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Northamptonshire’s early season form has suggested that are promotion candidates as David Willey runs through Essex

Tim Wigmore at Wantage Road19-Apr-2013
ScorecardDavid Willey grabs a caught-and-bowled during his five-wicket haul•Getty Images

After missing out on Championship promotion by a point in 2011, Northamptonshire endured a miserable 2012, with only two Championship victories and dire performances in both the CB40 and Twenty20. But a squad that could be backed at 20-1 to be Division Two champions before the season started has so far hinted at possessing the quality, balance and depth to justify talk of Championship promotion.Under conditions that remained good for batting, David Willey produced a compelling display of left-arm swing bowling to seal an innings victory over Essex halfway through the third day. The highlight was when Ravi Bopara, whose 41 had been a rare source of solace amid the disintegration of Essex’s top order, was deceived into playing at a ball that shaped away from him. The dismissal came only a few deliveries after Willey had changed his angle from around to over the wicket, and was his fifth of the innings.In a match-clinching spell of 6-2-15-3 shortly after lunch, Willey showed an array of talents. He displayed the classic left-armer’s trait of being able to shape the ball back in from around the wicket, but it was a ball that went straight on that accounted for James Foster, playing for swing that wasn’t there. A spectacular caught-and-bowled then claimed Greg Smith.It completed Willey’s best first-class game yet: match figures of 8-110 to complement a perky 76. As an allrounder and left-armer there may be those saying he could be considered for England, but Willey’s bowling, impressive as it was, could do with a little extra pace – and coach David Ripley believes he could yet put on another yard – to trouble batsmen less complicit than Essex’s were here. But he would not be undeserving of an England Lions call-up for their match against New Zealand next month.After bowling out Essex for 183 in the first innings, Northants will have been even more thrilled to have dismissed them for 207 in the second. While the pitch offered some assistance for seamers on the first day, it flattened out – as it often does at Wantage Road – on the second and third. Northants displayed unrelenting discipline, seldom straying from their line outside off stump and trusting that rash shot selection from Essex’s batsmen would do the rest.That it certainly did. Of Essex’s top order in the second innings only Bopara and – at a push – Foster could not honestly claim culpability for their dismissals. The wickets of Rob Quiney, who had played well for 56, and Mark Pettini, both swiping outside the off stump attempting to cut balls when more attritional batting was required, were particularly disappointing. They could learn from Maurice Chambers, who played with admirable disciple for his 65-ball 3.

Copeland may return

Trent Copeland will play as Northants’ overseas player for the first seven Championship matches of this season, but coach David Ripley explained that the club plan to review the situation with a view to signing another overseas player – Copeland returning could be one possibility – for the final five Championship games of the season, from August 20.

“We’re not a bottomless pit, our budget is tight,” he said. “We’ve done very well and the club’s been very supportive to get the squad together that we’ve got. There’s not a lot of money left in the budget for us to take that on. Realistically we’d certainly have to be in the top half of the league and pushing.”

Reflecting on the victory, admitted “it was a good toss to win” and said that the 228 runs added for their last two wickets proved decisive. “They’re good players and we said they’re good players but they batted – rather than sulking because they’re down the bottom – with purpose and that swung the game our way. The match-winning effort was that few hours where the game swung massively in our favour.”Ripley believes Northants could win Championship promotion. “Absolutely. I’ve said right from the start we’ve been very competitive generally over the years in four-day cricket. We perhaps haven’t been the same in one-day cricket and we’ve focused hard on our one-day skills.””We’ve got a good balance in that seam attack. Trent Copeland is relentless and has got good skills; Andrew Hall is a master of hitting the seam; David gives us left-arm and swing; and Steven Crook gives us a bit of cutting edge and a bit of pace so I think we’ve got a good variety in that attack.”On Willey, Ripley added: “He’s come a long way in 18 months. He’s a good professional, he looks after himself very well off the field. He’s an absolute athlete – his caught-and-bowled, not many in the country would have taken a catch like that.”Based on this evidence, there is every chance a disciplined side with the longest batting line-up in the country – and, in Matthew Spriegel and Olly Stone, some solid players who have yet to appear – may yet challenge for promotion. For Essex, this performance, coming on the back of conceding 409 for 5 against Gloucestershire at Chelmsford last week, will raise some serious questions. Their coach Paul Grayson was unavailable for comment.Instead, it was left to Bopara. “They bowled relentlessly on a length, they bowled very well as a unit which we can learn from I think,” he said. “It really showed us how to get stuck in with the ball. I didn’t think anything was special when it came to their batting – we had them 170 for 8 but unfortunately their last few batters played really, really well and you’ve got to give it to them.” He admitted that “we kind of did lose control” during Northants’ game changing lower-order intervention.Compounding their problems, Essex could yet face a points penalty on account of their slow over-rate in this match.

