James Bracey among those flying home despite fourth-innings hundred against Australia A

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2021England’s management have opted not to keep any of the 14-man Lions squad on with the Ashes squad in Australia, with the majority of the touring party flying home on Tuesday.The England Lions squad travelled to Australia in early November along with the members of the Ashes touring party that were not involved in the T20 World Cup in the UAE. They were due to shadow the main squad and provide opposition in internal warm-up games, but inclement weather limited their preparation to seven full sessions.During the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, the Lions played Australia A in a four-day fixture at Ian Healy Oval. They were heavily beaten after being bowled out for 103 in their first innings. Despite 113 from James Bracey and half-centuries for Ben Foakes and Josh Bohannon in the second innings, and 5 for 58 from Liam Norwell in the first, none of the squad have been kept on to provide cover for the Ashes squad.Four members of the team that played against Australia A will remain in the country. Dom Bess, the back-up spinner to Jack Leach in the main squad, was picked for the four-day game ahead of Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane – two of four Lions players not involved, along with Sam Cook and Jamie Smith – while Tom Abell (Brisbane Heat), Harry Brook (Hobart Hurricanes) and Saqib Mahmood (Sydney Thunder) are all involved in the BBL.Related

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Bracey, whose 113 off 295 balls marked a successful return to an England shirt – albeit a Lions one – after he struggled in his first two Tests against New Zealand in June and was promptly dropped, said that being kept on for the main tour had not been “at the forefront of our minds”, with three back-up batters (Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley and Dan Lawrence) already part of the Ashes squad.”It’s a big squad, the Ashes squad, and there’s a few batters waiting in the wings,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “It’s not been a huge thing at the forefront of our mind. But if it’s now, or in later years, it’s great to put a case forward in a Lions Test, and to get a hundred was really pleasing.”I’m going home with one more first-class hundred than I had going out. In a year with a lots of ups and downs I’ve really backed myself technique-wise. Where my head’s at is probably the big thing. There has been a lot to process, lots of stuff thrown at me.”That was my aim coming out on this tour, [to] put a few things I’ve been working on into practice and this last couple of days caps it off. I’m really pleased with how it’s gone and really happy with where my head is at currently. After what has happened it’s good for me to relax.”If I continue to put labels and targets on things and put everything on trying to get back in the Test team it wouldn’t be good for me or for my game. Obviously I have that desire… to play Test cricket again and hopefully that happens sooner rather than later, but if it doesn’t I’ll keep working and see where my career takes me.”

The offspinner takes the place of George Linde, who is unavailable due to his impending wedding

Firdose Moonda26-Jan-2022Simon Harmer has been recalled to South Africa’s Test squad for their two-Test tour of New Zealand next month. Harmer last played for the country on a tour of India in 2015 and signed a Kolpak deal with Essex in 2017. The offspinner has been included in the traveling group as back-up to Keshav Maharaj and in place of George Linde, who was unavailable for selection due to his impending wedding. Prenalen Subrayen, the other spinner who has recently been around the squad, was not considered because of a groin injury.There is also a recall for seam bowler Lutho Sipamla, who missed out on tours to West Indies and the series against India at home. Sipamla joins a seven-strong seam contingent that will be headlined by Kagiso Rabada, who was rested from the ODI squad against India and also include Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Glenton Stuurman, another Kolpak-returnee Duanne Olivier and allrounder Wiaan Mulder. Sisanda Magala, who was in the Test squad for the India series, has been left out.Anrich Nortje, who missed the India Test with a hip injury, remains out of action. Selection convener Victor Mpitsang told ESPNcricinfo that Nortje is aiming to be ready to play in the ODIs against Bangladesh at home in March.The batters who did duty during the 2-1 series win against India all keep their places. Opener Aiden Markram remains part of the squad despite averaging under 25 in his last 19 Tests, with Sarel Erwee and Ryan Rickleton the other contenders for that berth. “We know Aiden has made some errors but the team has been doing well and we are opting to stick with him,” Mpitsang said. With Quinton de Kock retired from Test cricket, Kyle Verreynne is the designated wicketkeeper.But all eyes will be on Harmer, who returned to South Africa’s domestic set-up on the back of stellar county form. Since his last Test, across the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy, Harmer has taken 303 wickets in 61 matches, more than any other bowler in that six-year period. He was also the leading wicket-taker in the the County Championship in 2019 and in the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020. This season, Harmer is the second-leading bowler in the domestic four-day competition, after Olivier, and has taken 27 wickets at 21.40.Lutho Sipamla is part of a seven-member pace contingent•Cricket South Africa

