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England’s new national selector has the challenge of trying to solve long-standing issues with the Test side

Andrew McGlashan20-Apr-2018Stick or twistEngland were thwarted by New Zealand’s lower order in Christchurch, falling two wickets short of ending their barren run away from home. In the aftermath, there was a sense that the signs of improvement – particularly from Mark Stoneman and James Vince, who both scored half-centuries – had brought the men in the spotlight some more time. It will be interesting to see whether Smith feels the same way or whether the start of a new season is the time for a blank sheet of paper.Find the x-factorMark Wood and Jack Leach were brought into the side for Christchurch in an attempt to shake up England’s attack. It nearly worked, but the reality is that England have taken 20 wickets just once in their last 12 away Tests. James Anderson remains the attack leader and Stuart Broad looked rejuvenated in New Zealand, but high on Smith’s agenda will be finding bowlers (pace and spin) who can provide a point of difference. Names suggested early season include Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson in the pace debate, but Smith’s desire to delve into analytics may throw up some interesting new faces.Home and awayEngland’s home record has propped up their Test standing in recent years, but that can’t be taken for granted. There is a balance to strike between winning in the here-and-now and having an eye on the types of players who will be needed to arrest the decline overseas. For example, if a certain pace bowler or spinner is viewed as a likely starter in Sri Lanka or West Indies, then do they need to be playing this summer to find their feet in Test cricket? And, also, Smith will need to decide how far ahead to look. The next away Ashes in 2021-22 is likely to be high on the agenda. Players for that need to be identified now.Horses for coursesWith Smith’s emphasis on analytics and a more Moneyball approach to selection, could we see an evolution of the way Test squads are selected throughout a series – especially at home, where there is no restriction on who is available and limited distances to travel. Even if a certain team produces an impressive victory in one Test, does it mean they are the best XI for the next match? How deep will Smith look at conditions and opposition when selecting squads? This, of course, has to be balanced with the dangers of chopping and changing, and the instability it could bring.If it aint brokeRejuvenating the Test side will be Smith’s biggest selection challenge (although the T20 side has also lost some direction in the last couple of years). But the 50-over side is shaping up very nicely ahead of next year’s World Cup – an event with an importance to the English game that cannot be overstated. An era has been staked on winning that tournament on home soil. Smith is a smart man and will know what is working well, but it will be important that he doesn’t feel the need to tinker for the sake of it. Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss probably already know 13 of their 15-man squad for 2019 – things would have to go badly pear-shaped for those selection meetings to stretch Smith too much.

Australia and their three debutants fought to the finish against the visitors in front of a raucous crowd at the MCG, but a win offered Sri Lanka the chance to wrap up the series at Kardinia Park on Sunday

The Report by Daniel Brettig17-Feb-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAsela Gunaratne continued his good form in international cricket•Getty Images

Australia’s “best of the Big Bash League” took Sri Lanka to the final ball. The hosts and their three debutants fought to the finish against the visitors in front of a raucous crowd at the MCG, but a win offered Sri Lanka the chance to wrap up the series at Kardinia Park on Sunday.The Perth Scorchers’ Andrew Tye was left with six runs to defend from the final over, and one from the final ball. Chamara Kapugedara surveyed the ring field then punched the winning boundary through the covers to secure the result. His composure ensured Sri Lanka finished in the ascendant after looking the more likely victors throughout their chase, largely due to a boundary count that outstripped the hosts, 21 to 13.None of Australia’s batsmen were able to go on to substantial scores after Upul Tharanga sent them in to bat, as a spongy pitch and disciplined Sri Lankan bowling denied them the ability to find a domineering rhythm. Sri Lanka’s pursuit was then given the desired fast start by Dilshan Munaweera after Tharanga was dismissed in the first over, and Asela Gunaratne’s nimble half-century guided the tourists to within sight of victory in front of 42,511 spectators, many of them barracking for Sri Lanka.Gunaratne also made a brief but notable contribution with the ball, goading the captain Aaron Finch into a skier after he had appeared the man most likely to produce a truly damaging tally for Australia. The dismissal came two balls after Finch had hammered the biggest six of the night, and 10 runs after Michael Klinger’s long delayed international debut was ended.Lasith Malinga, making his own return from a long absence, bowled tidily and scooped a couple of late wickets, while Seekkuge Prasanna gave up a mere 23 runs from four overs that featured 10 dot balls and should have been rewarded with the wicket of Travis Head – dropped badly by Tharanga at point.Tharanga’s night did not improve when he opened the batting, as he received a perfectly pitched ball going across him from Pat Cummins in the first over and offered a thin edge through to Tim Paine behind the stumps. While the Australians celebrated this wicket with some gusto, they were soon haring about the MCG outfield as Munaweera and Niroshan Dickwella went to work.Their partnership ensured the run rate was not going to be much of an issue, compelling Finch and his bowlers to chase wickets and consequentially offer more scoring opportunities. Adam Zampa delivered his usual handy spell and deserved his two wickets, but oddly Finch did not try his other spin options until introducing Ashton Turner with only a modest equation required.Dilshan Munaweera’s six fours in his quick innings rallied Sri Lanka till the halfway mark•Cricket Australia

