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Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, George Garton, Tymal Mills, Reece Topley and James Vince to head home by January 7

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2022Six members of England’s T20I squad will be withdrawn from their respective BBL sides by January 7 to allow them time at home in the UK before flying out for the tour of the West Indies.Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood, George Garton, Tymal Mills, Reece Topley and James Vince will all head home in the next week prior to England’s T20I squad flying to Barbados on January 15 for the five-match T20I series, which is scheduled to start on January 22.Related

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While the last day of the Ashes series is January 18, none of England’s Test squad members are involved in the T20I series and coach Chris Silverwood will also be absent. Assistant coach Paul Collingwood, who left Australia prior to Christmas, will stand in for the T20I portion of the Caribbean tour, with Marcus Trescothick assisting him. The ECB also recently advertised for three additional coaching roles on short-term contracts for the T20Is in Barbados.The withdrawal of the BBL players leaves Sydney Thunder (Billings and Mahmood), Adelaide Strikers (Garton), Melbourne Renegades (Topley), Perth Scorchers (Mills) and Sydney Sixers (Vince) without key players for the back-end of the tournament – though Garton was left out of the Strikers’ defeat to Sydney Thunder on Sunday after a run of poor form. However, the teams had been aware of this scenario since the England squad was selected on December 23.The ECB confirmed that the players selected were always set to return early to prepare for the Caribbean tour with safe-living guidelines and Covid-19 protocols at the forefront of the ECB’s thinking. Each player will coordinate with their own BBL club as to how many more fixtures they can play prior to heading home to the UK.

Dasun Shanaka’s century in vain as Sri Lanka fall short in chase of 303

Andrew Fidel Fernando18-Jan-2022Regis Chakabva provided the innings’ early impetus, Craig Ervine hit 91 and put on 106 with Sean Williams, and Sikandar Raza struck a half-century late in the piece to get Zimbabwe to 302 for 7. But the visiting bowlers had to hold their nerve too. In the face of a Dasun Shanaka hundred, which threatened to turn the game after Sri Lanka’s terrible start, Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava bowled exceptional final spells to suck the oxygen out of Sri Lanka’s desperate chase, eventually sealing a 22-run win that leveled the series.Earlier in Sri Lanka’s innings, Zimbabwe’s seamers had struck perhaps the most decisive blows of the match. Tendai Chatara bowled Kusal Mendis in the fifth over, Muzarabani then had Pathum Nissanka caught behind for 16, before having Dinesh Chandimal out at slip in his next over. Sri Lanka were 31 for 3, then when Charith Asalanka got out, 63 for 4 in the 15th over.That the hosts recovered was down to Shanaka, and the 118-run fourth-wicket stand he put on with Kamindu Mendis. But the required rate continued to climb right through that partnership, and although Shanaka progressed to his first international century in the company of Chamika Karunaratne, he could never quite push his team into the ascendancy. He got to triple figures with a six over deep square leg, but when he holed out to long off the next ball, with 56 still to get off 32 deliveries, Sri Lanka’s chase essentially lost its last serious hope.Sri Lanka went down by 22 runs in the end, their last wicket pair in the middle at the close. Chatara and Muzarabani shared three wickets apiece, while Ngarava and Wessley Madhevere took one each. Left-arm spinner Wellington Masakadza contributed to Zimbabwe’s defence too, conceding just 34 from his eight overs.Zimbabwe had only hit seven less in the previous ODI, on a very similar surface, and at the same ground. But this time, they took Sri Lanka by the collar by claiming early wickets.Kusal Mendis had been dropped at third man off Muzarabani in the second over, but Chatara ensured the mistake would barely cost Zimbabwe, nipping one back off the pitch to breach his defences, for 7. Nissanka, arguably Sri Lanka’s best batter in the previous ODI, was out next over, edging a teasing Muzarabani delivery behind.Blessing Muzarabani celebrates after dismissing Pathum Nissanka•AFP/Getty Images

