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Captain points to pivotal evening session when five wickets fell as West Indies’ quicks seized the moment

Matt Roller12-Jul-2020Jason Holder has described the fourth day of the Ageas Bowl Test as “by far the best effort” he had seen from a West Indies team during his time as captain and “one of the best” in his tenure.West Indies took five wickets at a cost of just 30 runs at the end of a long day in the field, with Holder making the vital breakthrough in dismissing his opposite number Ben Stokes for the second time in the Test before Alzarri Joseph and Man of the Match Shannon Gabriel shared four more.”It was a long hard toil and a hard-fought day for West Indies, and a day that definitely went in our favour at the back end,” Holder said. “The reason I say that it was the best day for me is down to the fact that every single time I asked for effort from those bowlers, no one said: no, I can’t, I’m too tired. They just all kept running in.ALSO READ: Blackwood writes history in his own way“At that stage when Stokesy and Zak [Crawley] were batting, the game started to look a little bit less likely for us to win. We knew we couldn’t lose – we backed ourselves not to lose – but we wanted to win the game, and we knew how important it was for us to win.”Yesterday’s effort was by far the best effort I’ve seen from this group. And not only the bowlers – the fielders kept running round, getting through the overs, and we all kept our energy up right throughout the day.”Holder said that once Stokes and Crawley had fallen within an over of each other, he sensed that “something special” was around the corner at a crucial moment in the Test.”We’ve had so many dark days in the past that we understand moments in the game that we need to seize,” he said. “If we wanted to win the game, we had to break the partnership. I was fortunate to come on and to get Stokesy out, then Alzarri got Zak caught-and-bowled and that was a very sharp chance.”When those two wickets fell, I knew we were in for something special, but it was just a case of us executing again. Then we got Jos [Buttler] and at the very end we were able to get Dom Bess who was a little bit annoying in the first innings.”West Indies have a wretched recent record in the first match of series away to major opposition, with their last win in such a fixture coming in Port Elizabeth some 13 years ago. Holder said that record, combined with the absence of England captain Joe Root, meant that he had considered a good start to the series to be “really important”.Jason Holder and John Campbell celebrate victory•AFP via Getty Images

“In the past we haven’t started series well and we’ve always had to play catch-up. England missing Root was a big miss [because] he’s a high-quality player. We thought it was an opportunity to really get into their inexperienced batting line-up.”It’s a massive, massive win. To beat England in England is no easy feat. We were able to do it last time we were here in 2017 so we all know what the feeling is like but things have changed drastically since then. They’re a massive unit in their backyard so to start the series this well is very promising for us and we feel proud about the way we performed.”This morning I woke up and I just wanted to fast-forward to the end of the day with us winning. At the start there were a few nerves… but we knew once we got a partnership the English bowlers would go flat. Credit to England, they threw a lot at us.”Holder also praised the 10 reserves on this tour, and suggested that a nets session at the Ageas Bowl before the first Test had been vital preparation. The majority of the reserves impressed in the intra-squad warm-up matches – in particular Joshua Da Silva, who made an unbeaten hundred in the second game – and Holder said they had been crucial to West Indies’ ability to hit the ground running.”I could have seen it [coming], the way we prepared. Our preparation was spot-on. Before this game we had one of the best nets session I’ve ever had, and it was led by those reserves who ran in and challenged our batters – they got them out quite a few times.”That sparked something within the group. I can’t ever forget the reserves who have come on this tour. I think a lot of credit has to be given to them for this victory, too.”

