Richard Hobson at Bristol10-Sep-2019
Studies in Texas have revealed that it took a meteorite hitting Earth at a force ten billion times the power of the Hiroshima bomb to wipe out the dinosaurs. Bowlers at flat-track Bristol must often feel they need something equivalent to remove 20 batsmen, and one theory for Gloucestershire’s surge to second place in Division Two is their high ratio of games at Cheltenham to headquarters this season.Surprise all round, then, at the clatter of wickets on a slightly untypical surface that, while slow, has offered signs of variable bounce. Sussex capitalised by dismissing Gloucestershire for only 200 in 77.5 overs in a game that they might not quite need to win to remain in contention for promotion, but can hardly afford to lose to a side four places and 30 points ahead of them at the start.Things are so tight that three successive wins, including two at Cheltenham, have propelled Gloucester from second-from-bottom in mid-July to next-to-top. They also boast most batting points in the division, but could add only one more this time as too many players made starts before losing their way against generally well-disciplined bowling and reliable fielding.Only the composed James Bracey made a serious contribution before becoming the first of two victims in a fine spell by Chris Jordan after lunch. The England bowler swung the ball from lines that made both right and left-handers play consistently. When Bracey nibbled, Ben Brown took an excellent, low catch in front of first slip, and Tom Smith did well even to edge one that compelled a stroke.Any hope that Gloucester might then end the day more positively was denied as they failed to break through with the new ball. Shannon Gabriel has been signed for the sound and obvious reason that his extra pace gives sharper teeth to the attack, but spells from both ends proved erratic and expensive despite the odd one signalling menace as well as promise. Maybe he was trying too hard.Phil Salt almost edged an attempted hook behind having been rushed into the stroke, but the vehement appeal was rejected and Salt proceeded to play the best shot of the day, a lovely, fierce off-drive when David Payne overpitched. As if that was not enough, Ryan Higgins found himself warned for running on the pitch, the penultimate misfortune of a rotten old day.The final ignominy arrived as the shadows neared the square when Salt struck four boundaries in a row off Gabriel to complete a half-century from 56 balls. If Gabriel thought that Salt would hang on the back foot expecting bouncers the hope proved wishful as half-volleys were stroked through the off side. Thanks to Salt’s positive attitude the deficit has already been cut (or driven) to 127.”They got away from us at the end, but if we can stand up and fight for a bit tomorrow we can get back in the game,” Bracey said. “It always seems to be low and slow here, it does a little bit for the first couple of sessions but come tea we hope to be no more than four-down rather than six-down as we were this time. That does make it hard. Hopefully we can be a bit more precise.”Without a big innings or anything more than a three-fer the day was not one for the painters or the poets. But there was scope for comedians in a stoppage of several minutes when glare from an open doorway in a flat at the Ashley Down Road End disturbed Matt Taylor, the batsman. Unfortunately, the home-owner wasn’t at immediate hand to shut it.Umpire Ben Debenham could only shout from the boundary to the nearest neighbour for advice and help in spreading the word. This well-tanned, second-floor resident was bare of chest, in holiday blue shorts and sandals, and did not look prepared to have his half-hour of sun worship interrupted by a man in a white coat. Play resumed, the episode a footnote and the spectator back catching his rays.Gloucester actually started solidly, undaunted under cloudy sky with the floodlights on. Bracey made an immediate impact when he moved up to open in the previous game against Derbyshire and started to look good value for a second century, leaving and defending well without ever getting bogged down against a very varied attack.But Gareth Roderick was bowled shouldering arms and another important moment came when Miles Hammond top-edged George Garton’s second ball into the off side. A happy moment for Garton, briefly an England squad member on the 2017-18 Ashes but here making his first Championship appearance since May last year. His skiddy, left-arm pace is still there, still promising.

