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Finch, Kuhn set Kent up before Hooper’s three wickets keep Middlesex to their lowest Blast total

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2021Elliot Hooper enjoyed a dream debut as Kent routed Middlesex for their lowest ever Vitality Blast score of 80 at Lord’s.The 25-year-old left-armer, one of seven debutants for the visitors because of a Covid-19 outbreak, took 3 for 24 in the 77-run victory – the hosts failing to reach their previous worst tally of 92 made against Surrey at Lord’s eight years ago.Fellow new boys Matthew Quinn, Safyaan Sharif and Marcus O’Riordan were also among the wickets, all this after Harry Finch top scored with 47 and Heino Kuhn made 42 in Kent’s total of 157 for 8, Blake Cullen taking 4 for 33.Another of the Kent new boys George Munsey swept the second ball of the match from Mujeeb Ur Rahman for six but departed later in the first over.Kuhn was then dropped at point by Joe Cracknell from Tom Helm’s first ball and he and skipper Zak Crawley set about the host’s attack.Crawley hit three sixes as 50 came up in the sixth over, but attempting a fourth he was brilliantly caught by Max Holden at deep square – the first of Cullen’s four victims.Kuhn and Finch continued the onslaught, helped by a succession of misfields, adding 65 in 43 balls, meaning the visitors were sitting pretty at 118 for 2 early in the 13th over.However, Kuhn holing out in the deep off the excellent Nathan Sowter sparked a turning point as runs dried up and wickets tumbled.Finch tried to hold things together making hitting six fours, in his 35-ball stay but just 40 runs came from the last eight oversChasing 158 for a rare win, the hosts simply fell to pieces. Sam Robson was yorked by Quinn and when the dangerous Joe Cracknell pulled Harry Podmore straight into the hands of deep square they were 16 for 2. It 20 for 3 when New Zealand international Daryl Mitchell was trapped lbw by Sharif, who returned 2 for 10.Hooper trapped Middlesex debutant Varun Chopra in front before Podmore returned to have John Simpson caught at short mid-on.Holden was caught on the fence to give O’Riordan his first Blast wicket and the procession continued as Hooper scattered Sowter’s stumps.Helm, Hooper’s other victim, and Mujeeb were the only Middlesex players other than Chopra to reach double figures as the hosts were bowled out with 21 balls to spare.

She could require surgery on her hamstring next week

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Mar-2020Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry will be out of action for six months while recovering from the high-grade right hamstring injury she suffered during the T20 World Cup that ruled her out of the tournament before the semi-finals.The injury that she picked up during Australia’s must-win match against New Zealand could require a surgery sometime next week. It has now ruled her out of the tour of South Africa later this month, which includes three ODIs, which are part of the ICC Women’s Championship, and three T20Is starting March 22.Perry, who wasn’t replaced after her injury, called the setback a personal “challenge.” But she was glad the team management wanted her to stay with the squad as the team looked to defend their 2018 T20 World Cup title, in the final against India on Sunday.”Closer to six months,” Perry said when asked when she might be returning to play. “That’s something (surgery) that has been discussed and probably in the next week or so.””It’s something you go through over the course of time but from my perspective, I’ve had the most incredible run, been very, very fortunate with injury over a long period of time. First and foremost tomorrow (the final) is the most important thing, what it represents for the group and the sport, but on a personal note, it’s a challenge and looking forward to it in a roundabout way [even if] I wish it wasn’t the case.”Perry also said it will be difficult not being nervous watching the final at the MCG from the sidelines. She wants her team-mates to stay relaxed on the big day.”[At the final, I’ll] probably be trying to keep my nerves at bay,” she said. “Aside from that, I feel incredibly fortunate and really chuffed that Motty (Matthew Mott) and the group wanted to keep me around. So it is really nice to be here and take it all in.”I’m sure everyone is nervous, but in a roundabout way the way our tournament has gone, the challenges we’ve had along the way with really tough matches, early loss, a few injuries, it hasn’t been smooth sailing so tomorrow is a chance to just relax and make the most of it. You certainly want to be successful but in a lot of ways, the girls just deserve to enjoy it and take it all in. We are probably going to play the best cricket doing that.”Stepping foot into the ground today, having the chats has made it really real and it’s one of those opportunities for the squad to absolutely enjoy the occasion and make the most of it. It’s a very special time.”

