Grandson of Denis, cousin of Nick, Kent’s newest opener proves worth after years of toil

Andrew Miller09-Apr-2022Who’s the most in-form opener in England right now? It’s quite the hot topic, with the Test team in such a state of flux, but if – after a hit-and-miss tour of the Caribbean – your answer was “that bloke who plays for Kent”, then it’s just possible you zeroed in on the wrong man at the top of the order.Admittedly, it’s a matter for debate quite how the standards of Zimbabwe’s Logan Cup stack up against the top flight of the LV= County Championship. However, after climbing to the top of the Mountaineers’ batting averages with 479 runs at 79.83 this winter, Ben Compton has now transformed a career haul of 98 first-class runs into five centuries in 14 matches across formats since October, after marking his Kent debut with a serene knock of 129.”I went away this winter and it did a lot for my cricket,” Compton said. “I played in Zimbabwe and both the cricketing experience and the life experience, being in a different part of the world, was good for me and stood me in good stead for this first game. I’m very thrilled to get that score. Just purely and simply to spend time in the middle at this time of the year is what it’s all about for me. It’s nice to put in practice the things I’d worked hard in the winter over.”Of course, he was hardly alone in cashing in on a thoroughly benign Chelmsford wicket. Essex had racked up three centuries of their own in making an imposing 514, and with the close of play fast approaching, Jordan Cox took that tally to five by sprinting through for the second of his own young career – a less startling knock than his 238 not out at Canterbury as a 19-year-old two seasons ago, but thoroughly matching his team’s disciplined requirements all the same.Even without the hamstrung Joe Denly, who seems unlikely to feature again after pulling up sharply in the field, Kent have scarcely blinked in the face of Essex’s total. Their close-of-play 405 for 5 – a deficit of 109 – was further bolstered by a pair of eye-catching fifties from Tawanda Muyeye and Darren Stevens, although their looks to the heavens after falling when well set spoke volumes about where this particular contest is heading.Despite a considerable amount of huff and puff from Essex’s quicks, for whom Sam Cook was once again the pick with 2 for 56, the true bowling honours belonged the limbs-akimbo twirlers of Dan Lawrence – who now answers to the nickname of the “Essex Murali” after his exploits on similarly unforgiving decks in the Caribbean – and most particularly, Matt Critchley – the “Chorley Chandresekhar”, perhaps? – who was far from flattered by figures of 2 for 69 in 28 overs of skilful, if still-raw, legspin.He was thrown the ball for the first time in his Essex career midway through the morning session, and offered an above-the-eyeline threat from the outset, although there was plenty guile on show too, in particular a brace of googlies to deliver two prised-out lbws and cap a truly excellent club debut. With Simon Harmer still to return from international duty, there’s reason to believe a pitch of this nature could yet play to the hosts’ strengths in the months to come.For now, however, it offered the sort of rewards that truly come to those who wait. For a man with such an evocative surname (and “yes, he most certainly is,” is the answer to the question on everyone’s lips…), Compton has had to take an incredibly scenic route to even this most precarious of opportunities – one that he would still be waiting for, had Kent themselves not chosen to rest Zak Crawley from this opening game, despite the ECB giving their blessing for him to play.Unlike his cousin Nick – whose talents were talked up from his Harrow schooldays, and who was arguably the right man at the wrong moment in his brief England dalliance – Ben, now 28, has spent his past decade scrapping for recognition at a variety of Premier League clubs in Surrey, Nottinghamshire and, most notably, Richmond in Middlesex, for whom he topped the runs and averages for three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2018.In terms of the next step up, however, that has been harder graft for Compton. In 2019, Kent took a punt on his talents and gave him a second-team chance, which he duly seized with five centuries in the season, including one on debut against MCC Young Cricketers – a team for whom he had played one game, on the Denis Compton Oval no less, as a 21-year-old in 2015. But when he went out on loan to Notts later that season, all he could muster was a top score of 20 in five Championship appearances, either side of the Covid outbreak, in addition to a one-off half-century in the Royal London Cup.”I joined Notts at the back end of 2019, when Haseeb Hameed had joined that autumn too,” Compton recalled. “So perhaps the opportunities I had were a bit more like batting for your life. Sometimes it’s really difficult to relax and actually play your best cricket in that scenario. I certainly got better as a player, and I’m in good relationships with everyone there. But I’ve learned a lot of things from that and it’s only benefited me I think. But it’s funny how things have come full circle.”Sam Cook runs in to bowl versus Kent•Andrew Miller