The stadium was in danger of losing the iconic fixture against England due to construction and administrative issues

Firdose Moonda03-Oct-2019Cape Town’s Newlands Stadium will host South Africa’s 2020 New Year’s Test against England. The stadium had run the risk of losing the iconic fixture due to potential disruptions stemming from an ongoing construction project, and concerns over the administrative and financial affairs of the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA). Late last month, CSA CEO Thabang Moroe said Newlands may not be in a position to host the match – which will bring with it big numbers of touring supporters – but ESPNcricinfo has learned that the match will go ahead.The confirmation means major rearrangements for the summer have been avoided and the four-Test series against England will go ahead as originally planned. The venues for the matches are SuperSport Park (Centurion), which will host the Boxing Day Test, Newlands, St George’s Park (Port Elizabeth) and the Wanderers (Johannesburg).”We are currently gearing up to host the New Year’s Test match at Newlands as planned,” Moroe said in a press release by CSA. “The readiness of the stadium is on track and, barring a significant change in circumstances, it is unlikely that the venue for this Test will change from our schedule.”However, this does not bring an end to the difficulties the WPCA are facing as they remain under CSA administration. The WPCA board remain suspended and under CSA administration with former CEO Andre Odendaal at the helm. CSA, who lent WPCA R81 million (US$5.3 million) for the construction of four office blocks and a refurbishment on the existing structures, are looking into WPCA’s finances and governance.”WPCA chief executive Nabeal Dien will be in charge of the smooth running of all cricket operations and will report directly to the CSA administrator, professor Andre Odendaal, until such time as CSA is reasonably of the opinion that the WPCA administrative and financial affairs are being conducted according to best practice,” Moroe concluded.

The 16-year-old produced eight overs that made anyone watching sit up and take notice

The Report by Andrew McGlashan13-Nov-2019The first sight of 16-year-old Naseem Shah on the tour was the highlight of the final day of the Pakistanis’ match against Australia A in Perth as the young quick produced eight overs that made everyone watching sit up and take notice.Having been given compassionate leave on the second day in the tragic circumstance of his mother’s death, Shah showed immense fortitude to send down a succession of high-quality overs after Pakistan had declared midway through the day.He had Marcus Harris dropped at slip on 12 – the second of two spills for Haris Sohail who had a poor match – but responded a short while later with a ripping delivery that climbed from a back of a length to take the shoulder of Harris’ bat through to stand-in keeper Abid Ali. It would have been a wonderful delivery for any fast bowler, but when you factor in his age and lack of experience, it was quite something.One delivery, or one good day, does not make a tour but anyone asked has been ready to laud Shah’s talent, and the viral videos of his performances in domestic cricket in Pakistan fully justify it. After eight overs, and a few problems with the footmarks, he took his leave for the rest of the evening and was given an appreciative pat on the back by coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq.Away from the excitement generated by Shah, it was a story of potential indications about Australia’s batting line-up for the Gabba Test and mixed results for Pakistan’s batsmen in their second innings. Australia head coach Justin Langer was spotted having what appeared a positive conversation with the uncapped Will Pucovski on the boundary at dinner, but the batsman did not pad up in the second innings.Iftikhar Ahmed hit 13 boundaries in his quick 79*•Getty Images

Joe Burns completed a miserable match when he edged behind off Shaheen Afridi. He has been incredibly unlucky not to play more Tests – he struck 180 against Sri Lanka in his most recent Test appearance – but the sense is time is now running out for him to add more to the tally. Harris, the incumbent Test opener alongside David Warner, will have known his fate while battling to 20 as the selectors met during the afternoon in Perth.Usman Khawaja, hoping for a recall and another option to open the batting or for a middle-order slot, made his highest first-class score of the season – 37 not out – before the players shook hands.Pakistan did not finish this match without questions and concerns. Captain Azhar Ali was trapped lbw by Michael Neser for the second time in the game to complete returns of 11 and 1, leaving him wanting a few runs against the Cricket Australia XI in the two-day game starting on Friday at the WACA. Sohail, who fell to a wild drive in the first innings, edged to gully when he was squared up by Neser and, on this small evidence, did not look an ideal No. 3 for the Gabba.However, there were better returns for Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmed as they both eased to half-centuries in a third-wicket stand of 134, although they did have the chance to take advantage of Travis Head’s part-time offspin which went at six an over.Wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan didn’t feature at all on the final day following the blows he took to the hand while batting yesterday.

