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Matthew Wade is earnestly hoping to follow David Warner’s lead under the noses of the national selectors in the tour match against Sussex

Daniel Brettig25-Jul-2013David Warner drastically improved his chances of taking part in the Investec Ashes over the course of a single innings for Australia A in South Africa. Now Matthew Wade is earnestly hoping to do the same, under the noses of the national selectors in the tour match against Sussex.Warner’s effort, a blistering 193, has provided inspiration for the rest of Australia’s bedraggled squad even if it was made 7,000 miles away. Until that innings the nation’s batting had been a laughing stock for the best part of four days, but Warner has at least provided some indication for the rest of what is possible with a little confidence.So far on tour, Wade has been less a member of the team than the answer to a trivia question: which man apart from Michael Clarke has made a Test century in 2013? Wade’s quite brilliant hundred against Sri Lanka at the SCG has since faded from view after he ceded his wicketkeeping position to the vice-captain Brad Haddin.Nonetheless, the travails of the batsmen at Trent Bridge and Lord’s have offered Wade a glimmer of opportunity and, like Warner, he is hoping to barge his way into calculations by rattling to a large score at Hove – not that he is thinking too far ahead of course.”Any batsman who goes out and dominates and gets 150 or 200 will have a chance to play,” Wade said. “But I haven’t spoken to anyone about a spot coming up. I’m just excited to have a game of cricket because I’ve been on the sidelines for a few weeks. To go into a game thinking those sort of things is wrong thing to do. If you go into a game thinking if I get runs I will play the Test match it won’t do you any good.”Wade’s keeping has been the cause for most concern over his brief Test match career, but his batting is highly regarded. On several occasions when he was still a selector, the captain Michael Clarke suggested Wade would contend for a place as a batsman alone, and it is one after-effect of Adam Gilchrist’s influential career that most wicketkeepers have almost had to consider themselves batsmen first.”Gilchrist ruined it for everyone,” Wade said with a laugh. “It’s like being an allrounder. I feel comfortable where I’m at with keeping and batting. When I got dropped I went up to the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane for six-eight weeks and worked really hard with Ian Healy. I was going up for a couple of days at a time and did a lot of work with him and Hadds was there as well. It felt like I came a long way in that period. I was here in England for the ODIs and felt my keeping was going pretty well. Fingers crossed things keep going in that direction.”Watching from the boundary’s edge, Wade has been greatly impressed by England’s bowling, the best he has seen around the world so far. But he harked back to memories of the home Tests against South Africa in late 2012 for a reminder that Australia can bat should conditions and confidence dovetail effectively.”It’s been terrific and world class bowling,” Wade said of England. “It’s the best I’ve seen in the 18 months I’ve been around Test cricket. We knew their bowlers would be hard work. I’d love to have an opportunity to have a crack at them. We played South Africa in Australia and didn’t find too many problems scoring 400-500 in an innings. Wickets were different and we have to adjust. We have to find a way. It’s not impossible. We have all scored runs against very good players before.”As for the wider questions about why Australia’s batting had deteriorated, Wade agreed with Usman Khawaja that the increase in the number of green Sheffield Shield pitches had been a significant factor. “First-class cricket has been hard work over past couple of years to score big runs. Pitches have not been ideal,” Wade said. “They have been greener than previously and that is an issue for batmen hitting big hundreds. It is not a technical issue that players have not been scoring big runs.”It has been great for bowlers. Batting wise it is harder but a good challenge. Everyone talks about batsmen getting big hundreds, 200s and 250s but that is a big ask in games that are only going two and a half or three days.”

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.