Turner’s offbreaks were rewarded by a smart Paine stumping to end Gunaratne’s innings just when he appeared to be coasting home, before a debatable lbw verdict against Milinda Siriwardana closed the gap between the teams. In the end, Kapugedara was left needing a single from the final delivery, an assignment he made light work of with a steely drive for four.Klinger, Turner and Billy Stanlake were all named for their first T20 appearances for Australia but there was no room for Ben Dunk and only three specialist batsmen selected – Finch, Head and Klinger. The visitors included the left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan, who was so effective against Australia in the Test series in Sri Lanka last year.Malinga kicked off the evening with his first ball in a full international since February last year, and also bowled the first ball faced by Klinger in an international match no fewer than 19 years after his state debut. The pitch was a little on the sluggish side, but Klinger and the acting captain Finch made a decent start with a smattering of boundaries and hustling between the wickets.They had 76 on the board by the time Klinger tried to tug a Sandakan googly to the leg side and was pouched by Malinga via the resultant top edge. Finch had his eye on a big score as leader, but after depositing Gunaratne’s first ball well into the Great Southern Stand he tried to repeat the trick two balls later against an offcutter and popped another high catch.From there the innings was a sequence of fits and starts, as Head, Moises Henriques, Turner and James Faulkner all offered cameo contributions. However, Prasanna’s spell was particularly tidy, Sri Lanka did well to keep the boundary count down – only seven fours and four sixes in total – and two wickets in successive balls for Malinga in his final over also served to aid the tourists’ ultimately winning cause.

CSA has appointed Norman Arendse as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2016CSA has appointed their lead independent board director and chairman of the transformation committee, Norman Arendse, as convener of a task team to address the grievances voiced by black African cricketers last year, following a meeting with sports minister, Fikile Mbalula, in which it was made clear that the issue needed to be tackled as a matter of urgency.Last November, a group of cricketers calling themselves Black Players in Unity wrote a letter to CSA detailing their concerns at being picked in national squads but not playing enough games. They were driven by the case of Khaya Zondo who travelled with the limited-overs squads to India in October 2015 but did not play a single game.The minister’s immediate stance on the issue was made clear in an interview with City Press. “I support the stance taken by the players,” he wrote. “The issues of players being selected but not being picked for matches is old and has not only been raised by the players but the public. These players are not doing it for themselves but for generations to come.”Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, and Chris Nenzani, the president, confirmed receipt of the letter while still in India for the Test series and insisted that it would receive “priority attention at the highest level”, with Mbalula responding that he was “encouraged” by a proposed meeting between the board and the players.However, in the weeks that followed, there were no updates on whether a meeting had taken place or a solution reached. The only mention of the issue arose when it emerged in January that Aaron Phangiso, a black African player, had been sanctioned for drunken behaviour on a flight in October. The incident, however, was not made public or even shared with CSA’s board, with Lorgat confirming to The Times that he and Nenzani had chosen to “contain the matter … in view of the black African player issue that had surfaced at that time”.In addition, CSA has been required to brief the minister on selection policies, guidelines and procedure which would include information on any transformation targets or quotas. The ministry said CSA’s report was “well received, however there was general agreement that there are glaring gaps and inadequacies in the policy that are in conflict with the sports barometer and transformation charter”.The ministry did not go into further detail on where it believes CSA is failing to meet its obligations. However, it said the board had agreed to consultation aimed at policy review, adding that the board would “discuss the principle of merit selection in relation to the quality of opportunity.” Broadly, that relates to whether players of colour are given sufficient chances to succeed at the highest level.The ministry confirmed CSA have signed a memorandum of agreement, similar to the one signed by the South African Rugby Union last year, in order to guarantee their commitment to achieving transformation targets. Currently, CSA have targets at domestic level that require that every franchise must field six players of colour, of which three must be black African. CSA claim not to have official national quotas but unofficially, it is recommended that at least four players of colour take the field in every XI, of which one is black African.