Tshwane Spartans were lifted by an AB de Villiers special but could not defend 189

The Report by Firdose Moonda03-Dec-2019The Nelson Mandela Bay Giants completed the highest successful chase of this year’s Mzansi Super League against the Tshwane Spartans at St George’s Park to join the Paarl Rocks on 23 points at the top of the table. Ben Dunk’s unbeaten 99 off 54 balls anchored the Giants’ effort and his fifth-wicket stand of 86 off 44 with Marco Marais took the team over the line. The Spartans had their chances to close out the game but dropped Dunk four times and had an ordinary night in the field which left them unable to defend a good total.Slam Dunk as Ngidi lets it slipDunk was on 8 when he offered his first chance, hitting Tom Curran to deep midwicket where Wiaan Mulder dropped a straightforward chance. Lungi Ngidi made up for that with two wickets in his opening over, which also showed off a skill he has honed in this season’s tournament – the slower ball. According to broadcaster SABC, eight of the nine wickets Ngidi has taken have been with deliveries slower than 125kph, including both in this match. He had Jon-Jon Smuts caught at deep midwicket and Heino Kuhn dragging one on to legstump to leave the Giants on 28 for 3.Dunk and Ryan ten Doeschate led the recovery with a fourth-wicket stand of 78 but they gave the Spartans a big opportunity to end their partnership on 51. Dunk, on 37, hit the ball to Ngidi at deep square leg but the big fast bowler let it slip through his fingers. Ngidi got over his blunder quickly and took a good catch low down to get rid of ten Doeschate off Morne Morkel. But just when Ngidi might have considered the night his, Tony de Zorzi dropped Dunk, now on 52, off his bowling at deep midwicket. The dance continued when Ngidi had a chance again in the next over. Dunk hit Morkel to deep backward square, Ngidi made his ground to get to the ball but could not lay hands on it. The Giants needed 62 off the last five overs and Dunk scored 40 of them.Say hello to SalamkheilWhen the Spartans bought Afghan left-arm wristspinner Waqar Salamkheil in the draft, coach Mark Boucher admitted he didn’t know much about the teenager – and hoped no one else would either. South African viewers got their first sighting of Salamkheil in the 10th over of the Giants’ chase, and saw the youngster take a hop, a skip, another skip and then deliver the ball. His unusual action does more than amuse, it also disguises his many variations which includes the googly but that didn’t yield much reward. His two overs cost 23 runs on a poor night for the Spartans’ spinners.New openers set tempoTheunis de Bruyn and Dean Elgar have the highest opening stand of the tournament, 104 against the Paarl Rocks, but after stands of 3, 10 and 12 in the Spartans’ last three matches, change was needed. Both internationals were benched for this fixture, where de Zorzi made his tournament debut and Mulder was promoted to open the batting. The move paid off. The pair scored 57 runs in the Powerplay before de Zorzi was was stumped off an Imran Tahir google. Mulder went on to score 52 off 31 balls including the first six of the innings, over long-on.Another AB special There were only two other sixes in the Spartans innings, and they came from none other than AB de Villiers. He scored his third half-century of the MSL and now lies third on the run-charts. His moments of glory came in the 18th over, when he hit Junior Dala to cow corner for his first six, followed up with back-to-back fours, and then hit Dala back over his head for a second six. Dala saw de Villiers dropped at long leg off his fifth ball but then had the last laugh when de Villiers was caught at deep midwicket. The over cost 23 runs but removed de Villiers and kept the Spartans under 200.

Their captain, Azhar Ali, said he will consider changes to his batting line-up in addition to the likely recall of Mohammad Abbas for Adelaide

