Mason Crane thinks English spinners are short of game time in first-class cricket, although a Test debut in Melbourne might change all that

George Dobell in Melbourne22-Dec-20171:37

Can England avoid a whitewash?

The scheduling of the county season is making it “tough” for young spinners to develop, according to Mason Crane.A day after Dawid Malan warned against overbowling fast bowlers, Crane has suggested there is “more opportunity” for young spinners in Australia.While Crane, the second spinner in the England squad, is grateful for the support he’s received from the ECB as a young player, he gently suggested that playing more Championship games “in the height of summer” and using the Kookaburra ball in county cricket might assist the development of spinners further.His own example makes for an interesting case study. Having impressed in Grade cricket last year (he claimed four five-fors and three seven-fors on the way to becoming the leading wicket-taker in New South Wales premier cricket), he was selected for New South Wales’ Sheffield Shield side. That made him their first overseas player since Imran Khan in 1984-85, and their first English player since William Caffyn in the 1960s. He performed admirably, too, with five wickets in the match.But on arriving back in England, he had to sit out several early season matches for Hampshire as they reasoned that, in such seam-friendly conditions, their spin-bowling duties could be fulfilled by the allrounder Liam Dawson. As a result, Crane found himself playing 2nd XI cricket for the first part of the season and didn’t feature in the Championship until May 19.”It is tough at the moment,” Crane said. “Half the games are in either September or April. In September, for example, they start the games a bit earlier so there’s still some dew around. It’s difficult to play another spinner. They played another seamer instead.”Even if you get a wicket where you think you might be playing, the weather suggests otherwise. And if it is going to be a two-and-a-half day game because of the rain, you probably want an extra seamer or batter. So it’s tough.”There’s more opportunity out here. We play a lot of white-ball cricket during the height of summer in England. Getting as many games in the height of summer as we can would be ideal for spinners.”Mason Crane is overjoyed at claiming AB de Villiers as his maiden international wicket•Getty Images

Another initiative Crane suggests is using the Kookaburra ball. The Duke’s ball, which is currently used in the County Championship, tends to offer prolonged assistance to seam and swing bowlers which can negate the need for spinners. The Dukes ball is also, Crane feels, tougher to grip when new for a spinner.”Maybe we could use Kookaburra ball in England,” he said. “They use the Duke’s here sometimes. I reckon you can bowl with these Kookaburras straightaway, new out of the packet. Duke’s are a bit slimier when they are new but I don’t really mind.”While Crane is grateful for the opportunities afforded him – notably the early promotion by Hampshire and England, the opportunity to work with Saqlain Mushtaq and the England age-group tours – he feels the trip to play Grade cricket and work with Stuart McGill was especially useful. And, while he has not currently had a chance to work with Shane Warne – they hoped to do so on the last day in Perth but the rain intervened – he hopes that will be arranged soon.”I’ve had great experience playing with Hampshire,” he said. “I’ve played with some international players and I was lucky in the summer to be around the Test side for three games against West Indies. I’ve been to Australia and played a lot of Under-19 stuff. Warne’s the best ever so I want to pick his brains. I’ve had a couple of chats with him, but he’s not said anything about bowling yet.”But as a young player, playing Grade cricket was one of the best things I could do. I was away from home for six months on my own. I had to learn all sorts of stuff and it’s brilliant to play with different players. I’d encourage any young player to come out.”Crane dismissed the perception that English cricket is short of spin-bowling stocks, intimating that several other players in the early stages of their career have the potential to develop if given sufficient game time.”There are exciting spinners in England. I think we are all reasonably similar ages as well. It is exciting to see because there are some very good bowlers out there. A lot of people say there are no spin bowlers but they are out there, they just need the time to play.”It remains possible that Crane could gain that playing time in the Boxing Day Test. With Craig Overton unlikely to be considered having been diagnosed with a cracked rib, England could turn to either Crane or one of the seamers (probably Tom Curran or Mark Wood) with a final decision to be made only after a look at the pitch.”I’ll be ready to play,” he said with confidence. “Even if it was a series decider I’d be confident I could do a job. We’ve done all the analysis. I’ve got plans for each of their batsmen.”He has a plan for Smith? “Give him a single!” he replied with a smile.Crane’s inclusion would, however, leave England with a No. 9 – his likely spot in the batting order – with a top first-class score of just 29. He has worked hard on his batting and it has clearly improved. But asking him to hang around against this attack is probably unreasonable at this stage.While it remains possible that Wood or Curran could come in for Stuart Broad, the England management have played down the extent of Broad’s knee problem and it would be a major decision to drop such an experienced player. He has bowled better than his series average suggests, too.England did not train on Friday. Reasoning that, at this stage of the series, their aches and pains – psychological as much as physical – might be better treated by rest, they were given another day to spend with their friends and families. Training resumes on Saturday.

