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The former captain suffered a grade one tear to his calf muscle during training

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2017Sri Lanka allrounder Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the first Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi later this month with a calf strain. He had sustained the injury during training on Tuesday, before undergoing scans on Wednesday.SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha confirmed Mathews’ unavailability.This is the latest in a long history of leg injuries for Mathews – the last 12 months having been particularly problematic. He had suffered a torn hamstring during Sri Lanka’s tour of South Africa in January, and did not play international cricket again until June. He had also missed a tri-series in Zimbabwe late last year due to “multiple injuries” in his legs.Given the recurrence of these injuries, Mathews’ workload has been closely managed over the last few months. In fact, he was only required to deliver a few overs per game in the ODIs against India, and did not bowl at all in the Tests. Nevertheless, he finds himself unable to play again, just as Sri Lanka attempt to put the torrid series against India behind them. Mathews had been excellent during Sri Lanka’s last Test series the UAE, in 2013-14, hitting 412 runs at an average of 103.Sri Lanka’s two-Test series against Pakistan begins on September 28 in Abu Dhabi. The second match will be a day-night Test, in Dubai.

Gareth Batty’s first Championship hundred for Surrey plus another by Ben Foakes, a wicketkeeper who England have half an eye on, ensured another tough day for bottom-of-the-table Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl

Vithushan Ehantharajah18-Jul-2016
ScorecardGareth Batty made his first century for Surrey•Getty Images

“Is that all from one innings?” asked a member of the catering staff. You didn’t need to know the game to empathise with Hampshire’s toil. Surrey declared but it may as well have been a mercy ruling that ended their first innings on 637 for 7. Six hundred and thirty seven.All pros know the pain of relentless grind in the dirt. It will take more than a shower and a night’s sleep to shake off these 163 overs.A record eighth wicket partnership for Surrey, against any opposition, saw Ben Foakes and Gareth Batty put on 222 and take a gargantuan lead in this basement battle at the Ageas Bowl.It was the timing of this partnership that was crucial – just when the early wickets of Steven Davies and Sam Curran looked like threatening Surrey’s good work from day one. So good was the recovery that Foakes and Batty notched centuries in the process.It was something of a tactical union: Foakes, able to play his natural game, accompanied Batty steadily before the Surrey skipper was comfortable enough to swipe boundaries of his own. There was talk of a dash to 400 to take full batting points only for the pair to settle for the four they had, knowing that risky play would not only lead to a wicket and a second Hampshire bowling point, but also rob them of the chance to put on an insurmountable first innings score. The logic was simple: the pitch is very good for batting so even if Hampshire make their way to 350 or 400, the follow-on option would still be available to Surrey.Further scheming came just after tea, when Batty and Foakes came out for 10 minutes, “to piss their batters off”. Taking an extra three overs, in which time Sean Ervine dropped Batty at first slip off Brad Wheal, Surrey declared, giving Hampshire’s openers 10-minutes rather than the 20 at tea to compose themselves. Within 3.2 overs of the hosts’ first innings, they were five for two: Will Smith playing on his first ball and Jimmy Adams flicking to square leg, as Mark Footitt put the new ball to work with the quickest spell of the match.At a time when questions are being asked of Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps and the national side’s general approach to keeping, Foakes’ first hundred of the season could not have been better timed. He had only passed fifty on one previous occasion before finishing up on a career best 141 not out. Naturally, he hopes he kicks on, but this was also the first innings of note he has played at No. 7 – the position he is most likely to occupy if opportunities further up the ladder present themselves.With that position comes the responsibility of batting with the tail – something which he is not used to, having spent most of his time at No. 4 or 5. It is a role Foakes knows he needs to work on.”When you bat at four or five, that sort of area, you’re batting with ‘batters’ for longer, so you just carry on and take what comes your way,” he said at stumps. “But when you have, say, 10 or 11 come in and you have to up the scoring with the field set back, it’s about being smart.””This is the first time I’ve done it. When we have struggled a bit I have found it quite tough. When you are seven, eight down – and it can happen quickly – I have got out trying to change my game when I’ve been on 20. It’s been a bit frustrating but I’ve got to learn to do that better. I’ve got to bat well with the tail and go up a gear.”He outlined improvement in this role as a goal for the rest of the season. To be fair to him, while his first 53 runs took 102 balls, the next 88 came off 79. The freedom that Batty afforded him, too, meant they rattled on together at over five runs an over.”He enjoys batting, even though he won’t tell you,” said Foakes with a wry smile, surprised that this was Batty’s first hundred for Surrey. It was his first in a decade in fact, since a 112 for Worcestershire against Essex in June 2006. To say it was something he had been anticipating for some time would be overselling it a touch.When he reached the milestone, off 132 balls, he simply raised his bat to the away dressing room and went on with his innings. That understated celebration probably came as no surprise to those congregated on the balcony.That Hampshire were able to keep their spirits up in the late afternoon may be as much down to team spirit as a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome. Cheers went up around the field as Mason Crane completed his 50th over. Sean Ervine walked over to him and held his arm aloft, before he indulged and raised his caps to all parts of the ground. That noise was only matched by the applause for him when he left the field for a well earned break.He turned his arm over for 308 times across the five and a bit sessions, conceding just under four an over for the most part, only for some tired deliveries at the end to leave him with an economy rate of 4.11. The wicket of Curran, turning through the left-handers gate, past leg stump and into the gloves of Lewis McManus for a stumping, pretty much summed up his impressive control.A couple of things did fall Hampshire’s way by the close. Ryan Mclaren, promoted to number four, was dropped twice by Aaron Finch (first slip) and Rory Burns (third) before he had made it to 10. McLaren used the life to accompany Tom Alsop through to stumps. Even after today, there is still a lot of graft left in this match.

