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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.

Allrounder gets through 16.5 overs on second day in absence of Kasun Rajitha and Dhananjaya de Silva

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Dec-2020Dasun Shanaka batted well with the tail to complete his first Test fifty on the second morning of the Centurion Test, and yet, his more significant contribution so far may have been with the ball. Shanaka is a batting allrounder but was required to deliver almost 17 overs after two Sri Lanka bowlers – a third of their serious bowling resources – were unavailable through injury.Sri Lanka are unwilling to elaborate on the extent of Kasun Rajitha’s groin injury, believing that hiding that information confers a competitive advantage – however miniscule. But the early signs are that Rajitha, one of Sri Lanka’s three frontline seamers, will bowl no more than the 13 deliveries he bowled in this Test. With Dhananjaya de Silva’s offspin also officially unavailable due to a grade two tear in his thigh, Shanaka may have a heavy bowling workload through the course of this game.”Kasun Rajitha’s injury is really going to affect us – we all know how well he bowled on the last tour here,” Shanaka said at the end of day two at Centurion. Rajitha, it is worth remembering, took nine wickets at 23.22 on Sri Lanka’s last tour in South Africa. “Dhananjaya de Silva also comes in and bowls when they are batting well, and he dries up the runs for us. He does that job. I think we will feel their absence,” Shanaka said.Related

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Both Rajitha and de Silva are understood to have been tasked with performing the holding role in this Test. Without them in the attack, South Africa scored at 4.4 runs an over through day two, getting within 80 runs of Sri Lanka’s 395, after 72 overs of batting. Sri Lanka’s remaining bowlers were somewhat indisciplined through parts of the day, but where captain Dimuth Karunaratne might normally replace a bowler after a bad over, he was forced to persist with them, due to the lack of resources.”There’s a big effect with the loss of those two,” Shanaka said. “We’ve only got four bowlers, but we’ll have to manage. We have to think of it as an opportunity. More than the number of overs we bowled today, we didn’t bowl in such a a way that we created a lot of chances today. I think that’s why they were able to score quickly.”It’s a big ask for the other bowlers. But we’ll have to come up with a different plan in the morning and get the job done. Tomorrow morning there will be a bit of freshness in the pitch, so I think the 70-odd run [lead] that we’ve got could be enough to get back in the game.”On a personal note, however, Shanaka has already impressed in his first Test in three years. He might not have played this match had Angelo Mathews been fit, but he added vital runs with the tail, hitting a six-laden 66 not out off 87. And in a similar circumstance, it is unlikely that Mathews would ever have been able to bowl 16.5 overs in a day, susceptible to injury as he is.Shanaka may, in fact, have been his team’s most consistent operator on day two. He claimed the wicket of Dean Elgar, and went at 3.32 runs per over – a better economy rate than any other Sri Lanka bowler.”I was really happy to be able to play a Test after three years,” he said. “I think I’ve got a lot more experience now, and I get a lot of support from the team as well. I was nervous but I was able to turn that around.”

Ten internationals have been named across the two squads for matches against West Indies A and Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-20203:32

Lockie Ferguson: ‘Speed means everything to me’

Devon Conway will have a further chance to push his Test claims after being named in the New Zealand A squads to face West Indies A and Pakistan over the next couple of weeks.Glenn Phillips, who hit a thrilling maiden T20I hundred in the second match against West Indies, will be able to show off his long-form credentials, following his hurried Test debut against Australia in January where he struck an impressive half-century, having been included in both squads.In the second of the two New Zealand A matches, against Pakistan in Queenstown from December 10, Lockie Ferguson and Jimmy Neesham will have the opportunity for their first red-ball cricket since March although the status of that match may depend on there not being any more positive Covid-19 cases during Pakistan’s managed isolation in Christchurch.Devon Conway launches one down the ground•Getty Images

