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Fifties from Hayley Matthews and Britney Cooper, followed by a five-wicket haul from fast bowler Deandra Dottin set up West Indies Women’s 16-run win against South Africa Women in East London

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo: Hayley Matthews scored 56 off 68 balls, with eight fours•Cricket Australia

Fifties from Hayley Matthews and Britney Cooper, followed by a five-wicket haul from fast bowler Deandra Dottin set up West Indies Women’s 16-run win against South Africa Women in East London.West Indies, opting to bat, lost their opener Shaquana Quintyne early, but a 56-run stand for the third wicket between Matthews and Dottin lifted the team past 100. Matthews top-scored with 56, but both she and Dottin were trapped lbw by Sune Luus in quick succession, pegging the visitors back. Cooper, though, provided West Indies with much-needed impetus, stroking an unbeaten 55 off 66 balls, with six fours and a six. Cooper added 48 runs in the company of Shemaine Campbelle, as West Indies ended with 214 for 7.South Africa’s opener Trisha Chetty made a steady start to the chase, scoring 47, but her dismissal in the 23rd over led to a slide, as quick blows from Dottin and Anisa Mohammed reduced the hosts to 120 for 7. Marizanne Kapp (69*) and Shabnim Ismail (34) put up a brief resistance, combining for a 70-run partnership, but Dottin and Quintyne eventually ran through the tail to bundle South Africa out for 198.Dottin was the pick of the bowlers with 5 for 34, her maiden five-wicket haul, while Quintyne and Anisa chipped in with two scalps apiece.

James Harris and Steven Finn, two seam bowlers who have laboured so long under the burden of “promise”, combined to haul Middlesex into the ascendancy on a day of hard graft at Lord’s

Andrew Miller03-May-2015
ScorecardJames Harris and Steven Finn, two seam bowlers who have laboured so long under the burden of “promise”, combined to haul Middlesex into the ascendancy on a day of hard graft at Lord’s.After Sam Robson’s first-day 178 had hinted at the sort of toil that might be in prospect on a typically unforgiving surface, Middlesex’s challenge was compounded after two balls of Durham’s reply when Tim Murtagh, their Ireland seamer, limped out of the attack with an injury to his left hamstring.But in his absence, Harris led the line with aplomb, claiming two of the first three wickets to fall, before Finn, with his penultimate ball of a frustrating 14-over workload, extracted some extra lift outside off stump to bowl Callum McLeod off his arm for 13.With James Franklin removing Scott Borthwick for 26 to claim his first wicket in Middlesex colours, Durham were indebted to a composed unbeaten 61 from their South Africa-born opener, Keaton Jennings, son of Ray, who was joined at the close by the nightwatchman, Chris Rushworth.At 157 for 4 overnight, Durham are one good partnership from restoring a measure of parity to the contest, but they failed to capitalise on some of the best batting conditions of the match so far. They regularly shipping wickets when well set, with all four dismissed batsmen making between 13 and 26. Geoffrey Boycott would have a fit, if he wasn’t pre-occupied with an even more slipshod effort in Barbados.To a degree, Durham missed their opportunity with the ball as well. After overnight rain had caused a 50-minute delay, their seamers briefly thrived in the damp morning conditions and capitalised on the void in Middlesex’s batting left by the late extraction of Robson on the first evening.John Hastings, their one-Test Australian allrounder, produced a bullish spell to extract both overnight batsmen for the addition of 12 runs. First to go was Franklin, who was trapped on the crease from round the wicket as Hastings shaped the ball back down the slope to pluck out his middle stump for 18. Then Harris had a loose waft outside off, and snicked a simple chance through to Phil Mustard behind the stumps for 9.But from the relative nadir of 341 for 6, Middlesex consolidated through the efforts of Simpson and Neil Dexter, who took their partnership to 58 before – with the sun breaking through after lunch and batting looking comparatively effortless – Dexter was late onto a Hastings bouncer and picked out Usman Arshad on the fine leg boundary for 33.But Simpson ground on, reaching his half-century from 89 balls with nine fours, and adding 41 for the eighth wicket with Rayner, who made 16 before Rushworth rapped him on the pad to claim his second victim of the innings.In a prelude to his efforts with the ball, Murtagh came and went in a hurry as he got himself into a tangle against the legspin of Scott Borthwick and was bowled on the heave for 11. And then, with only the No.11, Steven Finn, for company, Simpson took one chance too many against the persevering Hastings, and flapped an attempted glide to mid-off.Durham’s reply seemed solid from the outset, with Stoneman making the early running in his opening stand with Jennings, with two fours including a well-timed on-drive against Harris. But the bowler had his revenge when Stoneman pushed too firmly outside off and edged a simple catch at a comfortable height to Ollie Rayner at second slip. It was due reward for Middlesex’s perseverance. After their triumph at Taunton, they are enjoying their cricket at the moment.