David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has revealed a trial is underway during the current Ashes series to enhance the role of the third umpire by feeding him direct pictures

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Jul-2013David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, has revealed a trial is underway during the current Ashes series to enhance the role of the third umpire by feeding him direct pictures that would avert controversial incidents like Stuart Broad getting away with a thick edge in the first Investec Test last week. Broad stood his ground having edged a ball from Ashton Agar, after the on-field umpire Aleem Dar failed to spot the deflection off the bat. Having spent all their reviews, Michael Clarke’s Australia were left high and dry.Speaking on the BBC’s , Richardson admitted it was frustrating that, in the age of technology, Broad managed to escape. “It is, of course,” Richardson said. “For that reason, up to the third Test, we have a trial going on, independent of what is happening on the field, to allow the third umpire to have a bank of televisions where he can actually choose and get access to the technology much quicker than he would if he simply relies on the director or producer sending him the pictures up to him. If we progress along these lines … there is an opportunity for the third umpire to have the say and to overrule where he thinks an obvious mistake has been made.”Richardson stressed it was a long-term process but the ICC remained optimistic. “I don’t think people should think it is going to be introduced for the next series,” Richardson said. “It is at a very basic phase and we need to progress a lot further before we get it on board in a match.”Speaking on the unusual move by the ICC to reveal the assessment of the three umpires (Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus) and the various decisions they made during the Trent Bridge Test, Richardson reiterated that it was necessary bring the numbers out into open to erase certain doubts. However, he indicated that the ICC would not make it a norm to make the umpires assessment public.”We will take on a case-by-case basis,” Richardson said. “In this case we had put everything in perspective because it was an unusual Test match. There were so many decisions to be made, almost 75% more than normal.” The ICC release had stated that the on-field umpires made a total of seven errors, three of which were uncorrected.Not included in that list was a controversial ruling in favour of Australia debutant Ashton Agar, who was given not out when England appealed for a tight stumping. Richardson reasoned why it was not considered a mistake. “We have got a team of three who look at it,” he said. “First of all the match referee. Then if there is a bit of doubt then it goes to Vince van der Bijl, our umpires’ manager and then it goes to Geoff Allardice [the ICC’s manager of cricket]. They all felt there was just that element of doubt: was his foot in the air, maybe there was a spike on the ground? So there was just not enough for the third umpire to give actually give the decision against the batsman.”Asked if there was scope for benefit of doubt in favour of the player Richardson said primarily the ICC was looking for definitive proof to make a decision, “as far as it is possible”. He cited the example of the England of Joe Root, who was adjudged lbw at Lord’s on Thursday morning. “Anyone other than maybe an English supporter would acknowledge that it was fractionally pad first. In which case the correct decision, unfortunately, is out,” Richardson said.Richardson followed that by revealing an aspect of how the umpires’ assessment worked. “Let us say the on-field umpire had got it wrong, and he thought it was bat first,” Richardson said. “Then we will mark that technically incorrect because we say, look, there must have been some doubt in your mind so you have actually made a good cricket decision. So we don’t mark him in his personal records as having made a mistake. But technically it was an incorrect decision and we get it changed.”On Wednesday, the MCC’s World Cricket Committee, restated its backing for the DRS while pointing out that to make the system much more streamlined, the ICC needed to take control of it. But Richardson was defensive about such a step.”People say ICC should take complete control of technology,” he said. “Today we have two Hot Spot cameras, some ball tracking cameras and a couple of slow-motions cameras. But next year there will be something else … there will be real-time Snickometer. Then next year there is something else. So in a way we don’t want to hamper development. But it is going progress and it is going to become even more difficult to resist taking full advantage of the technology that gets developed. Our strategy has been: let us introduce technology but not on the basis they are just ball counters and coat hangers.”Richardson said that introducing various technologies into the game was never to make the role of the umpires obsolete. “We want them to be part of the game, the on-field umpires in particular, and that is why one of the reasons why we like the idea of them making the decision and then the players, if they really disagree, asking for it to be reviewed,” Richardson said.