When Chandimal edged Muzarabani to the slips in the eighth over, it left Sri Lanka at 31 for 3. Already the hosts’ chances were dwindling. When Asalanka departed for 23, the hosts’ plight appeared pretty much shot.Kamindu Mendis and Shanaka kept the hosts alive with the biggest stand of the game. Where Kamindu was watchful, Shanaka was aggressive from very early in his innings, smoking Madhevere over midwicket for six off the sixth ball he faced, before crashing him for four through cover later in that over. Shanaka continued to find regular boundaries, particularly square of the wicket. But as briskly as he scored, it never seemed quick enough to put Sri Lanka in control, particularly as Kamindu scored at a measured pace through the course of his knock.By the end of the 30th over, the required rate had crept up to 7.65. After the 35th, it was up to 8.06, and Kamindu had just got out. Shanaka and Karunaratne then put on 66 together, but the runs didn’t come fast enough, and the partnership was not sufficiently substantial.Zimbabwe’s own innings had been, like it was on Sunday, a group project in which a middle-order left-hander took the lead. This time, it was captain Ervine that played the defining knock. He put the bad legside balls away to begin his innings, and then settled into a diet of frequent singles and twos into the outfield, rarely missing the opportunity for a risk-free run. He and Williams ensured Zimbabwe’s run rate skipped along at more than 5.5 an over through the course of their big partnership, with Ervine reaching his fifty off the 56th ball he faced.Later, Raza played a vital innings too. He hit a six off the sixth ball he faced, in the 37th over, and did not let his strike rate dip below fifty for the majority of his innings, getting to his half-century off the 41st ball he faced.Zimbabwe had rolled up to the 40th over on 232 for 4, and Sri Lanka would perhaps reflect that from that position, they had done well to keep the opposition to 70 runs in the last 10 overs. But when Zimbabwe’s quicks made those early strikes, the outlook of the the match changed dramatically.

After South Africa asserted some control over their fate in Sri Lanka, on what was perhaps the driest pitch of the tour to date, it has now fallen to the hosts to arrest the momentum their opponents have gleaned from a big victory

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele27-Jul-2013

Match facts

Sunday, July 28, 2013
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Thisara Perera proved his value to the ODI team with a blistering attack that almost swung the third game in Sri Lanka’s favour•Associated Press

Big picture

After South Africa asserted some control over their fate in Sri Lanka, on what was perhaps the driest pitch of the tour to date, it has now fallen to the hosts to arrest the momentum their opponents have gleaned from a big victory. South Africa’s batsmen appeared to have finally cracked the answer to the slow surfaces that sunk them in the first two matches, as they sought to graft securely before embracing aggression very late in the innings.Lonwabo Tsotsobe then provided the experience that had been missing from South Africa’s attack, as he bowled in fearsome tandem with Morne Morkel, to scupper Sri Lanka in the early overs. The pitch being prepared for Sunday looks almost identical to the surface that Friday’s match was played on, and South Africa are unlikely to change their game plan or personnel, save for men drifting in and out of the team due to injury. The visitors are also finally fielding at a standard close to their lively best as well, despite the odd missed opportunity.Sri Lanka’s middle order, meanwhile, continues to face criticism at home, having failed once more to spur a meaningful surge on a day when the top order failed. Dinesh Chandimal had some luck during his 65-ball 29, before departing softly, gloving to Quinton de Kock, and he never really had the measure of the surface. Angelo Mathews appeared more at ease while batting, but surrendered his wicket with an irresponsible pull, soon after debutant Angelo Perera had perished in a similar fashion. Given the middle order’s track record in the last two months, even a South Africa attack missing Dale Steyn will feel confident that there are only three men among Sri Lanka’s batsmen who are capable of playing match-winning innings.Mathews must also now reassert himself at the helm, after Chandimal’s brush with success. In all three matches Chandimal has captained so far (including a Twenty20 against Bangladesh), he has been an eager but astute leader, though his place in the ODI XI is far less secure than Mathews’. There is no real threat to Mathews’ captaincy from within the side, but if he cannot complete his first series victory after being handed a 2-0 lead, pressure may begin to build.

Form guide

(most recent first, five completed matches)
Sri Lanka: LWWLL
South Africa: WLLLT

Players to watch

Thisara Perera had been dropped for the tri-series in the West Indies prior to this tour, but has returned emphatically and is now the leading wicket-taker in the series, as well as the third-highest run-getter. His six-ball blitz against Robin Peterson showcased his power and, on a pitch that may produce another low-scorer, he may again be called upon to blast Sri Lanka to a challenging total. The major weakness in his game appears to be death bowling, which he will need to improve if Sri Lanka continue to play only one specialist pace bowler in future.David Miller proved he was more than just a big hitter on Friday, when he constructed an innings with care, before finally launching the kind of assault his cricket has become famous for. He worked the spinners cleverly alongside de Villers, playing cautiously against Ajantha Mendis, whom he had only seen briefly at the IPL. His unbeaten 85 is South Africa’s only half-century in the series, and Sri Lanka will now look at his game more closely, as they seek to discover weaknesses.