Delhi Daredevils strengthened their reputation as the team to beat in IPL 2012 and marched to a convincing victory over Pune Warriors

The Report by Firdose Moonda 24-Apr-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsVirender Sehwag guided the chase with an unbeaten 87•AFP

Delhi Daredevils strengthened their reputation as the team to beat in IPL 2012 and marched to a convincing victory over Pune Warriors at the Subrata Roy Stadium, with four overs to spare. Warriors had won both previous matches at their new home stadium but were unable to collect a third success after posting too few runs with the bat despite a third-wicket stand of 145 between Manish Pandey and Robin Uthappa.Warriors bowlers had few answers for Virender Sehwag and struggled to keep him quiet as they were unable to find the right lines, despite a stern team talk by Allan Donald at the innings break. Their only success came with the run-out of Mahela Jayawardene and wicket of Kevin Pietersen, who top-edged to mid-on. Warriors’ batsmen were made to rue a slow start and an inability to get going despite plundering 47 runs off the last four overs.Irfan Pathan and Morne Morkel did early damage to Warriors and removed Jesse Ryder and Sourav Ganguly in the first two overs. Ryder was guilty of a lazy push in front and was bowled by Irfan’s second ball, which kept low and snuck through him and Ganguly sliced Morkel to third man. Warriors were 2 for 2 and needed a quick recovery.Pandey and Uthappa put up a solid resistance and balanced caution with the need to attack fairly well early on. Pandey opened the boundary count with a confident pull over mid-on off Irfan and a superb drive on the up off Umesh Yadav.Just as the pair started to break the shackles, Daredevils left-arm spin duo of Pawan Negi and Shahbaz Nadeem made sure they were restrained again. They gave away just 33 runs in the six overs they bowled in tandem. Negi should also have had the wicket of Pandey to his name. Pandey hit a full ball straight to Kevin Pietersen at long-on but Pietersen seemed to think it would not carry to him and allowed it fall safely.Nadeem also had a chance to claim Pandey’s wicket, when the batsmen hit a delivery straight back to him in his final over. The ball was hit hard and Nadeem got his hands up in time but could not hold on. Despite putting down both chances Pandey offered them, Daredevils were still able to keep a lid on Warriors.Pandey looked to go bigger in the last six overs and started by smacking Irfan for a four down the ground to reach his half-century off 40 balls. He could not get away though, as Negi’s final over kept the pressure on, although he too dropped a return catch which would have sent Pandey back.The only option was to target the quicks at the end. Pandey used Umesh Yadav’s extra pace to his advantage, hitting him over long-on and past third man while Uthappa tried the same off Morkel. He inside-edged a yorker four four and smacked a ball to long-on before scooping a ball over short fine leg to bring up his half-century. Both batsmen played fine knocks but Sehwag’s proved better.Daredevils’ captain started with a mix of fortune and fury as he was involved in the mix-up which saw Jayawardene run out and inside edged Ashish Nehra for four. In between those, he pulled Nehra in front of square to show some measure of control and seized the rest of it against Luke Wight. He helped a ball to fine leg for four and smashed a slower one over long-on for six. He also won the battle of the captains when he too two boundaries off Ganguly’s only over.With Kevin Pietersen at the other end, Sehwag took Daredevils halfway to their target by the time the time out was called after seven overs. When Pietersen was caught by Ryder for 27, Daredevils needed just 36 more to win. Ross Taylor got some much needed time at the crease and accompanied Sehwag for the last rites. Sehwag continued to pepper the boundary rope and won the match with a six over long-on to create some distance between Daredevils and their rivals at the top of the table.