For the club that first came calling clearly saw something they liked, and at the first time of asking, he delivered with the same tenacity that had kept him clinging for so long to the fringes of professional recognition.For more than six hours, including a feisty final session of the second day, Compton marshalled Kent’s unwavering innings, picking off 19 fours from 289 balls with scarcely an error but for the moment, on 98, when he slashed loosely at a wide one from Critchley and – as the ball bobbled past slip to third man – found himself acknowledging a hard-earned milestone a touch more sheepishly than he had perhaps pictured in his dreams.”It’s been tough,” he acknowledged, recalling a journey that began when he moved from South Africa as an 18-year-old, with the intention of taking the club game by storm while studying for a politics and history degree, and demanding a career through sheer weight of runs. “But it was slow going and never really happened. And I had to work very hard to try and get an opportunity, and Kent actually did that for me. It’s a long road and there will be ups and downs over the summer. But I’m thrilled and it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”Following his exploits on Twitter, Ben’s cousin Nick wrote: “I can’t tell you how proud I am of this young man. The perseverance and belief to keep going through years of club cricket. Amazing what happens when a supportive club with good people get behind someone!”With a ten-year age gap, Ben acknowledged that, while the truest legacy of the Compton name resides in his grandfather, it was his cousin – who broke into the England team in 2013, just as he was cutting his teeth as an 18-year-old at Wimbledon in the Surrey League – who provided inspiration.”I think the generational gap is quite an interesting one,” he said. “I think Nick looked more to emulate Denis than I did. Denis passed away when I was about four, so I kind of missed that. But obviously, I’ve always looked up to Nick and what he’s done in the game in England, and so that’s a more closely related thing for me. If I can achieve some of the things Nicholas did, then I’d be very chuffed with that.”And despite his South African heritage, Compton – like his cousin – confirmed he is an England-qualified batter. “I’ll put you to sleep if I’m doing my job,” he said. As a trio of openers have set out to prove in this contest, there’s still just about a place for that in the modern game.

West Indies allrounder will fill in for Shadab Khan, who is on international duty with Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2022Yorkshire have brought in West Indies allrounder Dominic Drakes as a short-term replacement for Shadab Khan for four Vitality Blast games.Drakes, who was an unused member of Gujarat Titans’ title-winning squad at the IPL, is set to make his debut on Friday night against Durham at Headingley, with Shadab returning to Pakistan for their ODI series against West Indies.”We are delighted to welcome Dominic to Yorkshire for the next four T20 games and we may also look at playing him in the Championship game against Hampshire,” Darren Gough, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said.”He’s a very talented young player having just arrived from the IPL where he was part of the winning Gujarat Titans squad. As a left-arm bowler and a destructive left-handed batter he offers another great option for our squad.”Shadab’s team-mate Haris Rauf will also leave the club after Tuesday night’s game against Derbyshire for the same series. Yorkshire announced last month that Finn Allen, the New Zealand top-order batter, will replace him.While Shadab is due to return to Leeds after that series, Haris is not expected to return. “Haris has made a huge impact for the club during his time with us,” Gough said. “His talent is clear to see and I’m sure he has the skills required to forge a brilliant career in Test match cricket, to go alongside his well-established exploits in white-ball cricket.”Yorkshire have started the Blast season with a win, a tie and a shock defeat at home to Leicestershire and have been hit hard by England call-ups. Joe Root and Harry Brook are on Test duty, while Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid and David Willey will all miss games for the ODI series against the Netherlands in mid-June.