Pitch and conditions

Kandy had its sunniest day in a week on the eve of the match, but the weather is likely to return to its pattern of intermittent showers on Sunday, according to the forecast. The pitch appears to be another slow turner.

Team news

Lahiru Thirimanne is fully fit and will probably play, pushing Angelo Perera out of the XI*. Other than that, though, Sri Lanka are likely to remain unchanged.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Upul Tharanga, 2. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4. Mahela Jayawardene, 5. Dinesh Chandimal, 6. Angelo Mathews (c), 7. Lahiru Thirimanne, 8. Thisara Perera, 9. Rangana Herath, 10. Lasith Malinga, 11. Ajantha MendisSouth Africa are optimistic Hashim Amla will play on Sunday, after he passed a mini fitness test and batted productively in the nets on the eve of the match. He will be thoroughly assessed before the start of play on Sunday, as will Ryan McLaren, who is nursing a strained hamstring he picked up while fielding in the third ODI.AB de Villiers also said that he enjoyed leading the side without the gloves on and Alviro Petersen may make way for Amla’s return, leaving keeper Quinton de Kock in the XI.South Africa (probable): 1. Hashim Amla/ Alviro Petersen, 2. Quinton de Kock (wk), 3. JP Duminy, 4. AB de Villiers (c), 5. Faf du Plessis, 6. David Miller, 7. Robin Peterson, 8. Farhaan Berhardien, 9. Ryan Mclaren/Chris Morris, 10. Morne Morkel, 11. Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Stats and trivia

• The team batting first has won all three matches so far in the series.
• The highest successful chase in 11 matches at Pallekele has been Sri Lanka’s 200 for 3 against New Zealand, who had set them 198 in a rain-reduced match.

Quotes

“He has turned out to be a brilliant allrounder for us – with bat and ball. It looked like he was batting on a different strip.”
“I’m not carrying an injury at all. Quinton’s used to keeping and is a good young keeper. We thought I’d have more to add as a fielder than him. Not that I rate myself more than him – but the guys tend to do. From a captaincy point of view, I have more time with my decision-making and time to communicate with the bowlers.”
*15.30GMT, July 27: The preview was updated after news of Lahiru Thirimanne being fit came in

The legspinner Fawad Ahmed’s application for Australian citizenship has officially been approved, clearing the way for a possible call-up to the Test squad for the Ashes.

Brydon Coverdale02-Jul-2013The legspinner Fawad Ahmed’s application for Australian citizenship has officially been approved, clearing the way for a possible call-up to the Test squad for the Ashes. Ahmed described the confirmation from former federal immigration minister Brendan O’Connor as a “dream moment”, and said he was now looking forward to giving something back to the country that had welcomed him after he fled from Pakistan in 2010.In one of his final acts as immigration minister before losing the position in a cabinet reshuffle, O’Connor approved the application last week and an official citizenship ceremony is all that remains before Ahmed can obtain his passport. The announcement was made at the MCG on Tuesday and O’Connor said he had listened to a number of submissions, including those from Cricket Australia, on the character and virtues possessed by Ahmed.”I was able to tell Fawad Ahmed today that his application for citizenship has been approved,” O’Connor said. “It was approved late last week … and it was approved because we were able to look at the application in a different light because of the changes to the Australian citizenship act that went through the parliament not long ago.”Those changes meant that some individuals could have their citizenship fast-tracked if it was considered they could be of benefit to Australia in a range of fields, including sport, science, medicine and the performing arts.However, Ahmed’s lack of wickets in two matches for Australia A in Belfast and Bristol last month mean that an Ashes call-up is no certainty, and he is instead concentrating on the upcoming Australia A tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa. Ahmed said he was grateful for the support he had received in his application for citizenship and he was pleased to be able to focus solely on cricket for the first time in many years.”It’s a long journey and it was a long struggle,” Ahmed said on Tuesday. “The whole community of Australia – the people really supported me throughout this journey. It’s a victory for our sport … and for this country. I just can’t wait to be a citizen. Especially in the field of cricket, I just want to give back something to this country.”I have a great opportunity with Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa. I will try my best to perform well on those two tours and it depends on the selections. It will be an honour to represent Australia in the Ashes or maybe other tournaments. It’s more relaxed now, I can feel there are no issues. Now I’m a citizen and can concentrate on my cricket and look forward to my bright future in cricket.”Whether that bright future includes this year’s Ashes tour remains to be seen. The left-arm spinner Ashton Agar is likely to travel with the Ashes group in a development capacity, not as an official squad member, but his encouraging performances for Australia A could make him a more likely candidate for a call-up than Ahmed if the selectors decide they need a second spinner alongside Nathan Lyon.Agar picked up six wickets at 16.50 on the Australia A tour of the British Isles and will play for the Australians in their tour match against Worcestershire starting on Tuesday. By comparison, Ahmed had a tougher time for Australia A and managed only two wickets at 82.50.”The conditions were tough,” Ahmed said. “It was freezing cold, it was nine degrees and the wind was pretty fast. I was bowling against the wind. But I should have bowled a bit better than that. I bowled a few really good balls as well and beat the bat, and I was unlucky a few times with dropped catches but that’s a part of cricket.”