He is the third former Kolpak player to be recalled since the system ended post-Brexit on January 31, 2020. Wayne Parnell has been selected for ODIs and played against Netherlands in a washout in November last year while Olivier made his comeback during the Test series against India, suggesting CSA will now fully re-integrate Kolpak players into the fold. It’s a complete turnaround from the mood in April 2020, when Harmer said: “There’s a lot of bad blood towards the Kolpaks, and it would take, I think, South Africans and perhaps Cricket South Africa to swallow their pride and seek for those players to return to the South African set-up. There’s been a lot said in the press about the return of Kolpak players, but obviously the public perception still is not great.”Now, Harmer faces fresh public scrutiny as he returns to the country where transformation targets, which he has been critical of in the past, are a reality and have a direct impact on selection. In 2019, Harmer said the quota system worked against players of colour, whom he believed were not always ready to make the step up, and white players, who were denied an income-earning opportunity. “It’s affecting players of colour because they’re forced into a role and they’re not allowed to develop their skill. They get thrust in and then thrust out, and then they find the next person to come in,” he said at the time. “If I were to lose my place for a player of colour then I don’t have an issue with that. But as a sportsman, I need to maximise my earning potential, and to commit in South Africa where the transformation targets are constantly evolving … your opportunities do get less and less. It’s the nature of South African sport. It’s always going to be there, it’s never going to go away. It’s such a sore topic and taboo to speak about, but it is what it is.”Harmer sought to make a career in England and hoped to qualify for their international side, but with the Kolpak system ending his qualification hopes and with other visa options unavailable to him, he closed the door on that last August. He remains contracted as an overseas player to Essex until the end of the 2026 season, though his availability for the county could become dependent on his international career.Whether Harmer will make an immediate comeback into the playing XI is likely to depend on conditions. Both Tests will be played at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, which over recent years has boasted the quickest pitch in New Zealand that is usually green and bouncy. This is a change from the original schedule that had the first Test in Christchurch and the second in Wellington but, with New Zealand under strict Covid-19 restrictions, travel has been minimised by staying in one venue.South Africa depart for New Zealand on February 2 and will undergo 10 days of mandatory quarantine before being allowed to train.South Africa squad for New Zealand tour: Dean Elgar (capt), Temba Bavuma, Sarel Erwee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Duanne Olivier, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne

Australia’s attack shared the wickets around with Alana King impressing on debut

Andrew McGlashan28-Jan-2022Heather Knight almost single-handedly kept England afloat in Canberra with a magnificent century which frustrated Australia’s attempts to secure a big lead in their bid to retain the Ashes.England were in danger of not saving the follow-on when they lost their eighth wicket with 19 runs still needed, but Sophie Ecclestone stayed with Knight as she brought up her second Test hundred and then carried her team past the initial target of 188. The 127 that Knight closed on equaled Smriti Mandhana as the highest innings by a visiting female batter in Australia.To emphasise the domination of Knight’s performance, the next highest score in England’s innings was Ecclestone’s vital, unbeaten 27 at No. 10. The pair took advantage of the extra hardness of the second new ball and some weary bowlers with 37 runs coming off the last seven overs of the day. The ninth-wicket stand extended to 65 and took them through to the close with the opportunity to further eat into Australia’s lead. After two days, Knight had been on the field for all but 2.1 overs of the match.With bowling again removed as an option for Australia, the onus may come onto what size of target they want to set England although the visitors will hope to apply pressure with the ball. The forecast is not good for Saturday which may cut into the time available and Australia do not have the same urgency to win the Test given they hold the points lead in the series.It was a wonderfully-constructed hundred from Knight, whose previous Test century came at Wormsley in 2013 when England were in a similarly difficult position. Initially the innings was studded with superb cover drives, one which took her to her fifty, then her full array of sweeps were on show against the spinners. She also struck her first Test six when she sent Ashleigh Gardner over deep midwicket.Australia’s bowling success was shared around with the seamers getting the ball rolling, including maiden Test wickets for Darcie Brown and Annabel Sutherland, before the spinners started to chip in which included a first scalp for Alana King who sent down a long spell of well-controlled legspin during the afternoon and evening.Meg Lanning had declared when Australia lost their ninth wicket with them adding just 10 runs to their overnight total. Katherine Brunt claimed the two wickets, including a fantastic delivery to take the top of Sutherland’s off stump, which completed the third five-wicket haul of her career.Brown soon provided the breakthrough with her first Test wicket when she lured Lauren Winfield-Hill into a drive which was neatly held by Beth Mooney at second slip.Ellyse Perry, during a seven-over opening spell, then found a way past Tammy Beaumont as the tactics of targeting the pads paid off when a delivery nipped back to beat the inside edge and take the back leg. Beaumont reviewed but it was three reds.However, despite the two wickets Australia could have bowled better overall before lunch with the batters not made to play often enough. Brown operated with good pace but was too wide either side of claiming her wicket while Tahlia McGrath didn’t settle from either end across two spells and also had no-ball problems, of which she was not alone among the pace bowlers.But Australia continued to take key top-order wickets against an England line-up that had gone in a batter light compared to their previous Test against India last year. Sutherland found the inside edge of Nat Sciver early in the second session with a delivery that nipped back sharply to claim her first Test wicket and when Sophia Dunkley chopped against Perry it was 79 for 4.Knight continued to stand out, peppering the off side with a series of well-timed drives, to extend a fine record at Manuka Oval but struggled for support. Amy Jones had briefly offered a counterattack in a period that brought England four boundaries in six balls, but she then got a top edge against a short-of-a-length delivery and Brown took a running catch from mid-on.King’s first Test wicket came when she beat Brunt with a delivery that skidded on and she also found significant turn with her leg-break which suggested a big role to play if Australia are to force victory.Debutant Charlie Dean hung around for 40 balls alongside Knight before picking out deep midwicket the delivery after Rachael Haynes had almost managed to kick the ball up and take a parried chance at short leg. Anya Shrubsole played a poor stroke against the lightly-bowled Jess Jonassen, but there was no shifting the England captain in one of the great Ashes displays.

Shaheen shines at the death; Zalmi will face Islamabad United in the first Eliminator

