Mark Wood bowled Durham to a stunning seven-run victory against Yorkshire in a high-quality match at Edgbaston

The Report by David Hopps20-Aug-2016
ScorecardMark Wood picked up his best T20 haul to put Durham in the final•Getty Images

Mark Wood’s menace got Durham into a NatWest Blast semi-final – and there was no let-up once Finals Day dawned as he bowled Durham to a stunning seven-run victory against Yorkshire in a high-quality match at Edgbaston.Two ankle operations and nagging fears that his season might be over were pushed aside as Wood, once again looking as hostile as any fast bowler in the country, ended Yorkshire’s hopes of a treble with figures of 4 for 25, his best in T20, in three excellent spells delivered to order for Durham’s captain Paul Collingwood.So the Blast final became a contest between two of the most financially stricken countries in the country – Northants and Durham – both of whom have had to rise above their issues and who proved far from bankrupt on the field on a Birmingham day of tormenting heavy showers.Yorkshire’s defeat also came with an injury to David Willey which will concern England ahead of the one-day series against Pakistan. A ferocious return drive from Mark Stoneman in his second over struck him on his left wrist, a technical chance that would have ended the involvement of lesser men. A break must be feared.Unlike in their quarter-final victory against Glamorgan in Cardiff, Yorkshire could easily cover the absence of an overseas player – Travis Head having been summoned by Australia for the one-day series in Sri Lanka – by the influx of three England batsmen: Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance.Indeed, by fielding them all their balance was batting heavy, relying on three pace bowlers plus the spin of Azeem Rafiq and Adil Rashid with no seam-bowling cover. With Rashid scheduled to bat at No 10, there was an argument for omitting Ballance, England player or not, for an extra seamer, especially with the weather so grouchy.Such batting insurance, though, looked invaluable the moment that Wood took the new ball for Durham. Fit and fresh, recovered from an injury-disrupted season, the England fast bowler was a hostile proposition.There were nerves around in Yorkshire’s early forays: 30 for 2 with five overs spent. Willey could summon no heroics with the bat, removing his bottom hand as a leg-side swing at Chris Rushworth skied to extra cover. Root’s charge-pull at Rushworth became a comfortable catch in the leg side. “It looked as if I had my hands and feet on backwards – I couldn’t get settled,” Root said. Rushworth had shrewdly nipped in beneath the new-ball stormLeaky first overs from Usman Arshad and Scott Borthwick settled Yorkshire and even though Alex Lees dragged a googly from Borthwick to a pumped-up Ben Stokes at deep midwicket, Yorkshire’s 77 for 3 at halfway gave them a slight edge.But Collingwood, summoned Wood for a third over to devastating effect. He immediately cleaned up Bairstow with an 89mph yorker and then Ballance followed for a second-ball duck as the Durham skipper, 40 years old and carrying several injuries, pulled off a brilliant diving catch to his left at leg gully.With 39 needed off four, Collingwood again hunted wickets. The admirable Rushworth returned to defeat Adam Lyth with a slower ball, caught at backward point for 64 from 42 balls. Jack Leaning, signalling in his stance his long-on intent against Arshad, failed to clear the boundary.The final assault never happened and, with 23 needed from two, Wood struck the stumps of Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan in turn to settle the tie.Durham were indebted to Stokes for setting Yorkshire 157. Stokes pulverised the leg side in his muscular 56 from 36 balls, batting at No. 3, until one of his few forays into the off side saw him make room against the offspin of Rafiq and, to his obvious irritation, crack a long hop to Bresnan at cover.Stokes had not played a competitive match since injuring a calf during the second Test against Pakistan almost a month ago and he only had permission to bat with England taking a conservative view ahead of their Royal London one-day series against Pakistan.Yorkshire’s lack of bowling options might have been exposed by Willey’s injury. He does not easily grimace, and continued his spell after painkillers and a defiant slug of water. After leaving the field briefly, he returned to finish his overs – one of the better 0 for 25s of the season – much to the relief of Yorkshire’s captain, Lees, no doubt.By then the persistent squally showers had intensified, giving Willey time to strap an injured wrist which, if worst fears are realised, could rule him out of England’s limited-overs matches against Pakistan, a potential Royal London Cup final (England’s call had already excluded him from next Sunday’s semi-final against Surrey at Headingley) and Yorkshire’s Championship run-in.Durham were 60 for 2 in nine overs at the rain break, the tie evenly poised. Yorkshire could also thank Rafiq for that. Relishing his second coming at Yorkshire, his ambition to bowl his offspin in the Powerplay gives Yorkshire welcome flexibility and he dismissed Keaton Jennings in his first over, well stumped down the leg side by Bairstow, who adjusted superbly to a big flick off the pad. On the resumption, however, he a bungled stumping when Rashid drew Michael Richardson, on 3, down the pitch.Yorkshire were left with an uncomfortable period of spin with a wet ball which skidded on invitingly before the seamers could return for the closing overs. Stokes had no compunction in peppering the leg side, while Richardson hunted the off side until Rashid ended a stand of 72 in 42 balls with an lbw.