Daniel Brettig in Brisbane24-Nov-20191:46

Missed the chance to put up a good first innings total – Azhar Ali

Pakistan captain Azhar Ali will consider changes to his batting line-up in addition to the likely recall of Mohammad Abbas after his side’s defeat to Australia in the first Test, in which the visitors offered up numerous promising phases but still left the Gabba bruised and smarting from an innings defeat.Haris Sohail looked very much out of his depth at No. 3, allowing the Australians to follow up their first wicket with damaging follow-ups in each innings – a marked contrast to the superb 185 piled on by Marnus Labuschagne at first drop for the hosts. And though Azhar called for calm in assessments of the visiting team, noting how Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan had shown the way with sparkling second-innings displays, he conceded that in Australia there was no room for the lapses seen at the Gabba.ALSO READ: Abbas still ‘main man’ for Pakistan – Waqar“When you play Test cricket in Australia, you cannot afford to go behind as it is very difficult to then catch up,” Azhar said. “The way we won the toss and we played in the first session without losing a wicket, that was an opportunity for us to go in front and take the initiative in the game. That chance we lost in the second session and that made sure we could’t reach the kind of total we needed to put pressure on them.”Similarly, we failed to create pressure early on with the ball. We couldn’t take wickets with the new ball and couldn’t control the run rate either. But the boys kept fighting in the second innings and also when we bowled on day three. Babar played a great innings and so did Rizwan. Shan [Masood] was batting well too. They were the positives. But the reason we don’t win in Australia is that way too often we get behind in the game early on rather than make the most of the opportunities that come our way.”The most difficult session was the opening session; it was not easy. But we lost the second session where we lost a lot of wickets in no time. That was a great setback for us. There were soft dismissals, that’s why [we] missed the opportunity to score a big total. After scoring 240, we weren’t able to get wickets with the new ball. The bowlers kept fighting even when their score read 300 for 2. Labuschagne played a brilliant knock. [David] Warner played a great knock.”Addressing the batting line-up, Azhar reckoned that the post-mortems would possibly result in change, keeping in mind the challenges to be offered up by the pink ball on an Adelaide pitch that will likely feature at least some grass to aid the seam bowlers on both sides.Josh Hazlewood celebrates the wicket of Iftikhar Ahmed•Getty Images

“Facing the new ball is very important in Australia, and they made full use of it in the second innings. Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition. They bowled in very good areas last evening,” Azhar said. “But in the first innings, the top order started well but then lost their way in the middle. I still think they are capable, but we have a few days now and we will rethink our strategy for the Adelaide Test.”We will sit and do a recap of this game and discuss everything and try to figure out the best playing XI for Adelaide. It’s not fair to raise too many questions over our batsmen this early on. At times, a player can have a tough Test but that doesn’t make him a bad player. I have full faith on all the batsmen that they can score runs here. You’ve seen the way Babar batted. Rizwan is a nice addition to the side but the confidence with which he came out and faced the Australian attack [is commendable]. Not scoring runs doesn’t mean you are not capable of doing so.”As for the visiting bowlers, Azhar said that a lack of experience had been costly when defending a mediocre first-innings total, and also intimated that the extra pressure of a Test match had affected various members of the touring XI. A recall for Abbas may help, but there will also need to be greater presence of mind shown whoever takes the ball – there was a yawning gap in the performances of the tourists against Australia A in Perth, and it was under the spotlight again in Brisbane.”The young attack has a lot of potential but you can’t buy experience. It’s never easy in a place like Australia,” he said. “They started off little shaky but they came back strongly the next day even though the Australian batsmen were really set. They came back strong and kept bowling in good areas after that. I believe if they manage to do that from the start of the innings, they’ll be a totally different attack after that.”I think that game [in Perth] was a first-class game and this is a Test. The pressure is different and the pitch condition is different. There we scored 400-plus runs and bowled really well with the new ball. Here we didn’t put up a very big total and we didn’t bowl in the areas that we did against Australia A. The execution was not there. But again, I still feel there is potential there and we have to obviously do those things well to create problems for the opposition.”

On a cold Delhi day, he steered his side to safety against Hyderabad’s three-man pace attack