A round-up of the action from the first match-day of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2011Centuries from Stafanie Taylor and Juliana Nero helped West Indies Women thrash Ireland Women by 213 runs at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan Ground in Savar. West Indies scored 276 for 4 in their 50 overs and then bowled Ireland out for just 63 in a one-sided match. Ireland chose to field but had to wait till the 38th over to make a breakthrough. By then Taylor and Nero had put together a 204-run opening partnership. Nero was run out for 100 and Taylor went on to get 107 before she was dismissed in the 47th over. Ireland’s bowlers were wayward and gave away 23 runs in wides. Elena Tice, the 13-year-old legspinner who recently became the second-youngest player to play international cricket, found the going tough and went for 36 in her four overs.The chase was always going to be difficult but Ireland surrendered without a fight. Shakera Selman struck with the second ball of the innings and then Pearl Etienne picked up three wickets to leave Ireland 20 for 4. Wickets kept tumbling and Ireland were bowled out in 30.1 overs. The highest partnership in their innings was 16, while the top score was Kim Garth’s 24. Only one other batsman reached double figures.

Sunette Loubser’s five-wicket haul helped South Africa Women win a close, low-scoring game against Sri Lanka Women at the Narayanganj Osmani Stadium in Fatullah. South Africa were bowled out for just 114 in 37 overs and Sri Lanka looked on course to win at 52 for 2 but Loubser ran through the middle order and tail and Sri Lanka fell seven runs short of the target.Sri Lanka put South Africa in to bat and reduced them to 6 for 2. Shandre Fritz battled and strung together a few decent partnerships. Fritz scored 61 but the last five wickets fell for 16 runs and South Africa were left with a small total to defend. Suwini de Alwis and Sherina Ravikumar took four wickets each for Sri Lanka.Yasoda Mendis scored 20 and helped Sri Lanka start their chase steadily but wickets began to fell when Loubser came into the attack. Sandamali Dolawatte tried to hold the innings together and scored 28 not out, but Loubser’s strikes left Sri Lanka 83 for 9 in the 29th over. Sri Lanka did not give up though: Dolawatte and No. 11 Ravikumar were involved in a remarkable partnership that lasted 19.3 overs but yielded just 25 runs. It looked as if it might take Sri Lanka home, but with six needed off 10 balls to draw level, Ravikumar was dismissed by Chloe Tryon, who finished with figures of 8.2-3-6-1.

Pakistan Women were bowled out for 197 against Bangladesh Women but it was more than enough for a 73-run win at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Bangladesh had struggled with the bat against Sri Lanka in the two games they played just before the start of the qualifiers, and the trend continued. All of their top four batsmen got starts but none went past 19. Offspinner Nida Dar rocked the chase with four wickets and Bangladesh were bowled out for 124 in 42.2 overs. Throughout the chase Bangladesh struggled to keep up with the required-rate of just under four runs an over.Pakistan had reached 197 thanks to Bismah Maroof’s 79 off 106 balls. After they had struggled early, Maroof put together a 78-run partnership with Javeria Khan. Maroof carried on after Javeria was dismissed and only fell off the fourth ball of the final over. Bangladesh got wickets of all three balls of the final over – there was a run-out of the last ball – but Pakistan had already reached a total big enough for a victory.Bangladesh’s coach Mamatha Maben said the hosts had been a bit sloppy in their first game of the tournament. “We let too many extras go today which helped Pakistan in creating their total and we missed out on some chances to have them on the back foot, whether it be missed catches or poor fielding,” she said. “There is no excuse for our poor batting, especially from the middle order who perhaps came in earlier than they had expected but did not bed in as they should have.”Pakistan’s captain Sana Mir said there was room for improvement from her team, particularly in the fielding and batting departments. “Some of our batters, including myself, made some poor shot-selections today which led to us getting out,” she said.Netherlands Women thumped Zimbabwe Women at the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protisthan Ground in Savar, chasing down a target of 146 in just 25.2 overs. Zimbabwe had chosen to bat but crawled in their innings. Early wickets pegged them back and they were never able to put together decent partnerships. Even though the innings lasted till the penultimate ball of the 50th over, they only managed 145. Netherlands’ bowlers shared the wickets around, with offspinner Esther Lanser bagging figures of 10-4-17-3.The chase got off to a rapid start, with Miranda Veringmeier scoring a run-a-ball 47 and captain Helmien Rambaldo smacking 30 off 24 balls. They were dismissed in quick succession but Kerry-Anne Tomlinson took Netherlands home with an unbeaten 46.

