Mumbai Indians’ premier fast bowler Lasith Malinga joined the squad on Friday evening, but he is unlikely to be available for selection immediately

Nagraj Gollapudi16-Apr-2016Mumbai Indians’ premier fast bowler Lasith Malinga joined the squad on Friday evening, but he is unlikely to be available for selection immediately given the ongoing issues with his knee. The Sri Lankan pacer had missed Mumbai’s first two matches of this IPL due to fitness concerns.Two days before the IPL started, Mumbai coach Ricky Ponting had had said that Malinga was likely to arrive at this stage, but would sit out at least the first half of the tournament to recover from a knee injury. “I believe he will be joining us after the first couple of games to have his fitness assessed,” Ponting had said. “Right now it’s unlikely he will take part in the first half of the tournament anyway.”Malinga has been trying to recover from a bone bruise in his left knee since November. He was to captain Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, but played just the one match. He then decided to stand down as captain for the World T20, because of uncertainty over his fitness, and eventually did not play a game.In the absence of Malinga, the IPL’s overall highest wicket-taker, Mumbai had fielded New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee in their victory over Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week. In the tournament opener, which they lost to Rising Pune Supergiants, Mumbai had opted to field an extra overseas batsman in Lendl Simmons, while Southee’s New Zealand team-mate Mitchell McCleneghan had shared the new ball with India seamer Jasprit Bumrah.

The team with the worst record in the history of English Twenty20 beat the team with the best as Derbyshire upset defending NatWest Blast champions Lancashire at Old Trafford

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2016
ScorecardHamish Rutherford smacked 71 off 40 balls•Getty Images

The team with the worst record in the history of English Twenty20 beat the team with the best as Derbyshire upset defending NatWest Blast champions Lancashire at Old Trafford.The Falcons swooped on a nine-wicket win with 32 balls to spare, chasing down 132 in this 19-over contest following an impressive bowling and fielding display, which included two wickets for overseas debutant Jimmy Neesham.Liam Livingstone and Arron Lilley were both run out going for two late in Lancashire’s modest 131 for 7 after rain delayed the start by 75 minutes.Neesham’s fellow New Zealander Hamish Rutherford then led the chase with a blistering unbeaten 71 off 40 balls with six fours and three sixes.Prior to this North Group opener, Derbyshire had only won a total of 39 matches in 13 seasons compared to Lancashire’s 84.Lancashire included former captain Tom Smith in their line-up following 13 months away from first-team action with a career threatening back injury and more recent hamstring problems. But, after two fours in his nine off eight balls, he chipped Neesham’s seamers to mid-on as the innings struggled for momentum against some excellent pace off the ball bowling.Neesham later trapped home captain Steven Croft lbw for a top-score of 31, while Livingstone was the only other batsman to pass 20 after Derbyshire elected to field first.Neesham finished with 2 for 38 from his four overs added to wickets for Shiv Thakor, Andy Carter and Alex Hughes.Although going wicketless, Preston-born leg-spinner Matt Critchley was excellent through the middle of the innings in only conceding 19 runs from his four overs. Lancashire failed to score a boundary from the fourth ball of the fifth over to the fourth ball of the 13th.Captain Wes Durston got Derbyshire’s chase off to a flyer with four fours and a six over wide long-on off Neil Wagner in the first two overs.The hosts also lost Gavin Griffiths to a finger injury after bowling just one ball – sustained whilst trying to take a sharp return catch from Rutherford’s bat at the start of the third over when he was on 1.Durston was the only wicket to fall, early in the fourth when he skied George Edwards to mid-off, but he had scored 30 out of 38 by then.Rutherford continued the assault to take his side beyond 50 in the fifth over before hoisting Edwards over long-on for six in the next. The left-hander hit two more sixes over long-on in the eighth and ninth overs, off Stephen Parry and Lilley, on the way to a 24-ball fifty.Rutherford was well supported by another of Derbyshire’s Kiwi contingent, Neil Broom, as they shared an unbroken 94 inside eleven overs for the second wicket.

