All posts by n8rngtd.top

Michael Klinger’s unbeaten century gave Gloucestershire the option of trying to press for the win as they took a slim lead against Hampshire

Alex Winter in Bristol10-May-2013
ScorecardGloucestershire’s captain Michael Klinger has struck a rich vein of form in recent matches•Getty Images

The question hanging over Nevil Road at the moment is whether Gloucestershire will get a return on their investment. That chiefly applies to rebuilding the ground but the club hope that the signing of Australian batsman Michael Klinger pays an immediate dividend.Much faith has been placed in Klinger as the overseas player, new opening batsman and captain on a two-year deal. The early signs are positive. He followed up a century in guiding Gloucestershire to victory at Grace Road last week with another one here as his side got quickly among the batting bonus points.Reaching 400 inside 110 overs is the most realistic result for Gloucestershire, with more than a day’s play lost in the game. But they are on course after two meaty partnerships that came at a good run rate. Gloucestershire were keen to set up matches on the final day of rain-interrupted games last season and haven’t ruled out setting Hampshire a target here.But they must be wary of doing so having lost twice to Yorkshire in contrived finishes in 2012. Captain Klinger will be the negotiator tomorrow. His unbeaten century has given his side the option of trying to press for the win.Klinger blazed a trail, the like of which Gloucestershire haven’t seen since they days of Craig Spearman. Like the planning permission for the ground development, Klinger needed a second chance. But the rationale for Bristol City Council’s initial rejection of the club’s plans could be better understood than Liam Dawson’s dropped catch at second slip. A regulation edge off the bowling of David Balcombe went straight through Dawson’s hands at knee height to his left-hand side. Perhaps a steel girder in the pavilion was moved at the wrong time.A wicket then, with the total only 11, might have jolted Hampshire into action – their only hope to force an unlikely win, barring an agreed chase, being to enforce the follow-on. But the dropped chance had the opposite effect as Balcombe and James Tomlinson leaked 48 in 11 overs, with eight boundaries.Klinger, in excellent touch on the front foot, played the shot of the morning session past extra cover, the final straw in Tomlinson’s opening spell. After lunch, Danny Briggs’ slow left-arm went twice over long-on, the first of three balls lost to the construction site.Klinger added 119 in 31.2 overs with Chris Dent, the partnership being ended by Tomlinson, who changed ends after lunch to have Dent caught behind wafting at a wide delivery.Dent, who played for England Under-19s, is very much in the classy left-hander category: the ability to please spectators with effortless cut strokes and flicks off the legs but then have them pulling their hair out with a loose dismissal. It comes with the territory. Dent is a delight to watch and was in complete control for his 45 but needs to tighten up to produce the returns his talent promises.Dent could do with borrowing a bit of Dan Housego’s doggedness. As in the opening match at Chelmsford, Housego was as solid as the new Bristol pavilion’s framework. But he has another gear and his large forward stride brought plenty of runs through the covers. Raising Briggs for six over long-on brought up his half-century in 77 balls before tea and it was a shock to see him beaten by a quicker, full Briggs delivery the second over after the extended interval.That gave Alex Gidman, now free of the captaincy and eager for runs, to push Gloucestershire into a slender lead with some lusty hitting, including a flashing back-foot drive off Chris Wood.

Ireland international signs as Bears’ second overseas player for majority of group stages

Matt Roller22-Mar-2022Warwickshire hope that Paul Stirling will be a “transformational signing” for their T20 Blast ambitions, as he joins the club for the majority of the group stage to form a new-look opening partnership with Alex Davies.The Bears were beaten in the quarter-finals by eventual champions Kent last season, but lacked a reliable source of runs at the top of the order. Ed Pollock, explosive on his day but frustratingly inconsistent, has since left for Worcestershire while Adam Hose looks set to slide back into the middle order after a quiet 2021 at the top.Stirling, a sought-after opening batter in T20 leagues around the world, has spent the vast majority of his county career at Middlesex, though also played for Northamptonshire in 2020 after Ireland’s rise to full-member status forced him to register as an overseas player, rather than a local.”I’m incredibly excited to join up with the Bears for this year’s Vitality Blast,” Stirling said. “They were the masters of the red-ball game last year but also have big ambitions in white-ball cricket and want to be playing at home on Finals Day. It’s going to be a special few weeks and I can’t wait to get started.”Related