Ireland’s highest score in five meetings against Australia was not enough to even mildly challenge the top-ranked ODI side, who eased to victory with 19.5 overs to spare in a chase of 199

The Report by Firdose Moonda27-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Adam Zampa’s spell of 3 for 37 saw him become the leading ODI wicket-taker of the year•AFP

Ireland’s highest score in five meetings against Australia was not enough to even mildly challenge the top-ranked ODI side, who eased to victory with 19.5 overs to spare in a chase of 199. What will sting Ireland most is that they could have done much better. They squandered the chance to post a competitive total with a mid-innings collapse that took them from 121 for 2 to 146 for 6, and lost their last eight wickets for 77 runs. None of their batsmen touched 40 while the three batsmen Australia needed all scored more than that. Two of them, Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith, went on to score half-centuries to underline the difference.Adam Zampa was the pick of the Australian attack and spun webs around Ireland’s batsmen with his variations. Overall, though, the bowlers may have wanted a slightly better showing. Their seamers, particularly Mitchell Marsh, lacked venom, especially in the first half of the Ireland innings. It was only when the ball started reversing slightly later on that they regained control.Ireland started strongly after William Porterfield and Paul Stirling settled in against debutant Daniel Worrall and John Hastings. Stirling was particularly severe on Worrall and took three boundaries off his fifth over, the most eye-catching one being a straight hit back over the bowler’s head that almost went for six.The opening pair looked good for a half-century stand, but Stirling hit Scott Boland straight to the cover fielder to give Australia their first success. Porterfield could have been out in the next over when Marsh found a bottom-edge that was dying on Matthew Wade, who could not get forward in time. Porterfield was on 19 at the time and only added five more runs before missing a pull off a Zampa flipper that hit him low on the pad.Ireland’s best period came despite the several chances that John Anderson offered while batting. They made Marsh question his lengths and the bowler’s frustration only increased when he got Anderson to reach for one and edge to second slip, where there was no fielder to take the catch. Marsh was denied Anderson’s wicket again when he pulled to Boland at fine leg, but the catch was not cleanly taken. Anderson also survived an edge off John Hastings that fell short of Wade and amid all that, swept well and kept Ireland’s score ticking.Anderson’s luck ran out when he was given out lbw off Boland in the 24th over and Australia surged back in the next over. Gary Wilson was caught behind and, off the next ball, Sean Terry was caught unawares and was run out, leaving Ireland in free fall. Terry’s dismissal was Ireland’s most casual as he wandered out of his crease while Worrall was appealing for an lbw chance. Smith, at slip, spotted that and threw the ball onto the stumps to find Terry short of his ground. Ireland had lost three wickets for two runs at that stage, but still had Kevin O’Brien on hand. He did not have enough support, however, and eventually fell to a Zampa wrong ‘un, leaving Ireland in danger of falling short of 200 or not batting out the fifty overs.Australia’s response began rapidly. David Warner and Khawaja put on 54 in the first six overs as they took advantage of width offered by Peter Chase and Barry McCarthy, who should have had Khawaja out in the fourth over. Chase, running in from long leg, spilled the chance off a top-edge and Ireland were made to pay.Australia did not attack Tim Murtagh as much and he picked up the only wicket of the innings. Warner popped a cutter back to him and Murtagh took the catch above his head but did not celebrate the scalp. Khawaja and Smith put on 126 for the second wicket and were otherwise untroubled in their pursuit of runs.Smith took on George Dockrell and Khawaja’s fifty came off the left-arm spinner with a cut to the deep-point boundary. Smith brought up his half-century with a single off McCarthy.Ireland will leave South Africa disappointed. Although few expected them to win either of the two matches, the team failed to last a full innings against South Africa and Australia, fielded poorly and lacked clear plans with the ball.

