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“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.

Another rainy day in Sydney has reduced the match to a battle for first-innings points after only 47 overs were bowled on the third day

Cricinfo staff05-Nov-2009New South Wales 2 for 151 (Katich 48*) trail Western Australia 8 for 499 by 348 runs

Scorecard
Phil Jaques is trying to get his career back on track after back surgery and he scored 40•Getty Images

Another rainy day in Sydney has reduced the match to a battle for first-innings points after only 47 overs were bowled on the third day. New South Wales were on 2 for 151 with Simon Katich on 48 and Usman Khawaja on 25, and they needed a further 349 to overtake Western Australia’s 8 for 499.The second day had also been severely curtailed by the wet weather and the Warriors declared on their overnight total when the start of play was delayed until 2.15pm. There was plenty of interest in how the Blues’ opening pair of Phil Jaques and Phillip Hughes would fare and while both men made starts, neither made full use of the opportunity.Both have opened the batting for Australia in Tests in the past 18 months but find themselves on the outer leading into the home summer. Hughes posted 32 from 65 balls, including four fours, before he was caught driving Ashley Noffke.Jaques, who is trying to give his prospects a kickstart after surgery on his back, scored 40 before he was caught off the bowling of the legspinner Josh Mangan. Katich and Khawaja then began their stand, which had reached 54 at stumps, and they will need a productive final day free of rain to overhaul the Warriors’ first-innings total.

Scorchers needed to chase 162 in 18 overs to leapfrog Renegades and they did it relatively easy at the end

Tristan Lavalette18-Jan-2025Before he departs for his first Test tour, Cooper Connolly stepped up under pressure as Perth Scorchers’ unlikely bid for finals remained alive after a tense victory over Adelaide Strikers.The finals hopes of both teams were remarkably revived after Melbourne Renegades’ improbable victory earlier over Brisbane Heat. Scorchers needed to chase 162 in 18 overs to leapfrog Renegades and they did it relatively easy at the end with Connolly slamming consecutive sixes to finish the job in the 17th over.In front of 41, 878 at Optus Stadium, Connolly rose to the occasion once again and finished unbeaten with 39 from 21 balls to end Strikers – and Renegades – season.But Melbourne Stars can leapfrog Scorchers and claim fourth spot if they beat Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL season-finale at the MCG on Sunday.

Connolly guides Scorchers over the line

Finn Allen has been boom or bust this BBL season. He was Scorchers’ x-factor and the fans hoped he could replicate Jake Fraser-McGurk’s earlier fireworks.After a couple of early boundaries, it was an anti-climax with Allen hitting to midwicket before Aaron Hardie and Sam Fanning combined to get Scorchers back on track.Hardie has been out of form with a top-score of 34 this season, but looked in a determined mood and started with a boundary. He stroked another down the ground and whacked a short delivery into the crowd.But the match turned in the eighth over when Fanning was run out after a horrible mix up before Hardie moments later was stumped after failing to connect a flighted delivery from legspinner Lloyd Pope.Connolly, however, was composed as he kept Scorchers on pace. The nerve-jangling chase had shades of the classic BBL 12 final and, fittingly, he stepped up under pressure again.He slammed consecutive sixes off D’Arcy Short to guide Scorchers to a memorable victory that has, for now, kept their season alive.

Strikers lack penetration

Strikers needed to win by at least 15 runs to keep their finals hopes alive. But they were always up against it and will rue a couple of pivotal moments. Connolly, on 6, was adjudged lbw to Pope, but it was overturned after ball-tracking had it pitching outside the line.Turner was dropped on 9 by Brendan Doggett, who ran in from long off only to grass a regulation catch.Needing wickets, D’Arcy Short was given the ball when the power surge was taken in the 13th over. It was a gamble by captain Matt Short and it looked to backfire when Turner slammed a six down the ground but fell two balls later attempting to repeat the dose.But Strikers’ lack of firepower with the ball was evident as their season came to an end.

Beardman steps up in his second BBL match

After a disastrous defeat to Thunder in Sydney, where they were routed for 97, Scorchers’ season looked done. They looked ashen-faced returning home amid rumblings that numerous veterans were on the outer and set to leave the club at season’s end.Mahli Beardman starred with three wickets•CA/Getty Images