Yorkshire stumble to 165 all out after being inserted on bouncy surface

ECB Reporters' Network22-Jul-2021Gus Atkinson’s four-wicket List A debut helped Surrey make a winning start to their Royal London Cup campaign as they eased past Yorkshire by five wickets at Scarborough.Atkinson, 23, prospered with the new ball on a fast and bouncy North Marine Road pitch, claiming 4 for 43 to bowl the Vikings out for 165 in only 35 overs.Hashim Amla elected to bowl at the start of this Group B fixture, and the South African batting great later went beyond 10,000 career runs in this format with 29 to begin a successful chase. But Mark Stoneman played the match-clinching innings, an unbeaten 73 off 110 balls, having only just returned to Surrey following a four-game T20 loan spell with Yorkshire.Stoneman and co survived 4 for 57 for South African overseas quick Mat Pillans, who moved from Surrey to Yorkshire in late 2018.This fixture included eight players – four on each side – making their List A debuts.Atkinson made the initial breakthrough by bowling Will Fraine in the second over before getting George Hill caught at square leg and Jonny Tattersall caught behind as the hosts slipped to 40 for 4 in the 10th.Matthew Revis, another List A debutant, top-scored for Yorkshire with 43 off as many balls, while Gary Ballance made 39. They shared 81 inside 13 overs for the fifth wicket. But wickets fell quickly once more.The Vikings tumbled from 121 for 4 in the 22nd, losing their last six for 44 as most of the damage was done from the Trafalgar Square End.Opener Harry Duke, Hill, Ballance and Pillans were all undone by extra bounce, while Revis and Dom Bess will reflect on loose dismissals.This certainly wasn’t the way Yorkshire captain Bess would have wanted to celebrate his 24th birthday, with him skewing Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin to long-off.Hill and Pillans fell caught off top-edged pulls against Atkinson, the latter courtesy of a stunning diving catch on the run towards backward square-leg from wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Ballance fended a short ball from Conor McKerr to gully, sparking the clatter of wickets.Amla and opening partner Stoneman then steadily shared 59 inside the first 13 overs of the chase. Stoneman hit two fours and slog-swept Bess for six as 14 came off the 12th, only for Pillans to claim two wickets in three balls in the 13th. He had Amla caught at wide mid-on pulling before bowling Ben Geddes, leaving Surrey 59 for 2.That forced Stoneman back into his shell, but he shared an important 54 with Smith. Pillans then struck twice in an over again, getting Smith caught at midwicket for 25 and Ryan Patel superbly caught one-handed in the gully by Tattersall – 116 for 4 in the 29th.Bess also bowled debutant Nico Reifer for an eye-catching 26, but Surrey’s victory was secured with 10.5 overs remaining.

Regular wickets keep Lancashire in the hunt on close-fought opening day

Valkerie Baynes29-Apr-2021April cricket is usually played in changeable conditions and the fine balance between a stubborn winter and a willing spring reflected the evenly poised contest between Sussex and Lancashire on an engrossing first day.It snowed when these sides met in the opening round at Old Trafford – the fixtures reversed after a bug infestation damaged the Hove outfield – and while temperatures were by no means that extreme, the briskness in the air was the one constant.As the players warmed up, the ground was bathed in glorious sunshine but neither that nor the gulls’ cries were convincing anyone to remove their winter coats – in some cases two winter coats – and dip themselves in the sea as a chill wind arrived and dense cloud cover set in, giving way to varying shades of white and grey for the rest of the day.Related

