“I’d rather have a longer run as a successful captain and leader, than start off with something big and then go downwards”

Shashank Kishore25-Jan-2022The past week has been bittersweet for KL Rahul. He became the joint-highest paid player in IPL history when Lucknow Supergiants signed him for INR 17 crore, but also captained India to the wrong end of a 3-0 sweep, away in South Africa. His own contributions in series were scores of 12, 55 and 9.The defeat prompted Rahul to say that it was time for India to alter things in how they play white-ball cricket, while describing the team as a work in progress.”There were massive learnings,” Rahul told . “We are at a stage right now where we have World Cups as the focus. We are working towards certain things. We are working towards getting better as a team and learning.”I feel like we’ve played some really good cricket over the last four or five years, but it is also time for a little bit of… for us to get better and transform our white-ball cricket. And that’s been the chat. I don’t use that an excuse for not winning, but we are a work in progress as a team.”Related

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In a sense, the South Africa tour was a first for Rahul on a number of fronts. He had never captained a team in List A cricket previously and outside of Punjab Kings in the IPL, he had captained in only a solitary first-class game across formats, when he led India A against England Lions in January 2019. At the end of the South Africa tour, he had led India in a Test match, and in three ODIs.”For me, it was my first time as leading. It was great, actually – there is so much you learn from losses and losses make you so much stronger than starting off with victories,” Rahul said.Rahul likened his captaincy journey to his Test career: “slow and steady.” He started off in the middle order on the Australia tour of 2014-15, but it wasn’t until 2016-17 that he nailed down a permanent spot. Then between 2018-2020, he hit another rough patch and found himself out, before concussion ruled Mayank Agarwal out of the first England Test earlier in the year.This opened the doors for Rahul’s return to the Test side at a time when he thought a comeback was unlikely. Until then, he had been pencilled in as a middle-order batting option. He ended the series with 315 runs in four Tests, second-most for India on tour, and hasn’t looked back since.”My career has always been that way: I have always got things slowly,” he said. “I have always had to start with a punch or a hit. It happened with me with my Test career. It happened with how my journey as a cricketer has gone – it has always been a slow and steady thing. So I am quite confident my captaincy also will be similar.”With Virat Kohli having resigned from Test captaincy, India are on the lookout for a new full-time captain. There is Rohit Sharma and, of course, Rahul, while some believe Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant could also be in contention. That tricky decision is for the selectors to make, but Rahul, now a veteran of 43 Tests, is quietly confident in his abilities.”I am quite confident in my leadership skills and I know that I can bring the best out of the players and I know I can do the job for the team, for the country, for my franchise,” he said. “I am not someone who judges myself based on the results. There are certain boxes that I need to tick as a leader and if I am doing all of those things and if my team is happy with how I am leading them, that’s the most important thing.”And that’s what matters to me. And I know eventually the results will follow as well and the success will stay there for longer. I’d rather have a longer run as a successful captain and leader than start off with something big and then go downwards. Fingers crossed. Hopefully, the best is yet to come.”

The pair’s 196-run stand set up the game; England agonisingly short despite Sciver’s fighting 109*

Valkerie Baynes05-Mar-2022Meg Lanning had wanted to do departed Australian greats Shane Warne and Rod Marsh proud. She had also spoken of Rachael Haynes’ importance to her side’s World Cup campaign in the build-up to their opening match against England.Both talking points were apt as Australia held on for a tense 12-run victory on the back of Haynes’ hyper intelligent century as England fell just shy of their hefty 311 target in a high quality, high-scoring affair in Hamilton.A plucky second-wicket partnership between Tammy Beaumont and Heather Knight worth 92 was no match for the 196 runs put on by Haynes and Lanning. Nat Sciver then made a late dash to make a gutsy 109 not out off 85 balls, but it wasn’t enough for England. Leg-spinning allrounder Alana King – who tweeted earlier in the day of her sadness at the loss of her “inspiration” Warne – took three wickets and Jess Jonassen took two in the final over to seal the win.At the halfway point of the Australian innings, Haynes had faced 60 deliveries for her 39 not out, but she reached a career-best ODI score of 130 off 131 after she and Lanning read the game to perfection. Their stand became Australia’s second-highest for any wicket at a Women’s World Cup. Lanning posted an excellent 86 off 110 in a contest that began as an arm-wrestle on a tacky pitch which made scoring difficult through the early stages.Knight won the toss and opted to bowl first and, despite boasting a vastly experienced attack in Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Kate Cross, Sciver and spinner Sophie Ecclestone, their failure to take wickets proved costly.Amy Jones kept up to the stumps from the third over onwards, and the plan nearly paid off in the sixth when Alyssa Healy was nearly stumped. She punished anything short or overpitched, and managed to overturn an lbw decision on Sciver’s third delivery, with ball-tracking showing it narrowly missed leg stump. Sciver struck three balls later, however, as Healy tried to clear midwicket and picked out Brunt, who took a straightforward catch.Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning put on 196 for the second wicket•Getty Images