Sheldon Cottrell went to Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, while Narsingh Deonarine was picked by Windward Islands Volcanoes in the player draft for the 2016-17 WICB Professional Cricket League

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2016Jamaican fast bowler Sheldon Cottrell was picked by Trinidad & Tobago, while Windward Islands chose Narsingh Deonarine, the left-hand batsman, in the player draft for the 2016-17 WICB Professional Cricket League in Barbados on Friday.Cottrell, who has played two Tests, two ODIs and six T20Is for West Indies, was part of the Jamaica squad in the 2015-16 season. He played only four first-class matches in the four-day tournament, taking seven wickets, including a first-class best of 5 for 38. Deonarine played for Trinidad & Tobago and was their second-highest scorer with 494 runs in nine matches at 35.28.Defending champions Guyana picked five players in the draft of which only 21-year-old Vikash Mohan was from outside the home territory. Barbados had two such players in their list of new picks – Kissoondath Magram (from T&T) and 21-year-old uncapped fast bowler Preston McSween from Windward Islands.The draft system has been in place since 2014, when the WICB revamped its domestic structure to combine the selection of players for the regional four-day tournament and the Nagico Super50, and packaged it as the WICB Professional Cricket League.As per the draft rules, each of the six franchises can select from the talent pool available in both tournaments. Each franchise has to enlist a minimum of 15 players, of whom 10 are pre-selected from the home territory, while the remaining five go through the draft system. Of the five spots that are filled through the draft picks, a minimum of two players need to be from outside the home territory. Each franchise is also allowed to have one international player.The draft is conducted over five rounds and each franchise is allowed one pick that must be made within two minutes. In the event of a franchise failing to make a selection within the allotted time, they will have to pass up their turn and wait for the other franchises to finish making their selections in that round, before picking.Full squads (new picks in italics; for players chosen from outside the franchise’s home territory, the region is mentioned in brackets.)Barbados: , Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Shamarh Brooks, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Kevin Stoute, Jomel WarricanGuyana: , Christopher Barnwell, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Assad Fudadin, Shimron Hetmyer, Keon Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Raymon Reifer (Barbados), Vishaul Singh, Veerasammy PermaulJamaica: , Nikita Miller, Damion Jacobs, Devon Thomas (Leeward Islands), Chadwick Walton, Andre McCarthy, John Campbell, Rovman Powell, Paul Palmer Jr, Brandon King, Marquino MindleyLeeward Islands: , Quinton Boatswain, Nkrumah Bonner (Jamaica), Kacey Carty, Rahkeem Cornwall, Jahmar Hamilton, Montcin Hodge, Alzarri Joseph, Jeremiahn Louis, Kieran Powell, Hayden Walsh JrTrinidad & Tobago: , Yannic Cariah, Kyle Hope (Barbados), Jon-Russ Jagessar, Stephen Katwaroo, Imran Khan, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Yannick Ottley, Marlon Richards, Jeremy SolozanoWindward Islands: , Sunil Ambris, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Mervin Matthew, Kyle Mayers (Barbados), Kenroy Peters, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Tyrone Theophile

Tino Mawoyo has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand due to a right thumb injury he picked up in the warm-up match for the series

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2016Tino Mawoyo has been ruled out of the first Test against New Zealand due to a right thumb injury he picked up in the warm-up match in Harare. Mawoyo, who was captaining Zimbabwe A in the match, was struck by a Tim Southee delivery off the fourth ball he faced, and played no further part in the match. The bruising on his thumb has made it impossible for him to grip the bat, but he is hopeful of recovering in time for the second Test, which starts on August 6.Prince Masvaure and Chamu Chibhabha are the most likely candidates to take Mawoyo’s opening slot alongside Brian Chari. Masvaure recently scored 146 against South Africa A in a four-day match in Bulawayo, the venue for the Tests against New Zealand. Chibhabha has played 96 ODIs and 30 T20Is for Zimbabwe, most recently against India last month. Neither of the two has played Test cricket.Vusi Sibanda, the other possible option, had been dropped from the squad for this series and is in Bulawayo as part of the commentary team. He has not been asked to pad up yet.Zimbabwe have already had to deal with a number of injury setbacks in the lead-up to this tour. Tinashe Panyangara was left out of the squad after he failed to recover from a back injury in time. Tendai Chatara was then ruled out of both Tests with an ankle injury. Those twin blows to Zimbabwe’s bowling department mean that left-arm pacer Brian Vitori and offspinner John Nyumbu, who are available for selection but not in the squad, may just be considered.