Temba Bavuma top-scored in his first win as T20I captain

Firdose Moonda27-Jun-2021South Africa earned their first T20I victory under new white-ball captain Temba Bavuma and successfully defended a score under 170 for just the third time since the 2016 World T20 to level the five-match series against West Indies 1-1.While Kagiso Rabada took wickets at the start and end of the innings, South Africa had their spinners George Linde and Tabraiz Shamsi to thank for the win. Between them, Linde and Shamsi bowled eight overs, conceded 35 runs and took three wickets to take West Indies from 62 for 2 in the ninth over to 70 for 5 in the 11th, in pursuit of 167.Despite late cameos from Jason Holder and Fabian Allen, the required rate proved too high. Both teams will be concerned with the performances of their middle orders, who failed to build on promising starts. No South African batter outside the top three scored more than 11 while West Indies’ No. 3-6 batters were all dismissed in single figures.Positive in the powerplay With as many as five potential opening batters in their squad, South Africa have several combinations to choose from but stuck with Reeza Hendricks and Quinton de Kock for the second successive match. After putting on 33 in 3.4 overs on Saturday, the pair came good with 73 in 6.4 overs in this match. They scored 69 runs in the Powerplay including seven fours and three sixes and were aggressive against the opening spin pair and the seamers that followed.

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De Kock took 14 runs off Holder’s opening over, including the first six of the innings as he cleared midwicket. At the other end, Hendricks plundered 14 off Allen, and hit him back over his head for six before hitting two fours off the next three balls and then being gifted four leg-byes. South Africa have only scored more runs in a Powerplay three times – 88 for 0 and 83 for 0 against England in 2016, and 78 for 0 against Zimbabwe in 2010. In the end, it set them up for a match-winning total.Ultra-Edge fails…Hendricks was well-set to score the sixth fifty of his T20I career but two balls after the halfway mark was beaten as he attempted a reverse-sweep off Kevin Sinclair. He was given out on-field and reviewed after consultation with his captain, Bavuma. A cutaway of the players was shown but Ultra-Edge was not available and the television umpire, Joel Wilson, eventually had to make his call based on the split-screen. There was a clear gap between bat and ball and ball-tracking upheld the on-field call, with the ball clipping off stump, so had to go. South Africa were 96 for 2, with 200 still well within sight.Temba Bavuma plays one fine on the on side•AFP/Getty Images

…and so does South Africa’s middle-orderSouth Africa’s top-heavy squad has left them with a soft middle-order and that showed after the Powerplay and particularly in the second half of their innings. They lost 7 for 97 between the 7th and 20th over, adding only 21 for the loss of three wickets in the last four overs.Left-arm seamer Obed McCoy was the standout performer at the death. After his first over cost 10 runs in the Powerplay, he conceded only 15 runs in his next three and claimed the wickets of David Miller, caught at deep midwicket, Linde, lbw on review, and Heinrich Klaasen, holing out in the last over. Dwayne Bravo bowled the penultimate over and gave away just six runs to build on the start Sinclair had given West Indies. He opened the bowling and finished with 2 for 23 in his four overs, the most economical West Indian return and his own career-best.South African spinRelated

