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Gloucestershire allrounder turns down new offer to return to club where he came through

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2022Benny Howell has agreed a return to Hampshire, after turning down an offer to remain with Gloucestershire. Howell, 33, has signed a three-year white-ball deal with the county where he initially came through before leaving in search of further opportunities a decade ago.The allrounder, who last month won his first England Lions cap, has developed a reputation on the global T20 stage for his “fast spinner” variations, playing in the Bangladesh Premier League, Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and being signed in this year’s IPL auction.Howell helped Gloucestershire lift the 2015 Royal London Cup and reach T20 Finals Day in 2020. He took more than 300 wickets across the three formats across 11 seasons in Bristol – including 142 in T20, with an economy of 7.17.His short-form skills saw him play a key role in Birmingham Phoenix getting to the final of the inaugural edition of the Hundred, and his arrival will strengthen the hand of Blast champions Hampshire ahead of their title defence in 2023.”Benny is recognised as one of the best T20 allrounders in England and it’s great that he wants to finish his career where it began,” Giles White, Hampshire director of cricket, said. “He adds great depth to our squad and improves both our batting and bowling resources. It will be great to have him back with the group and we are all looking forward to seeing him perform in a Hawks shirt again next season.”Steve Snell, performance director at Gloucestershire, made it clear that the club had hoped to retain Howell’s services.”Benny has been a terrific cricketer for Gloucestershire over the last 10 years,” Snell said. “Not only has he been an exciting and entertaining player to watch, to an extent he has redefined the art of T20 medium-paced bowling and in some respects is a pioneer.”Naturally we are disappointed he is leaving us, especially as we made an extremely competitive offer to try to keep Benny at Gloucestershire. I’d like to thank him for his magnificent contribution to Gloucestershire Cricket; he will be missed by everyone at the Seat Unique Stadium.”Howell has developed a reputation as a cult cricketer on the county circuit, and despite his age could still be an outside bet to win a T20 cap as England search for solutions to their recent slump in the format.”Hampshire is the place where I learnt a great amount during my early career,” Howell said. “It was always an elite environment so I’m extremely excited to rejoin the club after ten years away and hopefully I can help the side compete for more trophies in the future.”

Veteran Porterfield to combine playing career with job as fielding coach

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2021Cricket Ireland has announced new coaching consultancy roles for William Porterfield, Ireland’s former captain across all formats, and Gary Wilson, the wicketkeeper-batsman who retired last week.Porterfield, 36, will combine his playing career with a job as consultant fielding coach, working with the men’s and women’s teams and the Ireland pathway system. He has also be named as Wilson’s assistant at the North West Warriors in Ireland’s interprovincial set-up.Recognised as one of Ireland’s best fielders, Porterfield’s last international appearance came in an ODI in January 2020, having stepped down from the captaincy a few months earlier.”I’m really excited about these two roles – both working within the national system and within the provincial system in the North West,” Porterfield said. “I had a bit of a taste of coaching with the Birmingham Bears last year, and am looking forward to working with some of Ireland’s most talented players – being able to pass on knowledge and experience from a coach’s perspective. It will be a bit different being a coach while still playing, but it’s going to be a great opportunity and I can’t wait to get stuck in.”The fielding role with Ireland is something I’m passionate about. I’ve prided myself on my fielding throughout my career, and tried to set high standards, so hopefully I’ll be able to help not only players from the senior men’s and women’s squads, but players from the under-age teams as well.”Related

• Ireland emphasise need for ICC funding and more context as Test drought continues

• Porterfield steps down as Ireland captain

• Dockrell, Porterfield, Rankin dropped for Afghanistan ODIs

• Gary Wilson retires to take up coaching role

Having called time on his professional career to take over as North West Warriors head coach and pathway manager, Wilson has also been given a consultant wicketkeeping role with Ireland, again working across men’s, women’s and age-group teams.Wilson said: “I’m thrilled to be able to support keepers up and down the Irish pathway in this new role. It’s a great opportunity to get back involved in the international set-up so soon after retirement, and it’s a role I’m looking forward to massively.”When I was initially discussing the scope of the role, what I really felt added to it was the ability to share my knowledge and experience with the keepers within the women’s game. Ed [Joyce] has been doing such a fantastic job as head coach, and I’m delighted to be able to work with him on bringing on the senior and emerging talent that we have here in Ireland.”Richard Holdsworth, Cricket Ireland’s high performance director, added: “I’m delighted that we have not only appointed these two roles we have long sought, but to have appointed two world-class players like William and Gary represents a real win for Irish cricket and the players in our performance system.”For any young player to be able to access and learn from two of the best players Ireland has produced is an immense opportunity. I know both William and Gary have a passion for Irish cricket and are keen to help develop and improve Irish cricketers at all levels. I wish them well, but know they need no additional motivation – they are two of the most self-motivated people I have worked with and I look forward to seeing their work in this new capacity.”