The Champions League Twenty20, to be held in India from September 23 to October 9, will be preceded by a six-team qualifying stage that will see English teams back in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2011The Champions League Twenty20, to be held in India from September 23 to October 9, will be preceded by a six-team qualifying stage that will see English teams back in the tournament. The matches will be held in Hyderabad (the qualifiers), Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai, which will also stage the final.Three teams from the qualifying stage will join the seven who’ve already qualified and play out the format used in 2010. The sides in the main round will be divided into two groups of five, with the top two from each qualifying for the semi-finals.Kolkata Knight Riders, who finished fourth in the IPL this year, the Caribbean T20 Champions Trinidad and Tobago and the HRV Cup – New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition – title-winners Auckland Aces have been invited to participate in the qualifiers, to be held from September 19 to 21. One team from Sri Lanka and two from England are expected to join them, though those teams and the format for the qualifiers are yet to be decided. The qualifiers clash with the third Test between Sri Lanka and Australia, and in that case Kolkata as well as the Sri Lankan franchise could be deprived of players on national duty.The seven confirmed participants include the top three from the IPL, and the winners and runners-up from the Big Bash in Australia and the Pro20 tournament in South Africa. They are Chennai Super Kings (IPL and CLT20 champions), Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians from the IPL; South Australia Redbacks and New South Wales Blues from the Big Bash, and the Warriors and Cape Cobras from South Africa. Pakistan are the only major Test-playing nation to not have teams play in either the qualifiers or the main round.The main round will be split among Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. The opening game will be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium while Chennai will stage a semi-final and the final.The inaugural edition of the tournament in 2009 had 12 teams. The 2010 edition, which was played in South Africa, had ten teams, including New Zealand’s Central Districts, who, among others, are yet to receive their prize money, leading to criticism by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA), the players’ representative body, of the organisers of the Champions League – the boards of Australia, India and South Africa. While Australia and South Africa have paid their teams the prize money, the rest are still waiting. However, a governing council member told ESPNcricinfo that the deposits would be made ‘any day now.’

Calm, judicious and still in defence, Usman Khawaja never hesitated to score when the opportunity arose, and a chanceless 101 retired was his fitting reward, as the Australians took the lead with five wickets in hand and a day to play

Daniel Brettig at P Sara Oval 26-Aug-2011
Live scorecard
Usman Khawaja was involved in a big opening stand with Phil Hughes on his way to a century•AFP

