Category Uncategorized

Brendon McCullum has insisted that he was not aware of breaking the record for the fastest Test century until it had been announced over the Hagley Oval loudspeaker and flashed up on the big screen

Brydon Coverdale in Christchurch20-Feb-2016For nearly 30 years, Viv Richards has sat on top of the list of fastest Test centuries. Few men have come seriously close to usurping King Viv, like Adam Gilchrist did at the WACA in 2006-07. His 57-ball effort was one short of Richards’ 56-ball hundred, scored against England in Antigua in 1985-86. Misbah-ul-Haq then equalled Richards’ record in Abu Dhabi in 2014-15. But it took Brendon McCullum to break it.McCullum’s 54-ball century against Australia at the Hagley Oval came with a boundary slapped over extra cover off Josh Hazlewood, and viewers around the world knew that a world record had been broken. But McCullum himself insisted that he was unaware of the milestone until it had been announced over the Hagley Oval loudspeaker and flashed up on the big screen.”No idea,” McCullum said after play on the first day. “I was trying to hit every ball for four or six. I wasn’t aware of the record but very respectful of all those who’ve held it before. It’d be nice to win the Test match, that’d be the most important thing.”[Viv Richards] was my idol growing up. It’s nice to be able to go past him but jeez, he was a cracking player, an incredible cricketer. I’m almost a bit embarrassed to go past him, to be honest. Hopefully he enjoyed a bit of the ‘stroke-making’, we’ll call it.”McCullum had some good fortune along the way, most notably when he slashed a delivery from James Pattinson and was brilliantly caught by a diving Mitchell Marsh at gully. However, the umpires checked the replays and confirmed that Pattinson had delivered a no-ball, the third time this summer that he had cost himself a wicket in that way, after his no-balls twice reprieved West Indies’ Carlos Brathwaite at the MCG.”I thought it was four as soon as I hit it, then I turned around and it was their third great catch of the day,” McCullum said. “Steve Smith’s catches were phenomenal as well. We talked about that they do push the front line a little bit. You’re always hopeful but you don’t anticipate it actually being a no-ball so it was quite a nice reprieve. It probably loosens you up a little bit and relaxes you a bit more. You know you’re probably not meant to be out there so you might as well play with even more freedom.”Brendon McCullum benefited from a slice of luck and smashed his way to the fastest Test century•Getty Images

Initially, it did not seem that this would be McCullum’s day, after he again lost the toss on a green pitch and Steven Smith sent the hosts in. But more or less as soon as McCullum walked out to bat with the score on 32 for 3, his fortune turned. Asked when he got the impression this might be his day, McCullum was honest.”Probably second ball when I had an almighty, filthy slog and it went over the slips cordon for four,” he said. “When you’re confronted with wickets like that you know you’re going to have to be pretty aggressive and need some luck, and we got quite a bit of luck. That partnership between Corey [Anderson] and I was great fun but also instrumental for us to hopefully set the Test match up.””I’ve been on the other side many times and you walk off and think ‘jeez if I’d reined it in a little bit who knows what would have happened’. On that wicket the feedback from the boys was that at any stage the ball could have your name on it. I tried to be as positive as I possibly could and hoped things would roll our way.”When Corey came out he played aggressively and we started to get some momentum. We were able to knock them off that difficult length at the top of off stump. If you’re just trying to hang in there on that wicket, around the top of off stump, you’re in big trouble. It’s nice when things come off.”The partnership of 179 between Anderson and McCullum set New Zealand on the path to a first-innings total of 370 from just 65.4 overs, which was a remarkable performance given the helpful conditions for Australia’s fast men. McCullum joked that “about 120” seemed like it might be an acceptable score on that pitch, before refining his comments and declaring that “anything over 200, we thought, you’re in the game”.”We saw at the Basin as well that that wicket actually dried out a little bit quicker than what we hoped for,” he said. “For us it was a matter of trying to score our runs as quick as we could so the pitch didn’t have the opportunity to dry out too much.
“In the end, we faced 60-odd overs and the ball still went around in that last session as well. I think tomorrow morning’s really important. It seems to do a lot more in the morning session here so we’ve got to be on our lengths. If we bowl well, we’ll get some opportunities. Then it’s a matter of whether we take them or not.”