In the final Test, Sri Lanka cling to the prospect of pulling off a drawn series while England have their sights sets on establishing a clear margin between the teams

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan15-Jun-2011

Match Facts

June 16-20, Rose Bowl
Start time 11.00am (1000GMT)Stuart Broad has the backing of his captain but needs to start taking more wickets•PA Photos

The Big Picture

It’s been a strange Test series in many ways. Frequent interruptions by the weather and two matches that have drifted for large periods (except, of course, the stunning final session in Cardiff which gave England their 1-0 lead) means the contest hasn’t really bubbled up. Now, at the final Test, Sri Lanka cling to the prospect of pulling off a drawn series while England have their sights set on establishing a clear margin between the teams.The odds suggest the latter aim is more likely. Sri Lanka have been hit with the major loss of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan due to a broken thumb which will means Lahiru Thirimanne has to be drafted in for his debut and Kumar Sangakkara, reluctantly to say the least, resumes the leadership. Dilshan is so pivotal to Sri Lanka – as he showed with his 193 at Lord’s – that it will take a mighty effort for the tourists to overcome his absence.While the batting line-up has twice competed impressively in the first innings – which makes their capitulation for 82 even more surprising – they have not looked like bowling England out twice. The one chance they had to embarrass the hosts came on the opening day at Lord’s with England 22 for 3 but the attack couldn’t maintain the pressure. Although Dilshan’s near double put pressure back on the home side a victory push always looked a little distant.England, though, were some way off their best at Lord’s and will want to put that right over the next five days. Such high standards have been set that the collective disappointment of the bowling last week caught many by surprise. James Anderson’s return will bring a senior figure back to the attack, but this is an important week for Stuart Broad.As it is for Andrew Strauss. Not that he should be feeling any undue pressure right now, but he was twice lbw to Chanaka Welegedara at Lord’s and, given he only plays one format these days, won’t want to endure too many lean series. Also, a scoreline anything less than 2-0 will be a missed opportunity for England.A word, too, on the venue. Not much more than a decade ago the area now home to the Rose Bowl was home to grazing animals. It’s been an impressive transformation into a fine venue. Unsurprisingly there were teething problems in the early years, but Rod Bransgrove is right to be proud of what has been achieved. Hampshire deserve a Test match fitting of the occasion.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England DWWWL
Sri Lanka DLDDD

Watch out for…

James Anderson was sorely missed at Lord’s as England’s tall pace bowlers struggled to match his consistency. Ideally Anderson would have had at least a short run out before returning from a side strain, but is confident that he is fully recovered. With the likelihood of some cloud cover around Anderson could enjoy conditions on the south coast and reaffirm why he is worthy of consideration as the second-best pace bowler in the world after Dale Steyn.Kumar Sangakkara has plenty on his plate. He hasn’t exactly jumped feet first back into the captaincy after his departure from the role little more than two months ago. There is often more to these sorts of situations than straight cricket decisions, with outside influences common in Sri Lankan cricket. The other issue for Sangakkara is his form. He hasn’t been able to improve on a poor record in England during this series, although 153 against Essex will have been a timely boost. In the absence of Dilshan he must lead from the front with the bat.

Team news

Barring any last-minute problems Anderson will slot back into England’s side at the expense of Steven Finn who took wickets at Lord’s but was expensive. After Kevin Pietersen’s 72 in the second innings last week Strauss is the one batsman without a significant contribution in the series.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James AndersonLahriu Thirimanne is the favourite to replace Dilshan at the top of the order after his hundred against Essex, but Sri Lanka’s other problem is how to take 20 wickets. Farveez Maharoof has been ineffective at No. 7 and with victory a must Sri Lanka could be better served by either Thisara Perera’s extra pace or Suraj Randiv’s offspinSri Lanka (possible) 1 Tharanga Paranavitana, 2 Lahiru Thirimanne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt) , 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Rangana Herath, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions

For a long time the Rose Bowl had a reputation as being a nightmare for batsmen, but the pitches have since bedded down and often provide plenty of runs. Sadly, it doesn’t look like this Test will escape interference from the weather with Friday currently having the worst forecast.