In the sort of touch he exhibited for the Australians on Friday against a Sri Lanka Board XI at the P Sara Oval, Colombo, Usman Khawaja radiates the ease that only the very best batsmen possess. Calm, judicious and still in defence, Khawaja never hesitated to score when the opportunity arose, and a chanceless 101 retired was his fitting reward, as the Australians took the lead with five wickets in hand and a day to play.Captain Michael Clarke stroked a fluent, unbeaten 68 and had Peter Siddle for company at stumps. Khawaja’s century, following an opening stand of 153 with Phil Hughes (76), throws up questions as to who would man the No. 6 spot for Australia in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Galle, starting on August 31. The post is notionally assigned to another left-hander, Shaun Marsh, who made only 12.Should the selectors on tour assent to the directives of the Argus review, which stressed the need to reward performance above all else, they would have to choose Khawaja. But Marsh’s experiences in the Twenty20 and limited-overs matches so far on tour, while mixed, gave him a more comprehensive sight of the bowlers he is likely to face in the Tests. It is also felt that Khawaja’s best fit is towards the top of the batting order, where Hughes, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are presently ensconced.Further, the Board XI attack Khawaja tamed was presentable at best, its most striking analysis returned by a batsman, Tharanga Paranavitana (1 for 10 in seven overs). Others, potentially Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis, will set greater traps next week.The only other question swirling around the tourists’ batting concerns Michael Hussey, who continued an indifferent run of scores on this tour by leaving his crease to be stumped in the final session. While Hussey’s omission from the first Test XI would be inconceivable, Khawaja’s poise was such that a way may need to be found to squeeze him in sooner rather than later.Australia’s openers had resumed at 26 for 0, and after two maidens to start the second morning Khawaja announced himself with a regal push to the cover boundary. It was a stroke typical of much that would follow. Hughes, who started swiftly, gradually slowed as Board XI’s bowlers gave him less to thrash through the offside.Hughes managed one straight drive that sped to the rope, and overall played a useful acclimatising innings in conditions that demand significant orientation. What he loses in terms of aesthetic when compared to Khawaja, Hughes makes up for with hunger for runs. During this knock, he passed 5000 runs in first-class cricket.Eventually the stand was broken, Hughes missing an attempted flick to leg and losing his leg bail to Paranavitana. The next man in was Hussey, proof that the tour hierarchy agreed he needed a long innings after scores of two not out, 63, duck and six in the ODI series. After an edgy start, he connected with one solid pull shot, and went to tea with Khawaja perched on 92.On resumption Khawaja did not linger. He clouted his second six, this time over midwicket after the first had been driven straight, and two singles later was saluting the dressing room and a tiny crowd upon reaching his century. It had taken 271 minutes and 208 balls, included eight fours and two sixes, and made as strong a case for Test selection as Trent Copeland’s 5 for 47 the day before.Within moments Khawaja was shuffling off retired, to give others the chance for a bat in the evening session. Marsh managed one elegant straight drive and a strong-armed cut behind point, but soon he was departing too, having edged a Dilruwan Perera off break behind. Hussey, followed, beaten through the air and off the pitch.Brad Haddin was also dismissed cheaply, nicely held in the gully for 16, but Clarke played with elegance and timing to place him in the right frame of mind for his first Test as the fully-fledged Australia captain.

Andrew Strauss has said there is “more to” corruption in cricket “than we know about”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-May-2011England Test captain Andrew Strauss has said while there is “more to” corruption in cricket “than we know about”, he had not seen “any resolve” in dealing with the problem and that people in charge of tackling the issue are “woefully under-resourced”. England’s last Test series at home, against Pakistan, was marred by the spot-fixing controversy and Strauss believed not enough was being done to eliminate corruption in the game.”Clearly most of the betting seems to go on in the sub-continent but I wouldn’t say it was just sub-continental players that are involved,” Strauss told the . “My gut feeling is there is more to it than we know about.”It is a very difficult thing to deal with but I don’t think that’s an excuse not to try to deal with it. I haven’t seen any resolve to deal with the issue. It is hard for me to comment because I don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.”The only input I’ve had is with the anti-corruption people who came round during the World Cup. It seems to me that they are woefully under-resourced. I just don’t think they’ve got the resources to do it properly.”Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned by the ICC after an independent tribunal found them guilty of orchestrating three pre-planned, deliberate no-balls during the Lord’s Test against England last August. Soon after the allegations against the trio surfaced, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, claimed England’s players had taken “enormous amounts of money” to lose the third ODI at The Oval. Butt apologised for his comments later, but Strauss admitted England nearly pulled out of the next game.Even though England accepted Butt’s apology and withdrew the threat of legal action, Strauss said he had been “quite emotional” about the accusation. “My original view was our integrity had been brought into question. We got quite close to not playing the one-dayer at Lord’s. But over the course of the evening it became a lot clearer to me that actually the right thing to do was to play. We didn’t feel overjoyed to be playing the game or that series but we got through it.”Strauss said he hoped the spot-fixing controversy would trigger efforts to eliminate corruption in the game, but added, “they certainly don’t seem to be getting anywhere nearer to the bottom of the whole spot fixing/match-fixing saga.”