The centurion was assisted by Jake Weatherald’s 65, as together they added 171 for the first wicket, the second-highest partnership in the tournament’s seven-season history

The Report by Geoff Lemon17-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Carey and Jake Weatherald put up a 171-run first-wicket partnership•Getty Images

The streak had to end somewhere for Hobart Hurricanes and their star batsman D’Arcy Short, but it took the second-highest partnership in the history of the Big Bash League to do it. The Hurricanes had won five in a row thanks to Short’s blazing run of form, but an Adelaide Strikers total of 187 proved too tall at Adelaide Oval after Hobart’s star man was dismissed for 28.Adelaide’s innings was built on an opening stand worth 171 between Alex Carey and Jake Weatherald, falling one run short of the BBL’s all-time record partnership between Rob Quiney and Luke Wright for the Melbourne Stars back in 2012. The union threatened to push Adelaide onto a far more imposing total, but no one reckoned with Jofra Archer’s late intervention. The Bajan fast bowler collected three wickets and a run-out in the 18th and 20th overs in a brilliant individual display.But it was enough in the end, with Hobart held to 176 for 4 to lose by 11 runs. With two games left for both teams, it was a significant result: second on the table versus third, with a home final spot in the offing. Advantage Adelaide.A near-record opening standA couple of months ago, South Australian opener Weatherald and wicketkeeper Carey were plying their trade in the Sheffield Shield, both outside chances for a spot in the Ashes. Carey couldn’t make enough runs to force the selectors’ hand, while Weatherald made a pile but didn’t make the cut.They produced a very different kind of partnership across the course of 17.4 overs on Wednesday, equalling the unbeaten 171 between Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger for the Perth Scorchers in 2015, while falling just short of the all-time record.It didn’t look likely from the first three overs of spin, as neither batsman could find range against Clive Rose and Short. Adelaide had 11 off 18 balls before Carey got lucky off Archer with two top-edged boundaries.That was enough to kickstart the innings, as each batsman rained four sixes, Carey flying to his century in 54 balls while Weatherald played a T20 anchor role with 65 from 52. When Dan Christian was sacked for 22 runs in the 16th over, things looked very grim for Hurricanes, but that was about to change.Archer hits the bullseye: once, twice, three times, fourAlmost as exciting as Short for Hobart this season has been Archer, who bowls fast, nails yorkers, and is athletic in the field. He displayed all of those traits as he dragged Hobart back from the brink. At 170 without loss and three overs remaining, a total well in excess of 200 was on the cards. Archer hauled it back.He started with a couple of seemingly impossible dot balls, pure pace getting them through Weatherald without contact. Then a leg bye as he targeted the pad. By now the batsmen wanted to run for anything, and tried as Carey bunted back another fast full ball. Archer took off to his left, snared the rebound several metres off the pitch, tumbled, switched the ball to his other hand, then threw down one stump from short mid-on while sitting on his backside.If that wasn’t enough, he sent a screaming yorker through Carey the next ball, dismissing him for an even 100. He followed up in the final over by nailing Jono Wells lbw, then ripping another yorker so comprehensively through Jake Lehmann that the batsman ended up flat on his face. Two overs, eight runs, four dismissals, and a display of pure skill that few could match.Shorting the market doesn’t always workIf there’s one thing that Christian Bale’s character taught us in , it’s that you back it. The Hurricanes have been confident doing this, as their main man has rattled off 97, 96, 42, 122*, and 59 to win his team’s last five games.There’s genuine excitement about the all-rounder, who has seemingly come from nowhere, though he’s been working his way through Australian cricket’s tiers for several years. Hope for a Hurricanes win seemed to rest with him. For a time, things flowed his way. His first four of the night from Michael Neser was effortless, a pull floating to the boundary, then his first six clanged over square leg. On 20, he was dropped by Wells off Neser from a tricky running attempted catch at cover.But with his 500th run of the season looming, Short was dragged down by a climbing required run-rate, aiming a booming drive that took the edge to Carey. Neser won through in the end, and while it was 45 for 1 after seven overs, few sides will have felt closer to victory at the fall of the first wicket.Doolan can’t find the wheelsOne of the peculiarities of the Big Bash League is seeing sedate first-class players trying to find a way in the most frenetic format. Some, like Joe Burns for the Brisbane Heat, have been able. Others, like Alex Doolan for Hurricanes, have been less successful.Observers of Australian Test cricket would remember Doolan for his cameo in the baggy green in 2014. Selected for his ability to occupy the crease rather than unfurl lavish strokes, he has made an odd partnership with Short this season.Doolan’s slow start may well have been a factor in Short’s dismissal, having made 14 from 18 balls by the time his opening partner fell. In the end, Doolan batted through the innings, but a final mark of 70 from 55 balls wasn’t speedy enough to have kept his side in the game. Entering the last over with 22 needed, there wasn’t the sense that he could find the big shots required. Eventually, so it proved.