Vincent Barnes, Duncan Fletcher, John Buchanan and Richard Pybus are four other names understood to be on the six-man shortlist

Firdose Moonda11-Apr-2011Gary Kirsten, Vincent Barnes, Duncan Fletcher, John Buchanan and Richard Pybus are understood to be on the six-man shortlist for the South Africa coaching job. Tom Moody and Stephen Fleming are also rumoured to be in contention for the position.Kirsten, who ended his tenure with India after winning the World Cup, is said to be the favourite, but has reportedly not submitted a formal application. Insiders have confirmed that he is on the shortlist and has been in contact with CSA chief-executive Gerald Majola. Kirsten had said he wanted to take some time off after his stint with India ended, which may be why he hasn’t officially applied.South Africa’s next series is scheduled for October, against Australia, which would allow Kirsten a five-month break. Kirsten is understood to have shown interest in the position and CSA may have placed him on the shortlist to keep him in the running, despite the fact that he has not applied. Majola said in an interview in Colombo that CSA would not consider anyone who wasn’t on the shortlist.Although Kirsten is the popular choice, CSA are also considering other candidates, including the long-serving assistant coach Barnes. He has been in the national set up for the past eight years, since the 2003 tour to England, and had applied for the head coach’s position when Mickey Arthur was appointed in May 2005. Barnes started off as the bowling coach and has been credited with being part of the reason behind the success of the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Barnes’ obvious advantage is that he has worked with the national squad for a significant amount of time and has been a part of their recent successes, such as the series wins in England and Australia.Fletcher has also been involved with the current crop of players, having joined as a batting consultant in the 2009-10 season. He previously coached England and was at the helm of their Ashes triumph in 2005. Buchanan also has much lauded international credentials to his name, having won three Ashes series and two World Cups with Australia. He is most recently known for his controversial coaching methods which involved a proposed captain-rotation policy at Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.Pybus is the only one who is working in the South African domestic set up. He took Cobras to a double title this season, winning both the first-class SuperSport Series competition and the Pro20. Having previously been involved with Titans and the Border province, before the franchises were formed, Pybus has an intricate knowledge of local cricket and has seen many of his charges progress to national honours. He coached Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini, Steyn, both Morkel brothers and Paul Harris, among others. He is known for his diverse, out-of-the-box thinking and was also head coach of Pakistan during the 1999 World Cup.All six candidates, whose names cannot be officially released for confidentiality reasons, will undergo a rigorous interview process by a six-man panel appointed by CSA to choose the new coach. The committee consists of Majola, Andy O’Connor, chairperson of the cricket committee, Boeta Dippenaar, cricket association representative, Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors and Corrie van Zyl, outgoing coach. Johann Coetzee, a human development consultant and consulting psychologist, was added to the panel last week and.Interviews will be held on May 16 and 17, and the panel will make its recommendations at a board meeting on May 28. CSA hope to appoint the new coach at the beginning of June.

Chris Jordan, Surrey’s highly-rated 21-year-old allrounder, could miss the first 10 weeks of the season due to a back problem

Cricinfo staff06-Apr-2010Chris Jordan, Surrey’s highly-rated 21-year-old allrounder, could miss the first 10 weeks of the season due to a back problem.He is two weeks into a six-week rehabilitation programme, after which he will be carefully guided back to match fitness. Surrey have said it could be up to a further six weeks before Jordan is fit enough for selection, but he may be available within a fortnight of the rehab programme ending.Barbados-born Jordan was troubled by the back problem last season after suffering a stress fracture earlier in his career. Chris Adams, the Surrey coach, said they will be patient with his recovery. “We’re working towards his career and improving his career from this point in time. He carries the tag of great potential. It’s been a really frustrating time for him, frustrating for us as well. We certainly want that talent out on the field.”But let’s hope that we’ve finally got to the bottom of something. His bulging disc through this period will have time to rest but I’m quietly confident that we are doing everything we possibly can now.”