Sidharth Monga in New Delhi25-Dec-2019Playing his first first-class match in more than 15 months, Shikhar Dhawan might have been forgiven for feeling he was still in England. On a cold Delhi day, he was asked to bat against the seaming ball in nightmarish conditions for top-order batsmen. Dhawan, coming back from an injury, brought all his experience to rescue Delhi from 4 for 2 with an unbeaten 137 scored at a strike rate of close to 70. The persistence of a Test attack was missing, but the conditions called for Dhawan to respect the challenge.Hyderabad’s three-man pace attack – Mohammed Siraj, left-arm quick Chama Milind and M Ravi Kiran – tested the batsmen through the day, taking six Delhi wickets in 66 overs. The next best score was 29. Given the conditions, given the presence of Ishant Sharma in Delhi’s attack, Dhawan felt they already might have enough because at one point even 200 had looked like a fighting score.For Dhawan, set to be back with the India limited-overs squad, it was a satisfying innings because he could use his experience for his first first-class score of 50 or more in 18 months. “With experience, you get an idea what shots to play on which kind of track,” Dhawan said. “I hardly played any drives against the fast bowlers. For long parts I played what we call box cricket: play at balls only close to the body. When I was a 20-year-old boy like the other Delhi youngsters, even I used to play the drive in these conditions.”Dhawan did play an injudicious drive, on 67 off Kiran, but was reprieved by what turned out to be a no-ball. It was critical, though, that he had got himself in when he tried those shots.The most successful bowler for Hyderabad, though, was left-arm spinner Mehdi Hassan, who managed to extract uneven bounce from the pitch. Dhawan said he was itching to hit him out of the attack, but when he looked at the situation – 47 for 3 and 100 for 4 – he had to restrict himself. He did hit two sixes, though, off the other left-arm spinner, T Thyagarajan. That brought up his century moments before tea, much to the pleasure of the small but loud crowd enjoying Dhawan’s batting and some sun amid icy cold winds.The Feroz Shah Kotla crowd is well known for its quips to players, most of which come from its knowledge of the game and awareness of current affairs. When Dhawan reached his fifty, the chant from the crowd was, “KL Rahul.” The crowd was asking Dhawan to score more than KL Rahul, well aware that in Dhawan’s absence, Rahul has made a strong case for himself as the limited-overs opener.Dhawan, a good friend of Rahul, with whom he has opened in Tests before, said he wasn’t thinking of his India spot. “I had nothing on my mind,” Dhawan said. “What has to come to you will come to you. I am a very relaxed person, and I don’t burden my mind with extra thoughts. The way you guys think, I don’t think like that.”For the Delhi crowd, there is more fun in offer as on days two and three Ishant Sharma will look to seal a first-innings lead for the home team. The presence of the two stalwarts has helped Delhi after a lacklustre start to the season. Dhawan said he has made an effort to sit down with the batsmen and share his experiences with them. And he said Sharma was doing the same with the bowlers.

West Indies quick will strengthen Gloucestershire attack on return to Division One

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2020Gloucestershire have signed West Indies quick Jerome Taylor on a three-year deal. The 35-year-old will be registered for the 2020 season as a Kolpak player, but will fill one of the overseas slots from next year if the regulations change, as expected, due to Brexit.Taylor, who has previously played for Leicestershire, Sussex and Somerset, will be available in all formats. The Jamaican last played for his country in 2018, and has a wealth of experience in competitions around the world. He joins Gloucestershire after they won promotion to Division One of the County Championship for the first time since 2005.”Jerome is an exciting player who will add some pace and international experience to the bowling attack,” Gloucestershire’s head coach, Richard Dawson, said. “He can contribute in all formats so he will be a valuable addition to the squad.”We played some very good cricket last season to get us into Division One and Jerome can help us to set a high standard in the field against some talented opposition.”Last week, the ECB confirmed to counties that Kolpak registrations are set to become invalid from 2021, when the UK’s transition arrangements with the EU come to an end. The Professional Cricketers’ Association has backed proposals for clubs to be able to sign two overseas players, rather than one, as is currently the case in the Championship and List A tournaments.Rapid on his day, Taylor left his mark on England on his home ground in 2009, taking 5 for 11 to skittle the tourists for 51 at Sabina Park. In 46 Tests, he claimed 130 wickets at 34.46; he was also capped more than 100 times in limited-overs internationals, collecting a World T20 winners’ medal when West Indies lifted the trophy in 2016.In T20, he has featured at the Big Bash, Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League, as well as in the Blast. Over the last two seasons with Somerset, he bagged 36 wickets at 21.69 with an economy of 9.20.”I am very excited to be joining Gloucestershire and I am looking forward to meeting up with the players and the staff and getting underway,” Taylor said. “I am grateful for the opportunity as I really enjoy playing county cricket and I am hopeful that my experience can help the Club on and off the field.”