“We’re delighted to be naming such strong squads to take on West Indies A and Pakistan,” selector Gavin Larsen said. “It really does highlight the talent depth we currently have and underlines our intentions to look at a wide group of potential Test players over this NZ A season.”To have ten Blackcaps included across the two games is a testament to that depth and we know the next tier of players get a lot of out of sharing a changing room with our internationals.”To have guys in red-hot form like Glenn, Devon and Lockie is a bonus and I know they’ll be keen to prove what they can do in the longest form of the game. We’re excited to unleash Lockie with the red-ball and see what challenges his extra pace can pose to Pakistan.”Conway has started his international career with scores of 41 and 65 not out in the first two T20Is against West Indies. He has not yet been able to force his way into the Test squad with Will Young the spare batsman.New Zealand A v West Indies A, December 3-6 Glenn Phillips, Joe Carter, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Cole McConchie, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver (wk), Doug Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner, Ish SodhiNew Zealand A v Pakistan, December 10-13 Glenn Phillips, Henry Cooper, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Cameron Fletcher (wk), Doug Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Ed Nuttall, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ish Sodhi

England seamer says current levels of inclusion from players of Afro-Caribbean heritage are ‘just not OK’

George Dobell11-Jun-2020James Anderson believes the game must be “more active” to combat discrimination and that current levels of inclusion from players of Afro-Caribbean heritage are “just not okay”.Anderson, the leading wicket-taker among seam bowlers in Test history, said that recent events – notably the death of George Floyd and the global reaction it has sparked – had caused him to reflect on his own experiences and question whether he had done enough to combat racism.And he revealed that the England team will talk about how they express their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement – possibly in conjunction with the West Indies team – when the series between the sides begins in July.”It’s been a very thought-provoking few weeks for everyone,” Anderson said. “It’s made me do a lot of thinking. We will have conversations about what we can do as players to make a stand, definitely. I expect that to be a conversation we have.”It’s made me think ‘have I experienced racism on a cricket field?’ I couldn’t remember any instances. I wasn’t in New Zealand when Jofra Archer was racially abused. But it made me think and it made me think ‘have I turned a blind eye to things?'”ALSO READ: ICC to use ‘common sense’ if players pay tribute to George FloydAnderson admitted he was also struck by a Tweet sent by a journalist on Wednesday which suggested that, by the time the 2019 domestic season ended, there was only one UK-born, state-educated cricketer of Afro-Caribbean heritage playing first-class cricket in England.”I saw the stat that showed there’s only one black player who’s come through the state system in county cricket,” he said. “And that’s just not okay. It can’t keep going the way it is. It’s just not okay.”So, as a sport, we need to actively make this game for everyone. That’s the sort of thing I’ve been thinking about, really. Is there more I can do as a player to help the situation? Can I be more active? As players and a game we need to be more active.” Meanwhile Anderson expressed a hope that the enforced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic will help him extend his career. Anderson will be 38 at the end of July and has been struck by injury in two of his most recent three Tests.”I think the break will definitely have helped me,” he said. “I’ve had a few months off bowling properly and luckily I have some equipment at home so I’ve been doing some good strength work.”But I haven’t thought too far ahead. After the last 12 months, with the injuries that I’ve had, I just want to get back to playing and make sure I don’t get any injuries as has happened in the previous times I have come back to playing. I am fully focused on getting my body in the right place. Who knows how long I can keep playing?”Anderson is 16 wickets short of the 600 mark in Test cricket and 41 short of the 1,000 mark in first-class cricket. If he reaches either milestone, he may well prove the last seam bowler to do so. But despite all the success, he admitted he had been encouraged by his performance in the Cape Town Test, where his seven wickets helped England to a memorable victory and where he proved to himself that he could still thrive at the top level.”It’s not a case of proving myself to anyone else,” he said. “I think when I played those two Tests in South Africa, it’s almost proving to yourself that you can still do it.”The five wickets at Cape Town helped me. If there were ever any doubts about retirement, it certainly told me I was able to keep going, I am able to perform at the top level. I think that’s really important for me at this stage of my career.”The last year has been frustrating for me. Before that, my injury record was pretty good. I’m hoping it was just a dodgy 12-months and my body is in a good place now to be able to cope with whatever’s to come.”As long as I can prove to myself that I am good enough to keep playing, good enough to keep my place in the team, then I will keep going and I’ll keep working hard on my fitness.”