• Alastair Cook finds his old self at New Road as Essex take a grip

• Clarke and Clark fit seamers' roles to give Hants a shoeing

• Gubbins, White give Middlesex the edge on solid first day

Things began gloomily enough for Sussex when they lost Aaron Thomason for a duck on the 17th ball of the match, an excellent delivery from Tom Bailey that tore through the batter’s defences and clattered into middle and off.Stiaan van Zyl’s arrival at the crease brought the hosts numerous bright moments however, as he and Tom Haines drove – literally in van Zyl’s case – the Sussex recovery from 6 for 1 to 110 for 1 by lunch.van Zyl’s prowess through the off-side, namely his sublime driving through extra cover, accounted for the majority of his 12 fours, including two through the region off consecutive Danny Lamb deliveries.Having survived a chance early in his innings when Steven Croft failed to grab what would have been a stunning catch at second slip, van Zyl settled into a rhythm that looked set to deliver his second century of the season, following his 113 at Glamorgan during round two.Matt Parkinson entered the attack in the 21st over after his match-winning 7 for 126 among his nine wickets at Kent last week. But van Zyl lofted his sixth ball over the fence at long-on and, in Parkinson’s next over, helped himself to two fours, one swept and the second thumped through his favoured extra cover zone to move within one of his half-century, which he brought up with a single off Parkinson.Haines followed van Zyl in passing fifty a short time later – the fourth time Haines has done so this season – and the pair walked off for lunch with their side holding a much sunnier outlook than at the start of the day.Lancashire emerged from the break with a spring in their step and a chirp in their collective voice as they sought a breakthrough. They achieved it before their facade became forced through a probing Saqib Mahmood delivery that angled slightly across left-hander Haines and found an outside edge that went through to Dane Vilas behind the stumps in place of Alex Davies, who was fielding but couldn’t take the gloves after suffering a knock to his finger during the week.So ended Haines’ innings on 58 and a fruitful second-wicket stand with van Zyl worth 133. It continued a run of early form this season for Haines, who followed his 155 in the first match against Lancashire with scores in the 80s against Glamorgan and Yorkshire and he now has 455 runs from seven innings.”I’ve worked really hard for this,” said Haines, who put his form down to increasing his volume of practice during the off-season. “I’m loving my cricket this year.”I spoke to Alastair Cook at the end of the Essex game last year and he said, ‘all the best players in the world hit the most balls and that’s just how it is.’ I’ve just tried to do that really, it’s not hitting balls for the sake of it but hitting as much as you need to feel good.”van Zyl followed Haines out when, on 79, he slashed at a ball well outside off stump from Liam Livingstone – back in Lancashire’s side after leaving the IPL citing bubble fatigue – and found Luke Wells at backward point.Tom Clark and Ben Brown managed to steady Sussex again, although it wasn’t all smooth for Clark, despite the silkiest straight drive he produced to deposit Livingstone effortlessly over the fence.Dropped on nought, another of four chances missed by Lancashire, Clark copped a blow from Lamb that sent pieces of his helmet flying. Having passed an on-field concussion test, he was pinned lbw by Bailey shortly before tea and Sussex faced another period of reconstruction as the sky darkened and the floodlights came on.They did manage to rebuild once more through captain Ben Brown and Delray Rawlins, the latter reaching 42 off 64 balls, including straight sixes off Parkinson – which cleared the sightscreen and landed in the nets where Jofra Archer had been continuing his rehab from hand and elbow injuries – and Livingstone.But, with the new ball about to be taken, Rawlins slapped Parkinson straight to Wells at extra cover.Brown followed, trapped by a pin-point accurate ball from Lamb, returning to the attack having bowled six maidens among his 15 overs and conceded just 35 runs to that point.When Stuart Meaker fell to Bailey, Sussex were 292 for 7 having been 197 for 3 after winning the toss, suggesting that the failure of any of their batters to convert starts into big scores might leave them exposed.But their 318 for 7 at the close was hardly poor and left them within reach of a fourth batting bonus point with George Garton, who fell three shy of a century at Glamorgan, unbeaten on 30. It also highlighted the closeness of the tussle and set up another enthralling day.

The home side’s seamers broke the Test wide open by picking up 15 wickets on day three

Alagappan Muthu05-Dec-2020It happened suddenly. Blue skies giving way to grey clouds. New Zealand loved that. They could sense an opportunity. A chance to break this Test wide open. And they did, by picking up 15 wickets in the day.