Sri Lanka’s players might have often heard that the sport they play is a great leveller, but they might not have thought the highs and lows could come in such quick succession

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Aug-2013

Match facts

Tuesday, August 06, 2013

Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)Thisara Perera’s form hasn’t quite continued in the T20 series•Associated Press

Big Picture

Sri Lanka’s players might have often heard that the sport they play is a great leveller, but they might not have thought the highs and lows could come in such quick succession. Four nights after Sri Lanka had embarrassed South Africa 4-1, they are pondering their own humiliation. The world’s top-ranked Twenty20 side is one game away from being whitewashed at home. If they fail on Tuesday, they will lose that ranking and slip to third, behind Pakistan and South Africa, who will rise from fifth.
The scripts for both games so far were remarkably similar, and make Sri Lanka’s problem clear. South Africa batted first, stumbled early, then surged late. Sri Lanka also lost early wickets, but were kept in the hunt by Kumar Sangakkara. In the end he could not compensate for his team-mates’ impotence and South Africa won handily. Sri Lanka’s young batsmen have been under pressure throughout the tour, and have largely misfired. If they cannot muster a performance worthy of the faith afforded in them by the selectors, the team will have cause to embark on some soul searching.Their opponents, meanwhile, have finally come to terms with the pace of the pitches in Sri Lanka and seem to also have managed to get a grip on Ajantha Mendis’ variations. South Africa have been rejuvenated in the field under Faf du Plessis, who has had a knack for using his bowlers cleverly, and Imran Tahir’s insertion has also given the attack a dimension that it lacked in the ODIs.Though the word “revenge” has grown unfashionable in sport, South Africa will be out to make their tour’s outlook a little more even, with a third commanding performance. The toss will be important again, but for the first time since arriving in Sri Lanka, they might even be favourites to win the match.

Form guide

(most recent first, last five completed matches)
Sri Lanka: LLWWW
South Africa: WWLWL

Players to watch

Thisara Perera was effective with both bat and ball in the ODI series, but has only bowled one over in the Twenty20 series, and has not been at his explosive best with the bat. There is talk that he is the most underutilised player in the Sri Lanka team, batting as low as he does, but if he is to move further up, he will have to play match-winning cameos with more consistency than he manages now.
David Miller has been among South Africa’s more comfortable batsmen in Sri Lanka’s conditions throughout the tour, and has not been too shy to attack the same spinners who wreaked havoc on the men around him. His 36 off 21 in the last match lifted South Africa to their first challenging total of the tour, and he may be key to their hopes again, if the misfiring top order falls cheaply.

Pitch and conditions

The Hambantota Stadium’s evening gusts had a major effect on Sunday, with batsmen picking certain areas of the ground to hit to, and swing bowlers benefiting from some extra assistance. The wind has been a feature of the ground since its debut, as has the pitch that has proven difficult for batsmen.

The weather is expected to be fine for the match.

Team news

It is difficult to predict whether Sri Lanka will stick with their plan to play only three senior batsmen. The prospect of being whitewashed might spur them to play their best XI, but Kusal Perera also showed signs of reclaiming some form in his 21 in the last match, when he was given wrongly given out. There is also a chance Lahiru Thirimanne is the man to make way.
Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2. Mahela Jayawardene/Kusal Perera, 3. Dinesh Chandimal (c), 4. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Lahiru Thirimanne, 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Sachithra Senanayake, 10. Lasith Malinga, 11. Ajantha MendisSouth Africa will not want to meddle with their attack, and though Henry Davids and Quinton de Kock have not scored runs at the top of the order, they are likely to remain in the side as well.South Africa (probable): 1. Quinton de Kock (wk), 2. Henry Davids, 3. Faf du Plessis (c), 4. JP Duminy, 5. AB de Villiers, 6. David Miller, 7. David Wiese, 8. Wayne Parnell, 9. Morne Morkel, 10. Lonwabo Tsotsobe, 11. Imran Tahir

Stats and trivia

• Kumar Sangakkara is the leading run-scorer (98 runs) in this series, just as in the last one. Sri Lanka also have the leading wicket-taker, in Sachithra Senanayake (five wickets)
• In six Twenty20s in Hambantota, the side batting first has lost only once – when South Africa played Zimbabwe in the last WorldTwenty20
  

  Quotes

  “The plan against their spinners was to be confident and try and unsettle them. Even though they might get wickets, we still tried to unsettle them. I think it’s working. We played Mendis really well in the last two games.”
  


  “That they didn’t do well against the spinners in the ODI and Ajantha is a very good bowler in T20 cricket. That’s why he bowled his full quota.”