England will be looking to fine tune for the World Cup while West Indies could field two debutants as they seek a winning formula in ODIs

The Preview by Alan Gardner19-Feb-2019

Big picture

Rarely does a five-match ODI series become the focal point of any modern tour but, 100 days out from the World Cup, this is arguably the main event for both West Indies and England. While the tourists, so lacklustre during their Test defeat, will step out after a quick change of clothing as the No. 1-ranked ODI side, ready to hone their plans in the run-in to a tournament for which they are warm favourites, West Indies must attempt to channel the mood of optimism currently suffusing Caribbean cricket into an upturn in form in their weakest format.Jason Holder’s contribution to victories in the first two Tests against England (before he was suspended over his team’s slow over rate) further enhanced his reputation as an impressive young leader – but while the Test side has steadily come together over the last two years, results have been harder to come by in ODIs. Holder was appointed captain before the last World Cup, aged just 23, and has still to oversee a bilateral series win after 11 attempts.There were sparks of encouragement in India before Christmas, when West Indies won one game and tied another (which they probably should have won) while the series was still alive, as Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer shone with the bat; but they went on to lose in Bangladesh, with Holder absent through injury, and are set to rejig their side again just three months out from the World Cup.The likes of Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kieran Powell and Roston Chase have been dispensed with, while Andre Russell and Evin Lewis remain unavailable despite both playing in the BPL final 11 days ago. Chris Gayle is a welcome returnee, and is bound to bring some “Universe Boss” charisma to proceedings in what is set to be his final home series before retirement, while John Campbell could make a debut after impressing in the Tests. But little about the team is settled.England’s players, by contrast, know their roles backwards and you can pretty much pencil in their 15-man World Cup squad already – though the tantalising prospect of Jofra Archer becoming eligible next month adds a little spice. Is Mark Wood capable of replicating his 90-plus mph burst with the red ball in St Lucia? Can Liam Plunkett still harvest regular middle-overs wickets with his back-of-a-length hostility? How fit is Chris Woakes (and David Willey)? These are some of the questions likely to preoccupy Eoin Morgan over the next two weeks – though, as the Tests demonstrated, it would pay not to be complacent.Chris Gayle is back in the fold for West Indies•Getty Images

Form guide

West Indies: LWLLL (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
England: LWWW

In the spotlight

The spotlight is where Chris Gayle loves to be, and the announcement that he is to call it a (one-)day after the World Cup will ensure that he casts a long shadow in a squad light on experience. Gayle has only played 15 ODIs since the last World Cup, passing 50 three times, while his returns on the global T20 circuit have slipped from unparalleled greatness to merely very good. But just one sweetly struck six into the Kensington Oval crowd could be enough to light some farewell fireworks.Talking of explosive openers, England have a couple in Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy. While Bairstow’s role in the Test side has been subject of much discussion – from batting and keeping at No. 5, to specialist No. 3 back down to No. 7 and reclaiming the gloves – he has appeared at ease with his belligerent brief in one-day cricket. Roy, meanwhile, could look to push his Ashes credentials via white-ball success. With Alex Hales hovering, neither will want to experience a dip in form.