Young cricketers today have the option to become rich, successful cricketers without even aspiring to play Tests, but Rahul Dravid has urged them to “not sell themselves short”

Sidharth Monga04-Jul-2012Young cricketers today have the option to become rich, successful cricketers without even aspiring to play Tests, but Rahul Dravid has urged them to “not sell themselves short” because he feels there is no match for the satisfaction that can be derived from playing Test cricket. He was quick to add that he didn’t want to judge them on or blame them for their choices but that he wanted to challenge them to give Test cricket a fair go.Dravid was speaking at the launch of the book , an anthology of some of the best writings on him, published by ESPNcricinfo and Walt Disney. The book is a collection of 30 pieces, some new and some previously published; the writers include cricketers (Ed Smith, Jason Gillespie, Greg Chappell, Sanjay Manjrekar) and well-known cricket writers (Rohit Brijnath, Gideon Haigh, Rahul Bhattacharya, Suresh Menon).”There are more options now,” Dravid said of the quandary cricket faces. “Very hard for me to be judgemental about kids of today. Unfair. I had gone through a commerce degree in college, and not very successfully. When I grew up, if I wanted to be a successful professional cricketer – and making a living out of the sport became a part of that – the only option for me was to be a successful Test cricketer. There was no other way in which you could make a professional living out of the sport. I would have still played it, but I would have probably looked to do something else professionally if I wasn’t good enough.”Dravid said he could understand the lure of the other options. “People now have the option of not necessarily playing Test cricket but making a living out of the game,” he said. “And, you know, who’s to blame kids for taking that option? Who’s to blame kids for using that opportunity if they feel they are not good enough for Test cricket? If they are not good enough for Test cricket, I am sure they will feel, ‘Look at least I needn’t make a living out of this game. Let me at least play this, which is giving me money.'”I won’t like to judge them on that, but I will like to challenge them. What I’ll like to tell young kids is that the greatest satisfaction you are going to get is by playing Test cricket and playing in some of these great stadiums of the world. That will give you the greatest personal satisfaction, so don’t sell yourself short. Try and achieve. It is possible. It can be done. There might be kids in this era who will take that soft option. Some won’t. We will be able to see in time. Every era there have been people who have fallen by the wayside.”When asked if he saw enough players coming in who were desperate to play Test cricket, Dravid said it was not a concern right now but one that will confront cricket soon enough. “People like Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Manoj Tiwary, or whoever the youngsters are, have grown up watching and idolising Test cricket,” he said. “It’s the kids like Samit [Dravid’s son, 7] who will have grown up watching the IPL. That will be the challenge. What will those kids want? I don’t see this as an immediate problem. I see it as a long-term issue.”By long term I mean ten years, when those kind of kids grow up, what will their aspirations be? If one of the young kinds wants to play, will he want to play for a franchise? You have to understand that at the end of the day players are also performers, and they want to perform. When you look at the IPL, it’s a great stage to perform. Played in front of full stadiums, there is a great viewership on television, you are playing with some of the best players in the world, you are playing at some of the greatest stadiums in the country… It’s a great stage to perform. That challenge is going to arise in ten years’ time, and I think we have got to address it right now.”