Aaron Finch was taken to hospital after been hit on the chest by a delivery while playing for Yorkshire’s 2nd XI on Monday

George Dobell22-Jun-20151:45

Finch was playing for Yorkshire’s 2nd XI when he was hit on the chest

Aaron Finch was taken to hospital after been hit on the chest by a delivery while playing for Yorkshire’s 2nd XI on Monday.Finch, the Australia limited-overs opener, was part of the side taking on Worcestershire seconds in Barnt Green, south of Birmingham, when he was hit while attempting a pull shot off the seamer Chris Russell.While Finch walked from the pitch unaided, he was clearly in some pain and, after spitting up blood, was quickly taken to hospital. At hospital he underwent a series of tests and X-rays to ascertain the extent of the injuries, with Yorkshire suggesting that his condition had eased considerably. He was not required to stay in hospital.A club spokesperson later told ESPNcricinfo that he would take no further part in the game. He returned to Leeds on Monday evening and expects the result of the scans on Tuesday.While Finch had been expected to play for the Yorkshire first team in their fixture against Nottinghamshire starting on Monday, the club instead decided he could do with some red-ball cricket before coming into their Championship side.Finch was due to join Yorkshire immediately after a spell in the IPL but suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Mumbai Indians that kept him out for two months.

Ryan Harris’ recovery from shoulder surgery has consumed his BBL campaign, as the highly regarded fast bowler strives to be considered for Australia’s 2013 Test tours