Questions from employees are believed to have been about the way the stand downs were handled

Daniel Brettig29-Apr-2020Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has given no indication the governing body will rethink its drastic cuts to the salaries of staff who have been stood down, even though he apologised to employees for the way the decision was communicated.As the CA chairman Earl Eddings and fellow director Paul Green prepared to present to their state association owners and players union partners on Thursday, Roberts addressed all staff via videoconference and stated his regret on behalf of his executives. Nevertheless, he appeared determined not to make any material changes to a model that saw some 200 staff stood down on 80% pay cuts while executives and the remainder of staff remained at work on 80% of their regular pay.ALSO READ: CA to open books to states, announce contractsMounting anger at the way that CA has handled the switch from a position of absorbing the Covid-19 pandemic shocks within the business and making deep cuts to staff pay, state association grants and revenue projections for the players under the governing body’s MoU with the Australian Cricketers’ Association has forced Roberts to address staff directly. Meanwhile, the sense of anger and distrust has compelled Eddings and the board to deal urgently with their owners and partners.Questions from staff to Roberts are believed to have referenced issues around the way the stand downs were handled, with staff given only a brief period to agree in writing to the move, while the chief executive is understood to have claimed that CA should have shared more information about its finances sooner.ALSO READ: Roberts ‘stumbled’ explaining CA’s financial battle – SpeedThese details, when shared with the states and the ACA, will be a matter of interpretation as much as they are numbers in black and white. Roberts had previously stated that CA, with average monthly revenue outflows of between A$30 million and A$40 million [US$19.5 to 26.1 million approx.] for the year, was looking at being down to A$40 million in cash by August, a level of reserves deemed insufficient given the uncertainties ahead due to the pandemic.However, it appears almost impossible that CA’s cash position can get any lower than A$40 million, given scheduled arrivals of ICC disbursements in July, sponsor fees in July and August, and instalments from broadcast rights deals with Fox Sports and Seven domestically in September and from Sony for international rights in October. Added to CA’s investments and the debt facility secured from banks, the governing body may be looking at having more than A$200 million [US$130.5 million] available at precisely the time Roberts warned it was in danger of going broke.ALSO READ: CA chief won’t back down on drastic staff cutsIt is that wide variation that has caused states to ask for as much financial detail as possible, with the underlying truth that ultimately the associations of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania would be required to prop up the central governing body in the unlikely event that it did become insolvent.Despite a longstanding drift towards the centralisation of decision-making, allied to a move to a financial model in which they received annual guaranteed grants in exchange for a loss of direct representation on the CA board, the states remain in possession of reserve powers over the composition of the board and – should they so wish – a revision of how it is constituted.As sporting governance experts Colin Carter and David Crawford stated in their 2011 review that led to the current board and financial models: “Under our recommended model, the States will control Board appointments and, if there is reason to do so, can at any stage dismiss the Board. That is the States’ protection. And we also find it difficult to imagine that the CA Board would fail to understand that adequately funding the State structures and teams and recognising existing stadium commitments is in the best interests of cricket. As the AFL Board seeks to protect the viability of its own shareholders, so we would expect that cricket’s leaders would do the same.”The simple solution is also the right one. The Board should be free to allocate cricket’s resources and there should be no pre-conditions other than ensuring that each State should be provided with an agreed level of funding that will enable them to fulfil their role.”

Aaron Finch struck his eighth T20 century – to go joint second in the all-time list – but the Renegades fell to another defeat