The veteran opener Chris Rogers has been offered a new contract with Victoria, a month after he spoke of his concerns at potentially being delisted by the state

Brydon Coverdale06-Jul-2012The veteran opener Chris Rogers has been offered a new contract with Victoria, a month after he spoke of his concerns at potentially being delisted by the state. Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd said that Rogers’ position on the contract list had been carefully considered, but it was decided that he still had plenty to offer the Bushrangers this summer.Rogers, who turns 35 next month, remains a prolific scorer for Middlesex in county cricket and is fourth on the division one run tally this year, and last season he was sixth on the Sheffield Shield run list with 781 at 41.10. However, the Bushrangers are also keen to give greater opportunities to a younger batch of batsmen, including Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Ryan Carters, Michael Hill and Alex Keath, and Shipperd said selections this season would not necessarily be straightforward.”It is about finding that delicate balance between experience and youth, and opportunities for the younger players coming through,” Shipperd said. “We thought long and hard about that and ultimately Chris has been offered a contract and our understanding is he will take that. He has been a wonderful player for four years for us and put the icing on the cake of a group that was really going places some four seasons ago.”In his first two seasons with us [we had] Shield final wins, and he’s been a great contributor, he’s been a great mentor and coach around the group with his cricket knowledge. He’s one that opposition bowlers don’t like to bowl to and we’re happy to have him in our squad.”It is from our point of view about finding that balance of opportunity and Chris is aware of those challenges in our group. He’s got his sights on perhaps being an Australian player still and probably also transitioning in the last couple of years of his cricket career into a coaching role. He’s got an interest in that area and we have access all areas for him in terms of developing those skills.”The Bushrangers have named their squad for next summer and unlike most other states this year it is a group with few changes from last season, with no imports and no major defections. The only additions to the full contract list were Handscomb and the fast bowler Scott Boland, both of whom held rookie deals last season.The allrounder Meyrick Buchanan, who is in Australia’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup this year, has been handed a rookie contract, as has the legspinner James Muirhead, who played for the Adelaide Strikers last season. The squad will also feature Ian Holland, who earned a special rookie deal as the winner of the reality TV show .Brad Hodge and Mark Cleary are both gone from last year’s list, having retired, while the fast bowler Steven Gilmour and the rookie batsman Brett Forsyth were not offered new contracts. Victoria were able to maintain a consistent list as they were not hit as hard as some states by the reduction in Cricket Australia contracts, with four men on national deals, only one fewer than last year.Victoria squad Scott Boland, Ryan Carters, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Jon Holland, David Hussey (Cricket Australia contract), Alex Keath, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Darren Pattinson, James Pattinson (CA), Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Will Sheridan, Peter Siddle (CA), Matthew Wade (CA), Cameron White Rookies Meyrick Buchanan, James Muirhead, Steven Reid Cricket Australia rookie Ian Holland.

Martin van Jaarsveld’s 78-ball century put Kent on the way to an 86-run win against Worcestershire in a battle of the Clydesdale Bank 40 strugglers at New Road

31-Jul-2011 beat Worcestershire 205 by 86 runs
Scorecard
Martin van Jaarsveld’s 78-ball century put Kent on the way to an 86-run win against Worcestershire in a battle of the Clydesdale Bank 40 strugglers at New Road. The South African, continuing as captain in the absence of Rob Key, made 124 towards a total of 291 for 7, which proved to be way beyond Worcestershire’s capabilities as they were dismissed for 205 in the 35th over.Kent brought in four of their youngsters – including Daniel Bell-Drummond and Adam Ball from England’s Under-19 one-day series with South Africa – as director of cricket Paul Farbrace responded to a miserable run of results at first-team level. Farbrace spoke of a “horrible” period in which they lost to Holland and Derbyshire in CB40 group games and crashed to an innings defeat to Gloucestershire in a County Championship fixture at the Cheltenham Festival.Benefiting from a week off to regroup and consider options, they came out firing in the midlands and comfortably reversed an early-season defeat when the teams met at Canterbury. That was Worcestershire’s only win in the 40-over competition this season and any chance of making it a double was quickly extinguished by Van Jaarsveld’s high-quality ball-striking for a dozen fours and two sixes.Sam Billings, the 20-year-old wicketkeeper, launched the innings with five fours in reaching 26 and Van Jaarsveld initially had no need to rush while Bell-Drummond advanced to 42 from 30 balls with five fours and two sixes. Coming into the side after four fifties in seven England Under-19 innings this month, the young opener, who will be 18 on Thursday, looked comfortable on his List A debut until he was caught by Daryl Mitchell at slip off Saeed Ajmal.It was then that Van Jaarsveld stepped up the pace, putting on 59 with Darren Stevens and making 75 of the 107 added for the fourth wicket with Sam Northeast (30). Offspinner Ajmal was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 42 and Jack Shantry also took three wickets, although the seamer only salvaged an expensive return with two wickets in his final over. His dismissal of Van Jaarsveld owed much to Moeen Ali’s sprint around the boundary to take a catch at long on.Moeen then gave Worcestershire some hope with 55 in 35 balls – including 23 off a first over by 19-year-old off-spinner Adam Riley – but the challenge petered out when he fell to Simon Cook (3 for 40).Riley held Moeen’s mis-hit drive to wide mid-off and, to his credit, he later retrieved his bowling figures when coming back for five overs at a manageable cost of 22. On-loan paceman David Balcombe finished the innings with 4 for 38 and Gareth Andrew’s 33 was the best of the rest for Worcestershire.

