely positive about the way Australia played in the first two matches despite losing in Adelaide. Australia has made two changes for the series decider at the MCG. Jason Behrendorff has been rested to manage his ongoing back issues, with Billy Stanlake coming in, while Nathan Lyon has been replaced by legspinner Adam Zampa.

Shaun Marsh had weightier matters on his mind as the Brisbane Test loomed, but when it is all over he will turn his thoughts to a two-year deal with Glamorgan

David Hopps22-Nov-2017Shaun Marsh, who won a surprise recall by Australia for the start of the Ashes series, has been named as Glamorgan’s overseas player for the next two seasons.Marsh’s main concern 24 hours before the start of the first Test at the Gabba was to recover from a stiff back, which curtailed his final practice session, but when the Ashes are done and dusted he will be heading to south Wales.Glamorgan have secured Marsh in all three formats of the game and he will be available for the full county season subject to the 2018 IPL draft. If he gains an IPL contract, he will join up with Glamorgan following his commitments in India.Marsh has played in nine out of 10 IPLs, only missing the second season of the tournament in 2009, but at 34 his presence in 2018 cannot be taken for granted.There again, he has just won his eighth recall to Australia’s Test squad in a career that has spread over 23 Tests, as well as 68 matches in limited-overs formats, in the past decade.His pedigree in T20 is impressive – he is also a three-time winner of BBL with Perth Scorchers.Marsh is reasserting county cricket loyalties. He played for Glamorgan during the T20 campaign of 2012, as well as being a member of the Australian touring party for the 2015 Ashes played in England and Wales. He spent part of last season with Yorkshire.”I’m extremely excited to join Glamorgan for the 2018 season,” he said, lifting his attention from Ashes preparations for a few seconds. “I have some great memories of the club when I played in Cardiff in 2012 and I’m glad to be back.”Securing my county future for the long term has always appealed to me so I jumped at the opportunity when it came. There is a lot of exciting young talent at the club and hopefully I can put in some good performances so we can bring some silverware to Wales.”Marsh’s experience makes him a road-tested option and he will blend will with Glamorgan’s exciting new crop of homegrown products.Hugh Morris, Glamorgan’s director of cricket, said: “We wanted to bring in someone who is experienced at international level, can bat at the top of the order and can play in all three formats of the game, and Shaun ticks all of those boxes for us.”In many ways that makes Marsh a direct replacement for the South African Jacques Rudolph, who spent four seasons at Glamorgan as a captain and top-order batsman before retiring at the end of last season.

After months – years, even – of discussions, the chairmen and chief executives of the 18 first-class counties and the MCC meet at Lord’s on Wednesday to discuss the options for the future of the domestic T20 competition

George Dobell13-Sep-2016After months – years, even – of discussions, the chairmen and chief executives of the 18 first-class counties and the MCC meet at Lord’s on Wednesday to discuss the options for the future of the domestic T20 competition, with the ECB executive looking by “a consensus” by the time ends. Though five options were presented to the counties, two scenarios (Option 2 and Option 4) have emerged as the most likely.Option 2 Two divisions of nine teams with three promoted and relegated each year. Broadcasters to focus on top division.For

• Ensures all 18 counties remain involved.
• Ensures more geographic spread of competition.
• Retains successful ‘appointment to view’ formula.
• Retains integrity of County Championship.
• Promotion and relegation offers added context and drama.
• Builds on growth of current event, for which audiences have grown by 63% since 2012.
• Ensures domestic T20 cricket remains relevant in smaller cities and towns where it has proved most popular
• Allows broadcasters to focus on top division to ensure clearer narrative for viewers less familiar with the game.
• Played through the second two-thirds of the season, so minimises damage of poor spell of weather.
• Does not demand too much of spectators’ time or money in short period.

Against

• Some counties feel that all 18 should have the opportunity to win every year.
• Not as popular among broadcasters so therefore offers to bring in less money. It has been valued at around £30m less attractive to broadcasters, though that number is disputed.
• Would continue difficulty of attracting overseas players for duration of tournament.
• Little availability of England players
• Could diminish opportunities for lucrative local derbies (though ‘local derby day’ one suggested amendment to plan).
• Works in other domestic sports such as football and rugby.
• Players and coaches state the standard improves if tournament played in a block.

