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Glenton Stuurman pushed his case for a Test call-up following wickets with the new ball

Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2020Results Summary There has been no word on whether or when the top-tier clash between the Titans and the Dolphins will be replayed, after the match was called off following a case of Covid-19 but the four other teams in action made some important gains on the respective log leaders.In Pool A, the Warriors now lie 4.7 points behind the Titans – though the Warriors have played an extra game – after their 80 run win over the Cobras. In Pool B, both the Knights and the Lions have overtaken the Dolphins. The Knights beat the Lions by nine wickets and remain favourites to compete in the first-class final.In Bloemfontein, the Knights were set up by Raynard van Tonder’s 200 which, along with Ferisco Adams’ 96, saw them total 472 in their first innings. But the worth of that total became apparent when the Lions were bowled out for 262 thanks largely to Shaun von Berg’s 5 for 93. With little more than a day to play at the end of both first innings, the Knights opted to enforce the follow-on.The Lions were 210 behind and the best they could hope for was to bat out the draw but their tail did not manage to hold out. They lost 5 for 44 in their second innings but managed to make the Knights bat again, to chase 18 runs for victory.On the coast in Port Elizabeth, the Warriors came back from a first innings deficit of 31 runs to beat the Cobras in a low-scoring encounter. Rudi Second’s 55 held the Warriors first innings together but a total of 194 did not look too competitive to start with. However, when the Cobras crashed to 32 for 3, it seemed that the Warriors had something to work with. Kyle Verreynne’s 97 and George Linde’s 49 pushed the Cobras into the lead but Second led the way in the Warriors second innings, with 117, to set the Cobras a target of 265.Aiden Markram had plenty on his mind after bagging a pair•BCCI

Janneman Malan’s 65 kept the Cobras in the hunt but the Warriors attack, led by Glenton Stuurman and bolstered by Jon-Jon Smuts kept nipping at the Cobras heels and bowled them for 184 to give the Warriors their second victory of the competition. The Cobras remain the only winless team in this tournament.On the National Radar Selection convener Victor Mpitsang would have been pleased with the bulk of the returns from those members of the national squad who were in action in this round.After Aiden Markram’s 75 and Dean Elgar’s 52 in the match was called off, Rassie van der Dussen’s 107, albeit in a losing cause for the Lions, bodes well for the Test top-order while Verreynne’s 97 have pushed the case for him to included in a lower-middle order spot. Verreynne could also relieve Quinton de Kock of the wicketkeeping gloves if needed.In the bowling department, Glenton Stuurman made a strong case for a Test debut after striking with the new ball in both innings against the Cobras. Allrounder Wiaan Mulder bowled 18 overs for the Lions, and took 2 for 68, which suggests he is ready for a decent workload while the national squad’s newest recruit, Migael Pretorius, took 2 for 53 and1 for 49 for the Knights. Beuran Hendricks’ 1 for 77 may not look as eye-catching, especially as he went for 3.67 runs an over, which sets up an interesting contest between him and Stuurman for the third seamer’s spot. South Africa may choose to go all pace against Sri Lanka, which could see both Hendricks and Stuurman play but left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj reminded them what he could do with 3 for 48 at SuperSport Park.De Kock, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Anrich Nortje did not play in this round.Top Performers Just days after the Test squad to play Sri Lanka was announced, Raynard van Tonder’s double-hundred must have put him front and centre of selection convener Mpitsang’s mind. Van Tonder leads the run-scorer’s list and averages 67.11 and although South Africa have a reserve batsman in Keegan Petersen in their group, expect to see van Tonder in amongst the national squad soon.Von Berg leapt to the top of the bowling charts with nine wickets in this round and now lies ahead of Warriors’ Marco Jansen, who took four wickets against the Cobras, and Pretorius. Other spinners who performed well were Linde (4 for 52 in the first innings against the Warriors) and Smuts (3 for 40 and 3 for 47 against the Cobras).Second’s century saw him rise to third on the overall run-scorers’ list while Dominic Hendricks’ 98 puts him in fourth place.