Daniel Brettig10-Dec-2012Ryan Harris’ recovery from shoulder surgery has consumed his BBL campaign for the Brisbane Heat, as the highly regarded fast bowler strives to be considered for Australia’s 2013 Test tours of India and England.Having undergone rotator cuff surgery in August, Harris had originally hoped to be fit in time to take part in Australia’s home Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on Friday in Hobart.But a careful recuperation process has taken longer than first thought, first ruling him out of any cricket before Christmas and now extending into the BBL phase of summer. While Harris has returned to the bowling crease, he is yet to deliver a ball at full pace or off his long run, and it has been decided that he is better off not rushing back for Twenty20 duty.”It’s disappointing because I am pretty close but to push now might not turn out to be the best thing for longer term,” Harris said. “Everyone agrees that I will be best suited to come back with Toombul in club cricket first up in January and then aim to be considered for the first Queensland games after the BBL.”I’ve been feeling pretty good in the nets so far, and while I’m not bowling off the full run-up or at full pace, I’m very positive about getting up to that level soon.”James Hopes, captain of the Bulls and the Heat, was hopeful that Harris’ conservative approach would reap benefits at the international level in the new year.”I pushed myself too hard with a knee injury last year for the first half of the BBL,” Hopes said. “I was fortunate enough to be able to take stock and opt for a less aggressive recovery schedule that got me back fit and well in time for the remaining Shield and one-dayers, and that’s what we’re going to do with Ryano.”He is bowling really well at this stage of his recovery, but it would have been unfair to throw him back into a BBL game and expect him to go full tilt from the outset. This is the best thing for him and will give him plenty of playing time for Queensland and allow him to build a case for the Australian tours to India and England.”I’m firmly convinced that with his bowling skill set, he is comfortably in the ranks of the best Test bowling line-up that Australia can field.”When fit, Harris is greatly valued by Australia’s captain Michael Clarke and the national selectors for his combination of swing, speed and accuracy. His bowling was a key plank of Australia’s series win in Sri Lanka in 2011, utilising a skidding, wicket-to-wicket method that will be suited to India.Beyond that lies the trip to England for the first leg of dual Ashes series.

Nkruma Bonner scored his maiden first-class century to ensure West Indies A achieved a lead that was too large for Bangladesh A to chase

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2011
ScorecardNkruma Bonner scored his maiden first-class century to ensure West Indies A achieved a lead that was too large for Bangladesh A to chase on the final day at North Sound.Bonner resumed his innings on 70, with West Indies A on 198 for 6, leading by only 134 runs. He received support from Carlos Brathwaite and Veerasammy Permaul and went on to score 127, stretching West Indies’ advantage to 232. Left-arm spinner Shurawadi Shuvo picked up two more wickets to finish with 5 for 81, and match figures of 9 for 188.Bangladesh A’s chase got off to a poor start and hopes of chasing 233 were reduced after they were 30 for 2. Most of the middle-order batsmen got starts but no one was able to convert them. They ended on 131 for 5 in 53 overs as the game was drawn. Nelon Pascal and Andre Russell took two wickets each.”In the second innings the wicket was more difficult to bat on so it required a lot of application and I had to bat as many balls as possible and occupy the crease,” Bonner said after the match. “The coaches and the selectors have seen my ability, the rest is all up to me now to put runs on the board and wickets in the bag and repay them for the faith they have showed in me.”

Once again, India’s bowlers put in an important performance just when people had stopped expecting one from them, giving the hosts a big chance of finally putting one across New Zealand

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga20-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outJesse Ryder fought hard despite an injured calf, but his resistance ended before the close•AFP