It was a day for the purists in Royal Tunbridge Wells where bowlers toiled in the heat and dirt while Kent’s batsmen played the ball on its merits to reach 310 for 3

ECB Reporters Network17-Jul-2016
ScorecardSean Dickson buckled down to the job•Getty Images

It was a day for the purists in Royal Tunbridge Wells where bowlers toiled in the heat and dirt while Kent’s batsmen played the ball on its merits to reach 310 for 3 on the opening day of their Specsavers County Championship clash with neighbours Sussex.A sluggish, two-paced pitch coupled with an outfield at The Nevill Ground that could do with a good mowing ensured an honest battle between bat and ball and, with great joy, the introduction of leg-spin before lunch as the visitors vied for a second breakthrough.Kent certainly won the cat-and-mouse tussle of day one courtesy of a second-wicket stand worth 162 in 57.2 overs between Joe Denly (78) and Sean Dickson (81) who could only muster 12 boundaries between them.Dickson, Kent’s top-scorer on a hard-working day, said: “Joe Denly and I had a chat when we were batting and we came to the conclusion that the pitch was two-paced and seemed a bit quicker from the bowlers from the Pavilion End.”Whittingham bowled me a bouncer earlier that over and, if I’m honest, I didn’t play it that well. I knew in the back of my mind he’s probably bowl me a second bouncer but I never really got into a good enough position to deal with it. I was caught between the steer and leaving it alone and did neither. I should have just ducked out of the way.”Dickson added: “I’ve been getting decent starts of late without going on beyond 50. Okay, I didn’t bat on to reach three-figures today but, looking at the bigger picture, I’ve at least helped set us up nicely for a big total.”In these conditions the pitch will only get dryer and start to break up. So the prospect for Sussex, of facing Kagiso Rabada and our two spinners on a dry wicket, isn’t going to be an inviting one.”Batting first after winning the toss, Kent lost their makeshift opener Adam Ball to the 10th ball of the match. Standing in for Daniel Bell-Drummond who is away on England Lions duty together with Sam Billings, Ball drove at his fourth ball of the day from Chris Jordan to edge to Ross Taylor at first slip and depart without scoring.Denly and Dickson saw off the new ball pairing of Steve Magoffin and Jordan, then Stu Whittingham’s first delivery of the game proved eventful, a beamer, it flew over Joe Denly’s head for six no balls leading to an official warning from umpire Nick Cook.The hosts re-grouped either side of lunch through Denly and Dickson who set out their stall to bat time. Playing back, the South Africa-born player in two minds against a short delivery and only succeeded in spooning it to Will Beer positioned in the gully.After batting over four hours Denly was also guilty of giving up his own wicket. Aiming to pull a length ball from Whittingham, he skied a top-edge to Taylor at mid-wicket to make it 199 for three. It proved to be the last success of the day for Sussex.Northeast and Stevens dug in through to stumps, Northeast passing his 50 in 77 balls while Stevens posted his first-half century since mid-May from 75 deliveries and with six fours and six.