At the end of the power play, Australia were 37 for 1 and, after 15 overs, their run rate was 3.86. At the end of the 16th, there had been just 31 scoring shots. But, with nine wickets in hand and 19 overs remaining, Haynes and Lanning were free to up the tempo and they did so without being rash.Haynes swivelled and pulled Brunt for four behind square to bring up Australia’s 200 and Lanning struck a powerful six off Brunt over deep midwicket. But Lanning finally fell when she slapped Brunt to Beaumont at point.Beth Mooney arrived as Haynes brought up her century off 115 balls, turning a single off Cross towards midwicket. Mooney and Haynes took their partnership past fifty in just 29 deliveries as they set about carrying Australia towards the 300-mark and beyond.Sciver put in a magnificent dive running in from midwicket which would have had Haynes out for 117, and, as if to rub it in, Haynes pulled Sciver for just the second six of the match in the next over. Haynes’ knock finally came to an end two balls later when Sciver had her caught by Danni Wyatt at deep midwicket.England’s chase began terribly with struggling opener Lauren Winfield-Hill falling for a four-ball duck. Beaumont and Knight rebuilt with the ball coming onto the bat much more than it had during Australia’s innings. Knight brought up their fifty stand by advancing down the pitch to Jonassen’s first ball and lofting it over the rope at long-off.After the power play England were 53 for 1 and tracking ahead of the curve. Beaumont raised her fifty off just 54 balls and she passed 3000 career ODI runs, becoming the fifth England Women’s player to do so – and the fastest – reaching the mark in 78 innings compared to Sarah Taylor’s 87.Tahlia McGrath and Lanning combined to make a crucial breakthrough to dismiss Knight, who fell for 40 when she picked out the Austtralian skipper at cover.Alana King tweeted of her sadness at the loss of her “inspiration” Shane Warne•Getty Images

King entered the attack in the 26th over and struck a short time later to remove Beaumont. Having made her international debut during the recent Ashes, King deceived Beaumont with a flighted gem that pitched outside leg stump and found the Healy’s gloves outside off before she whipped of the bails for the stumping. As Beaumont trudged off, King roared and slapped the twin black armbands she wore in honour of Warne, and Marsh.When King removed Jones and Wyatt cheaply, England had it all to do. They needed 88 off the last 10 overs as Sciver and Sophia Dunkley put on another fifty partnership to give England hope. But, no sooner had King worn a hard-hit straight drive from Dunkley on the ankle in her follow through, she bowled Dunkley round her legs with the very next ball.Sciver and Brunt didn’t let up though, and with three overs remaining, they needed 36 runs with Sciver reading the ball beautifully and batting with her trademark cool head.The tension mounted as Sciver was put down at mid off in the penultimate over but, entrusted with bowling the last over, Jonassen’s lightning reflexes kicked in to remove Brunt with the sharpest of return catches, thrusting her left hand out above her head, a deadpan look of shock on her face before breaking into a disbelieving smile. Jonassen then had Ecclestone caught off the final ball as England fell short.

ESPNcricinfo experts Vettori and Lynn feel the Sunrisers seamer should be fast-tracked into the squad for the T20 World Cup

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Apr-20227:48

Is it time to fast-track Umran Malik into the India set-up?

Umran Malik is a fast-bowling “gem” who is creating “anxiety” in all kinds of batters and is now ready to play for India. That is the combined view of Daniel Vettori and Chris Lynn, ESPNcricinfo experts, who agree that Malik’s searing pace can make the difference even at the international level and he should be fast-tracked into India’s squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.According to Lynn, the bouncy and pacy nature of pitches in Australia, where the T20 World Cup will be held this year, would suit Malik. The Jammu & Kashmir seamer debuted for Sunrisers Hyderabad towards the end of IPL 2021 and instantly rattled batters and impressed Indian selectors, who added him as a net bowler for the 2021 T20 World Cup which was held in the UAE.Related