England need just one victory from their Women’s Championship ODIs in Sri Lanka to secure their place in next year’s World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2016Anya Shrubsole has been ruled out of England’s tour of Sri Lanka with the neck injury that forced her to return early from the West Indies. Sophie Ecclestone, the 17-year-old left-arm spinner, is unavailable due to school commitments.There is a recall for batsman Fran Wilson after she recovered from a broken finger, and she will be aiming to play her first ODI since 2010, while one further player will be added to the squad following a training camp in Abu Dhabi from November 1-7. Ecclestone will join the training camp before returning to the UK.

England squad for Sri Lanka tour

Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Georgia Elwiss, Jenny Gunn, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Amy Jones (wk), Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Natalie Sciver, Lauren Winfield, Fran Wilson, Danielle Wyatt (plus one to be added)
Additional players for training camp Georgia Adams, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Georgia Hennessy, Hannah Jones, Emma Lamb, Bryony Smith.

Tash Farrant, the left-arm seamer, was not considered for the tour with England deciding she was better served continuing her spell with Western Australia in the Women’s National Cricket League.England require just one victory from the latter three matches of the four-game series, which are part of the Women’s Championship, to confirm their qualification for next year’s World Cup following the 3-2 series victory in West Indies.”I’m really happy with the character and fight that the team showed to win the recent series against the West Indies in the Caribbean, and we now look ahead to the fresh challenge of taking on Sri Lanka in their own conditions, with the ambition of finishing the busiest ever year for the England women’s team on a high,” Mark Robinson, the England coach, said.”The involvement of some of our younger players in the training camp in the UAE presents a fantastic opportunity for their development, and gives us an excellent chance to continue to develop the depth of the talent pool underneath the England women’s squad.”Fran Wilson gives us another option with the bat, is a strong, athletic fielder, and had an impressive domestic summer. It is disappointing that Anya Shrubsole is still side-lined through injury, but in Beth Langston we have an exciting fresh face, who is ready to be unleashed on the international game.”

Doug Bollinger helped deliver New South Wales a place in the Matador Cup finals as they secured an eight-wicket win over Western Australia at North Sydney Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2016
ScorecardDoug Bollinger picked up 3 for 26•Getty Images

Doug Bollinger helped deliver New South Wales a place in the Matador Cup finals as they secured an eight-wicket win over Western Australia at North Sydney Oval. Set 208 for victory, the Blues made an outstanding start to their chase through a 172-run opening stand between Daniel Hughes and Ed Cowan, and from there the result was never in doubt.The win meant New South Wales leapt into the top three and will play against Victoria in the elimination final for the chance to take on Queensland in the tournament decider. The day began well for the Blues when Josh Hazlewood struck in the first over of the match and Trent Copeland in the second, before Adam Voges (62) provided a steadying influence for the Warriors.Michael Klinger (46) and Cameron Bancroft (56) helped made valuable contributions but Bollinger then ran through the lower middle order to finish with 3 for 26 from his eight overs as Western Australia were bowled out for 207 in the 44th over.In the chase, Ashton Turner picked up the only two wickets that fell, but by then the damage had already been done by Cowan and Hughes. Cowan departed for 66 and Hughes was lbw for 96, falling short of what would have been a second consecutive century after his 122 against Victoria on Sunday.

Ben Stokes has received his second ICC reprimand in the last month, giving him two demerit points under the new code of conduct – halfway to being banned for a Test match

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2016Ben Stokes has received his second ICC reprimand in the last month, giving him two demerit points under the new code of conduct – halfway to being banned for a Test match. Stokes admitted a Level One offence after being dismissed on the first day of the Mohali Test against India.Stokes was found to have used “language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting”, in breach of Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Having been stumped for 29 during the afternoon session, he reacted to the India players celebrating – exchanging words with Virat Kohli – and his comments were heard by the on-field umpires.In Dhaka last month, Stokes was fined 15% of his match fee and given a demerit point for “verbally engaging” with Bangladesh batsman Sabbir Rahman. If he reaches four demerit points within a two-year period, he faces suspension for one Test or two limited-overs internationals.The charge in Mohali was laid by the umpiring team of Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney and Kumar Dharmasena. Because Stokes accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Ranjan Madugalle, there was no need for a formal hearing.

