Queensland captain Usman Khawaja, who is likely to be Australia’s No. 3 batsman in the Ashes, managed only 40 as his side was dismissed for 166 at the Gabba

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Oct-2017
ScorecardGetty Images

Queensland captain Usman Khawaja, who is likely to be Australia’s No. 3 batsman in the Ashes, managed only 40 as his side was dismissed for 166 at the Gabba. Peter Siddle, who bowled steadily in the JLT One-Day Cup, went wicketless, but Chris Tremain and Scott Boland claimed four wickets each. Queensland then hit back to reduce Victoria to 43 for 3 at stumps.After choosing to bat, Queensland had lost both openers – Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns – quickly and the slide seeped into the middle order too. Khawaja resisted briefly before legspinner Fawad Ahmed had him caught by Peter Handscomb in the 26th over. Mitchell Swepson (29) and No. 11 Luke Feldman (16) later made useful contributions to haul the score beyond 150.Debutant seamer Brendan Doggett removed Victoria’s openers in his first three overs, under lights, to give his side hope. Seamer Jack Wildermuth also struck, just before stumps, ensuring the game was left open. Glenn Maxwell and Peter Handscomb closed the day without any further damage.

West Indies captain hopes the rest of his attack allows the legspinner “liberty to express himself” once again

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo28-Oct-2017West Indies captain Jason Holder has called legspinner Devendra Bishoo “the main man” ahead of the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Bishoo’s match haul of 9 for 184 helped West Indies seal a 117-run win in the first Test, and with both games being played at the same ground conditions are once again likely to favour spin bowling.”The conditions look to be in his favour again, so hopefully we can support him and aid him in being the main man,” Holder said. “The beauty of the way he bowled is also how well the other bowlers supported him. I don’t think he would have been as successful if we’d leaked runs at the other end, so I must give credit to all three seamers too. I think we held things up nicely from the other end and gave him the freedom and liberty to express himself. He was able to come in, settle quite nicely, apply pressure and grab wickets.”After a quiet tour of England during which he took just three wickets across two Tests, Bishoo’s was a scene-stealing performance and the most recent peak since his return to West Indies’ Test squad in 2015. Since then, Bishoo has 58 wickets from 16 Tests, and could pass 100 Test scalps in the second match against Zimbabwe.”I thought he was a lot better than previously,” Holder said of Bishoo. “In the past, he’s been really hampered by his starts. I think a lot of teams have tried to get on top of him early and he hasn’t been able to really come back in to the game per se. In this series so far he’s been able to start well, keeping the batsmen honest, keeping them on the front foot and asking really good questions of them. Hopefully if he continues in that vein in this Test match, I’d expect a ten-wicket haul perhaps from Bishoo.”Bishoo came on as first change in the first innings against Zimbabwe in the first game, taking advantage of the relativeness quickness of the track to take 5 for 79. Bowlers on both sides had to work a lot harder for their wickets as the match wore on and the pitch slowed up.”As the match progressed, the wicket really slowed down, the spin was a lot slower and you had time to adjust,” Holder explained. “From the second-innings scores from both teams, you could see the pitch became a lot easier to bat on. It’s one those wickets where you’ve really got to knuckle down early on in your innings, absorb as much pressure as possible. Guys like Roston Chase, Shai Hope, Kraigg Brathwaite and Kieran Powell showed that if you absorb that pressure, you’re able to cash in.”Though some unseasonably cold weather set in before the start of the second Test, Holder expected the track being used to play much the same and to retain its dryness. “I don’t think the pitch itself will really change much. I had a look at it, yesterday and today, and it still seems really, really dry. I could expect spinners to have a big impact again.”