Allrounder among five England squad players poised for Test debut against South Africa

Valkerie Baynes21-Jun-2022Lisa Keightley has challenged Emma Lamb to show England “what she’s got” by putting her in the frame to open alongside Tammy Beaumont in next week’s one-off women’s Test against South Africa.Keightley, the England Women’s head coach, included allrounder Lamb in a 13-strong squad announced for the Test, starting next Monday in Taunton.Related

• Arlott stunned into silence by news of England selection

• Shrubsole retires from international cricket

• Shrubsole gives up trying to catch up, but will always be at the head of the pack

• Brunt announces Test retirement

• Five new faces as England Women begin new era of Test cricket

“Emma’s really exciting, she’s a young player who has been in and around the system,” Keightley said. “I just think it’s her time and her chance to show us what she’s got.”She also offers spin and she’s great in the field so she gives us three facets, which is always good in a Test match. It’s pretty obvious that she’s going to potentially debut, we’ll prep her as best we can. She’s got really good performances in regional cricket and now it’s just moving up into the internationals and stamp her case on moving forward on why she should be an opener.”Lamb made her international debut during the 2021 English summer, playing her only T20I against New Zealand in September before making two ODI appearances, during this year’s Ashes and World Cup.With Lauren Winfield-Hill overlooked for the Test squad after suffering a dip in form and instead named in a 16-player England Women’s A squad for a three-day fixture against South Africa at Arundel from Tuesday, Lamb looks most likely to partner Tammy Beaumont at the top of the order, having filled that role once during the Ashes.Danni Wyatt, who has also opened with Beaumont in white-ball formats, has never played a Test and was also named in the A squad, which will be captained by Georgia Elwiss with John Stanworth as head coach.Lamb is among five players poised to make their Test debuts after being named in the squad alongside fellow allrounder Alice Davidson-Richards and seam bowlers Lauren Bell, Emily Arlott and Freya Davies.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lamb has enjoyed a strong season for Thunder in this year’s Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition with two fifties and a score of 42 from six innings. She also took four wickets with her offbreaks at 19.75, with an economy rate of 5.26.Davies has played seven ODIs and 17 T20Is and was part of England’s Ashes and World Cup campaigns earlier this year, while the uncapped Arlott and Bell have been on the fringes of selection for the past year.All three are now in prime position to fill the void left by veteran seamers Anya Shrubsole, who retired from international cricket after England finished runners-up at the World Cup, and Katherine Brunt, who turns 37 on July 2 and last week announced she had played her last Test.”It’s over 10 years of those two having the ball and doing what they do,” Keightley said of Shrubsole and Brunt. “Throughout that journey, they’ve both had their ups and downs in form. Generally they’re very consistent and you know what you’re going to get.”We don’t know what we’re going to get but that brings excitement, new opportunities. It’s an end of an era and we need to create a new one and see which players are going to stick their hand up and lead the way with the ball. Our hand’s been forced and we’ll wait and see how it goes.”Davidson-Richards returns to the England set-up for the first time since 2018, when she played one ODI and five T20Is. She was part of the England A side which featured in a series against Australia A concurrent with the Ashes, scoring 72 in a 50-over game, and she also offers a seam-bowling option.”I think it shows the strength and the importance of regional cricket in the domestic structure and her being able to train full-time,” Keightley said. “Batting-wise she’s improved her skill, last year in 50-over cricket she just missed out on a hundred and got 99. With the ball, she’s got better-skilled, and I think she’s found what sort of bowler she wants to be.