Mohammad Nabi is to join Leicestershire as an overseas player for their 2018 T20 campaign

George Dobell07-Mar-2018Mohammad Nabi is to join Leicestershire as an overseas player for their 2018 T20 campaign.Nabi, the veteran Afghanistan allrounder, is a vastly experienced white-ball cricketer with more than 150 international appearances behind him. He is currently placed at No. 11 in the ICC ODI bowling rankings and 22nd in the T20I rankings. He is third in both the ODI and T20I allrounder ratings.As well as his experience in international cricket, Nabi features regularly in T20 leagues around the world. He recently represented Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash and will play for Sunrisers Hyderabad in this year’s IPL. He has previously played club cricket in England.Leicestershire had already announced the signing of Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas as their other overseas player in the T20 competition.”I know all about Mohammad Nabi’s qualities in the game,” Paul Nixon, Leicestershire head coach, said. “He can make a huge impact in our middle order and is an offbreak bowler who operates with great control and skill.”Nabi has a brilliant white-ball record for Afghanistan and in T20 competitions around the world. He is exactly the type of player that we were looking for and is somebody who will fit in beautifully here.”Underlining the development of Afghan cricket, Nabi will be joined on the county circuit by team-mate Rashid Khan who has signed to play for Sussex in the Blast.

Henry Nicholls’ unbeaten 145 set up New Zealand’s declaration with a 369-run lead, but Mark Stoneman and Joe Root led England’s fight late on the fourth day

The Report by Nikhil Kalro25-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsGetty Images