Option 4 An eight-team city-based competition played in a July window plus a continuation of the existing 18-team competition played a little earlier in the season.For

• The ECB executive (and their ‘independent’ broadcast analysts) suggest the city-based competition could bring in up to £40m in new revenue, although it is disputed whether all this money will be new or partially replacement
• All counties would still be able to host T20 cricket.
• All counties would benefit from increased revenues (at least in the short term).
• Window renders it easier to sign overseas players for duration of tournament.
• Enables the continuation of the popular Friday night (with slight geographic variances) cricket
• Might enable small counties to retain their best players as new competition would provide incentive to earn place in eight-team tournament.
• Matches broadcast every night of the week help build narrative and public interest.
• Condenses the best players into a small league.
• Rebranding may help improve image of English T20.

Against

• Threatens to compromise standard of domestic cricket – and in turn the production line for the England teams – by either withdrawing around 80-100 players from Championship cricket for a month or demanding a window when no other cricket is played during July.
• Playing in a window leaves the competition at the mercy of the weather and demands a great deal of at-ground spectators.
• England players hardly available until 2020 at earliest. If they are to be made available, England’s international commitments will have to be cut meaning a reduction in broadcast revenue from that source.
• Threatens to marginalise the smaller counties and reduce the status and value of the existing competition to “the LDV Vans tournament” of English cricket.
• ECB calculations show that around 25% of the population live around the eight grounds that would be utilised. The comparison figure in Australia is 65%. Top-quality T20 cricket therefore less available to vast number of people.
• Might limit opportunities for young or largely unknown players and threatens to render many players less relevant and possibly unemployed.
• Threatens to cut the number of counties by stealth.
• Specifically conflicts with ECB constitution that states that all 18 teams must be involved in all competitions.
• Likely to prove unpopular with current county members.
• Little evidence to suggest that spectators in England and Wales warm to newly branded teams and city-branding likely to prove unpopular with football supporters (Aston Villa supporters may well baulk at idea of following Birmingham, for example).

South Africa have only successfully chased a score of 170-plus once in T20 cricket, and New Zealand made sure it stayed that way

The Report by Firdose Moonda16-Aug-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 1:48

Moonda: NZ learnt from Durban mistakes

South Africa have only once successfully chased a score of 170-plus in T20 cricket, and New Zealand made sure it stayed that way. Kane Williamson’s line-up put right what they did wrong two days ago, and built on their start with the bat to allow for a flourishing finish. Their attack adapted and studded South Africa’s scorecard with scalps to ensure the hosts were never quite in a chase of 178.Unlike Durban, where the temperatures stay tropical even in the dry winter, the arid air in Centurion has an effect and both teams thought that would warrant the inclusion of two specialist spinners on a parched, cracked surface. Both teams opened with a spinner, but neither got the desired result.Aaron Phangiso’s first ball was hammered wide of a diving AB de Villiers at cover, while Nathan McCullum’s first over was boundary-less, but only because Williamson pulled off an exceptional stop and mid-off. Instead, it was a strip for seamers but only those willing to bend their backs. The short ball proved an effective weapon as Mitchell McClenaghan showed, but South Africa did not make as much use of it as they should have.For the second match in succession, they went too full and New Zealand took advantage. The visitors scored 64 runs in the v which amounted to more than a third of their total. By contrast, South Africa only managed 26 runs down the ground and lost both Morne van Wyk and David Miller to the short ball, while only Farhaan Behardien, with a career-best 36, put up something of a fight.Behardien was the only South African who had reason to celebrate – he also took his first T20 wicket when Martin Guptill holed out to a full toss – but by then New Zealand were already faring better than they had on Friday night.Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott provided plenty that was pitched up, and Williamson and Guptill plundered runs over their heads. Their partnership was worth 50 when Williamson sliced Rabada to deep third man and when Guptill was dropped two overs later, New Zealand looked ready to replay their Kingsmead collapse.But South Africa were unable to enforce the same squeeze. Guptill was on 38 when Miller put him down, and he added another 22 runs to his score, mostly by taking on the spinners. He brought up his sixth T20 fifty – the only one of the game – with a slog sweep off Eddie Leie and breached the boundary one more time before holing out to a full-toss offered by Behardien.Grant Elliott followed Guptill in the following over when he was trapped on the front pad by a tossed up delivery from Phangiso, but still, New Zealand did not slow down. They scored 63 runs off the last seven overs as Neesham and Colin Munro brought out an array of strokes, with Munro taking 18 runs off Abbott’s third over with clean strokes down the ground.Rabada had Neesham and Munro dismissed in consecutive balls to find himself on a hat-trick for the second time in the series. Abbott did not enjoy the same fortune, though, and went wicketless for the third international match in a row.South Africa were never able to get on a similar roll. Van Wyk was cramped for room on the pull and caught behind in the third over, and Hashim Amla was caught at point in the fourth which meant an unsteady start.De Villiers, Rilee Rossouw, Farhaan Behardien and Miller all had the opportunity to put that right but none showed the patience required to do that. De Villiers departed cheaply, going for one big shot too many and Rossouw, who showed proficiency against both pace and spin, came out of his crease to pull Ish Sodhi and found short midwicket which left Behardien and Miller to score 103 runs in the second half of the South Africa innings.Scoreboard pressure increased when they found the boundary only four times in the five overs that followed and Behardien, although comfortable, through caution to the wind. He slog-swept a Nathan McCullum full toss to deep mid-wicket to begin South Africa’s slide. A wicket fell in each of the next three overs as the pressure told. New Zealand offered deliveries South Africa could not resist hitting and the visitors’ fielding was sharp enough to take the chances.Behardien, David Wiese, Phangiso and Miller joined de Villiers, Rossouw, Amla and van Wyk in falling to big shots, but the lower-middle order’s collapse was more dramatic. South Africa lost 4 for 19, stubbed out of the chase and were forced to share the series spoils.