Team news

Campbell looks set to win his maiden ODI cap just a few weeks after coming into the Test team, while Nicholas Pooran, a member of the T20I side, is also in line for a potential debut. Kemar Roach may be rested, following his Test exploits, while Carlos Brathwaite has only just flown in from the Pakistan Super League.West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 John Campbell, 3 Shai Hope (wk), 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Nicholas Pooran, 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Fabian Allen/Devendra Bishoo, 9 Ashley Nurse, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Oshane ThomasEngland rested Jos Buttler for their warm-up match on Sunday but he is set to slot back in ahead of Hales. Woakes got through seven overs against the UWI Vice-Chancellor’s XI, having struggled for fitness during the Test leg of the tour, while Wood was preferred as his new-ball partner, which could mean Willey and Tom Curran are the bowlers to miss out.England: (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

There has only been one 300-plus total at the Kensington Oval in the last 10 years – made by England in 2017 – but the pitch is expected to be a good one. The forecast is for a warm, humid day with some cloud cover but minimal chance of rain.

Stats and Trivia

• England have won their last nine ODIs against West Indies, including a 186-run thrashing in Barbados two years ago.
• West Indies’ last bilateral series win in ODIs came against Bangladesh in 2014.
• Joe Root needs 54 runs to become the fourth Englishman to reach 5000 in ODIs.

Quotes

“We have got to be clear on our bowling – England pack a heavy punch in their batting, they bat deep, and are top-ranked for a reason. We have to be precise. The way ODI cricket has gone, 300-320 is par these days.”
“We got beaten by Scotland last year and they are ranked lower than West Indies. Any side can be a threat on the day. West Indies are very strong at the moment and we’re not taking them lightly.”
England captain Eoin Morgan says they won’t underestimate the opposition

Fast bowler released from Indian squad after not making the XI for first Test against Sri Lanka; hip strain rules Karthik out of TN’s must-win game against MP

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2017Ishant returns to lead Delhi
Ishant Sharma will rejoin Delhi’s squad and lead them in a crucial home fixture against Maharashtra at Palam grounds in New Delhi on Friday after being released from the Indian Test squad. Ishant, who was originally picked in India’s squad of 15 for the Sri Lanka Tests, wasn’t picked in the XI for the ongoing Kolkata Test that began on Thursday. A BCCI press release stated he will rejoin the Test squad ahead of the second Test in Nagpur.Ishant had missed Delhi’s previous game, against Karnataka in Alur, upon instructions from the team management, asking all the fast bowlers to rest. Rishabh Pant, the 20-year old wicketkeeper, had led in his absence. With 17 points in four matches, Delhi are currently second in Group A with two rounds remaining. A win in one of their two remaining games could smoothen their passage to the quarter-finals.TN hit by Karthik’s absenceTamil Nadu will go into a must-win game against Madhya Pradesh in Indore on Friday without wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik, who has been ruled out due to a hip strain. Karthik is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, but is expected to be fit for Tamil Nadu’s last league match, against Baroda beginning from November 25.Karthik’s international committments – he played three ODIs against New Zealand – have meant that he has been able to play only one match for TN in the season so far. While he managed only 5 in his lone game against Tripura, he was in good form against New Zealand in the ODI series, with scores of 37, 64* and 4*.With only two league matches left, Tamil Nadu need to beat both Madhya Pradesh and Baroda to have a chance of progressing to the knockouts. The outcome of their previous match, where they dropped first-innings points against Odisha despite a score of 530 for 8, hasn’t helped. Tamil Nadu are currently on eight points and are fourth in Group C behind Andhra, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai.

Head coach Mike Hesson is keen to consider Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan for the Champions Trophy but has admitted playing time will be hard to come by for the pair