England’s fast bowlers will start practising with the Kookaburra balls that will be used during the Ashes as soon as the Test campaign with Pakistan is over

Cricinfo staff01-Aug-2010England’s fast bowlers will start practising with the Kookaburra balls that will be used during the Ashes as soon as the Test campaign with Pakistan is over. David Saker, the England bowling coach, comes from Victoria and understands the differences between the countries and the conditions.”His knowledge not only about the Kookaburra ball but also about Australia and their venues and players is very important to us,” said England’s coach, Andy Flower, following the team’s first-Test victory over Pakistan. “We are not practising with Kookaburras at the moment because we are focussing on this series but we will have our preparation time in this country before we leave. The guys have quite a lot of experience with the Kookaburra ball and we will deal with one challenge at a time.”The Australians struggled with swing in the drawn series with Pakistan last month and Saker said his fast men would be working on shaping the Kookaburra balls before the trip Down Under. ”It definitely still swings,” Saker told the Sunday Age. “It obviously doesn’t swing as much as the Duke ball, but some of that’s got to do with the English conditions.”Saker believes swing is the best way to bring down a batting order and wants his bowlers to achieve the movement when they attempt to retain the Ashes they won at The Oval last year. ”We’ll be endeavouring to try to move the ball in the air for sure, but also we’ve got two pretty tall, strong pace bowlers [Stuart Broad and Steven Finn] who can get the ball through,” he said. “There’ll be different ways we’ll attack the Australians, for sure.”Finn, 21, was rested before the England-Pakistan series to build up his strength ahead of a busy period. ”We’ve done that with Stuart Broad and he’s come back bigger, stronger and bowling faster than he’s ever bowled,” Saker said.”There was a lot of criticism from a lot of people outside the English set-up, but the people that were involved in pulling him out of that and getting him stronger were all pretty adamant that he needed that. You mightn’t see the improvement straight up but there’s no doubt we, as a group, think it’s going to be beneficial down the track.”

The New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter will be available for the entire BBL

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2024Melbourne Renegades have signed New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert on two-year deal as a pre-draft BBL signing.Seifert, 29, will have full availability across those two seasons as Renegades look to improve on last season’s seventh place finish. His BBL deal means he will miss at least part of the Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, and won’t be in contention for the white-ball series against Pakistan over Christmas and New Year. Last month he turned down a domestic contract with Northern Districts in order to open up freelance T20 opportunities.Related

• All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2025-26 season

• Finn Allen set for two-year Perth Scorchers deal

• All the BBL and WBBL squads for 2024-25 season

• BBL window for Australia Test players after India series

Seifert has played three ODIs and 61 T20Is for New Zealand while has also been part of T20 leagues around the world. Overall in the format he averages 27.43 with a strike-rate of 130.12 including three centuries. Last month he finished as the leading run-scorer in the Lanka Premier League with 400 at 57.14 and a strike-rate of 135.13.It appears likely he will form a power-packed top three for Renegades alongside Josh Brown, who joined from Brisbane Heat, and Jake Fraser-McGurk while he also shapes as a frontrunner to take the keeping gloves after overseas signings Quinton de Kock and Jordan Cox shared the role last season.”I’m thrilled to be here for the next two seasons, I’ll be able to enjoy the environment and get to know the club on that deeper level which doesn’t often happen in franchise cricket so I’m excited to call myself a Gade for the next couple of seasons at least,” Seifert said.”That top three spot would be outstanding and if Cam [White] feels like I’m the man to take the gloves I’ll be ready for that too. At the same time, I’m ready to fit in and play whatever role Whitey and the Renegades need me to play.”Renegades general manager James Rosengarten added: “Tim gives us a double threat; we get a powerful and skilled batter plus an established international keeper and regular member of the Blackcaps program, so we’re excited to welcome into the club.”The beauty is Tim has full availability which is extremely valuable for topline overseas players this BBL season and its fantastic for our club to lock in Tim and still retain our prized Platinum pick.”The BBL draft will take place on September 1. Renegades have pick numbers 2, 10, 23 and 26.