• Wright steps down as Sussex T20 captain

• Sams joins Essex for Blast

• Surrey sign Narine for Blast campaign

• Alex Davies banned and fined over historic offensive tweets

• Brathwaite to return to Bears as T20 Blast captain

He is due to play the first 12 group games before joining up with Ireland for their two T20 internationals against India at the end of June, and Warwickshire are hopeful he could be available for Finals Day on July 16 – the day after an Ireland ODI against New Zealand in Dublin – if they Bears reach that stage.Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, said that Stirling would open alongside Davies, his team-mate at Southern Brave during their title win in the Hundred last year. That would leave Hose, Chris Benjamin, Sam Hain, Will Rhodes and new captain Carlos Brathwaite in the Bears’ middle order, with recent England Under-19 internationals Dan Mousely and Jacob Bethell in reserve.”Paul could be a transformational signing for us in this year’s Blast,” Farbrace said. “He is one of the most powerful openers in the T20 game and has lots of experience on the biggest stage, having played in World Cups and global franchise tournaments.”With a new look opening pair of Paul and Alex Davies in this year’s Blast, it’s an incredibly exciting line-up that Carlos Brathwaite is going to be captaining when we take to the field at Edgbaston for our opening game against the Steelbacks on May 26.”Stirling was player of the match in the Hundred final last season, but is not expected to be picked up in this year’s competition due to a clash with Ireland’s series against South Africa and Afghanistan.

Bangladesh A salvaged some pride from their disastrous tour, after they beat England Lions by four wickets in the third and final one-day game

Mohammad Isam24-Aug-2013
ScorecardNaeem Islam guided Bangladesh A’s successful run chase with an unbeaten ton•Getty Images

Bangladesh A salvaged some pride from their disastrous tour, after they beat England Lions by four wickets in the third and final one-day game. Naeem Islam was the hero for the visitors, chaperoning the 320-run chase and getting an unbeaten century himself.This was Bangladesh A’s first win on tour, after they lost five matches to county sides and conceded the three-match one-day series to the Lions by losing the first two games.Naeem’s unbeaten 121 came off just 100 balls and was highlighted by 15 boundaries and two sixes. He was instrumental in maintaining a good run rate after Imrul Kayes and Raqibul Hasan added 58 for the second wicket. Raqibul, who chipped in with 72, and Naeem then added 104 for the third wicket. Naeem kept going, adding another 76 for the fifth wicket with Shamsur Rahman, and an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership worth 36 runs with Farhad Reza that eventually clinched the game.The Lions bowlers didn’t help matters, conceding 35 extras, of which 12 were no-balls. In the finishing stages, Ben Stokes bowled two beamers, and was promptly taken out of the attack by the umpires, Tymal Mills called on to finish the over. Stokes, however, was the most successful (albeit most expensive) bowler with 3 for 74.The Lions’ decision to bat first was again vindicated by their third successive 300-plus score in the series. Opener James Vince made 63 off 70 balls while Gary Ballance struck 87 off 102 balls with seven boundaries.This time, however, their finishing wasn’t as good as the last two games, with only James Taylor making 44 off 29 balls with three fours and two sixes. Al-Amin Hossain took 3 for 70 while Robiul Islam picked up two wickets for 60 runs.