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People say that in Hamilton, the pitch doesn’t matter so much as the overheads, because even though it might be frighteningly green, it will play fairly true. But the moment there is something in the air – a little moisture, a little humidity – batsmen become endangered creatures. The overseas variety especially.West Indies had shown a capacity to resist on day two. But they were being hunted now. Tim Southee was relentless. His ability to set up batsmen was on show in the first over itself, when he fed John Campbell a steady diet of inswingers, and then ambushed him with a wobble seam delivery.The rest of his wickets – he took 4 for 35 – were just as impressive if a bit repetitive. Outswingers to right-handers, who had no choice but to play them and were out caught-behind.Southee is the leader of this attack. He set the tone. And when he was done, even the new kid knew what to do.Kyle Jamieson is a truly exciting prospect. Especially in Test cricket. At 6’8″, his back-of-a-length deliveries carry through like bouncers, often producing oohs and aahs. The experts call that pretty bowling. The kind that looks nice but is mostly harmless. Darren Bravo might disagree with that considering he got hit on the glove by a vicious lifter.It began playing on his mind. He became preoccupied with all that extra bounce and never saw the full one coming. Jamieson, even in his short career so far, has always been able to pitch the ball up to devastating effect. That alone is remarkable because so many tall bowlers – Morne Morkel, Ishant Sharma – struggled for long to incorporate it into their game. And here is a rookie who not only does it at will, he gets swing too. Neither Bravo nor his off stump stood a chance.New Zealand took nine first-innings wickets for 89 runs in 38 overs on Saturday. They were able to do that because of two crucial aspects that define their bowling. The ability to hit the same spot on the pitch over and over, and the variety to always pose a threat. Seventy-eight percent of their wicket-taking deliveries were between the 4m and 6m mark. That’s the kind of length that makes batsmen unsure whether to go forward or not, while also ensuring the ball takes the edge and doesn’t just beat it.Jermaine Blackwood waged a lone battle in the second innings•Getty Images

West Indies had to deal with more of that with no rest in between as they were asked to follow-on. Only this time they came out with a new plan. They had seen it was no use trying to outlast the swing. The conditions were too lush for that. So they shifted focus to hitting out. If a delivery was even half in their area, they went for the boundary option.But that brought with it its own problems. Like three wickets in six balls.It all began with Bravo, who soon after pasting Southee over the covers twice, got stuck in that mode and Neil Wagner exploited his looseness.That brought Shamarh Brooks in but he couldn’t keep his flick down. Even the ultra-sensible Brathwaite ended up caught behind going for an upper cut. The scoreboard read 27 for 4. And West Indies were in the muck. They couldn’t defend. They couldn’t attack. They could only collapse.Jermaine Blackwood found a way to rise above the rubble though. He made an unbeaten 80 off 98 balls and nearly all of them were eye-catching. A man with a million shots, he even went after New Zealand’s enforcer and took him down. Wagner has turned entire Tests with his short-pitched bowling. But here, Blackwood flick-pulled him for six and established a dominance that was both thrilling and unexpected.At 89 for 6, and with Shane Dowrich unable to bat due to a finger injury, New Zealand would have been dreaming about a three-day victory. Ironically though, that only served to undercut their discipline and had such a negative effect on their performance that West Indies’ No. 8 was able to whack ’em around and score his maiden half-century. Alzarri Joseph walked off with an unbeaten 59 against his name and his team lived to fight another day.

Spinner’s over-step is a symptom of wider problems in the England camp

George Dobell in Manchester05-Sep-2019It looked, for a moment, like the perfect delivery. Not just a perfect delivery, but a perfectly executed plan.Jack Leach, bowling round the wicket, had drawn Steve Smith forward and, having found just a little drift into him, gained just enough turn away from him to see the ball take the edge of the bat and carry to slip. Smith had already scored 118 by then but, such is his form and so great his dominance, England might have settled for that. Besides, Australia were 273 for 6 and England could, perhaps, anticipate bowling them out for little more than 320.But then came the replays. And after that came the realisation. Leach, despite the most gentle of run-ups, despite bowling at a 51 mph, had over stepped. Smith was reprieved and England’s joy turned to despair. We may look back on it as the tipping point in this series.Maybe that’s unfair on both Leach and Smith. Certainly Leach, at times, bowled really nicely. His misjudgement was, it its way, tiny: no more than a rash shot from a batsman or a dropped catch from a fielder. But the consequences were significant and it was avoidable. An unforced error, as they say in tennis.Jack Leach with his team-mates after his dismissal of Steven Smith of Australia is shown to have being a no ball•Getty Images

