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Captain bags four-for with only Ben Foakes marshalling resistance for Surrey, giving hosts a 105-run lead

Jon Culley at Edgbaston28-May-2019After scaling impressive heights last year, Surrey’s 2019 season is still at base camp. Like Somerset, who at this stage look favourites to take their title, they have yet to suffer a defeat, but neither have they registered a win. Warwickshire have tasted only defeat yet at the halfway point are the team in control.Their most potent weapon, as it has been so many times in the last eight seasons here, in only one of which he has not snared at least 51 first-class wickets, has been Jeetan Patel. The New Zealand offspinner and club captain turned 39 earlier this month, yet has a contract until the end of next season.It is not difficult to appreciate why Warwickshire value him so highly. On a slow surface from which Gareth Batty had been able to extract some turn on the first day, Patel introduced himself in the ninth over of Surrey’s innings and bowled beautifully for 31 overs unchanged.The heavy weight of left-handers in Surrey’s line-up doubtless came into his thinking and he troubled Scott Borthwick and Rory Burns from the outset, while simultaneously blocking off one end. Five of his first nine overs were maidens.Repeatedly, he turned the ball past the bat or found the edge only for the ball to fall safe. He had three or four men in a claustrophobic cluster round the batsman. There were stifled appeals, oohs and aahs from spectators, but no wickets for 15 overs until, suddenly, three came at once, in the space of five balls.Dean Elgar, another left-hander, frustrated for almost an hour, ran out of patience and smacked one straight to extra cover. It was a wicket well earned and there were two more right behind it. Patel’s namesake Ryan survived his first two balls but nicked the third to Dominic Sibley at second slip. Will Jacks lasted only one, Will Rhodes snatching the ball almost off the floor at first slip.It meant that Surrey, who had been 73 for 1 barely 40 minutes earlier, were in something of a spot at 92 for 6. Back in the pavilion, Burns was regretting still more keenly that he had played so loosely after working hard to get to 40 that a wide long-hop from Olly Hannon-Dalby had ended up in the hands of backward point.Liam Norwell, whose free-scoring 64 at No. 10 was now growing in value, had followed up his early dismissal of Mark Stoneman with a fine delivery that clipped the top of off, claimed a second success when Scott Borthwick, trying to work to leg, was pinned in front. Surrey could now think only of damage limitation, still more than 200 behind.They managed at least to avoid the follow-on. Rikki Clarke, who spent eight-and-a-half seasons pulling on a Warwickshire shirt before returning to Surrey during the 2017 season, launched a counter-attack, beginning with 14 runs from three balls off Norwell, prompting the former Gloucestershire bowler’s temporary removal from the attack.Clarke and Ben Foakes added 58 but the charge ended when a brilliant throw from cover point by Sibley ran out Clarke with a direct hit. Sibley, of course, is the ex-Surrey man who moved to Edgbaston as part of the agreement that allowed Clarke to travel in the other direction.Surrey immediately lost Morne Morkel, who lasted only four deliveries before Patel bagged him as his fourth success. With Batty at the other end, Foakes completed his half-century, but two wickets in two balls by Henry Brookes left the champions with a deficit of 105, to which Sibley and Rhodes added 26, coming through a testing 12 overs unscathed at the close.Patel was as pleased with the collective effort as much as his own performance. “To win three sessions today was huge,” he said. “To perform as we did all day was tremendous.”It is only halfway and we have to keep it going session after session. We have a young team but we have showed signs in the last two matches that the younger players are learning about playing Division One cricket and that is very positive for us.”

