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.

Australia and India hold a sizeable lead, but New Zealand could still push them

Alagappan Muthu13-Dec-2020″I’m not in a huge rush to go back to Lord’s…”Trent Boult was a joking, of course, which is probably not the worst way to look back on that raucous night on July 14, 2019, when not only was he in charge of the last over of the most dramatic World Cup final, he then had to bowl the Super Over as well. And though technically he didn’t really lose, he still had to watch the other team take away the Cup.Those scars may never fully heal but with another final scheduled at Lord’s in 2021 – one that will crown the first ever Test match champion in cricket history – Boult is willing to go all over again.

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“I’m not in a huge rush to go back to Lord’s but obviously it’ll be a special occasion,” he said at the end of the third day’s play in the second Test against West Indies in Wellington. “It’ll be very, very unique. Obviously [it] hasn’t been done before in a sense of having a final kind of playoff Test match. But it’s why you play the game. It’s why you put the hours in to lift those trophies in the end so I can’t think of a better bunch of guys to try and lift it with than this Test side.”New Zealand will have to finish in the top two of the World Test Championship table to book a spot for Lord’s next year. They are currently in fourth place but are favourites to wrap up the series against West Indies 2-0, with the opposition six down and still 85 runs shy of parity while following on. The next challenge begins on Boxing Day with two Tests against Pakistan and at the start of the new year they’ll take on Bangladesh as well.As things stand, Australia and India are a lot closer to playing in that final, thanks to the sizeable lead they have over everyone else. But, given all of New Zealand’s upcoming matches are at home and that they’ve only lost five Tests there in the last 10 years, they will fancy their chances of getting enough points to be pushing for those top-two spots.For now, their focus remains on West Indies, whose lower order mounted serious resistance once more and, with a little help from bad light, pushed the Wellington Test into the fourth day.”We would’ve loved to keep going,” Boult said. “But [we] can’t really control that. I think we were in a great position and it’s all set up nicely tonight. It’ll be nice obviously to look forward to get a nice hard new ball in our hands. Some good resiliency from Jason Holder; obviously good little partnership. It’s going to be a big one to break in the morning. Hopefully we can scratch out a couple before the new ball and set it up nicely. Probably don’t need to go [looking for wickets] too much. Keep it nice and simple as we have throughout the innings and draw the error and I’m pretty confident we can do it.”New Zealand have enjoyed some excellent individual performances over the past few days. Tim Southee picked up his 11th five-for and is moving ever closer to 300 Test wickets. And Boult is hot on his heels with both of them are eyeing Sir Richard Hadlee at New Zealand’s summit.”There’s a race to 431 that would be quite nice,” Boult said. “I really enjoy bowling with him [Southee]. We’ve been good mates for a number of years now. We complement [each other] very nicely at times in our career. He’s in some hot form. He’s been bowling really well with the red ball and he’s very close. It’s exciting”BJ Watling has been a silent partner helping Southee and Boult achieve those heights, and in the process he too has won a major accolade. With 242 dismissals, he went past England’s Alex Stewart and is now among the 10 most successful Test wicketkeepers of all time.”The Sherriff [Watling], he’s been doing what he does for a long time,” Boult said. “He’s a very passionate man. He’s very passionate about the hat on his head and the team he’s surrounded by. Deserves all the accolades that come his way. He’s one of the guys that works extremely hard on his game and it’s understandable why he’s moving further and further up those lists.”

Locked I, J and K stands will also be thrown open to the public

Varun Shetty02-Feb-2021It’s official now. Crowds up to 50% capacity of the MA Chidambaram Stadium will be allowed for the second India-England Test in Chennai, as reported by ESPNcricnfo on Monday.The BCCI had informally given a nod to TNCA on Monday, and the clearance was then subject to the approval of the Tamil Nadu government, which has been received. The first Test will be played behind closed doors, as originally planned. This was confirmed via a press note from RS Ramaswamy, the TNCA secretary.The move to allow crowds signals a change in course from the BCCI and the TNCA, who had recently informed its members that the MA Chidambaram Stadium would not allow crowds for the two Tests. But the decision comes in the wake of the Indian government revising its guidelines pertaining to spectators at outdoor sports in the country last weekend.”For outdoor sports events spectators will be allowed to full seating capacity,” the Indian ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports said in a circular updated on January 29. The circular, titled ‘Standard Operating Procedures for opening up of Stadia for sports events’, revised the ministry’s previous guidelines issued on December 26 which had stated spectators can be allowed at 50% capacity for outdoor sports.In another development, the I, J and K stands, which have been locked to spectators for over nine years due to issues between TNCA and the local municipality, will also be thrown open to the public, with necessary clearances obtained by the TNCA.It is understood that media personnel will be allowed at the stadium starting from the first Test, which is another change in flavour for Indian cricket, whose seven venues in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy had neither spectators, nor media personnel.Tamil Nadu is currently seeing a decline in active Covid-19 cases, and life in Chennai has slowly crawled back towards normalcy in recent months, with movie theatres allowing up to a 50% capacity indoors.