It took England three-and-a-half days of gloom to show New Zealand their gritty side and yet by stumps they still had much work to do, having lost captain Joe Root off what turned out to be the last ball of the day. They trail by 237 runs in the second innings, with seven wickets in hand.Root and Mark Stoneman had defied New Zealand with an 88-run second-wicket partnership, both making spirited half-centuries. But just as England might have contemplated a good day’s work, their captain was dismissed by a brute of a bouncer from Trent Boult. Their battle in the dying stages of play was incredibly compelling, with the left-arm quick even engaging in a few verbals, and also striking a painful blow on Root right hand. One ball later, he took Root out, caught down the leg side.New Zealand’s declaration, determined strategically by time and not runs, to bowl with the newer ball under lights, came an hour into the second session, with a lead of 369. Henry Nicholls led their batting performance with his highest first-class score, an unbeaten 145.Faced with a massive deficit, Boult made a significant dent to England’s hopes of salvaging a draw by having Alastair Cook strangled down the leg side prior to the dinner break.Stoneman, having earned his place in the Test side after a county season in which he scored 1156 runs in 12 matches for Surrey last year, hadn’t really had the chance to showcase the fluency with which he scored all those runs in England. However, with attacking fields and the ball not moving much, he capitalised, freely driving and flicking through the line.Neil Wagner, who didn’t have much to do for the first three days, made his first significant contribution to the Test by having Stoneman caught at deep square leg with a short ball.At the other end, Root wasn’t short of confidence, waiting patiently for the shorter length, accumulating 29 of his 51 runs behind square on both sides of the wicket.Earlier on the fourth day, in entirely different overhead conditions, Nicholls displayed the same admirable patience and diligence to reach his second Test century. The leg side was particularly productive for Nicholls, as he forced the bowlers to err in his areas by repeatedly leaving balls outside his off stump. He scored 67 of his first 100 runs in the leg side, 30 of which came in the midwicket region.Against James Anderson and Stuart Broad, generating significant lateral movement, Nicholls and BJ Watling began cautiously. Watling had added 13 to his overnight score, before wafting at a wide delivery from Broad in an attempt to increase the rate of scoring. A thin edge was easily accepted by the keeper.Colin de Grandhomme helped New Zealand propel their scoring rate with a lively 39-ball 29, an innings that featured five fours and a six. There were the usual spanking drives, the disdainful pulls and the discernibly late cuts, both sides of point. He added 49 with Nicholls as New Zealand’s lead crossed 250, but the partnership could have been broken a lot sooner. In the 111th over, de Grandhomme inside-edged Chris Woakes into Jonny Bairstow’s gloves but umpire Bruce Oxenford ruled it not out and England did not have any reviews to challenge the on-field decision.Todd Astle scored 18 runs, with three fours, before he chopped on off Broad. Tim Southee chipped in with 25 in an eighth-wicket partnership worth 72. In total, New Zealand added 204 runs off 46 overs to set up their declaration.

The top-order batsman said that T20 is not played with only power shots, and that his role was to “play the anchor while the team plays around me”

Umar Farooq in Karachi03-Apr-2018Babar Azam has made a name for himself in the last couple of years with his strokeplay and consistent scores. A batting average of 53.15 in T20Is is compelling. He endured an underwhelming start to his career in 2015 but is now seen as a level-headed batsman in Pakistan’s top order. Even though his strike rate in T20s has been a talking point in recent times, he scored an unbeaten 97 off 58 balls against West Indies in the second T20I in Karachi, but regretted missing out on a century in front of a home crowd.Azam was on strike on 89 when Pakistan’s last over started, but he managed only eight runs off the five balls he faced from Kesrick Williams.”I went with a hundred in sight. That’s why I took a chance, but I wasn’t able to utilise a couple of balls, which is why I missed it,” he said after the match. “I had an experienced man – Shoaib Malik – at the other end, and was coordinating with him if I should take a chance or go for a single or double. I think that is where I lapsed, and I didn’t read a few balls that slowed things down. This is unfortunate for me, but only I am responsible for it. But I have another game tomorrow, and hopefully I can score a century this time.”Azam recently scored 402 runs in the Pakistan Super League, with the help of five half-centuries, and was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He was promoted in this series to open in place of Ahmed Shehzad, and he pounced on it by smacking 13 fours and a six on Monday night, after scoring 17 in the opening T20. He was often criticised for his slowness and inability to shift gears with the pace of the match, as his strike rate of 122.18 showed in the PSL.”Runs are runs, even if they are coming off playing cut shots or in front, but it’s not like T20 can only be played with big shots,” he said. “It is not my role to go out and do the power hitting, my job is to play my natural game. There is always a plan, and that is very simple – to lead the game till the end, and my role is to play the anchor while the team plays around me. I know I shift gears, and when power hitting is required, I do it, but mostly, I just try to be myself and play my natural game.”Azam made it sound simple, but his innings during the second PSL eliminator, against Peshawar Zalmi in Lahore last month, was a major talking point. He had the composure but lacked the acceleration in the end overs. His knock of 63 off 45 balls at No. 3 for Karachi Kings went in vain as they fell short in their chase of 171 by 13 runs despite having eight wickets in hand.”I do not pay any heed to the negative thoughts, I just go with the plan my team gives me,” he said. “People do talk, but my job is to play cricket with 100% commitment. I also have no concern if I play as an opener or one-down, it’s all about what my team requires and I go with that. There is no pressure as such on me because I have a very strong belief in myself. I know if I have to play all three formats, I have to be fully fit with a positive mindset. Being a batsman, runs are always on my mind, otherwise the tension starts to mount. Playing all three formats is very demanding, and I know I can only do this by keeping myself fit.”Karachi is hosting international cricket after nine years, and even though Pakistan have clinched the T20I series with a 2-0 lead against a depleted West Indies side, Azam said winning was still important to boost their confidence.”Wining the series is always very important because it brings a lot confidence in you for the next tour,” he said. “We don’t consider them a weak opponent. They are the world champions, but we are given our plans, and we are just sticking to it and executing them accordingly.”No doubt, when you play in front of home crowd, it gives you immense confidence. You understand the home conditions very well and have the knowledge about playing at home in domestic cricket which helps you a lot for international games.”