New Zealand allrounder Zak Foulkes is set to his play first home Test, in front of family and friends, in Christchurch

Deivarayan Muthu01-Dec-2025New Zealand allrounder Zak Foulkes has had a whirlwind few months. The 23-year-old bagged 9 for 75, the best figures by a New Zealand bowler on Test debut, in Bulawayo in August and then in his first ODI bowling innings, made Joe Root look silly with his inswinger in Mount Maunganui in October. He is set to close out the year with his first Test, against West Indies, at Hagley Oval, his home ground for Canterbury in domestic cricket.Foulkes’ family has made plans to come down to Hagley Oval and savour the occasion. “Yeah, a few friends and family coming down tomorrow, which will be cool,” Foulkes said. “Yeah, obviously first Test match out in front of them, which will be really cool. A really special moment for me and my family.”Obviously watched a lot of Test cricket out on this venue. Yeah, being on the other side of the road this time would be very cool, very rewarding.”Related

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Foulkes hails from a cricketing family – his father Glen and his brothers Liam and Robbie have all represented Canterbury Country. Robbie, a top-order batter, also played for New Zealand in the 2024 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Liam now works for Cricket Ireland as their national game development manager.Zak was also a top-order batter before bowling, more specifically swing bowling, became his primary skill. He opened the batting for Canterbury on first-class debut, but that didn’t go down too well. He has since climbed up the ranks in domestic cricket and emerged as a genuine swing bowler in international cricket.”There’s a running joke at the moment that Jacob Duffy is actually developing a wee inswing,” Foulkes laughed. “So yeah, just trying to tell him to stay in his lane a little bit. Yeah, definitely a little bit of a point of difference between the other guys [with my ability to swing the ball].”That swing has brought him success for Canterbury at Hagley Oval and he’s now preparing to harness it for New Zealand in Test cricket. “I think Test cricket is probably my No. 1 goal,” Foulkes said. “It has been for a while. I think there’s just nothing more rewarding than a red-ball win. All the toil, all the hard work that goes into it. Yeah, it’s very rewarding when you get a win.””Obviously when everyone is available there’s not too many spots up for grabs,” Zak Foulkes says of the future•Getty Images

No Kyle Jamieson. No Will O’Rourke. No Ben Sears. No Matt Fisher. No problem for New Zealand. Foulkes and Duffy, who also made his Test debut in Zimbabwe, have made a fairly seamless transition from domestic to international cricket while Central Districts fast bowler Blair Tickner has made a remarkable comeback after being out in the wilderness.”Yeah, I think we’re in a great space,” Foulkes said. “Obviously when everyone is available there’s not too many spots up for grabs. It sort of fits itself, almost. Yeah, but I guess being fast bowlers, we know there’s going to be injuries. So we have to build that depth and I think we’re in a good spot at the moment as New Zealand cricket.”Does the rise to the top feel like a blur for Foulkes? “It’s all happened pretty quickly really,” he said. “I had a big winter, had a few A tours and ended up in the UK. And then Zimbabwe obviously, where I debuted, which was cool. And then we’ve been on a little bit of a white-ball diet from then. Yeah, it’s now going to be nice to strap on the whites and bowl with the red ball for a change.”Foulkes suggested that he wasn’t expecting to play this home Test, but a surfeit of injuries has opened up another opportunity for him. He’s ready for it, with support from a cricket-mad family.