Home side bowled out for 106 and 105 as Ben Sanderson leads Northants rout

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2019Northamptonshire 273 and 331 (Vasconcelos 88) beat Sussex 106 (Sanderson 6-37) and 105 (Sanderson 4-18, Hutton 4-32) by 393 runsNorthamptonshire claimed their first County Championship win of the season after Sussex’s batsman capitulated for the second time in the match to lose by a record 393 runs at Hove.Having been bowled out for 106 in their first innings, Sussex fared even worse as they were dismissed for 105 after another abject batting performance. Their margin of defeat was the heaviest in their history in a County Championship game.Sussex’s coach Jason Gillespie, who is desperately seeking the right formula in both batting and bowling ranks for a county plagued by inconsistency, said: “That was an unacceptable performance and there has to be a lot of self reflection as individuals on areas where we have to improve. We didn’t score enough runs and the lads have to work out what they can do better to get the job done.”We haven’t batted well enough obviously but yesterday afternoon I thought our body language and our bowling was very disappointing and we allowed Northants to take the game away from us.”I can’t take anything away from them – Ben Sanderson and Brett Hutton bowled really, really well – but we were blown away again today. We need to be better all round. There was a great opportunity today for someone to put a big score on the board and we weren’t able to do that. We need more lads to put their hands up than guys like Ollie Robinson and Ben Brown. We’ve had a couple of tough games but we need to be better.”They seemed to be making a better fist of things when Varun Chopra and Luke Wells took the score to 35 for 1 but Sussex then lost nine wickets for 70 runs with Ben Sanderson and Brett Hutton again wreaking havoc.Sanderson’s 4 for 18 in two spells included the 200th first-class wicket of his career. He finished with match figures of 10 for 50 while Hutton improved on his 3 for 47 in the first innings by taking 4 for 32 in the second to finish with a match haul of 7 for 79.There were boos from some Sussex supporters when a second successive defeat was confirmed shortly after 4pm. Although they remain third in Division Two they have played a game more than most of their rivals, many of whom could overtake them depending on results in the other matches which finish on Wednesday.Once again Sussex’s batsmen were like rabbits in the headlights against a relentless Northamptonshire attack who found a consistent length and enough seam movement and swing to take nine wickets in 19 overs during the afternoon session.Sussex began their notional pursuit of a target of 499 25 minutes before lunch but they didn’t get to the interval unscathed with Phil Salt pinned in Hutton’s second over for one of three ducks in the innings.The experienced Chopra, who is on loan from Essex, and Wells, negotiated 12 overs either side of lunch but when Wells (11) nibbled fatally at Hutton’s away-swing the innings went into a dramatic tail spin.Laurie Evans (3) became Hutton’s third victim and with the score still on 41 Chopra (22) was caught behind off Nathan Buck, who then had Delray Rawlins (8) taken mid-off off a mis-timed pull.Skipper Ben Brown decided to go down fighting, hitting five fours and two sixes – both in the only over bowled by off-spinner Rob Keogh – as he dominated a sixth-wicket stand of 28 with David Wiese.But when Sanderson returned to the attack Sussex’s last five wickets disappeared for 13 runs with Sanderson removing Wiese and Will Beer in the space of three balls before Keogh clung on to a good catch in the gully to remove Brown for 46 in the paceman’s next over.Sanderson finished things off by bowling Aaron Thomason, Hutton having picked up his fourth wicket when wicketkeeper Adam Rossington held his fourth catch of the innings to remove Ollie Robinson.Earlier, Buck hit a 59-ball half-century as Northants added a further 119 runs during the morning session before being bowled out for 331.
Resuming on 212 for 4, they lost their first three wickets to Robinson, who finished with match figures of 10 for 132. His performance was the lone positive for Sussex.Buck was dismissed two balls after reaching his half-century when he top-edged a pull at Abi Sakande before left-arm spinner Rawlins picked up two wickets to finish with 3 for 34.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore hits unbeaten 76, Dom Sibley continues excellent summer with polished 64