Most of all, when we come to reflect on this series in years to come, we’ll almost certainly conclude that the difference between the sides was one man: Smith. England have thrown pretty much everything they have at him in not just this series but the previous couple. The fact is, while most other batsmen have struggled, Smith has gorged on runs. Yes, the pitches might have offered England more assistance. And yes, James Anderson’s availability might have tested Smith more. But to a large extent, England just have to accept he has been too good for them.There will be nagging irritation, however, that England did not do themselves justice. For there were moments on the second day when they became more than a little ragged in the field. Tim Paine was also reprieved twice – he was dropped on 9 and 49, once at slip by Jason Roy and once at mid-on by substitute fielder Sam Curran; both relatively straightforward chances – with Jofra Archer also missing a tough caught and bowled chance offered by Smith when he had 65. England keep dropping catches. Leach’s no-ball is a symptom of a wider malaise.Most of all, England didn’t seem able to build or sustain pressure in the field. With Ben Stokes, suffering from a sore shoulder, unable to replicate the match-shaping spell he produced in Leeds and Smith managing to manoeuvre the ball into the gaps with his unique skill, England leaked 124 runs in 32 wicketless overs after lunch.Archer, only five months into his England career, already looks as if he is in danger of being ruined – news that he required a pain-killing injection after normal play in the World Cup final and before the super-over should have alarm bells ringing – with his pace dropping by the match. Not for the first time in this series, it seemed England’s captain, Joe Root, had no way of lifting his team and no answers to the questions raised by Smith. It was agony from an England perspective; a session where you could feel their Ashes hopes slipping away.And then there’s that no-ball. Spinners – certainly finger spinners with a gentle approach to the crease, shouldn’t be bowling no-balls. Ravi Ashwin, for example, has never bowled a no-ball in Test cricket. And while Moeen Ali has, they have all been head high full tosses rather than front-foot no-balls. In all, finger spinners have, on average, bowled one no-ball – including head-high no-balls – every 1,236 deliveries in Test cricket since the start of 2010.So while we must be careful not to pin too much blame on Leach – he’s not responsible for England’s enduring inability to bat, or catch, after all – we can’t just dismiss it as ‘one of those things.’ That’s too cosy; that’s too laissez-faire. For we know that, in ODI cricket, England went more than 10,000 deliveries without conceding a front-foot no-ball. We know that, if there are free-hits at stake and they make it a priority, it can be done. But in training in recent days, England’s bowlers have regularly over-stepped in the nets without any of the coaching staff acting as umpires and notifying them of their error. As a consequence, instead of good habits becoming ingrained, bad habits can take root. It seems just a bit sloppy and just a bit unnecessary. The team management have to take some responsibility.England’s issues extend beyond playing matters. At some stage, if England are to make any meaningful use of home advantage, Ashley Giles, the director of England’s men’s cricket, will have to improve the communication between the team and the groundsmen.England turned up in Manchester expecting to find a hard pitch offering pace and carry. Just as they turned up for the World Cup final expecting a batting paradise. On both occasions – and several more in between – they have been disappointed. Indeed, one member of the England team management noted that this surface – offering little of the grass coverage that might have encouraged England’s seamers – would have delighted Australia. If England are to have any hope of dismissing Smith, they require lateral movement and the carry to ensure nicks make it to slip. They didn’t really have either here.Everyone understands that the job of groundsmen is desperately tough, with poor weather and an unrelenting schedule combining to reduce preparation time. But at some stage it would surely make sense for the left hand to know what the right hand is doing in English cricket. It would surely make sense for Giles to make it clear what groundsmen are expected to provide and hold them accountable if they do not.England’s Ashes hopes aren’t over yet. Not quite. They only need to escape with a draw here to make it to The Oval with their chances alive and it may well be that poor weather comes to their aid. But, for the second Test in a row, you get the impression they’re going to require something special to keep them in it. They can’t keep expecting Stokes to bail out their substandard batting and fielding.