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.

The phrasing inside Australia’s dressing room at Perth Stadium certainly provoked a response

Alex Malcolm03-Nov-2018Just five days after the publication and significant fall-out of the Longstaff review and Cricket Australia’s players’ pact, Australia coach Justin Langer has explained a new and unusual catchphrase that adorns the walls of the Australian dressing room ahead of their first match on home soil since the ball-tampering saga.Anthony Everard, Cricket Australia’s executive general manager of events and leagues, tweeted a photo of the Australian dressing room at Perth’s Optus Stadium on Friday which had been branded with catchphrases such as “We are Australia’s Cricket Team”, “make Australians proud”, “patience” and “pressure”.But it was a fifth slogan “elite honesty” that caused a stir on social media and prompted an explanation from Langer on Saturday.”It’s the Australian way as I know it,” Langer said.”You look at a bloke or a lady in the face and you tell them the truth and you need to be really honest with yourself because if you’re not you’re kidding yourself. The man in the mirror is almost a cliche, but if you want to be successful in life you have got to be able to look yourself in the mirror.

Langer ’embarrassed’ by stand naming honour

Justin Langer has had a stand named after him at Perth’s new stadium, becoming the first player to be honoured at the venue.
“I’m a little bit embarrassed by this,” he said. “When you start out as a little kid you don’t set out to have a grandstand named after you. It’s an unbelievable feeling. Most importantly my family and my friends are so proud of this and at the end of the day when I started playing the game it was to make my mum and dad proud.
“I know my mum who isn’t here with us anymore she’d be balling her eyes out. It might start raining a little while because my mum might be crying down when she sees this. I’m deeply honoured by it, I’m a little bit embarrassed by it.
Langer played 105 Test matches for Australia, the most of any Western Australian, and scored 23 Test centuries. He is WA’s highest run-scorer in Sheffield Shield history and coached WA two 50-over titles and the Perth Scorchers to three BBL titles.

“You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t lie to yourself. So that’s elite honesty to yourself. And also, the Aussie way I know it is to look a bloke in the eye, look your sister or you mum in the eyes, and tell them the truth and be happy to get some truth back, so that’s elite honesty.”Langer has previously stressed the importance of “elite mateship” within the Australian dressing rooms.While the choice of words may puzzle some, the coach is acutely aware that the team will be measured by their actions and not their words as they embark on their first home summer following one of the most tumultuous periods in Australian cricket history.”We can put as many words as we like out there, but it’s the way we play,” Langer said. “It’s the way we are on and off on the cricket field. And our actions will speak a lot louder than any words we write down.”The resignation of CA chairman David Peever on Thursday has added to the drama ahead of an important series against South Africa.”It’s sad isn’t it,” Langer said. “Everyone seems to be at each other, there’s lots of criticism. But we’ve got such a proud history of Australian cricket.”We’ve had a few hiccups along the way, in not just in the last six or 12 months, but over our history. But we should be so proud of Australian cricket.”What we can do is we can prepare well, we can play good cricket, and be entertaining and put on a good show so Australians can start smiling a bit. One thing sport can do and that Australian cricket can do is put smiles on faces rather than everyone throwing stones and shooting guns at each other.”

