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The goal of attaining Full Member status was also laid out, but no financial disclosures were made at the AGM

Peter Della Penna22-Feb-2020USA Cricket board chairman Paraag Marathe and chief executive Iain Higgins declared their goal to host at least one major ICC global event in the next eight-year TV rights cycle, as well as a long-term objective to attain Full Member status. Both goals are part of a series of ambitious targets laid out in the inaugural USA Cricket annual general meeting on Friday night in New York.The pair also reinforced their commitment to launch a 22-team city-based “Minor League” T20 franchise tournament this summer to lay the foundation for a “Major League Cricket” T20 franchise event launch in 2021. However, USA Cricket did not disclose any specifics about city locations or the scale of the tournaments, nor did they disclose any documents communicating the board’s financial standing at the end of 2019 as part of an annual report published on the same day of the AGM.”To truly make cricket a mainstream sport in the US, we need to work together to tackle five things: to grow engagement, to increase participation, to improve the performance of national teams, to deliver financial stability, and to build trust within the entire community,” Higgins said during the AGM, which was conducted as a 35-minute listen-only conference call for members.”If we are able to grow the sport as we anticipate, if we are able to deliver on all of our strategic objectives in partnership with all of you, we all at USA Cricket – and I can also speak on behalf of the ICC and the international cricket community – we believe the future of cricket in the USA is extremely bright.”ICC officials have previously pinned major plans on expanding USA’s role in the global market and Higgins, the former chief operating officer of the ICC, backed that up on Friday night with the pursuit of hosting an ICC tournament. He also reaffirmed that USA Cricket will support the inclusion of cricket for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which he believes would contribute towards a major transformation for the awareness and engagement of the sport in the USA.”At one end of the spectrum, we ultimately hope of course that USA Cricket, both men and women, can achieve Full Member status and can have regular cricket against Full Members, regular participation in ICC global events,” Higgins said. “At the other end of the spectrum, we’re hoping to see huge growth and rapid growth in the levels of engagement with cricket in schools and in community programs up and down the country.”Along the way we are also pursuing the exciting prospect of staging an ICC global event, if not more than one global event in the next eight-year ICC commercial rights cycle. We’re working with our friends in the international cricketing community now about how we best position ourselves to hopefully stage ICC global events in the future. Of course, we are hoping to seek the inclusion of cricket in the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 which we think will have an incredibly catalytic effect on the growth of cricket in this country.”In the last 20 years there have been multiple aborted efforts to launch a franchise T20 competition in the USA, beginning with ProCricket’s lone season in 2004 and followed by a failed partnership between New Zealand Cricket and USA Cricket Association in 2010. But Marathe, who doubles as executive vice president for the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, said he believed the launch of USA’s own franchise T20 cricket tournament – starting with the Minor League T20 later this summer – will be a turning point in American cricket history.”The reason why we’re excited about this is because we really have an opportunity to make history together, both with Major League Cricket and ACE, and within USA Cricket and all of you guys with our USA Cricket membership,” Marathe said. “We always knew there is a latent fanbase within the US for cricket. You can see by virtue of the appetite for global cricket there already is here. Here we are the largest media market in the world without a league of our own.”So this is really neat for us to be able to do this partnership, to build this league and really build something that outlasts any of our lifetimes. Something that we look back on this 50 years from now or 100 years from now and people think about, ‘How did the USA become such a dominant global force in cricket?'”The pair were the only two to speak during the AGM. Aside from a passing mention in the annual report about a “dropoff in membership numbers,” there was no discussion for how USA Cricket plans to arrest the major decline in members from 2018 to 2019. After having approximately 5500 members registered and eligible to vote in 2018, just 725 renewed for this past year, an 87% decline. There was also no financial disclosure made during the meeting, other than to confirm that USA Cricket had spent money in the summer of 2019 to professionally contract numerous players as well as hire more technical support staff with funding provided through their commercial partnership with ACE.