England captain warns not to expect too much too soon from spearhead after incisive maiden Test series

Alan Gardner at The Oval15-Sep-2019Joe Root has admitted he is still learning how best to handle Jofra Archer and cautioned against expecting too much of England’s newest fast-bowling talent, after a debut series in which Archer collected 22 wickets from four Tests while showcasing both searing pace and impressive control.Archer helped set up victory at The Oval with a first-innings 6 for 62, as England came from behind to secure a rare drawn Ashes series. Although he finished wicketless in the second innings, his high-intensity duel with Australia centurion Matthew Wade, who was peppered with short balls during a spell in which Archer’s pace topped 95mph, was an arresting spectacle that helped lift the crowd as England pursued a breakthrough on the fourth evening.His rise to becoming an integral part of England’s planning has been almost as rapid as his bowling. Having delivered the Super Over that led to England claiming their maiden World Cup at Lord’s in mid-July, Archer went on to make a memorable Test debut on the same ground, landing a concussive blow on Australia’s leading batsman, Steven Smith, before claiming six-wicket hauls in each of England’s victories.There have already been concerns about his workload, however. He bowled 44 overs in his first Test outing and sent down 156 across the series – behind only Pat Cummins, Stuart Broad (who both played a Test more) and Josh Hazlewood, among pace bowlers.”He’s come in and been fantastic,” Root said. “Four Test matches, two six-fors. He has a way of having a huge impact on the game, you saw his spell here, it just changed the whole atmosphere of the ground, was incredible really. For someone right at the beginning of his career to have such a gift is entertaining, it’s great to be able to captain that and I’m very much looking forward to the rest of his journey.”When I faced him in the nets against the red ball, it was clear he was going to be something special. [But] we’ve got to be careful of expecting too much of him. He’s a young guy at the start of his career, playing in three formats, and he’s still learning. I’m still learning how to get the best out of him as captain.”But one thing you can expect is he’s going to entertain and make things happen. At times he’s not going to bowl at 90mph, but he’ll go at two-and-a-half an over and create chances. I think making sure we don’t expect him to average 12 is something really important, while also knowing he’s got that ability to turn a game.”ALSO READ: ‘Jofra thought he could rip my head off’ – Matthew WadeArcher’s stamina has been as notable as his speeds – his contest with Wade, which often saw Archer end his followthrough a few yards from the batsman, lasted for eight adrenalin-fuelled overs after tea – but Trevor Bayliss, England’s outgoing head coach, suggested it would be wise to allow him to deliver “thunderbolts” more sparingly as his career develops.”I think maybe in Test cricket, I know Joe had relied on him to go with some longer spells this series, but I think looking forward it might be a case that he comes in a little bit shorter spells,” he said. “Four or five overs. Come on, bowl a few thunderbolts, and have a rest and then come back on a little bit later.”Winning the final Test saw Root avoid a second consecutive series defeat against Australia as captain, and allowed him to look forward with a greater degree of confidence than had seemed likely after last week’s loss at Old Trafford, which extinguished English hopes of reclaiming the urn.”It looks a hell of a lot better than 3-1, that’s for sure,” he said of scoreline. “I think it’s probably a fair result over the whole series. People might disagree with that, but you look at Lord’s and things could have been very different after that game. You can look at ifs and buts – if Jimmy [Anderson] was still playing things might have been slightly different.”We didn’t do enough to win it back but we’ve certainly put in a performance this week, which meant a huge amount. To level this series I think it was really important for us as a side, and we’ll take a lot from it moving into the winter.”Root laughingly described Smith as “a pain”, after his series tally of 774 runs proved the difference between the sides, and also took some satisfaction in his final dismissal (though it would be hard to call England’s tactic of positioning a leg slip a success). “It was nice to see a plan come together finally, even though it was what we started with at Edgbaston right at the start of things. Finally one went to hand.”He added that a demanding summer, in which England had narrowly failed to win back the Ashes alongside lifting a first World Cup, should be viewed as “a huge success” for the English game and an opportunity to nurture interest in the years to come.”That World Cup was incredible, for it to finish how it did and across the board there were some fantastic contests. To be backed up by such an evenly matched Ashes series, again we were blessed with brilliant support throughout but the cricket itself was gripping – quite hard to be involved in at times, especially when you were on the wrong end of it. But what a summer of cricket it’s been, I think a huge success for English cricket and we’ve got a great opportunity now to spring the game forward in this country.”

