James Anderson has played down Virat Kohli’s brilliance with the bat, suggesting home conditions have suited his game

George Dobell in Mumbai11-Dec-2016He may have scored more than 600 runs in the series, but Virat Kohli’s excellence with the bat appears to have left James Anderson cold.Kohli, whose 235 in Mumbai has left him averaging 128.00 in the four matches so far, came into the series with a point to prove against England. In nine previous Tests against them, he averaged just 20.12 with a single score over 50.He struggled particularly badly on the 2014 tour of England. With England frustrating him with a line outside off stump, he was drawn into dangerous, impatient strokes against the moving ball and ended the series with an average of just 13.40. Anderson dismissed him four times.Speaking before the start of this series, Kohli said: “I can put it very simply as that was a phase I didn’t perform very well, and it happened to be England. Could have been any other country in the world. I just take it as a setback in my career, and not motivate myself in a way that I have to prove people wrong or have to do something special against a particular opposition. For me, I’m playing a cricket ball, be it any game, any opposition, anywhere in the world. Those things do not change for me so I don’t put those things in my head.”Kohli has made his point even more eloquently with the bat. On the same surfaces on which England have, since Rajkot, struggled, he has two centuries and four others scores of 40 and above. He has consistently proved a significant obstacle for England and, having ensured his team would leave with a draw in the first Test, made centuries in Visakhapatnam and Mumbai.Perhaps his best performance came in the second innings in Visakhapatnam, where he made 81 out of a total of 204 despite a pitch of uneven bounce and against an England attack gaining lateral movement with the ball. It was masterful batting and further evidence that Kohli is a vastly improved player since the last time he faced England.Anderson, however, remains unconvinced. He suggested that Kohli is not so much an improved batsman, as a batsman playing in conditions that do not exploit his “technical deficiencies”.”I’m not sure he’s changed,” Anderson said. “I just think any technical deficiencies he’s got aren’t in play out here. The wickets just take that out of the equation.”We had success against him in England, but the pace of the pitches over here just take any flaws he has out of the equation. There’s not that pace in the wicket to get the nicks, like we did against him in England with a bit more movement. Pitches like this suit him down to the ground.”When that’s not there, he’s very much suited to playing in these conditions. He’s a very good player of spin and if you’re not bang on the money and don’t take your chances, he’ll punish you. We tried to stay patient against him, but he just waits and waits and waits. He just played really well.”Anderson took a similarly unflattering view of India’s spinners. While R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have 39 wickets between them in the series, Anderson said: “I’m not sure they’re too difficult to handle.”He did admit, however, that England had endured their “worst morning of the tour from a bowling point of view” on the fourth day in Mumbai.”It is immensely frustrating,” he said. “Coming to the ground this morning, we needed to get three wickets. If we could get them we’re still well in the game. Unfortunately we didn’t bowl as well as we could have first thing. The ball started flying around and then they got settled and managed to put on a big partnership.”Despite going into the final day 49 runs behind and with only four wickets in hand, Anderson insisted that England still had a chance of the win they need to stay in the series.”We’re going to come and try to fight our way back into this game if we can,” he said. “We’re 50 runs behind. If we can bat with the positive intent we showed today, there’s no reason why we can’t get a hundred ahead of them and then try to put some pressure on them with the ball.”

Tom Smith, the Lancashire allrounder and former captain, has been forced to retire following medical advice