Sohail Tanvir has said his experience with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faisal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2011Sohail Tanvir has said his experience in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals back in 2008 helped him captain Rawalpindi Rams to victory in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup. Tanvir, who was the leading wicket-taker in the first IPL and scored the winning runs in the final, made special mention of Shane Warne, his captain at Rajasthan.”My experience of playing under Warne helped me,” Tanvir told the . “As a captain you must be on your toes when you need to make important decisions. I gave my players much-needed confidence and they performed to the best of their ability.”One of the features of Rawalpindi’s run in the tournament was that they relied on their young players to perform at crucial times, something Warne has always encouraged at Rajasthan. Jamal Anwar, Rawalpindi’s 20-year-old wicketkeeper, was their leading run-getter in the tournament and Man of the Match in their upset of Lahore Lions in the semi-finals. Raza Hasan, the 18-year-old left-arm spinner, took the second-highest number of wickets in the tournament with 11 at an average of 11.27 and economy rate of 6.20.Tanvir gave Hasan the responsibility of bowling the Super Over in the final, against Karachi Dolphins, and he delivered, giving away just seven runs to secure victory for Rawalpindi. “I was supposed to bowl the Super Over but I gave it to Hasan only because of his high confidence.”Rawalpindi were underdogs in the tournament, but won convincingly against favourites Lahore before holding their nerve in the thrilling final against Karachi. Tanvir said the best thing about the Twenty20 format was that it gave everyone a chance. “This is a modern format of the game and is tough. We were the underdogs but still managed to win through hard work. This is the beauty of Twenty20.”

Until the final lap of the chase, it was Leeward Islands who seemed ahead but Kieron Pollard killed the contest in his own inimitable style

Cricinfo staff25-Jul-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieron Pollard smashed seven sixes in a 20-ball 53•Nicholas Reid/West Indies Cricket Board

Until the final leg of the chase, Leeward Islands appeared to be ahead the contest but Kieron Pollard won the match in his own inimitable style, steering Trinidad & Tobago to their second successive victory of the tournament.When Pollard entered the scene, T&T needed 80 from 41 deliveries. Until then, they had struggled; the top order had collapsed and Dwayne Bravo was cautious as he tried to rebuild. Runs were at a premium but it was exactly the sort of situation that made Pollard the Twenty20 star that he is. And in a blink of an eye the chase was over. Most of his seven sixes either flew deep into the stands or clattered on the roof but Pollard still gave the impression that he was playing within himself.Pollard began his attack in the 15th over bowled by spinner Justin Athanaze. There is a theory that Pollard isn’t great against quality spin and Athanaze had conceded only 12 runs in three overs and had also picked the wicket of Darren Ganga. Pollard, however, pulled him to fine leg for four before dragging a six over midwicket and collecting another six with a dismissive waft over long off. He was just beginning to warm up. Bravo scored three boundaries off Wilden Cornwall in the next over before Pollard swung back into action in the 17th. It was a massacre: Tonito Willet was pummelled for four sixes – the ball ricocheted of the midwicket roof, the crowd at long on watched the ball fly over them twice and he finished off with a dragged six over square leg. Game over.Just before Pollard turned it on, Denesh Ramdin had revived the chase with a breezy innings. The plan was straightforward: Bravo would bat through, Ramdin would hit out and Pollard would take care of the rest. In the 13th over, Ramdin went after Gavin Tonge, who had picked two top-order wickets, by hitting a six over midwicket and two on-side boundaries. Ramdin fell in the next over but Pollard took over in style.Until the Pollard blitz, Leewards had had a fairly good day. Javier Liburd, the opener, had taken on T&T’s spinners and laid a fair foundation. He lifted Dave Mohammed to the long-off and midwicket boundary and cut Samuel Badree to point for more fours. Although he fell, playing all around a full delivery from Sherwin Ganga, Kerry Mentore took over and guided Leewards to a healthy total. Mentore crashed Sherwin Ganga to the roof on the straight boundary, mowed Pollard over midwicket and found support from the lower-middle order as Leewards raced to 161. For nearly 15 overs into the chase, it seemed a stiff target before Pollard stamped his presence on the game.