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2019Birmingham Bears snatched a tie from the jaws of defeat against Yorkshire at Headingley, a result which realistically suits neither side in the Vitality Blast.Tom Kohler-Cadmore hit 76 not out off 54 balls and was looking like underpinning Yorkshire’s pursuit of 178, especially having shared 88 inside 10 overs for the first wicket with Adam Lyth, who reached 40.But the Bears fought back to leave the Vikings needing 29 off three overs, 23 off two, 11 off the last and two off the last ball, which Kohler-Cadmore hit to mid-off for a single against Fidel Edwards.Both sides finished on 177 for four, with Bears opener Dom Sibley earlier continuing his excellent summer with a polished 64. Sibley’s 43-ball innings was the feature for the Bears after the visitors had been invited to bat. It was his first Blast innings of 2019 and included seven fours and two sixes.While Yorkshire have now only won one from seven games in the North, Birmingham have won two from six. Both remain outside the North Group’s top four places.Rain delayed the start by 40 minutes, until 3.10pm, and opener Sibley shared 37 and 62 for the first and second wickets with Michael Burgess and Sam Hain.Sibley hit sixes over long-leg off David Willey and over long-on off Dom Bess’ off-spin on the way to his third fifty against Yorkshire in all formats this season. The 23-year-old England Lion had come into the Birmingham side in place of out of form Ed Pollock and continued the form which has had him discussed as a potential Ashes opener.Once both Sibley and Hain had departed (99 for 2 after 13 overs and 137 for 4 in the 18th), middle order pair Will Rhodes and Liam Banks boosted the total significantly. Both hit two fours and a leg-side six apiece, with Rhodes not out on 22 off 13 balls and Banks 24 off 10. The last 17 balls of the innings yielded 40 runs.Only Willey went at less than eight runs an over for the hosts. Former South Africa fast bowler Duanne Olivier claimed two wickets but was expensive in three overs.Lyth then got the Vikings chase up and running by hitting the lion’s share of 20 off the second over from Fidel Edwards, pulling a six over deep square-leg to take the score to 26 without loss.Kohler-Cadmore, assuming captaincy duties from Steve Patterson after the seamer had left himself out in favour of a second spinner in youngster Jack Shutt, then took on the lead role as the hosts reached 50 in the fifth. He top-edged Henry Brookes for six over fine-leg before Lyth caught him up on 40 in the ninth over (87 without loss).Lyth was then stumped off Jeetan Patel’s off-spin in the next over before Kohler-Cadmore reached 50 off 34 balls and maintained the momentum alongside Willey, who hit three leg-side sixes in a quick-fire 30 off 15 balls. He pulled West Indian quick Edwards over the ropes twice in the 13th over before falling to Alex Thomson’s off-spin – 131 for two in the 14th.Brookes then had Gary Ballance caught at cover before Patel bowled Harry Brook scooping as the Bears fought back well, leaving the score at 151 for 4 in the 18th.But Kohler-Cadmore pulled Brookes for six with last ball of the 19th before Jonny Tattersall scooped the first ball of the last over for four off Edwards, who recovered to seal a point.

“If you come and watch both of them train you see why they keep improving and keep getting better”, says Australian captain

Daniel Brettig05-Aug-2019Having stared down England, the chants of the Hollies Stand and their own doubts, the Australian side led by Tim Paine has still more improvement in it, the captain has claimed, not least the tourists’ most dominant forces of Edgbaston, Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon.Smith won the match award for a spine-tingling double of 144 and 142 in his first match back from the Newlands scandal ban, leaving Paine to marvel at his concentration while also admitting his tactical alertness had been of major assistance throughout the Test. However, Paine’s most telling remark about Smith and Lyon, who spun England out with a startling 6 for 49 on the final day that also took him past 350 Test wickets, was that both have shown the ability to keep building on their games as senior players.”He could get plenty. As long as he wants to go for I reckon, he doesn’t seem to have too many niggles or injuries over his career,” Paine said when asked how many more wickets Lyon might take. “The ball is coming out as well as ever. He’s a bit the same as Smithy, I feel like every Test match or series they seem to get better which is astonishing at their age. But I think if you come and watch both of them train you see why they keep improving and keep getting better and are a great example for the rest of our group.”No doubt the pitch had worn but I thought he was threatening in the first innings as well. Nathan has played on all different surfaces now and knows exactly what he is doing in all different situations. I think he bowled a bit quicker, which he tends to do over here because he doesn’t get the bounce he gets in Australia or the turn as consistently. He controlled it beautifully and he is going to be a real threat. He can take day five wickets and when you have a spinner like that it can change a game very quickly.”After bearing so much of the leadership load over the past year, Paine said he had gained a lot from the ability to delegate in this match, even if there were times when it looked as though Smith was controlling proceedings almost as much as the official captain was, while David Warner also had input. “It certainly helps. Both of those guys in particular have played a lot more cricket in England than I have,” Paine said. “They’ve played a lot more big tournaments and big series and big Tests than I have.”The same goes for all of our team – they’re not only helping me with the way they lead our group, they’re also helping … the things that Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh and Travis Head are learning from Steve Smith and Daivd Warner in our change room is stuff that cannot be taught. We’re all tapping into them whether we’re the captain, the coach, the batting coach or bowling coach. They’ve got things they’ve learned through experience that other people don’t have or don’t know. Like I said before, we’d be foolish not to tap into that. They’ve still got a huge presence in our dressing room, there’s no denying that.”ALSO READ: For Edgbaston 2019, read Headingley 1989With a tour game in Worcester beginning on Wednesday, the Australians will look to rest key players, notably the bowlers in this Test and also Smith. Nevertheless, Paine said he would not be standing in the way of allowing Smith to hit another surfeit of balls before the Lord’s Test after the way his exhaustive preparation for Birmingham played out in the middle.”I wouldn’t argue with his preparation, it seems to work for him, but there’s probably a few guys that will miss next week,” Paine said. “We’ve got some guys who haven’t played any cricket and some who have played through a World Cup and then straight into a tour game in Southampton and then into a Test match. So we’ve got to manage not just our fast bowlers but we’ve got to manage the guys who’ve been involved in the World Cup and we’ll have that conversation today or tonight and make sensible calls.”Another key Australian performer to improve across the Test was Pat Cummins, who bowled presentably in the first innings but delivered truly fiery stuff in the second, starting with a sharp lifter to dismiss Rory Burns that drew life from a pitch that had seemingly breathed its last. “I think he said he just struggled in the first innings for a little bit of rhythm, which can happen, he hasn’t played a hell of a lot with the red ball in the last six months, so I think there was a little bit of rhythm,” Paine said.After a steady first innings, Pat Cummins got better as the Test went on•Getty Images