Fast bowler bowls six overs in low-key return to action in Beckenham, ahead of Pakistan series

Andrew Miller17-May-2024Greater challenges lie in store, ideally in the Caribbean next month, but Jofra Archer gave the impression that he’ll be ready to make his England comeback against Pakistan next week with a lively six-over display for Sussex’s second XI against Kent in Beckenham.It was a low-key outing, overseen by a handful of spectators and media on a sunny morning in South London, but when he walked off the field on the stroke of 12pm – exactly one hour after he had been parachuted into the final day of this four-day fixture – he took with him figures of 6-1-11-1, and a heightened belief that another injury-plagued year could finally be behind him.Archer has not played for England since the tours of South Africa and Bangladesh in early 2023, and even that short-lived comeback came after nearly two further years on the sidelines, as he struggled initially with a long-term elbow injury, and then a stress fracture of the back.And while he admitted in a recent interview that “another stop-start year” could force him to consider his options at the age of 29, Archer showed few signs of reticence in a feisty display that featured one wicket, one further appeal for a leg-side catch, and a fierce blow to the helmet that required some running repairs for the batter, Ekansh Singh.Amid the anticipation, Archer’s first delivery was a short and wide loosener that the Kent opener, Ben Dawkins, slapped up and over backward point for four. He didn’t receive many more in his half after that, with Archer’s very next ball significantly shorter and sharper, and causing the keeper to leap high to his left to gather.Ekansh then wore another sharp bouncer on his visor, and was soon undone by Archer’s pace and lift in the channel outside off, as he fenced loosely off the back foot for Henry Rogers, at third slip, to dive across second and cling onto a sharp chance. Archer responded with a pump of his fist as he jogged over to celebrate with his team-mates, his broad grin confirming the personal importance of the moment on this long road to recovery.Jofra Archer claimed a wicket early in his spell at Beckenham•PA Photos/Getty Images

He was less impressed half-an-hour later, however, throwing his arms out in frustration when he thought he’d landed his second. Gareth Severin, en route to a hard-earned half-century, jabbed a lifter on his hips through to the keeper, only for the umpire to shake his head – rightly noting that the ball had flicked Severin’s shirt.Archer’s final over of the morning was a maiden, whereupon he walked straight off the field and back into the pavilion, ready to link up with England’s T20I squad in Headingley over the weekend, ahead of their first practice session on Monday afternoon.Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain, told the PA news agency that Archer’s comeback was a “huge encouragement”, but guarded against expecting too much too soon, as his team sets about fine-tuning their plans ahead of their defence of the T20 World Cup title that they won in Australia in November 2022.”Everyone knows what he is capable of and the attitude he possesses,” Buttler said. “As a captain he is someone you can always turn to in a game because he always has a trick up his sleeve.”It’s great to be able to call on him but it’s important to manage expectations. He has been out of it for a while now so we will need to look after him and realise that it might just take him a little while to be the Jofra of 2019.”He is a proper superstar but we do have to be smart with him. It’s a jump in intensity from what he’s doing now to international cricket and you can’t really replicate it.”

West Indies’ batters faltered in a chase for the third match in a row, after their bowlers restricted England to 131

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2022For the fourth T20I in a row, West Indies were let down by their batting. And for a third straight game, they faltered while chasing. It means England lead the series 4-0 with one more game remaining on Sunday.The West Indies bowlers set the game up nicely, restricting England to 131 for 8. It was a particularly impressive effort because England were primed for 160 or thereabouts at the halfway mark. But from 73 for 2, they lost three wickets for no runs in the space of four deliveries in the 11th over to allow West Indies a foot in the door.Seamer Cherry-Ann Fraser did much of this damage, dismissing Sophia Dunkley, Maia Bouchier and Heather Knight. When offspinner Sheneta Grimmond dismissed Amy Jones in the 14th over, England were tottering at 82 for 6. Late cameos from Katherine Brunt and Charlie Dean, however, hauled them to 131 for 8. The pair added 44 for the ninth wicket to give England a score to defend.Dunkley’s 35 was the top score for England, while Brunt made an unbeaten 20-ball 24 at No. 8. Nat Sciver and Jones couldn’t capitalise on starts, getting dismissed for 15 and 21 respectively, while Dean, batting at No. 9, made 20 before being run out off the last ball of the innings.West Indies got off to a poor start, losing Aaliyah Alleyne and Rashada Williams in the first over to Lauren Bell. There was a semblance of a partnership between Hayley Matthews, the captain, and Shemaine Campbelle. The pair added 40 in just 4.3 overs to take the attack to England, before offspinner Dean sent back Campbelle.That was the start of West Indies’ troubles against spin as Dean and Sophie Ecclestone went on to pick up three more wickets between them. Bell, who triggered the collapse up top, returned to close out the game with the wickets of Grimmond and Kaysia Schultz in the 16th over.Bell and Dean ended the match joint-top of the series wicket charts, with nine each.