Eng vs SA fixtures

• Test – June 27-30, Taunton

• 1st ODI – July 11, Northampton

• 2nd ODI – July 15, Bristol

• 3rd ODI – July 18, Leicester

• 1st T20I – July 21, Chelmsford

• 2nd T20I – July 23, Worcester

• 3rd T20I – July 25, Derby

“She gives an option of a batting allrounder, and we haven’t got too many of those from a seam perspective. We’ve got a number of options from a spin perspective, but as a seamer Alice has put her hand up for us to have a look at, and as a person I think she’s grown over the last four years. She’s loving cricket, she’s loving being a professional cricketer, and you can see that in her performances.”Issy Wong, the 20-year-old fast bowler with genuine express pace, has travelled with England squads for the past two years as part of her ongoing development. Keightley said Wong was under serious consideration to make her long-awaited international debut this summer, albeit in the white-ball formats and with a view to carefully managing her workload.”Issy Wong is extremely exciting; she’s quick and is the quickest in England,” Keightley said. “Managing her through the summer and getting the best out of Issy is probably not playing this format [Tests]. She’s in and around because of how exciting she is and the pace that she offers.”Hopefully for Issy, if she continues to bowl well and make net sessions extremely hard for batters, she’s got a good chance of playing in the summer.”South Africa will be playing their first Test in seven years while the upcoming match will be England’s third in just over a year, having drawn with both India last June and Australia in January. The Test kicks off their multi-format series, which also includes three ODIs and three T20Is in July with four points up for grabs for winning the Test and two points for each of the limited-overs games.

Dinesh Chandimal edged behind when he was 30 but Pat Cummins couldn’t go upstairs

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jul-202244.1 Cummins to Karunaratne
An appeal for a catch down leg side! Given not out and Australia review! From around the wicket, this was short into the ribs, Karunaratne fended awkwardly taking his hand off the bat but he missed it as it went through to Carey. Not out remains. Australia burn a review77.5 Lyon to Mathews
An lbw appeal given not out. Australia review. This looked outside the line live but it’s close. He tried to reverse sweep but missed it. No, there is a little spike on the RTS and the third umpire says it’s bat. So it’s given not out. Australia lose the review79.1 Lyon to Chandimal
An appeal for bat pad given not out. Head threw it up in the air thinking it was out and Chandimal runs for a single. Australia review. It’s their last one. He skipped down with bat behind pad and never hit it as it came off pad to Head at silly mid off. The ball hit him outside the line too. Australia lose all three reviews and give up a leg bye89.5 Lyon to Angelo Mathews
Another appeal for lbw. Again used his feet. Just hit pad first, was quite some way down the pitch. Replay shows it was three reds92.5 Starc to Chandimal
Massive appeal for caught behind! The Australians are pleading. Starc forgets there’s no reviews left. Was short outside off, Chandimal had a waft at it. Will need to see Ultra Edge. And there’s a spike

Watson, who said he put too much pressure on himself as a player, believes Green has been handled very well

Alex Malcolm08-Jul-2022Very few players have experienced the burden of expectation that Cameron Green currently has on his broad shoulders, but former Australia allrounder Shane Watson has carried that load, and he is full of praise for how Green is maturing at such a rapid rate in Test match cricket at the age of just 23.Watson watched Green’s match-winning innings in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle and was awestruck by how well he adjusted his game to suit the extreme spinning conditions he faced.”He’s incredible,” Watson said, speaking at an event to mark 100 days until the men’s T20 World Cup. “He’s incredibly skillful and to see how he’s continued to upskill so quickly.”He’s got such a deep understanding of his game obviously. For him to be able to make the adjustments, little adjustments like he has to be able to just find his feet so quickly. That innings last week in the last Test match was something very special.Related

• Green stars as Australia build strong lead on truncated day

• Cummins lauds 'brave' Australia for facing challenge head on

• How Green's meticulous foresight helped reach the zone of proximal development

“For someone to have such control over just changing his game plan, changing his game to be able to be very effective in extreme conditions. It’s special to be able to watch someone like him.”Watson, like Green, entered international cricket at 20 after dominating domestic cricket for two seasons. But he was blooded in ODI cricket playing 27 matches over a three-year period before finally breaking into the Test side in 2005. It took another four years before he became a mainstay in Australia’s Test side due to a multitude of injuries.Speaking after the first Test, Green referenced Watson’s record: “I had plenty of allrounders when I looked up to when younger,” he said. “There are not many allrounders who bat at No.3 and bowl as many overs as [Shane Watson] did. He has incredible stats.”Cameron Green played the defining innings of the first Test against Sri Lanka•Getty Images