Ashes hopeful Glenn Maxwell (with a remarkably sedate strike rate of 39) and Victoria captain Peter Handscomb were at the crease on 20 and 5 respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2017
ScorecardAlex Doolan celebrates his double-century•Getty Images

A second first-class double-century, which Alex Doolan turned into a career-best 247 not out, helped Tasmania set Victoria a target of 453 at the MCG. The defending champions were 2 for 67 having played out 24.5 overs at stumps, with play called off early due to bad light.Tasmania declared on 2 for 424 in their second innings and Doolan was the top story in the Sheffield Shield for much of the day, barring a few moments when burnt toast stopped play at Allan Border Field. He hit 30 fours and a six in a knock that spanned nearly 400 deliveries, adding to a strange path his career has taken since the 2016-17 season: Doolan has two double-hundreds in his last 20 innings, but also 16 scores of 25 or less. Tim Paine, who recently made a comeback to the Australian team, gave Doolan company, scoring 71 not out in a partnership worth 191.In the hopes of pulling off something similar, Ashes hopeful Glenn Maxwell (with a remarkably sedate strike rate of 39) and Victoria captain Peter Handscomb were at the crease on 20 and 5 respectively.

Half-centuries from Jeet Raval and Colin de Grandhomme put New Zealand in a comfortable position at 286 for 7, but West Indies broke through to the tail late in the day to boost their chances

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Dec-2017A measured 84 from Jeet Raval, and a Colin de Grandhomme blitz bookended New Zealand’s day, but it was West Indies’ quicks who made the best of it, starting off slowly, then working themselves into a fine rhythm by stumps. The hosts are still nicely placed, at 286 for 7, with the pitch expected to get quicker on days two and three. However, in breaking through to the tail with the second new ball, West Indies have given themselves a chance in this match – which is more than what could have been said at a similar stage of the game in Wellington.It was Shannon Gabriel who, having leaked boundaries with the first new ball, inflicted important blows with the second, dismissing de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner after the pair had put on 76 for the sixth wicket.AFP

He had also claimed the wicket of Raval during West Indies’ resurgent period in the middle of the day. New Zealand had had 154 runs for the loss of just one wicket, before Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Miguel Cummins and Raymon Reifer combined to claim four wickets either side of the tea break. Where Gabriel bowled both good spells and poor ones through the course of the day, Cummins, Roach and debutant left-armer Reifer were much more consistent, delivering tight lines and muzzling New Zealand’s batsmen when they threatened to attack. Between the three of them, they claimed four wickets and conceded only 118 runs from 53 combined overs.That West Indies ended in a creditable position is testament to the attack’s fortitude, for their day had not begun well. Gabriel was driven for two boundaries by Raval in the first over, and had been guilty of pitching too full -perhaps in search of swing or seam movement, which did not eventuate. Raval was assured through that first session, pulling with authority and rotating the strike with ease, as he had Tom Latham built an opening partnership of 65. The scoring did slow down soon after lunch, however. Kane Williamson, who replaced Latham at the crease after the opener had gloved a pull shot off Cummins, was left scoreless for the first 17 balls he faced in the second session, 12 of which were delivered by Reifer. That period of tight bowling from West Indies helped produce the wickets that came later in the session – Williamson caught behind down the leg side off Cummins, before Gabriel drew an outside edge from Raval with a length ball that seamed across the batsman.When, soon after tea, Roach and Reifer also struck in quick succession to remove Ross Taylor and Henry Nicholls, New Zealand had lost four wickets for 45 runs, and were reduced to 189 for 5.It was at this stage that de Grandhomme reclaimed some ground for his side. Having taken 11 balls to make his first run, and having perhaps been dropped by the wicketkeeper off the offspin of Roston Chase for 8, de Grandhomme walloped 42 runs – including three sixes and a four off Chase – off 25 balls, to register a half-century. He used Seddon Park’s small boundaries to his advantage, as even some good deliveries were muscled to the fence. He had threatened to reassert New Zealand’s control over the match when West Indies took the second new ball, and Gabriel struck immediately. Mitchell Santner lost his off stump to a ball that pitched on leg and nipped slightly back, beating his booming drive. De Grandhomme was himself dismissed in similar fashion, though for him the ball seamed in the other direction.Tom Blundell, New Zealand’s debutant centurion from the last match, remained not out alongside Neil Wagner at stumps.Though West Indies will be pleased with the manner in which they closed out the day, there will be some consternation about their over rate. They were three overs short of the target of 90, even though the extra half-hour was used. That regular captain Jason Holder is suspended for this match is of course down to West Indies having been too slow to complete their overs in the first Test. This time, it is stand-in captain Kraigg Brathwaite who is at risk of being penalised.

