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Rain forced the final one-day international at Durban to be abandoned and handed England their first limited-overs series victory in South Africa

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan04-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAndrew Strauss gets his hands on the one-day series trophy after rain washed out the final match•Getty Images

It’s not how Andrew Strauss would have wanted to lead England to a bit of history, but he’ll gladly take it after rain forced the final one-day international at Durban to be abandoned and handed the tourists their first limited-overs series victory in South Africa.There was never a realistic chance of any action at Kingsmead. Hopes were briefly raised when the covers were removed at around 2.30pm, but the forecast rain soon returned to blanket the city in the dank, grey atmosphere that has been in place for most of the past week.As well as their first one-day success in the country, England have also become just the second team to beat South Africa on home soil in a bilateral one-day series after Australia managed it twice. That is a notable achievement for Strauss and Andy Flower considering that a little over two months ago they were turned over 6-1 by Australia.”It’s a big step forward for the group,” Strauss said. “To be only the second team to win out here is an achievement to be proud of. The players had to buy into trying to play a slightly more attacking brand of cricket and at the same time to up our fielding and to be more consistent with the ball.”I think the guys have enjoyed having the shackles taken off them to a certain extent. A lot of our one-day cricket over the last few years has been played like men under a lot of pressure. A lot of the players were under pressure, playing for their places and because the results weren’t very good.”It’s encouraging to know we are going in the right direction but I’d be the last person to say we’re the finished article.”The turnaround began at the Champions Trophy and has continued over the last three weeks. Playing in South Africa suits England’s new brand of one-day cricket and their next challenge in that format be to adapt to different conditions in Bangladesh in February. They are unlikely to find pitches with pace and bounce at the World Cup in 2011 so the next phase of their development is to show they can combat spin attacks of sluggish, turning pitches.Even though only three matches were actually played, this series success can still go down as one of England’s finest one-day performances in recent times, on a par with beating Sri Lanka in their backyard in 2008. At Cape Town they showed they still have the capability to pull out a shocker, but to cancel out that 112-run defeat, both their victories were by convincing seven-wicket margins – a run-chase of 251 that would previously have been beyond them at Centurion, and a victory set up by James Anderson’s bowling at Port Elizabeth.England’s 4-0 victory against South Africa at home last year is often pulled out when talking about impressive performances, but that was against a visiting side that had achieved their main target of a Test series victory and were ready to go home. This time there were early points to be scored – that’s the advantage of holding the one-dayers first – and England have done more than enough to quieten the hosts who were quite happy to make some bombastic statements in the build-up. The hosts certainly haven’t lived up to the hype.”Our next one-day series is in India where the [2011] World Cup is going to be played,” Graeme Smith said. “Hopefully by then we will have a fully-fit squad and a squad which has developed from here.”There’s a break now and there will be a few new faces in our [Test] squad,” he added. “The last two years have been really terrific for us in Test cricket and we want to carry it on. England have an Ashes-winning squad so it bodes well for a good series.”Attention now turns to preparation for the Test campaign. England head to East London for two two-day matches against a South African Invitational XI, where they will be joined by the Test-squad members who have been with the Performance Squad in Pretoria. South Africa, meanwhile, will reconvene in Potchefstroom on December 11 for a three-day camp before heading to Johannesburg ahead of the opening Test at Centurion. The battle is just hotting up.

It was the last day of matches for Group B, C and D with nine of the 12 Super Six spots confirmed

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2025Legspinner Anisa Akter Soba picked up 4 for 25 as Bangladesh beat Scotland by 17 runs in Bangi to become the second team after Australia to reach Super Six from Group D. Scotland also confirmed their spot after Australia beat Nepal later in the day.After being sent in, Bangladesh found themselves on 50 for 5 after ten overs. Afia Ashima and captain Sumaiya Akter then added 38 in 33 balls to give the innings some stability. Ashima fell for 21 but Sumaiya stayed unbeaten till the end, scoring 28 off 36 balls to take the side to 120 for 9.In response, Scotland were 19 for no loss in four overs before Soba bowled Emma Walsingham for 11. In the same over, Pippa Kelly was run-out. Wicketkeeper Pippa Sproul and captain Niamh Muir put the chase back on track by adding 50 in 60 balls, but after Muir fell for 22, none of the incoming batters could cross even 5.Sproul tried to keep Scotland in the contest with her 43 off 41. But Soba ended her resistance and then went on to take two more wickets as Scotland could manage only 103 for 8.New Zealand bowled out Samoa for 40•ICC/Getty Images