Seven of South Africa A’s eight wickets were pouched by the wicketkeeper or the slip cordon, on a day when India A’s pacers dominated at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu in Bengaluru04-Aug-2018
Rajneesh Gurbani in action•PTI

While India were locked in a riveting contest with England at Edgbaston, fast bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini made inroads for the A team against South Africa A in a less-intense setting at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The two quicks swung the new ball and later Rajneesh Gurbani seemingly reversed the old one, but the South African batsmen kept stabbing at wide deliveries and continued nicking behind. Seven of the eight batsmen who were dismissed on day one were either caught by wicketkeeper Srikar Bharat or pouched in the slips.However, Knights’ wicketkeeper-batsman Rudi Second, who has been a prolific scorer in the Sunfoil domestic competition, repaired the innings with a sprightly 94 off 139 balls and hauled his team from 93 for 4 to 246 for 8 at stumps.Unlike his team-mates, Second largely played close to his body and when he shaped to drive, he ensured his front foot met the pitch of the ball. He was compact against spin too, often stretching forward to smother whatever little turn Yuzvendra Chahal extracted from the day-one pitch. Fifteen minutes before the close of play, though, Second himself threw his bat at a Siraj offering that finished possibly wider than a set of stumps outside off and handed Bharat his fourth catch.Siraj’s wickets, however, weren’t as eye-catching as the inswinger that stormed through the defences of Alastair Cook in Worcester. “Getting a world-class batsman like Cook gave me the confidence that I would dismiss any batsman,” Siraj said after play. “My plan there was to just keep bowling dot balls and make the batsman commit a mistake. Even today there was movement with the new ball and I just wanted to bowl in the right areas.”As for Chahal, who was playing his first red-ball match since the Ranji quarter-final against Jharkhand in 2016, he showed signs of rust in the first two sessions before settling down after tea. In his second over, he bowled a knee-high full-toss to Sarel Erwee and watched the ball disappear into the midwicket boundary, where his coach Rahul Dravid was overseeing the action. He then bowled two front-foot no-balls, the second of which was cracked to the extra-cover boundary by Second. Chahal, ultimately, got the breakthrough in the 72nd over when a sharp legbreak duped Shaun von Berg. Axar Patel, the second spinner, who was picked ahead of Jayant Yadav, barely found turn and toiled for figures of 17-3-35-0. He was the only Indian bowler who did not take a wicket.Siraj, however, was the standout bowler for India A. He had been the pick of the bowlers in the four-dayers in England as well, bagging 15 wickets against West Indies A and England Lions, and moved up the pecking order further with his 3 for 56 on Saturday. He made his first incision when he moved the ball off the seam and drew the outside edge of opener Pieter Malan in the fifth over. In his next over, he removed Zubayr Hamza in similar fashion for a duck. Siraj later returned with the second new ball to nip out Second.Saini had also generated seam movement and was rewarded with the wickets of captain Khaya Zondo and allrounder Senuran Muthusamy. Both were jittery throughout, flashing the ball over the cordon or the infield before their edges were also snaffled. Muthusamy faced 17 dots before getting off the mark with a top-edged boundary that sailed over long leg. He then hung on for a 59-run stand – the highest of the innings – with Second.Second rallied the middle and lower order after Erwee had scored 47 around the top-order wobble. Second was particularly strong through the off side, driving Gurbani off either foot through extra cover. He also laced Axar in front of square and dared to foray down the track against Chahal, proceeding to his 29th first-class fifty off 71 balls. Moments later, he was reprieved on 60 when Hanuma Vihari shelled a low catch. Second added 34 runs to his tally before being the last man to be dismissed on day one.Meanwhile, Gurbani, who played only the four-dayer against West Indies A in Taunton, gave a good account of himself by venturing wide of the crease and nipping the ball against the angle from over the wicket. He claimed the only non-caught behind wicket when he pinned Dane Piedt in front for 5 in the 79th over.