Their final home game, with a bumper crowd tipped for weeks, appeared likely to be a dead-rubber. But, remarkably, four results went their way and Scorchers were still alive.After Scorchers elected to bowl, spearheads Lance Morris and Jason Behrendorff – who have gone off the boil in recent games – were pumped up but perhaps overeager.Normally so reliable in the powerplay, they sprayed the new ball and were rattled by the ultra-aggressiveness of Matt Short and Alex Carey.But Scorchers were able to take regular wickets as Connolly, in his last match before he departs for the Sri Lanka tour, dismissed Short for 40 with a fuller and quicker delivery.It was 19-year-old Mahli Beardman who stole the show in his second BBL game. He has been preferred over experienced quicks Andrew Tye and Matt Kelly, as Scorchers start transitioning their list, and he justified the faith with three wickets.Beardman made a name for himself at last year’s Under-19 World Cup with rapid bowling and he showcased his innate fire with speeds hitting 140 kph.He claimed his first BBL wicket after knocking over the leg stump of Alex Ross, whose attempted ramp went horribly wrong. Beardman then bowled a sizzling short delivery first ball to Harry Manenti before dismissing him shortly after. He added the wicket of D’Arcy Short to cap Scorchers’ comeback.In good signs for the Australian national team, Hardie – who is in the Champions Trophy squad – bowled for the first time this BBL. He finished with 0 for 14 off two overs.Hardie had not bowled since taking a three-wicket haul against Pakistan in a T20I in November as he ramps up his bowling loads. He had played as a specialist batter having recovered from a nagging quad injury.Liam Scott’s brisk fifty lifted Adelaide Strikers to 161•Getty Images

Scott has breakout as Strikers go extra hard

With Renegades having lifted their net run rate, Strikers decided to go all out attack in good batting conditions. Alex Carey, promoted to open, went for broke and decided to hit hard. It was an effective strategy as he started his flurry by whacking Behrendorff down the ground for six before enjoying the extra pace of Morris.He raced to 22 off 6 before being late on a rampant Morris delivery and hitting straight to third man. Short continued to put the foot on the gas as Strikers pummelled 56 in the powerplay, with Morris conceding 37 of the runs.But the risky approach proved the downfall for numerous batters as Strikers were pegged back in the middle overs. It was left to 24-year-old Liam Scott to lift Strikers in the second half of the innings and he rose to the occasion with a maiden BBL half-century.He continued Morris’ hapless night with a couple of mighty blows into the crowd before his 43-ball 67 ended in the 17th over.

Theekshana likely to be fit in time for Sri Lanka’s opening game

Andrew Fidel Fernando and Madushka Balasuriya24-Sep-2023Sri Lanka allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga may be out of the World Cup completely, and may even require surgery, after aggravating his hamstring tear over the past few days.There is a big question mark over Dushmantha Chameera’s participation as well. The fast bowler is recovering from a pectoral injury and is unable to bowl ten overs without discomfort at the moment.Meanwhile, spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who strained his hamstring in the Asia Cup match against Pakistan, is expected to be fit in time for Sri Lanka’s opening game at the World Cup, against South Africa on October 7.The chair of SLC’s medical committee, Arjuna de Silva, told ESPNcricinfo that “medically it seems unlikely that Wanindu will be fit” for much of the World Cup’s duration. “He picked up a grade 2 tear in the LPL, but he re-aggravated it during rehab. It’s now a grade 3 tear. What also complicates the matter is that it is also a T-junction hamstring injury.”Related

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Prior to his injury, Hasaranga had topped both batting and bowling charts in the LPL. He was seen as key to Sri Lanka’s World Cup hopes, and crucial in terms of the balance of the side, but after the latest setback, he is likely to be out for 4-6 weeks minimum.The selectors may still pick him in the hope that he will be available towards the end of the round-robin stage. But medical advice is that such a move will be a significant risk.Chameera has started bowling in the nets, but de Silva said picking him would also be a risk. Chameera had first picked up the injury ahead of the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, but after recovering from that, he re-injured himself in the LPL in August. He had also missed the T20 World Cup in Australia last year with an ankle injury.Theekshana is currently in rehab. His is also a grade 3 tear, but as it does not involve the T-junction, de Silva is confident he should be fit for the start of the World Cup.Quicks Lahiru Kumara and Dilshan Madushanka, who missed the Asia Cup through injury, are now essentially back to full fitness, de Silva said. Kumara had been contending with a recurring side strain, while Madushanka had torn his oblique muscle.Sri Lanka are yet to name their World Cup squad but are due to depart for India on September 26.