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2017Tom Smith, the Lancashire allrounder and former captain, has been forced to retire following medical advice. Smith made a comeback in 2016, after missing most of the previous season and giving up the captaincy, but has now decided to call time on a 11-year career.His retirement will come as a blow to Glen Chapple, who was last week appointed Lancashire’s new head coach. Smith, 31, was Chapple’s successor as captain and would have been one of the senior players in the dressing room. He will remain involved with the club, however, assisting Gary Yates in the academy.Lancashire have also been linked with signing South Africa wicketkeeper Dane Vilas on a Kolpak deal to add experience to their squad.”It’s with great sadness that I’ve had to retire from the professional game due to injury,” Smith said. “Following medical advice and recently becoming a father my long-term health is most important at this time.”I would like to take this chance to thank the whole of Lancashire County Cricket Club for 10 amazing seasons. To my team-mates, coaching staff and especially the medical team you have all had a massive influence on my career and I’d like to thank you for all the hard work you’ve put in over the years. To all the members and supporters I can’t thank you enough for all the support and encouragement you have given myself and the team. I now look forward to joining you as a fan and watching from the sidelines.”Smith, a Lancashire academy graduate, battled injuries throughout his career. He was an influential member of the side that ended Lancashire’s 77-year wait for an outright Championship title in 2011 and also won selection for England A – on their 2006-07 tour of Bangladesh – and England Lions in the summer of 2014, when he had his best season with 773 first-class runs and 54 wickets to help secure promotion.He was named as captain in all formats at the start of 2015 but only played one match that season before requiring back surgery. He fought back to fitness to feature again in 2016, describing the experience as “like making my debut all over again”. Smith gave his full blessing to Steven Croft taking over the captaincy.”Over the last 10 years I’ve been lucky enough to take to the field with some great players, childhood idols and at the same time create some fantastic memories,” Smith said. “2011 will always be remembered as a great highlight from my career, but to have the honour of captaining this great county, albeit for a brief period is something that I’m very proud of.”Chapple has been putting together plans for the coming season, having taken charge after the departure of Ashley Giles to Warwickshire. As well as Vilas, who has played six Tests for South Africa, Lancashire have reportedly looked into the possibility of signing Shivnarine Chanderpaul on a Kolpak deal and could bring in a marque overseas signing as player-coach for the NatWest T20 Blast.”It’s very sad that Tom has had to retire,” Chapple said. “He has made an outstanding contribution to Lancashire County Cricket Club.”He is a product of Lancashire’s local leagues and graduated through our academy. He is one of the nicest guys I know and it has been a privilege to play alongside him and then coach him. He was always 100% committed to the club and he will always be welcomed back at Emirates Old Trafford.”

AB de Villiers led the run charts and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series

Firdose Moonda05-Mar-2017In a one-day series dominated by bowlers, two batsmen in particular stood out. AB de Villiers led the run scoring and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series between their two countries, albeit for different reasons.De Villiers has opted out of the series – and most of Test cricket for 2017 – as part of a workload management program while Guptill has not been selected despite his finding form, after he lost his Test place late last year, and the contest may be poorer without them.”Anybody, any coach, would want AB de Villiers in their side but he has made a decision and we respect that decision,” Russell Domingo, the South Africa coach, said. “He plays such a lot of cricket around the world, at such a high level all the time and he has got a young family so you can understand those decisions. We all definitely wanted him to stay but it’s a decision he has made for family life.”De Villiers, who has had lengthy breaks over the last eight months with an elbow problem, appeared close to his best in the last three weeks. His 262 runs came at 87.33 and included two half-centuries but that was not enough to change his mind about his Test hiatus. “I can’t wait to get home. I am really looking forward to get to my family. A three-week tour works really well. A couple of weeks at home before more cricket starts again is coming at a great time for me,” de Villiers said. “I will really miss the boys and I will watch the cricket but it’s a great time for me to get back and rest the mind.”He will have the next few weeks off before joining up with the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL and then reuniting with his national team-mates as they prepare for the Champions Trophy – a tournament de Villiers “believes in my heart” they can win. Even if they don’t, he will see the competition as a valuable marker for his ultimate goal of lifting the 2019 World Cup, which will take priority over all other cricket for now. “He needs to freshen up and he needs to try and win the World Cup in 2019 – that’s a big ambition for him. It’s his decision and we respect it,” Domingo said.Without de Villiers, South Africa have already won three Test series, against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka, and although they will miss their star batsman, Domingo is confident they can cope without him “We know when he is here, he gives absolutely everything, there’s no doubt about it. He will be missed but we’ve gone through a series against Sri Lanka and a series in Australia without him so the game goes on. As good as anyone is, the game goes on,” Domingo said. “Somebody will in time get to de Villiers’ level. When that is we don’t know, but someone will get there at some stage.”South Africa’s Test middle-order is made up of JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock with Theunis de Bruyn included as a reserve batsmen. Of those, only Bavuma has struggled of late but he found some form domestically during February with two fifties in his last four matches.Those numbers pale in comparison to Guptill’s but he was never going to be considered for a Test recall after being dropped at the start of the season, so while the unbeaten 180 reignited the debate the decision had been made. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson explained Guptill could be tried in the middle-order, where Henry Nicholls is currently establishing himself, but will first have to stake his claim in domestic cricket with Auckland.Guptill had a reputation for being loose outside the off stump and, as a result, is a favourite for the South Africa attack. In Tests, no bowler has dismissed him more than the absent Dale Steyn (six times in seven matches) and Vernon Philander is encroaching on that, having accounted for Guptill four times in six matches. Guptill has only scored one fifty against South Africa in 13 Tests innings but his two ODI hundreds – coming in the space of three innings – and one T20 century have served as enough warning of what he can do. Domingo was not complaining that they will not face him again over the next three weeks.”You always feel maybe you can bowl to the rest of the guys [in one-day cricket] whereas Martin is a guy who can dominate you straight away. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor will try and get themselves in but Martin is a guy who, from ball one, can take you apart,” Domingo said. “He is a hell of a player and that was one of the best one-day hundreds I’ve seen. His ball striking is phenomenal. I know his Test record hasn’t been as good as he would have hoped for but we always think a team without Martin Guptill is probably not the same.”