Green has not suffered a back injury since he started his Test career although there was a minor scare post the Pakistan series that saw him unavailable to bowl for the first two ODIs in Sri Lanka. But Watson has been impressed with how he has been handled by the Australian team.”They’re managing him very well already,” Watson said. “They’re looking after him when he has a few niggles or he’s got a little injury, which is a great thing to be able to continue to look after him. He’s a good enough batter alone to be able to play in the Aussie team just as a batter because he’s so highly skilled, but if they just continue to look after his bowling as they have already then that’s going to play a big part in his longevity.”Watson believes Green is well placed to handle the expectations that are already building around him. Watson said the pressure he put on himself to succeed was heavier than anything external, but he urged people to remain patient with Green.”I wanted to be the best allrounder that I possibly could be the best allrounder Australia had, and I probably let that be known as well when I should just kept that internal,” Watson said with a laugh. “So that’s a life lesson learned. But that was the expectation that I had on myself and when you put that much expectation on yourself, it’s hard to be able to chase it all the time.”It was a good learning experience for me and it seems like things are different with Cameron Green at the moment. People are just being more patient with him and letting him do his thing and he’s shown very quickly how good he is.”Watson, one of Australia’s best ever limited-overs players, believes Green has the capabilities to feature in all three formats despite his limited exposure to T20 cricket in particular. Green has played just one T20I and only 14 T20s in total, but Watson said he has the skills to succeed.”Seeing him in the Test matches and a little bit in one-day cricket but he’s got all the tools to be an incredible T20 player as well,” Watson said. “As a top-order batting allrounder, he’s someone who’s going to be exciting to watch.”

With the UAE and South Africa leagues making big-ticket signings, and the BBL very much on the horizon, the BPL has to find a way to remain relevant

Mohammad Isam14-Aug-2022The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is lagging behind in the race to sign overseas T20 stars for the January-February window. The BPL has a window from January 6 to February 15, the dates clashing with the UAE’s ILT20, South Africa’s yet-to-be-named T20 league and the Australian BBL. The BBL’s draft for overseas players is scheduled for August 28. The UAE and South Africa leagues have been in the news practically every day, for the big-ticket players the franchises are signing on. There has been no buzz around the BPL.The BCB has set August 31 as the deadline for potential franchise owners’ “expression of Interest” (EOI). Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB chief executive, had earlier said that the board was hoping most of the previous franchise owners would return, with the BPL providing three-year contracts for them. Earlier, the franchise contracts were for just a year.Related

• ILT20 to move to December-January window for 2025-26 season

• Bangladesh's Below-Par League needs an overhaul, and quick

• Shakib makes scathing criticism of BPL: 'Huge failure of marketing'

• Shakib isn't thinking about winning Asia Cup, just wants 'the improvement graph going up'

• CSA T20 League: Nortje, Pretorius signed by Pretoria Capitals

“We will try to finalise everything soon, so that the owners can start their preparation,” Chowdhury had said. “They will be in a better position since it is for three years. Franchise owners usually want everything to be organised, so this time it will be quite good since we are giving the teams a longer period.”The BCB is also hoping that the BPL will not be without its share of overseas names, while all Bangladeshi cricketers would be expected to participate.”We have to keep in mind that the member countries are looking for a window to hold domestic T20 leagues. There’s going to be conflict (in scheduling) if other members’ windows fall at the same time. Everyone is going to suffer, not just us,” Chowdhury said. “Two or three of our most important players will be playing in our domestic league. I don’t want to mention any names but those who usually play overseas will be missed in those leagues. But we are expecting foreign players to play in our league.”There’s the matter of the NOC [no-objection certificate]. There is also an understanding among member countries. Everyone abides by this rule. I don’t personally think anyone will play anything other than their own competition.”There is bound to be a demand for established stars, but the franchise owners, whoever they are, will be in a race against time.Among the ILT20’s signings are Dwayne Bravo and Andre Fletcher, respectively the second-highest wicket-taker and the second-highest run-getter in the last edition of the BPL. Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali and Sunil Narine, who formed the core of the Comilla Victorians side that won the title the last time, are all unavailable. Du Plessis will play for the CSK-owned franchise in South Africa, while the ILT20 has announced the names of Moeen and Narine. Andre Russell, who played for Minister Group Dhaka, is also on the ILT20’s list of signings, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who represented Fortune Barishal, will be playing in South Africa.The top local players will, in all likelihood, play the BPL, but will there be enough overseas stars?•AFP/Getty Images