Stats and trivia

• The Rose Bowl becomes the 10th British Test ground with nine still currently active.
• Eoin Morgan has scored the most international runs on the ground with 253
• Sri Lanka have played two previous internationals at the ground – a one-day international during the 2004 Champions Trophy and a Twenty20 in 2006.

Quotes

“We are determined to make it 2-0 and finish the series off. There’s been some good cricket played by both sides amongst the showers we’ve had but we want to build on what we’ve done so far.”
“Whether you lose 1-0 or 2-0 you’ve still lost a series, but if we scrap and perform the way we can, we have opportunity to tie series. We have to show no fear and be as positive as we can but at the same time execute all we’ve spoken about properly on the field.”

Former Rajasthan Ranji cricketer S Pariwal has died aged 62 after a long battle with cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2010Former Rajasthan Ranji cricketer S Pariwal has died aged 62 after a long battle with cancer. Pariwal, a left-arm spinner, played two Ranji Trophy matches in the early 70s in the Central Zone league, and later served as a member of the junior selection committee of the Rajasthan Cricket Association.

Kings XI Punjab ahead of the third season of the IPL is a long injury list, but they will be relieved that Yuvraj Singh is on track to play the first match

Siddarth Ravindran01-Mar-2010One of the major concerns for Kings XI Punjab ahead of the third season of the IPL is a long injury list, but they will be relieved that Yuvraj Singh, one of their most important players, is likely to be fit in time for the first game against Delhi Daredevils.Yuvraj tore a ligament in his left wrist in late January and missed the second Test against Bangladesh and the entire series against South Africa that ended two days ago. He had been to Australia last week for treatment and is now looking forward to resuming batting. “I will start batting in three days,” he told Cricinfo. “It’s been five weeks (since the injury), so yes, I should be good for the first game.”Punjab were one of the best teams in the inaugural IPL, cruising into the semi-finals, but had a tough time in the second season, affected by the injuries to fast bowlers Sreesanth and Jerome Taylor, and the unavailability of Australian players for much of the competition.Yuvraj has targeted at least a semi-final spot this year, and believes one of the keys to a strong performance will be having the entire squad fit and available for the tournament. “We had a good first year, made the semi-finals easily when we had our full bench of players,” he said. “So if we have our full bench of players not injured, we have a good chance of going through to the semi-finals.”They have several important players struggling for fitness, though. Australian batsman Shaun Marsh, their standout performer in the first IPL season, became the latest worry after he was ruled out of the upcoming one-day internationals against New Zealand due to a back problem.Their most expensive overseas player, fast bowler Brett Lee, is also beset with fitness problems. (However, IPL chairman Lalit Modi said in his Twitter page that Lee is arriving in India tomorrow). Lee is recovering from a painful elbow surgery that ruled him out of the entire Australian home summer campaign, and said a couple of weeks ago that he might never bowl again. He has only played two matches since spearheading New South Wales’ march to the Champions League title last October.”We have a few injuries but we still have a bit of time to get fit for the first game,” Yuvraj said. Besides fitness issues, the lack of quality Indian batting back-up for Yuvraj is another of Punjab’s drawbacks, which makes it vital that allrounder Irfan Pathan recovers from the back injury that has kept him out of the preliminary squad of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

Marsh will return at No. 3 against West Indies but initially as a batter-only after an ankle injury

Alex Malcolm04-Oct-20222:48

Hodge: Green might go on to become one of the best Australia has produced

Mitchell Marsh is set to return at No. 3 for Australia but as a batter only in the first T20I against West Indies as he continues to recover from his ankle injury, while Marcus Stoinis is expected to be fit for Sunday’s opening T20I against England, with the pair of allrounders vital to the balance of their World Cup side.Captain Aaron Finch confirmed that both men were tracking well for the World Cup after missing the recent tour of India meaning that it looks unlikely there will be an opening for Cameron Green.However, Finch did note that Stoinis’ absence from this two-game series against West Indies and Marsh’s inability to bowl could change the structure of the side in the short term, given they will have fewer bowling options in their top seven, but he was adamant Marsh would play as a specialist batter.Related

• Finch batting at No. 4 leaves Australia with more questions than answers

• Is Green too good not to pick and who misses out for David?