Max Holden and George Bartlett earned a select place in the history of England Under-19s cricket with a new batting record in the Youth Test against India in Nagpur

ECB Reports Network14-Feb-2017Max Holden and George Bartlett earned a select place in the history of England Under-19s cricket as they extended their marathon partnership on the second day of the first four-day match against India in Nagpur.They were finally separated after a stand of 321 in 82 overs, a new record for any wicket for England which has only been beaten once in all international Under-19 cricket, in 2001 by an Indian opening pair including Gautam Gambhir who put on 391 against an England attack including Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett, and captained by Ian Bell.Bartlett was the first to go, stumped for 179 off 249 balls including 25 fours and three sixes. That became the highest score by an England Under-19s batsman overseas, beating 170 by Nasser Hussain against Sri Lanka in Kandy in 1986-87.There are still 10 batsmen ahead of Bartlett in the all-time England list, but all of them made their runs on home soil – including his Somerset seniors Marcus Trescothick with 206 against India at Edgbaston in 1994, and James Hildreth against Bangladesh in Taunton a decade later.After Bartlett’s dismissal, Holden batted on, for almost 20 more overs and into a fifth session, until after eight hours and 47 minutes at the crease the opener was finally dismissed for 170 – leaving him joint second with Hussain on England’s overseas list.Still the agony wasn’t over for India as Delray Rawlins, the Sussex allrounder who had been England’s batting star of the one-day series ended unbeaten on 70 from 94 balls before Holden declared on 501 for 5 – England’s second highest total against India in Under-19 cricket, and the third highest by anyone in India.

Australia were bowled out for 137 in their second innings, leaving India with 87 more to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a fizzing Dharamsala pitch

The Report by Daniel Brettig27-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:22

Chappell: Umesh Yadav has been a hero this season

Australia’s batsmen froze in the spotlight of the opportunity to press for a series-sealing victory over India, leaving the hosts needing a mere 87 to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on day four in Dharamsala. The surprise for the hosts and source of regret for the visitors was that wickets to pace, not spin, dictated the course of the day.Starting their second innings 32 runs behind, Australia lost David Warner, Steven Smith and Matt Renshaw while still in deficit and were ultimately rounded up for a measly 137. Only Glenn Maxwell offered any prolonged resistance, the rest stuck in quicksand against Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.Umesh and Bhuvneshwar in particular made a mighty impact, making the new ball kick, jump and jag in such a way that Warner and Renshaw were utterly spooked, while Smith’s series ended with an attempt to assert himself that ended with a misjudged pull shot and scattered stumps. Ashwin and Jadeja were then left to separate Maxwell and Peter Handscomb before mopping up the rest.Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha had earlier put together a priceless partnership to push India into the lead before Australia struck in the minutes before lunch. As had been the case in Ranchi, India’s seventh-wicket stand was a thorn in Australian sides, lifting the hosts from an overnight deficit of 52 to an advantage of 18 before the visitors were able to find a wicket. Jadeja’s innings maintained his up surge not only as the world’s No. 1 ranked bowler, but also as a batting talent.He had solid support from Saha, who was fortunate to still be at the crease given Matt Renshaw’s drop off the bowling of Cummins on the second evening. It was ultimately Cummins who ended the stand by coaxing Jadeja to drag onto the stumps, before also claiming Saha with a spiteful bouncer that the wicketkeeper gloved into the outstretched right hand of Steven Smith at second slip.These wickets feel either side of O’Keefe finding some turn in his first over of the session to defeat Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with Smith claiming the catch. He had refrained from using O’Keefe while Jadeja was at the crease, a measure of the respect Australia had for the left-hander’s potential to score quickly.Australia thought they had a wicket with the first ball of the morning, when Cummins angled across Jadeja and there was a noise as the ball passed the bat. The umpire Marais Erasmus raised his finger instantly, but Jadeja reviewed just as fast. Replays showed the bat had brushed his back pad rather than the ball, the decision reversed.With the ball still new, it swung and bounced disconcertingly at times, requiring all of Jadeja’s skill to keep down. Saha proved an effective partner, and the scoring rate rose dangerously for an Australian side conscious of not giving up too much of a lead. At the same time, Smith and his bowlers were straining for wickets, as evidenced by an ambitious referral for lbw against Saha by Josh Hazlewood off an inside edge, and also a preponderance of niggling chatter between bowlers and batsmen.Not for the first time, Cummins took it upon himself to generate something, and did so by going around the wicket to Jadeja after he had hooked a pair of short balls in his previous over. Jadeja’s middle stump was knocked back, and he was soon to be joined by Bhuvneshwar and then Saha.Steven Smith’s sensational series with the bat ended at 499 runs•Associated Press