An opening stand of 134 runs between Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Paul Stirling helped Sylhet Royals crush Khulna Royal Bengals by 61 runs in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam12-Feb-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Shivnarine Chanderpaul struck his third half-century of the tournament•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Sylhet Royals bounced back from a lacklustre performance against Chittagong Kings in their last match, as they crushed Khulna Royal Bengals by 61 runs. Their openers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Paul Stirling helped lay the foundation for the big victory with a 134-run stand.They scored 66 each, striking 19 fours and three sixes between them, to lead Sylhet to 196 for 3 in their 20 overs. Chanderpaul used the crease expertly during his innings, and even employed the switch-hit a number of times with mixed results. He had more success with the sweeps, which he played between square leg and the wicketkeeper. Stirling drove belligerently for most of his innings, thriving on the strike he was fed by Chanderpaul.After the openers fell and the Royals needed a final flourish, Nazmul Hossain Milon played his best innings of the tournament. He hit five sixes in an unbeaten 14-ball 36 that took the Royals’ total close to the 200-mark. He struck five sixes, and was much more aggressive than Elton Chigumbura, with whom he shared an unbroken 52-run stand.Royal Bengals couldn’t make amends with the bat. Mithun Ali and Riki Wessels added 84 runs for the fifth wicket, after their top order was dismissed cheaply, to reduce the margin of defeat. Mithun scored 60 off 47 balls, his first major contribution in this year’s competition.This was Sylhet’s eighth win in the tournament, but they remained in second position behind Dhaka Gladiators, while Khulna end their campaign with nine losses out of 12 games.

Tim Southee hopes New Zealand will build on their hammering of Zimbabwe and get to celebrate many more Test wins

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2012In Hobart last December, after winning a Test in Australia for the first time in 26 years, New Zealand celebrated their achievement in a new way. The players strolled out to the pitch in their whites, sang a team song, and settled down to enjoy a few drinks to mark the moment. They did it again in Napier after hammering Zimbabwe. Tim Southee said the acting-captain Brendon McCullum was the brains behind the celebration and that New Zealand wanted to make it an often-repeated ritual.”It’s a pledge which has been around a long time,” Southee said. “Brendon McCullum has been driving it. It’s something we will make a tradition as Test wins keep coming.”Of their four Tests this summer, New Zealand have won three, and Southee hoped victory would become a habit for this team. “It’s a great thing to win Test matches. It’s an amazing feeling and we are slowly making a bit of a habit of it. Hopefully we can have this group of guys together for a long time and keep that winning feeling.”In each of those victories, New Zealand displayed a different aspect of their recent development: strong temperament in tight game in Bulawayo, the ability to beat some of the best in Hobart and ruthlessness in Napier. The innings-and-301-run victory at McLean Park could have been more emphatic if most of the second day had not been washed out.”If the rain hadn’t come it could have been all over in two days or two and a half days,” Southee said. “It was a dream day. Days like that are what you play Test cricket for. It was a great to have a win, and to win so convincingly and build on that game from Hobart.”Like they did at Bellerive Oval, New Zealand played four fast bowlers in Napier, on a pitch that assisted the quicks. Seventeen wickets fell to pace, eight of them to Chris Martin, as Zimbabwe were dismissed twice in a day. “We went with the four-seamer attack again. In the first innings everyone chipped in,” Southee said. “But, in the second innings, it was just an outstanding individual performance by Chris. The way he bowled showed there’s still a bit of kick in the old boy yet.”With Martin guiding the young bowlers such as Southee, Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell, Southee said New Zealand had a good balance. “The experience of the older guys and the excitement of the young guys mixed in is great. We are very excited about what the future holds.”The immediate future holds three ODIs and two Twenty20s against Zimbabwe before the series against South Africa, which Southee calls “the key of the summer,” starting with three T20s and three ODIs. The glut of limited-overs cricket means New Zealand will have to make a speedy adjustment to the format, and Southee was confident they would. “It wasn’t that long ago that we had a white ball in our hands and it shouldn’t take too long to adapt back to that,” he said. “It will just be a narrowing down of skills and practicing death and slower balls, change of pace and things like that.”New Zealand’s first ODI against Zimbabwe is in Dunedin on February 3.