Four more balls and Australia would have had a resounding victory

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2022Rain has left Australia four balls short of a resounding victory over Pakistan in their final T20I before the Commonwealth Games after Jess Jonassen bagged 4 for 17 in Bready.Pakistan limped to 94 for 8 from their 20 overs with captain Bismah Maroof holding the innings together with 32 not out. Australia’s openers Beth Mooney and Alyssa Healy cruised to 28 without loss but rain fell with just four balls left in the 5th over and never relented, leaving the game four balls short of a minimum five overs for each side. Had the four balls been bowled Australia would have won easily under the Duckworth-Lewis method.The match was initially delayed due to wet weather. Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat and made a decent start reaching 21 without loss in the 5th over before Ash Gardner struck. Iram Javed was cleaned bowled as she tried to give room to cut from off stump. It sparked a collapse with Pakistan losing 4 for 21 in 30 balls.Omaima Sohail holed out off the last ball of the powerplay, slog sweeping Jonassen straight to deep midwicket. Nicola Carey chimed in with two wickets as Pakistan slumped to 42 for 4 before Bismah and Aliya Riaz steadied briefly with a near run-a-ball 30-run stand.Ashleigh Gardner framed beneath stormy Irish skies•Getty Images

But a horror mix-up ended the partnership with 27 balls left in the innings. Bismah worked a ball through square leg and the pair pushed for two only to see Megan Schutt pounce running in from the deep. But Schutt over-ran the ball which caused the batters to start running for a second only to realise it was too tight. Schutt raced back, gathered and fired leaving Aliya Riaz stranded.Jonassen picked up three wickets in the final over and conceded just three singles. Jonassen was delighted to pick up four wickets in her second game back after missing the first two matches due to Covid.”I was a bit disappointed in the first game,” Jonassen said. “Even though I took a couple of wickets I felt like I bowled pretty ordinary. I felt a little bit rusty and struggled to find some rhythm. But today was a different story. I definitely felt like I was back to bowling really good areas and executing the plans that I wanted to and yeah, to come away with a few wickets at the end of that it’s obviously really nice. It’s good for the confidence leading into the Comm Games.”Pakistan’s bowling innings started disastrously with Mooney caught at short fine off a no-ball from Diana Baig. Mooney and Alyssa Healy barely took a risk from there striking just two boundaries before the rain arrived to end proceedings and cost Australia’s some valuable time in the middle in their last match before the Commonwealth Games.”It was obviously disappointing not to get a result today with the rain,” Jonassen said. “I think as a bowling group, we’re pretty pleased with the effort we put in from the previous games, we were wanting to tighten up our areas and own our lengths. And I thought we did that today. It was a really good last hit out. Just a shame that the batters couldn’t get their time out in the middle today.”

Joe Root and Chris Silverwood speak with Javagal Srinath after on-field exasperation

George Dobell24-Feb-2021England’s captain and coach have asked the match referee to ensure “consistency” in the process by which the TV umpire comes to decisions after more contentious moments on the first day of the third Test in Ahmedabad.Joe Root and Chris Silverwood went to see Javagal Srinath, the ICC match referee, after the end of the first day’s play to register their frustrations after two decisions – both of which went India’s way – were made, in their view, unusually quickly.In the first instance, Shubman Gill was reprieved by the TV umpire, C Shamshuddin, when replays suggested Ben Stokes, at slip, may have failed to complete a catch cleanly. In the second, Rohit Sharma was adjudged not out after an appeal for a stumping.On both occasions, Shamshuddin appeared to come to his decision surprisingly quickly and without recourse to the numerous angles which usually accompany the decision-making process. At one stage, Root could be heard on the stump mics asking the on-field umpires why only one camera angle had been utilised when he felt a different one could have provided more certainty.By contrast, when Jack Leach edged a low chance earlier in the day, Shamshuddin was provided with various angles – including one from a stump camera – before coming to his decision.These incidents follow those in the second Test where Ajinkya Rahane survived a review for a bat-pad catch when the TV umpire on that occasion, Anil Chaudhary, failed to review the correct passage of play. Rohit also survived another close call for a stumping with only one angle of the incident available to the TV umpire, while the on-field umpires chose to review Virat Kohli’s dismissal after he was clean bowled.Related

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As a result, Root and Silverwood went to see Srinath after stumps. “The England captain and head coach spoke with the match referee after play,” an England team spokesperson said.”The captain and head coach acknowledged the challenges the umpires faced and asked respectfully that in making any decisions there was consistency in the process. The match referee said the captain was asking the right questions of the umpires.”The ICC have been contacted for comment.England have clashed with Shamshuddin previously. He stood down – reportedly due to ill health – from a T20I series decider between England and India in 2017 after Eoin Morgan expressed “extreme frustration” with his performance.Zak Crawley, the one England batsman who emerged from the wreckage of a poor batting performance with any credit, admitted his side’s “frustrations.””When we batted, Jack Leach had a similar sort of one [low catch, similar to the Stokes dismissal] where it didn’t quite carry and it seemed like they looked at it from five or six different angles,” Crawley said. “When we were fielding it seemed like they looked at it from one angle.”That’s where the frustrations lie. I can’t say whether they were out or not out, but I think the frustrations lie with not checking more thoroughly.”The ICC have decided to dispense with neutral umpires during the Covid-19 pandemic in light of the difficulties with international travel. They have attempted to compensate for any possibility of unconscious bias by providing teams with an extra review per innings.

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.”