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Linde and Shamsi bowled six overs in tandem after the Powerplay and gave away just 23 runs between them. Importantly, they picked up three wickets in that period to put South Africa in a winning position. After the seventh and eighth overs yielded just eight runs between them, Nicholas Pooran, batting at No. 4, felt he needed to do something; he tried to hit Linde over long-on but played for turn when there wasn’t any and skied the ball to Miller on the boundary. Pooran has been dismissed in single figures in eight out of his last 10 T20 innings.In the next over, Kieron Pollard attempted a slog-sweep off a Shamsi legbreak and found a diving Hendricks at midwicket. Four balls later, Andre Russell did not get hold of a leg-side heave off Linde, whom he tried to dispatch over deep midwicket. Klaasen negotiated between staring into the sun and losing the ball in the shadows and ended up taking the catch of the match to leave West Indies 70 for 4.How’s that?We all know the old trick when the fielding side appeal for caught behind when the ball has drifted down the leg side to avoid having the umpire call wide, don’t we? Well, South Africa did that at the start of the 17th over when Allen missed a pull off Anrich Nortje, which was called wide. For once, it worked: de Kock convinced Bavuma to review but a working Ultra-Edge showed no contact between bat, or glove, and ball – though the wide was reversed, with the ball flicking the thigh pad.In the event, the next ball brought a wicket: Allen drove Nortje to Bavuma at extra-cover, whose quick pick-up and release back to Nortje allowed him to catch Holder short of his crease coming back for two, all but ending West Indies’ chances of a successful chase. Allen hit the expensive Lungi Ngidi for three sixes in the final over, but by then the game was lost.

Bowler has suffered a fractured left thumb in the Indians’ warm-up match against County Select XI

Nikhil Sharma21-Jul-2021Avesh Khan’s tour of England is likely to have come to an end as ESPNcricinfo has learned that the Madhya Pradesh fast bowler has suffered a fracture in his left thumb, which he hurt on the first day of the warm-up match between the Indians and the County Select XI at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday. It is understood that Khan will undergo a couple of scans and tests this week, after which he will return to India to recover in time for the IPL where he represents the Delhi Capitals. Khan was a key part of the Capitals in the first half of IPL 2021, picking up 14 wickets, the joint second-highest in the competition so far.Related

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Khan was representing the County Select XI, and immediately after lunch on Tuesday, he successfully intercepted a punched drive from Hanuma Vihari, but winced in pain. Minutes later he walked off, alongside the Indian physiotherapist, with a strapped left thumb.The Indians ended the first day’s play on 306 for 9, with KL Rahul having cracked a century (101), and Ravindra Jadeja making 75.On Wednesday, the BCCI’s media team sent an update on Khan, saying he would “not be taking any further part” in the warm-up match and that he “remains under observation”. Khan and Washington Sundar had both been permitted by the Indian team management to turn up for the County Select XI, which had two vacant slots since the pair of James Bracey and Zak Chappell were not available. Bracey had been identified as contact of a Covid-19 positive case and had to be pulled out of the squad, while Chappell suffered an injury on Tuesday morning.Khan had been named as one of the five reserves by the Indian selectors in the 25-man squad which was announced in May. He becomes the second player, after Shubman Gill, to be ruled out of the series. The details of Gill’s injury have not yet been put out by the BCCI, but it is learned that the opening batter had been hampered by a niggle in the lower half of his left leg, which surfaced post the World Test Championship final in June.Virat Kohli bats in the netsA day after the BCCI said that Virat Kohli was being rested for the three-day warm-up match due to a stiff back, the Indian captain turned up to bat in the nets. At lunch on Day 2 in Durham, Kohli took throwdowns from Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour, with India head coach Ravi Shastri observing from a distance. The development is a welcome one for the Indians, who also are concerned by the fitness of vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, who has a swollen hamstring. Also part of the nets was India’s seniormost fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who has bounced back from the hand injury he picked on the final day of the World Test Championshp final. Sharma had received stitches on his bowling hand.