A round-up of the action from day 3 of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and Queensland at Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Jonathan Wells led Western Australia’s chase as he finished not out on 85•Getty Images

Queensland lost their advantage of a first innings lead after Simon Mackin’s six wickets – his best first-class bowling figures – saw them fold for 138 and set Western Australia a target of 227 to chase. In reply, Western Australia put on 2 for 170 before stumps, putting them 57 runs away from a come-from-behind victory.Mackin combined with David Moody (2-16) and Hilton Cartwright (2-38) to dismiss Queensland within 41 overs of the day that they had begun on 0 for 3. Openers Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns were both out within the day’s first five overs as Queensland fell to 3 for 34 before a 60-run partnership between Usman Khawaja – who scored 157 in the first innings – and Sam Heazlett (29) took them to 94. Queensland then lost their last seven wickets for 44 runs as Mackin tore through the middle and lower order to dismiss them for 138.Chasing 227, Western Australia started strong with opener Cameron Bancroft (23) putting on 58 runs for the first wicket with Jonathan Wells. Bancroft fell in the 21st over and followed by Michael Klinger in the 22nd. But Wells scored an unbeaten 85, and combined with the returning Adam Voges (51*) to add 111 runs in an unbroken stand that took Western Australia close to an improbable victory.

South Africa lost a seventh recent Test cap in Dane Vilas to a Kolpak deal on Friday, but have been given a reassurance that allrounder Chris Morris is not considering becoming the eighth

Firdose Moonda27-Jan-2017South Africa lost a seventh recent Test cap in Dane Vilas to a Kolpak deal on Friday, to further deplete their bench strength, but have been given a reassurance that allrounder Chris Morris is not considering joining the list. Morris played two Tests in early 2016, which would make him eligible for a deal, but as he makes his comeback from a knee injury that sidelined him for three months he is focused on trying to play international cricket for the foreseeable future.”There’s been a lot of noise about Kolpak from everywhere. There haven’t been any offers or anything for me but there was just a lot of noise around it. I said to Errol Stewart the selector, I have committed myself to Cricket South Africa. I want to play cricket for my country. I am going to give it a full go,” Morris said at a sponsor event in Cape Town on Tuesday, where he was part of a batting master-class that involved hitting targets in order to earn money for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.Morris was the only one of the three internationals – David Miller and Temba Bavuma were also in attendance – who managed to find the 20-run target that required a clean strike straight down the ground and it looked as though his time away had not cost him his eye or his aim. He admitted a round or two of golf helped in that regard. “That was my first question to our physiotherapist – can I play golf? He said, ‘If an 80-year-old can play golf, you can play golf.’ That was my saving grace because it kept my hand-eye co-ordination there.”The injury, which was a tear in the knee tendon that resulted in Morris losing a lot of muscle in the leg took three months to heal. Since then, Morris has only played one match, a first-class fixture for Titans against Lions in Benoni two weeks ago, but it proved a good workout. Morris bowled 39.1 overs and took five wickets in what was “a good test for my fitness level” to prove his readiness for an international comeback.But it’s not in the long-form that Morris returns and it is quite difficult to see how he may find his way back there. His two Tests came at a time when South African cricket was struggling with major injuries to two of their premier pacemen – Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander – and even though Steyn remains sidelined, and Morne Morkel has joined him on the bench, they have unearthed depth that has pushed Morris further down the queue and perhaps into a career as a limited-overs specialist, although he does not want to see it like that just yet.”I will always look to be playing Test cricket. It’s what I want to do and what I want to play because for me, that’s the best form of cricket,” Morris said. “I will always be trying to play Test cricket but if I don’t play again, so be it. I will never stop trying to get there.”Morris applies that approach to everything. After a significant amount of time out of the one-day side, he knows his place there is not guaranteed, although with South Africa in the advanced stages of planning for the Champions Trophy, his presence in the current squad suggests he will be taken to the tournament he made his debut in four years ago.”It will be quite nice to be in that Champions Trophy squad but if not, there are guys that have put their hands up and deserve to be there. If it’s not my time, it’s not my time,” he said. “If I am not selected in the Proteas squad, so be it. I will just play for the Titans and try and fight for my place back.”That’s exactly what Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Stiaan van Zyl, Hardus Viljoen, Simon Harmer, David Wiese and Vilas decided against doing. Abbott cited limited international opportunities and a constant fear of being dropped as being one of the major reasons for him signing with Hampshire.Like Abbott, Morris is not always an automatic pick for South Africa. Unlike Abbott, Morris has certainty elsewhere because he has been retained by his IPL franchise – following a US$1 million deal in 2016 – which may have something to do with Morris being happy enough with his lot for now.”It’s up to the person. It’s not for me to judge what decision they make in their career. That’s the decision they make and they go with it and stick with it. For me, it’s a personal thing,” he said. “I like to look at what you want to achieve from a career. I’m sure those guys would most probably want to achieve more, but opportunities come and you have to look at your future.”