Then there is the BBL. It is scheduled to start on December 13 and run till February 4, and has named 170 cricketers already, including Rashid Khan, Alex Hales, du Plessis, Rilee Rossouw and Bravo. But the ILT20 has been the most proactive with its signings. The South African league hasn’t been too far behind either.For the BPL, if the EOI list is revealed on August 31, and roughly another month is required to get through the official procedures for the franchises to sign up, the players’ draft or auction can’t be held till October. With several T20 leagues running at the same time, and player demand being at an unprecedented high, the BPL would have benefitted from having a more settled appearance about it.Historically, the BPL franchises have been known to pay well, but there is another niggle. As several player agents told us, because of the laws of the land in Bangladesh, the players end up paying higher taxes than they do elsewhere. It might sound like a trifle, but the lack of nightlife options in most cities in Bangladesh is something that has bothered overseas players in the past.So what does the BPL do? If the big stars don’t come, the tournament will lose its sheen. The ILT20 and the South African leagues have appeared as gamechangers, and with the windows almost set in stone for the next few years, the BPL will have to up its game, somehow, to remain relevant.

Head coach travelled across after returning negative Covid-19 test; VVS Laxman expected to return to Bengaluru

Shashank Kishore28-Aug-20221:01

India hit the nets ahead of marquee Pakistan clash

Head coach Rahul Dravid has joined India’s Asia Cup tour party in Dubai after returning a negative result for Covid-19. He will take over the reins of the team from VVS Laxman, who had stepped in to oversee the preparatory phase of India’s campaign in Dravid’s absence.Dravid will be in the Indian dugout on Sunday when their play their Asia Cup opener against Pakistan in Dubai, while National Cricket Academy director Laxman is expected to leave for Bengaluru, where he will link up with the India A squad that is training for their series of three four-day matches against New Zealand A, starting September 1.Related

• Favourite India vs Pakistan moment

• The lovey-dovey rivalry between India and Pakistan

Laxman had travelled to Dubai from Harare, where he was the coach of an under-strength Indian side led by KL Rahul, as Dravid took a break. India beat Zimbabwe 3-0 then. He was earlier also part of the coaching set-up for the short tour of Ireland and the first T20I in England, when the red-ball squad was preparing for the final Test against England at Edgbaston. Laxman was scheduled to return to India following the Zimbabwe tour but was asked to take charge after Dravid “experienced mild Covid symptoms” last week.The Indian players assembled in Dubai on August 23 and began training a day later. They held three days of rigorous training, with emphasis on skills, before having an optional session on Saturday, the eve of their game against Pakistan.India will also play Hong Kong in the group phase, with the top-two teams from the two groups securing entry into the Super Fours stage, where each team will play the others three sides. After the Asia Cup, India will play Australia and South Africa at home before their T20 World Cup opener, also against Pakistan, on October 23.