Newly-appointed team manager and former captain, Richie Richardson, says Darren Sammy’s team can “spring a few surprises”

Sharda Ugra10-Feb-2011The weather gods have rained on the West Indies’ parade all throughout their lead-up to the 2011 World Cup. Their five match-ODI series in Sri Lanka was first postponed due to bad weather, then shrunk down to three matches, one of which was, again, rained out. Then ten days before the World Cup began, the latest ICC rankings announced that the two-time World Cup-winning West Indies now find themselves at No.9, behind Bangladesh in the ODI rankings, their lowest position so far.Yet newly-appointed team manager and former captain, Richie Richardson, says Darren Sammy’s team can “spring a few surprises” in a World Cup where, “every team has a chance.”Richardson told ESPNcricinfo from Colombo, “We are not affected or thinking about our ranking… because we have gone down one spot in the ranking won’t have a negative effect on us. We are just trying to get our minds right, get our players in as good a condition as possible. In a one-day tournament, it’s how well a team plays on the day, and how consistent you are. If we can raise our game and if we can really come together and play as a unit, I believe we can spring a few surprises.”At the World Cup, the West Indies have been clubbed with India, South Africa, England, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands in Group B, and are expected to struggle to make it to the knock-out stage. The team has had a very poor ODI record over the last two years, its last ODI victory over a Test team was in June 2009 versus India.Richardson, whose last international appearance was in the semi-final of the 1996 World Cup, said that every World Cup tournament acts as a clean slate. “At a World Cup, it doesn’t matter how you are doing, how good you are, what number in the ranking. Every team at the World Cup looks forward to go out there and win it. Sometimes you have some upsets. The little teams want to cut down the big teams…”If the West Indies are being thought of as a ‘little team’ in this World Cup, it is because they have only beaten Zimbabwe, Canada and Ireland over the last 12 months. A player-strike over the contracts issue in 2009 and the 2010 decision by Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard to turn down West Indian Board contracts have only added to the grim news around the team. Richardson said that as manager of the World Cup team, “What happened in the past in terms of the contracts is none of my business… I just want to make sure the players are in the right frame of mind and are ready to go and play World Cup.”When asked whether the World Cup would be the critical moment in which Pollard, the attacking right-hander who had made a name for himself in Twenty20, could prove his credentials in top-flight cricket, Richardson responded first with a simple emotive message about what the event means for the squad as a whole – an opportunity to win back some territory in the international game.”I say that to the players, we’ve got to go there and prove to the world that we can play cricket. Let’s surprise a lot of people, because people at the moment are not thinking very highly of us. But we have got to just focus on what we have to do, believe in what we can do and create a few upsets. That’s what we want to do – go and impress. Every single player…”He then turned his attention to Pollard, saying, “Pollard is a hard-hitting batsman in Twenty20 and at the end of the day if you are a batsman, you are a batsman and you should be able to adjust in various situations. He (Pollard) should not be thinking that he’s just a Twenty20 player. When he gets the opportunity he should be looking to go there and bat and do well.”And I’m hoping that what he’s thinking. Quite often the press has opinions; the fans have an opinion… At the end of the day you have to focus on what you have to do and work there and work hard.”Other than Pollard, the West Indies have several quality batsmen in their ranks, both experienced and upcoming, but have a fragile and understocked bowling unit. Richardson said, “Well, you know cricket is not played on paper. We don’t think that we are weak in that area, we don’t think, oh we don’t have bowlers in the top five or whatever. We know what we are capable of doing. If players bowl in the areas they have to bowl, bowl with control and the confidence and the fielders support the bowlers, anything is possible.”My approach has always been a very a positive one and this is what you have to instil it the players. You can’t listen to what people are saying, we have just got to work with what we have and back ourselves and do what we have to do to do well in this tournament.”He said the team would not be affected by the fact that the scheduled five-match ODI series versus Sri Lanka had been reduced to three, in which eventually only two full ODIs were possible. “All the players were actively playing cricket prior to arrival here in Sri Lanka. We have still being practicing every day. The rain has not affected our practice session. We have a couple more matches; we think we’re in good shape. We have a few more days to get ourselves right, so we’ll continue to work hard. We believe that at the start of our World Cup, the first match on the [February] 24 [against South Africa in Delhi], we’ll be ready.”Given that he played in a very different era for West Indian cricket, Richardson said taking over as manager at a time when the region’s cricket was at its lowest was “not easy”, but he said, “there are certain things in life you have to accept. You have good periods, you have bad periods. If you are on top, you are not going to be on top forever… I’m not one to have a go at the players, have a go at certain situations. What we need is accept that things are not as nice or as great as it once was, but it is for us to work hard to bring it back… We know the fans expect great things of us and we want them to support us because we will give our 100 percent.”For all the bad tidings around the West Indies, they do have what other teams in the competition would crave for: fifteen fit men to choose from. The worry around the sight of a limping Bravo after pulling off a stunner of a catch for Victoria in the Australian Big Bash versus Western Australia is now a thing of the past. Bravo, a team spokesman said, has recovered well.