Scottish board currently without a chair amid criticism of its response to racism report

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Apr-2023Cricket Scotland has announced the appointment of Pete Fitzboyden as interim chief executive. Fitzboyden joins on a six-month contract and replaces Gordon Arthur with immediate effect, after Arthur announced his intention to step down earlier this year.Fitzboyden is a former chief executive of London Sport, and has served in similar interim roles at Badminton England and Cycling UK. His most recent role was as a consultant working on governance standards for the Rugby Football Union.His arrival comes at a time of upheaval at Cricket Scotland, which was last year placed into special measures after a damning report into racism. The board is currently without a chair, following Anjan Luthra’s resignation after just six months in the role, and there has been criticism on both sides over plans to increase diversity in the Scottish game.”I am delighted to be joining Cricket Scotland during this important time for the sport,” Fitzboyden said.”There remains a great deal of work to be done to build on the progress to date and deliver on our commitments to anti-racism and EDI within the sport, whilst continuing to rebuild trust within the Scottish cricketing community. I am also keen to support the ongoing enhancement of Cricket Scotland as an organisation, to ensure it flourishes for years to come.”We are about to begin an exciting domestic cricket season, while our men’s and women’s national squads have crucial World Cup qualifying campaigns on the horizon. It promises to be an extremely busy summer, and I am really looking forward to getting out and about around the country to meet people from all communities who share my love of cricket.”Cricket Scotland has also brought in Kash Taank as its head of EDI, and Declan Ritchie as conduct in sport manager. The governing body said it is close to appointing a head of “Changing the Boundaries”, in a specialised role named after the racism report published in 2022.The process of hiring a permanent chief executive will begin during the summer, with a view to filling the role by December 1, 2023.

Jamaica’s Sabina Park is set to get floodlights, according to Jamaica Cricket Association officials

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2013Jamaica’s Sabina Park is set to get floodlights, according to Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) officials. JCA president Lyndel Wright told Jamaica newspapers that the board has entered into partnership with Consolidated Energy Partners, while treasurer Nigel Logan said the fixtures should be ready in time for Jamaica’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches.”Sabina Park Holdings has entered into an agreement with Consolidated Energy Partners, a member of the Genco Group Of Companies, for the provisioning of floodlights at Sabina Park,” Wright was quoted as saying by the .Logan, who is also director of Sabina Park Holdings and the chairman of its lights committee, said the project will be financed by Consolidated Energy Partners. “The funding, it’s going to be financed by the supplier. The lights will be GE lights and they will be excellent for cricket and have definition similar to what you see in the IPL.” The lights should be ready by August 5, he said, ahead of Sabina Park’s opening CPL match.The idea of floodlights had been mooted earlier this year with the CPL in mind, as Jamaica was the only center among the tournament’s six venues that did not meet the requirements to host day-night matches – reportedly a criterion for hosting CPL games.

Yorkshire were sent spinning to a 25-run Friends Life t20 defeat by Nottinghamshire in front of a 7,100 crowd at Headingley.

21-Jul-2013
ScorecardDavid Hussey led Notts’ innings•Getty Images

Yorkshire were sent spinning to a 25-run Friends Life t20 defeat by Nottinghamshire in front of a 7,100 crowd at Headingley. The result pushed Nottinghamshire to the top of the North Group with 10 points but it left Yorkshire next to the bottom with just five points and virtually without hope of qualifying for the quarter-finals.Chasing a target of 156, Yorkshire looked to be in with a good chance as Joe Sayers and Dan Hodgson put on 67 in 10 overs for the second wicket, but left-arm spinners Samit Patel and Graeme White soon broke through with some fine bowling to knock the stuffing out of the home side.Patel finished with 2 for 19 from his four overs while White also claimed two crucial wickets at a cost of only 18 runs as Yorkshire limped from 75 for 1 to 130 for 6.With skipper Andrew Gale rested as a precaution having returned to Championship cricket last week following time out with a broken hand, Adam Lyth was recalled to open the innings with Sayers. But off the final ball of the first over from left-arm paceman Harry Gurney, Lyth gave a gentle catch to Patel at cover to bring in Hodgson, who has been in good form in the competition.Sayers hit former team-mate Ajmal Shahzad hard through extra cover for four and the same bowler suffered again as Hodgson struck consecutive balls for cover boundaries. There were further boundaries for Sayers off Gurney and Ian Butler to propel Yorkshire to 49 for 1 at the end of the six overs of Powerplay and at that stage they were well on course to win.But momentum quickly shifted Nottinghamshire’s way when Sayers drove Patel straight into the hands of Steven Mullaney at long on to depart for 38 from 30 balls with five fours. It became 90 for 3 as Hodgson, on 32 with four boundaries, was lured from his crease by White and Chris Read whipped off the bails.Yorkshire became increasingly desperate and Andy Hodd fell lbw to White before danger man Gary Ballance was brilliantly caught by White on the midwicket boundary off Patel to make a Nottinghamshire triumph inevitable.Put in to bat on a cloudy afternoon, Nottinghamshire lost Michael Lumb in Ryan Sidebottom’s first over and Alex Hales had his off-stump sent spinning by Liam Plunkett with the score on 33 in the fifth over. Yorkshire perked up even further when James Taylor hit Plunkett straight to Adil Rashid at midwicket but Patel batted fluently for his 46 from 37 balls with four fours and two sixes.But it was David Hussey who took the visitors to a respectable score with a solid unbeaten 52 from 48 deliveries – including four fours and a six – while Butler did late damage with 18 from nine deliveries, hitting a four and taking sixes off both Sidebottom and acting captain Azeem Rafiq.Apart from two expensive overs from Jack Brooks, Yorkshire bowled tidily and it was their batsmen who proved they were not up to the task.