• Cummins wary of burning Green but 'huge demand' inevitable as IPL question looms

• Hetmyer dropped from West Indies World Cup squad over missed flight

“Hundred percent, yeah,” Finch said. “He’s made that No. 3 spot his own in T20 cricket and I think the way that he played in the lead-up and then through the World Cup [last year] is so important for the way that we want to play and gives us a lot of flexibility through that middle order.”I think he had his second bowl yesterday and he felt really good. He pulled up well from it. So that’s a really positive sign. I think for the balance of the side, it’s better when they’re both bowling because you can get caught a little bit short if you go in with five bowlers. But we’ll work that out.”Marsh last played on August 28 in an ODI against Zimbabwe. He missed the three-match series against New Zealand and the three T20Is against India and did not bowl at all while recovering in Perth in September.Finch explained that the decision to leave Stoinis in Perth was a logistical one given the short turnaround time between the two matches against West Indies in Queensland. The second game is at the Gabba on Friday while the first of three matches against England is in Perth on Sunday. The team will have a five-hour flight across the country on Saturday after playing on Friday night.”He’s at a level where we think that he’ll be fully fit for that first game against England,” Finch said. “We were just conscious of the travel with a quick turnaround…it can be quite a high-risk game for some guys with some soft tissue injuries so he’s just still planning and preparing there. He’s such an important part of our side and the make-up of it, especially with his bowling.”Mitchell Marsh was back with the Australia squad•Getty Images

The Green question is a vexing one for Australia. He is currently not in the 15-player World Cup squad but is with the team in Queensland and available to play on Wednesday. If Stoinis and Marsh are fully fit there is almost no chance he can come into the 15, according to Finch.”I don’t think so,” Finch said. “It’s just one of those things. He had a really good tour of India. It was good for him to get an opportunity to open the batting so he’ll get more opportunities. I think he’ll get an opportunity at some point in this series. Obviously his batting is exceptional and he shows a lot with the ball. He keeps improving every time he gets an opportunity but over the next few weeks, he’ll get a run no doubt.”It leaves Australia contemplating playing five specialist bowlers at Metricon Stadium on Wednesday. It is something they have barely done since abandoning the strategy ahead of last year’s World Cup. But Glenn Maxwell is the only genuine bowling option in the top seven with Marsh unavailable to bowl and Stoinis absent, unless either Green, Daniel Sams or Sean Abbott slot in.If that does happen it would need to be the expense of Steven Smith or Tim David, given David Warner will return to the top to partner Finch and Marsh is at No. 3.”It’s never easy when you’re trying to balance up the side, particularly when the allrounders aren’t fully fit at the moment,” Finch said. “So that gives us an opportunity to keep tinkering with the squad. We feel as though we’ve got our best XI in the back of our mind, but it’s just not everyone’s 100% fit at the moment.”But we’ve still got a little bit of time for that over the next two and a half weeks. There’s five games plus the warm-up game against India. I think it’s important that we keep making sure that we’re giving ourselves enough options, because if something does happen in the World Cup the last thing you want is to be caught short in playing only one style of team or only one structure of team.”Mitchell Starc is fully fit after resting from the India tour due a minor knee issue. Ashton Agar remains in Perth with Stoinis as he also recovers from a side issue. Kane Richardson is back training with the squad but won’t play against West Indies.

The competition’s all-time leading runscorer and Brisbane’s games record-holder not offered a new deal