Kuldeep Yadav added a pesky few runs with the last man Umesh before Nathan Lyon returned to the bowling crease. He had Kuldeep caught at deep backward square leg on the sweep with his first ball. That gave Lyon a deserved five-wicket haul, and left the touring batsmen to contemplate the best way to build a lead.They would have expected a few difficult overs from the pacemen but not the fusillade fired down by Bhuvneshwar and Umesh that did for Warner, Smith and Renshaw. Warner was struck one stinging blow on the shoulder by a Bhuvneshwar short ball that climbed sharply, was dropped for a second time in the match by Karun Nair, and did not get far enough across his crease to avoid edging Umesh the following over.Smith seemed intent on domination, sending his first ball to the boundary behind square leg then lining up Bhuvneshwar’s short and full deliveries. But his attempt to carry on brought a miscalculation and an ugly drag onto the stumps – Smith finished the series with a laudable 499 runs but the sense of an unfinished last innings.Renshaw’s dropped catches and cheap first-innings dismissal had conveyed something of fatigue on his first overseas tour having played so maturely earlier in the series. Now he fiddled at an Umesh delivery he may have left at another time. Australia were three down and still a run in deficit.For a time, Handscomb and Maxwell appeared capable of forging a major stand. Maxwell was the aggressor and Handscomb the accumulator, and the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep was withdrawn by Ajinkya Rahane after being effectively neutralised. However in the final few minutes of the session, Ashwin found Handscomb’s outside edge with an offbreak that jumped without turning, then Shaun Marsh – beset by a back injury – bunted lamely to short leg.Maxwell loomed as the key to Australia’s chances when the evening session began, and after Wade evaded an early lbw appeal and referral, Maxwell was given out to Ashwin when he tucked his bat behind his pad. The review showed umpire’s call for both impact with the pad and projected path towards the stumps.Cummins and Wade then tried to steady the innings, but became trapped into scorelessness in a way that meant the Australian lead did not appreciably grow relative to the time they spent at the crease. So when Cummins fell to Jadeja, the lead was still well short of 100, and it remained there through the swift dismissals of O’Keefe and Lyon.Finally Wade showed more intent in Hazlewood’s company, until the paceman was deceived twice by Ashwin. The first occasion seemingly to a catch at second slip, but replays showed M Vijay had grounded the ball and so the players returned to the middle for another two balls, this time to see the umpire Ian Gould’s finger raised for an lbw.Vijay and KL Rahul were left with six overs to the close. They negotiated them with a level of comfort that underlined not only how well Umesh and Bhuvneshwar had bowled, but also how Smith’s Australians had squandered the sort of chance they had been fighting to have all series.

Kings XI Punjab seamer Mohit Sharma, who won Man of the Match for his 2 for 24, credited the side’s spinners for applying a stranglehold in the middle of Knight Riders’ chase