Former ICC umpire says “hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting”

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-20232:08

Has the Bairstow dismissal been blown out of proportion?

Simon Taufel, the former ICC elite umpire who is presently a member of the MCC laws sub-committee, has suggested Australia had not breached the Spirit of Cricket when Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow on the fifth day of the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.”Was Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal at Lords a breach of the Spirit of Cricket?” Taufel wrote in a post on LinkedIn. “This is a question I have been inundated with, so I thought it best to share my thoughts publicly by asking everyone a question or eight to consider …

• “Have you seen any umpire tell a fielding side that the keeper standing back is not allowed to attempt a stumping?
• “Was there a complaint from anyone when Bairstow tried to stump Marnus exactly the same way in the first innings?
• “What has Jonny Bairstow said about his dismissal? He has been very quiet. Why?
• “My experience is when people don’t like a dismissal under the Laws of Cricket, they cite the Spirit of Cricket to support their view.
• “Which part of the codified Preamble (the Spirit of Cricket) was breached by the fielding side?
• “What did the fielding side do in effecting a legitimate dismissal that unfairly impacted the ability of the batter in their attempt not to be dismissed? (Did they run into him or distract him or prevent him making good his ground?)
• “Should a batter be immune from dismissal as per the Laws by simply being negligent (and leaving his ground too early)?
• “Did England retire Ben Duckett when they disagreed with the Starc catch decision as per the Laws and umpires’ decision?

“The hypocrisy and lack of consistency from some people and groups is quite interesting and concerning for the future of our game. Maybe I am the odd one out here? The good news is that we are actively engaged with Test cricket, the best form of the game,” he ended.

Preamble to the Laws: Spirit of Cricket

Cricket owes much of its appeal and enjoyment to the fact that it should be played not only according to the Laws, but also within the Spirit of Cricket. The major responsibility for ensuring fair play rests with the captains, but extends to all players, match officials and, especially in junior cricket, teachers, coaches and parents.
Respect is central to the Spirit of Cricket.
Respect your captain, team-mates, opponents and the authority of the umpires.
Play hard and play fair.
Accept the umpire’s decision.
Create a positive atmosphere by your own conduct, and encourage others to do likewise.
Show self-discipline, even when things go against you.
Congratulate the opposition on their successes, and enjoy those of your own team.
Thank the officials and your opposition at the end of the match, whatever the result.
Cricket is an exciting game that encourages leadership, friendship and teamwork, which brings together people from different nationalities, cultures and religions, especially when played within the Spirit of Cricket.

Bairstow’s dismissal took place when England were five down and needed a further 178 runs to win at Lord’s. He ducked underneath a short ball from Cameron Green, scratched the crease with his boot and walked down the pitch towards his partner Ben Stokes at the non-striker’s end.Before Bairstow had begun to leave his ground, wicketkeeper Carey had gathered the ball on the bounce and, in one motion, under-armed a throw at stumps at the striker’s end. The on-field umpires referred the decision to TV umpire Marais Erasmus, who gave the batter out – and the dismissal was recorded as stumped. Bairstow glared at the Australian huddle as he walked off and boos rang out around Lord’s. The crowd – who were largely subdued throughout the first four days of this Test – then chanted repeatedly: “Same old Aussies, always cheating.” And as the Australian players walked through the Lord’s Long Room at the lunch interval, they were booed and abused by some MCC members.Australia went on to win the Lord’s Test by 43 runs and took a 2-0 lead in the Ashes, but the furore over Bairstow’s dismissal has only snowballed as the series moves to Headingley on Thursday.While Australia captain Pat Cummins defended his decision to appeal for the wicket, his England counterpart Ben Stokes said he wouldn’t want to win that way. England’s coach Brendon McCullum said the teams wouldn’t be sharing a beer any time soon, and that the nature of the dismissal would galvanise England for the rest of the series.The prime ministers of the two countries – Rishi Sunak and Anthony Albanese – have also got involved, taking their teams’ sides.