The BCCI has struck a measured and conciliatory tone on how it is likely to approach the matter of the proposed new ICC constitution in future

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2017Days after sending a detailed response to the ICC about its concerns on the proposed new constitution, the BCCI has struck a measured and conciliatory tone on how it is likely to approach future discussions on the matter. Speaking to media on Wednesday, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) currently running the Indian board stressed that it wanted to balance its own interests with the need to develop the game globally. In light of the difficult relationship the game’s governing body has had with its most powerful constituent over the last decade, this message amounts to a distinct change in tone from the BCCI.Alongside Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Indian board was a notable objector to the draft constitution, passed in principle by seven Full Members at an ICC Board meeting in February. The key disagreement is over a substantial reduction in the BCCI’s revenues from ICC events from the previous financial model, but, as the BCCI’s email earlier this week detailed, there are other areas of concern, including over membership and the role of the ICC chairman.”There’s a fine balance between being democratic, getting enough revenues, what we deserve, and at the same time contributing to world cricket,” Vinod Rai, the CoA chairman, said in Delhi. “We will get what we deserve, but it’s a decision we will take to contribute to help other nations at a lesser level as far as cricket is concerned.”According to Rai, it was the responsibility of bigger member countries like India to contribute to the growth of Associates like Afghanistan and Ireland – the new constitution envisages both countries graduating to play Test cricket and has earmarked a portion of ICC revenues for each. But that will not be done at the expense of divesting the BCCI’s financial interests. “We’ll contribute to upgrading cricket skills in those nations. I’m not getting into specifics. The issues are two-fold. You spoke of democracy and revenues. We have to bring about a balance. You can’t sacrifice your interests to help someone else.”Although the response to the ICC was signed by Rahul Johri, BCCI’s chief executive officer, it had been prepared in consultation with the four-member CoA. The response backed the stance first taken by Vikram Limaye, a member of the CoA, and the BCCI representative at the ICC’s February meeting: Limaye had argued that there was no formula underpinning the ICC revenues set to be earned by the member countries.The CoA had conveyed more or less the same message to Shashank Manohar, the former ICC chairman who stepped down from his position abruptly last week. The day before resigning, Manohar had met Rai, Johri and Limaye in Mumbai. “When we met with Manohar, we tried to understand the logic behind the financial model,” Rai said. “We were new to it. We discussed with people inside BCCI who were privy to these meetings earlier. We tried to understand from him because he has seen from both the BCCI and the ICC point of view. Whatever he could explain to us, we understood. We put forward our position and he was appreciative of it.”The CoA made it clear to Manohar that the board would not step back from its objections, but Rai said this should not be misinterpreted defiance. “We don’t want to be confrontationist. Certainly not. We had a very good [meeting]. We have our reservations on it. We have to put forward our interests. We just explained our concerns.”Stonewalling, confrontation and other pressure tactics have often been used by past BCCI administrations at the ICC. And though the CoA has made clear its approach will be different, Rai did warn that if other Full Members wanted to play politics, the BCCI would not hold back. “Interests of BCCI will be protected totally. We are not interested in playing politics, but if politics needs to be played we won’t be found wanting.”

Bangladesh Under-19 captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz has praised his “unbelievable” team-mate Zakir Hasan for providing him with a calming influence, after the pair’s 117-run stand guided the hosts to the semi-final