After three washouts and two losses, Durban Heat are on a roll, having won their third successive game

Firdose Moonda04-Dec-2019After three washouts and two losses in their first five games, Durban Heat have reeled off three successive wins, the latest coming in a high-scoring chase on Wednesday. This keeps them alive in the playoff race; they currently have 18 points in eight games, one behind third-placed Tshwane Spartans.Nelson Mandela Bay Giants’ record of the highest successful chase of the tournament barely lasted 24 hours as Heat eclipsed them in a 196 chase with seven balls to spare. While the season’s wait for a centurion continues, Alex Hales added to a string of quality 90-plus scores. He made 97 not out of 55 balls.Delport finally comes good Cameron Delport put on middling performances in his first seven matches. But in his eighth, he showed why he is such a sought-after player on the Global T20 circuit. His authoritative 84 off 49 balls included dismantling of two current South African bowlers and one former international. Delport took 15 runs off Kyle Abbott’s first over, including three fours. He sent Andile Phehlukwayo onto the roof of the stand at deep midwicket and dispatched Keshav Maharaj behind square on both sides to set up Paarl Rocks for an imposing total.Faf sustains momentumSo far, Faf du Plessis had only threatened to come good in the tournament. On Wednesday, he actually did by scoring his first half-century of the season at a strike rate of 183.33 despite initially playing second fiddle to Delport. After his dismissal, however, du Plessis was severe on Abbott, plundering 18 runs off his third over to remind the selectors and administrators of his abilities in the shortest format. It was a statement of sorts, given he was left out of the T20I squad that played in India, which also cast doubts over his future in the format. Performances like these will keep those who matter interested as South Africa look to build to the T20 World Cup next year.Look England, its Alex It wasn’t just du Plessis who was looking to catch the attention of the selectors. Hales, who last played for England in March, is also eyeing a comeback. The unbeaten 97 was his first significant score of the season, and it came at the right time. He went particularly hard at Hardus Viljoen’s short balls and struck four consecutive fours off his second over that went for 17. This kept the Heat on track at 53 for 1 in six overs. Yet, at the halfway mark, they needed 110 of the back 10. Hales held his shape and shellacked 61 from the next five to leave them needing just 49 in the final five. Hales remained unbeaten and saw them home.Shamsi calling Tabraiz Shamsi’s two wickets in this match put him joint-second on the wicket charts, alongside Imran Tahir and Junior Dala. He picked up two wickets in this match. The first came when Wihan Lubbe was caught in the deep while the second was the strike of David Miller, who was caught behind while attempting a cut. Miller’s wicket after he’d made a 22-ball 40. It was one of the key moments in the game.

Eight-and-a-half-hour 173 leaves group leaders with daunting task on wearing deck

Alan Gardner28-May-2021On their two visits to the capital in this year’s LV= Insurance County Championship, Gloucestershire have had to face up to vastly differing challenges. At the start of May, victory in a seam-friendly dogfight at Lord’s confirmed their status as unlikely pace-setters in Group Two; here, after being pummelled for the best part of two days by Hashim Amla’s velvet-gloved iron fist, they will face a trial by spin to see if they can depart from The Kia Oval with their credentials intact.Having spent five sessions in the field, the majority of which involved the exquisite torture of watching Amla go about his business at close range on the way to 173 from 347 balls, Gloucestershire’s batters had to gird themselves for an uncomfortable examination under suddenly grouchy south London skies. Surrey had the platform they wanted, and the chance to see if this used pitch would start to break up and aid their attempts to break down the visitors.Amar Virdi’s offspin was introduced into the attack as early as the seventh over, and immediately had Kraigg Brathwaite chopping down on a sharply turning delivery that seemed to keep low. It was no surprise that the breakthrough for Surrey came via Virdi, though Chris Dent’s disgust at pulling a short ball to midwicket was evident; not the example Gloucestershire’s captain was hoping to set.Brathwaite might have been dismissed by that point, too, had Dan Moriarty held a straightforward return chance. This has been for the most part a benign surface, but the footmarks into which Virdi and Moriarty will aim to wheel away through the weekend had a foreboding look to them – even if the arrival of light rain at around 5.30pm brought an early close and some respite for the West Country men.Early in the day, as Amla was bedding in once again, the sound of someone whistling the famously eerie refrain from – soundtrack to the scene when Daryl Hannah’s character arrives at the hospital intending to assassinate (again) Uma Thurman’s Beatrix Kiddo – could be heard drifting in through the press box window. Not that Amla was about to indulge in a Tarantino-esque bloodbath, far from it… but the omens for Gloucestershire nevertheless weren’t good.Related