Rachael Haynes and Jess Jonassen played starring roles with bat and ball in a 71-run victory

Daniel Brettig07-Apr-2021What do you do when you’ve just broken a world record for the most consecutive wins in your sport?If you’re Meg Lanning’s irrepressible Australians, you celebrate your 22nd consecutive win momentarily, take a sightseeing hike up Mount Maunganui on your rest day, then promptly go back out again and win No. 23 to claim another trophy – Australia’s ninth consecutive Rose Bowl victory over New Zealand, keeping possession of the Trans-Tasman silverware for a 22nd year.Despite the most aggressive of starts from Alyssa Healy in a scene-setting stand with Rachael Haynes, this was not Australia’s best or most complete performance. Nevertheless, it provided another reminder of how the team’s depth makes them such dastardly opponents: New Zealand, though enjoying numerous fruitful passages, were never able to reach a point of critical mass.Defending a tally of 271 rather than the 300 or so they had appeared likely to make when Healy, Haynes and Lanning were all scoring fluently, the tourists were able to find plenty of assistance in the evening air at the Bay Oval.Initially, it was Tayla Vlaeminck and Megan Schutt swinging the new ball with plenty of venom, then Jess Jonassen, Georgia Wareham and Ash Gardner extracted plenty of turn from the surface with which to stifle any threatening New Zealand partnership.Haynes’ innings was the platform off which Healy was able to launch early on, clouting three boundaries in her first four balls and spoiling to add to that trio for virtually every ball thereafter. While Healy’s timing and placement were not always pristine, her intention to dominate was typical of the way in which Lanning’s team have assumed such a prime position in the game.Lanning’s own innings was a high-quality cameo, and when she was dismissed at 180 for 2 in the 34th over, it appeared difficult to see New Zealand conceding anything less than another 100 runs. That they were able to corral the remainder of the innings, as much as Gardner, Ellyse Perry, Beth Mooney and Nicola Carey tried to clear the boundary, was down to an excellent spell from the offspinner Leigh Kasperek – stepping, for once, out of the considerable shadow of Amelia Kerr.Leigh Kasperek’s 6 for 46 were the best-ever Women’s ODI figures against Australia•Getty Images