Andrew McGlashan18-Feb-2017New Zealand are keen to consider injury-hit quick bowlers Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan for the Champions Trophy but head coach Mike Hesson has conceded that getting them enough cricket to prove their fitness will be a challenge.Both players have spent considerable time on the sidelines. Milne, the right-arm fast bowler, has not played since one appearance at the IPL last year due to hamstring, side and elbow injuries while McClenaghan, the left-armer, has recently been out with an ankle problem, following eye and pelvis injuries in 2016.New Zealand are unbeaten at home in ODI cricket this season, following series victories against Bangladesh and Australia during which Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson have provided the pace support to Trent Boult and Tim Southee. They are the four frontline quicks on duty for the series against South Africa which starts in Hamilton on Sunday.Milne and McClenaghan were part of the World Cup squad in 2015 – Milne was a regular in the side until injury ended his tournament after the quarter-final – but the pair’s previous international appearance together came last March, in the World T20 semi-final against England.”Our one-day side has been relatively settled but we’ve had some pinnacle events where we’ve tried to put our best team on the park, such as the Chappell-Hadlee, but we do have some players coming back from injury as well who will need to be considered,” Hesson said. “It will be challenging because there’s not a heck of a lot of cricket for them to play, but the likes of Milne and McClenaghan will certainly have to come into consideration.”Milne was due to make his comeback for a New Zealand XI against the South Africans but the T20 warm-up match was washed out. The challenge for both the fast bowlers, in terms of pushing their cases for the ODI squad, is that the remainder of the domestic season is purely Plunket Shield – the four-day competition – now that the Ford Trophy has been completed.The situation is made more acute in that neither player has made a first-class appearance since December 2015. Both were among the retained players with their IPL franchises for the 2017 edition.However, there is an outside chance that Milne could appear for Central Districts in the Plunket Shield before the end of the season. Last week, their coach Heinrich Malan told the : “There might be an opportunity and we have him on specific workloads to build up that resilience. It’s not just bowling but spending time on the park for four days. We believe that’s something Adam would benefit from and hopefully that falls in with plans from the Black Caps to get over that line.”The New Zealand attack that is currently on the park produced a mixed bag in the T20 against South Africa at Eden Park. Trent Boult, who had claimed 6 for 33 to help clinch the Chappell-Hadlee series earlier this month, continued his fine form with 2 for 8 off four overs but the rest of the bowling was inconsistent.”Trent’s been operating really well for us in the last month, he’s got a lot of confidence but to get 2 for 8 off four overs in a total of 185 is a real anomaly. He was exceptional,” Hesson said. “It’s a shame we weren’t quite able to back him up at other times but you have to recognise how good he was. I thought Colin de Grandhomme did a really good job but outside of that we were pretty loose and got hit both sides of the wicket.”Hesson was also encouraged by Ben Wheeler’s return to New Zealand colours this season, despite the seamer’s expensive returns on Friday.”He has been really good for us. He didn’t have his best day yesterday, but he’s certainly shown he has some really good skills in the T20 format and, hopefully, in general with the white ball moving forward,” he said.The outlook sounded less encouraging for batsman Colin Munro who bagged his third duck in four T20 innings when he was removed first ball by Chris Morris. His other score in that sequence was a century against Bangladesh, but Munro has already lost his place in the one-day squad and now faces a long wait to find out the future of his T20 position, with New Zealand’s next match in the format not until much later this year.”Colin is a matchwinner for us in T20s but there’s no doubt he’s a bit inconsistent,” Hesson said. “It’s something he knows he has to improve. Once he gets a start he’s able to make a major contribution but making that start is the toughest thing. He’s not involved in our one-day [team], so will be playing Plunket Shield and needs to score some runs to get that confidence back.”

For a split-second, Umesh Yadav’s heart was in his mouth. He’d had the key wicket of England’s innings clasped in his hands but appeared to have tossed it away in a celebratory gesture