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Lynn feels Malik is now ready to be part of the squad.”From the outside looking in, definitely,” Lynn said on after Malik’s maiden five-for dismantled Gujarat Titans’ batting, before Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan created their own magic to stun Sunrisers at the Wankhede stadium. “I will factor the wickets are bouncy here in Australia and you need I suppose that youth and just that guys haven’t played against it. You keep going back to whom you drop because it is such a formidable [bowling] line-up, but would love to see this guy in the World Cup. He’s going to take the world by storm if he does get a chance at the international level. It is lucky that I am not a selector for India.”Malik’s figures of 5 for 25 are the second-best by an uncapped Indian seamer in the IPL. According to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, his five wickets were worth almost eight, and his bowling impact of 166.64 is the highest ever for a bowler in an IPL match.Raw pace remains Malik’s weapon as he consistently delivers 145-plus kph speeds, including crossing the 150-barrier frequently. Such high pace, Vettori pointed out, is rare and makes every ball an event.”That pace generates anxiety among batters and not just tailenders, it’s all batters,” Vettori said. “We don’t often see bowlers get around the 153-154 mark. That’s exceptional pace, that’s a rarity that we haven’t seen I suppose consistently since the likes of [Brett] Lee, Shoaib Akhtar or Shaun Tait. So to see that is a huge part of the game now. You can see the excitement factor, brings a bit of X-factor.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the early matches this IPL, Malik was utilised during the powerplay where he erred in the lengths and went for runs. Sunrisers changed their approach quickly and started utilising Malik solely in the middle overs (7-16) where batting teams are starting to tilt the balance. But Sunrisers have not asked Malik to compromise on his pace. With the help of Sunrisers’ captain Kane Williamson, who has set smart fields including having two fielders virtually straight behind the keeper to pouch top edges, Malik has steadily become more accurate. On Wednesday, he showed his bowling smarts against Titans’ captain Hardik Pandya.In the teams’ first contest this season, Hardik had been hit on the helmet first ball by Malik. Pandya shooed away the Titans’ physio and responded to Malik’s aggression with equally aggressive batting. Back then, Malik got carried away pitching fuller and shorter. On Wednesday, though, Malik again roughed up Pandya with a short-of-length delivery that hit the Titans skipper on the shoulder. Once again, Pandya sent back the physio who was rushing in. Next ball was in the slot, which Pandya timed nicely for a four. Soon, Malik would return to challenge Pandya’s ego by bowling short and sucking him into playing a pull which was caught easily at fine third man. Having already sent Shubman Gill’s stumps flying, Malik would have fun with the rest of the Titans batting order.A smarter and more accurate Malik, Lynn said, would be a dangerous proposition for batters. “The fact that he’s learning quickly as well is probably (what) impressed me more than anything. He has always got that raw pace, but it is all about that cricket IQ now which is developing every game and he is very, very impressive.”According to Vettori, the Indian team management as well as the national selectors need to quickly manage Malik to safeguard his unique talent.”Potentially. It might be the best thing for him coming under the umbrella of the BCCI or the NCA, and they can manage his workloads, because there is a temptation for a player of his pace to keep bowling. I am reflecting on my conversation with Shane Bond and the fact that he thought the more you bowled, the slower you got.”In the subcontinent, you are used as a net bowler, you are going on tours and things like that. So the workload could get a bit much. This is a gem here and it’s just how it’s looked after in the next couple of years for Indian cricket and how to get the best out of him.”

Sri Lanka’s new head coach also wants the batters to have ‘the confidence to go out there and not fear getting out’

Madushka Balasuriya05-May-2022Chris Silverwood is no stranger to Sri Lanka’s foibles. After all, it was only a little over a year ago that he brought his England side to Lankan shores and swept the home team 2-0 in a Test series. But now, some 15 months later, he’s at the other end, charged with patching up the same weaknesses he had so brutally exploited.Sure, in the intervening year, Silverwood’s predecessor Mickey Arthur improved the team’s fitness and fielding standards, while the likes of Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga blossomed into two of the world’s leading bowlers. But the results remain as inconsistent as ever, much of which is down to an enduring inconsistency with the bat.Related