Alex Malcolm11-May-2022Chris Lynn is looking for a new BBL club after Brisbane Heat made the shock decision to delist the BBL’s all-time leading runscorer after 11 seasons at the club.Queensland Cricket and Brisbane Heat CEO Terry Svenson confirmed on Wednesday that Lynn would not be offered a new contract for next season after another disappointing year where Heat finished seventh.Lynn is the only player in BBL history to have scored more than 3000 runs, having made all of them for Heat in 105 matches but managed just 215 runs in 12 matches last season. He has also captained the club 50 times, more than any other player. Jimmy Peirson took over as captain last summer under new coach Wade Seccombe.”It’s not a decision that has come easily to the Heat by any means,” Svenson said. “Chris Lynn and his feats have made an indelible impression on the club, and his efforts over more than a decade can rightly be said to have had an enormously positive effect on cricket.”We should gratefully acknowledge the influence he has had on a generation of kids who have grown up thrilled by his batting exploits.”His appearance in a teal jumper each year would no doubt be linked by many households to the onset of their holidays, with the BBL being such an integral part of summer holidays.””The Heat wish him nothing but the best for the future as he transitions into another phase of his career and thank him wholeheartedly for his commitment to the game in Queensland.”The decision was made by Queensland and Brisbane Heat’s retention and recruitment committee which includes Svenson, Seccombe, Kirsten Pike, board member Ian Healy, selector Chris Hartley and high-performance general manager Bennett King.Healy, who chairs the committee, said the decision marked the beginning of the next phase at Heat.”Chris Lynn will be missed by thousands, however, the decision we have made as a club is about building on the legacy that he leaves as a foundation player, captain and ambassador for the Heat,” Healy said. “He holds a very special place in our history.”Heat look likely to land Australia Test opener Usman Khawaja after he opted to leave Sydney Thunder for family reasons. Khawaja is Queensland captain and lives in Brisbane with Heat looking a natural fit for him in order to spend more time at home during the BBL over the Christmas and New Year period.

With 12 months to go for the T20 World Cup, both teams will look to make positive strides in the opening game of the series

The Preview by Sreshth Shah13-Nov-2019

Big picture

Afghanistan must be hurting. Playing hosts to West Indies in their adopted home in India, their ODI campaign went so badly that the team’s losing streak in the format extended to 12 by the end of the series. There’s a mismatch in the philosophy of their batting (defensive) and bowling (attacking) units, and that gulf appears to have become deeper after the recent integration of a few young batsmen in the squad.But T20Is are Afghanistan’s best format. With a stockpile of mystery spinners and a batting unit that goes deep (if not always big) Afghanistan have made oppositions, especially when in the subcontinent, wary.There’s only one problem, though: they appear to have forgotten the art of winning.Last month, they shared the tri-nation T20I series trophy in Bangladesh because of a washed-out final. Prior to the title clash, they had lost two in a row, to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.T20I defeats used to be rare for Afghanistan, back-to-back losses even more, but the only team since 2017 to hand them that fate in a bilateral series are West Indies.Although the West Indies side that blanked Afghanistan 3-0 in 2017 is vastly different from the squad that is touring India currently, there are a few similarities. The side is rejuvenated under a new captain – Kieron Pollard – and the influx of a new set of cricketers after the latest Caribbean Premier League season gives them an opportunity to blindside Afghanistan since they have seen very little of these players.What used to be Afghanistan’s advantage earlier has now shifted away from them, and if the visitors can negate the spin threat Afghanistan possess, there’s no reason why West Indies cannot top Afghanistan in the T20I series too.

Form guide

Afghanistan LLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)West Indies LLLLL

In the spotlight

Mujeeb Ur Rahman has, for long, been the junior in the trio of spinners Afghanistan have unleashed on their opponents. But as teams focused more and more on not giving wickets to Rashid Khan, they have ended up exposing themselves to Mujeeb’s guiles. The teenager was Afghanistan’s highest wicket-taker in the ODIs against West Indies, and earlier this year was the most successful spinner at the Shpageeza Premier League as well. In 2019, Mujeeb’s gone wicketless only once and takes a wicket every 15.66 runs. Not once has he conceded more than 30 runs in T20Is this year and as a new-ball bowler, the tone Mujeeb sets against a West Indian opening unit – that hasn’t seen much of him – may just be the difference between West Indies scoring a middling score and a big one.Opening batsman Brandon King made a useful 39 in his national debut for West Indies in their win in the third ODI and it won’t be surprising if he walks into the T20I team as well after a fantastic CPL 2019. A ninth-round pick during the CPL draft, King smacked 496 runs in 12 innings, at an average of 55.11 and a strike rate of 149.94 as an opener for Guyana Amazon Warriors to break down the door that was stopping him from wearing the West Indies maroon. A right-hand batsman who prefers hitting straight rather than square, the potential for King to make an impact in his first T20I series is massive. He’s a traditional stroke player, something missing among most of West Indies’ white-ball batsmen these days, and if he can get into his zone swiftly against Afghanistan, King has shown that the longer he stays in the middle, the more dangerous he gets.