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-20175:25

Bangar: Tewatia’s introduction turned the match

By the time legspinner Rahul Tewatia came on to bowl on Tuesday night, Kolkata Knight Riders had made their now-customary dash in the Powerplay to score 61 for 1 in a chase of 168. The seamers went for runs and, as is often the case, damage-control duties were assigned to Axar Patel, who bowled a tight seventh over. Tewatia was introduced with 104 runs needed in 13 overs. It was his first match in this year’s tournament, his previous appearance in the IPL having come in 2015.Tewatia began by conceding only four runs in his first over and did even better in the second. First, he tempted Gautam Gambhir into slogging a ball deep mid-wicket’s throat before snaring Robin Uthappa first ball courtesy Axar’s brilliance in the field. After Uthappa swatted a googly uppishly, Axar hared to his right from deep mid-wicket and flung himself to complete the catch.Knight Riders managed only two boundaries between the seventh and 14th overs, with Tewatia conceding one of those in his spell of 4-0-18-2. The seamers eventually got back their mojo and, led by Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma’s cold precision at the death, ensured Kings XI clinched the game by 14 runs to keep their playoff chances alive. Mohit, who was the Man of the Match for his returns of 2 for 24, credited the spinners, especially Tewatia, for establishing a stranglehold in the middle.”The way our spinners bowled in the middle. This was the first match of the season for Rahul Tewatia and he hasn’t played too many other IPL games, overall either. His spell was the turning point,” Mohit said after the match. Axar and Tewatia later revealed to their plan to bowl slower through the air and deprive the batsmen of runs.”During the strategic time-out we had a discussion about how the pitch was playing. So you [Axar] had told me that there was some turn on offer for slower deliveries,” Tewatia said. “To Gambhir, first I bowled some sliders, and then I planned to bowl full-pitched googly. If he went to hit it then there was a chance to get a wicket. You had said that the game can change if we get one wicket.”Axar said he realised that he had to change his pace as the quicker deliveries were skidding on to the bat well: “To Gambhir, he’s always ready to play the cut and I wasn’t giving him any room at the stumps. I think he got frustrated when he didn’t get any runs.”While Kings XI had a decent cushion of 37 runs to defend in the last three overs, the biggest obstacle in their path was Chris Lynn, who eventually finished with 84 off 52 balls. After Matt Henry dismissed Manish Pandey with a slower one off the first ball of the 18th over, Lynn was run-out next ball after attempting a risky second run. Kings XI wrested control of the match thereafter as Mohit and Sandeep conceded only 14 runs off the last two overs.”Dismissing Lynn at any point in the 20 overs is important. The way he bats in T20s, it’s like he’s playing proper baseball,” Mohit said. “He never misses out on a loose ball and whenever a bowler gets his wicket, it is important. After he fell the match turned in our favour because a new batsman can’t hit shots straightaway and needs some time. And there was no time in that situation.”Mohit said it wasn’t that the Kings XI bowlers had bowled badly in the Powerplay, but that Lynn and Sunil Narine had taken them on. “If you see, they played well from the start but that doesn’t mean that we didn’t bowl well or plan properly,” he said. “After the strategic time-out we regrouped to think how Knight Riders would bat with the field spread out and then the spinners came on and bowled well and began turning the match to our side.”The pitch was a bit on the slower side but under lights, it eased out a bit. It wasn’t as dry as expected, compared to the match against Delhi Daredevils, which was a 4pm start. [With] The early start, the pitch plays out completely differently. But it’s not just about the pitch. T20 is a dot-ball game for the bowling side. So we try to bowl as many dot balls to build pressure on the batsmen and try and get wickets.”

He went on to make a matchwinning century, but Fakhar Zaman spent the night before ill in his hotel bed

George Dobell at The Oval18-Jun-2017Fakhar Zaman told the Pakistan physio he didn’t think he would be fit to play the night before the Champions Trophy final.Zaman, who was awarded the Man of the Match award for his aggressive century, pulled out of training on Saturday after feeling unwell. He subsequently vomited several times and, having returned to the team hotel, informed the Pakistan medical staff that he would have to miss the game.But having been given him medication to settle his stomach – a Pakistan team spokesman suggested Zaman was suffering from a combination of an adverse reaction to something he had eaten and an attack of nerves before the biggest match of his career – Zaman slept soundly and reported himself fit to play at 7am on the morning of the match.”When we came for practise I wasn’t feeling good,” Zaman told ESPNcricinfo. “I hit five or 10 balls and said to the coach, ‘I don’t want to practise today as I’m not feeling well.'”I went back to the dressing room and told the masseur and physio that I didn’t feel good and couldn’t work.”We went back to the hotel and they treated me very well. Our physio, Shane Hayes, was with me the whole night. I said to him, ‘I can’t play tomorrow,’ but he gave me protein and glucose tablets and said ‘You will play tomorrow.'”I woke in the morning feeling good. I sent him a message at 7am saying, ‘Thanks, Shane. I’m feeling good.'”If Zaman was suffering from nerves, it is hardly surprising. He made his ODI debut less than two weeks ago and then found himself in a global tournament final against his side’s arch rivals and in front of a TV audience of hundreds of millions.Certainly in the first few minutes of his innings, those nerves were apparent. He survived an edged catch to MS Dhoni when he had scored just 3 but was reprieved when it transpired Jasprit Bumrah had overstepped.Gradually, however, he gained in confidence and started to dismantle the India attack”I’m feeling very lucky,” he said. “It worked really well for me. Sometimes you get dropped or survive because of a no-ball but you don’t go on and score too many runs.”At the start they were bowling very well. So I tried to play ball-to-ball. But when I saw there was no swing or movement off the wicket, I started to play my shots.”Meanwhile, Zaman’s opening partner Azhar Ali described himself as “the most relieved man” after Virat Kohli fell to a catch at point the ball after Azhar had dropped him at slip off the bowling of Mohammad Amir.”Dropping him was a really big disappointment,” he said. “He’s the guy who chases for fun. He’s the best in the world. I was the most relieved man when he was out next ball. That sort of batsman never gets out twice in two balls, so it was a blessing form the Almighty. I was very relieved.”Amir did really well. He is a quality bowler and he can get anyone out. It was so important to get early wickets.”