Fast bowler cleared a fitness Test and will be part of the squad for both remaining games

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2021Umesh Yadav has been added to India’s squad for the third and fourth Tests against England after clearing a fitness test. Yadav, who had given the fitness test on Sunday, was formally added to the squad on Monday, two days ahead of the third Test, which will be a pink-ball, day-night affair. Yadav will be available for selection for the match at the new stadium in Motera, which starts from February 24. The fourth and final Test will take place at the same venue from March 4, though that will be a traditional red-ball game.Yadav replaces Shardul Thakur in the Indian squad. Thakur has been released to play in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy – India’s domestic 50-overs competition – where he will turn out for Mumbai.Related

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Yadav was expected to be part of the squad once he had cleared his fitness test, and he joins a fast-bowling group that comprises Ishant Sharma – who will be playing his 100th Test, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.Yadav has played 48 Tests overall, of which 28 have been in India, where he has been particularly effective. Overall, he has 148 wickets at 30.54, but at home, he has 96 wickets at 24.54. He has been particularly devastating at home since 2018, averaging 13.86 with 38 wickets in seven games. His average and strike rate (24.3) in that period are the best in India of any bowler, given a minimum of three Tests played.Given the success Yadav has enjoyed and the likelihood of India bringing in a pacer in place of a spinner due to the match being a pink-ball one, Yadav could return to the playing XI straightaway, marking his first game since picking up a calf injury during the Boxing Day Test against Australia.

The time that an ODI affords – as opposed to T20 cricket – allowed the batsman to get into his groove again

Sidharth Monga25-Mar-20217:48

KL Rahul – ‘I didn’t want to sit back and overthink about two or three bad performances’

It is often joked – given how fans pine for players who are not playing – that the quickest way to improve as a cricketer is to spend some time outside the playing XI. However, that only fits for struggling teams. If your team is going through the kind of patch India is, you can be forgotten in no time at all. And then when you come back to play, the pressure can be immense because you know there are so many new players breathing down your neck.KL Rahul is not exactly that story, but the noise around his failures in the T20I series tells you something about the riches of Indian cricket. Not long ago, Rahul was the answer to India’s long-persisting ailments in limited-overs cricket: a middle-order batsman who could score consistent and quick runs. A couple of indifferent matches, an injury during the Tests ruling him out when India could have done with a batsman, and then four failures in the T20Is against England later, he was suddenly the one having his position questioned.Related

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During all this, those fit and outside the squad spent time in the middle in the domestic competitions and scored tons of runs. Nothing encapsulates it better than the ease with which Krunal Pandya batted with Rahul, who scratched only early in the innings, during the match-winning partnership in the Pune ODI. Rahul had played 31 balls in the middle in the last three-and-a-half months, and Pandya had come off a bumper Vijay Hazare season.Once Rahul got through that initial struggle, he matched Pandya stroke for stroke. It was that time in the middle that T20 cricket doesn’t allow you that Rahul was missing. “I didn’t do anything different [during the T20Is against England],” Rahul said. “I wasn’t too stressed. Obviously, as a player, you are disappointed sitting on the bench. The last time I played was three-three-and-a-half months ago. So I was really excited and looking forward to doing well in the T20 series as well. Every cricketer, every player in the team wants to do that. Sometimes it doesn’t happen, and you accept it.”For me the most important thing was, when I sat back and tried to look back and things, I asked myself if I had prepared well and if I was training hard and if there was anything I didn’t do in terms of preparation. When I thought about it, I had done everything right. After that if I don’t score runs, I can accept that. Having said that, it doesn’t mean you don’t feel disappointed. You do feel disappointed because you are representing your country. And you are playing at this level. You want to keep performing and keep winning games for your team.”But you always have to accept that it is not always going to go your way. You have to be patient at times. I have been doing well at whatever roles and responsibilities that have been thrown at me for the last two-two-and-a-half years. When things were going right, I didn’t question my process, I didn’t question my passion or my commitment to the game or how I was preparing. So I didn’t want to sit back and overthink. You need to accept it sometimes. I was doing most things right. Whatever is in my control. Even after that if you don’t score runs, you accept it and move on.”Having spent some time in the middle, KL Rahul found his footwork and range returning•BCCI