Continuity from familiar faces is the aim for Worcestershire as they seek to recover from the ousting of their director of cricket Steve Rhodes

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2018Worcestershire have sought to minimise the fallout from the departure of Steve Rhodes as director of cricket by promoting his trusted right-hand man, Kevin Sharp, to the role of head coach.Sharp steps up from a role as 2nd XI and batting coach, but he will not have the same authority as Rhodes as Worcestershire’s restructure reasserts that overall charge rests with the chief executive: Matthew Rawnsley, a businessman and former spin bowler with the county, was appointed last month.The former Worcestershire pace bowler Alan Richardson returns to the county as bowling coach – a role that he lost at neighbouring Warwickshire after their relegation in the Championship last season.Matt Mason has also been reshuffled. He now takes charge of the 2nd XI in addition to overseeing a number of outreach coaching programmes involving young player and coach development.Sharp’s appointment brings a homely conclusion to a period in which Worcestershire were linked with such exotic choices as Graeme Hick, the former England batsman, who had a prodigious career with the county but who is now settled in Australia.His appointment reflects the county’s desire for continuity as the team seeks to build on the development of a young but rapidly maturing group of English-qualified players in which Rhodes took such pride and who held him in such high regard.Rhodes was forced out after his failure immediately to report rape allegations that had been made against a 2nd XI batsman, Alex Hepburn, until after the player had been charged.Sharp’s considerable coaching experience was primarily with Yorkshire until he was part of a coaching cull carried out by the then chairman Colin Graves, now chairman of the ECB.During his time, Yorkshire unearthed a host of batsmen who went on to play for England, including Joe Root, the England Test captain, Jonny Bairstow and Adam Lyth.After a spell coaching Shropshire, Sharp joined Worcestershire in 2014.Sharp said: “I am honoured and privileged that the club think of me in this way in awarding me this position. It was unexpected but I will do all I can to help Worcestershire be successful.”Richardson took more than 250 wickets in just four years for Worcestershire and Sharp said he has much to offer as a coach.

Mushfiqur was the man who was largely blamed for Bangladesh’s loss in the World T20 in 2016, but his Colombo blitz has helped him take centre stage for good reasons

Andrew Fidel Fernando11-Mar-2018An infamous failure; now a famous chase – Mushfiqur Rahim centre-stage in both.Few defeats in Bangladesh’s history stung like the 2016 World T20 loss to India, when with two runs needed from three balls and Mushfiqur on strike, Bangladesh proceeded to lose three wickets and eventually crash out of the tournament.Mushfiqur was the man who was largely blamed for that capitulation. Having just struck a four off Hardik Pandya, he had got in the bowlers’ face and gesticulated in an exaggerated celebration instead of buckling down to get the two further runs. In contrast, he had played the innings of his life – and perhaps the best ever for Bangladeshi in a T20 – to propel his team to a target of 215. It is the fourth-highest successful chase in the format, and it came at a venue that favours bowlers more than most. Having watched Mushfiqur’s unbeaten 72 off 35 balls from the dressing room, opener Tamim Iqbal felt his team-mate had made amends for Bangalore.”The guy who made the mistake in Bangalore, he didn’t do it today,” Tamim said. “I always feel that there’s a lot to learn from a good game or a bad game. The amount of criticism Mushfiqur copped on that day, I think he should be praised the same amount now. He handled it very well today.”He didn’t have time to think. He had to go from ball one. He kept on batting, and finished the job. I think it is probably his best T20 innings.”So exhilarating was the chase, and so unexpected the result after Sri Lanka had piled on 214 for 6, that it may now only be natural for confidence to now spread in what had been a misfiring Bangladesh side. Tamim certainly hoped that would be the case. Following Thursday’s defeat against India, their captain Mahmudullah had spoken about batting “fearlessly”. Throughout the pursuit, Bangladesh’s batsmen took intelligent attacking options, and put bowlers defending a mammoth total under sustained pressure.”We might not have big power hitters but we can plan and play a Bangladeshi brand of T20 cricket,” Tamim said. “We can’t follow England or West Indies because we have different kind of players. We don’t have someone like MS Dhoni to come at No 7. We don’t have a Chris Gayle to take on the bowlers from the first ball. I think we have smart cricketers, who are different. It is not about hitting sixes and fours all the time. In the middle overs we saw that by taking a lot of singles. Boundaries will come.”This will definitely give us a lot of confidence. It is one of our best wins but I am a big believer in the fact that we haven’t conquered everything by just one win. It has given us confidence of chasing 215 runs. It is not the end, but just the start. We really needed this as a team.”Among Bangladesh’s failures against India had also been an inability to rotate the strike efficiently – an area in which Tamim felt the team had made a substantial improvement on.”We don’t have power hitters but we found boundaries and singles whenever it was required. Soumya Sarkar’s 24 may not be noticed in the scoreboard, but it was very important for us. He rotated the strike and struck boundaries in the right time. We were desperate to win today’s game, especially after what happened in our last series at home. But the format is such that you always have to come up with something new.”Bangladesh’s victory means all three sides now sit equal on two points, having secured a win apiece in the first round.