Mohammad Isam05-Feb-2016When Bangladesh Under-19’s captain Mehedi Hasan and wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan came together in the 29th over against Nepal Under-19, it was amidst much tension in Mirpur. The home side were 98 for 4 chasing 212 with a place in the semi-final on the line. Thankfully for Bangladesh, the pair did not panic and took the game away with their 117-run unbroken stand.The partnership was not completely smooth-sailing; only after the pair had batted together for 13 balls did Mehedi smash one through the in-field and get his first boundary. Singles were not missed at any opportunity, but the run-rate kept rising, and by the time the next four came, at the start of the 35th over, Bangladesh needed 86 off 15.5 overs. For the next 7.2 overs, Mehedi and Zakir only picked singles and twos. Finally, in the middle of the 43rd over, Zakir’s swept four off Dipendra Airee gave Bangladesh a release.From the 42nd to 45th over, the pair took six, eight, 12 and 10 runs, which reduced the target from 63 needed off 54, to 27 needed off the last 30 balls. In one instance, they ran three and then took twos off the next two balls before taking a relaxed single. This was in the same over in which Mehedi lofted Sandeep Lamichhane over extra-cover for a boundary. Some of the pair’s running between the wickets looked risky but their overall maturity proved much of it was calculated.Mehedi said that it was Zakir who came up with the calming influence by giving him a plan and then chiding him when the Nepal captain Raju Rijal missed his stumping in the 38th over.”He [Zakir] was unbelievable today,” Mehedi said. “He got back to runs after a long time with this fine innings. It was great timing for the team, as we really needed him today. There was some pressure when we started our partnership. Zakir told me that we will just play on singles, rotate the strike. We won’t go for fours or sixes. His words worked quite well for us.”When the stumping incident happened, I had lost a bit of focus at that moment. The mid-off was up so I tried to hit it over him. When I had settled down after the miss, Zakir told me it is no time to relax. ‘We have to bat long,’ he said. I was fine from that point.”The fifth-wicket partnership was also the coming together of two young men who made it to professional cricket through contrasting circumstances, about 480km apart. When he was growing up in Khulna and falling in love with the game, Mehedi’s father opposed the idea of his son taking up cricket seriously. But Mehedi would sneak out to play matches, and often get caught. However, after winning an award for Best Batsman in an Under-14 tournament, it became easier for Mehedi to convince his father that cricket was where his passion really lied.It was different for Zakir while growing up in Sylhet. Although there was some pressure on him to take studies more seriously, his elder brother brought news that BKSP were holding a trial nearby. Zakir was selected for the sport institute’s branch in Dinajpur, about 568km from his hometown.Mehedi and Zakir came together for the Under-19 national camp during the 2014 World Cup, and are one of five players to play a second World Cup. But despite spending the last three years together in training camps, hotels and cricket grounds, their understanding frayed at times during their fifth-wicket partnership. Nerves were evident from the beginning as the non-striker, whether it was Mehedi or Zakir, continued to get too far out of his crease even when a single was not on offer.There were plenty of close calls as Nepal missed the stumps on at least five occasions with the batsman short of his crease. Mehedi offered an explanation, suggesting that his team was not accustomed to the dimensions of the Shere Bangla National Stadium”The ground is slightly different, sometimes we didn’t understand where the ball was. Say, when we defended the ball we couldn’t at times tell if it went into the gap or not. The ground is quite large too. But we have good understanding, and there can be one or two mistakes. I don’t think it is a major problem,” he said.Mehedi and Zakir were possibly confused by the pronounced slope in Mirpur, which sometimes makes the ball hard to spot when it goes 15-20 yards from the pitch on either side. No matter, they have to get used to this ground quickly for the semi-final against either Pakistan or West Indies, on February 11.

England’s bowling attack, led by James Anderson and James Tredwell, set up a comprehensive victory completed by Jonathan Trott to secure a place in the Champions Trophy final

The Report by David Hopps 19-Jun-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJonathan Trott made sure England had no problems during their chase•Getty Images