The only thing that changed was the length of the innings, which provided him some time for that initial struggle. “The one-day format, playing at No. 5, I could take a little bit more time than I took in T20s,” Rahul said. “In T20s also, I wanted to give myself time but it wasn’t going my way. Having spent a little time in the middle, having hit a couple of good shots from the middle of the bat, footwork going well, your nerves tend to calm down a little bit more. When I walked in, Shikhar [Dhawan] was batting well. We lost a couple of wickets. I knew when Krunal walked in, me having played a little bit more cricket than Krunal, we knew we had to stitch together a partnership. When you stop thinking about your own personal game and there is a team responsibility ahead, you start thinking a little bit clearer. And having spent 20-25 balls in the middle, I started to feel a little bit more confident.”The more time you spend in the middle, the calmer and more confident you start feeling. Getting a few boundaries off the bat, that sort of calms you down and you start focusing on the task ahead. That is the only thing. I don’t know if top of the order or lower makes much of a difference. The only thing is to spend a bit of a time in the middle.”The return to form won’t move Rahul off his toes, though. “When you are part of this Indian team you always know the competition is going to be really really high,” he said. “You can never sit back and be comfortable and feel like you own your position. You’ll always be challenged. That’s the good thing about… that’s how our country is. There is such a lot of talent, and there will be players coming and knocking on the door all the time. As a player in the team you always try to push yourself and keep training harder and keep working on your game and try to get better and better every time. And whenever the opportunity comes, you try to grab it with both hands. Try to keep doing that every series.”

On Thursday, the country recorded the highest single-day Covid-19 numbers

Mohammad Isam02-Apr-2021The third round matches of the National Cricket League (NCL) have been postponed, as Bangladesh deals with a surge in Covid-19 cases, the numbers going up over the last two weeks.On Thursday, the country’s health authority confirmed that a record 6469 had tested positive for the virus – the highest single-day figure yet in the country – while 59 people have died, which is the most in the last nine months.Two of the NCL’s four matches from the previous round, completed on Thursday, were held in Cox’s Bazar, the seaside town, which is now regarded as a Covid-19 hotspot. The government has ordered closure of all tourist spots in Cox’s Bazar, something that will affect movement in the region.The BCB had earlier announced that it would hold the NCL’s third round matches in Cox’s Bazar and Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Prothisthan, the sports institute 40 kilometres north of Dhaka, although matches were also held in Khulna, Barisal and Rangpur in the first two rounds.There has also been a rise in Covid-19 cases among players taking part in the NCL. In their previous round match against Dhaka Division, Sylhet Division struggled to put an XI in the field after six of their players – including captain Alok Kapali and Khaled Ahmed – tested positive. There have also been reports of cases in the Rangpur Division team.The delay in the NCL may affect the schedule of the Dhaka Premier League, which is scheduled to start on May 6.

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

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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.

van der Dussen and Shamsi win men’s ODI player of the year and men’s T20I player of the year awards

ESPNcricinfo staff31-May-2021Quicks Anrich Nortje and Shabnim Ismail were named South Africa’s men’s and women’s cricketer of the year respectively at CSA’s annual awards ceremony, which was held virtually on Monday. Nortje became the 12th player to win the newcomer of the year and men’s cricketer of the year awards in successive years.Both players also bagged other major awards, with Nortje being named the Test cricketer of the year, South Africa fans’ player of the year and South Africa men’s players’ player of the year (sharing a tied vote with Aiden Markram). As for Ismail, she also won the women’s T20I cricketer of the year and South Africa women’s players’ player of the year awards.Having previously scooped up the women’s premier award in 2015, Ismail joined Marizanne Kapp (2013, 2014) and Dane van Niekerk (2016, 2018, 2019) as multiple winners in the professional era.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Batter Rassie van der Dussen was named men’s ODI player of the year while left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi, who is currently No.1 on the T20I bowling rankings, took the men’s T20I player of the year award. Lizelle Lee, meanwhile, claimed the women’s ODI player of the year award.”Anrich and Shabnim have set the highest standards that we expect from our icon Proteas players,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA Acting Chief Executive, said in a statement. “Anrich’s international career to date has been remarkable. In the space of a year he has gone from being named our International Newcomer of the Year to our overall Player of the Year – an incredible achievement. The pandemic has restricted him to just 10 Test matches to date in which he has taken 39 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls.”Shabnim is the fastest bowler on the women’s international circuit, and she has been the leader of our Momentum Proteas attack for a long time now. She is the only South African to have taken 100 wickets in the T20 International format and she recently passed the significant landmark of 150 wickets in ODI cricket.”She has played a huge role in enabling our Momentum Proteas to break into the top group of countries with a world ranking of No. 2 in the ODI format.”Allrounder George Linde was adjudged the men’s international newcomer of the year while fellow left-arm fingerspinner Keshav Maharaj won big on the domestic front. He was named the SACA Most Valuable Player (MVP) as well as domestic players’ player of the season.Dolphins’ Ottniel Baartman, who recently earned his maiden call-up to the South Africa Test squad, was the inaugural winner of the Makhaya Ntini Power of Cricket Award. Titans’ Markram was named the 4-day domestic series player of the year for racking up 945 runs in seven matches at an average of 94.50, in the 2020-21 season. Former Dolphins allrounder Robbie Frylinck, who had announced his retirement earlier this year, was awarded the one-day cricketer of the season title while Lions’ Sisanda Magala was recognised as the T20 challenge cricketer of the season.