Having shown plenty of promise in all three of his international appearances so far, Short has declared he wants to keep the opening spot alongside David Warner

Daniel Brettig11-Feb-2018Australia’s emerging Twenty20 talent D’Arcy Short has declared he wants to keep the opening spot alongside David Warner, and the recent middle-order IPL record of the vastly more experienced Aaron Finch suggests he may well be able to do so.Short has shown plenty of promise in all three of his appearances so far, following on from an explosive Big Bash League for Hobart Hurricanes – where he set a new record for the most runs ever scored in a single edition of the tournament – that vaulted him into the team in the first place. To a degree his role has been affected by the sheer effectiveness of Australia’s bowling attack in restricting England and New Zealand to low totals, but after Saturday’s innings, Short was singled out for praise by the assistant coach Ricky Ponting for his composure – the moment captured by television cameras.”He knows so much about the game, the ins and outs of it, and he was just going through saying it was a good knock and a composed knock, especially at the start where I probably could have tried to blast my way out of it,” Short said of Ponting. “I worked through it and he was just congratulating me on that one.”Definitely [want to open], I think I’m suited there and that’s where I like to bat, and hopefully I can stay there. I didn’t know what to expect until a couple of days ago, just chatting to other guys. I think they wanted to keep me opening because I’d done so well in the Big Bash and throwing me down the order might change it a little bit. Definitely a little bit surprised considering how well he [Finch] has done at the top.””I didn’t feel like I could hit a ball, especially at the start. But I knew that if we didn’t lose wickets and I stayed in with whoever was in and scoring runs then we’d get the total easily. I had to work hard in terms of trying to get my runs early, they bowled well at the start and I had to work a little bit harder. I just tried to keep at a run a ball basically and then go from there.”Before the triangular series, the stand-in leader Warner had spoken about how the preponderance of openers in the Australian squad – Short, Finch, Chris Lynn and Alex Carey have all typically opened for their teams in addition to the captain – needed to be addressed with a measure of flexibility. The combination of Finch’s injury making room for Short and his decent record as a middle-order batsman in the IPL seems to have made up Warner’s mind.Finch has played 36 of his 208 T20 matches as a middle-order batsman, most recently doing the job for Gujarat Lions in the IPL in 17 matches over the past two editions of the tournament. During that time he has made 448 runs at 32 with a strike rate of 150.33, as against career figures of 34.26 and 139.02, and on Saturday night put an explanation mark on Australia’s victory with a pair of mighty sixes after coming in at the fall of the third wicket.At the same time, the team hierarchy will also have reasoned that Short is better off starting against speed than spin, given a wide disparity in his strike rates when given pace on the ball to work with. While agreeing it was something he needed to work on, Short said he was tired of hearing about it – a pair of clean hits worth four and six from Liam Dawson’s second over during the MCG chase were a move in the right direction at any rate.”I went at [Liam] Dawson because I had a look at his first over and felt like I could take him down in the second over and it worked in my favour in the end,” Short said. “I go at a run a ball against spin, I don’t see what the problem is there. I’ll obviously keep trying to work on it and to get my strike rate up against them a bit more would be good, but I’m happy with where it’s at at the moment. A little bit [sick of it] but I can’t do anything about it, that’s people’s opinion.”I think it’s just about keeping your game plan simple and knowing how you’re going to go about the game. Working on things you need to work on and different areas you want to hit the ball, but I think if you’ve got your game plan set and if you go out with your mindset to do that, then I think you should be right. They’re always going to try different things and you’ve got to negate that, work around it and try to work through it.”The innings was all the more noteworthy for the fact that the 27-year-old Short admitted to plenty of nerves about playing an international match at the MCG for the first time, reflecting how quickly he has risen through the ranks after taking some time to mature as a player. He has been aided by an Australian T20 collective functioning impressively under the stand-in leadership of Warner. “A year to two years ago if you asked me was I going to be here I probably would’ve said no,” Short said, “but just being consistent and working hard has got me to where I am now.”I was a bit more nervous than the first two games, just because its a big stadium at the MCG, but I tried not to think about it too much. All the players playing at the moment are playing with freedom, and I think it shows in our batting, bowling and fielding as well. You’re here to go out and do what you love and show off a little bit and see how you go – play with confidence and go from there.”One major factor in the composition of this T20 side has been the looming Test tour of South Africa, for which the likes of Steven Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have been saved. Short expressed hope that the current group could be kept together for future assignments, but also acknowledged the scheduling issues facing the selectors.”If we win this tri-series and go through, if we can try and keep it together, that’d be good,” Short said. “I suppose you always put your best team out, and whether we all fit in the best team, that’s up to the selectors. I think it definitely gives you the opportunity to showcase your skills in front of other people on the international stage and you always try to take it with both hands.”