Gaining just enough spin while maintaining a disciplined length, Kasperek was ultimately able to pluck 6 for 46 – in fact, no bowler had ever returned a better analysis against Australia in a 50-over match, an achievement Kasperek will rightly be able to cherish for years to come.Nevertheless, 272 was still a hard target under lights, something the Australians were quick to exploit in their first floodlit ODI since 2019. Vlaeminck in particular made life difficult for the home side’s top order, delivering her outswingers at considerable pace and ensuring New Zealand, after the early losses of Lauren Down and the captain Amy Satterthwaite, needed to think as much of survival as scoring.Kerr and Hayley Jensen were able to take the scoreboard as far as 76 at reasonable pace, and after the opener picked out long-off from the bowling of Wareham, they were still well placed at 120 for 3 just beyond the halfway point. At that point Kerr chose the wrong Jonassen ball to charge and failed to get to the pitch, leaving the spin to create a slice and a catch to backward point.From there New Zealand were subjected to the now familiar squeeze imposed by Lanning and her bowlers, pushing the required rate up and up until errors started to be made. Wareham and the shrewd Jonassen were the primary beneficiaries in terms of wickets, but all the Australians played their part whether with the ball or in the field.None summed this up better than Perry, who saved a six struck by Maddy Green when she dived backwards to catch the ball right on the rope and then threw it back off-balance while remaining, in the third umpire’s judgment, millimeters inside the boundary.It’s the sort of desperation, even in times of relative comfort, that has kept Australia at the top of the pile. Unless something drastic takes place, it should keep them there for quite some time yet.

Senior internationals make the difference as Trent Rockets are undone after flying start

Andrew Miller24-Jul-2021Southern Brave 133 for 5 (Taylor 45*, Shrubsole 40*) beat Trent Rockets 110 for 7 (Sciver 44, Shrubsole 4-13) by 23 runsAnya Shrubsole and Stafanie Taylor produced crucial roles with bat and then ball, as Southern Brave recovered from a catastrophic opening gambit to ease to a 23-run victory over Trent Rockets in their opening match of the women’s Hundred at Trent Bridge.The two experienced campaigners shared in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 76, making 40 not out from 30 and 45 not out from 31 respectively, before chipping in with five wickets between them in their defence of 134, Shrubsole topping and tailing the innings superbly for the game-sealing figures of 4 for 13 in 20 balls.Rockets’ own England stars did their utmost to keep their side competitive, with Nat Sciver top-scoring in the chase with 44 from 29, including a third-wicket stand of 66 with her partner, and fiancée, Katherine Brunt. But when both were extracted in the space of three balls, their challenge fell away.Power goes to Brave’s headsSmriti Mandhana, Danni Wyatt and Sophia Dunkley made for an imposing top three in Southern Brave’s ranks, and on a venue with Trent Bridge’s run-laden reputation, the expectation was for fireworks in the Powerplay … until it all went “splut”.Three dot balls from Brunt to Wyatt set the early tone – and the fourth would have been a run-out had Sammy-Jo Johnson’s throw found the stumps with Wyatt scuttling through for a reckless opening single. But two balls later, and with the first of her own set, Johnson made amends in priceless style. Mandhana lined up a swipe over the short leg-side boundary, but top-edged a steepler for Michaela Kirk to cling on well in the deep.Dunkley, England’s breakthrough star of the India series, drilled Brave’s opening boundary back down the ground, but perished on the drive five balls later, the victim of an exceptional first-time pick-up from Sarah Glenn at mid-off, and a sharp gather from Kathryn Bryce by the non-striker’s stumps.And Brave’s formless Powerplay was capped in Sciver’s first set, when Wyatt followed up a pull for four through square leg with a cramped top-edge to mid-on. The first 25 balls came and went with a scoreline of 17 for 3, and Rockets had grabbed an early stranglehold.Anya Shrubsole struck early in the chase•Getty Images

Taylor, Shrubsole pick up the pieces
Fortunately for Brave, the power in their line-up wasn’t limited to the top three. In Taylor, West Indies’ T20 World Cup-winning captain, and Shrubsole – England’s 2017 World Cup hero, albeit with the ball – there was oodles of seen-it-all experience lurking down their order.And they need all of it, as the wickets kept slipping away – Maia Bouchier threatened for a time with three forceful boundaries before a leading edge to cover off Sarah Glenn, and Amanda-Jade Wellington never got going in her 5 from nine balls. But from 57 for 5 after 55 balls, Taylor and Shrubsole racked up 76 unbeaten runs from the final 45, to set up an eminently defendable total.After staying watchful in the Powerplay, Taylor raised her tempo mid-innings, including a vast, swept six over midwicket off Glenn. But she was starved of the strike thereafter, facing just five deliveries between balls 43 and 71, and it was Shrubsole who signalled Brave’s late charge, taking ten off Bryce’s third set of five including a brace of cover drives, before a slap over wide long-on for six after picking Sciver’s slower ball.She continued her assault on Glenn with two more fours in her final five, before Taylor showcased her sense of timing at the death, denting Brunt’s exceptional figures with two thumps through backward square to finish unbeaten on 45 from 31.Rockets explode in Powerplay