A round-up of the second day’s action of the third round of the WICB Four-Day Competition 2009-10

Cricinfo staff24-Jan-2010Centuries from Wavell Hinds and Carlton Baugh put Jamaica in total control against Guyana in St Philip. The day began with the teams on even terms, but the overnight pair swung the game completely Jamaica’s way with a 232-run stand for the sixth wicket. Hinds, who had scored a half-century on the first day, helped himself to 151 and was supported by Baugh who finished with 124. For Guyana, Brandon Bess and offspinner Veerasammy Permaul bagged nine wickets between them, the latter recording his first five-for, but Jamaica ended up posting a formidable 429. Their bowlers were not far behind, as left-arm spinner Nikita Miller grabbed three for 25 to limit Guyana to 112 for 5 at stumps, still 317 behind.Windward Islands consolidated their dominant position gained on first day against Combined Campuses and Colleges in Bridgetown. Opener Devon Smith smashed 122 and though the next best score in the team was 36, Windwards were able to gain a satisfactory lead of 128 after having bowled out their opponents on the opening day. There was some support in the lower order, as Donwell Hector and Shane Shillingford chipped in with important contributions to stretch the lead past 100. Fast bowler Jason Bennett bagged a five-for to keep his team in the game. However, when CCC came out to bat facing a testing lead, their batsmen struggled as the openers fell quickly to leave the team at 38 for 2 at stumps, still 90 away from the deficit.Captain Ryan Hinds helped Barbados gain the advantage over Trinidad and Tobago at the Kensington Oval. T&T declared on their overnight score as Ravi Rampaul wasn unable to bat due to an illness. The Barbados reply was a collective effort but each batsman reaching double-figures, of which went past 50. Opener Jason Haynes contributed 51, Kevin Stoute made 46 but it was Hinds who held firm through the day, remaining unbeaten on 111 to take his team to 327 for 6 and secure a 56-run lead. Spinners Amit Jaggernauth and Imran Khan bagged three wickets each.