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If Kiddo’s codename, as part of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, was “Black Mamba” then Amla would have to be the “Boa Constrictor”, squeezing every ounce out of an innings or situation. He had Gloucestershire trussed up in his coils for almost eight-and-a-half hours, slowly tightening, tightening as Surrey set about making good on the attempt to bat once and bat big, before unleashing their spinners on a wearing surface.Under Amla’s watchful guidance, Surrey produced partnerships worth 104, 61 and 82 for the sixth, seventh and eighth wickets, easing the home side away from potential difficulty at 181 for 5 on Thursday afternoon. Despite losing his overnight partner, Jamie Overton, to the first ball of the day, Amla was not to be diverted from his chosen course. He scored 33 out of 78 added during the morning session, largely through nudging into gaps and turning over the strike, happy to let Sean Abbott deal in more overt statements of aggression, such as when clumping Ryan Higgins into the JM Finn Stand over long-on.Abbott, on his Surrey debut, made a good impression with the bat only to be trapped in front by the toiling Tom Smith shortly before lunch. Gloucestershire had by now decided to put the field out for Amla and concentrate on trying to take wickets at the other end, but there was barely any change in his tempo on the resumption; as if getting himself in the mood for Tokyo 2020, he had apparently resolved to go “slower, higher, stronger”. Dent was then made to rue not having a slip in when the persevering Dan Worrall located Amla’s outside edge only for it to fly wide of Jonny Tattersall for four.An over later, Brathwaite was back in place for a nick that didn’t quite carry. RC Robertson-Glasgow once described Frank Woolley edging when set as “a sudden freak of fallibility, a whim of humanity”, but if there was anything deliberate about the act it was closer to taunting a downtrodden opponent.In the end, it was Gloucestershire’s sixth bowler, Miles Hammond – sporting a combination of long hair, head band and aviator shades that made him look like a roadie for the Kings of Leon – who was the man to breach Amla’s bubble, finding big turn from wide of the stumps and an inside edge into the woodwork. Surrey won’t necessarily have been too perturbed by that sight, with the prospect of purchase for spin their best chance of backing the Group Two leaders into a corner.With Amla gone, Rikki Clarke decided to open up his shoulders and finally deliver some of the staccato violence that Quentin Tarantino might have scripted, lashing Matt Taylor for four fours in a row and then clipping his next ball for one to bring up a 97-ball fifty. He was cheered with as much gusto by the crowd as any of Amla’s landmarks, then tucked into Hammond’s offspin to the tune of 4-6-4. Higgins eventually hit the stumps to account for Clarke and then Moriarty, but on another day of Surrey dominance his four-for was unlikely to make the director’s cut.

All three will be available for the T20Is; Dwaine Pretorius returns after recovering from Covid-19

Firdose Moonda12-Aug-2021Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Lungi Ngidi will miss South Africa’s ODI series in Sri Lanka next month, but are expected to return for the T20Is that follow. Dwaine Pretorius returns to both squads after missing South Africa’s winter tours as he recovered from Covid-19.de Kock has been rested from the 50-over matches, Miller is nursing a hamstring injury, and Ngidi, who also recently withdrew from the Hundred, has been given time off for personal reasons. That means Temba Bavuma leads a slightly weakened ODI side as South Africa seek to make up for dropping points in Ireland in July. They shared the series 1-1 after a washout and a first-ever defeat against the opponents, and lie tenth on the World Cup Super League table with 24 points from six matches. The only new addition to the squad from the Ireland series is seamer Junior Dala, who last played an ODI for South in Sri Lanka, in August 2018.Related