Scotland steal a march on rivals after Mark Watt ends burgeoning stand in Al Amerat

Peter Della Penna in Al Amerat 15-Feb-20192:22

‘We put the past in the past and came out on top’ – Mark Watt

Scotland 181 for 4 (Coetzer 74, Munsey 50) beat Ireland 180 for 7 (O’Brien 65, Stirling 56) by six wickets

ScorecardPaul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien each notched half-centuries as part of a 115-run opening stand, an Ireland T20I record for any wicket. But left-arm spinner Mark Watt nabbed both sandwiched around No. 3 Andy Balbirnie in a game-changing spell of left-arm spin to restrict Ireland to a well-under par 180 before Kyle Coetzer and George Munsey produced a Scotland T20I record opening stand of 109 in a six-wicket win.After a morning display in which Oman scored 120 off their last 10 overs after being sent in, Ireland appeared destined for 200 or more given the platform that was laid by Stirling and O’Brien. But the innings stuttered after Watt intervened, paired with some sharp catching on the boundary by Michael Leask and Munsey. O’Brien drove to Leask at long-off before Balbirnie skied a sweep to Munsey at deep square leg. Leask made his presence felt again at long-off to nab Stirling as Ireland lost 3 for 15 to slip to 130 for 3.Richie Berrington was an unsung hero on the day, returning 0 for 26 in a spell that built on Watt’s breakthroughs to put the brakes on Ireland’s batting once the top order was removed. Safyaan Sharif was then responsible for two wickets in the 17th, knocking back Lorcan Tucker’s off-stump before running out Simi Singh with an underhand flick in his follow-through on the next ball to make it 138 for 5.Ireland fought back in the final three overs as Alasdair Evans’ short-ball plan failed to the tune of 35 runs conceded off the 18th and 20th. George Dockrell’s cameo of 15 not out off 7 balls propped up the total but Ireland’s lull in the middle of the innings came back to bite them, as did an uncharacteristically poor fielding display.Coetzer was named Man of the Match for his 74 off 38 balls to pace the Scotland chase. But he benefitted greatly from three dropped chances – the first on his second ball when he was yet to score – as well as being caught off a no-ball when Peter Chase overstepped with Coetzer driving to Shane Getkate at long-off on 39.At the other end, there was no doubt about the crispness of Munsey’s knock. He scored Scotland’s first 18 runs across the opening two overs of the chase, driving Singh back down the ground for four and six. He brought up his half-century off 26 balls, two slower than Coetzer, before a false drive against Getkate resulted in an edge behind to Stuart Poynter in the ninth.Coetzer smashed back-to-back sixes over long-on in the same over to bring up his fifty, then followed it with two drives through mid-off against Boyd Rankin in the following over for another pair of boundaries. He took one more off Rankin through mid-off again in the 13th before he was beaten driving on the next ball to fall for 74, the seventh half-century of the day on the pitch.By that stage, the required run-rate had come down to less than a run a ball. Despite Berrington and Matthew Cross both falling for ducks to complete a mini-collapse of 3 for 3, Calum MacLeod and Craig Wallace added an unbeaten 37 together to see Scotland home. MacLeod ended the match with a straight six off Peter Chase to clinch victory with nine balls to spare.For Scotland, it’s their second ever T20I victory over a Full Member following a win over Bangladesh at the Hague in 2012. It also kept them alive for a shot at the T20I Quadrangular Series title. A win over Oman on Sunday would take them to 2-1. Ireland also has a chance to end with the crown if they can beat 2-0 Netherlands on Sunday, which would create a three-way tie to bring the net-run-rate tiebreaker into play.

Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker in the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Dec-2017The New Zealand pace attack that inflicted an innings defeat on West Indies in the first Test in Wellington will be boosted further by the return of Tim Southee for the second Test in Hamilton. Southee had missed the first Test due to the birth of his child and was replaced by George Worker, who did not find a place in the XI in Wellington. Southee is expected to join the squad on Wednesday in Hamilton for the Test starting Saturday.

Squad for secont Test

Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner

Worker and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson were released from the squad to play the Ford Trophy – New Zealand’s domestic one-day competition – for the matches scheduled on Wednesday.Ferguson, however, will join the Test squad back in time for the second Test. New Zealand will continue to miss the services of the injured wicketkeeper BJ Watling, but his replacement Tom Blundell scored an unbeaten century on debut to help the hosts build a massive first-innings lead.New Zealand played three quicks in the first Test – Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner – and all contributed with wickets in both innings. While Boult picked four wickets in the match and Henry collected three, Wagner finished with career-best 7 for 39 in the first innings before picking another two in the second innings. They also had the medium-pace services of Colin de Grandhomme and played Mitchell Santner as the specialist spinner.

Coming back from a rest, the 24-year-old fast bowler provided some of Pakistan’s brightest spots in a tightly-fought Sharjah Test against West Indies

Umar Farooq in Sharjah31-Oct-2016Pakistan’s decision to rest Mohammad Amir in Abu Dhabi had been met with mixed reactions. The critics said a break might hamper the 24-year-old fast bowler’s rhythm. But there was also the argument that he was playing international cricket for the first time in five years and had already stacked up 202.3 overs on a long tour of England and 45 more during Pakistan’s first day-night Test in Dubai.Perhaps considering UAE Tests are decided by the batsmen and spinners’ contributions, and with two important series coming up – against New Zealand in November and Australia in December – the Pakistan selectors decided to give Amir some time off. The move seems to have worked.In Sharjah, on the second day of the third Test against West Indies, Amir looked like a man refreshed, picking up two wickets on a slow pitch and also pulling off a spectacular catch to dismiss Darren Bravo. Until that moment, when he ran back from cover, dived after the ball and got hold of it while horizontal with the ground, Amir had not had a single Test catch to his name.