A fourth-wicket stand of 246 gave West Indies control at Headingley, Shai Hope making an unbeaten 147 – his maiden Test hundred – on a memorable day for the visitors alongside Kraigg Brathwaite’s sixth Test century

The Report by Andrew McGlashan26-Aug-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAt Edgbaston, two completed innings from West Indies mustered 305 runs and neither lasted even 50 overs. On the second day at Headingley, one West Indies partnership added 246 runs in 68 overs as Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope turned a promising revival with the ball into a full-blown resurgence.Brathwaite’s 134 was his sixth Test century, brought up from 189 balls with a six off Tom Westley in the final over before tea, while for Shai Hope – who took 159 deliveries – it was his first. After a lean start to his Test career, Hope’s century came three matches after his previous best of 90 and offered, dare we say, hope that the investment in him will bring long-term returns. The pair had come together inside the first hour of the day with West Indies 35 for 3 and the memories still fresh of the 19-wicket day last week.By the time England broke through, deep in the final session, when Broad burst through Brathwaite’s defence with the second new ball, West Indies were in the lead – the first time they had been ahead on first innings in England since Old Trafford in 2004 – and the partnership was West Indies’ biggest in England for more than 30 years, since Gordon Greenidge and Larry Gomes famously made David Gower regret his declaration at Lord’s in 1984.At the close, the lead stood at 71 with five wickets in hand. Ben Stokes had removed Roston Chase, edging a short delivery to first slip and there was the prospect of the fantastic work being undone. However, Jermaine Blackwood – whose idea of playing for the close was to continue to attack – ensured the day ended on a strong note. Hope’s unbeaten 147 was West Indies’ highest individual innings in England since Brian Lara’s 179 at The Oval in 1995.Until the new ball defeated him, Brathwaite’s 249-ball stay was a chanceless affair although he was twice grateful for DRS. On 34 he was given lbw to Broad but there had been an inside edge, while on 46 he was given the same way against Moeen Ali but was outside the line – one ball later he deposited Moeen into the stands for his fifty, the shot he would repeat a couple of hours later for the century.The team performance at Edgbaston brought much ridicule, but West Indies’ previous away Test had been a victory over Pakistan in Sharjah in which Brathwaite carried his bat for 142 in the first innings before marshalling the chase with an unbeaten 60 in the second.As the only member of the current squad with over 2000 Test runs, Brathwaite had already established his credentials at this level. The same could not said of Shai Hope who started this innings with an average under 20. However, he has been highly rated in the Caribbean since before his debut against England in 2015 and here that promise shone through.His fifty came from 72 balls with a strong straight drive against Chris Woakes and he came through Stokes’ attempts to unsettle him which included a hefty blow on the back of the helmet from a slippery bouncer. Ten minutes before tea, on 72, he flicked a delivery from Moeen to short leg but Mark Stoneman couldn’t cling on – it would have been an unfortunate way to go and West Indies’ effort deserved a few things to go their way.Whereas Brathwaite generally fed off short-of-a-length deliveries – of which England’s quicks offered up too many – Hope was eye-catching off the front foot (although his one-legged pull off Stokes to reach 99 was a reverse image of Lara). But for both the century-makers it was the early work in the morning session, when there was cloud cover and a new ball zipping around, that was most important to back up West Indies’ talk between matches that they had the batsmen to stand up to England in their conditions.England were off-colour with the ball; Broad struggled to consistently hit a full length (the sort that eventually dismissed Brathwaite) and after a promising first seven-over spell where he was unlucky not to pick up a wicket, Woakes looked more like a man making his way back into Test cricket after a lengthy lay-off.James Anderson was the pick of England’s bowlers and another bounty looked on the cards in the early forays of the day. He removed nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo in the fifth over of the day and then gave Kyle Hope another tough examination early in his Test career. A series of outswingers was followed by the inswinger, which brought the outside edge and Joe Root took a sharp catch at second slip. But for the rest of the day, Anderson remained stalled on 495 Test wickets, as did England’s hopes of forging a position from which they could take control of the match. That control, at least overnight, belonged to West Indies.

Ravi Bopara underlined his liking for the Kent attack when he hammered six sixes in an unbeaten 81 to lead Essex to their third successive NatWest T20 Blast victory.

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2016
ScorecardRavi Bopara’s unbeaten 81 sealed victory•Getty Images