“It was also a big series and something he wanted to have a real impact on so I think there was probably a little bit of nerves as well which was totally fine. I don’t think he was on his own there, but I think he settled into the Test match beautifully and the way he set the tone for our team this morning was exactly what we want from Pat Cummins. Now he’s settled into some rhythm I think he’ll just get better and better.”One of the reasons we pick so many bowlers was because we knew this Ashes series was going to be wearing on our bowlers. Especially the guys who were at the World Cup. We’ve got two world class bowlers sat on the sidelines raring to go [Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood]. I imagine they’ll bowl in the tour game and then put their hand up for selection. We’ll look at the pitch when we get to Lord’s and then make our selections on what will be the best combination to get us 20 wickets. We think we have a lot of different options.”Paine also disagreed that the selectors needed to feel “vindicated” by the performances of Matthew Wade and Peter Siddle, pointing out that both had been good, logical selections tailored to the conditions and also out of deference for their recent performances in first-class ranks. “Matty has been the form players in Australian cricket for the last 12 months. Siddle is someone we see as a handful in these conditions,” Paine said.”Even today on a day five wicket he took no wickets but he was still a handful. He asks questions all the time and with the Dukes ball in English conditions he is a real handful. He bowls a beautiful length over here. I wouldn’t say they are punts, they were good, educated decisions from our selectors.”

The man who revived the art of legspin bowling passed away in Lahore from a cardiac arrest