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• SA to tour SL for ODIs and T20Is in September

While Dala is not part of the T20I group, de Kock, Miller and Ngidi are set to return for those matches, which will be South Africa’s last in the format before the T20 World Cup. Despite beating West Indies 3-2 and Ireland 3-0 in recent matches, South Africa remain unsure about their best XI, with questions over the length of the batting line-up, whether to include a seam- or spin-bowling allrounder, or both, and who to task with their death bowling.The series may be an opportunity for Sisanda Magala, who left South Africa’s trip to the Caribbean and Ireland early with an ankle injury but has a reputation for being effective at the end of innings, to stake a claim for the T20 World Cup. Left-armer Beuran Hendricks, who replaced Magala in the white-ball squad for the Ireland matches, has kept his place in both squads, but Andile Phehlukwayo has dropped out of the T20I squad, suggesting his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup are slim. Instead, Pretorius and Wiaan Mulder will compete for the seam-bowling allrounder’s spot while the squad includes four spinners: Bjorn Fortuin, Keshav Maharaj, George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi.South Africa have also stuck with their handful of opening batters across both white-ball formats. Bavuma, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Reeza Hendricks are all in the T20I squad, while Malan drops out for the T20Is and de Kock returns, giving them plenty of options at the top of the order.South Africa play three ODIs and three T20Is in Colombo between September 2 and 14.ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Junior Dala, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Janneman Malan, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad WilliamsT20I squad: Temba Bavuma (capt), Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Beuran Hendricks, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams

Having not played ODIs since the 2015 World Cup, Sri Lanka’s new captain couldn’t have asked for a better initiation again

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-May-2019Sri Lanka’s less-heralded players helped ease through the side’s first test in the UK, as they beat Scotland by 35 runs via the DLS method.Opener Avishka Fernando, who had had a poor tour of South Africa earlier this year, produced 74 off 78 balls, while Dimuth Karunaratne, on ODI captaincy debut, made 77 off 88. The pair put on 123 runs for the first wicket. Kusal Mendis also contributed 66 off 56 balls through the middle overs, but it was bowler Nuwan Pradeep who impressed most of all, taking 4 for 34 in the rain-shortened second innings.For Karunaratne, the match was not only a test of his leadership, but also an examination of his batting. Having not played ODIs since the 2015 World Cup, there have been doubts over whether he could score quickly enough in this format. He was dropped twice before eventually being caught at long-on, but in making a half-century, and providing the middle order with a good platform, Karunaratne suggested he was not completely out of place in ODIs.”Playing an international one-dayer after such a long time is not easy,” Karunaratne said afterwards. “I was under pressure early on and was struggling a little bit. But once I got set and thought about how to play – which bowlers I should target – I felt better. Fortunately, I got a couple of chances. But thanks to the runs I got, I got some confidence.”Avishka was excellent as well. We know how capable he is. He can hit hard and rotate the strike as well. We talked to him about what we needed from him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get a hundred, but I think he can get a big hundred in the World Cup.”Sri Lanka made 322 for 8 in their 50 overs, but had seemed set for a score of over 350 at one point, before they experienced a serious middle-overs stutter. Having been 203 for 1 at the end of the 33rd over, Sri Lanka mustered only 19 more runs in the next seven overs, as they lost three quick wickets. While that slowdown was not ideal, it was important that Mendis and Lahiru Thirimanne stabilise the innings at that stage, Karunaratne said. Sri Lanka later made 99 runs in the final ten overs.”We planned to bat out 50 overs, so when we were struggling in the 33rd over – we had lost a couple of wickets, in Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera – we were trying to make sure we batted long. Kusal Mendis was playing well, and Lahiru Thirimanne went in and did a good job. When you have wickets in hand, you can go for it at the end. We were struggling through that period, but we rotated the strike, and in the last ten overs we went for our big shots.”Although they had a substantial score to defend, the arrival of rain partway through Scotland’s innings had complicated the task of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, who were visibly struggling to grip the ball. Pradeep, though, was able to maintain excellent control, and was rewarded with the Player of the Match award for his returns.”When Scotland were going quite well, I spoke to Nuwan Pradeep and asked him to try a couple of bouncers,” Karunaratne said. “He did that really well and we were able to squeeze them through that middle period. It’s not easy to bowl yorkers, especially with the ball getting wet because of the rain. If you don’t execute it well it will go for a six. But Pradeep knows how he has to bowl, and he went for the straight yorker. I hope he takes that confidence into the World Cup.”