Kraigg Brathwaite on…

What West Indies must do on day three: “We are in a good position. It is key for me and Jason [Holder] to start fresh and build a big partnership, then look to build a really big lead. The aim for me is to really build a big lead. If Jason and I can spend time at the wicket, rotate the strike, hopefully we can get as big a lead as possible.”
On the pitch: “It isn’t spinning sharply at the moment. [But] the pitch is cracking up a bit, and later tomorrow it will probably crack some more and get some spin. If we can go on and get the lead, then build on that, that will be very good for us.”
On his 83-run fifth-wicket stand with Roston Chase, after West Indies were 68 for 4: “Me and Chase went to school together, so we have a good relationship. I said to him to play as straight as possible. Obviously the pitch is low, so it is key we hit straight down the ground, then rotate the strike, and after that we had a good partnership.”

“It was a combined decision between me and the team management to take a rest and that’s fine,” Amir said. “A bowler can be rested from time to time; even Wahab [Riaz] was rested [in Abu Dhabi] and those who replaced us, Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan, did well. We are just developing our combination. I have been playing for a year now and I think fast bowlers should rest whenever there is a chance.”Because you never know, I or Wahab can be injured at any time. It can happen in cricket and you can’t do anything about that. So when you have a strong bench you can rotate the bowlers you have and give the others some chances as well. Our next tours, New Zealand and Australia, are lengthy so all of us need to be match-ready in case you need someone as cover for an unexpected injury.”Since Amir regained the eligibility to play for Pakistan after his involvement in the spot-fixing scandal in 2010, he has claimed 17 Test wickets at an average of 39.41. Those statistics, however, may have to be taken with a pinch of salt considering he had several catches dropped off his bowling in England. While he has not lost any pace, constantly hitting the low- to mid-140s, the swing he was known for is not quite there.”Playing Test cricket after five years is not very easy and I started with a tough England tour. It takes time to regain your rhythm,” Amir said. “But I feel I am getting there and getting my rhythm back gradually. I did face some problems with fitness earlier, which was expected. After five years of being idle, it’s very tough for a fast bowler to immediately be back at his best. It can’t be done overnight, you need to keep on performing. I still have a long career ahead of me and I am working hard to get where I was before skills-wise.”The swing was missing in England but now I have started developing the shape. And I have mostly been playing T20 cricket since coming back, where I bowl with a different arm-action. I was also going wide of the crease earlier but now I have minimised it and worked on my arm-action and its working my way.”Amir was looking forward to doing well in the two Tests in New Zealand – he is part of a 16-man squad that was announced on Monday – and then three more in Australia, including a day-night Test in Brisbane; Pakistan have yet to name a squad for that series.”Going to New Zealand and Australia and performing there, in those conditions, it gives you immense confidence. I have been to both countries earlier and the pitches there help fast bowlers. With the exposure of playing on tracks like these in UAE, you definitely get a lot of confidence to do well there.”Amir was happiest talking about his catch, though, which helped Pakistan get on top of West Indies. “We actually train to develop these kinds of skills with our fielding coach; it is quite a regular thing. That wicket of Bravo was very important as he was the batsman we wanted to get as soon as possible. We created the opportunity and I made the effort to get him out. So it worked well.”Then, with the wickets of Jermaine Blackwood for 23 and Roston Chase for 50, Amir also helped contain West Indies’ fightback as Pakistan ended the second day with a 37-run lead. They still have four more first-innings wickets to take though.

Fast bowler Andrew Fekete had hoped for a Test debut on the tour of Bangladesh this week. But after the cancellation of that trip for security reasons, he instead found himself setting up a comfortable nine-wicket victory for Tasmania in their opening mat

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2015
ScorecardAndrew Fekete picked up 4 for 30•Getty Images

Fast bowler Andrew Fekete had hoped for a Test debut on the tour of Bangladesh this week. But after the cancellation of that trip for security reasons, he instead found himself setting up a comfortable nine-wicket victory for Tasmania in their opening match of the Matador Cup tournament against Queensland in Sydney.Fekete collected 4 for 30 as Queensland were bowled out for 196, and Ben Dunk then posted an unbeaten century as the Tigers cruised past their target in the 36th over. Dunk finished not out on 104 from 101 balls and Dom Michael was on 51 from 64 balls when the winning runs came; Tim Paine was the only man to fall, out for 39 to the legspin of Cameron Boyce.The day began with George Bailey sending the Bulls in, and the second over saw Test squad members facing off against each other. It was Fekete who came out clearly on top when he had Joe Burns caught for a golden duck from the first ball of his first over, and Queensland continued to struggle to be 4 for 21 in the tenth over.Simon Milenko (40) helped steady things somewhat and there were also lower-order runs from James Hopes, who made 34, and Luke Feldman, who struck four sixes in his 33 from 28 balls. Queensland were dismissed in their 49th over, and the Tigers cruised to victory.