Unbeaten centuries set up Notts but forcing victory could be hard slog

David Hopps22-Apr-2022Lyndon James is the Nottinghamshire batter who barely gains a mention. No longer. His maiden first-class century might have been compiled on a lifeless surface at the Riverside, but it was a worthy landmark nevertheless and the likelihood is that he will make many more in more exacting circumstances. Stylish and understated, he ground Durham into the dirt and once again underlined that he is an allrounder of considerable promise.James was not Notts’ only century-maker. Ben Slater, 164 not out at the close, returned his first Championship century for a year. He already has his highest Notts score and his career-best is eight runs away. Both progressed in untroubled fashion throughout a sunny second day that might have been termed soporific had it not been for the sharpening effects of a chill nor’easterly which kept spectators upright in their seats and then persuaded them to cut out early in the final session. Slater was heavily off-side dominant, carving and driving. James’ serenity means that many of his well-timed boundaries, the best off the back foot, just crept over the rope as if not to waste excess energy.The more celebrated trio of Haseeb Hameed, Ben Duckett and Joe Clarke all missed out. Matthew Potts was responsible for that, his energetic, attacking pre-lunch spell almost signifying Durham’s desperation to strike early. He has started the season well and it is to be hoped that a heavy schedule does not dull him. Hameed was lbw on the back foot, a vision of watchfulness but missing it nevertheless; Duckett’s half-century was inventive and a little impatient and when he dragged onto his stumps it was a disappointing end; Clarke, with a couple of overs to survive before lunch, pushed at a wide one.But Durham’s pre-lunch bowling resolve died as overs built up and the inevitability of batting dominance took hold. Slater and James have so far added 216 in 67 overs for the fourth wicket. Slater’s luckiest moment came on 99 when he cut the offspinner George Drissell into the pads of the wicketkeeper, Ned Eckersley, and ran for the ricochet. James also flirted with a play-and-miss at Potts on the same score, but otherwise he played with great precision in attack and defence. The second new ball did nothing.Drissell, a concussion substitute for Liam Trevaskis, could not exert the same pressure that his fellow spinner Liam Patterson-White applied on the first day, but he was unfortunate not to have Duckett caught at mid-off on 19 when Scott Borthwick, running backwards, failed to lock on to a steepler. Since his first senior wickets at the Cheltenham Festival four years ago, where academia encourages optimism, rewards have not come easily.Oh, Chester-le-Street, what has become of you? You used to be such a lark, always fun to be with, flouting authority as you swung and seamed to your heart’s content. The rebel of the north we used to call you, with a nod of recognition to the Angel of the North which dominates the skyline a few miles up the A1 in Gateshead. Now look at you: impeccably well behaved, smartly groomed, the sort of square you would introduce to the ECB without a second’s thought. No wild days now, just predictability and convention. If this is the future, not everybody will be sticking around for the ride.Some people apparently think that the Angel of the North was built in celebration of Alan Shearer’s goalscoring exploits for Newcastle United. There’s nowt as queer as folk. In actual fact, the architect, Anthony Gormley, came up with three explanations which was probably two too many, but was a good attempt to persuade the nay-sayers to recognise its brilliance. It variously represented coal miners of the north-east who worked in the dark for two hundred years, it was a bold grasp of the future, expressing our transition from the industrial to the information age, and lastly it was a focus for our hopes and fears.As far as the Riverside, the fallen rebel of the north, is concerned, “the focus for our hopes and fears” is the most apt because the four-day game in England is at an uncertain stage. Overly seek to satisfy ECB demands for hard and true surfaces, so theoretically producing batters with unbreakable concentration, 90mph quicks and mystery spinners, and what you often get, in April anyway (midsummer is a totally different story), are slow surfaces that become deader as the match wears on, an unbalanced contest proceeding along predictable lines and bored spectators. And on chilly days like this, it needs to be said, many people are bored. Cold weather, in particular, needs cut and thrust. For those who watch, the fun has gone.Luke Fletcher, Notts’ indefatigable seamer, put it more jovially on BBC radio: “I used to like Chester-le-Street. I’m not sure now.”Potts, as he must be, was defiant. He looks the likeliest to make things happen on such surfaces whereas Chris Rushworth, so often Durham’s saviour, could be feeling his age. “It was a long day in the dirt and toil for the boys,” Potts said. “If this is a sign of the way things are going to go, I think we might see a few more draws. We’ve just got to get better and adapt as a bowling unit, which is something we’re having a lot of discussions on to get wickets on these types of pitches.”Notts, with a lead of 141, can anticipate taking that to 300 soon after lunch on the third day, but even with their excellent pace attack, it would be unwise to delay their declaration any longer. This is not a one-off. Leicestershire batted out the final day at 183 for 2 last week, against what remains a highly serviceable Durham seam attack, just two pitches down on a square that was relaid 18 months ago. The moisture content on this surface apparently started out even lower than last week. But Notts shouldn’t be in Division Two anyway and are rightly favourites to win it so if any side can force a victory they can.