England captain’s first century at home in three years helped set India a target of 209

Sidharth Monga07-Aug-20212:06

Bell: England needed Root to go as big as possible

Joe Root and Jasprit Bumrah combined on the fourth day to set up a grandstand finish for the Trent Bridge Test, the series opener. Having fallen behind by 95 in the first innings, England roared back on the back of a colossal 21st century from Root, but just when they were slipping out of India’s grasp, Bumrah put in an immense five-for to rise above a tiring bowling unit to keep the target down to 209. India knocked 52 of those off in the awkward 65 minutes they got at the end of the day for the loss of just one wicket.England began the day 70 behind with all their wickets in hand, but it was believed they needed rain or Root to rescue their fledgling batting unit. The promised rain never arrived, but in the best batting conditions of the Test, Root batted with assured positivity to make sure England never went into a shell and put the pressure of runs on India. However, Dom Sibley, Dan Lawrence and Jos Buttler gifted their wickets away to keep India in the contest by the time the new ball arrived. Bumrah blew them away with it.In the morning, though, it was special bowling that brought Root to the crease. Mohammed Siraj continued his threat to left-hand batters, pitching in the blind spot on middle and leg and then getting away movement to take the edge from Rory Burns. Bumrah then produced a beauty to Zak Crawley, pitching on a length, close to off, holding its line, taking the edge. India had taken two wickets in the first half hour, and England were still 49 behind.Root came out intent on getting into the lead as early as possible. The third ball he faced was full enough for him to drive through the covers. In the first 18 balls Root had hit four fours, one of them off the edge. By that time Bumrah was done with his first spell of the day. Mohammed Shami was not quite at his best, providing overpitched balls every now and then. Shardul Thakur looked short of a gallop, and Root decided to cash in.There was a period of play when Root tried two late-cuts, one slog-sweep, one hook and one ramp for not a single run. Once he was out of this period, Root looked like he was batting on a flat deck and not in a Test where no one had scored a century. Conditions had eased out no doubt – England’s control percentage was up to 80 from 75 in the last two innings of the match – but Root was playing at a level above his team-mates.Post lunch, the clouds rolled in, and Dom Sibley – 28 off 132 till then – decided to have a drive at a short-of-a-length ball from Bumrah, which nipped back in to take the inside edge for Rishabh Pant to catch. The two still added 89, but effectively at 40 for 3, England had opened the window again.Jonny Bairstow took over the scoring duties from Root. He was helped out by boundary balls provided early. In fact every new batter received gifts from India on the day. Root now just went into cruise mode with singles available everywhere with Bairstow presenting India with a big threat. Bumrah’s first spell in the afternoon was done. The new ball was far away. India were not going to Shami or Thakur. The stage was set for England to dominate.Bairstow had hit four boundaries in 32 balls, but when he went for the fifth, he did nail the flat pull but found the man in the deep. It was Ravindra Jadeja, and he had been there for a while. While this – a bouncer that didn’t get high – was not the exact plan, there was a rough plan for Bairstow.1:19