Four, out, four, out, four. With a single in between whiles, Rockets launched their chase with an unsubtle opening gambit. Rachel Priest fell to a fourth-ball slog as Anya Shrubsole gained revenge for her earlier clout through square leg, while Lauren Bell dispatched Sammy-Jo Johnson with her own third delivery, having just been slammed over the covers.But Brunt arrived with a dismissive slap for four through point, and when Sciver followed a snick past the keeper for four with three more conventional boundaries in a row off Tara Norris, it seemed the tone of the chase had been established. But Shrubsole closed out the Powerplay by conceding just two more runs, and when Bell returned with three from five of her own, the tempo suddenly changed …Wellington’s five-ball maiden

Flight, loop, guile and turn… it was all on display as Amanda-Jade Wellington entered the fray with her legbreaks, and had Brunt in knots as she struggled and failed to counter her overspin. Wellington duly became the first bowler in Hundred history to serve up a “maiden” (the Sky commentators seem to think that terminology still exists even if “over” has been outlawed) and was instantly handed a second set to keep up the pressure. Brunt and Sciver scuffed a succession of singles to break the immediate stranglehold but only five runs from ten balls was an outstanding handbrake to Rockets’ mid-innings momentum.Pace off the ball was clearly the way to go, especially against the hard-heaving Brunt, who had struggled to 16 from 24 balls at the halfway mark of the chase, at which point the requirement was a stiff but obtainable 83 from 50. Sciver threatened to make it look insubstantial when she climbed into Stafanie Taylor with three fours in five, including a powerful reverse-sweep to disrupt her ploy of bowling wide outside off.But back came Bell to deceive Sciver with an outstanding back-of-the-hand slower ball, and when Taylor returned to end Brunt’s struggle with a top-edged slog to square leg, Rockets had slumped to 76 for 4 with two new batters at the crease. Despite the best efforts of Heather Graham at the death, the requirement was already out of reach by the time Shrubsole popped up with three in four balls to put the seal on a comprehensive win.

Australia batter back in the nets less than a week after surgery, with coach Mott declaring her a chance for Thursday’s Test

Alex Malcolm23-Jan-2022Australia batter Beth Mooney has a chance to play in the women’s Ashes Test match on Thursday in Canberra despite having undergone surgery on a fractured jaw last week.Mooney missed the three T20Is in Adelaide, although two of them were washed out, after fracturing her jaw while batting in the nets last Monday. But Mooney returned to the nets on Sunday facing some throwdowns and ran some laps before rain enveloped Adelaide Oval.Australia coach Matthew Mott told that Mooney has a chance to play in the Canberra Test.”She was hitting out the back with Peter Clarke our sports psych, she’s in good nick,” Mott said. “We’ll certainly look at her for the Test match. All the indications are looking very positive. She’s been up and about. She’s a warrior. She’s tough. We can’t wait to have her back in our group. But she’s going ok.”Her team-mate Rachael Haynes said the players were stunned at Mooney’s recovery.”It’s pretty incredible, to be honest,” Haynes said. “It’s been really nice to see how much she’s progressed. Even little things over the last couple of days, the swelling around her face has gone down quite substantially and just having a bit of a chat with her and checking in and seeing how she’s been going, she’s feeling really confident.”She had a hit today in the net and also a run around and by all accounts, she’s not in any pain or anything like that. So I think it’s just about her stepping through those little markers that she needs to get through and without a doubt, she’s definitely got her eye on that Test match in Canberra.”Related

• Liquid-only diet won't stop Beth Mooney's remarkable return

• 'I want to be involved as much as I can' – Healy still keen to keep and open in Tests