The India quick was picked as the Pakistan duo of Mohammad Abbas and Sohail Abbas are unavailable due to international commitments and an injury, respectively

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2018India fast bowler Varun Aaron will use the coming summer to play county cricket for Leicestershire after he went unsold in the IPL auction earlier this year. Aaron will represent Leicestershire in place of Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas, who will have international commitments as Pakistan tour Ireland, England and Scotland in the early part of the season.Abbas will be available for Leicestershire’s opening Championship Division Two fixture against Sussex on April 20 before Aaron takes over in the first-class and 50-over format until Abbas’ return for the match against Middlesex on June 20.”I am relishing the opportunity to join the Foxes for the first part of the season,” Aaron said. “Playing county cricket presents me with a great opportunity to showcase my skills. I’m looking forward to taking wickets and contributing to the success of the team.”Leicestershire had signed the Pakistan duo of Abbas and Sohail Khan together in January, but a recent recurrence of Sohail’s back injury meant Leicestershire had to sign a replacement.”Varun is a high-quality performer and his skills will be ideally suited to early season conditions in England,” Leicestershire head coach Paul Nixon said. “We are delighted to secure his signature for both Specsavers County Championship games and fixtures in the Royal London One-Day Cup.”We are getting a genuinely quick bowler in Varun, who has played a number of games for India and also enjoyed a fine domestic career. Varun is very keen to do well for us and get back in the India team again and we’re really looking forward to him linking up with us.”Aaron last played international cricket when South Africa toured India in late 2015. He has since gone out of favour as India’s pace attack has surged with the likes of Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav in Tests, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in the shorter formats.In 2014, after appearing in two Tests on India’s tour of England, he signed for a brief spell with Durham.Aaron is likely to be the fourth Indian player to feature in the county circuit this season after Cheteshwar Pujara (Yorkshire), Ishant (Sussex) and Virat Kohli (team not confirmed yet). While Pujara and Ishant also went unsold at the IPL auction in January, Kohli’s county stint is to prepare for the five Tests in England in August.