Virat Kohli was the only batsmen to make fifty plus, while Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Wriddhiman Saha all crossed 30 before retiring out

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Jul-2017
ScorecardVirat Kohli slammed a half-century before retiring hurt•AFP

India’s batsmen enjoyed a smooth tune-up on the second day of the practice game against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, hitting 177 for the loss of only two further wickets. Virat Kohli was the only batsman to register a half-century, but Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Wriddhiman Saha all made it past thirty, a short time after which they were all retired out. Kohli’s overnight partner Ajinkya Rahane, too, made 40 before he and Kohli were retired out simultaneously.The President’s XI, however, appeared to have limited the amount of spin the India batsmen faced. Tharindu Kaushal bowled 14 overs and claimed the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya late in the day, but Shehan Jayasuriya and Dhananjaya de Silva only delivered one over each. The remaining 52 overs were shared between four frontline quicks – Vishwa Fernando the most successful among them, with 2 for 37 from 10 overs. He had, however, taken both of those wickets on Friday.Not only will India be pleased at having lost so few wickets, they may also be encouraged by the positivity of their batsmen. They traveled at 4.59 runs an over across their 68-over innings, hitting 30 fours and four sixes all told. Saha made his 36 off 40 balls, and Dhawan his 41 off 48. In fact, none of the batsmen, who retired out on Saturday, had a strike rate south of 65. Kaushal and seamer Vikum Sanjaya were the main victims of that aggression – both conceding runs at more than five an over. Even though Colombo Cricket Club is a small ground, none of the bowlers can be said to have been miserly.India declared their innings when they were nine down, despite the match being a two-dayer. Thereafter, they also declined the opportunity to take the field again. Though the team has not played Tests since March, their batsmen and bowlers appear to have got the workout they wanted from this game – enough for them to go to Galle with some confidence.

Craig Overton stirred to excellent effect and the result was a Somerset victory that lifted them from despond and left Yorkshire deep in moody self-analysis