Danyal Rasool21-Feb-2022Peshawar Zalmi 158 for 7 (Fawad 2-26) tied with Lahore Qalandars 158 for 8 (Hafeez 49, Afridi 39*) – Zalmi won after Super OverIt looked as if a lacklustre chase from Lahore Qalandars would doom them to defeat in this season’s final group stage game against Peshawar Zalmi, but a scarcely credible blitz from Shaheen Shah Afridi got them through to a Super Over. He thwacked an unbeaten 39 off 20 balls, including 23 in the final over and six off the last ball, to take his side there, but that was as good as it got for the Qalandars. A splendid Super Over with the ball from Zalmi skipper Wahab Riaz saw the Qalandars manage just five, and Shoaib Malik put away the first two Afridi balls of the chase for boundaries, wrapping up a win that should have been Zalmi’s half an hour earlier, but ensuring they take momentum with them into the Eliminator against Islamabad United on Thursday.Until the thrilling finish, it seemed that a brace of top-order wickets from Arshad Iqbal had broken the Qalandars’ resistance to allow Zalmi to cruise towards their fourth successive win. A handful of cameos with the bat had helped them post a target of 159, and a Qalandars side which appeared less than fully engaged in what was effectively a dead rubber never maintained the tempo required for the chase.Mohammad Hafeez may have top scored in the chase with 49 off 44, but for the bulk of his innings, he failed to ensure his side was on top of the asking rate. With the big hitters failing to fire, the requirement kept ballooning to the point where the Qalandars needed 24 off the final over.Shaheen smashed a four and two sixes, and suddenly the Qalandars were back within seven of victory, only for a couple of dot balls from Mohammad Umar to take it down to the death. His final ball was in the slot, Shaheen pumped it over long-on for a huge six, and a Gaddafi crowd that had begun to filter out stormed back in for the one-over shootout.Coming into the game, both sides were assured passage to the next round, and barring a heavy defeat, the Qalandars were guaranteed to get two bites at the cherry. They ensured that remained the case despite defeat in a game where the lack of intensity was palpable for much of the contest. Malik top-scored for Zalmi with 32 off 28, with five of the top six reaching double figures. The electric Mohammad Haris was the only one who fell short, his Qalandars namesake Haris Rauf dismissing him in the second over, while Fawad Ahmed, playing his first game this season, was the pick of the crop, taking 2 for 26 in his allotted four.Related

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Fakhar Zaman fell off the first ball, just the second time all tournament he departed early. The other occasion came against Karachi Kings two days ago, and as on that day, the Qalandars’ ability to hunt down a target melted away. No one was able to replace him nearly as effectively, and at one point the Qalandars went almost seven full overs without a boundary.Right up until the frenetic final two overs, Zalmi’s discipline with the ball was excellent, with Wahab, Amad Butt and Khalid Usman all keeping the Qalandars on a leash. There was plenty of sloppiness in the field though, to the chagrin of an increasingly agitated Wahab, though for the best part, it appeared as if it wouldn’t make a difference to the outcome.Shaheen’s belligerence, though, meant the game with little riding on it turned into something of a cult classic. The high of that glorious final-ball six, though – after which Shaheen held his arms aloft in that iconic pose usually reserved for a top-order wicket – was followed by a flat Super Over. It wasn’t the result that mattered tonight, but the entertainment, and Shaheen had ensured, belatedly, there was enough of that to sate a nearly full house.

The three games will be played in Edinburgh on July 27, 29 and 31

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2022Scotland will host New Zealand in July 2022 for two T20Is and a one-off ODI after New Zealand finish their tour of Ireland on July 22 in Belfast. The three matches in Scotland will be played at the Grange in Edinburgh, on July 27, 29 and 31.Scotland and New Zealand last faced each other in the Super 12s stage of the T20 World Cup last year when Scotland scared their opponents by falling just 16 runs short while chasing 173.”We are excited to welcome the BLACKCAPS to our shores this summer,” Scotland head coach Shane Burger said. “We want to keep challenging ourselves versus ICC Full Members and New Zealand are up there as one of the best.”Having reached both of the most recent T20 and 50 over ICC world cup finals, they have proven to be the most consistent team across all formats of the game in recent years.”We have 12 international ODIs to be played prior to the New Zealand series and so the squad are training well and looking forward to a busy 2022.”New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said touring Scotland would be a “great occasion” for his team.”Over the past decade we’ve seen Scotland improve as a cricketing nation and develop into a force in international cricket,” Stead said. “Having played there personally myself at Brechin Cricket Club, I know how passionate the people are about the game and I have no doubt they will be eagerly looking forward to this tour.”Playing against associate teams as a major nation is a really important part of helping them grow and that growth can only benefit the world game long term.”Cricket Scotland is likely to announce further information on the tickets and crowd in mid-April.New Zealand will fly to the UK in May-end for the three Tests against England in June, followed by the three ODIs and as many T20Is starting July 10, before they head to Scotland.