A maiden Championship hundred for Harry Finch saw Sussex take a potentially vital first-innings lead against Middlesex

ECB Reporters Network05-May-20181:32

Harry’s Game for Yorkshire and Sussex

ScorecardHarry Finch’s maiden County Championship hundred put Sussex in a good position against Middlesex after an absorbing second day at Hove. Finch scored 103 as Sussex recovered from 127 for 6 to post 323 in response to Middlesex’s 230.A first-innings lead of 93 could prove crucial on a pitch which continued to provide assistance for the bowlers and Sussex’s position looked even better when Ollie Robinson took his eighth wicket of the match and David Wiese struck five balls later to reduce Middlesex to 9 for 2. But skipper Dawid Malan and Nick Gubbins battened down the hatches, taking their team to to 64 for 2 at stumps.Sussex had resumed on 60 for 4 but Finch shared important stands of 77 with nightwatchman Danny Briggs and then 96 with Michael Burgess before he was eighth out with the total on 242.Australian Hilton Cartwright pinned Briggs in his first over for 23 and then took out Ben Brown’s off stump before ending the Finch-Burgess alliance shortly after lunch courtesy of a brilliant reflex catch by Sam Robson at first slip. Ollie Rayner at second slip had parried a thick edge from Burgess into the air and Robson dived to take a one-handed catch from the rebound.Burgess struck the ball nicely through the off side in his 45 while at the other end Finch relied on steady accumulation although he did go on the attack when he pulled Tom Barber for six to reach his fifty.His century came up with a boundary off Ollie Rayner, the offspinner, and he had faced 201 balls, with 13 fours, when he was out to a ball from James Harris which was virtually impossible to defend as it nipped back and kept horribly low. Sussex’s lead was only 12 runs at that stage but Robinson, who had taken 7 for 58 on the first day, enhanced his allrounder credentials with a rumbustious innings of 52 from 57 balls which included six fours.It enabled the last two wickets to put on 81 precious runs with last man George Garton contributing a career-best 22 not out including a six to get off the mark. James Harris picked up the last three wickets to finish with 5 for 86 but Sussex had momentum and they carried it into Middlesex’s second innings.Briggs pulled off a smart catch at midwicket to remove Robson in the second over then Steve Eskanazi feathered an edge off Wiese in the next. But Malan and Gubbins batted carefully through the remaining 18 overs of the day and will resume on day three 29 runs in arrears.