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Unsurprisingly this was the first area of concern Silverwood identified while diagnosing Sri Lanka’s problems.”We want more discipline in the batting, more patience in the batting and some intent to score as well,” said Silverwood, addressing the media for the first time since taking up the role of head coach.”It’s all about scoring runs and that’s what we want the batting line-up to do. I’ll try and instill some confidence into the boys so they can go out there and construct their innings and score big runs, certainly in the first innings, and give us something to bowl at. It’s not rocket science.”Not rocket science indeed, but certainly an issue many other coaches over the past decade (11 to be exact) have failed to do. But, as they say, identifying the problem is half the battle, and Silverwood has wasted little time in brainstorming fixes for Sri Lanka’s batting woes.”I have spent the last couple of weeks just digging through stats, looking at how we can improve. One of them is the intent to score, we have to give the batters the confidence to go out there and not fear getting out. That’s not to say we have to be reckless, what I’m saying is we have to bring ‘smarts’ into that as well. But I do want them to be positive, I want them to be brave. If we go with that attitude, the dot-ball rates will come down and the strike-rates will go up, which can only be a good thing.”I have encouraged the guys to be very specific when they train, think about who they’re going to come up against, and practise to suit those situations. Rather than just training on a broad scale, every time you come out of that net, you come out a better player than you went in. To do that, you have to consider what challenges you have in front of you, and then go experiment, find a way, make your strengths stronger, and obviously work on the things you might not be as strong at.”Silverwood’s forte, though, is in his work with fast bowlers, having been one himself during his playing days. And despite having had scarcely two weeks to work with his players since taking up the role, he has already sought to stamp his mark on the team’s pace contingent.”I’ve specifically challenged the Test bowlers to be hot on their first 12 balls, because as we all know the first 12 balls you can make a real impact on your spell as well as put pressure back on the batters.”It’s about instilling the discipline that we can do good things for long periods of time and not getting bored of doing them. Hitting your lines and lengths, finding spots on any given pitch, and being able to live there, and then you bring in the skills like wobble seam, etc., and all our guys swing it too, which is great. So, it’s just about bringing all those skills together and being disciplined enough to live in one area, where you can wear the opposition down if need be.”It’ll be a gradual process, but if you sow the seed and let it grow, over a period of time you will find that people can do it.”Naveed Nawaz will serve as assistant coach to Silverwood•SLC

Silverwood’s first challenge will be Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh later this month, with the team due to fly out on May 8. The touring party, however, will not have the luxury of calling on Chameera, Lahiru Kumara or the recently retired Suranga Lakmal. This means Sri Lanka take with them a fairly inexperienced fast-bowling unit. Silverwood, though, sees the bright side.”From my point of the view, the fact that they’re young means that they will take on information more quickly, and maybe try new things as well. The response has been excellent so far.”Over the course of the briefing Silverwood, flanked by his assistant coach Naveed Nawaz and team manager Mahinda Halangode, also revealed he had spoken to several past national-team coaches prior to accepting the position, and so had a clear idea of what to expect from the job. He also acknowledged that communication would present a challenge, which Nawaz will no doubt play a pivotal role in helping overcome.”Of course, one of the challenges for me will be communication. I have to make sure the plans that I’m trying to put in place I can get across to the boys properly. Obviously, Naveed has helped me with it brilliantly so far. Equally, I’ve got to be aware that the way I see things is not the way someone else sees it, so I have to be aware of how culture works as well, and I have good experience with that when I was working in Zimbabwe. All in all, what we’ve got here is very exciting.”I want the Sri Lankan flair, I want the boys to express themselves; I don’t want them to be anybody else, I want them to be themselves and fly the flag for Sri Lanka.”Nawaz, who had been considered for the role of head coach as well, will also oversee the team’s batting. The former Sri Lanka cricketer also elaborated on his role, speaking of his desire to get to know the players better over the coming weeks and months, so as to be able to help them reach their potential.”Two-way clarity is important to minimise any grievances players might have. Also creating a platform to discuss players’ personal as well as tactical issues,” Nawaz said. “My role will be to act partly as a mentor, as a friend, and also at the same time drilling into them the tactical changes that they need to do to improve their game.”It’s a great opportunity to work with somebody like Chris who has a wealth of experience. Obviously, I applied for the head coach’s role but I still take the assistant coach’s role as an opportunity. As long as both of us are on the same wavelength – to bring back Sri Lanka cricket its lost glory – it’s all that matters.”

