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A round-up of the second day of the first round of matches in the Plate League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2010Rajasthan were in position to complete a humiliating defeat of Hyderabad inside three days at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, after the latter crumbled to 64 for 6 a day after being bowled out for 21 to set the record for the lowest total in Ranji Trophy history. Trailing by 382, Hyderabad lost both their openers with only four runs on the board. A partnership of 24 between Anirudh Singh and Arjun Yadav followed, but it would prove to be only a minor lull in proceedings. Debutant Deepak Chahar, who took eight wickets in the first innings, followed it up with another three wickets, giving him 11 in the match so far.Rajasthan’s total of 403 was built around former India batsman Hrishikesh Kanitkar’s unbeaten 193. He batted for almost nine hours, facing 377 balls and hitting 22 fours. Robin Bist kept Kanitkar company in a stand of 107 for the third wicket before he fell to Pagadala Naidu. At that stage Rajasthan were 267 for 3, but the rest of the batting failed to click, with no one getting more than 23, to leave Kanitkar stranded seven short of a double hundred. Alfred Absolem took five for 78, his fifth career five-wicket haul.A 189-run stand between Sangram Atitkar and Ankit Bawne put Maharashtra in control of their game against Jammu & Kashmir at the Gandhi Memorial Science College Ground in Jammu. Atitkar made 140 and Bawne an unbeaten 132 as Maharashtra ended the day on 457 for 4, giving them a lead of 185. The pair came together after Kedar Jadhav had played an entertaining cameo – smashing five fours and a six in his 28 – and proceeded to dominate the bowling, scoring at a tick under four runs an over. Medium pacer Raman Dutta finally broke the partnership when he had Atitkar leg-before, but there was to be no respite for J&K as Bawne and captain Rohit Motwani upped the tempo in a 90-run partnership from just 20 overs.Madhya Pradesh threw away a strong start against Goa but ended the day with a 158-run first innings lead at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Three of the top four batsmen – Naman Ohja, Monish Mishra and Devendra Bundela – made half-centuries, but MP lost their last seven wickets for 108 runs to finish with 328. Ohja and Mishra added 132 before Shadab Jakati bowled Mishra for a fluent 71 that contained 11 fours and a six. MP captain Bundela and Ohja had added a further 52 when Harshad Gadeka had Ohja caught behind 12 short of his hundred. Abbas Ali threw his bat around to make 26 from 20, but his dismissal triggered a mini-collapse as four wickets fell for 25 runs. Ankit Sharma and Bundela stemmed the rot with a 48-run partnership, and Sharma and Anand Rajan put on 31, to take MP past 300.Medium pacer Suraj Yadav picked up 6 for 86 on debut but a century from Sreekumar Nair pushed Kerala to 454 against Services at the Model Sports Complex in Delhi. Nair made 137 and shared in two big partnerships down the order. He added 106 with Padmanabhan Prasanth for the seventh wicket and 94 with Sony Cheruvathur, whose 54 was his maiden half-century in first class cricket. Cheruvathur faced 92 deliveries and struck seven fours. In reply, Services were 16 for no loss at close of play.Varun Aaron took 5 for 17 as Tripura collapsed for 73 against Jharkhand at the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium in Agartala. Made to follow-on, Tripura slumped to 50 for 4, leaving them 212 runs behind Jharkhand, who were bowled out for 335, with Rahul Shukla top scoring with 72. Aaron took four of the first five wickets to fall in Tripura’s first innings, as they found themselves in a deep hole at 35 for 5. Captain Rajib Dutta was the only batsman to show some fight, remaining unbeaten on 24. In the second innings, Tripura lost both openers for 22 before legspinner Samar Quadri added two late wickets to leave them on the brink of an innings defeat.Andimani Pradeep led Andhra Pradesh to 370 in their first innings against Vidharba at the Vidharba Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. Pradeep was the last man to fall, bowled by Shrikant Wagh for 94. His 80-run partnership with captain Khatib Sahabuddin helped propel AP past 300. Wagh was the pick of the bowlers, taking 5 for 77. Vidarbha were 43 for no loss at stumps, with both openers Akshay Kolhar and Amit Paunikar on 20.

S Badrinath cracked a belligerent century to snatch the reins out of Mumbai’s hands and put Tamil Nadu back in the saddle at the Bandra-Kurla complex

Nagraj Gollapudi in Mumbai08-Dec-2009
Scorecard
S Badrinath rescued Tamil Nadu from 50 for 5•Sivaraman Kitta/K Sivaraman