Their first assignment will be the ICC’s annual meeting in Mumbai later this month, to discuss the playing conditions for the Test Championship in 2019 and the scrapping of the toss, among other topics

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2018Former Australia women’s captain Belinda Clark, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson and Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer have been appointed to the ICC Cricket Committee – for a three-year team each – which will convene in Mumbai on May 28 and 29. Among the topics for discussion at the annual meeting are the playing conditions for the Test Championship in 2019, the scrapping of the toss and day-night Tests.Clark has replaced Clare Connor, who completed her third three-year term on the committee. Hesson replaced Darren Lehmann, who was declared ineligible after he resigned as Australia’s coach following the Test series against South Africa. Coetzer was brought in for Kevin O’Brien as the Associate Members representative. O’Brien was ineligible after Ireland achieved Full Member status. Incidentally, O’Brien was the Man of the Match for his 118 against Pakistan in Ireland’s first Test, earlier this month.

Committee members

Chairman: Anil KumbleEx-Officio: Shashank Manohar (ICC Chairman) and David Richardson (ICC Chief Executive)Past Player representatives: Andrew Strauss and Mahela JayawardenaCurrent Player representatives: Rahul Dravid and Tim MayFull Member team coach representative: Mike HessonAssociate Members representative: Kyle CoetzerWomen’s Cricket representative: Belinda ClarkFull Member representative: David White (NZC chief executive)Media representative: Shaun PollockUmpires’ representative: Richard KettleboroughReferees’ representative: Ranjan MadugalleMCC representative: John Stephenson (MCC’s Head of Cricket)

Bangladesh’s batsmen have only themselves to blame for their wretched performance in the two Tests against West Indies, according to Tamim Iqbal

Mohammad Isam15-Jul-2018Bangladesh’s batsmen have only themselves to blame for their wretched performance in the two Tests against West Indies, according to Tamim Iqbal. He said that even when the pitch became easier for batting on the third day of the Jamaica Test, they couldn’t enter into a contest with the West Indies fast bowlers.Instead, Bangladesh collapsed to 168 all out in 42 overs as West Indies completed a series-winning 166-run victory. Home captain Jason Holder finished with 11 for 103 as their fast bowlers dominated the two Tests. Only two out of the 40 wickets West Indies took went to a spinner – Roston Chase. Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel took five-wicket hauls in the first Test while Miguel Cummins chipped in with wickets from time to time.”What happened here, there’s nothing to explain,” Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. “We only have ourselves to blame. Our batting was not up to the mark. We were playing on difficult wickets but these were not unplayable. There were exceptional deliveries but it wasn’t so bad that we couldn’t get 200 in any innings. Even today, we weren’t going to make 330 or 340 but it was a really good wicket to bat on. If we could have been in the contest longer, it would have been an interesting game.”None of the Bangladesh batsmen could total 100 runs in the four innings, The team’s series batting average stood at 12.60, their lowest ever. Only Nurul Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan scored fifties while Mahmudullah and Mominul Haque made 19 and 16 runs in the series respectively.The only departure from usual Test conditions that Tamim observed during this series was the use of the Duke ball. The last time Bangladesh played with the Duke ball was during their 2014 West Indies tour. Bangladesh regularly play with the Kookaburra ball both at home and in other countries. The Duke balls are known to have a more pronounced seam than the Kookaburra, helping the pace bowlers for movement off the seam for longer periods.”The only thing that was different here was the Duke ball which we were playing [with] after four years,” Tamim stated. It swings and seams more than the Kookaburra ball, but that’s the only difference. But it is not an excuse for our bad performance.”I think it was more mental than technical. The top six here had similar dismissals. I think we were prepared enough for tackling swing and bounce, but you can’t really prepare for a seaming track where the ball is cutting.”Bangladesh lasted 88.1 overs in this game, after having batted for only 59 overs in Antigua. They only lasted 883 balls across the series, the fewest by a team in a two-Test series since 1888-89, not counting heavily rain-affected contests. Tamim said that it was perhaps their biggest downfall not to bat longer and take advantage of lulls in a Test match. He felt that by batting for 60-70 overs at a time, they could have tired down the West Indies pace bowlers who played three Tests against Sri Lanka recently.”I have played in different conditions in New Zealand and South Africa. In these wickets, you have to spend a lot of time,” Tamim said. “You can’t play a big shot early. But I think our biggest downfall was not being able to keep them on the field for 60-70 overs at a stretch. Their pace bowlers were playing five back-to-back Tests, so they would have been tired.”If we could have stretched the game longer, we could have cashed in. We all know there are difficult phases and easy periods in Test matches. We never gave ourselves that chance. We got all out in less than 20 overs in the first innings in Antigua and here it was no different. We got bowled out in 40-45 overs.”Tamim also questioned his own performance, having scored just 64 runs in four innings, and understood he needed to improve quickly. The battling 47 in the first innings in Jamaica was the only highlight for him in the Test series. “I haven’t failed like this since 2014 so it is shocking to me regardless of how other people feel about my performance,” he stated. “I know that I have to be better at coping with this kind of thing.”From a personal point of view, I would say three out of my four dismissals were very good deliveries. But having said that, I should have handled it differently. I am a senior cricketer from whom people expect runs.”With the three-match ODI series starting next week, Tamim found some solace in returning to a more favoured format, although he said that they needed to shed the memory of the Test series quickly. He, however, warned that completely forgetting how poorly they played in Antigua and Jamaica wouldn’t be ideal ahead of their next Test assignment.”A different format would suit us but we are going in with bad rhythm,” he said. “We have four-five days to forget the Test series and rebuild for the ODIs. But I think we shouldn’t forget it completely. We should keep in mind how we did, before our next Test series.”