Until the toss, even at it, it was all going New Zealand’s way. The pitch was expected to be flat, the wet outfield had done away with the morning session, the toss had been won, India’s best bowler had been ruled out due to injury, and yet it all went wrong for New Zealand. Once again, India’s bowlers put in an important performance just when people had stopped expecting one from them, giving the hosts a big chance of finally putting one across New Zealand.Sreesanth found swing and accuracy in his first spell to remove the openers, then Ishant Sharma, playing his first Test since his batting heroics in Mohali, got a change of ends, extracted occasional inswing, and was rewarded with the wickets of Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori.Jesse Ryder and Brendon McCullum – struggling with injured calf and sore back respectively – fought heroically, but India stayed in control through patient cricket. Since they were carrying injuries in to the match, neither of the batsmen was allowed a runner. They could run only about half the runs they would have, and their hobbling association added only 42 in 19.3 overs, which didn’t hurt India too much after they had restricted the visitors to 51 for 5, and then 82 for 6.It did look like India, too, had been distracted by the injuries, for they stopped doing what had got them wickets. Instead they spread the field, asking the batsmen to run all their runs, and asked their fast bowlers to bowl bouncers to put more stress on the batsmen’s injured bodies, giving up the fuller lengths that had brought them the early returns.To use a tennis analogy, India were wary of the winners a wounded player often starts scoring when swinging blindly. They were now making the wounded players run all over the court. Unlike normal tennis matches, though, cricket goes on for days, and Ryder and McCullum fought their way to come close to a break. That would have given New Zealand hope.Ryder, who pulled his calf muscle when sweeping Pragyan Ojha for a single that took him to 36, added 23 more, running all but four of them. In fact all of New Zealand’s last 88 runs came in either fours or ones. Eight overs before bad light intervened, though, a Ryder cut off Harbhajan Singh became a low catch for Suresh Raina.McCullum continued to fight it out, staying unbeaten on 34 off 80 balls, getting into the stance to face each of which seemed to strain his back. He seemed to have edged one when on 3, but capitalised on the umpire’s mistake then, which in turn only put him through more pain.Around noon, such pain wouldn’t even have been thought of. When Vettori was walking out for the toss, though, he saw McCullum land awkwardly during fielding practice, and then come down with a back strain. A quick decision had to be made, and New Zealand went with the man who scored a double-century to save the Hyderabad Test, prepared to have him bat in the middle order.However, the specialist batsmen hardly gave McCullum any recovery time as all but Ryder joined him off the field by the 16th over. McCullum wasn’t ready to bat even when Vettori became the fifth man to fall, in the next over. Playing McCullum is a decision that will be debated long and hard in New Zealand, for it could have upset the whole team’s mindset, but it should not take away from Sreesanth’s first spell, or Ishant’s second.Sreesanth took some time to get into rhythm. He failed to involve the batsman for the first seven balls he bowled, operating wide outside off. Perhaps it helped that there was no McCullum eager to hit him as he warmed himself up into a rhythm. By the time he started making the batsmen play, he also started getting swing. Martin Guptill, who scored 85 at No. 3 in Hyderabad, got the best of Sreesanth. It was a back-of-a-length delivery, pitching off, making Guptill play, then shaping away a bit to take the edge. What’s more, it wasn’t a no-ball.By now Sreesanth had started getting the ball to swing in towards the left-handed opener, Tim McIntosh. One of those squeezed through the gap, although the loose defence made it look more spectacular than it was.Ross Taylor did something similar against Ishant. With his across movement on the crease, he was always going to be susceptible to anything moving in sharply. Ishant produced one of those, and Simon Taufel correctly judged that he was hit just in front of off.Vettori, usually just the man for these situations, was bent on pulling everything short and paid the price for it. It is a shot that has got Vettori many runs, but today he could play it only twice. One of them got him an ungainly single, and the other he dragged onto the stumps from way outside off. Between those two Ishant strikes, Kane Williamson’s dismissal summed up New Zealand’s day. It was a full delivery from Ojha, innocuous, promising to land close enough to him, but somehow Williamson managed to scoop it to short cover.

A West Indian fast man hitting the WACA surface in the mid-150kph region is a prospect that once upon a time would have given Australian batsmen nightmares