Osman Samiuddin06-Sep-2019Abdul Qadir, the man who revived the art of legspin bowling in the 1970s and 1980s, has passed away in Lahore from a cardiac arrest.Qadir, an integral part of Pakistan’s most successful sides in the 1980s and a valuable mentor to Shane Warne and Mushtaq Ahmed, among others, was 63, nine days short of his next birthday.Qadir worked with Pakistan cricket in several capacities after his playing career was over and ran a private academy just outside Gaddafi Stadium. “PCB is shocked at the news of ‘maestro’ Abdul Qadir’s passing and has offered its deepest condolences to his family and friends,” the PCB tweeted.”We are devastated with the news of Abdul Qadir’s passing and on behalf of the PCB, I want to express my deepest condolences to his family and friends,” chairman Ehsan Mani said. “The PCB, like every Pakistani, is proud of his services to cricket and Pakistan. His contributions and achievements were not only limited on-field, but he ensured he transferred the art of leg-spin to the up-and-coming cricketers.”Apart from being a maestro with the ball, Abdul Qadir was a larger-than-life figure who was adored, loved and respected across the globe due to his excellent understanding and knowledge of the game, and strong cricket ethics and discipline. Today, global cricket has become poorer with his passing. He will be missed but will never be forgotten.”Qadir’s numbers have since been dwarfed by a number of modern spin greats but his impact on the genre is impossible to ignore. At the time he burst on to the international scene, late in 1977 against England, legspin was all but a forgotten art. But a six-for in only his second Test placed it right back on the map.That England were the opponents was significant, because it was through England that his legend burned brightest. So taken were the English by the exotic appeal of Qadir and what he bowled, Imran Khan advised him to keep a goatee for the 1982 tour to the country, to reinforce the image of him as some kind of strange mystic from the east.They proved to be profitable opponents as well. In 1987, he took 40 wickets in four Tests against England; ten wickets first in the final Test at The Oval in a draw that sealed a first-ever series win for Pakistan in England, and then 30 wickets in three Tests against the same opponents in Pakistan later in the year. Questionable umpiring took some of the sheen off his feats in the series win in Pakistan, but 82 wickets in 16 Tests was unquestionably good.England weren’t the only side to come up against Qadir at this finest, though. Some of Qadir’s best days came in Pakistan’s epic battles with West Indies through the mid-80s. In the two drawn series, in Pakistan in 1986-87 and then 1987-88, Qadir was decisive; his 6 for 16 in Faisalabad saw West Indies bowled out for just 53 and this, a line-up that included Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Richie Richardson and Larry Gomes.In the six Tests across those two series, Qadir loomed large, taking 32 wickets, batting out a final over to secure a draw and punching a spectator after some umpiring decisions went against Pakistan.If there was a blot, it was India, whom he could never quite convince of his genius. Across a clutch of series – he played as many as 16 Tests against them, in days when the two played regularly – but only took 27 wickets. The worst moment was to be dropped for the Bangalore Test in March 1987, a Test Pakistan famously won off the back of two spinners who weren’t Qadir – Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed. So ineffective had Qadir been that even his captain Imran was convinced – by Javed Miandad – to drop Qadir; there existed no bigger patron and supporter of Qadir than Imran.That mattered little, though, balanced against what he brought to the game and such was the case on other occasions. In Australia in 1983-84, for example, he only picked up 12 expensive Test wickets but few who saw him bowl forgot him.Indeed, two pioneering aspects of Qadir’s bowling were starkly evident on that tour. The first was the googly; some days he’d say he had six different ones and some days he said he had two but they were all hugely effective and equally indecipherable. And he wasn’t afraid to bowl them, not hiding them but using them as often as possible.The second was his ODI bowling. In a Benson & Hedges tri-series campaign in which Pakistan won only one of ten games against West Indies and Australia, Qadir took 15 wickets in eight games at just 18 apiece. He used that googly plenty in ODIs – just as legspinners have learnt again now how useful it can be – and in two World Cups, in 1983 and 1987, he was instrumental in Pakistan’s run to the semi-finals.One of his finest moments in that 1987 World Cup came with the bat – also against West Indies. An impish but brave hitter, Qadir somehow hit the 14 runs needed in the last over to steal a win, off no less a bowler than Courtney Walsh.Also Qadir, however, was loss in an ODI in Hyderabad, which prevented Pakistan from winning the ODI series 6-0. In attempting an impossible – and ultimately unnecessary – second run, Qadir ran himself out, leaving the scores tied and India winners by virtue of having lost fewer wickets. Had he not taken that single, Pakistan would have won on a tie-breaker of having scored more runs than India after 25 overs.He didn’t fade away once he had left the game, elbowed out ironically by Mushtaq, the man he mentored and whose action was a living, breathing tribute to Qadir – the curved run-up, the bounce in each step, a high whirl of both arms and mystery unleashed.His 1994 meeting with Shane Warne reminded a newer generation of how important a figure he was, though he was a regular and generous mentor. Imran Tahir was a protégé and despite not always seeing eye to eye with Shahid Afridi, he did help him rediscover his wrong ‘un not long before Afridi helped Pakistan to the World T20 title.That was also around the time Qadir was the PCB’s chief selector, a stint that didn’t last long and wasn’t without controversy. But through his academy, he continued to spread the word of the art he helped keep alive.

ESPNcricinfo’s live updates on the Ranchi Test

Firdose Moonda19-Oct-2019

Two days after they announced they would boycott all cricket activities, they met BCB officials and made some progress