Half-centuries for Leaning, Stewart build imposing 519-run total, before two early wickets

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2022Northamptonshire 21 for 2 trail Kent 519 for 9 dec (Compton 140, Bell-Drummond 83, Crawley 62, Leaning 62, Stewart 61) by 498 runs
Jack Leaning and Grant Stewart scored contrasting half-centuries as Kent piled on the runs on a rain-affected day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Northamptonshire.Captain Leaning ground his way to a 120-ball fifty to build on the fine work of Ben Compton, who ended with 140, and Zak Crawley and Daniel Bell-Drummond’s half-centuries.On the other hand, Stewart was given a licence and used it to bash five sixes in 34 deliveries on his route to the milestone – before he ended up on 61 – as Kent declared on 519 for nine.All-rounder Stewart and Darren Stevens then made early in-roads by displacing Ben Curran and Emilio Gay as Northamptonshire ended the day on 21 for two – 498 runs behind.Rain washed out the morning session to leave 66 overs for Kent to rack up a massive first-innings total, having been put in on the first day. Compton continued almost unperturbed from his overnight 125, carefully adding two boundaries to take him to 100 fours for the season.He departed for 140 when driving to gully, before Jordan Cox chopped Gareth Berg onto his own stumps and Ollie Robinson edged to first slip in a positive eight-over spell for the hosts.Leaning, who is deputising for Sam Billings as red-ball captain, missed the start of season with a hamstring injury and appeared slow to get his season motoring. He started with a duck and 36 against Yorkshire and a nine in the draw with Surrey last week.But on this occasion, his wicket was prized with complete protection, with only balls well away from his stumps dispatched to the boundary. It was certainly watchful but allowed the platform for the later chaos by helping to soften the ball.His half-century, the 29th of his first-class career, was brought up in 120 deliveries with a delicious on drive on the cusp of tea.Stevens had already fallen cutting behind before Leaning chipped a leading edge back to Tom Taylor for 62. But that brought together the cunning rotation of George Linde and Stewart’s big-hitting.Stewart has the build of a man perfect to hit a long ball – having struck four sixes in a run-a-ball 90 in his previous innings this year. If further proof was needed of this, his maximum off Rob Keogh which comfortably cleared the Lynn Wilson Indoor School. A conservative estimate measured the strike at 120 metres.He followed that up with four more altogether tamer sixes, as the tempo raised against a weary Northamptonshire attack. Linde, who had bizarrely been given out run out while backing up only to be recalled, added 38 with Stewart before skying to long on.Matt Quinn shook off his genuine tailender tag to swat a six and four during a breath-taking 64-runs stand with Stewart in seven overs. He was dropped by Lewis McManus, who damaged his finger in the process, before Stewart exited when lbw to bring about the declaration.Northamptonshire were given 13 overs to negotiate under the lights and lost Curran when he tamely diverted to mid-wicket. Gay earned a life against the wily Stevens with a tough caught-and-bowled chance but wasn’t so fortunate after he was struck on the pads.

Pakistan wicketkeeper picks up a few batting tips from India batter during pair’s stint at Sussex