Brydon Coverdale in Perth 14-Dec-2009A West Indian fast man hitting the WACA surface in the mid-150kph region is a prospect that once upon a time would have given Australian batsmen nightmares. And possibly a few broken bones. But Brad Haddin said the idea of facing up to Kemar Roach, who reached impressive speeds at Adelaide Oval last week, was not keeping the locals awake at night.That is in part because the fast and bouncy WACA surfaces of the 1980s are a thing of the past; the pitches haven’t been any quicker than those elsewhere in Australia over the past few years. The ground’s reputation can also lure fast bowlers into an over-aggressive approach, which can backfire on a surface where runs tend to become easier to score as the match wears on.”I don’t think our approach to Roach will be any different to the first few Tests,” Haddin said. “He obviously can get the speed up on the radar gun but we have seen on this ground with some of the fast bowlers it’s been their downfall with trying to bowl too quick and too short. The next thing you look up on the board and they have gone for six or seven an over. It can sometimes be a pretty ruthless place to bowl for a fast bowler.”Australia’s captain Ricky Ponting said after the Adelaide Test that Roach, who is easily the fastest of the West Indies attack, would be a handful in Perth. But this is the same Ponting who a year ago was bemoaning the fact that the WACA no longer possessed its trademark speed and carry, and who would no doubt love to see Roach over-attack and leak runs.The West Indies manager Joel Garner remembers the WACA as a venue where he and his fast-bowling colleagues rattled the Australians regularly. From 1975 to 1993, West Indies played four Tests in Perth and won them all, including three innings victories. Australia have lost their past two encounters at the WACA but Garner said his players would be cautious of the hosts despite their indifferent history at the venue.”I don’t really look at the records too much because you tend to get carried away,” Garner said. “You have to play in the framework of what you’ve got going. I know Australia will also want to play to the best of their ability because they want to continue in the winning mode. We’ll be very wary of them.”Garner said the key for Roach and the rest of the West Indies attack was not to get carried away with the ground’s reputation, but rather to know their limitations and play within them. However, it will be hard for the fast men to tone down their aggression if the WACA returns to its bouncy former self, which given the baking heat leading up to the match, is possible.Australia are unsure if they will have Peter Siddle in their attack as he tries to prove his hamstring is fine, but Mitchell Johnson will enjoy a return to the venue of his brutal 8 for 61 against South Africa last year. It was the same match in which South Africa chased a near-record 414 to win and Haddin was looking forward to the prospect of batting on the WACA as well as keeping to some seriously fast bowling.”It makes for a lot of fun for both,” Haddin said. “Traditionally when you have had some great Tests here the bouncy wickets make for some very attractive shot play and it’s good for the keepers, you get a good look at the ball and get to stand a long way back and see the ball flying through. It is one of those grounds that can be very hard to get in but once you’re in it’s one of the better places in the world to score.”West Indies’ scoring could be heavily dependent on their most experienced player, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who had scans after hurting his finger in Adelaide but is expected to take his place in Perth. The visitors can level the series with victory at the WACA after their strong showing in Adelaide, but Haddin said the result had not increased the pressure on the Australians.”I am not viewing the West Indies any different than I did in Brisbane,” Haddin said.” They put up a better display in Adelaide but the bottom line is Adelaide was a draw.”

Root and Crawley got fifties in the chase as India’s six dropped catches in the match proved costly

Matt Roller24-Jun-20251:53

Did we see a refined version of Bazball?

Headingley has become the home of the run chase, and England hauled in a target of 371 to prove it. Set up by Ben Duckett’s dazzling 149, and sealed with a six by Jamie Smith, they romped home in just 82 overs to seal a sixth consecutive win in Leeds – all while bowling first – and to take a 1-0 lead in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.It left Ben Stokes to breathe a sigh of relief after his decision to field on Friday morning, and India to dwell on the countless opportunities they missed to take control of this Test. They hit five centuries to England’s two, but lower-order collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 proved costly – as did their six dropped catches.This was a chastening way to start a new era for India, with Shubman Gill’s sparkling first-innings century long forgotten as he reflected on a heavy defeat in his first Test as captain. After series losses against New Zealand and Australia, India have now lost seven of their last nine Tests, and may only have Jasprit Bumrah available for two of the next four on the England tour.Bumrah was borderline unplayable in Australia, taking 32 wickets in the series, but was unusually ineffective after his first-innings five-for at Headingley. He went wicketless in England’s run chase, and was seen off by Duckett and Zak Crawley, whose partnership of 188 in 42.2 overs laid the foundations for a victory cruise despite the lingering threat of rain.3:26