England and South Africa had not met in a major ICC semi-final since the World Cup in Sydney in 1992, a match which AB de Villiers admitted before the start of play ended with him “crying myself to sleep.” Grown man now or not, after the mess South Africa made of this tie, he could be forgiven for repeating the experience.De Villiers is no longer an innocent child, he is captain of a South Africa one-day side which throughout his lifetime has repeatedly flattered to deceive in ICC tournaments. So it proved once more. England rampaged through the top order as eight wickets fell for 80. It was a muggy morning at Kennington Oval, England won a favourable toss, and for once the white Kookaburra swung, but South Africa contributed immensely to their downfall.David Miller and Rory Kleinveldt did at least regain a measure of respectability. A record ninth-wicket partnership for South Africa of 95 in 16 overs took them to 175. But all that did was provide Jonathan Trott with a prolonged opportunity to bat much as he wished, seemingly oblivious to the pressure of a Champions Trophy semi-final. He finished with a spritely 82 not out from 84 balls, a seven-wicket win done and dusted with more than 12 overs to spare.Trott’s rate of progress is constantly pored over, his displays routinely regaled by some, condemned by others. As England lost their openers, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, with 41 on the board, and de Villiers shuffled his bowlers impatiently, looking for a magic trick, no England supporter was carping. They yearned for his stability.Let me watch in peace, they urged him, build your bubble, do it your way. South Africa wanted his wicket more than any other, but Trott and Root, one imperturbable, the other full of vim, confirmed England’s place in the final with a stand of 105 in 20 overs. Root left cursing himself, bowled behind his legs by JP Duminy for 48, but Trott remained productive to the end, completing his ritual post-match scratching of his guard even as Eoin Morgan tried to offer his congratulations.The match was essentially settled by the 23rd over. South Africa batted skittishly, as if 300-plus and the sooner the better, was essential. Critically, they lost their most influential batsman, Hashim Amla for a single and the reverberations of that were felt deep into the order. The coach, Gary Kirsten, voiced what many were thinking. “We choked,” he said. To some extent it was a traditional exercise in self-flagellation because this was not a hugely strong South Africa side from the off.England’s mood was set by the connoisseur of swing bowling, James Anderson, whose opening spell of 2 for 11 was extended to seven overs as his captain, Cook, sought to break South Africa early while the conventional swing persisted.Wickets in the first two overs of South Africa’s innings got England moving. Anderson can cut a serious, brooding figure, but the closeness of the morning left him full of smiles before the start. He removed Colin Ingram for nought with his fifth ball, outswinger followed by inswinger and an lbw verdictSteven Finn has been stalking around the Champions Trophy, none too happy about his omission from the side, but Tim Bresnan’s absence, to be with his wife Hannah with their baby imminent, gave him his first appearance of the tournament. Cook gave him the new ball and challenged him to channel that anger and his fourth delivery brought England the prize wicket of Amla as he failed to withdraw from an outswinger, the first of six catches behind the stumps for Jos Buttler.Even in the early overs, England were planning for the possibility of reverse swing on a dry square later in the day. Stuart Broad began to bowl cross seam, to encourage wear on the ball, as early as the 10th over – and it brought him a wicket, too, as de Villiers was out without scoring, lashing at a wide one and caught at the wicket off an under-edge.Peterson’s appearance at No. 3 encapsulated South Africa’s confusion. He was a pinch hitter in inappropriate conditions. If his left-handedness was perceived as an advantage, Anderson revels against left-handers when the ball is swinging. It was an unconvincing ploy. He acquitted himself better than most, taking three boundaries off a wayward over from Finn before Anderson had him lbw.But this was not just a story about quick bowling. South Africa were so destabilised that a few overs of routine, if intelligently-delivered, offspin by James Tredwell caused further havoc. Tredwell, who was substituting for Graeme Swann, had 3 for 19 in his seven overs as well as causing the downfall, run out, of Ryan McLaren. The bounty that fell upon him was recognised with the man-of-the-match award.No batsman summed up South Africa’s failures more than Duminy. He was all at sea during his 11-ball stay. He survived a first-ball nought when he reviewed an lbw decision for Broad and was reprieved as replays showed the ball had pitched outside leg stump. He then should have fallen lbw third ball but Tredwell, with everything in his favour as Duminy was beaten on the back foot, politely refused a review as if offered a second piece of lemon drizzle cake. Duminy soon chopped on against Tredwell in any case.Tredwell’s success did not end there. Faf du Plessis, who had been as secure as anyone, fell for 26 when he flashed at a quicker, flatter ball and was caught at the wicket.The wicket, though, that brought hearty applause from Swann in the England dressing room will not appear against his name. It was the run out of McLaren who was so unhinged by flight and turn that he ran several paces down the pitch. Trott, who caught the ball at first slip, had the presence of mind to throw down the stumps to effect the run out.At 80 for 8, South Africa’s one consolation was that they batted deep. They at least avoided the lowest one-day score ever made at The Oval batting first, New Zealand’s 158 against West Indies in 1975.They immediately took the batting Powerplay, which Miller greeted by smashing Finn over long-on for six. Miller unveiled his T20 one-legged slash over point, Broad disappearing for six more, and Kleinveldt slugged away when Cook finally felt obliged in the 30th over to introduce his weaker bowlers in tandem.Broad finally ended the recovery with successive short balls to dismiss Kleinveldt and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, first ball. All that remained for England was a regulation dose of Trott, the finest suppressor of panic disorder on the market.