The Report Andrew McGlashan25-Jan-2020A masterful innings from Steven Smith helped the Sydney Sixers finish their regular season at second place in the BBL table, but they will have to wait for the Adelaide Strikers’ last match to see whether they cling onto a place in the Qualifier which would allow them two chances to reach the final.Smith, with his highest BBL score, and Josh Philippe were the main architects of a successful chase after Aaron Finch’s century hauled the Melbourne Renegades out of a mid-innings slumber to a competitive total. It was Finch’s eighth T20 century, putting him joint second – along with Michael Klinger and David Warner – behind the runaway leader Chris Gayle on 22.Tom Curran signed off his BBL stint – he will miss the finals due to England duty – with 3 for 27 while Steven O’Keefe (1 for 27 with 11 dot balls) put in another important display.There were times when the chase did not look entirely comfortable as the asking rate nudged towards ten an over, but Philippe struck the ball cleanly and it was just the sort of situation for Smith to get into gear before the finals.Go slow after a mini CooperIn a rejigged Melbourne Renegades batting order – without the injured Shaun Marsh (hamstring) and Sam Harper (concussion) – it was Tom Cooper who led an early charge as he laid into Josh Hazlewood’s opening over after being dropped off its first ball when he scooped over short fine leg where Ben Dwarshuis couldn’t hold a swirling chance. The last two deliveries of the over were dispatched for six, the second a mighty hit over deep square that hit the roof of the Brewongle Stand. Cooper fell to a juggling catch by Nathan Lyon in the fourth over but the Renegades were handily placed on 1 for 54 after the powerplay. However, the next eight overs brought just 40 runs as debutant Nathan McSweeney struggled for his timing and the in-form Beau Webster made 7 off 12.Finch verses LyonThis was a terrific contest between two recent international team-mates. Finch was given two lives in Lyon’s third over – the 11th of the innings – as the Renegades stalled; dropped by Jordan Silk as he sprinted in from deep midwicket and two balls later by Philippe who couldn’t gather a thick edge. It was the start of Lyon’s last over, the 15th, where Finch – who was 47 off 44 at the time – decided enough with the prodding around and two him for consecutive sixes. In the next over off Curran he was dropped again, on 62, when Dwarshuis’ poor day continued when he spilled a regulation chance at deep cover which left Curran fuming. Dwarshuis then felt the brunt of Finch’s onslaught as 22 came off the 17th over as three figures raced into view. Another six off Hazlewood took him into the 90s and the century came from 63 balls in the penultimate over. Finch ended with a strike-rate of 175 against Lyon (28 runs off 16 balls) and 205 against Dwarshuis (37 off 18).Unlucky VinceJames Vince struck two handsome boundaries in the opening over of the chase and when Philippe took 18 from Dan Christian’s first over the Sixers were properly up and running. The Renegades made a breakthrough in fortuitous circumstances when Will Sutherland could not hold a stinging drive by Philippe in his follow-through, but the ball deflected into the non-striker’s stumps with Vince well out of his ground. The Renegades had two chances to remove Philippe in the eighth over, Cameron Boyce’s first, but Christian could hold a tough chance at short cover then McSweeney shelled a running chance at deep midwicket.Philippe sets it up, Smith finishesAfter some mid-tournament difficulties, Philippe has found form again at what could be just the right time. He constructed a 32-ball half-century which came up during an over where he took on Boyce just when the required rate was ticking up. The fifty came with a slog-sweep but the inside-out drive which followed was even better. There was a chance for him to finish the chase with a big score to match Finch, but he became Sutherland’s first BBL wicket when he was caught in the deep. With Moises Henriques following shortly after there was a chance things could go wrong for the Sixers, but Smith ensured that wasn’t the case. After ticking over at a run-a-ball for the first part of his innings he started to find the boundary more regularly and brought up a 32-ball fifty with a reverse sweep off Boyce. A six off Kane Richardson brought it down to a run-a-ball and from there it was never in doubt.

Australian Chris Rogers scored 87 as Division Two leaders Middlesex reached 296 for 4 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 358 on the second day’s play at Bristol