Ravi Bopara underlined his liking for the Kent attack when he hammered six sixes in an unbeaten 81 to lead Essex to their third successive NatWest T20 Blast victory.The Essex captain, who also posted 74 not out when the two teams met in the Royal London Cup two-and-a-half weeks ago, was on fire, and was particularly harsh on Mitch Claydon, who he deposited for two maximums in the final over of the innings.Bopara, who batted for 43 balls with six fours as well as those half-a-dozen sixes, put on an unbeaten 131 off 10.2 overs with Ashar Zaidi, who was in similar form himself. Zaidi finished unbeaten on 54 off 33 balls with five fours and three sixes.And all this after Kent put Essex in and Jesse Ryder went third ball, beaten for pace by Kagiso Rabada and edging to wicketkeeper Sam Billings without scoring.Kent started their reply in brisk fashion, landing a succession of sixes themselves, eight in the final analysis, but they became becalmed mid-innings as the required run-rate topped 14 with seven overs remaining and kept growing.After the departure of Ryder, the Essex innings was sparked into action by Tom Westley and Kishen Velani. Westley drove Rabada through the covers two balls into his innings and pulled another boundary through midwicket when the young South African dropped one short.Velani was no less punishing, twice giving himself room to chop Claydon through the covers and then greeting Ivan Thomas with a controlled, lofted edge to third man for another four.The second-wicket partnership had put on 42 in 4.5 overs when the pair collided midwicket chasing a second run and Velani failed to beat Sam Northeast’s throw into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.Bopara had just deposited James Tredwell over cow corner for six when, two balls later, the bowler held a sharp caught-and-bowled to dismiss Westley for 33 from 31 balls.Bopara’s second six, swept over midwicket, ruined Fabian Cowdrey’s figures. The spinner’s first three overs had gone for 13, but his last went for 14.Zaidi was in typically hard-hitting mode, bouncing down the wicket to thump Thomas over cow for six and then lofting Tredwell over long leg for a second.Bopara and Zaidi passed fifty in five overs together when Bopara got an inside-edge for four that left Thomas flat on the floor in his follow-through, and hitting the ground in frustration.It didn’t not get any better for Thomas as Bopara hit the last two balls of his spell for a straight, flat six and then paddled a four to reach his personal fifty off 32 balls.Bopara’s fourth six, clouting Rabada over his head high into the black sightscreen behind the bowler, also brought up the hundred partnership for the fourth wicket inside 10 overs.Zaidi reached his fifty off 33 balls from a loose full-toss by Claydon which was sent towering over midwicket. The bowler received similar treatment by Bopara who hit his fifth and sixth sixes off the same over, the first straight, the second over long-on.The home crowd, already pumped up by the display of six-hitting by Bopara and Zaidi, were soon celebrating a wicket. Joe Denly departed for a first-ball duck when he was beaten all ends up to provide Paul Walter with his first senior wicket for Essex.But Kent were soon hitting sixes for fun themselves. Dan Lawrence went for two in an over, Tom Latham hooking the first over midwicket and another straight. Sam Northeast then eased Matt Quinn over cow corner as Kent reached 49 off the first five overs.But from the first ball of the next over, Northeast swished at Graham Napier and was caught behind. Since Napier had taken two Surrey wickets with his last two deliveries at The Oval on Saturday, it meant he had taken a hat-trick, albeit six days apart. More importantly he put the brakes on Kent’s onslaught, conceding just two runs in the over, and then had Latham caught by Ryder backward of square.Billings did not last much longer, run out by a direct hit from Ryder in the middle of a maiden over from Ryan ten Doeschate. Stevens also fell to another direct-hit run-out as Bopara fielded off his own bowling before Alex Blake was caught by ten Doeschate on his knees at long-on for a 31-ball 37, including two sixes.Rabada went second ball to a catch behind off Quinn, Cowdrey was caught-and-bowled by Walter and Tredwell became Walter’s third victim, caught on the fine-leg boundary by Lawrence.

“It was obviously pretty prehistoric in terms of the way they went about things. You could see that in the results they got.” Paul Collingwood’s verdict on England’s performance in the World Cup might just be the most apt epitaph yet.