Hosts consider playing Mosaddek Hossain as third spinner; visitors remain uncertain about availability of Vishwa Fernando

Mohammad Isam22-May-2022As was the case when Sri Lanka last played a Test match in Dhaka, they have a secret weapon up their sleeve this time too.Back in 2018, it was Chandika Hathurusingha, who switched jobs from Bangladesh to Sri Lanka head coach barely months before the tour. This time, it is Naveed Nawaz, the assistant coach of the touring side, who is in his first job in the senior circuit after serving as Bangladesh’s Under-19 coach for four years. In fact, he was one of the architects of Bangladesh’s Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2020.Chris Silverwood, Sri Lanka’s new head coach, has leant on Nawaz to give him intel on the Shere Bangla National Stadium pitch, coincidentally curated by Gamini Silva, the former Sri Lankan umpire who is often maligned in the Bangladesh media for dishing out only raging turners.Related

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“I haven’t seen this wicket, but I do have someone who you all know is in my coaching staff, who knows these conditions,” Silverwood said ahead of their training session on the eve of the second Test.”I will speak to my assistant coach so that we fully understand how this wicket will play. We will be using his knowledge from his time in Bangladesh, and the statistics of this ground to make sure the captain has the best possible bowling attack to exploit the conditions.”Sri Lanka hired Nawaz ahead of this tour, having even briefly considered him as head coach; such has his reputation grown from being a development coach since retiring from his playing days.The Dhaka pitch’s characteristics make it a hot topic of discussion ahead of every Test. What has become apparent is that the home side have been beaten by their own strategy of preparing turning pitches in the last 12 months. West Indies in 2021, and Pakistan late last year beat Bangladesh with the help of spin and patient batting, ideas which Sri Lanka will definitely try to apply this week.Silverwood said that the two teams fought a close contest in Chattogram last week – closer than the result showed – but the game will have a faster pace in Dhaka, for which they will have to be prepared to react quickly.”I don’t think this is going to be an easy game at all. Both teams want to win this game,” he said. “I think the last game was a close-fought contest. The momentum swung both ways; rapidly at times. Bangladesh had us on the ropes at times.”We had to fight back hard to make sure that we got back into the game. I think this will be similar. The game will go forward at a quicker pace. We have to be ready for that. I am looking forward to some exciting cricket.”Considered a batting allrounder in red-ball cricket, Mosaddek Hossain may feature in Bangladesh’s XI in Dhaka•Associated Press