Yorkshire were set to chase 114 in 21 overs, but conditions have final say

ECB Reporters Network01-May-2022Yorkshire were denied the opportunity to chase 114 in the final 21 overs of a pulsating final day by bad light as Kent secured an LV= Insurance County Championship draw at Headingley.Umpires Graham Lloyd and Steve O’Shaughnessy took the players off the field before a ball had been bowled in the Yorkshire chase following impressive innings from Kent trio Ben Compton (93), Grant Stewart (91) and Ollie Robinson (85 not out).Kent looked to be in safe waters at 384 for 6 in their second innings, a lead of 104 and time running out.But Yorkshire captain Steve Patterson was at the heart of a loss of four wickets for nine runs in 24 balls. He claimed three of them to finish with 5 for 54 in 29.3 overs, only for the 38-year-old’s return to go unrewarded.Credit should go to Kent, though. They avoided a third defeat in four games and denied their hosts a second win in three to start 2022.Opener Compton and wicketkeeper Robinson played similarly doughty innings, while injured all-rounder Stewart (hamstring) was far more aggressive as he struggled for mobility and required a runner.Kent started the day on 118 for 2, trailing by 162.Compton is now the top division’s leading run-scorer with 560 and fell before lunch to leave the score at 182 for 5.Stewart and Robinson then shared 166 for the seventh wicket, a Kent record in matches versus Yorkshire, either side of tea having come together at 218 for 6, a deficit of 62 with 56 overs still to bowl.At that stage, Yorkshire were on top. The pair dug in initially before Stewart opened his shoulders.His 58-ball fifty was almost twice as quick as his partner’s. Kent reached tea at 312 for 6, leading by 32 with 35 overs remaining in the game.And they all but doubled the lead in the first two overs of the evening, including Stewart hitting two sixes to take the lion’s share of 20 off a Jordan Thompson over.More runs were to follow, with Stewart’s 91-ball innings featuring four sixes, all either slog swept or pulled.But he was run out clipping to mid on before Patterson trapped Matt Milnes lbw and had Nathan Gilchrist and Matt Quinn caught at mid off to raise home hopes of a first 24-point haul since the final game of 2018.Instead, they had to settle for 16 points to Kent’s 11.Last week, Yorkshire were thwarted for the first time in as many weeks when they were unable to take 10 wickets on day four against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Stewart suffered a hamstring problem whilst bowling on day three and required Jordan Cox as a runner when he arrived at the crease.Yorkshire’s bid for victory, meanwhile, was hampered by the loss of Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was unable to bowl in the second innings with a side issue.Play was watched by new Yorkshire chair Lord Kamlesh Patel and dignitaries of one of the club’s new principal partners, Clean Slate Studioz, including owner Karnesh Ssharma – the brother-in-law of Virat Kohli.An overcast sky hung above Headingley for the majority of the day, with the floodlights turned on as early as the second over of the day. So it was no real surprise that bad light played its part.Yorkshire’s first breakthrough came via Patterson, who removed opposing captain Jack Leaning – his former team-mate and close friend – for 36.When Leaning under-edged behind attempting to leave alone in the day’s sixth over, the 56th of the innings, Kent were 126 for three with a deficit of 154.George Hill then struck twice with his canny medium pacers before Patterson’s late intervention.The match was deemed a draw just before 5.45pm, half an hour after bad light initially intervened.

Clash with T20 Blast means marquee contest will lack several top-drawer home players

Matt Roller16-Jun-2022Pieter Seelaar, the Netherlands’ captain, says he has learned to live with the absence of leading Dutch players from his squad, with at least three first-choice players due to play in the T20 Blast rather than featuring in Friday’s marquee first ODI against England in Amstelveen.Colin Ackermann, Fred Klaassen and Roelof van der Merwe will all play for their respective counties on Friday night, while Paul van Meekeren would likely have done so but for an ankle injury. Timm van der Gugten and Brandon Glover, both members of the Netherlands squad for last year’s T20 World Cup, are not involved in the England series either.In theory, the KNCB (the Dutch board) can force counties to release players under the ICC’s “mandatory release” protocols but, in practice, players are unwilling to jeopardise their county contracts by missing large parts of the English domestic season. Klaassen, who will fly to Amsterdam on Wednesday morning before the third ODI after playing in the Blast for Kent on Tuesday night, described the situation as a “juggling act”.”It’s a question I’ve had to answer now on a number of occasions,” Seelaar said on Thursday. “It is frustrating, but you kind of get to live with it. We’ve played four [full] series in the Super League and you always want to have the best players available at all times which is, unfortunately, not true.”But it also created opportunities for other guys and I think we showed in the West Indies series that we can still be competitive without having – arguably – our best side out. That comes with heart from the guys who want to show how good they are and what they can do at this level. It’s frustrating, but it’s something we deal with.”It’s a tough one. We play cricket on a semi-pro basis, rather than a professional basis, whereas the guys who play in England, it’s their livelihood. Is there something different that can be done about it? Well, if you take away all the politics, then everyone should be playing at the highest level possible.”If you’re playing against England, you can’t get any higher than that. It would have been nice to have them but that’s not how it works nowadays. If something could be changed that would be nice, but I guess it’s very tough.”Seelaar described the prospect of playing against the defending world champions as “incredibly exciting” and said that the Netherlands would take heart from the fact that Scotland, a full associate nation, beat England in 2018 at the Grange – particularly because that game was played on an excellent batting pitch.”It was a game on true merit,” he said. “It wasn’t one of those dodgy wickets. It shows where Associate cricket as a whole has come to. When I started playing in 2005, it was a very different level, As Associates, we used to be happy to be on the park against these teams whereas now we look to compete.Related