Tim Wigmore05-Jun-2015″It was obviously pretty prehistoric in terms of the way they went about things. You could see that in the results they got.” Paul Collingwood’s verdict on England’s performance in the World Cup might just be the most apt epitaph yet.Collingwood, who was coaching Scotland during the World Cup, remains the only Englishman to lift a global limited overs trophy: the 2010 World T20 in the Caribbean.”We’ve always played catch-up in the one-day form of the game,” he said, though he believes England have been handicapped by conditions that render attacking the new ball far harder than in other parts of the world. “Whenever we tried it in English conditions, it never quite worked because of the seam movement and all this business. We kind of get halfway and then always resort back to the more conservative plan. But now there is a real sense of ‘we’ve got to do this’ because we’re getting nowhere playing conservative cricket.”The guys in world cricket now who have taken the game to the next level are people like AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Chris Gayle and they are playing as if they are in the back yard. It’s as if there are no consequences on their wicket whatsoever. Somehow a coach has to get that environment, certainly in the one-day form of the game, to where he can say ‘lads, you’re backed, don’t worry, you have games to fail, go out there and prove what you can do’. I think that is an important factor in how to get the utmost amount of skills from each player.”In his role as Durham captain, Collingwood has seen a new breed of English one-day batsman emerge, and is adamant that there is “a hell of a lot of talent” around, if only it is allowed to flourish. He is particularly excited about Alex Hales, aghast that England failed to give him “a good year of cricket” before the World Cup after his century against Sri Lanka in last year’s World T20.While Collingwood briefly worked as an England coach last year, he no longer has a formal role in the set-up. But Collingwood has discussed a potential role with Andrew Strauss, the new director of England cricket. “I’ve spoken to him but nothing concrete. It was just to see what my position was moving forward,” Collingwood says. “The experience of playing for England for so many years, that’s where you feel you belong, in that dressing room wearing the three lions. You’re never guaranteed a job when you come out of cricket but if there was a role they wanted us to play somewhere it would be hard to turn down.”Not that Collingwood is planning on giving up county cricket just yet. Having vowed that the 2014 season would be his last, Collingwood played so well that he decided to play on again. After an even better start to 2015 – he already has two Championship centuries and a five-for – he could again postpone his retirement. “I actually found a cover drive,” he laughs. “I would have thought I’d have another year of playing, I’m still enjoying it and love trying to help develop the youngsters up at Durham who are coming through.”One of those, Mark Wood, made quite an impression in his debut Test series against New Zealand. Not that Collingwood was surprised. “He has got great skills, a fast bowler who can swing the ball both ways. In any side is going to be hard to combat.”The great thing about Woody is that he has taken his character into that dressing room, he doesn’t seem to be scared of the environment which is a real positive. I think that will be good for the England dressing room because he’s a good guy to have around. He is a bit mad but he’s a great guy and I think he can bring more to the dressing room in terms of his skills out in the middle. He’s still very young and still has more development to come.”In a month’s time, Wood is likely to be playing in the Ashes, where Collingwood believes that England’s best chance lies in channelling a little of the buccaneering spirit of 2005.”It came after the Lord’s Test – I remember being in a meeting at Edgbaston and talking about taking it to the Aussies, not aggressively, but more in the way we play,” he says. “It was a real shift because we knew Warne was going to take wickets against us but can we make him go for four-an-over rather than two-and-a-half-an-over?””I can see England being in a similar situation now. We’re the underdogs again, nobody is expecting much from the Ashes but we have an opportunity there. It probably only takes one player like Freddie did in that series to re-ignite the love of the game again and really get the nation behind the team.”His Durham colleague Ben Stokes is indeed “the obvious one”. But Collingwood also expects Moeen Ali to surprise, especially with Australia likely to play two left-arm pace bowlers. “The pace that he bowls means he is going to be tricky, landing in the footholds they create outside off stump,” he says. “I think Moeen Ali is going to be underrated.”

Brendon McCullum believed an early burst of wickets and tight bowling in the afternoon session from Sri Lanka’s spinners cornered the visitors into reticence