How Ponting inspired Raza to put up a match-winning performance against Pakistan

Firdose Moonda27-Oct-20223:20

Mumtaz: Raza has come on leaps and bounds after his illness

Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza has credited Ricky Ponting for giving him the “little push” he needed to put in another match-winning performance at the T20 World Cup.After Zimbabwe stunned Pakistan by one run for their third win of the tournament, Raza revealed that when he struggled to sleep in the early hours of the day of the match against Pakistan, it was Ponting’s clip, which referred to greats of the game like Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne when discussing Raza’s form, that calmed him.”I know there was a small clip that was sent to me this morning and it was Ricky Ponting having a small word,” Raza told the broadcasters immediately after Zimbabwe’s win. “I was excited. I was nervous. I was thrilled about today. Motivation was always there, but if I needed that little push, I thought that clip did a wonder this morning. So thank you very much to Ricky as well.”..some of my friends and family members messaged and they said they had a kind of tear in the eye,” Raza said at the press conference after the match. “For me, I had goosebumps, one of the greats of this game talking about Zimbabwe and in particular me.”Not that I needed an extra kick, but if I needed that, that clip did the job for me. I wanted to stay calm, but at the same time be pumped up for this game.”In a glowing assessment of Raza’s year, in which he has won more Player-of-the-Match awards than anyone else – seven – Ponting praised the way Raza has embraced a senior role in the side and how he has been willing to face challenges head on.”In the T20 game, because it’s such a moment-based game where it comes down to the result of one particular ball, the older, more experienced guys have a better way of thinking their way through situations, knowing exactly what’s required here and now and then going and doing it,” Ponting said in a clip released by the ICC. “I said about Sikandar Raza at the start – the maturity side, he just seems to know exactly what to do, when to do it and he has been good enough to get it done.”All the best players in the game that I’ve known, and across other sports as well, is when those big pressure moments come, that’s what they want. You know Shane Warne was a great example of that, Glenn McGrath was a great example of that. Those players, they want that big moment, they want that stage and when they get there, they’re not going to let it slip. They are gonna make the most of it and make sure they get the job done. And that’s what’s Sikandar has done so beautifully.”Raza has starred with both bat and ball for Zimbabwe in this T20 World Cup. After scoring 82 against Ireland in Zimbabwe’s opener in the first round, he picked up 3 for 19 against West Indies, followed by 40 runs and 1 for 20 against Scotland. Following his 3 for 25 against Pakistan, Raza said it was the best win he has ever been part of.”I think since I’ve been part of Zimbabwe cricket, I would rate that the best victory we’ve had because there’s no better stage,” he said. “This is the World Cup, the biggest stage of all.”To beat Pakistan by one run…the modest total. You’re going to have to do everything right to defend that, which we did. I think for me that’s probably the best victory I’ve been part of with Zimbabwe.”Earlier in the tournament, Raza explained that he had to figure out a new way of bowling after surgery to remove a benign tumour from his shoulder left him unable to lift his arm but, on his return to the game, he still wanted to contribute in both disciplines. It’s that desire to keep learning that Ponting is particularly impressed by.”At the age of 33 or 34, it’s not easy to get better and improve. But he’s found a way to improve whether it be 50-overs cricket or T20 cricket, probably under the most pressure that he’s ever been under in his life as far as the player is concerned,” Ponting said. “He’s 36 years of age, but he’s playing with a more youthful exuberance. Now it looks like he’s, you know, 26 again, he’s running around in the field and enjoying himself and leading from the front.”Ponting’s praise is not the only thing Raza is going to finish the tournament with. He has already earned three watches off his captain Craig Ervine, and could add more to his name before the World Cup ends. “When we were coming to Australia, I said to my captain, ‘if you become Man of the Match, pick any watch from the catalogue and I’ll buy it for you, but if I become Man of the Match, you’re going to buy me one’,” Raza said, explaining why he demonstrated to his wrist when he was named Player of the Match on Thursday. “I was just reminding him that he now owes me three watches.”

“It’s long overdue; everyone is really buzzed about it,” SA allrounder says about the inaugural SA20 league

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2022Wayne Parnell feels a lot of questions about South Africa’s performance at the men’s T20 World Cup have “probably been left unanswered”, but the team has to move on.”It was good, personally. But, obviously, as a team, we stumbled. A lot of questions have probably been left unanswered. But you have to move on,” Parnell, who picked up five wickets in five games at an economy rate of 6.37, told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the SA20 launch. South Africa started the tournament well but were eliminated after a shock defeat to Netherlands.The focus, in terms of white-ball cricket, now shifts to the ODI World Cup next October in India, and 33-year-old Parnell feels he has it in him to make it to the next two global events, including the T20 World Cup in 2024.Related

• Kagiso Rabada hopes for Test turnaround in Australia after 'disappointing' T20 World Cup

• How will South Africa face the future?