05-May-2011
ScorecardAustralian Chris Rogers scored 87 as Division Two leaders Middlesex reached 296
for 4 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 358 on the second day’s play at Bristol.Rogers, who made a habit of making big scores against Gloucestershire during
his days with Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, including a career-best 319 at
Northampton in 2006, struck 15 boundaries in his 123-ball innings before he was
caught behind driving at Liam Norwell.Scott Newman (47) and Dan Housego (40) shared in stands of 116 and 53 with
Rogers, and Middlesex’s control was strengthened by a fourth-wicket partnership
of 89 between Dawid Malan (45) and skipper Neil Dexter (56 not out).Gloucestershire started the day on 302 for 6 and the quick loss of two
wickets suggested a fourth batting point would probably be out of reach. Will Gidman departed to the third ball of the morning when he was caught behind by John Simpson off Toby Roland-Jones, having not added to his overnight 67.Four overs later, Jon Lewis fell to an acrobatic catch by Newman at point, which gave Roland-Jones his fifth wicket of the innings. However, a partnership of 41 between Jon Batty and David Payne guided Gloucestershire past 350. Batty had progressed to 27, including five off-side boundaries, before he was caught behind cutting at a delivery from Tim Murtagh. The innings ended in the next over when Gareth Berg uprooted Norwell’s off
stump.Rogers and Newman guided Middlesex through to 22 without loss at lunch, although Newman was fortunate to survive a waist-high chance to Will Gidman at third slip off Lewis. The opening pair flourished after the interval with Rogers, in particular, quick to cut anything short to the boundary.The stand was broken in the 31st over when Newman pushed forward and edged Lewis to wicketkeeper Batty. It became 169 for 2 when Rogers was dismissed by Norwell and 194 for 3 when Housego was caught behind off Will Gidman.Malan and Dexter continued to score freely to set up the possibility of Middlesex establishing a significant first-innings advantage. Malan was dropped on 40 when Richard Coughtrie failed to hold a skied drive off Norwell as he ran around to midwicket from mid-on.But Malan had added just five more runs when he became Batty’s fourth victim
behind the stumps, this time off Norwell. By then, Dexter had reached a 76-ball half-century, with eight fours, and the Middlesex captain will be hoping to lead his side into a commanding position when play resumes.

All the action from the second round of the Plunket Shield

Alagappan Muthu02-Nov-2019Two nail-biting final-day finishes might just have made up for one washout in the second round of the Plunket Shield. HEYMDIS (Here’s everything you missed doing important stuff):Conway to goThere was a touch of the pristine about the 334th ball that Devon Conway faced at Basin Reserve. There was a short step forward, his trigger movement, and then a simple little punch with a very straight bat. The ball sped away down the ground and so did he. By the time he stopped, the crowd was on its feet and he was saluting them, hands and helmet aloft, a triple-centurion. “It was very special, a goosebump moment for me,” he told . Later, he would move past the legendary Bert Sutcliffe to claim the record for most runs scored in a first-class game in New Zealand. So, naturally, there was a bit of buzz around the guy. “He’s got a huge future, I think,” Ross Taylor told the media on Wednesday. “The leading domestic player last year. I hadn’t seen him bat until we had a few warm-up games a couple of weeks ago. He looks like a very compact and exciting player. Anyone to get a triple century, regardless of where it is, especially on a green-seamer at the Basin, it all bodes well.”So can the Black Caps rest easy knowing they have a ready-made replacement for Rosco in the wings? The question had to be asked and Taylor stuck his tongue in his cheek to answer, “Hopefully he’s got a few years to wait then.”Ground control to Major TomRomance is in the air for Tom Latham.In September, there was this. And in October, there was this. His 18th first-class century came at the ground where he struck an unbeaten 264 against Sri Lanka and followed it up with a 177 against Bangladesh. That’s 665 runs from his last three knocks at the Basin. He’s certain to face the England Test team with a spring in his step now. And to think this game began with a top-order collapse – Wellington were 29 for 3 before the Con artist took control.More joy for bowlersLegspinner Todd Astle became the first bowler from Canterbury to pick up 300 first-class wickets, and on the opposite side, left-arm spinner Malcolm Nofal (4 for 100) was absolutely vital to Wellington’s victory even as it seemed the game might go the other way.ALSO READ: Michael becomes the fourth generation Sneddon in first-class cricketCanterbury did not give up, even when they were 232 for 8 chasing 358 with Mark Henry (43 off 40), Will Williams (36 off 90) and Andrew Hazeldine (36 off 50) dragging the total up above 300. But a tantalising 45 runs away from their target, last man Ed Nuttall fell and the game was done. Left-arm for the win (almost)Northern Districts had fallen way behind in their first innings – 169 runs was a massive deficit – but they did have just the right bowlers to play catch up.In Trent Boult, they had the perfect new-ball weapon and he took out four of the top five Central Districts batsmen, including first-innings centurion George Worker for only 4. And in Neil Wagner, they had the perfect old-ball weapon and he picked up a five-wicket haul to potentially set up a Halloween miracle.And it was well on the cards too, with Bharat Popli leading the chase. The No. 3 batsman made 87 off 202 balls, taking the score to 259 for 4, only 115 runs away from victory and 41 overs left to get them. But Central Districts are the reigning domestic champions for a reason. They took out the main threat and then scared up a collapse. Northern Districts gave up their last six wickets for a mere 40 runs with part-timer Brad Schmulian picking up 4 for 34 in 16.3 overs. He only ever had four first-class wickets before this game.