Hamish Rutherford warmed-up for the Test series next week with an aggressive hundred against England Lions as the second-string bowlers failed to impress at Grace Road

Andrew McGlashan at Grace Road09-May-2013
ScorecardHamish Rutherford’s innings was studded with off-side drives•Getty Images

Hamish Rutherford warmed-up for the Test series next week with an aggressive hundred against England Lions as the second-string bowlers failed to impress at Grace Road before rain wiped out half the overs.Although New Zealand won against Derbyshire, their top order did not cover themselves in glory against what was largely a reserve county attack. The line-up facing them here is a significant step up, and an important increase in intensity ahead of the Test match, although only Graham Onions produced the consistency required on a blustery day, which appeared to impact the bowlers’ rhythmsRutherford’s innings, coming after the visitors were inserted on a green pitch that offered less than appeared likely, contained the hallmarks of his debut series in March: a strong preference for the off side, an attacking mindset, but also the propensity to offer bowlers a chance with a lack of footwork when he drives.He knows the value of warm-up runs, having made 90 in Queenstown before his Test debut where he made 171, and with his only previous cricket in the British Isles coming during two seasons in Scotland, but he also knows this is not his most important innings.”It doesn’t really matter scoring them in the warm-up games it matters in the proper games,” he said. “For me, personally, it’s nice to spend some decent time at the crease in these sort of conditions.”During this innings, the ones he flashed at did not take the edge and the ones he struck regularly came out of the middle but he was handed on life on 85 when Michael Carberry could not hold a swirling chance at deep midwicket off Simon Kerrigan, who then felt the brunt of Rutherford’s bat.His 110-ball hundred included 15 boundaries and three sixes, all straight off Kerrigan, the third of which took him to his century the ball after a similar blow had just failed to be gathered inside the boundary at long-on by Onions. After trying keep himself inside the playing area, Onions turned to the people sat behind him for confirmation of whether it was six or out: it was the New Zealand dugout who were able to confirm.”It was a gameplan,” Rutherford said, “you see the ball tossed up it’s a tough asking for any bowler into that breeze we had today although I did pitching-wedge a couple.”Rutherford continued to latch on to Kerrigan, the Lancashire left-arm spinner who was bowling into the stiff breeze, which enabled the batsmen to hit with it as Rutherford struck his fourth six moments after passing three figures. It was similar to the treatment he dished out to Monty Panesar at stages during the series in New Zealand.Also very familiar from the previous series was his strength through the off side from cover to backward point, an area fed by the Lions bowlers who gave him too many wide deliveries to pick off. Twice he took three boundaries in an over, once off Chris Woakes then again from Toby Roland-Jones who struggled bowling into the strong breeze.”We found him quite tricky to bowl at, he manufactures width pretty well which he showed throughout his innings and he’s pretty aggressive,” Roland-Jones said. “We tried to straighten up on him and restrict his boundaries and I felt as the day wore on we got better with that.”The first wicket came in the seventh over when Peter Fulton played round a full delivery from Onions which would have taken out middle as his tricky start to the tour continued. When England’s attack did not find much movement in New Zealand Fulton was able to play to his favoured leg side with less risk, but the extra nip with the Duke ball on greener pitches makes it a likely mode of dismissal for him.Onions was given an eight-over spell with the new ball and pushed his length fuller than the other frontline quicks. He could have claimed Kane Williamson for 2 but Woakes spilled a rapid chance at gully. Williamson, however, did not build on his reprieve and pulled a short ball from Roland-Jones low to midwicket.Ross Taylor’s first innings of the tour began in slightly uncertain style. Barring the hundred he made in the one-day series against England he has struggled since returning after the captaincy fall-out. He was beaten a couple of times outside off, drove close to point although after the lunch break started to look a little more at ease until, like Fulton, playing round a full delivery to be lbw.That was a second wicket for Roland-Jones, who had changed ends to have the wind behind him and struck in his first over of a spell for the second time in the day, as he clawed back his figures from the earlier punishment.”It was pretty difficult to be honest, combining into that wind with going uphill and it was about trying to do a job,” Roland-Jones said. “There’s always a job to do coming up the hill, but as a tall bloke it’s much nicer to come down the hill.”Dean Brownlie, who eased debate over his Test place with 71 against Derbyshire, survived a strong appeal for caught behind against Chris Wright before rain forced the players off for an early tea. They did not have the chance to resume.