After defeats to South Africa and Nigeria, New Zealand secured a spot in the Super Six stage with a drubbing of Samoa in Kuching.In a rain-affected 17-over game, New Zealand were in trouble with the bat at 12 for 3. But Eve Wolland and Anika Todd added 55 for the fourth wicket to steady the ship.After Todd fell for a 19-ball 27, it was on Wolland to hold New Zealand’s innings together. She hit two fours and two sixes before she fell for 48 off 43 in the final over, helping New Zealand get to 107 for 9. For Samoa, seamer Olive Lefaga took three wickets and Verra Farane took two.The total proved to be more than enough, as New Zealand skittled Samoa out for just 40, with no batter reaching the double digits. Rishika Jaswal and Tash Wakelin claimed three wickets each while Sophie Court picked up two.Davina Perrin smashed 74 off 45 balls•ICC/Getty Images

Davina Perrin’s 45-ball 74 helped England beat USA in a top-of-the-table clash in Group B.Sent in, USA mustered 119 for 5 from their 20 overs, with captain Anika Kolan top-scoring with an unbeaten 46 off 42. Prisha Thanawala and Trudy Johnson struck twice each for England.England didn’t get off to the best of starts, with opener Erin Thomas out for a golden duck off the second ball of the chase. But, it was one-way traffic thereon with Perrin and Johnson putting on a 117-run stand that took them two runs short of the target. England captain Abi Norgrove had to just hit the winning run off the first ball she faced, with Johnson finishing unbeaten on 44.Both England and USA have qualified for the Super Six stage.Caoimhe Bray hits over off in her 34-ball 45 as Nepal wicketkeeper Alisha Yadav looks on•Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Caoimhe Bray led Australia‘s strong showing with the bat as they knocked out Nepal, paving Scotland’s way into the Super Six. She hit 45 off just 34 batting at No. 4 before cameos from Hasrat Gill (21-ball 30 not out) and Chloe Ainsworth (16 not out off just 9) helped Australia to 139 for 6.Nepal captain Puja Mahato picked up three wickets for 31 runs but her team could not pose a challenge with the bat. Mahato’s 18 off 42 balls was the most by a Nepal batter on the day, and the only one in double digits as they crawled to 56 for 8 in their 20 overs. All of Gill, Juliette Morton and Lily Bassingthwaighte returned two wickets apiece.Ireland celebrate after knocking out Pakistan•ICC/Getty Images

Over in Johor, a strong all-round show from Ireland helped them eke out a 13-run win in a rain-affected contest to knock Pakistan out of the competition. In a match reduced to nine overs per side, Alice Walsh’s attacking innings at the top set the tone for Ireland, who made 69 for 5 in their allotted overs. Walsh scored 31 off just 19 with five fours.Set a revised DLS target of 73 in nine overs, Pakistan struggled for rhythm and were kept to 59 for 7 with Ellie McGee picking up two wickets while Freya Sargent and Lara McBride returned one each. Pakistan’s innings also featured three run-outs, including that of captain Komal Khan.South Africa, led by Seshnie Naidu and wicketkeeper Karabo Meso, celebrate a Nigerian wicket•ICC/Getty Images

In Kuching, South Africa registered a comfortable win over first-time World-Cuppers Nigeria in another rain-hit contest. Asked to bat first, South Africa could only score 49 for 2 in their eight overs; their opening partnership was worth 41 off 43 balls. Captain Lucky Piety was the only wicket-taker for Nigeria, picking up two wickets in two balls.Nigeria could only manage 24 for 8 in their 66-run chase with none of the batters crossing Piety’s six. Legspinner Seshnie Naidu returned two wickets for one run in her single over while captain Kayla Reyneke also picked up two wickets in her two overs for South Africa. Wicketkeeper Karabo Meso also put up a show as she effected three dismissals.Thanks to their win over New Zealand earlier in the competition, though, Nigeria also ensured qualification for Super Six.