Meanwhile, Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque has a lot on his plate. Apart from his own poor batting form and attempt to revive his captaincy, he has to pick a bowling attack that is ravaged by injuries to Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Nayeem Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.And while Mominul has two frontline spinners in Shakib Al Hasan and Taijul Islam, Bangladesh have traditionally picked three specialist spinners in Dhaka.Mominul suggested that Mosaddek Hossain, considered a batting allrounder in red-ball cricket, is likely to feature in the XI. However, he also hinted that they might go in with three seamers.”Looking at our spin department, Taijul has been doing well in the last one or two years,” Mominul said. “Shakib bowled well in the last match. If Mosaddek plays, he will have a different role. We have to use him intelligently. But I am confident that with Taijul and Shakib alongside me [as a part-time spinner], we will get over this situation.”I don’t know if I have ever led with one pacer. I don’t think we will just have one seamer. There might be three seamers. Taskin was bowling well, while Shoriful was contributing to the Test team. It is a huge opportunity for those who will replace them. We can have a look at them as well. As a captain, I want a big group of fast bowlers who have healthy competition among them.”Meanwhile, Vishwa Fernando’s availability for Sri Lanka remains uncertain after he missed most of the Chattogram Test due to a blow to the head while batting, giving Sri Lanka a selection headache of their own ahead of the game.Sri Lanka have all the cards close to their chest, but Kasun Rajitha and Asitha Fernando gave a great account of themselves by bowling all-out, hostile spells in the back-end of the Bangladesh innings in Chattogram.”I thought Kasun and Asitha were excellent. I thought the way that they continued, the heart and fight that they showed – in what was a flat wicket – was exceptional,” Silverwood said. “Kasun bowled well. He got movement on a flat deck. He held his line and length beautifully. He got rewarded too. I was really pleased with how the seamers bowled. I thought we got better in all departments as time went on.”There is [the possibility of changing the XI from Chattogram]. Looking at the statistics, we will select a squad that gives us all the options whether that’s picking one seamer or whichever way we decide to go. We will make sure there are plenty of options for the captain in that squad for tomorrow morning.”

The report on the allegations of sexual harassment against the BCCI CEO has been handed over to the CoA, who will decide the next course of action

Nagraj Gollapudi21-Nov-2018The Inquiry Committee appointed to probe charges of sexual harassment against BCCI’s chief executive officer Rahul Johri has submitted its findings in a sealed envelope to the committee of administrators (CoA) on Wednesday morning. A decision on the findings is likely to be taken soon, possibly even by the end of the day.Immediately after submitting its findings, the three person inquiry committee, comprising Justice Rakesh Sharma (retired judge of Allahabad High Court), Barkha Singh (former head of the Delhi Commission for Women) and Veena Gowda (human rights activist and lawyer), sat down in a meeting with the two-person CoA headed by Vinod Rai (former Comptroller & Auditor General of India) and including former India women’s captain Diana Edulji.It is understood that the executive summary of the Inquiry Committee’s report will be made public but what happens next is not clear. Till last week there was ambiguity over how the COA would treat the verdict of the committee, whatever the majority result, and whether it would accept or debate it. However, it remains to be seen if both Rai and Edulji would be on the same page if the majority verdict did not find Johri guilty. ESPNcricinfo understands that Edulji, who was not originally not in favour of appointing the inquiry committee, was keen to study the findings and not readily accept them as the final word.It was Edulji who wanted Johri to be removed as soon as an allegation of sexual harassment against him surfaced on October 12 on Twitter as part of the #metoo movement. Rai favoured Johri being given the time to have his say and he was given a week to respond against that original charge. Johri denied any wrongdoing in his response, which led to the appointment of the inquiry committee.The committee – whose original deadline was November 15 – had heard the testimony of several people, including Johri. Also deposing were two women who live overseas and testified via Skype. It is understood that one of the women complainants alleged misconduct while she was Johri’s colleague at a previous media organisation, while the alleged incident with the second woman took place overseas during his tenure as BCCI CEO.