Wicketkeeper’s spot is yet to be confirmed but he is suddenly the frontline option after Foakes’ injury

Alan Gardner at Lord's31-May-2021When England announced their 55-man return-to-training squad last summer, it’s probably fair to say James Bracey was in the outer orbit among candidates for the Test side. But Bracey, a well thought of young wicketkeeper-batter from Gloucestershire, who had impressed for England Lions on their 2019-20 tour of Australia, quickly made an impression. Twelve months on, he is on the verge of a Test debut at Lord’s.Having spent almost 20 weeks in bio-secure bubbles as England’s reserve batting option last summer and on tours of Sri Lanka and India, Bracey had been seen as vying for a spot in the top three when the squad to face New Zealand was announced earlier this month. However, with a dressing-room mishap ruling out Ben Foakes, and England’s other wicketkeeping options, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, not considered after their post-IPL quarantine, Bracey is set to take the gloves – something he admits he “didn’t really have on my radar.””I was really excited when I got the call about being in the 15,” he said. “It’s a bit different to how I have been around the group in the last year or so. I think that step up into the main squad is a big landmark. I have been taken on in each group – originally in the 55 and then it kept being cut down and now I feel like I am really close. I am really keen to get going.”When I heard about Ben it was almost a shock – I didn’t really have it on my radar to be there as a keeper. I knew that Ben was highly likely to take those gloves, and when I got that call it didn’t really sink in straight away but when I arrived in London it started to hit that it was a distinct possibility.”Bracey’s spot has yet to be confirmed, but he is suddenly the frontline option in a position where England have not been short of competition over recent years (Sam Billings, who has kept in the white-ball teams, is also with the squad as cover). Buttler is currently first choice, while Foakes has won universal plaudits for the standard of his keeping and was in line to play his first home Test after impressing in India. But given Bracey’s rapid rise, it would not be a surprise if he grabbed his chance.Related

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• 'Forensic' Robinson already planning for NZ

“While we were away this winter, all four of us were there [and] it wasn’t something I really looked at. I always knew that if I continued to work on my keeping there was always a possibility. I am really glad now that I put in that extra shift because it puts me in lot better spot now. With Jos and Jonny and Ben coming back later in the summer, it might not be mine to keep but as long as I show myself as a good keeper, it is definitely going to help me out going forward.”I’ve had a lot of times this winter when I’ve been trying to calculate how I’m getting in the team and how I’m going to get that opportunity. But the fact of the matter is a lot of the time it happens when you don’t expect it. That time hopefully has now come.”I’ve benefited from Foakesy having a freak accident and I think if I put in good performances over the next couple of games, that could see me bed into the squad moving forward. I’m looking at each game at a time and this week if I get out there it’s not only an opportunity to push myself with the gloves but really show what I can do with the bat and show that I can do different roles.”James Bracey: “I have worked really hard on my keeping ever since coming into the Lions and I feel like it is in a good place”•AFP via Getty Images

Bracey, 24, bats No. 3 with Gloucestershire and initially only kept wicket occasionally, but he has increasingly focused on that side of his game. Speaking to the last week, he credited Foakes’ example over the winter as helping him to improve his own game, and he revealed that he has continued to seek advice from the Surrey man in the build-up; Lord’s is a notoriously difficult ground to keep at, though Bracey has the advantage of having done so in a County Championship match last month.”I am gutted for him [Foakes],” Bracey said. “He’s been brilliant, I spoke to him yesterday and he is really helpful to me in terms of keeping and our different bowlers and how you can combat that and what challenges I might come up against. I know he is gutted but he has been brilliant with me over the last 48 hours.”I have worked really hard on my keeping ever since coming into the Lions and I feel like it is in a good place. I have worked hard with the other keepers on tour and the keeping coaches, I did a long catch yesterday and go again today and I feel I am in a really confident place with that and that I can perform with the gloves and the bat.”There are a couple of different factors. It will be different in terms of the pace of the pitch and the slope and sometimes you have to work with little angles but it is all stuff that the bowler and [Joe] Root and other guys have given me tips on and I am sure when it comes to Wednesday I will be in a good spot.”Bracey said that his time spent with the team over the last year made him confident he could “do a job in Test cricket in the top three”, but he is more likely to make his debut batting at No. 6 or 7. Such versatility, added to his utility behind the stumps, is only likely to aid his case when it comes to being part of the planning for England’s major Test goal this year – the winter Ashes trip to Australia.”It’s hard not to think about it but I’m trying to stay present, there are seven Test matches this summer and a lot can happen. I’m really excited about the possibility of playing two of the world’s best teams this summer and obviously an Ashes tour next winter is another goal as well. We’ll see how these first few games go and then hopefully I’ll be in a position where I can’t be ignored.”