Andrew Miller09-Nov-2016For a split-second, Umesh Yadav’s heart was in his mouth. He’d had the key wicket of England’s innings clasped in his hands but appeared to have tossed it away in a celebratory gesture reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs’ infamous “dropping of the World Cup” at Headingley in 1999.This time, however, there was no reprieve for the opposition’s centurion. Whereas at Headingley 17 years ago, Steve Waugh went on to make a matchwinning 120 not out, in Rajkot Joe Root was sent on his way for 124, as Yadav ended a vital 179-run stand for England’s fourth wicket.The moment happened at blink-and-you-miss-it speed. Root, on the front foot, drove hard back towards Yadav’s knees, and in a single upwards motion, the bowler first wrapped his fingers round the ball then flung it skywards, but with less control than he might have desired.In a moment of panic, Yadav parried it over his head, peered back over his shoulder to locate the ball, then watched it flop to the turf near umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Root, understandably, stood his ground, but the batsman’s fate was effectively sealed from the moment that Dharmasena gave a soft signal to the third umpire, Rod Tucker, that he believed that Yadav had been in control of the ball for long enough, and therefore the catch was fair.The relevant part of the Law (19.4) states:”The act of making the catch, or of fielding the ball, shall start from the time when the ball first comes into contact with some part of a fielder’s person and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement.””I think the on-field umpire’s soft signal was the key,” Fraser Stewart, of the MCC, told ESPNcricinfo. “If he’d given a not-out soft signal, there was probably enough doubt to keep it as not out. However, as the soft signal was out, the on-field umpires must have been happy with it as their gut reaction and, had it been in a game with no reviews or referrals, they would have given it out.”Did he have complete control over the ball? In slow-motion you would probably say ‘yes’, but in real time it’s less clear. It could easily be argued either way.”The soft signal was introduced in response to concerns that TV replays, for all the benefits that they offer, don’t always show the full picture as experienced live out in the middle. Low catches, in particular, have often fallen victim to the phenomenon of “foreshortening”, as 3D events are replayed on 2D screens. In November 2014, the ICC introduced the concept of broadcasting the discussions between on-field and third umpires, to further demystify the process for viewers.”Decision-making is an important skill and one that should be applied at the highest level of the game,” umpire Simon Taufel told the Times of India recently. “So, the soft signal maintains the premise that the decision-making happens on field and not just left to technology to provide an outcome.”Root himself was phlegmatic about the incident. “I was so disgusted with the shot that – giving it the Arsene Wenger approach – I didn’t really see what was happening.”But having seen the slow-motion replay, it does look out. When it’s sped up it looks a bit strange, but I was very lucky to get an umpire’s call with an lbw earlier on and you have to take the rough with the smooth sometimes and just get on with it.”Additional reporting by George Dobell

After a strong chase of 198 by the top order of Canterbury, an effective last over from Andre Adams sealed an eight-run victory for Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2012
ScorecardAfter a strong chase of 198 from Canterbury’s top order, an effective last over from Andre Adams sealed an eight-run victory for Auckland at Eden Park. Needing 13 to win off the last five deliveries, Canterbury were able to score just four, as four wickets fell in the over. They had played responsibly till then – opener George Worker scored 68 off 53 deliveries, and No. 3 Dean Brownlie, who fell in the last over, scored 48. Towards the end Brendon Diamanti’s 29 off 16 balls helped keep Canterbury in the hunt, until the last over.The intimidating target was set thanks to a strong batting performance from Auckland, led by captain and wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins’ knock of 64 and middle-order batsman Colin de Gradhomme’s 60. The innings, after a shaky start at 17 for 2, was built on three partnerships – all at more than 9.50 runs per over – and at the culmination of the third stand, Auckland were a strong 168 for 5 in the 17th over. But then key wickets fell, and they fell short of reaching 200.Canterbury, on the other hand, got off to a commanding start, with their openers Bradley Cachopa and Worker scoring 47 in 5.1 overs together. One hundred and seventy runs were scored by the top four, yet Canterbury fell short of the target.This is their third consecutive loss in the HRV Cup. Their opponents, with their second consecutive win, stand third in the points table.