“I want to be unbeaten in all five Tests in this year,” says West Indies head coach after beating Bangladesh in Antigua

Mohammad Isam20-Jun-2022While Bangladesh are down on confidence, West Indies are bursting with it and coach Phil Simmons now wants his team to continue this progress for the rest of the World Test Championship cycle.The captain Kraigg Brathwaite has been a significant factor in West Indies’ rise in the last 18 months. He made the highest score (94) across all four innings in the Antigua Test against Bangladesh and, according to his coach, is constantly getting better as both a player and a leader.”Everyone has seen [Brathwaite’s] determination,” Simmons said. “His unique style. He doesn’t have a problem doing his job for five days. It is unique because a lot of batsmen nowadays like to play shots and be done with it.”From his point of view, he wants to be there for the team. That rolls into the captaincy. He is not loud but the players know what he wants. He makes them understand in his unique way. He seems to be growing in the role.”With their victory on Sunday, West Indies have now won three of their eight WTC matches and are unbeaten in their last four Tests.”We started 2021 in the same way,” Simmons said. “We won two in Bangladesh, and drew two against Sri Lanka. It is about how we go forward from here. I want to be unbeaten in all five Tests in this year. That would be good for me. Guys are getting confident in what they are doing. It makes your job and role easier the more confidence you have. It has happened especially after winning the series against England not too long ago. The confidence showed.”Kemar Roach too contributed heavily in the Antigua win, after nearly missing the game. The 33-year old fast bowler had to clear a last-minute fitness test to make himself available for selection, and once he did, he terrorised the Bangladesh batting line-up, finishing with match figures of 7 for 74 and equalling Michael Holding’s tally of 249 Test wickets.”[Roach] has taken things to the next level,” Simmons said. “He has been excellent. He is now tied with Mikey [Holding], but in the dressing room he is always leading the youngsters. He has played 70 Tests, so he educates them. It is great to have him in the dressing room.”There were other boxes ticked off as well. John Campbell made his first Test fifty in 15 innings, an innings which helped them recover from 9 for 3 and see off a chase of 84. “I think it was really important,” Simmons said. “He has had good starts in most of the games but failed to get past that 30-40 mark. The unbeaten fifty must give him some kind of confidence to get that big score, hopefully in the next Test match.”West Indies’ slip catching too was impressive in this Test match. They took 13 catches behind the wicket, dropping just the one. Six of those 13 catches were taken at slip, while wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva gobbled up the other seven. Simmons was asked to explain this and he said, “it is a matter of practice. I think the guys are enjoying the fact that the balls are coming to them. It is after a long time I am seeing the ball going to first slip in the Caribbean. It is nice to see.”There’s also the fact that Jason Holder might come back into the team later in the year so nobody wants to be put out of there. They know that he will walk right back into the slips. That could be a motivation too.”

Essex had made hard work of their three-wicket win after apparently cantering at the halfway stage of their pursuit of 180 to win.

ECB Reporters Network06-Jul-2018
ScorecardSimon Harmer pulled Dwayne Bravo to the boundary from the penultimate ball of their Vitality T20 Blast clash at Chelmsford to give Essex their first victory of the campaign.Essex had made hard work of their three-wicket win after apparently cantering at the halfway stage of their pursuit of 180 to win. They started the final over requiring eight runs, and had whittled that down to four from three balls, and three from two before Harmer became the hero of a dramatic night.Middlesex, who chose to bat, owed much to a 91-run fourth-wicket stand in nine overs between captain Stevie Eskinazi and wicketkeeper John Simpson. The batsmen were dismissed within three balls by Matt Coles, both on 46. Eskinazi faced 31 deliveries with two sixes and four fours, and Simpson’s innings lasted 34 with three sixes and a four.