South Australia opener smashed 10 fours and 13 sixes to finish with 125 off 38 balls

Alex Malcolm08-Oct-2023South Australia batter Jake Fraser-McGurk broke AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest century in a List A game, plundering a 29-ball hundred against Tasmania at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide after the visitors had posted the highest total in Australian domestic one-day history of 435 earlier in the day.Opening the batting in South Australia’s run chase, Fraser-McGurk, 21, reached his century in the ninth over of the innings, going past de Villiers’ previous mark of 31 balls which he set against West Indies in an ODI at Johannesburg in 2015. He eventually holed out in the 12th over, finishing with 125 from 38 balls, with 10 fours and 13 sixes.”I went out there with some good intent, had my plans and process, and seemed like everything went my way,” he said. “I’ve made a few 30s playing in twos [2nd XI] and stuff, felt like I’ve been hitting them reasonably well but probably not that well so definitely surprised myself.”Asked if he’d ever played like that before, he joked: “Maybe a video game or something. Definitely not in real life, that’s for sure.”Tasmania captain Jordan Silk, whose own century ended up on the winning side, said: “It’s probably an innings I’ll never see maybe ever again. It was some of the cleanest ball-striking I’ve seen and sometimes you’ve just got to tip your cap to players like that that can do that. Whilst it was frustrating to watch it was also amazing to watch.”Fraser-McGurk only faced one of the first 12 balls of the chase, scoring just a single. But in the third over he unleashed a furious display of ball-striking. He took 32 off Sam Rainbird’s second over of the innings including four sixes and two fours.He raced to 50 off 18 balls to set a new mark for the fastest half-century in Australia’s one-day domestic competition, breaking Glenn Maxwell’s previous mark of 19 balls.He kept going. In the ninth over he smacked three consecutive sixes off Billy Stanlake to three different quadrants of the ground. He then struck a boundary and a single to bring up his century.In the 10th over, he smashed four consecutive fours and a six off left-arm orthodox Paddy Dooley before falling two overs later. It is Fraser-McGurk’s first century at domestic level having only once passed 50 in his previous 13 List A innings, and that came on debut for Victoria in 2019 as a 17-year-old. He has passed 50 just once in 16 first-class innings, which also came on debut in 2019, but has not done so in 24 T20 innings.His spectacular innings had put South Australia on course for a record chase but eventually they fell 37 runs short.

Anti-government activists were also removed from the fort during the first Test between Sri Lanka and Australia

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jul-2022Spectators have been barred completely from the ramparts of the Galle Fort, which overlooks the cricket stadium where the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia is being played. This, after anti-government protesters had been forcibly removed from the area during the first Test between these teams.Police officers guarding access to the ramparts told ESPNcricinfo that even the ICC has asked for spectators be kept away. However, not only has the ICC never previously spoken against viewing matches from the fort, public spaces in Sri Lanka are also well beyond their jurisdiction.Last week, an army spokesman told that protesters had been removed in order to ensure batters were not distracted. Australia, who were batting that day, have since said that they had no qualms with public presence at the fort.Related

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Although several protesters had been removed from the fort on day two of the first Test of the series, a sign demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka’s president and prime minister had been seen for several hours on end in the evening session. The following day – day three of the Test – no spectators were seen on the ramparts, as police and army patrolled the area.As the ramparts are public property, crowds – sometimes swelling to hundreds, and very occasionally to even thousands – frequently watch cricket from there. This free vantage point is among the ground’s distinguishing features, with fans of touring teams also often setting up there to see the game.There have been widespread anti-government protests in Sri Lanka in recent months, some of which have come amid a deepening economic crisis in the country, which has left it desperately short of fuel, cooking gas and essential medicines, while the cost of living has also skyrocketed.SLC has essentially banned protests inside its grounds this series, preventing spectators from bringing anti-government placards and banners into its venues, although posters thanking Australia for touring were allowed.