S Badrinath cracked a belligerent century to snatch the reins out of Mumbai’s hands and put Tamil Nadu back in the saddle at the Bandra-Kurla complex. Earlier in the morning incisive seam bowling from the new-ball pair of Usman Malvi and Dhawal Kulkarni reduced the visitors to 50 for 5. But Badrinath stood strong and found an equally sturdy partner in C Ganpathy and the duo raised an unbeaten 201-run stand for the sixth wicket.In a way the stage was set for Badrinath, one of the most resilient minds on the first-class circuit in addition to being a consistent batsman in domestic cricket over the last five years. Over the last two years he has been on the fringes of the Indian team, picked in the national squad for various series. Time spent with illustrious company has definitely made him that much more resolute and today he brought that mental fortitude to the fore.Badrinath had already seen his team-mates restless during their brief stints at the crease. They were constantly troubled by both Malvi and Kulkarni, who were accurate with their lengths and made optimum use of the moisture in the track by hitting the seam to get sharp movement. Abhinav Mukund, beaten by both pace and movement, tried to go for an unconvincing cut against a rising ball from Kulkarni; the resulting edge went to the wicketkeeper.M Vijay, standing in as captain for Dinesh Karthik, who is with the Indian team to play the Twenty20s against Sri Lanka, started off with couple of fluent boundaries. The first one was a clip to the leg side off Kulkarni in his first over and then a forward punch that rolled past the straight boundary. He had come into the game after playing an important role with his 82 in the Mumbai Test against Sri Lanka. But a consistent length by the Mumbai fast men tied Vijay down and Kulkarni eventually induced an edge off a delivery that was seaming away.The visitors lost the next three wickets in quick succession. Malvi found himself on a hat-trick in the 16th over having got rid of Anirudh Srikkanth and Suresh Kumar. But Ganpathy firmly defended the good length delivery to deny Malvi a memorable return into the team. Tall and broad shouldered, Malvi is well-known for his aggressive style of bowling, but the team management had preferred the likes of Kulkarni and Aavishkar Salvi in the previous games.Malvi was getting a game after Ajit Agarkar pulled out due to a groin injury. In the past Malvi had flattered to deceive by resorting to the short ball frequently in unhelpful conditions, allowing batsmen to settle down. A similar thing happened later in the afternoon as Badrinath frustrated Malvi by ducking his bouncers and sometimes pulling when he was in the right position.But it wasn’t just the fast bowling that Badrinath was comfortable facing. He is 29 now, one the oldest players in the team, and he used his feet freely against the spin combination of Ramesh Powar and Iqbal Abdulla, punishing them whenever they challenged him with flighted deliveries. In the space of a few overs on either side of the lunch break, he stepped out to hit both spinners for three sixes over the straight boundary.Badrinath was taking risks but they were calculated. He understood that he had to remain the last man standing for Tamil Nadu to avoid being on the receiving end of a relatively flat pitch. So he and Ganpathy rotated strike without attempting any big strokes in the whole of the second session even as the scoring-rate dropped. But importantly the pair had succeeded in doing damage control after the morning’s wreckage.But Badrinath did not shy from jumping from 95 to his second century of the season by once again charging Powar and hitting over the sight screen. Immediately he took off his cap and doffed it to his team-mates in the dressing room. The manner in which he played so far was a good example for many of the Tamil Nadu youngsters. Badrinath too has been a keen learner all his career. Till IPL arrived he believed more in being defensive. Today he is more free in his strokeplay.”The fielders were inside and spinners tossing the ball up. I had enough time to take a chance,” Badrinath said. “Earlier I used to play risk-free strokes but the IPL is a reason for the change in my batting.”

The new protocols will also mandate that all players travel in the team bus to and from practice and matches

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-2025The BCCI is all set to implement stricter protocols with the Indian cricket team which include limiting the time players spend with their families on tour and barring independent transport for players while commuting for practice and matches.On tours of 45 days or more, players’ immediate families – partner and children – can be with them for no more than 14 days and not at all during the first two weeks of the tour. On shorter tours, families can accompany players for up to a week.These directions have been part of player contracts but were relaxed during the Covid-19 pandemic when players were given the option to make their families part of the team bubble, keeping their mental health in mind.India captain Rohit Sharma, head coach Gautam Gambhir and and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar met the BCCI office bearers in Mumbai on Saturday for the first time after the tour of Australia. The team leadership was informed of the return to the earlier protocols.Part of these protocols will also mandate that all players travel in the team bus, a time-honoured practice which is said to be have been flouted by some players in the recent past.As things stand, the BCCI pays for the families’ accommodation on tour but not their travel. There will be no change made to that policy provided the duration and the timing of the stay meet the protocols.Sports associations have long grappled with the issue: should players’ partners and children be allowed to travel with them and for how long? Chennai Super Kings in the IPL is an example of the families’ presence working for the team, but there have been countless examples of teams banning partners at the team accommodation. Brazil won the 2019 Copa America when partners’ visits were banned. Then there is the case of Australia’s swimmers, who openly criticised a similar ban during the 2012 Olympics, complaining of loneliness and demotivation.Indian cricket has had no set answers to this question. The last time the presence of families was discussed was in 2018, when the then captain Virat Kohli was reported to have requested relaxing the norms.The current coach, Gambhir, told then: “The player opinion varies. Only an individual can say because the individual has to play a Test match. Some want family to be there for the whole tour while others want little family time and they try to concentrate. Whatever the decision, it should be taken in the best interest of Indian cricket.”

Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood have all signed three-year deals, and a further 15 players signed two-year deals

Matt Roller24-Oct-2023Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director, has played down Ben Stokes’ decision to turn down a three-year central contract with the ECB in favour of a one-year deal, saying: “By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn’t want to play for England.”The ECB announced a list of 26 men who have signed central contracts on Tuesday, of which 18 have signed the first multi-year England contracts. The board felt compelled to act since players’ earning potential in franchise leagues is higher than ever after the launch of the UAE’s ILT20 and the SA20 in South Africa, both of which are supported by significant investment from IPL teams.But while Harry Brook, Joe Root and Mark Wood have all signed three-year deals, Stokes’ contract only covers the next 12 months. Stokes has been under contract with the ECB for the last nine years while lucrative commercial deals and IPL contracts – he was signed for INR 16.25 crore (£1.6 million approx.) by Chennai Super Kings in last year’s auction – have ensured his financial security.Related

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Stokes appears to have kept his options open ahead of the renewal of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Team England Player Partnership (TEPP) and the ECB next year, which aligns with a new cycle of broadcast rights. A representative for Stokes declined to comment on his decision.”In the simplest terms, we have done all of this stuff – multi-year deals – a year early,” Rob Key, England’s managing director, told the BBC in Bangalore. “The contracts system follows the broadcast cycle and the next broadcast cycle starts next year. In essence, to make any changes, really, you are meant to do that next year.”[For] Ben Stokes, like people do when they have an offer of a long-term contract, it is that trade of security over a stronger negotiating position. Ben, quite rightly, feels when the next MoU starts and the contract cycle changes, he will be in a stronger position. Other players have gone for that security.”The ECB’s contracting system considers both performances in the preceding year and the likelihood of players featuring in both red and white-ball cricket in the future. “It might be, next year, that there’s a different system,” Key told Sky Sports. “We’re going to work on that as soon as we’ve got this done, as it’s taken a little bit of a while.”Last week, Stokes spoke about “the landscape of cricket changing” when asked if he had considered whether he would play ODIs beyond the ongoing World Cup. “I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can for England,” he said. “That’s where it is for me. I love representing the badge and I want to do that as long as I possibly can and play as many games as I possibly can.”We’ll just see how things work out in terms of whether I do play [ODIs] after this. There’s obviously a few things to go into that: new MoUs coming up and all that sort of stuff… we’ll just see. I want to play as much cricket as I can for England until I can’t anymore.”Key clarified to Sky: “By no means does it mean that Ben Stokes doesn’t want to play for England. As captain of our Test team, all he ever talks about is how we can keep getting better and what we’re doing. We’re going to meet in a bit and start talking about the India tour that we’ve got after Christmas. I wouldn’t read into [the length of his contract] at all.”Last month, Stokes said that he was “very comfortable” with the idea of players turning down contracts to prioritise their long-term financial security.ESPNcricinfo understands that every player who was offered a deal has signed one, though some have agreed shorter terms than were initially presented. The announcement of contracts has been delayed while details were worked through, with deals backdated to run from October 1.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Brook, Root and Wood are the three players who have committed for three years, and Wood’s inclusion is particularly notable. In August, he signed a substantial deal with Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 and hinted that he could consider skipping England’s upcoming Test tour to India, depending on the details of his central contract.A further 15 players have signed two-year deals, while Stokes is one of eight who has signed a one-year deal. The others include the three oldest players who have agreed contracts: James Anderson, who is 41 and approaching the end of his career, and Moeen Ali and Dawid Malan who are both 36.Brook is among seven players who have signed their first central contracts, along with Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, while Malan has returned to a full central contract – for a single year – after he was only offered an incremental deal last year.Ben Foakes has retained his central contract, suggesting that he remains in England’s plans despite being dropped from the Test team ahead of this summer’s Ashes series and could tour India next year.Notable absentees include Will Jacks, Chris Jordan, Dan Lawrence, Phil Salt and David Willey. Jacks has played for England in all three formats across the past year and is expected to feature more prominently in their white-ball plans after this World Cup, while Willey is the only member of their World Cup squad without a contract for next year.Jason Roy, who was released from the final months of his incremental contract to play in Major League Cricket earlier this year, is another omission from the list, giving further indication that his international career is over, while Craig and Jamie Overton and Olly Stone have all lost their development contracts.Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood and the uncapped John Turner are the three fast bowlers who have been awarded development contracts, which see the ECB provide a top-up of county salaries.

ECB central contracts, 2023-24

Three years: Harry Brook, Joe Root, Mark Wood
Two years: Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
One year: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley
Development contracts: Matthew Fisher, Saqib Mahmood, John Turner

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

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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.