• CSA to conduct review into SA's performance at T20 WC

• MI Cape Town vs Paarl Royals to kickstart SA20 on Jan 10

“For me, the key is enjoying cricket. There was a stage where I didn’t probably enjoy that much. It probably showed a little bit on the field,” Parnell said. “But, over the last five-six years, I have sort of really enjoyed my cricket, I have enjoyed [playing with] different teams, adding values on and off the field. So, 2023, why not? And then 2024, why not?”It’s about keeping your game simple. Obviously, I have a lot of clarity, and I am trying to focus on my role and not trying to do something else. I think that’s probably been the biggest change. And also, game time – I think, with cricket being the game of averages, you might have bad games; I trust my skills to the fullest and I have been able to showcase that, really.”Parnell was the first former Kolpak player to be recalled to the South Africa men’s national team after the system ceased to exist and has been a regular in both white-ball teams since returning to the national side in November 2021.He has also been a T20 globetrotter, playing in leagues across the world, and has also turned out regularly in the county circuit since 2017. He said that Moeen Ali [they were colleagues at Worcestershire between 2018 and 2021] and Faf du Plessis were instrumental in him becoming a better player in the last few years.Wayne Parnell fell for a duck as South Africa’s T20 World Cup collapsed in the game against Netherlands•Getty Images

“I have been lucky enough to share the dressing room with some of the best T20 players,” Parnell said. “So, [I’m] just trying to learn, learning from the next generation because they come with new ideas and they also look at the game differently. Even though I am more on the older side, I am probably trying to tap into the youngsters.”I think Moeen Ali has been the most influential. [He is a] really good cricketer, really great captain as well. And also, with the Hundred, with Faf du Plessis, same thing as well. Just really calm and clear about what you want to do and try to execute. It’s more about the process and outcome. They are very much process-driven and focussed and try to play to your strengths.”There is also South Africa’s SA20 league around the corner. Parnell, part of Pretoria Capitals, said a franchise T20 league was “long overdue” in the country.The tournament will comprise 33 matches, to be played from January 10 to February 11, with a halt between January 25 and February 1 when South Africa host England in three Super League ODIs.”Very excited. It’s long overdue. Everyone is really buzzed about it,” Parnell said. “Everyone can’t wait for the first game, obviously, it’s going to be a great Cape derby, I am also looking forward to Pretoria Capitals’ first game as well.”

Spinner replaced by Lewis Hill after declining to sign extension

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2022Callum Parkinson has been stripped of the Leicestershire captaincy after declining to commit to a contract extension.Parkinson, who took over from Colin Ackermann midway through the 2022 season, is contracted to the club until the end of next season but Leicestershire said in a statement that he “does not currently consider himself to be in a position to commit to a contract extension”.Instead, they have appointed Lewis Hill as their captain for the County Championship, after two seasons leading the 50-over team in the Royal London Cup. “Whilst disappointed with the decision, Parkinson has offered his full support to Hill and the club,” Leicestershire’s statement added.Parkinson, 26, was mentioned as a prospective England spinner after taking 50 Championship wickets at 29.04 in the 2021 season, though his returns dipped last year. He has also been a key player for Leicestershire in T20 cricket, and is the club’s all-time leading wicket-taker in the format.Claude Henderson, Leicestershire’s director of cricket, said: “Firstly, we want to congratulate Lewis on his new role. We have full belief in his abilities to lead Leicestershire to success moving forwards.”We also want to thank Callum for his duties during 2022, as well as for standing firmly behind both Lewis and the club. Although we are disappointed Callum can’t commit at this stage, the club will continue to have conversations with him to try and ensure his future lies with LCCC.”Hill said: “It’s a really proud moment for me to be selected as captain of Leicestershire. I’ve loved my two seasons skippering the 50-over side, so I’m really excited for the challenge ahead.”I want to continue the good work Callum led last year. He’s still going to be an important player in our team, and I know I can draw on his experience whenever required. There are promising signs within the squad and we’re all fully focused on delivering success in the County Championship next season.”