A round-up of the Plunket Shield match played between February 7 and 10

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2013
ScorecardAfter four days of seesawing fortunes, it all came down to the last half an hour. Wellington’s Harry Boam and Ili Tugaga survived the last six overs of the day in an unbeaten eighth-wicket stand to frustrate Auckland and hold on to a draw at Basin Reserve. Wellington were given a target of 266 but with less than two sessions to bat, a win was a distant option and a draw looked most likely. But two wickets off consecutive balls by Chris Martin in the second over brought the game to life.Opener Josh Brodie scored a quick 86 to take Wellington beyond 100, but quick wickets in the middle order brought Auckland close to a win. It wasn’t to be as Boam played out 58 balls and Tugaga blocked out 11 to help Wellington to cling on.Auckland were put into bat and ended the first day on 319 for 5, with Anaru Kitchen and Colin de Grandhomme scoring big half-centuries, but Mark Gillespie brought Wellington back into the game on the second morning as Auckland lost last five wicket for 24 runs.Wellington lost their top four for 152, but Luke Ronchi scored 135 and helped the team to take an 80-run lead. Auckland didn’t have a good start to their second innings – they lost opener Michael Guptill-Bunce off the first ball – but they recovered as Gareth Hopkins scored a century and Michael Barry added 77. Auckland were bowled out on the fourth day for 345, with Mark Gillespie taking the second five-for in the match.
ScorecardAn unbeaten 75 by wicketkeeper BJ Watling and an eight-wicket match haul by the seamer Brent Arnel helped Northern Districts beat Canterbury by six wickets at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.Chasing 213 for victory, the Northern Districts batsmen achieved the target with more than a day to spare. An unbeaten 93-run partnership between Watling and James Marshall was the cornerstone of the chase, with important contributions from opener Joseph Yovich and middle-order batsman Brad Wilson.The bowlers dominated the first two days. On the opening day, Canterbury were dismissed for 172 after choosing to bat first. Arnel was the most effective bowler for Northern Districts, taking 5 for 55 in 18 overs. Opener Peter Fulton was the only batsman to offer some resistance, scoring a doughty 52 before he was bowled by Arnel.In reply, Northern Districts could only muster 108 as medium-pacers Shanan Stewart and Matt McEwan ran through the batting line-up to give Canterbury a 64-run lead. McEwan returned with a miserly five wickets for 20 runs in 12.4 overs. Canterbury didn’t improve on their performance in the second innings – only three batsmen scored in double figures as Arnel, along with medium-pacers Graeme Aldridge, Anurag Verma and Daryl Mitchell struck at regular intervals to dismiss Canterbury for 149.

Brad Hodge became the first batsman in Twenty20 cricket to reach 5,000 runs during Barisal Burners’ BPL match against Chittagong Kings in Khulna

Mohammad Isam24-Jan-2013Brad Hodge became the first batsman in
Twenty20 cricket to reach 5,000 runs when on 25 during Barisal Burners’ BPL match against Chittagong Kings in Khulna. Though he reached the milestone on a day when his side lost by 21 runs, it pleased Hodge as it was a testament of his class in this format.”I am just very happy,” Hodge told ESPNcricinfo. “I have made 10,000 plus
runs in Sheffield Shield and 5,000 in T20s, means that I have performed
well over the course of my lifetime.”Hodge achieved the milestone with a cover drive off West Indies allrounder Kevon Cooper, but stayed away from a celebration even though he was made aware of the impending record by one of the commentators.”I got told by Russell Arnold that I needed 25, but I didn’t think about it at the time,” he said.Hodge has played 171 T20 games (including eight internationals) over the past decade after making his debut on June 16, 2003, playing for Leicestershire against Yorkshire in the first-ever tournament of this format. He made 97 in that game.Overall, he averages 36.29 with an impressive strike-rate of 129.13, and has scored 34 fifties and two centuries. The Barisal Burners is Hodge’s 14th Twenty20 team in all levels including Australia and Australia A. He has played for three IPL teams while he has also turned up for Auckland, Basnahira Cricket Dundee, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Northern Districts, and his home side Victoria.His first century came against New South Wales in the 2005-06 final
when he hit 106 off just 54 balls and his
second century came against Nottinghamshire three years ago.David Hussey is a close second behind Hodge with 4,821 runs while there are three others – Chris Gayle, Brendan McCullum and Owais Shah – who have scored more than 4,000 runs in T20s.