Sam Curran reprised his rescue act at Edgbaston, driving his side towards a serviceable total with a belligerent 78

The Report by Andrew Miller30-Aug-2018India 19 for 0 (Rahul 11*, Dhawan 3*) trail England 246 (Curran 78, Bumrah 3-46) by 227 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTo think that Sam Curran, Man of the Match in that humdinging first Test at Edgbaston, was dropped for England’s Trent Bridge defeat for the sake of the team balance. On what had been shaping up as another ignominious day for England’s batting at the Ageas Bowl, Curran reprised his rescue act in that first match, driving his side towards a serviceable total of 246 by ignoring the match situation and the ineptitude of his senior team-mates.By the time he was last man out for a Test-best 78, bowled on the hoick against R Ashwin with only James Anderson for company, Curran’s efforts had disrupted the dominance of India’s rampant swing-based attack, exceeded the output of England’s entire rejigged top six, and turned a disastrous mid-afternoon scoreline of 86 for 6 into something for England’s own bowlers to rub up against. India capped their day by calmly negotiating four overs before the close, but with Anderson in particular making the new ball talk as ever, a first-innings dogfight remains a likely scenario.Much like England’s inexplicable descent into blind panic in this series, having cruised to a 2-0 series lead at Lord’s a fortnight ago, there was little warning of the calamity in store when Joe Root won a useful toss under clear skies and chose to take first use of a blameless surface that both captains agreed looked like the best batting wicket of the series.And yet, by the time Keaton Jennings – so desperate for runs after his stay of execution from Nottingham – had been bamboozled by Jasprit Bumrah’s lesser-spotted inswinger and evicted for a strokeless four-ball duck, the tone of England’s morning had been set.Sam Curran raised his second fifty of the series•AFP