Laxman: Saha, Sridhar deserve credit for Pant’s improved keeping

Lawrence and Buttler would have left Root frustrated. Runs were still coming easy. Both got gentle sighters early. Between them they hit seven boundaries in 54 balls. India have not been that generous in years. Lawrence, though, planted his big front foot across with the ball clearly reversing to give the struggling Thakur a second wind. Buttler then proceeded to leave alone without even covering his stumps, getting out for the sixth time in Test cricket when not offering a stroke. And that was minutes after he had survived a close lbw call doing the same to the reversing ball.England were still only 142 ahead with six wickets gone. India were still struggling for an intense spell. The new ball was 10 overs away. Root and Sam Curran bedded in in those 10 overs. Root brought up his hundred, England reached 177 ahead. India took the new ball immediately. This was a huge moment. India still desperately needed to make the new ball count or England could run away with the Test.Arrive Bumrah. In the first over with the new ball, he produced the beauty he often does. On a length, holding its line just outside off, bouncing extra, taking Root’s edge. In the fifth over with the new ball, he went round the wicket to draw awkward bounce and inward movement to handcuff Curran and have him caught at mid-on. He bowled Stuart Broad with the next ball.The pesky tail was not going to bother India today. Shami had the fly slip perfectly placed for the edge off the Ollie Robinson slog to be pouched. India have, in recent times, been a well-spread bowling unit, but on this day one man – a little like Root – and some luck carried them. They have had desperately unlucky days, too, so this was not out of order.Against a charged-up bowling unit, with the loud capacity crowd in their ears, India had a torturous little period leading up to the stumps. With rain approaching, the openers didn’t even know how long they were in for. What they knew was the whereabouts of their off stumps.KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma were excellent again, making the bowlers desperate with their leaves and defence. Rahul got most of the error balls earned, and cashed in. He made Broad produce the best ball he could bowl, a bit like Bumrah’s two peaches earlier to get Crawley and Root, to get out, with 15 minutes to go. England went on an all-out attack in the last 15 minutes, but couldn’t get the wicket. In the process, they opened up scoring opportunities, which a struggling Pujara accepted.In the last over of the day, Rohit repeated the pull shot against Robinson after having been caught in the last over before lunch in the first innings, but executed it perfectly to keep it down.

If the T20 World Cup does take place this year, Australia would be one of the favourites

Andrew McGlashan13-May-2020Adam Zampa believes that Australia holding the No.1-ranking in T20Is for the first time is the reward for giving the format the attention it needs.Although Australia’s climb to the top was in part due to the ICC’s annual update of their rankings – which also saw them top the Test ladder – it has come on the back of a very strong run in T20Is with seven wins out of nine matches during the 2019-2020 season, securing series victories against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa.The sequence goes back further, too, including the 2-0 victory over India last March which was sealed by Glenn Maxwell’s magnificent 113 off 55 balls in Bengaluru.ALSO READ: Adam Zampa wants to be more than a white-ball specialistDuring the recent season, the margins of victory weren’t close: ranging from seven to 10 wickets and 97 to 134 runs. They would have won all six matches at home if not for rain in Sydney against Pakistan and the only defeat was a 12-run loss in Port Elizabeth when a hesitant middle-order display undid them.With two T20 World Cups to plan for in 2020 and 2021 – although the October tournament in Australia is under threat due to the Covid-19 pandemic – the selectors moved away from seeing it as the format where key players, especially bowlers, would be rested and have also been boosted by the returns of David Warner and Steven Smith.”The emphasis we put on T20 cricket as an international team over the last couple of years has made a huge difference,” Zampa, who took 10 wickets in eight T20Is last season, said. “There was the Test format and ODI format leading up to the World Cup last year that we were focusing on but this T20 World Cup in particular has made a difference in the way we select teams, the way the scheduling looks.”I think it’s been an amazing 18 months in particular for the T20I team and we’ve got a really good balance leading up to the World Cup. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”Australia celebrate Adam Zampa’s breakthrough•AP Photo/Themba Hadebe

The T20 World Cup is the one piece of global silverware to elude Australia with their best returns being the 2010 final defeat against England in Barbados.There remains hope that the tournament later this year can still take place, although the challenge of getting 16 teams together for a global event amid the pandemic is one that may prove too great. There have been suggestions of moving it back to February next year but the knock-on effects of that are also considerable.If the tournament does proceed in October it could be a challenge for players to prepare depending on how much professional cricket is possible beforehand and there is no chance of international cricket until July at the earliest. Australia’s ODI and T20I tour of the UK that month is all-but sure not to take place as scheduled, with discussions around whether it will be shunted to September.Zampa, who has a Cricket Australia (CA) central contract and will come off annual leave on May 18, thinks some players would be able to adjust to a lack of competitive cricket but admitted he is someone who needs games under his belt. Plans are currently being drawn up, led by CA’s head of science and medicine Alex Kountouris, as to what training will look like over the next few months as states lift their Covid-19 restrictions.”Some guys could probably go straight into it like nothing has happened but personally I like to continue playing cricket,” Zampa said. “The last six weeks has been weird for me. Especially in T20 with different game situations, putting yourself under pressure. I need some game time to be ready for international cricket but we haven’t really had any messages about the World Cup so haven’t thought about preparation.””It will be a bit different to the last few years – playing IPL or county cricket – but I think once the leave period is done in a few days’ time, the message has been to train in your states for the foreseeable future and do pre-season as everyone else would.”