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“If I said we were looking to win this series 3-0, I would be stupid, but in saying that, we’re looking to compete in these three games. That game has shown not only us, but every aspiring cricket country that it is possible, but everything needs to go your way.”Seelaar is the only survivor from the Dutch team that beat England in the opening game of the 2009 World T20 at Lord’s and one of three men – along with Tom Cooper and Logan van Beek – involved for them this week who played in the 2014 triumph in Chattogram, the teams’ most recent meeting in any format.Eoin Morgan, his counterpart, and Adil Rashid both made their England T20I debuts in the 2009 game, and Seelaar said that a third win at some point in this series would be a “fantastic” achievement. “It might be a scar for England but for us, it’s just joyful memories,” he said.

Unbeaten 37 helps side to 177-run lead over Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2022Middlesex 188 and 180 for 6 (Hollman 37*, Pennington 3-37) lead Worcestershire 191 (Barnard 69, Roland-Jones 4-60) by 177 runsLuke Hollman’s unbeaten knock of 37 tilted a see-saw contest fractionally in Middlesex’s favour as they built a 177-run advantage against Worcestershire in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Merchant Taylors’ School.Hollman – who top-scored with 62 in the first innings – shored up the lower order after Dillon Pennington’s three wickets had reduced his side to 139 for 6 second time around, extending that total by a further 41 at stumps.It sets up the prospect of an enticing finish on day three after Worcestershire had posted 191 to secure a wafer-thin three-run lead in their first innings, built around Ed Barnard’s undefeated 69.Toby Roland-Jones, who finished with figures of 4 for 60, then played a valuable role with the bat, keeping Hollman company at the crease until bad light brought play to a close.Resuming 88 behind, Worcestershire’s sixth-wicket pair progressed steadily through the opening half-hour and extended the partnership to 71 before a diving catch by Sam Robson in the slips accounted for Gareth Roderick (30).When Tim Murtagh had Joe Leach caught behind in the next over, the visitors still faced a deficit of 61 – but that was all but wiped out by Josh Baker, who dispatched Murtagh for consecutive cover boundaries and continued to go for his shots.Baker’s knock of 36 included six fours, with Roland-Jones also taking some punishment before he eventually had his man caught at midwicket by Jack Davies.Davies darted in to take a far trickier catch and remove Charlie Morris in Roland-Jones’ next over as the seamer quickly mopped up the Worcestershire tail by taking out Pennington’s off stump.Mark Stoneman restored Middlesex’s lead with the first ball of their second innings, nudging Leach to the boundary but his opening partnership with Sam Robson developed into a gritty one either side of lunch.Robson cut Barnard for four to lift the stand past 50, but Pennington immediately pegged Middlesex back with a double strike as Stoneman (27) top-edged a hook to long leg and Davies, fending one off to point, departed for a second-ball duck.Robson (35) eventually fell to a stunning return catch by Leach, flinging himself to his left to pull off a one-handed grab, while Baker removed Max Holden just before tea with a delivery that turned sharply to hit off stump.John Simpson announced his arrival at the crease by smashing Baker to the fence twice in succession, but the spinner returned after tea to trap Robbie White – who had battled hard for his 37 – leg before.Pennington prised out Simpson, taken low in the slips for a belligerent 26, before Hollman and Roland-Jones dug in to maintain Middlesex’s hopes of setting their opponents a tricky target in excess of 200.