Warwickshire spinner could play first match for England since 2014 after Covid reshuffle

George Dobell07-Jul-2021Danny Briggs is promising not to put too much pressure on himself as he makes a return to the England set-up that he admits he thought would never happen.It’s seven-and-a-half years since Briggs last played a T20I for England and almost a decade since his only ODI. But now aged 30, and called up to the hastily-picked squad for the ODI series against Pakistan after the original squad were ruled out due to Covid protocols, he believes he has the experience to cope with whatever the next few weeks throw at him.”I was 21 when I was first picked for England,” Briggs told ESPNcricinfo. “And 23 when I played my last game. It’s very young, isn’t it?”Looking back, I put too much pressure on myself. I don’t think I’d ever experienced any lows in cricket before then and I sort of expected to be successful.”I think I tried too hard, really. I was trying to impress other people. Obviously it’s great to play for your country, but I’m not sure I enjoyed it as much as I should have done, really.”It’s an odd situation now, but it’s an incredible opportunity, too. This time, I’m going to try to take it all in. I’m going to do my best, of course, but I want to try and enjoy every minute of it.”Briggs has been a consistent performer in T20 cricket for years. His tally of 184 wickets in England’s domestic T20 competition is more than anyone else and, of those in the top 39 wicket-takers, only three men (Jeetan Patel, Stephen Parry and Imran Tahir) have lower economy-rates than his 7.16.But while he has always bowled his left-arm spin with impressive control, he now feels he has the experience to optimise his variations. And he hopes his positive experience in the most recent BBL season – only six men who delivered more than 30 overs had a better economy-rate than his 7.41 – bodes well for his return to the top level.Related

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“I took a lot of confidence from that Big Bash experience,” he says. “There’s a certain level of expectation that comes with being an overseas player in a high-profile tournament like that; you’re expected to do well.”But I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the responsibility and I enjoyed helping the younger players. I performed pretty well and it felt like a stepping stone on the return to international cricket.”He’s also improved his batting. While he remains something of a blocker, he has made two half-centuries in the Championship season – he had only reached 50 twice previously in a first-class career that stretches back to 2009 – and has developed into a willing nightwatchman and reliable lower-order player. He could probably hold up an end at international level pretty effectively, which is one of several reasons why a Test call-up isn’t entirely out of the question.”I’ve worked hard on my batting,” he says. “Particularly my four-day batting. I’ve upskilled a little, but for me, it’s been about being disciplined. I’ve always enjoyed batting and it makes you more selectable.”He’s had some opportunity, too. He only played four first-class games in 2019 and none at all in 2020. But once Sussex had made it clear they didn’t see much of a future for him, Warwickshire offered him the chance to replace Patel and become a central figure in all formats.”I just felt I had more to offer in first-class cricket,” he says. “I was desperate to play in all formats and Warwickshire were good enough to give me that opportunity.”Coming to Warwickshire has been brilliant. They’ve demonstrated a huge amount of confidence in me. They way they’ve backed me – and the way the bowling coach, Graeme Welch, in particular, has kept saying I shouldn’t have given up on England – has helped me believe in myself much more. I hope I’ve shown I can play four-day cricket now. I’ve loved it.”If I’m honest, there were times I didn’t think I’d win a recall. It’s been a long haul and there have been times when I’ve felt miles away. Yes, I’d told myself it wasn’t going to happen.”And I know this is a very unusual situation. I know there are a few who would be ahead of me in the pecking order. So I’m not looking too far ahead.”But I’ve always worked hard. I’ve always been willing to learn. And yes, of course in the back of my mind, I’ve an eye on both the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. I’d love to be there.”But whatever happens, I feel very lucky. I’ve a great role at a great club and I’m really enjoying my cricket. I’m happy in everything I’m doing and my feet are staying on the ground.”

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.