Ian Westwood had the right to imagine that all eyes at Chester-le-Street were upon him. They weren’t but perhaps in a perfect world they would have been. After all, he had answered Warwickshire’s call in times of need

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street24-Aug-2016
ScorecardIan Westwood flays through the off side•Getty Images

Ian Westwood had the right to imagine that all eyes at Chester-le-Street were upon him. They weren’t but perhaps in a perfect world they would have been. After all, he had answered Warwickshire’s call in times of need.It was Westwood who roused himself from an immensely dispiriting season to summon his first Championship century since April last year. And it was Westwood, an unsung professional since his county debut 15 years ago, who will probably prove to have laid to rest Warwickshire’s vague fears of relegation in the process. He deserved his day in the sun.But enough, for now, of Westwood; you probably want to hear about Ian Bell. England certainly did. Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, had reportedly explored whether theoretically he retained ambitions for a Test recall and, whatever the extent of his interest, the national selector James Whitaker was watching his every move. Like Westwood, he is 34 now, but there is no need for his age to count against him, especially not on a day when a tabloid headline had Cliff Richard proclaiming that he was back to his best.As Westwood and Bell slowly amassed a position of strength, the bird life at Emirates Riverside seemed to capture their mood. Westwood, dropped for a large chunk of the season, had not made a fifty all season. He was the seagull with the broken wing which now rests permanently by the sightscreen at one end of the ground and which has perked up a little since the groundstaff started feeding it a few weeks ago. One spectator was heard to suggest it should be hit with a spade to put it out of its misery. Nobody has suggested that about Westwood even in his worst times.As for Bell, the swallows flitting across the ground just as Warwickshire took the lead begged a question. Gliding gracefully as summer entered its final month, it will not be long before they make the trip south. Bell, with India in the offing, might also have a chance to winter in warmer climes.Bell, like Jonathan Trott before him, fell in the 40s, deflecting Chris Rushworth down the leg side for a soft wicketkeeper’s catch. Graham Onions had hounded him before he reached double figures and almost bowled him off an inside edge, but he dug in, that Horrid Henry nose screwed up with concentration as his grace gradually spilled through. It was a respectable reward but it proved nothing in a season of unconvincing batsmanship which must be sending England’s selectors dyspeptic.It was Scott Borthwick’s legspin that provided a release. If Borthwick tours India, and it is increasingly unlikely, it must be as a specialist batsman. If England claim him as spin-bowling back-up, it is advisable to regard the claim as fraudulent: in his form this season as yet there is regrettably little to commend him – and this season he has had more opportunity to progress.The selection quandary must be met by faith. James Vince and Gary Ballance have not pinned down a place. Bell, obsessing over the Warwickshire captaincy, has seen his knowledge grow but his runs shrink. Awaiting a late-season rush of runs from one or the other will prove nothing. Move Jonny Bairstow up the order as a specialist batsman, introduce Sam Billings or Jos Buttler further down to keep wicket and then back your instinct on the rest. The alternatives will lead to madness.Westwood has never known such discussions. The life of the journeyman pro is rarely forgiving. Deliver a hundred on an away ground and it is often the inadequacies of the home attack that gain attention, especially if your career average is 32 and your county career is presumed to be edging to a close. But do not knock him for surviving so long; knock, if you must, the many who have not been good enough to displace him.With his career hanging by a thread, his resolute 127 took Warwickshire to 315 for 7 at the close of the second day, prospering with angles square on the off side, game when he timed it and even gamer when he did not. He fell to the second new ball, caught at second slip off Rushworth, and was dropped on 39 by Michael Richardson at third slip. Three new-ball incursions were a fillip for Durham, but they are already 108 runs adrift.Westwood felt he deserved it, saying: “I’ve not had much luck this season, so I was probably due the bit I had today. We had a couple of good stands when we had to scrap for every run and I think we did a good job.”It’s never easy when you get left out. You have to keep believing and try your best, which I have always done. This is pleasing for me, but the most important thing is that we are in a strong position.”When the diminutive left-hander (his stock descriptive phrase for the last decade) reached his much-cherished hundred by unfurling a cover drive against Paul Coughlin, he received respectful applause, but nobody purred as they have purred at Bell through good times and bad during the past decade.Instead, it was left to two Durhamites to offer a salty verdict. “Not the best hundred I’ve seen this season,” said one. “First cover drive he’s hit that has gone through the covers,” said another.Such is the lot of a county journeyman.