Middlesex openers unscathed at the close after imposing display from hosts

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2022Michael Jones scored a career-best 206 to anchor Durham’s innings of 421 for seven declared on day two of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Middlesex at Seat Unique Riverside.Resuming on an overnight score of 78, the Durham opener played a perfect knock to play himself in before taking the attack to the visitors. Jones notched 28 boundaries and three sixes to post his maiden double-hundred, ensuring that Durham recorded four valuable batting points after losing the majority of day one due to rain.Scott Borthwick and David Bedingham supported Jones with half-centuries as the hosts opted to declare in an attempt to force a result over the final two days, while Toby Roland-Jones finished with impressive figures of four for 67 from his 28.3 overs. Middlesex openers Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman then saw their side through to the close unbeaten, although still trailing Durham’s total by 378 runs.Play was delayed in the morning session due to overnight rain, and when it began Durham added only nine runs to their overnight total before Roland-Jones nipped one back to bowl Alex Lees for 46, ending the opening stand for 141 as the left-hander failed to add to his total. The Middlesex bowlers attempted to make further inroads in a miserly first hour and bowled a tight line and length to keep Jones penned down on 99 for 19 deliveries.The opener endured a nervy wait, but finally got over the line by piercing a gap between mid-wicket and mid-on to notch his second first-class century. Borthwick and Jones built the foundations of another solid partnership, passing fifty before the lunch break with the hosts adding a patient 71 runs in the session for the loss of only Lees.Borthwick found his rhythm after lunch and worked his way to his sixth fifty of the season, but for the sixth time of the campaign the Durham skipper failed to convert his platform into a hundred. The left-hander played a loose waft against Umesh Yadav to present the seamer with a simple return catch for 55, ending a stand worth 107 for the second wicket. Nic Maddinson had a brief stay in the middle as a stumble going for a second run cost the Aussie as he was run out by Yadav and Bamber for 17.Jones continued his fine knock and opted for an aggressive approach after being struck on the head by a Yadav bouncer. He dispatched a four and two sixes in three-straight deliveries off Yadav to power his way to his first score of over 150 in first-class cricket. The 24-year-old pressed on in the evening session and recorded his maiden double-century with a drive into the off-side, reaching the milestone from 373 balls.Jones’ mammoth innings was ended by Roland-Jones lbw for 206, but only after putting Durham into a dominant position. Bedingham added a quick-fire 62 from 87 balls as the hosts accelerated the run rate before declaring to leave themselves an hour to bowl at Middlesex. However, the visitors got through to stumps unscathed, leaving the match in the balance heading into day three.

MCC also recommended that umpires enforce laws relating to penalty runs for repeated time wasting more strictly, and time drinks breaks better

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2022The MCC, through its World Cricket Committee, has called for the ICC to speed up restarts after DRS reviews, and tighten up the DRS process itself, in a bid to address the issue of slow over rates in the game.The MCC, the keeper of the laws of cricket, made the recommendations following research into how much time was lost on each day’s play during New Zealand’s three Tests in England in June. It has also recommended that umpires enforce the laws of the game relating to penalty runs for repeated time wasting more strictly, and time drinks breaks better.The recommendations were made with a specific focus on Test cricket.How to make the DRS quicker
The recommendations to streamline DRS processes were twofold: one, to ensure the players don’t inadvertently waste time around reviews, and two, to ensure the umpires do not go through unnecessary steps during the review process.Related

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“In general, [the MCC recommends] ICC playing regulations be reviewed to tighten the parameters around when substitutes are permitted onto the field of play i.e. with gloves, drinks etc,” the MCC’s statement said. “More specifically, when a not-out decision is reviewed by the fielding side (or when an umpire review is made with a not-out soft signal), the fielding team should immediately return to their positions, ready to bowl the next delivery.”Batters should also remain in the proximity and prepare to recommence play. No drinks should be brought onto the field. If the decision is overturned to out, the fielding side will still have time to celebrate.”To speed up DRS reviews, the MCC recommended that the “standard protocol should be cut short as soon as the TV production team is aware that it will be not out. For example, time is often spent trying to discern an inside edge for lbws, only to see that the ball was missing the stumps. As soon as the ball tracking has been loaded, if it will result in a not-out decision, the TV umpire should be informed immediately.”Penalty runs for time wasting
Significantly, the MCC wants umpires to more actively enforce the laws of the game that are concerned with time wasting. Law 41.9 and 41.10, which deal with delays by the bowling and batting side respectively, allow the umpire to issue an official warning if they “consider that the progress of an over is unnecessarily slow, or time is being wasted in any other way”, followed by five penalty runs for a repeat offence.Law 41.9 further says: “If the waste of time is during the course of an over, [the umpire will] direct the captain of the fielding side to suspend the bowler immediately from bowling. The bowler thus suspended shall not be allowed to bowl again in that innings.”Drinks to go with the flow of the game, not interrupt it
The MCC’s research found that during the Tests, drinks were “taken at scheduled times regardless of what happened in the previous hour e.g. even if wickets/reviews meant drinks had been taken recently.”Ball checks/changes – usually not because they have landed in a pint of beer – is one of five major reasons for delays•PA Images/Getty