The opening batsman was picked in the squad for the three ODIs against England on the back of a prolific run in West Indies’ domestic List A competition, the Regional Super50 tournament, where he scored more than 500 runs

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2017Opening batsman Kieran Powell, who last played an international game in June 2014, has been recalled to the West Indies side for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England, which starts from March 3. Powell’s inclusion follows the batsman’s prolific run in West Indies’ domestic List A competition, the Regional Super50, where he emerged as the highest run-getter, scoring three centuries and two fifties.

West Indies squads

ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Kraigg Brathwaite, Jonathan Carter, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis,Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell
WICB Board President’s XI Jahmar Hamilton (capt), Sunil Ambris, Ronsford Beaton, Rahkeem Cornwall, Montcin Hodge, Kyle Hope, Damion Jacobs, Reynard Leveridge, Kyle Mayers, Andre McCarthy, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach

The squad does not feature left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, wicketkeeper-batsman Johnson Charles and offspinner Sunil Narine, who were part of the team in West Indies’ previous ODI assignment, the tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe.Alzarri Joseph, who was first picked and later withdrawn from the tri-series, has also found a place in the squad.If he takes the field on March 3, Kieran Powell will play his first match in the format after nearly three years, having played England in his previous ODI appearance in March 2014. Powell played only one more international match – a Test against New Zealand in June that year – before he was dropped from the squad.The batsman took a self-imposed break from the game, and in January 2015, issued a statement saying that mixed signals from West Indies cricket authorities had left him “deflated and confused” as he attempted to return to international cricket. This resulted in his decision to step away from the game for some time and in January 2016, he tried his hand at baseball, without much success.He finally made a return to first-class cricket in March 2016, featuring for Leeward Islands in the Regional 4-day tournament. Between his exclusion from West Indies sides and his return for Leeward Islands, Powell played four first-class matches – for Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club in Sri Lanka’s first-class Premier League Tournament in February-March 2015.While he played only two matches in last season’s Regional 4-day, he has had a longer run with the team in the 2016-17 domestic season, and has enjoyed better returns. Until December – when the first half of the first-class tournament concluded – Powell had scored 264 runs with two fifties in five matches. In the Regional Super50 competition that followed, his tally of 513 runs from nine matches at an average of 64.12 propelled Leeward into the semi-finals, where they lost to Barbados. At one stage, Powell had five successive fifty-plus scores, raking up 105, 135, 52, 106 and 80.The squad also does not feature allrounder Marlon Samuels, who was cleared to bowl in international cricket by the ICC last week. Samuels last played an ODI in October last year before being dropped from the squad for the tri-series in Zimbabwe.The 15-man squad will have a training camp in Antigua this week, with the team’s new coach Stuart Law. The board also announced the WICB President’s XI team,which will play a practice match against England on February 27 in St Kitts.The first two ODIs will be played in Antigua on March 3 and 5, followed by the final match in Barbados on March 9.

Jason Behrendorff finished with 14 wickets for the match – the ninth-best match figures in Sheffield Shield history – as Western Australia won by an innings against Victoria

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Jason Behrendorff finished with match figures of 14 for 89•Getty Images

Jason Behrendorff finished with 14 for 89, the ninth-best match figures in Sheffield Shield history, as Western Australia wrapped up an innings victory over Victoria inside two days at the WACA. Behrendorff added five second-innings wickets to his nine from the first innings as Victoria were tumbled out for 130, losing by an innings and 38 runs.Behrendorff was just the second man in the post-war era to collect as many as 14 wickets in a Sheffield Shield game – Terry Alderman was the other, having picked up 14 for 87 in a match against New South Wales in 1981, also at the WACA. It completed a remarkable comeback match for Behrendorff, who was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his left fibula in early December.The second morning began with Western Australia at 4 for 178, and while they were able to add only 107 to their overnight total it was more than enough to ensure they did not have to bat again. Behrendorff began Victoria’s second innings by scything through Travis Dean, Marcus Harris and Marcus Stoinis within his first four overs.Aaron Finch provided some resistance with an unbeaten 65, but the rest of the Victorians struggled, with 17-year-old Cameron Green picking up 3 for 20. Behrendorff returned to claim the final two wickets of the game, to finish with 5 for 52 to add to his 9 for 37 from the first innings, which were the fifth-best innings figures in Shield history.

New Zealand’s discipline gave them four South African wickets on a pitch that was rather seamer-friendly on a day marred by rain

The Report by Alagappan Muthu24-Mar-2017
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:30