India, to their credit, were outstanding and attacking from the outset, harpooning England’s batsmen with aggressive full lengths and an unrelenting command of the swinging Dukes ball that brought to mind the 80-over menace that made England’s 2005 attack so formidable.Joe Root, promoted to No. 3 and seemingly burdened by the need to be both anchor and enforcer, endured a ghastly 14-ball stay – he survived a stone-dead review for lbw when replays showed Bumrah had overstepped, but had no answer to his first ball from Ishant Sharma, another hooping inswinger that nailed him on the front pad and persuaded him to burn a review out of desperation. And when Bumrah atoned for his error by serving up a beautifully shaping outswinger that Jonny Bairstow grazed to the keeper, England were 28 for 3 and in very dire straits indeed.If there was a positive about England’s efforts in the first hour, it was in the discipline and confidence of Alastair Cook, who lined himself up on off stump to counter Bumrah’s javelin-like movement and looked as calm in his defiance as he has appeared all summer. But then, on 17 from 54 balls (a perfectly acceptable attrition rate in the circumstances) he lined up a limp cut to a wide ball from Hardik Pandya, and scuffed a top-edge to Virat Kohli in the gully. It was the dismissal of a man who had allowed his fabled concentration to waver, another uncharacteristic blip in a flat-lining summer.Not for the first time this month, England turned to Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes for salvation, and briefly the pair delivered in hauling their side to lunch and beyond in a 33-run stand. But Buttler, whose belligerence at Trent Bridge had met the desperate needs of their hour in that innings, misjudged the requirement on this occasion when, on 21, he flung a hard-handed drive at Mohammed Shami for Kohli to pluck a superbly sharp chance at third slip. Stokes, calm and collected for as long as he survived, was less at fault for his dismissal for 23 – another howling inswinger from Shami nailed him on the shin from round the wicket – but his review was once again optimistic as England found themselves six-down inside 35 overs.Enter Curran, with England’s series lead, no less, in the balance. Alongside him was another of England’s recalled allrounders, Moeen Ali, whose 40 from 85 balls was another vignette of an innings, packed with languid aggression, context-free boshing and ultimately a scuffed dismissal, as Ashwin ended a vital stand of 81 by luring him into a top-edged slog-sweep to square leg – a mode of dismissal that Nathan Lyon had turned into something of a trademark during the Ashes.But if anything, Moeen’s departure clicked Curran into overdrive. He plays every innings with the defiance of a younger brother in the back garden – undaunted by the more exalted reputations around him, and seemingly ecstatic simply to get a chance to have a swing.India kept chipping away as Curran grew into his innings – Adil Rashid was nailed lbw by another big inswinger from Sharma, so big in fact that it would have missed leg stump (there were no reviews left to reprieve him) – but with Stuart Broad loitering optimistically for his 31-ball 17, Curran danced at the crease, kept out the good balls and lambasted the rare bad ones, and even reprised his feat at Edgbaston by romping to his fifty with another six – this time over wide long-on, to go alongside his inside-out clout over extra cover three weeks ago.Curran’s self-admonishment in the wake of his eventual dismissal was telling – he clearly believed that a maiden Test hundred had been within his reach when he took one swing too many against Ashwin. But it wasn’t impossible, given the swing-dominance of England’s own bowlers, that he had already done enough to keep the match in the balance. Curran himself is sure to find some deviation through the air when his turn comes. Much like his batting, he usually finds a way.

Watkin, Bezouidenhout offered New Zealand women contracts after impressive performances on the tour of Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Aug-2018Jess Watkin and Bernadine Bezuidenhout have both been offered central contracts for the New Zealand women, after their performances on the tour of Ireland and England.Watkin made 77 not out on her T20I debut and 62 on her ODI debut – both against Ireland – with the second knock part of a record total of 491 for 4.Bezuidenhout, who played for South Africa Women in 2014 and 2015 before switching over, made her New Zealand debut in the same game, hitting 23 not out off 15 balls.”It really is a dream come true to be offered my first full-time professional contract,” Watkin said. “Getting a taste of international cricket in Ireland and England left me wanting more and it’s awesome that I’ll now be able to train and play all year round.”The 20-year-old Watkin and the 24-year-old Bezuidenhout are among four new players in this year’s list of 15, joining Canterbury Magicians allrounders Hayley Jensen and Kate Ebrahim, who made comebacks to the team this year. Jensen, 25, had last played for New Zealand in 2014, while Ebrahim last played an international game in 2015.The ones who missed out after being on the list last year are Rachel Priest, Thamsyn Newton and Anna Peterson, while Erin Bermingham has retired from international cricket.Priest is the senior-most player to miss out, having played 86 ODIs and 68 T20Is since her international debut in 2007. She has had somewhat lean returns in the last two seasons though, with 440 runs in 19 ODIs at 23.18, though her strike-rate of 84.13 remained healthy. She wasn’t picked for any T20Is in 2017-18, but in the four T20Is she played in 2016-17, she made only 45 runs at considerably slower than a run a ball.The players who have been offered contracts have until August 6 to accept the offer.