Sreshth Shah11-May-2022Among all the batters Mohammad Rizwan has seen or played with, he believes Cheteshwar Pujara is second only to Younis Khan in terms of concentration.Rizwan has been observing Pujara closely, with both players representing Sussex in the ongoing County Championship in England. Last month, Rizwan shared a 154-run partnership with Pujara to help their side to a mammoth first-innings lead against Durham.”In my life, the player with the highest levels of concentration and focus I have seen is Younis ,” Rizwan told . “So No. 1 is Younis . After that, it was Fawad Alam but now Pujara is No. 2 and Fawad Alam No. 3.”Pujara has averaged 143.40 so far this season with four centuries in seven innings, and shared a few tips with Rizwan on how to bat in English conditions.”I try to find out what makes these three guys so good in terms of their focus and concentration,” Rizwan said. “I keep talking to Younis about this. With Fawad, I haven’t talked a lot about this.”With Pujara, I had a chat when I had just come to England and got out a couple of times. He told me a few things, that you should play close to your body. Now it is no secret that we play a lot of white-ball cricket and there we play well away from the body because the white-ball doesn’t swing or seam much and you are always looking for runs.”So here, I got out chasing a couple of wide deliveries early on. Then I sought him out at the nets and he said, ‘in Pakistan or in Asia, we are accustomed to forcing our drives. You cannot force your drives over here. Secondly, you have to play closer to your body.'”It’s a rare occasion for an India international and a Pakistan international to represent the same team, but Rizwan said that it didn’t feel “strange” at all. He also said that outside the international arena, cricketers feel part of a “larger family” and are looking to help each other get better at the game.”Believe me, I haven’t felt strange at all about it [playing alongside Pujara]. I even joke around with him and also tease him a lot. He is a very nice person and his concentration and focus are unreal. If you can learn something from someone else, you must take that opportunity.”The cricket fraternity is like a family for us. But if you are playing for Pakistan and your own brother is playing for Australia, then you will, of course, try to get him out because you are playing for your country. But that fight happens only on the ground. Otherwise, we are like a family. If I say ‘our Virat Kohli’, then I will not be wrong. Or ‘our Pujara’, ‘our Smith’ or ‘our Root’, because we all are one family.”Like Hasan Ali said that when he meets James Anderson, he would try to learn something from him. It just means we are all part of one family and we share knowledge with each other if it would help someone improve their cricket.”

Durham downed despite totalling 207 for 8 in Headingley run-fest

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2022Yorkshire raced to a record 208 target to beat Durham in a mesmerising Vitality Blast clash at Headingley as Adam Lyth and David Willey starred with brilliant innings of 77 and 75 not out.Vikings were rocked by Durham’s 207 for 8, including 65 off 37 balls for opener Graham Clark and a career best 56 off 34 for on-loan Kent wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson. But their mood was quickly turned by opener Lyth, who broke the back of the chase with 10 fours and three sixes in 33 balls before England allrounder Willey saw his side home by six wickets with 2.2 overs to spare, crashing eight fours and three sixes in 39.Never before had Yorkshire, who survived the loss of England’s Harry Brook for 4 following his release from the Test squad, chased 200, and this was their second win in five in the North Group. Their previous highest successful chase was 196 against Derbyshire here in 2005.Earlier, Jordan Thompson’s career best 4 for 32 had been crucial as the Vikings limited the damage late on.Belligerent opener Clark was expertly backed up by second-wicket partner Robinson as Durham excelled with the bat on a glorious pitch, the pair sharing 92 inside nine overs to advance from 34 for 1, putting pressure on a Yorkshire side who lost back-to-back home games against Leicestershire and Derbyshire earlier this week.Clark’s only six was slog swept off Adil Rashid over midwicket, while Robinson hoisted Dom Bess over long-on into the second tier of Headingley’s Howard Stand before slicing left-arm quick Dominic Drakes over backward point.Clark reached his fifty off 27 balls before uppercutting Bajan overseas debutant Drakes out to deep cover as the score fell to 126 for 2 gafter 12 overs. Shortly afterwards, Robinson’s fifty came up in 29 balls.From there, Thompson claimed all of his wickets from the 15th over onwards as Yorkshire turned the tide. He uprooted Robinson’s leg stump as he shuffled across and played to leg – 148 for 4 at the start of the 15th – before getting Brydon Carse caught at deep cover at the end of the next.Carse had usurped Robinson by finding the top tier of three-tiered Howard Stand off Matthew Revis, a shot brilliantly caught one-handed in the crowd.In Thompson’s last over, the 19th, he had Durham captain Liam Trevaskis caught at short third and bowled Ned Eckersley off his pads as the score fell to 192 for 8.Yorkshire then put Durham’s batting into the shade, with Kiwi Finn Allen clattering Carse for sixes over long-on and midwicket at the end of the second over. Seventeen runs came off each of the third and fourth overs, but Allen was caught at mid-off for 29 off 12 balls off Andrew Tye towards the end of the latter, leaving the hosts 54 for 1.Lyth was strong square on both sides of the wicket as the score moved to 79 for one after six overs. By the time he reached his fifty off 23 balls, Yorkshire were 97 for 1 in the eighth and things were looking ominous for Durham, who lost their third game in five at the start of the group phase.Lyth had whipped Paul Coughlin for his first six, uppercut Carse and despatched Coughlin over long-on. Such was the ease with which runs were coming that even when Lyth miscued Ben Raine’s seam high to wide mid-off, leaving Yorkshire at 124 for 2 in the 10th over, the result was in little doubt.Lyth had shared 70 in six overs with second-wicket partner Willey, who continued the assault with leg-side sixes off Carse and Trevaskis and reached his fifty off 27 balls.Brook was caught at deep backward square-leg off Ben Raine – 160 for 3 in the 13th over – but it did not matter.