“What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy and then see what happens”

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2024Suryakumar Yadav, India’s T20I captain, wants to have some “red-ball fun” but is aware the road back to the Test side will not be all that straightforward.As things stand, there are at least four others, including his Mumbai team-mates Sarfaraz Khan and Shreyas Iyer, along with KL Rahul and Rajat Patidar, ahead of him in the pecking order. But he wants to give the long-form cricket another proper crack in a bid to add to his one-Test appearance last year, against Australia in Nagpur.”There are a lot of people who have worked really hard to earn their place and even I want to earn that spot again,” Suryakumar told reporters in Coimbatore on Monday after Mumbai’s training session on the sidelines of the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament.Related

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“I made my debut for India in Tests. After that, I got injured as well. There were a lot of people who got an opportunity and have done well too. They deserve that opportunity right now.”Going forward, if I have to play, then I will automatically play. That’s not in my control. What’s in my power right now is to play the Buchi Babu tournament, go on to play the Duleep Trophy and then see what happens. But yes, I’m really looking forward. There are ten Test matches lined up and I’m obviously excited for some red-ball fun.”Suryakumar hasn’t played a first-class fixture since last year’s Duleep Trophy 13 months ago. Between then and now, he has recuperated from a groin surgery in Germany that kept him out of action for three months. During this period, he was part of the ODI and T20 World Cups.Suryakumar Yadav recently led India to a 3-0 sweep in the T20I series in Sri Lanka•Getty Images

He was named full-time T20I captain after Rohit retired from the format following India’s title win in the Caribbean. Recently, he led India to a 3-0 T20I series sweep in Sri Lanka. After the Buchi Babu fixture, he will head to Anantapur for the Duleep Trophy, where he has been named in the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led India C squad.”Red-ball cricket has always been my priority,” Suryakumar said. “When I grew up in the maidans of Mumbai and played a lot of local cricket, I started playing with the red cherry. The love for the longest format began there, and has always been there.”I have taken part in a lot of first-class matches for more than ten years now and I still cherish playing this format. There’s no question about it and that’s why I’m here before the Duleep Trophy.”I will always look for an opportunity to come and play for Mumbai, be it in first-class cricket or a tournament like the Buchi Babu. A lot of international players have played in this competition before and have gone on to represent the country.”Suryakumar’s return to long-form cricket comes at a time when India are slated to play ten Tests over the next four months, starting with the two-Test series against Bangladesh on September 19. That will be followed by three against New Zealand and five away, in Australia.For Suryakumar to make a pitch for a Test recall, he will need a series of tall scores. He is looking at the upcoming opportunity for Mumbai as a blessing to acclimatise to red-ball cricket quickly before the domestic season begins.”We are fortunate to have this tournament because we don’t get many multi-day games back home during this weather,” he said. “Yes, you can practise for a couple of hours, but standing in the heat for six hours and doing that three or four days in a row is only possible through a game. That’s very important going forward in the Duleep Trophy and, hopefully, in Tests.”Suryakumar has a decent red-ball record, having scored 5628 runs in 82 first-class matches at an average of 43.62. This includes 14 hundreds and 29 fifties. He could be a key player on turning tracks, where he can bring his attacking game to the fore. But he underlined the need to tailor his game to suit the demands of the format, and not bat like he would in a T20 game.”It’s necessary to adapt to the conditions well,” he said. “In Mumbai, you have red soil, but here [in Coimbatore] it is black soil and the wickets are a bit different. You have to be one step ahead in the challenging longest format and can’t bat like how you would in a T20.”But at the same time, intent is imperative. Everything else will take care of itself when you play. You can’t go into the game and ponder too much. You just have to go out, put your heart into it and enjoy the game. Stay humble if you do well. Go back to the drawing board and start again if you don’t.”