Andrew Fernando in Galle17-Nov-2012New Zealand opener Brendon McCullum believed an early burst of wickets and tight bowling in the afternoon session from Sri Lanka’s spinners cornered the visitors into reticence on day one, despite having suggested they would target Sri Lanka’s bowling before the match. The captain Ross Taylor had said his side would look to employ a belligerent approach against spin in the first Test, but New Zealand were cautious throughout much of their innings, scoring at only 2.66 in the 82.5 overs they faced.Shaminda Eranga dismissed Martin Guptill and Kane Willamson in the sixth over, before Taylor fell to Nuwan Kulasekara in the ninth to leave New Zealand at 40 for 3, leaving McCullum and Daniel Flynn little choice but to rebuild steadily. Their partnership of 90 – New Zealand’s highest of the day – came in 198 deliveries, before scoring almost ground to a standstill in the second session after McCullum departed.”Our mindset was still very much being aware of the fact that the ball was turning, and the game situation as well played on our minds as we were 3 for 60 when spin came on,” McCullum said at the end of the day’s play. “Until my dismissal we were going pretty well. At that point Rangana Herath, who is a very good bowler, managed to seize the initiative and prize out some wickets from us. They probably looked up at the scoreboard after I got out and saw an opportunity where it was pretty delicately poised and I think they stepped up really well during that stage and put a lot of pressure on.”Flynn and James Franklin progressed at less than a run an over during their 13-over association, with Franklin making 3 from 43 deliveries. None of New Zealand’s batsmen who made more than a dozen runs had a strike rate of more than 60, and the highest economy rate among the Sri Lanka’s bowlers was 3.66 for Angelo Mathews, who only delivered three overs.”From our point of view, when we are under pressure, we probably need to be more positive and grab the situation rather than let the opposition dictate terms,” McCullum said. “I thought Daniel and myself were efficient against them. We were picking them up nicely and attacking the balls that they did miss on. We were putting them under pressure for periods of time, we just weren’t able to do that for long enough.”Herath and Randiv bowled 51 overs between them for 127 runs, inducing plenty of turn from the Galle pitch despite it being the first day of the Test. Randiv was instrumental in subduing Flynn and Franklin during their partnership, as he spun it sharply away from both left handers from around the wicket, and Herath finished the innings with 5 wickets for 65 – his fourth five-wicket haul in as many matches at the venue. McCullum however, did not fault the surface for a New Zealand batting performance he described as disappointing.”Absolutely no blame on the pitch. At Galle when you win the toss and bat first, you’re after a total in excess of 400. We weren’t able to do that today, but I thought the pitch was good. It turned a lot more than we probably anticipated it would on day one of a Test match, but that’s what you expect when you come over to the subcontinent.”It didn’t turn and bite, it was slow turn and we expect that that turn will become quicker as the Test goes on and we’ve got Jeetan and a couple of other guys who can bowl spin. With our seamers, our ability to reverse swing the ball, which we saw from some of their guys today, will probably be our main weapon of attack.”The first Test began just five days after the limited-overs leg of the tour finished, but McCullum said the lack of time for a warm-up match had not affected New Zealand’s batting greatly.”In this day and age you get used to having to chop and change between various formats. Over half our squad have been at home playing four-day cricket as well, so they’re very well prepared. The rest of us are pretty adaptable in terms of having to change between formats.”New Zealand picked three seam bowlers in their attack, and will rely on wickets with the new ball to prevent Sri Lanka from taking a first-innings lead. Tim Southee and Trent Boult swung the ball considerably in five overs near the close of day one, with Southee removing debutant Dimuth Karunaratne for a duck with a hooping inswinger.”We’ve got a big first hour in the morning to try and expose the Sri Lankan middle order and if we can do that, today’s misfortune will be a little bit easier to handle,” McCullum said.