Series in doubt after further positive means UAE must “remain in quarantine for extended period”

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2021The ODI series between UAE and Ireland has been hit by its second postponement in three days after a further Covid-19 positive was returned by the home camp.Sunday’s second ODI was called off the day before after a third UAE player tested positive for the virus. Following 48 hours of isolation, the Emirates Cricket Board has now announced another positive case within the squad.With the team now required to “remain in quarantine for an extended period of time”, it could affect the ability of the remaining three ODIs to be played. Ireland are also due to face Afghanistan in a three-match series in Abu Dhabi starting on January 21.Related

• Two UAE players test positive for Covid-19 ahead of ODIs

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Cricket Ireland said it supported the ECB’s decision and would continue to monitor the situation, with the health and safety of the players its priority.”Emirates Cricket Board has confirmed that tomorrow’s match in the Sky247.net ODI Series 2021 against Ireland has been suspended,” said an ECB statement. “This decision, supported by Cricket Ireland, was made after a new directive was received from authorities.”This followed over 48 hours of self-isolation by the UAE team after four reported positive cases of Covid-19. Additionally, the directive from the authorities requires the UAE team to remain in quarantine for an extended period of time.”Discussions are continuing with all concerned parties, including the relevant authorities, regarding rescheduling of the remaining matches. A decision will be made and communicated once an agreement has been reached and approved.”UAE won the opening match of the series – their first ODI victory over Ireland – on Friday, despite losing Chirag Suri and Aryan Lakra to positive Covid-19 tests in the build-up. Alishan Sharafu, who played in the first ODI, then became the third player to test positive, with the remaining games rescheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – although that schedule is now in doubt.

Hong Kong are now winless after three matches while UAE have achieved two victories in three outings

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Oct-2019Despite a solid platform of 93 for 2 in the 16th over, Hong Kong suffered a middle-order collapse at the back-end of their first innings to finish with only 116 for 7 in their 20 overs against United Arab Emirates. In response, UAE made swift work of the target, chasing it down with 29 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand. The margin of victory lifted UAE to the top of Group B, although that may just be temporary.UAE’s chase was spearheaded by the 93-run second-wicket stand between opener Chirag Suri and No. 3 Rameez Shahzad. After their captain Rohan Mustafa fell in the fourth over, the duo combined to strike nine fours and four sixes in their 67-ball stand to sniff out any hope of victory that Hong Kong may have had. Shahzad’s 37-ball 54 was his highest T20I score, while Suri’s 43-ball 44 brought the opener back into form, something UAE were missing from him at the start of the tournament. Hong Kong pacer Kyle Christie took both UAE wickets, but his dismissal of Shahzad in the 15th over was a mere formality. Three deliveries after the dismissal, Suri found the boundary to seal their second win in three games.That UAE had to chase only 117 was thanks to their varied bowling attack. Junaid Siddique set the tone with the new ball in the first innings, conceding only nine runs in his two overs. With the run-rate hovering below six, openers Ahmad Abbasi and Nizakat Khan perished to left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and medium-pacer Waheed Ahmed respectively inside 11 overs. A brief recovery then followed, with Kinchit Shah (30) and the captain Aizaz Khan (19) upping the scoring rate, but with both set batsmen falling in the death overs, their new batsmen failed to generate the momentum needed to put up a challenging total. Mustafa’s spell of 2 for 17, including two wickets for only two runs in the 20th over, made him the game’s second most economical bowler.The result meant that Hong Kong’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals took a big blow while UAE’s win has only strengthened their shout for a final-four spot.

Ben Stokes’ trial resumes at Bristol Crown Court on Monday. ESPNcricinfo gives a run-down on the first week’s developments

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-20181:16

‘Everything I did was in defence of myself and others’, Stokes tells jury

Day one

The trial of Ben Stokes, Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale – all three charged with affray which they denied – began with jurors being told the England allrounder acted “well beyond self-defence or the defence of others” when knocking two men unconscious outside Mbargo nightclub in Bristol in the early hours of September 25 last year.It is alleged that Stokes offered £300 to the bouncer outside Mbargo, Andrew Cunningham, to try and regain entry after the 2pm closing time. When that offer was declined, Stokes is alleged to have become abusive to the doorman and then mimicked and mocked a young gay couple, Kai Barry and William O’Connor, who were leaving the club. He is alleged to have flicked a cigarette butt at the head of one of the young men.