• Vlaeminck ruled out of Ashes and ODI World Cup with stress fracture

• Beth Mooney suffers fractured jaw ahead of Ashes

Mooney opened in Australia’s last Test against India earlier this summer alongside Alyssa Healy but there is a squeeze for places at the top of the order with Haynes returning to the side after missing the India Test with a hamstring injury.Haynes has opened in five of her nine Test innings, however, she has only reached 30 three times in Tests and all three have come batting in the middle order – that includes scores of 98 and 87 in previous Ashes Tests at No.7 and No.5. But Haynes is preparing to bat at the top as well.”Obviously, that’s a conversation probably for Meg and Motty to have,” Haynes said. “I’ve certainly been preparing like I will bat in the top order, facing plenty of the new ball, and those sorts of things in preparation for the Test match. But as I’ve said in the past, I’m happy to bat wherever they need me to. I’ve prepared for that knowing that I could end up in the middle but I’m definitely preparing to open at this stage.”The make-up of Australia’s attack is also unknown with Megan Schutt and Jess Jonassen set to return after missing the India Test. The season-ending injury to Tayla Vlaeminck may open the door for Stella Campbell to play again after making her Test debut against India.Stella Campbell bowling on Test debut•Getty Images

Campbell was left out of Australia’s Ashes squad but is part of the Australia A squad and took 7 for 25 for NSW in a recent WNCL match against ACT at Manuka Oval.”Having watched first-hand the damage she did against ACT and just the wicket as well and [it] had a little bit more bounce and carry in it than perhaps what we’ve seen in the past,” Haynes said. “I think she’d definitely be coming into calculation. She obviously debuted earlier on in the summer as well. And I think particularly in red-ball cricket, where your ability to take wickets is, obviously, fundamental to winning Test matches. No doubt they’ll be sitting down and having a bit of a discussion on who they think the best makeup is for our side to be able to take 20 wickets because that’s ultimately what we’re going to look to do. We do want to be positive and try and win this Test match.”

Every wicket Fawad Ahmed takes for Victoria will enhance his chances of earning Australian citizenship in time for this year’s Ashes tour of England

Daniel Brettig21-Feb-2013
ScorecardCould Fawad Ahmed be England-bound?•Getty Images

Every wicket Fawad Ahmed takes for Victoria will enhance his chances of earning Australian citizenship in time for this year’s Ashes tour of England, with Cricket Australia believed to be continuing talks about expediting his collection of a passport.Victoria’s eight-wicket win over Queensland at the MCG to go to the top of the Sheffield Shield table could not have been achieved without Ahmed, who twirled past five Bulls batsmen in a display that left both teammates and opponents in little doubt he was ready for international duty.”When he’s qualified, he’ll play for Australia pretty quickly, I’d imagine,” said Victoria’s captain Cameron White. “It’s pretty simple. He’s one of the better leg-spinners – if not the best – I’ve seen in first class cricket outside [Stuart] MacGill and [Shane] Warne.”Queensland’s captain James Hopes reckoned Ahmed “the best wrist spinner in the competition” after one Shield appearance. “He’s a match-winner, especially on pitches that turn,” Hopes said. “He’s got great control and he’s got a good wrong ‘un. He would hold his own at the top level, comfortably.”It was the latest chapter in Ahmed’s wondrous story, which began with his departure from Pakistan in 2010 and has gathered momentum each time he has delivered his leg breaks and googlies with exceptional control, patience and considerable spin.Under ICC regulations, Ahmed will be eligible to play for Australia after August 18 as he will have spent enough time in the country by then, or alternatively from the moment he receives his passport. CA were instrumental in advocating Ahmed’s official recognition as a resident late last year, and it is understood those negotiations have continued around his admission to citizenship.A clause exists within Australian law for exceptional athletes to have their cases brought forward, something seen in recent years in a number of Olympic sports as new immigrants have soon found themselves representing Australia. Ahmed’s eligibility for this would likely hinge on his readiness to play Tests, and so more performances like this one will greatly enhance his case.