Thirteen-run win in third and final ODI ended a five-match losing streak for India

Sidharth Monga02-Dec-2020India were five down in 32 overs, staring at a below-par total, and with that a series clean sweep, when Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja came together to nearly double their then score of 152, which turned out to be just enough thanks to a gun spell from Jasprit Bumrah in the end. Pandya ended up with a career-best unbeaten 92 off 76, and Jadeja doubled up his 50-ball 66 with the wicket of a set Aaron Finch and a smart low catch in the field. Australia’s chase went similar to India’s innings – the fourth wickets fell at the exact same point, 123 in 25.3 overs – but the hosts kept losing wickets to fall short by 13 runs.The pitch wasn’t as flat as was expected when India won the toss, and it showed in how they managed to successfully defend what was only the third-highest total in a full-length ODI at this heavy-scoring ground. That slightly tricky surface, and the lack of depth in India’s XI probably resulted in a slightly cagey first half of the innings. There was a stretch where Virat Kohli, who had made a fluent start, went 50 balls without a boundary. Keeping that in mind, the effort of Pandya and Jadeja – 150 in 18 overs – was all the more special.Hardik Pandya bottom-edges a pull past the keeper•AFP

That being the big difference between the two sides, Pandya and Jadeja only really went after the bowling in the last five overs when there was no other option. They were good enough on the day to take 76 off those last five. Australia, though, kept going after the bowling, with Glenn Maxwell adding a 38-ball 59 to an already impressive series. He nearly brought it down to a run a ball with four wickets in hand and a little over five overs to go, but this is when Bumrah bowled him with a yorker to end the contest.

Australia atop World Cup Super League table

Australia displaced England at the top of the inaugural Men’s World Cup Super League points table following their 2-1 victory over India that gave them 20 points, to take their tally to 40.
India, who are assured of a 2023 World Cup berth by dint of being the hosts, earned nine points from the series and are placed at the No. 6 position. World Cup holders England occupy the No. 2 slot, with 30 points.
The 13-team World Cup Super League was introduced earlier this year to impart context to bilateral ODIs as well as to determine the seven direct qualifiers for the next 50-over World Cup, in 2023.

This ended a five-match losing streak for India, and accordingly it didn’t come easy. They lost a wicket early after winning the toss in what was a bat-first series, and then were thwarted by the spin combination of Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa. Shikhar Dhawan chipped Sean Abbott to short cover before Shubhman Gill and KL Rahul fell lbw when sweeping Agar, and Shreyas Iyer edged Zampa to point. It is a chicken-and-egg question: did the falling wickets necessitate a Kohli slowdown or did the slowdown bring about ambitious shots from the other end that resulted in those wickets?Kohli did push up the intent towards the 30th over only for Hazlewood to come back and get him out for the third time in this series. If the previous two short balls got Kohli on the pull, this one was wider and took the nick as he played it on the walk. He ended the year without an ODI century, but any mortal would take two half-centuries in a three-match series in what is bound to be a rusty year.This brought together two allrounders whose batting has been under pressure to justify their selection. With Pandya not bowling, the tag of specialist batsman brings its own pressure while Jadeja – remarkable as he has been upon return – keeps out one wicket-taking spinner. However, their batting has improved a lot in the last couple of years; it was on display in unison at Manuka Oval.Both batted like proper batsmen, getting into their innings without hugely sacrificing strike rate, especially with Pandya keeping the bowlers on their toes. With only two specialist quicks in the XI – debutant Cameron Green did put in four overs – Hazlewood and Abbott had to bowl all of the final six overs. This usually brings familiarity and the opportunity to line bowlers up, which is exactly what Pandya and Jadeja did.Pandya first got stuck into Abbott, taking 17 off the 46th over, reaching 75 off 66 by the end of it. In the last four overs, though, it was all Jadeja as the bowling disintegrated. Abbott failed to bowl to his fields, providing Jadeja relatively easy opportunities to hit boundaries, which he took with both hands. By the end, he had hit more sixes than Pandya and his strike rate was higher too.Debutant T Natarajan gave India their first powerplay wicket in six matches as makeshift opener Marnus Labuschagne played on, but the big one came when Thakur strangled Smith down the leg side for his first non-century score of the series. Finch, whom India reprieved three times in the field, kept the pressure on, but Thakur came back to get rid of Moises Henrqiues, who pulled a long hop straight to midwicket. Debutant Green then got stuck at the start, which brought about a low-percentage loft from Finch.However, Australia kept challenging India. Green, Alex Carey and Agar provided support for Maxwell to accelerate at the other end. Sweep, reverse sweep, switch hit, pull, slog – everything came off as Maxwell took them to 39 required off the last six overs with four wicket in hand.India had to go to Bumrah now. Two singles and two wides later, it seemed Australia were one final push away from breaking the chase down. Bumrah, who had had a catch dropped earlier, found the timber as Maxwell backed away to go through cover. Natarajan and Thakur then came back well to close the game out.