Warwickshire have announced the release of fast bowler Recordo Gordon

George Dobell30-Sep-2016Warwickshire have announced the release of fast bowler Recordo Gordon.Gordon, Jamaica born but a product of the club’s development system, signed for Warwickshire ahead of the 2012 season and was a member of the squad that won the 2014 NatWest Blast (though he didn’t play in the final) and made it to finals day the following year.While Gordon impressed at times with his pace and calm head, injuries and some concerns of the legality of his bowling action held him back. He missed the 2012 season with a stress fracture of the back and was involved in a memorable List A match against Nottinghamshire in 2014 when he bowled two no-balls in the penultimate over; one for over-stepping also saw a wicket disallowed and one, which was hit for six, was a chest-high full toss.He has not played a first-class match since 2014 and, though he featured in four Royal London and six Nat West Blast matches this year, was unable to make much impression in the first team in 2016.There will be some disappointment at the club in Gordon’s release. It was hoped he may develop into one of the cricketers required to help Warwickshire through their impending transition: with nine of the first-team squad aged in their 30s by the start of the next season, they could do with a few younger players coming through to challenge for places. The release of a 24-year-old is therefore not ideal.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last five years representing my home county and playing with so many fantastic cricketers,” Gordon said. “I would like thank Warwickshire for giving me the opportunity to become a professional cricketer. It has been a great period in which I have grown as a cricketer and person and I look forward to the next chapter of my career.”

The arrival of Cricket Australia’s head of security in Dhaka is seen as a positive consequence of England’s willingness to tour Bangladesh

Mohammad Isam27-Oct-20160:55

Archive: Focus on security as England arrive

Cricket Australia’s head of security Sean Carroll has arrived in Dhaka to observe the security measures in place for England’s ongoing tour of the country. Australia are due to arrive in Bangladesh in August 2017 to fulfil the two-Test tour of 2015 that was postponed due to security concerns.Nizamuddin Chowdhury, the BCB chief, said Carroll’s visit was “encouraging”.Carroll travelled with the England team’s convoy from their hotel to the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur to sample the security arrangements. It is understood that he will further examine the security during the second Bangladesh-England Test starting on Friday.The move is seen as a positive consequence of England’s willingness to tour after being given security assurances by the Bangladesh government following concerns because of the July 1 terrorist attack in Dhaka.”We are aware of Sean Carroll’s arrival,” Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. “He came today and travelled with the England convoy to take a practical look at the security arrangements. He will be here for a few days. During the England tour, the Australia high commission has also kept in touch with us about the security arrangements.”It is certainly an encouraging sign, as it shows that they are keen to have a look at our security arrangements and are positive about coming in August next year.”Australia deferred the tour of Bangladesh last year following a government advisory. Cricket Australia did not send their team for this year’s U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh either. Although chief executive James Sutherland had said in April that they were keen to fulfil their commitments in 2017, the terror attacks in Dhaka on July 1 put question marks on the tour.

Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi put himself in contention for a Test debut with a four-wicket haul in the pink-ball warm-up match at the MCG

Firdose Moonda at the MCG19-Nov-2016
Scorecard
File photo – Hashim Amla had scored only 48 runs in four innings on this tour before this game•AFP

Chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi put himself in contention for a Test debut with a four-wicket haul in the pink-ball warm-up match at the MCG. Although expensive, Shamsi proved difficult to pick and profited more than any of the other South African bowlers to set up an intriguing selection question for the final Test.The day-night game could see South Africa make some changes to their attack especially considering Vernon Philander was rested from the warm-up fixture as a precaution. Philander hurt his shoulder during an on-field collision with Australian captain Steve Smith in the Hobart Test. Should Philander’s niggle not clear, they might have to look for a third-prong in the pace pack to accompany Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott, who both delivered strong opening spells.Rabada’s four-over burst brought three wickets, including Rob Quiney’s. The left-hander scored nine, exactly the same number of runs he made against South Africa in the only Test he has played, in 2012. Abbott was economical and found some nip, but more eyes were on Morne Morkel, the only quick to deliver more than one spell.Concerns over match fitness had kept Morkel out of the first two Tests and he sought to allay those with six-overs initially and three more later on. He sent down some testing short balls with no reward. Reserve bowler Dwaine Pretorius delivered six impressive overs – he pitched the ball up and managed to nip it around a touch – but it seems unlikely he will be promoted into the Test XI.The real debate will be over Shamsi and left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj, who hasn’t done much wrong in the two matches he has played. Both were expensive in this game, but Shamsi made more of an impact. He bowled Sam Harper and Blake Thompson and his variations proved tough for the Victoria batsmen to read as they folded up for 258. Seb Gotch (53), Matthew Short (52) and Evan Gulbis (53) scored half-centuries.South Africa opted to bat under lights but before they could take full effect, their struggling opener Stephen Cook had been dismissed. Not for the first time on this tour, Cook was found wanting with his footwork and faced 18 balls before he was trapped lbw on the backfoot for 11. His opening partner Dean Elgar found the going much easier and retired on 40 to give the middle-order time at the crease.Runs were secondary to South Africa’s intention to spend time in the middle and Hashim Amla made the most of it. He batted from the eighth over to the end of the innings and scored 81, after being dropped on 17 at first slip.Amla became more assured as the innings went on and seemed to want to get his eye in, having only contributing 48 runs on the tour so far. He had Temba Bavuma (33*) for company after JP Duminy (17) and Faf du Plessis (12) were both dismissed cheaply. Duminy was caught at slip while du Plessis fell to a half-hearted pull shot. Bavuma batted through the twilight period with characteristic caution. Quinton de Kock opted not to play the game at all.

The Warriors shined with both bat and ball as they defeated the Dolphins in the first match of the respective teams’ campaigns

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2016
ScorecardFile photo – JJ Smuts’ 54 gave the Warriors the start that helped them win with 25 balls to spare•AFP

A good performance in the field that saw all six bowlers taking wickets, followed by a clinical run-chase, helped the Warriors clinch a bonus-point victory against the Dolphins in their first CSA T20 Challenge game Durban.The Warriors chose to field and it seemed like the right decision as they made their first breakthrough in the second over – opener Cameron Delport was caught-and-bowled by Andrew Birch for 1. In the next over, Basheeru-Deen Walters dismissed Khaya Zondo for a duck – which had the Dolphins on 3 for 2, 14 balls into the match.The Dolphins were soon reduced to 16 for 3 in the fifth over, but a 27-run partnership between Morne Van Wyk (22 off 20) and Kyle Nipper (20 off 25) steadied proceedings for the next four overs, before Van Wyk departed with the team’s score on 43. Ten runs later, Kyle Nipper was dimissed and the Dolphins were reeling at 54 for 5 after 12 overs, at a sluggish run rate of 4.5 per over.A late surge by fast bowlers Robbie Frylinck and Craig Alexander saw them put on 24 runs in 11 deliveries for the eighth wicket, including a 19th over that went for 15 runs – the team’s highest of the match. This pushed the total past 100, but Birch returned in the final over, and dismissed both of them to finish with figures of 3 for 16 from his four overs.The Warriors needed 116 to win, at a rate of less than six per over. Their chase started swiftly, as they collected 17 runs in the first over – courtesy two sixes and a four by JJ Smuts. But that was followed by Andile Phehlukwayo striking twice in two overs – dismissing opener Somila Seyibokwe and Colin Ingram – to reduce the Warriors to 26 for 2.However, Smuts partnered with Colin Ackermann for a 60-ball partnership of 78 runs that took the Warriors past 100 and close to victory.Smuts’ 39-ball 54 – an innings that consisted of five fours and three sixes – was ended by Imran Tahir, but by then they needed just 12 to win off 34 deliveries. The end of the 15th over saw a delay due to power outage in the stadium, but once play resumed, Ackermann, who scored a 39-ball 41, batted alongside Christiaan Jonker (6*) to take the Warriors to victory by seven wickets, with 25 balls to spare.