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road06-Jul-2017
ScorecardThe warnings were there for Somerset in their first match of the season, slightly less than three months ago, when they began their Division One campaign with an eight-wicket home defeat to Essex, new to the rigours of First Division life. Their situation became graver by the week as they remained stuck at the foot of Division One and their young captain, Tom Abell, stood down from the side because of a loss of form.Finally, at Scarborough, at the eighth time of asking, and with a new captain at the helm, Somerset’s cricketers ended their torment in 2017 with a 179-run victory over the once highly-fancied Yorkshire at Scarborough.”It’s been a tough year, and there’s been some tough words,” said Gregory as Somerset prepared for a long trek home in happy frame of mind. “It’s brilliant to get that first win on the board, and to put in a performance like that is very special. I think I’ll call it quits there and just go with the 100 per cent record as captain.”Somerset remained stoically winless until Liam Plunkett attempted to hit Jack Leach for a fourth six but only nicked the ball to Jim Allenby at slip. Cue delight in Stogumber. Cue street parties in Lydeard St. Lawrence.In truth, though, the cricket had descended into late-innings carnival by the time that last wicket fell. Yorkshire’s attempt to score 337 in 90 overs had long been a laughably optimistic enterprise and the chief giggler was a 6ft 5ins seamer from North Devon whose pace and hostility were appreciated by everyone at North Marine Road, not only the band of hardy supporters with wyverns on their chests.This was Craig Overton’s day and it was Craig Overton’s match. The giant all-rounder took 4 for 47 on this final day at Scarborough and finished the match with career-best figures of 9 for 134. Making good use of a pitch which offered him bounce and carry, Overton discomfited all the batsmen in this game and dismissed every member of Yorkshire’s top order at least once.On the day when Somerset at last took closer order on the counties above them, the all-rounder’s cricket displayed the brio that may sustain his county in dark times. No doubt the absent captain, Abell, who has played a couple of second team T20 games this week, was quick to text the players with his congratulations. Abell is that sort of bloke.As for Yorkshire, the bitter truth is that supporters at North Marine Road were more surprised by the rapidity of their side’s collapse than the fact of it. A once formidable batting order which used to cope serenely with England calls now seems riven with an unlucky bag of fallibilities. These weaknesses have been largely responsible for their team losing two of their last three Division One games and trailing leaders Essex by 38 points having played a game more.Harry Brook, who now has three championship appearances on his CV, looked the most secure of the top order and his appearances may be restricted by the broken hand he sustained in the nets on the final morning of this game. Seeking to explain this defeat by referring to the injuries which befell Plunkett and Ryan Sidebottom avoids the central problem which has suddenly befallen Yorkshire cricket. “It won’t do” said someone at North Marine Road before explaining himself in some detail.”We’ve spoken at length about our batting for a long time now but it’s got past the point of talking about it,” said the Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale. “It’s about doing it now and we need to back things up on the field. We didn’t work hard enough and we now want players to respond to what’s happened. Whether that’s by going into the second team and making big runs or by making runs in the T20, you just want to see a response. We’ve been here many a time before with Yorkshire cricket and we can turn this on its head.”Yorkshire’s woes began with the fifth ball of their innings when Alex Lees drove carelessly outside a Lewis Gregory inswinger and heard the ash dancing behind him. But it was not until the fourth over that West Country hope trespassed into the land of belief and it was Overton who led that cautious advance.The delivery which dismissed Brook would have moved the bowels of a Test cricketer, let alone a batsman whose memories of Peppa Pig are still fresh. Short, quick and deeply nasty, it reared up at the 18-year-old and brushed his glove. Steve Davies completed a difficult one-handed catch with deceptive aplomb. Rather less allowance can be made for Peter Handscomb, who pushed forward a trifle at his first ball but was hit on his front pad. Some thought the ball but might have been going over the top but Tim Robinson sent the batsman on his way. Yorkshire were 12 for 3 and the North Devonian did his best to disappear into the arms of his colleagues, a task that proved well beyond him.Four overs later Tom Kohler-Cadmore hooked Overton into the pavilion, where a spectator received a glancing blow but proved himself the sort of chap with whom one would go flying by brushing away all solicitous enquiries. Next ball Kohler-Cadmore failed to cover Overton’s steep bounce and edged the ball to slip where Tim Rouse held on. .For ten overs Adam Lyth and Tim Bresnan scored freely against attacking fields before Lyth, having flattered his supporters briefly, deceived them grievously when he drove at Overton and inside-edged the ball into his wicket. That left Yorkshire on 67 for 5 and all but doomed. The folded arms and the grim expressions said as much.An hour after lunch the players were shaking hands. Jack Leach, who had not been required to bowl in the first innings, took four of the wickets, bowling Tim Bresnan with a ball that pitched on leg but hit off and having Rashid caught at slip. Another tasty bouncer from Overton left Andy Hodd with little option but to scoop the ball to Eddie Byrom at square leg.”I’d like to bowl on that sort of wicket every day,” said Overton. “It was ideal for me and I don’t think I’ve bowled better than I did at the start of the second innings. I’m not sure Harry could have done too much about the ball that got him this morning. It’s one of those you just try and avoid and it can be a tough one to take.”As Overton spoke he was interrupted by Somerset supporters offering their congratulations. This victory is not enough to take their side out of the bottom two places in the table but it offers them hope, enough at any rate to speed them home in good heart this summer evening.