Broadcaster seeks to capitalise on ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to spread the sport to wider UK audience

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2019The World Cup final on July 14 could become the first men’s international fixture to be televised on free-to-air TV in the UK since the 2005 Ashes, after Sky Sports reneged on its previous stance and announced that it would be lowering its paywall in the event of England making it through next week’s semi-final at Edgbaston.England’s victory over New Zealand at Chester-le-Street last week guaranteed Eoin Morgan’s men a place in the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1992, when they beat South Africa at Sydney but went on to lose in the final against Pakistan at Melbourne.England have not contested a final on home soil since 1979, when they lost to West Indies at Lord’s, and Sky’s executives have recognised the historic opportunity that this contest could represent, to spread the sport to as broad an audience as possible.Sky UK and Ireland Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen said: “We are proud to be the broadcaster for a home Cricket World Cup – one of the world’s biggest and most exciting sporting events.”Our aim has always been to celebrate what could be a ‘once in a generation’ moment of a home team in a big final on home soil. So, if England reach the final, we will make the match available to everyone so the whole country can be part of a rare and special big sporting moment.”Sky’s decision comes after their coverage of the tournament had been overshadowed in the UK by the women’s football World Cup, which has been broadcast throughout by the BBC. England’s semi-final against the USA on Tuesday drew 11.7 million viewers, the BBC’s biggest television audience of the year. England’s World Cup cricket fixtures, by contrast, have drawn an average of 450,000.The contrast was addressed earlier this week by the England fast bowler, Liam Plunkett, who was asked on BBC 5 Live whether he would support calls for the final to be made more accessible to the English public.”I’m not sure they’re going to do it, but it would great for everybody to be able to watch that,” Plunkett said. “Playing for England, you’re the pride of the country and you want people to be able to access that and watch that. I’m not sure it’s going to happen but for the guys, you want as many people to watch it as possible.”It’s always nice to be on a bigger platform,” Plunkett added. “Hopefully people tune in to watch that game. It would obviously be great to have as many people watching as possible, we feel like we’ve built something special here as a team. It would be nice to go all the way and to have big numbers watching that final if we get through and win, that would be huge.”A proportion of free-to-air cricket access was already set to be reinstated from next year onwards, with the advent of the ECB’s new 100-ball competition, after Sky agreed to cede some of its exclusivity to the BBC as part of a new £1.1billion rights deal from 2020-2024.Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive who brokered the deal, recently described Sky as “cricket’s best friend” – the broadcaster has been involved in cricket since 1990 and has been the exclusive partner for home internationals since 2006 – and Plunkett later tweeted to clarify his remarks.”Sky Cricket are an incredible partner for the game and have been for the past 20+ years,” he wrote. “I was asked a question & I never said that it should be on FTA. My words have been twisted & the headline is misleading. The whole country is behind us. Keep believing.”There are no details yet as to where the match would be broadcast if England did make it through. The BBC and Channel 4, the last two free-to-air channels to broadcast international cricket, would be options, although Sky might also consider making the match available via YouTube, which was the approach taken by BT Sport for the all-English Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur last month.