Day Two

CCTV footage from outside Mbargo nightclub is shown to the jury. Andrew Cunningham, the bouncer, alleges that Stokes abused him and the gay couple.Max Wilson, a student in the Clifton Triangle area of the city when the incident occurred, who filmed the incident from his room, described the fight involving the three defendants plus Stokes’ England team-mate Alex Hales, who was not on trial, as being like “football hooligans”.Audio from the footage suggests Hales tried to pull Stokes away from the fray on several occasions – he is repeatedly heard shouting “Stop, Stokes! No! Enough!” – with both Wilson and other witnesses agreeing he was “trying to stop him [Stokes]”.PC Daniel Adams, the officer in the case, says that the video shows Hales kicking Ryan Ali in the head as he lay on the pavement.Under cross-examination, PC Adams agreed that both Ali and Hale had bottles at the time of the original fracas and accepted it appeared that Ali had used his “to aim a blow at Mr Barry”.A court sketch of Ben Stokes•PA Photos

Ben Stokes was described as the “main aggressor” in the fight when he is identified by Mark Spure, an off-duty member of the police force.The court also hears details of the injuries sustained by Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale.Stokes’ statement to the police, which he gave on November 20, is read out to the court in which he says he felt “under threat of immediate attack” and others involved in the fight had “demonstrated a willingness to use weapons in attacking people”. He claims he was protecting Kai Barry and William O’Connor from homophobic abuse.”What Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale were saying was far from harmless banter, it was nasty homophobic abuse,” Stokes said in his statement.”I decided to intervene and asked Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale to stop abusing Kai and William. I said something like ‘leave it out – you shouldn’t be taking the piss because they’re gay.'”In response,one of the guys said ‘Shut the f*** up and f**** off or I’ll bottle you’. At the time he was holding a bottle in his right hand.The CCTV footage from outside Mbargo nightclub is released, as are the mobile-phone recordings of the fight itself.

The judge instructs the jury to find Ryan Hale not guilty of affray due to lack of evidence. Ben Stokes enters the dock for the first time.Earlier, the court is read Hale’s statement, which he gave to police in September. In it, he claims that Stokes “could have killed me. The way he was acting in that video, he could have beat the living hell out of me. That’s quite shocking to think I’ve been put in that situation.”In the witness stand, Stokes tells the jury he “stepped in” after hearing homophobic abuse towards William O’Connor and Kai Barry. He adds he saw Ali brandish a bottle towards the two men and Alex Hales so “took the decision” to get involved to “keep myself and others around me safe”.Police bodycam footage is played to the jury of the moment of Stokes’ arrest. It shows him asking for the handcuffs to be loosened due to previous injuries to his hand and also hears him tell Hales to leave the area. “I was saying ‘It’s on me’. I was saying ‘Go, get away from here. Don’t get involved’.” The footage also shows Hales telling police he only arrived on the scene after the fight had taken place.

Stokes continues to be cross-examined. He is accused of lying to the jury, and also of exaggerating the extent of an argument he witnessed “in an attempt to justify your own violent behaviour”.A written statement from England team-mate Jake Ball is read to the court in which he says Stokes was in a “good mood” during the night in question and that he wasn’t drunk.The final session of the week sees Ryan Ali, Stokes’ co-defendant, take the stand. Under cross-examination Ali accepts that footage shows he struck another man with a bottle before being punched by Stokes. Ali says he only did it to defend himself.The trial continues.

AB de Villiers is expected to retire from Test cricket as early as August, in a second attempt at hanging up his whites, unless CSA can convince him to stay on again.