Tamim Iqbal hammered a run-a-ball century but Bangladesh collapsed around him and New Zealand’s openers were in control at stumps

Mohammad Isam in Hamilton27-Feb-2019Neil Wagner upset Bangladesh’s rhythm with a trademark short ball barrage as they were bowled out for 234, after being 121 for 1 shortly before lunch on the opening day in Hamilton, undoing the good work of a blazing century from Tamim Iqbal.Wagner finished with 5 for 47, his sixth five-wicket haul in Tests, before New Zealand consolidated their position with by reaching 86 without loss at the close. Jeet Raval, still searching for a maiden Test hundred, was unbeaten on 51 alongside Tom Latham who should have fallen in the second over as a maiden wicket for paceman Ebadot Hossain only for Soumya Sarker to drop a simple chance at second slip. Bangladesh finished the day in lethargic fashion with a number of misfields.Tamim Iqbal attacks the bowling•Getty Images

It had all looked so much brighter for them after being put into bat on a well-grassed surface as Tamim flayed the new ball around Seddon Park during his ninth Test hundred. He hammered 15 fours in the morning session – for a while it appeared possible he would reach a century before lunch – and brought up his hundred off 100 deliveries early in the afternoon.However, it quickly became a lone hand as Wagner and Tim Southee shared eight wickets. Wagner’s haul began with the wicket of Mominul Haque who tickled a short ball down the leg side to wicketkeeper BJ Watling just before lunch. Soon after the break, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudullah top edged Wagner although both shots looked avoidable in the circumstances.Mehidy gave short leg a simple catch, also off Wagner, while Soumya Sarkar also fell to the shorter length, when he was unable to move his gloves away from a Southee delivery.

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Wagner’s five-for was completed when Abu Jayed tried to ramp him and had Liton Das caught at fine leg. His short-ball approach is one of the most telegraphed in the world yet still so many teams have struggled to combat it.Southee finished with three wickets while Trent Boult had given New Zealand their first wicket, that of Shadman Islam, who impressed against the new ball before playing across a full delivery, after he and Tamim had provided Bangladesh a fine start with a 57-run opening stand.Tamim was the enforcer and the guiding force. He struck plenty of drives down the ground and also through the covers, while remaining steadfast against the short ball. He struck 21 fours and a six in his 126 off 128 balls, lasting just over three hours in which Bangladesh looked in better control.Unlike some of his team-mates, for the majority of his innings he wasn’t reckless. Knowing full well that being adventurous may cost his side heavily, he curbed his strokeplay to get to lunch first before branching out again either side of his century which included taking 14 off Southee in the space of four deliveries.New Zealand tried to pray on his attacking instincts, pitching the ball well outside off, and the plan worked when Tamin cut a short, wide delivery from Colin de Grandhomme – who he had previously been keen to mow down the ground – straight to Kane Williamson at gully. Tamim threw his head back in disgust, knowing that his team needed even more from him.With their talisman gone there wasn’t much else offered by Bangladesh although stand-in captain Mahmudullah could have provided more than the top edge to long leg having played himself in with some compact drives.In New Zealand’s reply, Raval did most of the early scoring with his three boundaries in Ebadot’s fifth over, to dent the promising start from the debutant, before he took on the part-timer Soumya and Bangladesh’s lone spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Latham, who enjoyed a prolific series against Sri Lanka earlier this season, then found his stride and pull Mehidy for six as the shadows lengthened. By the close, it already looked a tough situation for Bangladesh to recover from.