Team news

There are plenty of youngsters in both squads, and with the T20 World Cup only 12 months away, expect a few new faces in the XIs. West Indies, however, will be without Nicholas Pooran, who was handed a four-match ban for ball tampering in the ODI series.Afghanistan (possible): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Javed Ahmadi, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Asghar Afghan, 6 Gulbadin Naib, 7 Rashid Khan (capt), 8 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Sayed Shirzad, 11 Mujeeb Ur RahmanWest Indies (possible): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Brandon King, 4 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 5 Sherfane Rutherford, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Khary Pierre, 9 Hayden Walsh Jr, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

A bug invasion in the third ODI forced players to wear masks, and with the game being played under floodlights in Lucknow again, another attack can’t be ruled out. North India is now experiencing the onset of winter, and dew is expected to play a big role as the evening progresses. With both teams expected to field multiple spin bowlers, there could be an effect. The night sky in Lucknow is expected to be hazy, and some reports suggest that the air quality could be hazardous.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies will become the first team to play two T20Is at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium, having played in the ground’s inaugural match against India in November 2018.
• Afghanistan’s spin bowlers have conceded 7.87 runs per over in 2019, but average more than six wickets per game for the side.
• Less than 12 months ago, Hayden Walsh Jr was playing for USA

Glamorgan will look to appoint a new director of cricket after Hugh Morris stepped down from his dual role in order to focus on his work as the club’s chief executive

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2018Glamorgan will look to appoint a new director of cricket after Hugh Morris stepped down from his dual role in order to focus on his work as the club’s chief executive.The potential change was one Morris flagged in advance when commissioning an external review of Glamorgan’s season. The Welsh county finished bottom of Division Two of the Championship, winning just twice, and failed to make it out of the group stage in either the Vitality Blast or Royal London Cup.Morris returned to the county where he spent his playing career in 2014, having served as England’s managing director of cricket since 2007. The club will start its search for his successor immediately.Huw Bevan, who was strength and conditioning coach at the ECB during Morris’ time with England, conducted the independent review, which was presented to the Glamorgan board this week.”With the disappointing performances on the pitch this season and the need to spread my time more evenly across the business, it has been decided to split the chief executive and director of cricket roles at the club,” Morris said.”Next year we have four Cricket World Cup matches at Sophia Gardens, as well as an IT20 match, followed by the ECB’s new competition in 2020 and the new international calendar. We are also working with Cricket Wales on developing a strategy for cricket in Wales to grow the game across the country.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the position but this is the right time for myself and the club to bring in someone with a fresh perspective to lead the department and bring success to Glamorgan on the field.”

Yorkshire’s limited-overs captain Alex Lees announced his intention to drop himself barely a month into the job before the NatWest Blast tie against Nottinghamshire was abandoned because of rain

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2016Yorkshire’s limited overs captain Alex Lees announced his intention to drop himself barely a month into the job before the NatWest Blast tie against Nottinghamshire was abandoned because of rain as the wettest June for years threatens to put a dampener on the competition.Less, the youngest professional to be appointed as a full-time Yorkshire captain since Lord Hawke, called his decision “a no brainer”.He said the decision was inevitable because of the availability of Root and Bairstow coupled with the form of Adam Lyth, who struck two Royal London Cup hundreds in successive days against Northants and Lancashire earlier this week.New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson was put in charge before steady rain at Headingley denied the North Group’s bottom two sides the chance to lift their ailing NatWest T20 Blast campaigns in a match chock a block with England stars including Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Notts’ Alex Hales.”For me, it was a no-brainer,” said Lees. “Obviously Rooty and Jonny come back into the team, so two had to miss out there. Adam comes into the team. You can’t not play somebody who’s just scored back-to-back hundreds off 60 balls.”It’s just a gentle reminder to everyone that nobody’s bigger than this club and going forward, we want to put out the best team that we can.”Meanwhile, Yorkshire plan to pay tribute to Jo Cox MP, who was killed by an attacker in her Batley and Spen constituency on Thursday with a minute’s silence and the players wearing black armbands in their match against Derbyshire on Sunday.