Harmison: Not sure India believed they could get Duckett out

Duckett was sublime, starting his innings slowly before accelerating against India’s weaker links. He was particularly severe on Ravindra Jadeja, whom he reverse swept into submission, and Prasidh Krishna, whose five wickets in the match could not disguise an eye-watering economy rate of 6.28, the most expensive in India’s Test history.England wobbled in the afternoon against Prasidh and Shardul Thakur, but Smith and Joe Root saw them across the line with 14 overs remaining in the final hour. Root was characteristically cool in his unbeaten 53, while Smith took Jadeja for 18 runs in an over, including sixes over square leg and mid-on, to see his team across the line.Duckett and Crawley had reached the lunch break unscathed, battling through probing early spells from Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj before tucking into India’s change bowlers. Duckett cut and pulled with total control until his hundred was a shot away: on 97, he offered a chance when he pulled Siraj to deep square leg, but Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped his third catch of the match.Siraj was furious, and made no effort to hide it. He had drawn Duckett into a verbal battle after drawing an outside edge which skewed away through a gap in the slip cordon soon after lunch, and could only watch in frustration as Duckett reverse swept Jadeja for four to reach three figures, his ~ Test century and his first in the second innings of a match.Duckett punched the air to celebrate and then got back to work, milking Jadeja for off-side runs as he packed his leg-side field. But Prasidh prised the game open from the other end, first drawing an edge from Crawley which flew to first slip, and then nipping one back off the seam to induce a chop-on from Ollie Pope, England’s first-innings centurion.Shardul Thakur got Ben Duckett and Harry Brook back-to-back•Getty Images

Duckett continued to race along, his strike rate edging closer to 100 as he reverse slapped Jadeja over cover-point for the first six of the final day. It took the reintroduction of Thakur to remove him on 149, driving straight to short cover, and when Harry Brook strangled his first ball down the leg side, India were back in the game.Stokes survived Thakur’s hat-trick ball, and saw England through to an early tea with Root for company. After a brief hold-up for a rain shower, Stokes and Root both survived lbw appeals as Gill burned through India’s last two reviews. But with the partnership on 49, Stokes top-edged a reverse sweep straight to his opposite number at short third.Smith strode out at No. 7 as though determined to prove his mettle after an ill-timed first-innings dismissal, and set to work alongside Root. The same pair took England close to the line in a nervy chase against Sri Lanka in Manchester last year; this time, they took them over it with an unbroken stand of 71.Some of Gill’s decisions will come under scrutiny: Siraj went unused between the 41st and 81st overs, while Bumrah did not get the chance to bowl in the final 17 overs of the match. He is only due to play in three of the five matches in this series, and India’s performance suggested their attack will struggle badly without him.The result was vindication of Stokes’ decision at the toss, and means that five of the last seven Headingley Tests have been won by a team chasing at least 250 in the fourth innings. And if this chase was not the white-knuckle ride of the 2019 Ashes, it was a clinical performance which hinted at a more complete, more rounded England approach.

The wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50% of his match fees for refusing to remove the sticker despite being instructed to do so by match officials

PTI28-Nov-2023The Pakistan Cricket Board has waived off the 50% match fee fine it had imposed on Azam Khan for displaying the Palestine flag on his bat during the ongoing National T20 Cup in Karachi.Azam, who plays for Karachi Whites in the tournament, was fined 50% of his match fee by the PCB match referee on Sunday after he refused to remove the Palestine flag sticker from his bat during the match against Lahore Blues. The wicketkeeper-batter was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the PCB Code of Conduct for repeated failure to comply with the instruction or directive of an umpire during a match.The PCB did not give any reason for completely waiving off the fine nor did it explain whether Azam had agreed to take off the sticker from his bat for the remaining matches of the tournament.”Azam Khan’s 50 per cent fine imposed by match officials has been reviewed and waived off by the Pakistan Cricket Board,” the PCB said in a release.”The Karachi Whites wicketkeeper-batter was fined 50 per cent of his match fee for being found guilty of committing a level-1 offence during his side’s National T20 Cup 2023-24 match against Lahore Blues at National Bank Stadium, Karachi.”As per ICC rules, players and team officials are not permitted to wear, display or otherwise convey personal messages on their equipment unless approved in advance by both player or team official’s cricket association and PCB’s cricket operations department.Azam has appeared in five T20Is for Pakistan, including two against Afghanistan earlier this year. He is known for his big-hitting abilities in T20s and is also a regular in the franchise cricket circuits worldwide.During the recent ODI World Cup in India, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan had also tweeted in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Allrounder eyes player-coach role after setting up fairytale tie against old club Leicestershire