Two cricketers dominated the evenly-balanced opening day of the second unofficial Test match between England Lions and Australia A at Edgbaston

Paul Edwards at Edgbaston14-Aug-2012
ScorecardJames Harris made regular inroads although was expensive•Getty Images

Two cricketers dominated the evenly-balanced opening day of the second unofficial Test match between England Lions and Australia A at Edgbaston. One of them, Glamorgan’s James Harris, has been badly hampered by injury over the last year and is not mentioned too often when the full England side’s seam bowling requirements are discussed; yet he proved the timeless value of accuracy to take six wickets, two of them lbw and two bowled, as the Lions attack enjoyed success, but also conceded runs too freely, on a pitch which had been trimmed since it offered the seamers plenty of help in Monday’s CB40 game.The other player to catch the eye was Australia A captain Ed Cowan, who made 73 when the Birmingham wicket was at its liveliest and the England bowlers fresh. Cowan did not seem to be the obvious candidate to open his country’s batting early last November until hundreds in four successive matches won him a place in the team for the Boxing Day Test. So if the players have a moment to relax with a beer after this game, maybe Harris can compare notes on the virtues of persistence with a man who is nearly eight years his senior and who has paid his dues to make it.For the moment, they are on opposite sides in a short series which has been well contested throughout. And no one has fought harder than Cowan, whose 186-ball monument to patience on the opening day of the second match followed his 99 in last week’s encounter at Old Trafford. The Australia A captain has worked hard to fashion a successful technique in which every stroke seems carefully calibrated; even favoured shots, like the cover drive, are removed from his repertoire if they carry unacceptable levels of risk.It was in this manner that Cowan proceeded carefully to his 116-ball fifty, hitting four boundaries and, somewhat incongruously, lifting a bouncer from Harris over fine-leg for six. He seemed set for a century too, until James Tredwell won an lbw decision from Neil Mallender when Cowan attempted a sweep. The batsman had almost to drag himself from the crease and appeared less than enamoured with the decision. He may have had a point.By the time Cowan was fourth out, the total was 186 and Harris had started his good day’s work. That had begun with his twelfth ball of the morning when Liam Davis shouldered arms and was lbw for a 15-ball 24. Four overs later, Michael Klinger was also lbw although on this occasion the batsman was on the front foot, not that it saved him from Tim Robinson’s finger.Cowan and Phillip Hughes saw Australia A through to lunch on 106 for 2, although they did so in contrasting styles: Hughes was adventurous, cover-driving Matt Coles for two fours and clipping Ben Stokes’ final ball before the break though midwicket for another boundary; Cowan stuck to the method he knew and it served him well.Ten overs after the break, Hughes gave Harris his third wicket when he drove all too loosely and was caught by Joe Root at short cover for a 51 which had been filled with fine strokes, yet had exhibited an all too fallible method. The afternoon might have gone even better for the Lions had not Joe Burns been dropped by Samit Patel off Chris Woakes, who was in the middle of a fine nine-over spell which cost just 12 runs.Either side of Cowan’s dismissal, Burns steadied the ship for the tourists, reaching tea on 27 in one of those innings where one looks up at the scoreboard and wonders quite how the batsman has acquired his runs.The final session of play at Edgbaston was the most attractive of the day. Australia scored 110 runs for the loss of five wickets, three of them to Harris, who bowled Burns for 29 immediately after the resumption when the batsman played across the line. At the other end, the Kent offspinner James Tredwell epitomised the parsimonious spinner and he too got his reward, first when Tom Cooper edged his arm-ball to Kieswetter, and then ten overs later when Mitchell Johnson also snicked a ball to the keeper, though this delivery did turn.By the end of the day Tredwell’s figures were 19-7-35-3 and he has been the Lions best bowler in the series, albeit that he seems fated to be the supporting actor rather than the leading man.Dominating the stage in the last hour were Tim Paine and, inevitably perhaps, Harris. The Australian wicketkeeper-batsman restored the game to some sort of balance with a well-judged innings of 59 and a sensible eighth-wicket partnership of 51 with Nathan Coulter-Nile, who made 24. Both batsmen fell to Harris, though, Coulter-Nile hitting across the line and Paine caught down the leg side.These dismissals proved once and for all that it was to be the Welsh seamer’s day and he was honest enough to admit in the aftermath of success that other bowlers had deserved success too. Probably he was thinking of Woakes, who had Nathan Lyon dropped by Tredwell at slip in the last significant action of the evening session.