AB de Villiers is expected to retire from Test cricket as early as August, in a second

Firdose Moonda26-Jun-2017AB de Villiers is expected to retire from Test cricket as early as August, in a second attempt at hanging up his whites, unless CSA can convince him to stay on again.ESPNcricinfo has learned that de Villiers informed CSA of his decision to give up the longest format late last year, but was instead offered a year out of the game in a bid to get him to reconsider. However, de Villiers is understood to contemplating Test retirement when he meets CSA officials following the appointment of a new coach in August, in an attempt to continue playing white-ball cricket for South Africa until the 2019 World Cup. CSA have declined to comment.Before leaving the UK for a two-month break at home, de Villiers said he and CSA would “make a final decision about what happens for the next few years” when they meet in a few weeks’ time, and indicated that the appointment of the new coach would be key to his future. Incumbent Russell Domingo’s contract is up at the end of the current tour to England and several sources have confirmed he has not reapplied for the post despite the support of the players, including de Villiers.But, insiders have revealed there is more on de Villiers’ mind than the question of who will take charge of the side. Those close to de Villiers say the batsman has wanted to retire from Test cricket since sustaining the elbow injury that kept him out of the New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka Tests last season.In a column for Graeme Smith all but confirmed this information when he wrote: “It’s my belief that AB was looking to walk away from the Test game last year at some point, but has been encouraged to carry on by CSA. His personal prerogative is ensuring he does all he can to add as much longevity to his international career as possible, as well as taking in to account the harsh realities of touring such as the amount of travel involved, and the toll that takes on your body.”AB has already made huge sacrifices for South African cricket, over such a long period of time, and with the next ICC World Cup just two years away, it’s likely that he is targeting that tournament as a swansong to his already illustrious career at the top level. What has AB de Villiers got to prove to anyone? He’s a star, and those players are often expected to be available all of the time no matter what the consequences might be personally.”Smith’s advice to de Villiers is to “step away from the captaincy”, and concentrate on maintaining his energy levels for the World Cup. If anyone would know about such things, it’s Smith. He gave up the limited-overs captaincy after the 2011 World Cup, following nine years in charge in all formats but continued playing before an unexpected retirement in 2014.Until yesterday, de Villiers had given no indication he was likely to take that course of action, insisting that he enjoyed leadership, but following South Africa’s defeat in the third T20 in Cardiff, he seemed to change his tune.De Villiers said he would like to be part of the World Cup squad in “one way or another”, and hinted at a change in mood in South African cricket. “There are quite a few things that are changing in South African cricket at the moment, quite a few things we need to wait for. I don’t even think it’s in my hands what is going to happen,” de Villiers said.Those changes include the introduction of a T20 league, to which de Villiers has committed to being a part – he is the marquee player for the Pretoria franchise. He also plays in the IPL and has previously had stints in the CPL. He admitted to being approached by the Big Bash in the past, but turned them down, because of the clash with the South African season. With a growing family, it remains to be seen how much de Villiers still wants to travel abroad, for T20 leagues or for South Africa.

After a performance as perfect as this – in which John Simpson became their third batsman to score a brilliant ton, and Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones shared nine Hampshire wickets – it is only rain that can deny Middlesex now

Will Macpherson at Merchant Taylors' School30-May-2016
ScorecardAdam Voges finished unbeaten on 160 before Middlesex’s bowlers got to work•Getty Images