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Aug-2022Darren Stevens has admitted he was “gutted” that Kent decided not to offer him a contract extension and confirmed his intention to play county cricket next season, after helping to set up a fairytale Royal London Cup quarter-final against his old club Leicestershire.Kent announced two weeks ago that Stevens would be released at the end of the season after struggling to make an impact this year, but after hitting 49 off 41 balls to help them to a two-wicket win against Lancashire on Tuesday, he laughed off the suggestion that retirement is looming, even at the age of 46.”I didn’t think I’d be released,” Stevens told the ECB Reporters Network. “I’d hoped it would be down to me pulling the pin on it, but that’s not the case. They [Kent] have got other ideas and want to go in a different direction and that’s fine. It’s gutting, it’s disappointing, but that’s fine. I respect the club, I love the club and I just want the best for the club.””I love the game. I wouldn’t be playing now if I didn’t love it as much as I do, but I love it. I love the challenges of batting and bowling and red-ball cricket as well. I’ll keep playing until I think it’s right, and at the minute I don’t think it’s right [to quit].”Related

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Stevens said that Kent had not given him “a proper reason” for their decision to release him but that he could understand the logic. “They’ve signed Joey Evison, who’s a talented all-round cricketer, and I’m guessing that’s my spot in the Championship,” he said. “He’s a good little player from what we’ve seen so far and I’m sure he’ll be good for Kent for the future.”My job is to take wickets and get runs for Kent, so that’s what I’ll do until I finish. I want to [play next season]. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to give. I feel like I’m hitting the ball well and the ball’s coming out alright, so I feel like I can do a job for a club somewhere. I’d like a player-coach role but at the moment I still feel I can do a job with the bat and the ball.”He has struggled with the ball this year on flatter pitches, with four wickets at 92.75 in the Championship in 2022 after five consecutive seasons averaging below 20, and had to rush back from injury in order to play in Kent’s final group game in the Royal London Cup.”Two injuries haven’t helped me,” he said. “Getting a collarbone strike put me out for longer than I was expecting… that was hard to take. Getting back for the one-day stuff, I was pleased and I was ready to go, but then pinging my calf at Glamorgan was gut-wrenching; I’ve never done a calf before. It’ll be three weeks this Thursday, so I’ve done well to get back.”You couldn’t have written it, could you?” he said about the quarter-final draw, which pits Kent against his old club. “It’s a different challenge, a different place to play. We haven’t played white-ball cricket there for a long time.”Stevens has become a cult hero among county cricket fans•Getty Images

The romantic outcome would be a return to Grace Road next season, where his first-class career started some 25 years ago. Ben Mike’s impending move to Yorkshire means there is a hole for an allrounder: have Leicestershire been sniffing around before Friday’s quarter-final?”No, nothing yet,” he said, when asked if he had been offered a deal anywhere. “We’ll see what happens. We’ve got a quarter-final to play at the end of the week. If people call and offer things, we’ll have a sit-down as the weeks go on and decide, probably towards the end of the year.”He is also an improbable entrant for this weekend’s Big Bash draft. “My agent put me in for that,” Stevens said. “He called and said ‘I’ve put you in!’ I was like, ‘yeah, great, cheers.’ I think he’s put me in for everything. Why not? I still want to play. It’d be good, wouldn’t it? It’d be a good way to go out.”