Mohammad Isam23-Oct-2019Bangladesh’s cricketers, who went on strike on Monday, will return to action after officials from the BCB and the players’ association assured them that nearly all their demands would be met. Shakib Al Hasan, the Test and T20I captain who led the cricketers’ movement, however, said that the players would only be satisfied when all they had asked for was addressed.The impasse between the board and the players ended at close to midnight on Wednesday, by which time both parties had been in discussion for nearly two hours.The players agreed to the meeting after holding discussions among themselves in a hotel, in between holding a press conference where they added two more demands: 1. the BCB must share a percentage of their revenue with them, and 2. it should also ensure equal pay for women cricketers.There were reports on Wednesday that BCB chief Nazmul Hassan and director Naimur Rahman had met the country’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who had summoned Mashrafe Mortaza as well to know more about the situation. It is felt that after her intervention, the BCB backed off from their hardline stance and agreed to compromise.Hassan said the board had not been made aware of the two new demands until a few hours ago, but that it will fulfill the original 11. Shakib added that the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh [CWAB] had also agreed to hold fresh elections, where players are expected to vote for the office bearers.”As Papon [Hassan] said, it was a fruitful discussion,” Shakib said. “He and the rest of the directors assured us that our demands will be met as soon as possible. Based on their assurance, we will start playing the NCL [National Cricket League] and attend the training camp [prior to the tour of India].”We told them that there should be [CWAB] elections swiftly. We want a representative from the current players, so that our problems can be discussed with the board regularly. It will be the best for the players. They have agreed, and the elections will be held when we are all available. We can tell you that we are happy when the demands are implemented, but discussions have been satisfying.”Hassan, who had a completely different tone to his angry press conference on Tuesday, said that the BCB would return to the Dhaka Premier League’s player transfers, as well as ensure a franchise model is in place in next season’s Bangladesh Premier League, as the players had demanded.He also said that the board would quickly increase the domestic players’ remuneration, but asked for time on improving infrastructure across the country.”We thank the players for coming today. They had a number of demands, which I told you yesterday we were mostly agreeable to,” he said. “Among their 11 demands, the first one [CWAB elections] doesn’t have anything to do with the BCB and the last demand [more than two NOCs per year to play overseas franchise tournaments] will be taken case to case.”We have agreed with the rest of the demands, like the DPL transfers and BPL franchise model. We will also significantly improve their allowances in the domestic competitions, and it will be done in the next two or three days. Not in six months or a year. We will also improve infrastructural facilities everywhere, and no longer take it phase by phase. I also heard from many players, and I have asked them to send them their issues in writing in the future.”Hassan said they had offered to cancel the NCL’s third round matches scheduled for October 24, but he was told that wasn’t necessary. “We wanted to leave out the NCL’s third round but the players said that if it is delayed by a day, they will make it to the venues,” Hassan said. “The national players will join the [pre-tour] camp on October 25, as was earlier planned.”Hassan, who had criticised the cricketers on Tuesday for going on strike and was made to wait for four hours before the meeting started on Wednesday, said that even during the discussion, he had started off angry. “I felt that it was a good discussion but I don’t think the players liked it, as I was angry at the start, but later the anger went away.”The strike that began on Monday afternoon with the centrally contracted and first-class cricketers, even attracted players from Dhaka’s first division league on Wednesday.

No time frame for Moeen’s Test return following his absence from England’s squad for South Africa