Organ falls after completing career-best 118, Barker adds half-century

Paul Edwards20-Jul-2022Two things happened on this dark, drizzle-haunted day at Cheltenham. The first was that Hampshire made 457 and then took two prime Gloucestershire wickets, thereby establishing a position from which they will hope to force a vital victory in the second half of this match. The second was that James Vince made 95.Yes, before you say it, the two achievements are intimately bound up with each other. Vince is Hampshire’s skipper, after all, and he had judgements to make about batting points, the shape of the match and other stuff. Yet anyone who has watched him drive through the on side or past point knows that when Vince bats as he did early this afternoon this, his innings transcend their context and become separable from everything else we are watching. So often when he is in this mood, there is a simple alchemy to his batting and a suggestion that however remarkable his gifts might appear to others, they seem terribly straightforward to him. And now that Ian Bell has retired and James Hildreth is not in Somerset’s team, there is no more aesthetically pleasing strokemaker in English cricket than Vince.But this was also a day of four interruptions and they had their impact on Hampshire’s captain. After batting prudently to be unbeaten on six from 35 balls overnight, Vince reached his fifty off a further 68 deliveries with seven fours and a six, the latter being struck straight and clean into corporate hospitality in Zafar Gohar’s first over of the morning. Included in that half-century was a square drive off Tom Price and a back-foot punch off Zak Chappell, and it was difficult to think those strokes could have been played much better.By that time, though, we had lost most of the morning’s play but at least watching any cricket was vastly more pleasurable than it had been 24 hours earlier and parlour games about movie stars had nothing to do with it. The 15 degrees of separation between Tuesday’s play on the College Ground and this morning’s cricket concerned only the thermometer. The folk who filled the small stand opposite the pavilion wanted merely to see whether Gloucestershire could contain a Hampshire side that was clearly intent on rattling up a big total and batting once. A day earlier, one speculated that the people occupying the scalding plastic seats were masochists who liked reminiscing about the Raj, which has often been a topic of conversation in Cheltenham.The weather soon took a role, though, and one didn’t need to be steeped in English cricket to see the irony of it. Seven overs into what was likely to be a long day, mizzle and heavy cloud drifted in from the south-west and soon became sufficiently heavy for the umpires to take the players off the field. We anticipated a brief delay but the bowlers’ run-ups were soon covered and an early lunch was taken. When play resumed at 1.25 it was announced that a further 84 overs would be bowled and the umpires’ determination to squeeze in as much cricket as possible was not greeted with universal rejoicing. correspondent fretted that at this rate he was going to miss his dinner and pointed out with some asperity, that those langoustines weren’t going to eat themselves.The cricket resumed and while Vince batted with perfect precision, wickets were falling at the other end. Felix Organ, who had reached his second century of the season early in the morning’s play, fished rather horribly at Zak Chappell and was caught behind for a career-best 118. Liam Dawson opened with a six and two fours but was well caught at midwicket by Graeme van Buuren off Josh Shaw.Something of a pattern had been established. Ben Brown and Aneurin Donald both made entertaining twenties as Vince sought to recapture his earlier rhythm. There were three more interruptions in late afternoon but none of them trimmed as many overs from our allotment as we had supposed. Keith Barker blasted a half-century in 37 balls and took three-quarters of the strike during his 66-run stand in nine overs with his captain. Eventually, after batting for 263 minutes and facing 162 balls, Vince was bowled by Tom Price with one that squirmed between bat and pad and may even have shaved the inside edge. The last three wickets fell in as many overs and we steadied ourselves for Gloucestershire’s reply.The bad light and rain that had plagued our cricket earlier stayed away during that last hour or so and home supporters must have cursed their absence. Muhammad Abbas’s tenth ball of the innings swung in to Chris Dent, who was pinned without a plea on the back foot for nought. The light closed in a little but only enough to bring on the spinners and that didn’t help Gloucestershire either. In his second over, Dawson turned one out of the rough to the left-handed Marcus Harris and Graham Lloyd raised his finger for the second time in ten minutes. Dawson wheeled away in a celebration that would have done credit to Jack Brooks and there can be no higher praise.Miles Hammond and Ollie Price saw their side to the close amid a cacophony of leg before shouts and a gaggle of near things. The question now is whether van Buuren’s batsmen have the skill and fibre to resist Hampshire’s fine attack for something like two days. We shall see but at least other matters reached a clear conclusion. For example, epicurean correspondent filed his copy and skedaddled. Things were looking bleak for the crustaceans. Some gloomy folk think they are not that much rosier for Gloucestershire.