As Brendon McCullum watched on from the balcony atop this beautiful, expansive ground’s quaint, wisteria-covered pavilion, he would have been forgiven for wondering quite how his new Middlesex team-mates have failed to win in the Championship this season. Six games, six draws. There is mitigation: half of those games have taken place on the deadest of Lord’s tracks, while they have lost a staggering 618 overs – 103 out of each game – to rain. The top order has been making runs, the bowlers have been taking wickets, yet not a result in sight.After a performance as perfect as this – in which John Simpson became their third batsman to score a brilliant ton, and Tim Murtagh and Toby Roland-Jones shared nine Hampshire wickets – it is only rain that can deny them now. A downpour is forecast for Tuesday, but the heavy lifting is done; surely, across the final two days, the clouds will lift to allow them time to take the seven remaining Hampshire wickets, after they were made to follow on. On the basis of the second day’s play, that should not take long.Angus Fraser talks about the “Middlesex DNA”, the personality traits he wants to define his team, which is a rather hazy concept for those on the outside, but crystal clear to all in a united, friendly, laugh-a-minute dressing room. It was there last week, when Nick Gubbins, the baby of the side – and thus victim of a few pranks – was so touched to be taken out for drinks by his team-mates upon finally reaching a Championship ton, having three times fallen in the 90s. It was visible here, when James Fuller took his first – then second and third – Championship wickets for the club, and the back-slapping seemed to last for hours. It is audible every time Ollie Rayner or Murtagh let out their big barks, their umms and ahhs in the field; each gag is raucously laughed at, each achievement raucously celebrated.It was perhaps most obvious, however, as Adam Voges and Simpson came out and flayed to all parts in the morning session – with clouds low and fielders’ fingers freezing – to add a quickfire 125 in just 19.2 overs and set up a perfect declaration, allowing the bowlers 30 minutes before lunch, upon the completion of Simpson’s rocking, rollicking century. Roland-Jones described their efforts, to which Simpson contributed 72 off 61 this morning as Voges, who finished 160 not out turned the strike over, as “selfless, but highly skilful too”.”It’s never easy to go out and force the issue that clearly,” Roland-Jones said. “They set the tone, playing so positively to get ahead so quickly and we exploited the conditions that were out there.”Simpson, such a pugnacious, powerful batsman, played a dazzling hand. There was a front-foot pull for six off James Tomlinson, then another six to cow, and reverse-swept and straight-driven fours, all of Liam Dawson, as 22 were pilfered from five balls. Each came with crack cleaner than the last. Hampshire, on a pitch described by Roland-Jones as “pretty consistent, but always offering enough to the bowlers with enough lateral movement,” had been thoroughly beaten up by brilliant batting. They looked utterly demoralised.Either side of lunch, the nippy, nagging excellence of Murtagh and the Fraser-ish, bouncy Roland-Jones, a veritable nightmare bowling down the hill, bowled 11- and 10-over spells respectively. As Roland-Jones’s lift continually beat the outside edge, Murtagh’s off-stump line accounted for the top three. Sean Ervine and Dawson – who drove beautifully straight – dug in to share 34, Hampshire’s largest partnership of the day, but a screaming Sam Robson catch at gully saw off Dawson, and before long Rayner’s bounce gave his first over the wicket of Joe Weatherley. Murtagh returned to find Ervine’s edge, and Roland-Jones docked a limp tail.Hampshire’s horrid day was summed up by Tino Best, so hot against Nottinghamshire last week, so very cold today. There he was, at the end of the day’s first over, calling the 12th man on for a second jumper – to be fair, it was chilly enough to force umpire Neil Mallender to don gloves – but soon he was officially warned for beaming Voges and, later, a leading edge off Roland-Jones flew straight to mid-on. His funereal walk to and from the middle meant a one-ball innings lasted four minutes.The follow-on was enforced without the batting of an eyelid – and may mean Hampshire, who are three behind on the over rate, end up taking -2 points from the match. Middlesex continued on their merry way, Murtagh’s second ball taking the edge of Will Smith – promoted to open, before Fuller’s aggressive late burst did for Michael Carberry, caught low at second slip, and Ervine – stump cartwheeling – just as the new-ball pair’s exertions began to show. Off they went, revelling in their six perfect sessions and ready to meet their newest team-mate, knowing that first win is not far away.

Leicestershire have announced the signing of Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal to play in the NatWest T20 Blast as cover for Grant Elliott

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2015Leicestershire have announced the signing of Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal to play in the NatWest T20 Blast as cover for Grant Elliott. Akmal will be available to play in four games in June, while Elliott is with New Zealand for their ODI series against England.”This will be my first time playing T20 for a county and I am very excited to be handed this opportunity,” Akmal said. “The club have put their trust in me so I will give my 100 percent efforts to repay their faith.”Akmal was a member of Pakistan’s World Cup squad and has played 170 limited-overs internationals for his country. Elliott and Akmal will share the second overseas slot during the Blast, with former Australia international Clint McKay available across all formats.Leicestershire’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, said: “It is brilliant that we are signing a player of Umar’s quality for when Grant is on international duty with New Zealand. Our fans should get the chance to see Umar at Grace Road on Friday, June 12, and we are all looking forward to him showcasing his skills over the course of the four games.”Leicestershire, who won the last of their three T20 titles in 2011, begin their Blast campaign on Friday against Lancashire. Akmal is expected to play in fixtures against Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Yorkshire.”It is fantastic to have Umar with us when Grant goes to play for New Zealand,” Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove said. “Along with Clint, we have high-class overseas players to supplement the young talent we have here.”