George Dobell07-Dec-2019It is “by no means certain” that Moeen Ali will be available for England’s tour of Sri Lanka, according to Ed Smith.Smith, the national selector, admitted there was “no time frame” for Moeen’s return to Test cricket after he was, once again, absent from England’s squad for the tour of South Africa.Moeen asked for a break from Test cricket at the end of the 2019 English summer and, despite conversations with Smith, fellow selector James Taylor and England captain Joe Root in recent days, remains unavailable by his own choice. His absence does not extend to white ball cricket and it would be a surprise if he did not return to the England party for the limited-overs part of the South Africa tour.Also read: Bairstow, Anderson, Wood return to England Test squad“He asked to take a break from Test cricket at the back end of last summer and that is what has happened,” Smith said. “At this stage we don’t know when he will return to being available for Test cricket but it’s our hope that he does. We all know that Moeen is a talented and valued cricketer for England. But we don’t know if and when that might happen.”Hopes that Moeen could return for the Sri Lanka tour, where he played a key role in England’s 3-0 victory a year ago, in March were not boosted by his inclusion in the PSL draft. The competition takes place at the same time as the tour. But while Smith admitted there were no guarantees Moeen would return for that tour, he felt it was possible.”I don’t think it’s ruled out and it’s also by no means certain he will be available,” Smith said. “At the moment there’s no time frame. But what I did discuss with Moeen – what we all discussed with him – was our aspiration that he’s available to play Test cricket for England. He’s a valued England cricketer. From my point of view and a selection view, the sooner he was available the better and that would include Sri Lanka.”He did say that there are more Test runs and more Test wickets in him and that was very encouraging. It’s disappointing when a player of Moeen’s ability and track record is unavailable for selection. In an ideal world, we’d like Moeen to be available.”While Moeen lost his place in the England side during the Ashes – and the Test part of his central contract at the end of the season – his potential value as a Test cricketer may have been reappraised a little in his absence. Not only does his non-availability leave England with the prospect of a diplodocus-length tail – Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Jofra Archer seem most likely to feature from No. 8 to No. 11 in South Africa – but his relative potency with the ball has been missed. After 60 Tests (and 181 wickets), he has a better strike-rate (60.6) than hugely respected spinners of the past such as Jim Laker (62.3), Derek Underwood (73.6) and Hedley Verity (77.5). Leach, after 10 Tests, has a strike-rate of 60.9.Although Moeen was nowhere near his best with the bat – he averaged 10 in five Tests in 2019 – in his most recent Tests, England remain hopeful that a return to his best will give them greater penetration with the ball and an easier balance in the team. England claimed only 21 wickets in the two Tests in New Zealand and went into the second Test without a front-line spinner for the first time since 2013.Smith also defended the selection of Ollie Pope as England reserve keeper for the New Zealand tour, but declined to clarify who had been selected as reserve keeper in South Africa with Jonny Bairstow recalled to the squad.”That would be a question for the captain and coach to answer,” Smith replied when asked who would keep should Jos Buttler suffer another back spasm on the morning of a Test in South Africa. “They’ve got pretty good options.”We were very clear when we discussed the tour party to New Zealand that we were going to take a 15-man party for a very short time. We had discussed the possibility of a last minute injury to Jos and we were comfortable with Pope keeping wicket. He has kept a great deal in his life. I’ve seen him keep a lot, James Taylor has seen him keep a lot and not only for the Lions but for Surrey.”In the last 10 years that’s the only last minute injury to a keeper. Jonny got injured in a different format in Sri Lanka, which brought about a change when Ben Foakes came in. But for it to happen at the 11th hour is very unlikely. But it was discussed and we were comfortable with Pope coming into the side if a last minute injury happened to Jos. We knew he was a very capable keeper.””Bairstow has been picked as someone who could add value to an England Test team. He’s a talented batsman who has scored a hundred at No. 3 as well as hundreds lower down the order. And he’s kept wicket in many games for England so he covers both of those possibilities.”Since the moment he was selected as a batsman for England – he was the first of his generation to be selected, in 2012 – he has a non-Test first-class average of 57. He wants to get back into the team and he knows when he’s playing well he has a number of routes.”

Powerplay specialist played six games for club in 2019 and will take over from Jeetan Patel

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-2019Chris Green, the globetrotting Australian offspinner, has signed a deal to return to Birmingham Bears for the 2020 Vitality Blast, and will captain the side in the competition.Green, who has made his name as one of the best Powerplay spinners on the T20 circuit in recent years, played six games for the club this year, having flown in from the Global T20 Canada at less than 24 hours’ notice. He impressed in that stint, conceding just 6.69 runs per over, and will be available for the whole group stage in 2020.ALSO READ: From a Thunder innings to Guyana captain – the unlikely story of Chris GreenAnd after Jeetan Patel stood down from the captaincy, with his retirement due at the end of next season, Green will lead the side for the whole of the Blast. Will Rhodes was confirmed as the Championship and 50-over captain last week.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Bears last summer and it’s a huge honour to return to the club as captain in 2020,” Green said. “I am really excited about re-joining the squad next season.”We know that there’s tremendous potential in this young squad and we have every chance of making the knockout stages and pushing for a home Finals Day if we can keep developing in the build up to the opener with Notts Outlaws on May 29.”Having arrived straight from the Global T20 Canada tournament this year, it’s very exciting that I can return to Edgbaston in mid-May and support our preparations for the full Vitality Blast campaign.””It’s great that we can bring Chris back to Edgbaston,” said Paul Farbrace, the club’s sport director. “He’s a true T20 specialist who boasts plenty of experience of playing in many of the world’s top short-form tournaments, but he also has the potential to become an established player on the international stage.”He immediately settled into the squad last summer and the cricket management team recognise that his experience and leadership qualities can help us to develop a fresh, attacking and entertaining approach to our T20 cricket.”Securing Chris gives us consistency in the make-up of our team, which we also see as an important factor in helping us get back into the knockout stages the Blast.”Green recently signed a six-year deal – the longest-ever Big Bash contract – with Sydney Thunder, and counts Guyana Amazon Warriors and Multan Sultans among his other sides. He captained Guyana in the final four games of the Caribbean Premier League in 2018, and recently told ESPNcricinfo that he had received some “good feedback” from Australia’s selectors about his standing ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.