An analysis of various scenarios that determine qualification for the quarter-finals from Group B

Madhusudhan Ramakrishnan 17-Mar-2011England’s tremendous comeback against West Indies gave them an 18-run victory in their must-win encounter in Chennai. With that victory, they have given themselves every chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals. South Africa are the only team from Group B who have ensured qualification and there are a number of possible scenarios that will decide both the teams qualifying and the position of the teams that qualify for the knockouts.Scenario 1: Bangladesh lose to South Africa and India beat West Indies
In this case, Bangladesh will be eliminated because of their inferior net run rate. South Africa will finish top of the group with ten points and India will finish second with nine points. England and West Indies will finish third and fourth respectively.Scenario 2: Bangladesh beat South Africa and West Indies beat India
England will be hoping this scenario does not happen. If Bangladesh beat South Africa, they will move to eight points and West Indies will also finish on eight if they beat India. With three teams level on points and number of wins, the net run rate will decide the standings. West Indies and South Africa will take the top two spots and Bangladesh the third spot. India will edge out England for the fourth position barring a huge defeat against West Indies.A highly unlikely situation that can result in England’s progress at the expense of India is if West Indies make 300 and dismiss India for 117 or if West Indies can dismiss India for 150 and chase the target down in 20.3 overs.Scenario 3: Bangladesh beat South Africa and India beat West Indies
This scenario will eliminate West Indies as they will finish on six points as compared to Bangladesh and England, who will have eight and seven points respectively. India will move to the top spot with nine points and South Africa by virtue of a higher net run rate will finish above Bangladesh in second position.Scenario 4: Bangladesh lose to South Africa and India lose to West Indies
This scenario will pitchfork West Indies to the second spot, with eight points. South Africa will lead the group with 10, while India and England will both make the cut, with seven points, and their positions will be decided by NRR. With three wins and three losses, Bangladesh’s campaign will end on six points.Scenario 5: A washout or a tie in the Bangladesh v South Africa game
If points are split in Mirpur, Bangladesh will finish level with England on seven points, but with a poorer NRR. This will confirm England’s passage, while Bangladesh’s hopes of progressing will rest on India either beating West Indies, or losing by a margin huge enough to bring their NRR crashing down below Bangladesh’s. A close West Indian victory in Chennai will, however, end Bangladesh’s World Cup.Scenario 6: A washout or a tie in the India v West Indies game
This is a scenario England will be hoping against, if Bangladesh manage to upset South Africa in Mirpur. With eight points each, Bangladesh, South Africa and India will then make the cut, while West Indies will pip England for the fourth spot on NRR despite being tied on seven points. If Bangladesh, however, lose in Mirpur, a tie or washout in Chennai will leave India second in the table behind South Africa, while West Indies and England will qualify in third and fourth positions.In the highly-unlikely event that both games are either tied or washed out, India will move up to eight points and second on the table, while England, West Indies and Bangladesh will finish with seven points. With the poorest NRR of the three, Bangladesh will again be the team missing out.