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Chasing 180, Essex started with confidence. They had 47 on the board after four overs, and 57 when the first wicket went down an over later. Wheater had the majority of them, including sixes off Ravi Patel and James Fuller, in addition to seven fours, but departed going for a third six when he ballooned his shot to midwicket for Eskinazi to pouch the catch. He had blitzed 45 from just 18 balls.Wheater almost lost Chopra just before his own exit when his opening partner gave what should have been a routine catch at deep square leg, but Hilton Cartwright spilled the chance under considerable crowd pressure.Chopra made the most of his reprieve, and when he lofted Fuller over long-off for six, Essex were already more than halfway to their target with only half the overs gone.Tom Westley joined the party with a switch-hit off Patel for four before being caught on the midwicket fence by Eskinazi for a 23-ball 24 to end a partnership of 52 for the second wicket. However two wickets fell in quick succession, Chopra stumped by Simpson off Patel for 38 from 37 balls and Ravi Bopara run out by Fuller’s direct throw from mid-off.When Ryan ten Doeschate was caught in the deep by Fuller, Essex were 31 runs short with three overs to go, and in danger of self-destructing. Dan Lawrence took two thick edges to third man before trying a third and falling to Paul Stirling. Essex needed 17 off the last two overs.The late collapse continued when Coles swung at Helm and was snaffled by Patel at short fine leg, but Harmer hit Helm for six to leave Essex requiring eight off the last over.Middlesex had beaten Surrey in their first game on Thursday night thanks to the efforts of Paul Stirling with bat and ball. But the Irish opener lasted just seven balls this time, one of them thrashed conclusively through midwicket for four, before he was deceived by one from Sam Cook that got up and took his glove on the way through to Adam Wheater.Max Holden, making his Middlesex debut, hit Jamie Porter for three successive boundaries before chipping Harmer to Chopra at point. Nick Gubbins was Harmer’s second victim, having just pulled him for six, he gave himself room to sweep and lost his middle stump.But Harmer went for 22 in his final over, with sixes over long-off by John Simpson and Stevie Eskinazi, to post figures of two for 43. The fourth-wicket stand reached fifty in five overs with the pair trading sixes.Coles bowled a mixed third over, the 15th of the match. Eskinazi hooked a maximum off a full-toss, and then the first free-hit was a wide. But Coles bounced back, having Simpson caught by Dan Lawrence rushing in from the square-leg boundary, and two balls later Eskinazi chipping straight to Bopara at short cover. Coles finished with two for 33.The fall of the brace of wickets put the brakes on the Middlesex scoring, with just 17 runs added in four overs. Dwayne Bravo tried to up the tempo with a mighty heave at Zampa, but only edged to Wheater. However, 21 taken off the last over by Bopara carried Middlesex from 158 to finish on 179. Cartwright hammered a six and three successful fours in that over on the way to an 18-ball 27.

Ishan Kishan also contributed handily to the victory after fifties from Hamish Rutherford and James Neesham had helped New Zealand A post 308

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2018In a 619-run slugfest in Mount Maunganui, Vijay Shankar’s unbeaten 87 and his 116-run fifth-wicket stand with Ishan Kishan steered India A to victory with an over to spare. Shankar’s 80-ball innings, coupled with Kishan’s 47 and a half-century from Shreyas Iyer, were the highlights of a chase of 309 under lights, with five of India A’s top six going past 35.India A got off to a solid start, thanks to a 61-run opening partnership between Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill, who then fell three overs within each other. Manish Pandey, the captain, then added 85 with Iyer, who made a run-a-ball 54 in his first game on tour. Then, with India A 158 for 2 in the 26th over, the pair fell in the space of three balls to Hamish Bennett’s pace.The onus of rebuilding the innings fell on Kishan and Shankar, who proceeded to make his third 60-plus score on tour, having previously scored 62 and 71 in the two unofficial Tests he got the opportunity to bat in. Shankar hammered 12 fours and a six in his 80-ball innings. Lockie Ferguson removed Kishan in the 43rd over with India A still needing 33. India A lost their No. 7 Krunal Pandya cheaply, but Shankar dug his heels in and ensured the visitors took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.New Zealand A will, however, take heart from the fact that three of their batsmen notched up fifties after India A put them in. Openers Hamish Rutherford and George Worker added 83, before wicketkeeper Tim Seifert and James Neesham put on 82 for the fifth wicket. Rutherford’s 70 and Neesham’s 79 blunted an Indian attack in which only Shankar (4-0-12-0) conceded less than five an over. The most expensive of the bowlers was Siddarth Kaul, whose two wickets came at the cost of 74 runs off 10 overs as New Zealand A finished with 308 for 6.