Fire fight back late with the ball but pay price for timid powerplay and costly early no-ball

ECB Media24-Aug-2025
Joe Root delivered a batting masterclass at Sophia Gardens, hitting his second successive half-century as Trent Rockets snuck past Welsh Fire with a ball to spare to confirm their qualification for the knockout phase.In a frenetic match, David Payne thought he had dismissed Root for a duck, only for the umpire to signal a no-ball after replays showed the bowler had over-stepped. The England run-machine promptly hit the subsequent free-hit for six over long-on and eventually finished unbeaten on 64 from 41 to secure a three-wicket win, keeping his composure in a chaotic finale.Set 151 for victory, the Rockets appeared to be cruising after a 66-run opening stand between Root and Tom Banton (32 from 20) but when Rehan Ahmed fell to Saif Zaib and Max Holden holed out to deep cover off Chris Green, the nerves began to show.Tom Moores went for a big shot and was caught at mid-on to give Green his second and then three wickets fell in the space of seven deliveries as the Fire set alarm bells ringing.The Rockets were left needing 14 from the final set, bowled by Green, but Root, entirely unruffled, belted the spinner’s first delivery for six and then found a boundary through mid-wicket from the second. A single brought Sam Hain on strike, and he crunched the ball through the covers to seize a thrilling victory.The Fire have had a tough season, winning just two of their seven matches, but they had given themselves a fighting chance after Steve Eskinazi’s first half-century of the campaign headlined a competitive total of 150-6.Runs were hard to come by early on as the Rockets seamers bowled tightly, conceding just 47 from the first 45 deliveries. Steve Smith gloved behind for 8 off Sam Cook (2 for 17), who then dismissed Jonny Bairstow, caught at backward-square by Lockie Ferguson for an uncharacteristically scratchy 13-ball 8.Eskinazi (53 from 42) and skipper Tom Abell (48 from 29) picked up the pace in the second half of the innings before falling to consecutive deliveries in the penultimate set – the former run out after a mix up and the latter caught behind off David Willey – and a breezy four-ball 11 from Green took the hosts to 150, but it wasn’t enough to lift them from the bottom of the table.The Rockets, meanwhile, have secured a top-three finish with a game to spare as they aim to repeat their title triumph of 2022. Victory in their home fixture against Birmingham Phoenix on Wednesday could yet see them top the table and progress straight to the Lord’s final if other results go their way.”Way too tense for my liking,” said Joe Root, the Meerkat Match Hero. “They pulled it back, this format is difficult to gauge. The majority of the game, the wicket played fine.”Green’s over, I thought I’ve got to hit a six here. We needed a boundary in the first two balls, I had a good idea of what he was trying to do to protect that long side, and I put a couple away. “

Left-arm seamers will split 14 games between them during Blast group stages

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Mar-2024Nottinghamshire have signed left-arm seamers Ben Lister of New Zealand and Fazalhaq Farooqi of Afghanistan for the T20 Blast group stages this season in the hope that they can replicate Shaheen Shah Afridi’s success for them last summer.Lister has won 13 limited-overs caps for his country but is considered unlikely to feature in their World Cup plans, and will join Notts for the first eight games of the Blast’s group stages this season before he being replaced by Farooqi. And subject to a No-Objection Certificate from the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Farooqi will feature in county cricket for the first time in his career, following the T20 World Cup, where he will spearhead Afghanistan’s seam attack.Shaheen took 22 wickets in his 14 matches for Notts last season, including four in a single over in a defeat to Birmingham Bears. But he will be unavailable for the Blast this summer due to a clash with the T20 World Cup, where he will captain Pakistan, thus leading Notts to turn to two alternatives.Related

• Alex Hales to miss Notts Blast fixtures after signing LPL deal

• Aaron Hardie withdrawn from Surrey stint to manage workload

“Given the success Shaheen had with us last year, bringing in left-arm seam options again made sense,” Peter Moores, Notts’ head coach, said in a press release. “It creates a different set of challenges for batters. In Ben and Fazalhaq, we have proven wicket-takers who can make an impact on the game in crucial moments, which is what we are after.”Ben is an exciting talent who is establishing himself on the world stage after consistent performances domestically. He’s made a difference in the teams he has played for, and has the potential to do the same with us. Meanwhile, Fazalhaq is a world-class player with experience on the franchise circuit and in international cricket, with a proven ability to bowl at the death. His knowhow under pressure will be important in our group stage run-in.”Notts had finished fourth in the North Group last year and were beaten by eventual champions Somerset in the quarter-finals. They will have a new-look Blast team this year following the departures of Samit Patel (Derbyshire) and Jake Ball (Somerset), with Steven Mullaney expected to feature predominantly for Notts Second XI after taking on a player-coach role.Alex Hales will also be unavailable for the second half of the group stages after signing a lucrative offer to play for Galle Marvels in the Lanka Premier League, while Jack Haynes, Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue have all joined from Worcestershire. New Zealand’s Will Young will feature in the T20 set-up, and Joe Clarke will take over as T20 captain.