Alex Lees makes 70 as Ben Gibbon replies with four wickets for Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network13-Apr-2023Durham 363 for 7 (Bedingham 118, Lees 70, Gibbon 4-75) vs WorcestershireDavid Bedingham pressed his international credentials with a brilliant century on day one of Durham’s LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two clash against Worcestershire at Seat Unique Riverside.Before the start of the season, Bedingham declared his intention to play for his home nation of South Africa rather than await his availability for an England call. He duly delivered a timely reminder of his quality with a sublime innings of 118 after Alex Lees provided the platform with a knock of 70 at the top of the order, allowing Durham to post 363 for 7.Ben Gibbon and Adam Finch were the pick of the Worcestershire bowlers, preventing the hosts from building a dominant position by taking timely wickets. Gibbon ended the day with four for 75, including the scalp of Bedingham in the final hour, to drag his team back into the game on day one.After being inserted, Durham opener Lees endured a streaky start to his knock. He survived two inside edges and was able to settle into a rhythm with Michael Jones, and Lees quickly brought up the fifty stand in the 11th over with a cut to the fence, continuing Durham’s attacking intent from their opening match against Sussex.Finch and Gibbon turned the momentum of the morning session by hitting the pitch hard with a tight line. Back-to-back maidens forced a mistake from Jones to hand Finch the breakthrough. Finch continued to run in from the Lumley End and his effort ball ended a difficult 58-ball stay for Durham captain Scott Borthwick, who looked rusty following his return from a finger injury.Lees remained stoic and ground out his second fifty of the season from 110 deliveries. The England opener was not at his fluent best but displayed much-needed resilience to hand his team a solid platform before he was finally undone by a peach from Gibbon, who found the gap between bat and pad and removed his middle stump.Bedingham was the beneficiary of Lees’ exploits and ensured that Durham capitalised on their position of strength, surging past his fifty at almost a run-a-ball. The South African was in pristine touch and pressed on toward three figures after taking 15 runs from Finch’s 14th over, including a brilliant pull into the pavilion to register his first six of the day.Bedingham notched his 14th first-class century with a gentle nudge into the leg side, earning the deserved applause of the Riverside crowd after a near-faultless knock. The right-hander was taken out of his rhythm by a rain break, and the brief pause allowed Gibbon to return with the new ball to prise out Bedingham, ending a stand of 113 with Graham Clark for the fifth wicket.One wicket became three in seven deliveries as the hosts were in danger of throwing away their grip of day one as Gibbon and Joe Leach struck to remove Jonathan Bushnell and Clark. Ben Raine and Paul Coughlin stemmed the tide with a fifty-run stand to give Durham a narrow edge on the scoreboard heading into day two.

Spin-bowling allrounder George Linde retained in the one-day unit after being part of the Test squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2022Kagiso Rabada will not play South Africa’s ODI series against India, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) looking to manage his workloads.In a statement on Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours before the first ODI in Paarl, CSA said Rabada was being released from the squad “due to high workloads over a sustained period of time and the need for him to recover prior the outbound Test series against New Zealand next month”.Rabada has been playing in biosecure bubbles since early September, when he featured in three ODIs and three T20Is on South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka. Soon after, he headed over to the second half of IPL 2021 in the UAE, where he played eight games for Delhi Capitals. That tournament ran straight into the T20 World Cup. There was a break of a month and a half following the global tournament, then South Africa’s Tests against India kicked off on Boxing Day.Now, the ODIs against India finish on January 23, and South Africa are set to leave for New Zealand on February 2, where they will have to undergo between 10 days and two weeks of quarantine. The two Tests against New Zealand start on February 17, and after that South Africa return home for two Tests against Bangladesh in mid-March.In Rabada’s absence, Marco Jansen looks likely to make an ODI debut against India, barely a month after earning his first Test cap. Lungi Ngidi will lead the attack with the death-bowling skills of Sisanda Magala also likely to be called on.South Africa also have a wealth of seam-bowling allrounders to employ: Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo can all slot in as the fourth seam-bowling option, should conditions call for that many pace bowlers.The selectors have also added more cover in the allrounders department, in the form of left-arm spinner George Linde. Linde was part of the Test squad against India, and has now been drafted in for the ODIs.CSA’s statement said: “No replacement will be brought in for [Rabada] as there is an extended squad in place in the Bio-Secure Environment (BSE), but George Linde has been retained from the Test team as an extra spin-bowling option for the series.”