Australia enter the series without a warm-up game in Bangladesh and with a poor recent history in Asia. The hosts are quietly confident after their recent upturn in Tests

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale26-Aug-20175:15

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Big Picture

Mitchell Johnson’s entire Test career of 313 wickets; 611 of the 617 Twenty20 internationals that have ever been played; every tweet ever… These are just some of the things that have happened since Australia and Bangladesh last played each other in Test cricket. That’s right: when they last met in 2006, Twitter had not even been launched. We might as well be talking about the #darkages. Such has been the reluctance of Australia to schedule Tests against Bangladesh, it has now been 11 years since their last series, when Jason Gillespie made the unlikeliest double-century in Test history.In 2008, Australia were scheduled to host Bangladesh for two winter Tests, but that series was postponed until 2010 due to a clash with the Beijing Olympics. The 2010 series didn’t happen either. In 2011, the Future Tours Programme had Australia listed to play two Tests in Bangladesh; instead, that tour was limited to three ODIs and no Tests. And then in 2015, Australia were all set to depart for a Test tour when they (sensibly) delayed the trip on security advice from the Australian government. Finally, a series that has not been postponed, and if the weather allows, it should be a fascinating contest.Australia enter the series without a warm-up game in Bangladesh and with a poor recent history in Asia. They have taken some self-belief from their competitive performance in India earlier this year, but questions remain over key batsmen David Warner and Usman Khawaja on slow, turning pitches, as well as the quality of their second spinner, Ashton Agar. Should Australia lose 2-0, they would fall to sixth on the ICC Test rankings, their lowest ever.Bangladesh have no shortage of self-belief, having beaten England in their most recent home Test and Sri Lanka in their most recent away Test. They have spinners who will challenge Australia’s defensive techniques and patience, and one of those is also the world’s best Test allrounder: Shakib Al Hasan. They have enough experience and talent in their batting order, through Shakib, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim, to pose problems for Australia’s bowlers.So, four postponed Test series and hundreds of billions of tweets later, here we are, for what should be a close battle. #bringiton

Form guide

Bangladesh: WLLLL(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LDLWW

In the spotlight

He averages 40 with the bat, 33 with the ball, and is No.1 on the ICC’s rankings for Test allrounders, yet because he doesn’t play for one of the so-called “big teams” often, Shakib Al Hasan still probably doesn’t get the worldwide recognition he deserves. Entering his 50th Test match – and his first against Australia – he hopes to join Dale Steyn, Rangana Herath and Muttiah Muralitharan as the only bowlers with five-wicket Test hauls against all other countries. It would be a truly remarkable achievement, coming from a country that plays relatively little Test cricket.There is no more important player for Australia’s chances in this series than the captain Steven Smith. In India earlier this year, Smith showed his patience and skill against high quality spin bowling and scored centuries in three of the four Test matches. There is no reason to think he will be any less successful in Bangladesh, and big scores from Smith will go a long way to Australia having a strong series. But, of course, he will need somebody to stay out there with him.

Team news

Mushfiqur Rahim appears likely to keep wickets, which would mean Liton Das misses out. The selectors will have a tough decision to make between Taskin Ahmed and Shafiul Islam, but Shafiul might just get the nod.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Imrul Kayes, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Mehidy Hasan, 9 Taijul Islam, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Mustafizur Rahman,Khawaja looks set to regain his place in the side after Shaun Marsh was preferred in India, and Ashton Agar is expected to join Nathan Lyon as the second spinner. The only other possible decision for the selectors is whether to include allrounder Hilton Cartwright as an extra seam-bowling option, but that would require leaving Glenn Maxwell out, an unlikely scenario after his batting success in India.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Usman Khawaja, 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Pitch and conditions

The pitch is not expected to be too similar to the one that England encountered on this ground last year, but it will be on the slower side with spin expected from day two. Rain is predicted on all five days of the Test, so the chances of a result will depend on how quickly the newly-laid outfield can dry – usually, the drainage is good.

Stats and trivia

• This Test will be the 50th for both Tamim Iqbal and Shakib; they will join Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur and Habibul Bashar as the only Bangladeshis to reach the milestone
• Lyon needs three wickets to become the eighth Australian to 250 in Tests. In doing so he would pass Richie Benaud to become Australia’s second-leading Test spinner of all time
• These teams have played each other in only four Tests, for four wins to Australia – but no player from either squad has played in any of those previous matches

Quotes

“I think our spin attack is better than theirs. Not in all conditions but in Bangladesh, we are better than them.”
“For us, it’s more looking to the future. Ashton has obviously been on the radar for a long time and someone we see as having a pretty bright future. Four years’ time back in India it’s something I want to achieve while I’m captain. I want to win in India, that’s big on my bucket list.”