Stand-in captain Powell added the finishing touches after a below-par batting display from New Zealand

Associated Press14-Aug-2022Brandon King and Shamarh Brooks shared a 102-run opening partnership as West Indies struck a winning formula at last, beating New Zealand by eight wickets in the third T20I on Sunday to prevent a sweep of the three-match series.After making the bold decision to rest captain Nicholas Pooran, the hosts also played more than one spinner for the first time in the series and their bowlers flourished on a slow pitch at Sabina Park.New Zealand made only 145 for 7 after winning the toss, falling well short of its 185 for 5 in the first match and 215 for 5 in the second.West Indies reached their target with an over to spare, as stand-in captain Rovman Powell hit Jimmy Neesham for six to clinch the win and leave the series 2-1 in New Zealand’s favor.Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, playing for the first time in the series, took 2 for 28 while allrounder Odean Smith took a career-best 3 for 29.King, who missed the first two matches of the series with injury, provided impetus for the run chase by taking 53 runs from 35 balls. Brooks carried his bat throughout the innings, finishing on 56 while Powell hurried the end by striking 27 from 15 balls.”It was very special being able to do this at home in front of everybody,” King said. “The support is incredible, my family is here and I’m happy to be able to deliver. I think consistency is the key. When you’re an opening batsman you try to give your team a good start.”Today credit has to be given to the bowlers. They did an excellent job for us and made my job that much easier.”New Zealand failed to replicate its performances of the first two victories when it made strong starts and built partnerships around Kane Williamson who made 47 in the first match and Glenn Phillips who made 76 in the second.On Sunday, Hosein came on in only the third over and immediately knocked over Martin Guptill to leave New Zealand 18 for 1.Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner and Williamson all made starts but struggled to impart momentum to the innings. That task fell again to Phillips who made 41 from 26 balls and was Player of the Series.Phillips needed to bat through but was out at a critical stage when New Zealand was 125 for 5 in the 17th over. New Zealand made big finishes in the first two matches, putting on 64 in the last five overs of the first two matches but managing only 39 in the last five overs this time.West Indies innings stood in complete contrast with the opening partnership between King and Brooks occupying 13.1 overs and making the result a foregone conclusion. King reached his half century from 30 balls and Brooks hung around to anchor the innings, posting his 50 from 52 deliveries.”The West Indies adapted to the conditions nicely,” Williamson said. “With the bat we felt if we could get another 15 or so we could get a bit of momentum but they were able to take wickets throughout an execute their plans beautifully.”They did the same thing with the bat and we couldn’t open up an end with the ball. We knew that with 140 things would have to go well for us with the ball and they outplayed us today.”The teams meet in the first of three ODIs on Wednesday.