Hilton Cartwright held the Stars together before Glenn Maxwell marshalled his team brilliantly

The Report by Andrew McGlashan18-Jan-2020The Melbourne Stars dug deep with a superb performance in the field, and an unlikely starring role for Nic Maddinson’s left-arm spin, as they were brilliantly captained by Glenn Maxwell against a Perth Scorchers team, whose batting is starting to look seriously wobbly as the push for the finals heats up.On a slow pitch, both teams laboured with the bat, but the Stars hauled themselves to 6 for 141 as Hilton Cartwright batted throughout the innings for the fourth-slowest fifty-plus score in BBL history. Matt Kelly made an impressive return to the Scorchers attack with 3 for 27 including the scalps of Marcus Stoinis and Maxwell.Nic Maddinson held a stinging return catch•Getty Images

Maxwell then assessed the conditions quickly in the field and did not bowl an over of pace after the powerplay when the Scorchers had been handily placed on 1 for 41. Between them, the four Stars spinners had figures of 14-0-89-6, including the first wickets of Maddinson’s T20 career in his 108th match. Two run outs, one of them of captain Mitchell Marsh, compounded the problems for the Scorchers, who face another long flight home as they try to regroup.Kelly’s confidence boosterLast season, Kelly’s performances caught the eye so much that he earned a late deal with the IPL and was tipped for Australia honours. Things have been tougher for him this campaign and he lost his spot in the starting XI before returning for this match. It was an encouraging display on the day, which included removing the in-form Stoinis early when he jabbed a very full delivery to cover. Stoinis did not think he was out, but the replays were clear when the third umpire checked. Nathan Coulter-Nile’s attempts to pinch-hit didn’t work – as early signs emerged that scoring could be hard work – before he heaved Kelly to deep midwicket. Kelly later on returned to claim Maxwell, who reverse scooped to the keeper.Hilton Cartwright registered the fourth-slowest 50+ innings in BBL cricket with his 58 off 56•Getty Images

Cartwright’s hard yardsAt the end of the powerplay, the Stars were just 2 for 29 – their lowest tally of the season – and the Scorchers continued to squeeze. After ten overs, they had crawled to 3 for 49 and that included Maxwell launching Fawad Ahmed for six. At that point, Cartwright was 18 off 31 balls and it would not be until the final over that he would take his innings above a run-a-ball, even that coming with an inside edge between his legs. Crucially, though, he did not give it away, which meant the Stars never had two new batsmen at the crease. The bit of late impetus that the Stars managed came from Nick Larkin, who played another smart innings to hit 24 off 18 balls.A deceptive foundationImportantly, the Stars managed to keep hold of the Scorchers in the powerplay, although the visitors were going along reasonably comfortably. Coulter-Nile’s first two balls were short and pulled away by Josh Inglis, who also dispatched a free hit from Lance Morris over the rope. Dan Worrall made an important inroad when he removed the in-form Inglis, who played one on to his stumps, although it was in the seventh over that the game started to change. Cameron Bancroft reverse swept Sandeep Lamichhane’s first ball for four, but three deliveries later Liam Livingstone swung him to deep midwicket.Maddinson’s unlikely roleMaxwell quickly adapted his gameplan and decided it was spin to win. Lamichhane and left-arm wristspinner Clint Hinchliffe did not allow the Scorchers to get away, and then the surprise package emerged in the tenth over: Maddinson’s round-arm left-arm spin, which had previously delivered five overs in T20 cricket. The first ball brought a wicket, although that was through a run out as Bancroft called for a single that Marsh was unsure of at the non-striker’s end. Maxwell then turned to himself, Lamichhane and Hinchliffe until the 15th over. It was a period that did not bring a wicket, but only went for one boundary as Bancroft got stuck and Kurtis Patterson, playing his first BBL match of the season and first game of any sort since October, found his feet. When Maddinson returned, the equation was 55 off 36 balls, and his first delivery was drilled down the ground by Patterson. But when Bancroft crunched a full toss towards him later in the over, Maddinson instinctively stuck out a hand and held on to a stunning catch. From there, the chase unraveled badly for the Scorchers amid senseless shots with Maddinson also bowling the 18th and 20th overs in one of the more unexpected death-bowling displays of the season.