England claim unassailable 3-0 series lead on back of Roy’s century and Stokes’ unbeaten 71

The Report by Valkerie Baynes17-May-2019
Jason Roy and Ben Stokes are back – and it seems England are here to stay.Roy’s century laid the foundation but it was Stokes’ rescue mission after England suffered a mini-collapse against Pakistan that delivered the hosts a three-wicket victory with three balls to spare at Trent Bridge and an unassailable 3-0 series lead.Belligerent is a term at risk of being over-used in cricket but it is simply the essence of Roy’s batting style and was there for all to see as he stepped back and away to club Mohammad Hafeez over the extra cover boundary to bring up his eighth ODI century.His knock of 114 off 89 showed fewer signs of the rust he had to scrape off en route to 87 in the second match of the series in Southampton, his return from a back injury. On reaching his ton, Roy pumped both fists in triumph and looked to the skies, rolling his eyes in relief, as if that commendable 87 and the 79 that followed in Bristol were not enough.However, when he was out edging behind a pull at Mohammad Hasnain, England’s chase looked like being derailed.England lost the wickets of Joe Root, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali in quick succession, a collapse of 4 for 15, and it fell to Stokes – who had been rather subdued in recent times – to save the day. Stokes played with a cool head and, at the right times, a swinging bat to reach an unbeaten 71 off 64 balls.He was well supported by Tom Curran, who followed his four wickets to be the pick of the England bowlers with an important cameo of 31 off 30. Before he got off single figures, Curran survived two run-out chances off the same ball, narrowly in the second instance with replays suggesting he may have been out had Pakistan made an issue of it.Roy’s innings was not chanceless. He was dropped by Fakhar Zaman off Imad Wasim while on 27 and with England 62 without loss. The mistake – not the only one in the field by Pakistan – proved costly.James Vince, opening in place of the resting Jonny Bairstow, made a handy score without going on with it, his 43 off 39 balls coming during a stand of 94 with Roy. Root also chipped in but after he was out on the second grab by Hafeez in a tricky one-handed juggling effort over his shoulder off the bowling of Imad, England lost Buttler and Moeen for ducks.Joe Denly, in the side as a back-up spin bowling prospect for the World Cup found himself in the role of potential batting saviour alongside Stokes. With England needing 101 off 80 balls the pair went into steadying mode, with the likes of Curran, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer still available as testament to their formidable batting depth – with or without Bairstow and the suspended Eoin Morgan.That depth was called upon, however, when Denly fell to a brilliant caught-and-bowled by Junaid Khan, the left-armer changing direction on his follow-through and leaping high to his right to pull down the ball and send Denly on his way for 17.Needing 44 off the last five overs, Stokes and Curran looked comfortable but when Curran was bowled by Hasan Ali, England needed 22 off 16. A six and a four in Junaid’s next over as good as settled things, before Stokes hit the winning run off Hasan.Earlier, Babar Azam’s steady-handed 115 off 113 balls helped Pakistan to 340 for 7.Babar was involved in two century partnerships after Pakistan overcame the loss of in-form opener Imam-ul-Haq, who retired hurt on just 3 when he was struck flush on the left elbow attempting to pull a Mark Wood delivery in the fourth over. X-rays revealed no fracture but he remained in the changing-room with his arm packed in ice until late in the innings.Fakhar and Babar steered their side to 116 before the first wicket fell to some good pressure from Curran. Looking to smack the ball over cover, Fakhar sent the ball to third man, where Wood claimed a good catch diving forwards.Babar and Hafeez teamed up for the second century stand of Pakistan’s innings, Hafeez cracking a boundary off Wood to bring up his half-century before Wood’s response was to have him caught simply at mid-on by substitute fielder Chris Jordan for 59.Babar brought up his century with a sweetly struck four off Curran, but he was out slicing the same bowler over cover as Archer ran in to take a fine catch.When Imam returned with seven wickets down and only 16 balls remaining, he looked in some discomfort still and it begged the question whether it might have been wise to put in a batsman who could swing with more freedom, especially when he added just three more runs to his score.Curran claimed 4 for 75 off 10 overs but looked gutted not to have bagged five wickets as he walked off.Wood made an encouraging return to cricket, showing the pace and wicket-taking ability that heralded his initial comeback from an ankle injury in the Caribbean. Playing his first match since early March against West Indies, he hit 91.6mph in his first over here and ended with 2 for 71 off his 10 overs.