The allrounder is expected to play the final two County Championship matches of the season as a replacement for Travis Head

George Dobell11-May-2018R Ashwin is expected to return as an overseas player for the latter stages of Worcestershire’s County Championship campaign.Ashwin, who enjoyed a successful spell at the club in 2017, is expected to replace Travis Head as the club’s overseas player for the final two Championship matches of the 2018 season: Essex away and Yorkshire at home.He played four Championship games for the club in 2017, claiming 20 wickets at an average of 29.15 as well as averaging 42.50 with the bat. Worcestershire won all four games to ensure both the Division Two title and promotion. A similar spell this year could be enough to steer Worcestershire, who have lost three of their first four games in Division One, away from relegation.While it is understood no contract has yet been signed and any deal is dependent upon BCCI clearance, it seems the Indian board’s attitude to allowing their players to appear in foreign domestic competitions has relaxed substantially in recent times. Ishant Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara and Varun Aaron have appeared during the opening weeks of the county season while Virat Kohli will join Surrey in June.

Suranga Lakmal moved the ball skillfully in the morning, and Lahiru Kumara bowled aggressively all day, but a 90-run sixth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich ensured the hosts emerged from day one with some credit

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jun-2018Stumps AFP

Suranga Lakmal moved the ball skillfully in the morning, and Lahiru Kumara bowled aggressively all day, but a 90-run sixth-wicket stand between Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich ensured the hosts emerged from day one with some credit. They are 246 for 6, at stumps, having progressed cautiously through the afternoon and evening sessions. That the most reticent batsmen finished as the day’s top scorer is fitting – Dowrich’s 46 not out has come off 133 deliveries. With him at the crease at the end of day was Devendra Bishoo, who was scoreless off 32 balls.Sri Lanka’s bowlers were largely disciplined even through the wicketless spells, and despite the Trinidad heat, but the team may have another problem. Having finished six overs short of their quota for the day, captain Dinesh Chandimal is now at risk of ICC censure. This, despite having two specialist spinners in the XI. Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath delivered 32 overs between them.On what was at times a slow-moving Test match day, Kumara produced the most excitement. He was erratic right through, often firing balls way outside off, or down the leg side. But as he regularly breached the 140 kph mark, he could also be dangerous on the occasions he was on target. His first wicket, near the end of the morning session, was that of Kieran Powell, who had his leg-stump uprooted by a swinging delivery that took a ricochet into the stumps. Later, in the afternoon, Shai Hope was caught gloving a ball down the leg side. His final victim was Holder, who attempting to flay a full, wide delivery through the offside, managed only to get an edge to the keeper – a fact that was only revealed after Sri Lanka had asked for a review. Easily the least disciplined of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, Kumara ended the day with 3 for 57 off 18 overs.Although the pitch appeared to be good for batting after lunch, only Hope truly seemed at ease at the crease. Having arrived with the score at 40 for 2 in the 12th over, Hope batted positively. The pull shot was a favoured stroke of his during the innings, as he routinely rocked back to nail short balls through midwicket. A few gorgeous drives, and many assured defensive strokes thrown in, he appeared set for a big score, but lost some momentum during the lunch break. Though he and Roston Chase made 54 runs together and survived for over an hour after the lunch break, they did not manage to put Sri Lanka’s bowlers under significant pressure. Eventually they were out in quick succession – Chase the batsman to concede a wicket to spin in the day, when he played back to a Herath delivery that he should have come forward to, and wound up edging the ball, for Angelo Mathews to take a sharp catch at slip.The stand between Holder and Dowrich had begun slowly, but eventually achieved some kind of rhythm. By now, conventional swing had long since disappeared, and Sri Lanka’s quicks did not seem able to generate noticeable reverse swing. The spinners turned the occasional delivery, but did not beat the bat often enough to suggest they were a threat. And so, Holder and Dowrich set about picking the gaps with risk-free strokes, as they reserved their big shots for the truly bad deliveries. Neither batsman favoured either side of the pitch; both appeared capable of scoring anywhere in the ground.Just as they threatened to turn their fighting stand into an innings-defining one, Kumara made the breakthrough, to the relief of his captain. Sri Lanka had been trying hard for that wicket – twice dropping catches in the slips through the course of the partnership. They took the second new ball at earliest opportunity, and thanks to their slow over-rate, will have a ball that’s only four overs old when they arrive on day two.