A round-up of the action from the second day of the second round of Division One matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2011Faisalabad recovered from a poor start on the first day against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) in Sargodha by securing a 84-run lead on the second, and then building on it. WAPDA began the day on 33 for 3, pursuing Faisalabad’s 217, and slumped to 73 for 7. They lost two of those wickets with the score on 53. WAPDA’s wicketkeeper Ahmed Said top scored with 40 as wickets tumbled around him and the innings eventually ended on 133 in the 53rd over. Fast bowler Abdur Rauf took 3 for 40 for Faisalabad, while three others took two apiece. In their second innings Faisalabad’s openers, Farrukh Shehzad and Shahid Siddiq, made a solid start but both batsmen fell in the space of two runs to leave them at 75 for 2. Hasan Mahmood extended the lead to 188 by stumps with eight wickets intact.Abbottabad fast bowler Ikramullah Khan took 5 for 53 to help his team secure the first-innings lead against Habib Bank Limited (HBL) at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Ikramullah and his new-ball partner Mohammad Naeem dismissed HBL’s openers before a run had been scored and Ikramullah returned to dismiss Khaqan Asral and Hasan Raza, who scored 46 and 61. They were the only HBL batsmen to reach double digits as the innings ended on 156, conceding a lead of 116. Naeem finished with 3 for 45 while Ahmed Jamal took 2 for 34. Abbottabad ended the day on 24 for 1 in their second innings. They had begun the day on 252 for 8 in their first innings but overnight centurion Rameez Ahmed was dismissed early and they got only 272. HBL’s Sarmar Ahmed took 5 for 57 and Kamran Hussain took 4 for 52.Aqeel Anjum scored at unbeaten 80 at No. 8 to give National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) a slender first-innings lead after a top-order implosion against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. At one stage, when NBP were tottering at 39 for 6, it was Islamabad who were primed to take a massive lead. NBP resumed the day on 25 for 3, after Islamabad had scored 198, and Nasrullah Khan continued to rip through the line-up, finishing with 5 for 53. It needed the 80 from Anjum, 38 from Kamran Akmal and 24 from extras to drag NBP to 211 before the last wicket fell. Islamabad had wiped out the deficit of 13 by stumps, reaching 108 for 2 at stumps.Javed Mansoor was the second batsman to score a century in the Karachi Blues innings, after Shahzaib Hasan on the first day, leading them to a formidable first-innings score before their bowlers wrecked Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) at the National Stadium. Mansoor converted his overnight 66 into 107 and had support from the tail as he took Karachi to 400 before they were dismissed. Fast bowler Mohammad Khalil took 101 for 6 for ZTBL. Karachi Blues’ new-ball attack of Mohammad Sami and Sohail Khan dismissed the top four ZTBL batsmen cheaply, reducing them to 45 for 4. Medium-pacer Tariq Haroon then took three wickets as ZTBL ended the day in deep trouble at 128 for 7.Half-centuries from two top-order batsmen and a generous number of extras allowed Sialkot to make a strong reply in their first innings against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) at the Jinnah Stadium. Mohammad Yasin made 72 and Majid Jahangir was unbeaten on 54 as Sialkot reached 187 for 2 at stumps. They were also given 41 runs through extras in only 59 overs. Earlier in the day, SBP had extended their overnight score of 249 for 7 to 341. Most of their second-day runs were scored by Rameez Aziz, who was 72 overnight and finished on 121. Prince Abbas, one of nine bowlers used by Sialkot, took 5 for 106.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) ended the second day with a strong chance of taking a first-innings lead against Rawalpindi at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. PIA were on 259 for 4 at the start of play but their overnight batsmen were out early. Fahad Iqbal was out for 136 after resuming on 112 and Shoaib Khan snr did not add to his 70. The tail made useful contributions to take PIA to 338. Mohammad Rameez, Nasir Malik and Babar Naeem took three wickets each for Rawalpindi. PIA’s Ali Imran, however, produced a three-wicket spell as well to jolt Rawalpindi. They were reduced to 89 for 5 before wicketkeeper Jamal Anwar clubbed 60 of 43 balls. He was out shortly before stumps and Rawalpindi ended on 168 for 6.

Steve Tikolo rolled back the years with a dominant all-round show as Kenya surged to an easy six-wicket win against UAE in the first of four one-dayers in Mombasa

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2010
ScorecardSteve Tikolo and David Obuya hit half-centuries•Thota Sreenivas

Steve Tikolo rolled back the years with a dominant all-round show as Kenya surged to an easy six-wicket win against UAE in the first of four one-dayers in Mombasa. Tikolo snared 4 for 18 in seven overs of tidy offspin before sealing the victory with an unbeaten 69 off 77 balls after David Obuya set up the chase of 183 with 72.UAE’s decision to make first use of the pitch ran into rough weather early as Arshad Ali was run out by Hiren Varaiya for one. Amjad Ali, the other opener, found the going tough in his 17 off 40 balls before falling to Thomas Odoyo. Swapnil Patil hend the innings together and his fifty-run stand with Saqib Ali, who contributed a quick 33, set UAE up for a good total. The innings, however, ran into a rut in the middle overs as Tikolo took charge.UAE’s listless running was another issue they had to contend with – there were four run-out victims in all – and it was down to Amjad Javed’s late hitting to lift them close to 200. Javed contributed 30 with five fours and a six, before Tikolo had him caught by Nehemiah Odhiambo as the innings folded in the 47th over.Kenya lost Alex Obanda early in the chase, but David and Collins Obuya ensured UAE could not make any further quick inroads with a partnership of 46 for the second wicket. Tikolo, who came in at the fall of Collins’ wicket, then added 83 with David in a productive phase that gradually put the game out of UAE’s reach. David struck eight fours in his innings that came off 98 balls, and though Maurice Ouma departed cheaply after his exit, Tikolo ensured he was there till the end.