Alastair Cook is refusing to look beyond the next game as he prepares for his record-breaking 150th Test

George Dobell in Perth12-Dec-20172:06

‘Not many people play 150 Test matches’ – Cook

Alastair Cook is refusing to look beyond the next game as he prepares for his record-breaking 150th Test.Cook, England’s record Test run-scorer, will on Thursday become the first England player – and the eighth man from any nation – to appear in 150 Tests. But while Cook insisted those who have suggested he was on the verge of retirement (the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Mitchell Johnson) did so from a position of ignorance – “they have no contact time with me” – he did admit he had “no idea” whether this Ashes campaign could prove to be his final Test series.All of which did little to quell the rising tide of speculation that suggests Cook could be tiring of the demands of a life as an international cricketer. And while he points to the extra training sessions he is taking as proof of his enduring ambition, he did hint that a decision about his future could be taken by the selectors unless he is able to rediscover his form with the bat.Cook has never been dropped from the Test team but the scars of losing the ODI captaincy at the end of 2014 are still apparent.”At the moment, I’m very much taking things on a game-by-game basis,” Cook said ahead of the third Test at the WACA. “I’m trying to score runs, trying to set up England wins.”Could it be my last series? I’ve no idea. And I’ve said that since I gave up the captaincy. Things change incredibly quickly. I was taught a lesson in 2014 with that World Cup. In the morning I was expecting to lead England in that World Cup and in the afternoon I got a phone call saying they didn’t want me to do it. And that was an hour after a meeting when they said they wanted me to, so you end up living on the edge in professional cricket.”I wouldn’t be going to do extra gym sessions or the extra batting behind closed doors if I wasn’t keen on carrying on. The people who are saying that [I’m finished] have had no contact time with me. They wouldn’t know the extra nets I’ve been having behind closed doors. I was with the batting coach Gary Palmer for an hour-and-a-half yesterday morning desperately trying to keep working at my game. That’s probably not a guy who’s given in.”It doesn’t get any easier. I think I said before that it doesn’t matter what you’ve done before, you still go out on nought every time you bat. That’s why it’s called Test cricket. It’s meant to be hard. I’m not saying I’m absolutely flying here, because you only fly when you’re really scoring runs.”If you’re scoring runs all the time your place is guaranteed and if you don’t there are plenty of other people who want your place so that hasn’t changed. That hasn’t changed in my 12 years and it won’t change in the next 20 years. People want your place and it’s up to me to score runs to get those people off my back. It’s just judged on results.”He did, he admits, lose a little of the drive required to lead the side at the end of 2016 but says he has enjoyed the transition back into the ranks.Alastair Cook lines one up in the nets•Getty Images

“I did my stint doing the best job in the world,” he said. “And at that time, I’d run out of that motivation to really drive this side on. In that last year, we lost too many games of cricket for a side that talented. So I probably felt as if I wasn’t doing my job well enough to drive that team forward and didn’t quite have the energy that job needed.”I’ve really enjoyed the last 12 months, with Essex obviously winning the County Championship and with England winning the last two series. We’ve got the biggest game of our lives coming up now, and we’ve got to scrap unbelievably hard for the five days.”It is, Cook says, the fact that he has played so many consecutive games (this match will be his 148th in succession; only Allan Border, with 153, can claim more) that provides most cause for pride. It is a record that demonstrates consistency, sustained fitness and a good relationship with the England management who have ensured he has been extended patience during the lean days.There have been a few of those, too. And, while is he keen to remind us that it is only four Tests since he made a double-century at Edgbaston, he is in something of a lean run now. That Edgbaston effort is his only hundred in his last 25 Test innings and he has not reached 40 in the eight innings since it.”Clearly I’d like to score more runs,” he said. “My job at the top of the order, and it has been since 2006, is to try to get England off to a good start and on this tour I have struggled. I thought in Adelaide I played a bit better. Four games ago I got a double hundred. So it’s amazing how the cycle of the world goes. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m setting the world alight but you get through that first hour as a batter and you try to get a big one. That doesn’t change.”I probably didn’t think I would be here when I turned up in Nagpur [for his Test debut] all those years ago. It’s obviously a very special moment in terms of a personal milestone. Not many people play 150 Test matches so to do that and do it at the top of the order, I’m quite proud of that.”It is a very special thing to pull on that cap. It’s a special thing to walk out and play for England. And that’s why I love doing it. Hopefully there can be a few more.”