To cut down on time lost to this, it said drinks intervals should be adjusted to coincide with other naturally occurring breaks in play. “Drinks intervals should be taken immediately if a wicket falls or a DRS review is made within 15 minutes of their scheduled time, and not re-taken at […] at the next scheduled break.”Where exactly is time lost during a game?
The MCC found that on average, 31.5 minutes were lost on each full day of play at the England-New Zealand Test series. Of this, the time taken to reset between overs was the major source of delay, with

• 20 minutes taken in changing ends
• four minutes were lost to reviews
• three minutes lost to ball checks/changes
• two-and-a-half minutes lost to changing other equipment
• two minutes to movements behind the bowler and adjusting sightscreens

In comparison, the MCC’s research found, “the average change between overs in Test cricket took 10-15 seconds longer than in County Championship cricket… The average ‘standard’ change of over (without a new bowler or batter) was 55 seconds in Tests and 45 seconds in county cricket.”Breaking down the time lost to the DRS process further, the MCC noted “there were approximately 64 minutes lost during the series to the DRS, which consisted of the following: player discussions where no review was taken (six minutes), player reviews (47 minutes) and umpire reviews (11 minutes).”It took an average of 25 seconds for the fielding side to be ready to bowl the next ball after the DRS had confirmed an umpire’s not-out decision.”Who’s on the World Cricket Committee?
Mike Gatting (chair), Jamie Cox, Suzie Bates, Alastair Cook, Kumar Dharmasena, Sourav Ganguly, Tim May, Brendon McCullum, Ramiz Raja, Kumar Sangakkara, Vince van der Bijl and Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt.

ECB announces Trent Bridge as new home for team currently known as Lightning

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2022Nottinghamshire will take over the hosting of the East Midlands team in the ECB’s women’s regional structure, replacing Loughborough University.Lightning have been based at Loughborough since the new regional set-up was implemented in 2019, with eight hubs superseding the previous county-based structure for women’s cricket. The university, which is also home to the ECB’s National Performance Centre, will hand over the running of the team, which is yet to be given a new name, from November.”We’d like to place on record our thanks to Loughborough University for their hard work, commitment and collaboration across the last seven years,” Jo Kirk, the ECB’s head of women’s domestic cricket, said. “As well as being an important part of the Kia Super League, they have played a vital role in forming Lightning, and since 2019 establishing the regional model in their part of the country.”We’re really looking forward to working with the team at Nottinghamshire CCC as they move to leading within their region, alongside Derbyshire CCC, Leicestershire CCC and Lincolnshire.”The continued growth of the Women’s Regional Structure and the impact it has had on the overall health of women’s cricket in England and Wales is something we should be really proud of, and we’re looking forward to continuing that momentum with a new Regional Partner in the East Midlands.”The change comes as a result of a tendering process after the ECB and Loughborough decided that female players in the East Midlands would be better served by being associated with a first-class county.The team and academy, which will run jointly by Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, will be based at Trent Bridge but play games throughout the region.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s Director of Cricket, said: “Seeing the growth of women’s cricket has been one of the biggest pleasures of being involved in the game in recent years. We’ve been fortunate to be heavily involved in that as a host venue for Trent Rockets, as well as welcoming Lightning to play 50-over and T20 cricket at Trent Bridge.”This feels like the perfect time to take our commitment to women’s cricket forward. We’re sure that the players, coaches and support staff will feel inspired by being at Trent Bridge, and we believe that access to our world-class facilities and the knowledge of our existing coaching and support staff will assist us in developing and attracting talent.”Our neighbouring counties will continue to host fixtures in the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, and we will collectively build a regional player pathway based at schools and clubs throughout the East Midlands.”We’re all committed to improving the strength and depth of the female talent pool and providing a clear and visible route for the most talented girls from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire to progress from their own county age group teams into a regional structure.”We hope that the added exposure we can give to the new regional structure can help to raise the profile of women and girls’ cricket throughout the East Midlands and deliver tangible long-term results.”Loughborough Lightning were runners-up in the 2018 Kia Super League, but finished bottom of their group in the Charlotte Edwards Cup in 2021 and 2022. They are currently fourth in this year’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy table.Ian Read, CEO of Lightning Regional Host at Loughborough University, added: “Athletes are always at the centre of our thinking and it’s clear that working directly with a first-class county is the best option to continue their development and the development of the game.”We have worked closely with the ECB throughout the process of making our decision to pass the baton and are proud to continue working with Nottinghamshire alongside all the other East Midlands partners. Loughborough University remains committed to cricket for both genders and will continue to develop players and compete as a university as we have for many years.”