Paul Horton’s first Championship hundred for Leicestershire tightened their grip midway through their second division match against Sussex at Hove

ECB Reporters Network02-May-2016
ScorecardPaul Horton struck his first hundred since his switch from Lancashire [file picture]•PA Photos

Paul Horton’s first century since joining Leicestershire helped cement his side’s strong position on a rain-affected second day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Sussex at Hove.The former Lancashire opener made 100 as Leicestershire reached 300 for 4 replying to Sussex’s 163 in the 43.2 overs possible because of rain and bad light.But with a lead of 133 and wickets in hand, Leicestershire are still in a strong position to win their second game of the season thanks to the foundations laid by Horton and his captain, Mark Cosgrove, who put on 114 for the third wicket in 32 overs.It was Horton’s 22nd first-class hundred, which he reached with a cut off Danny Briggs that brought him his 14th four, and came after he passed 50 in three of his four previous Championship innings for his new county.However, the 33-year-old, who joined Leicestershire last winter, lasted two more balls before he was caught behind down the leg side off George Garton, sent on his way after a consultation between umpires Ian Gould and Nigel Llong. His runs came off 174 balls and he batted for just over four hours.Even with floodlights on from the start, which was delayed until 2.10pm because of morning drizzle, batting conditions weren’t ideal although there was little in the pitch to assist Sussex’s seamers.Sussex captain Ben Brown brought left-arm spinner Danny Briggs into the attack in the 54th over but it was leg-spinner Luke Wells, who bowled six overs either side of tea, who offered more threat and an appeal for a catch at the wicket off Mark Pettini when the ball turned out of the rough was turned down.Garton was the pick of the Sussex attack in two lively spells down the slope. Despite being plagued by no-ball problems – he was called for over-stepping seven times – the 19-year-old left-armer worked up a decent pace, swung the ball both ways and was rewarded with a second wicket after tea.Having just been on-driven for four by Cosgrove, he produced the perfect inswinging yorker which knocked out two stumps and Leicestershire’s captain was gone for 80, made from 136 balls with ten fours.It halted a stand of 49 in 12 overs with Brighton-born Pettini, who ended the day unbeaten on 42 with Niall O’Brien on seven. The umpires brought the players off at 5.20pm because of bad light and play was abandoned for the day shortly afterwards when rain arrived.

Yuvraj Singh and Ben Cutting unleashed some brutal end-overs hitting to nail a chase of 180 in Mohali and all but seal a berth in the playoffs of IPL 2016

The Report by Sirish Raghavan15-May-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsYuvraj Singh finished the chase with an unbeaten 42 off 24 balls•BCCI

Yuvraj Singh and Ben Cutting unleashed some brutal end-overs hitting to nail a chase of 180 in Mohali and all but seal Sunrisers Hyderabad’s berth in the playoffs of IPL 2016. For their part, Kings XI Punjab became the second team after Rising Pune Supergiants to crash out of the tournament, despite a 56-ball 96 by Hashim Amla.Yuvraj showcased his clean striking, with three fours and three massive sixes, in an unbeaten 42 off 24, while Ben Cutting – playing his first game for Sunrisers – chipped in with crucial monster hits of his own. Both batsmen ruthlessly tore into seamer Mohit Sharma in the 18th over, plundering 19 runs to bring the equation down to 20 required off the last two overs. Kings XI were clinging on as Sandeep Sharma conceded only three off the first three balls of the 19th, but Cutting slammed the fourth over the straight boundary to puncture the tension in the Sunrisers dugout. The chase was completed with seven wickets in hand and two balls to spare.The early stages of the chase were anchored by David Warner’s sixth fifty of the season. Warner and Shikhar Dhawan put on a 68-run opening stand, and after Dhawan was run out, Warner and Deepak Hooda looked set to take control of the innings. Just as they seemed to have settled in, however, Warner got out softly against the run of play. Looking to tuck the ball onto the leg side, he stepped deep into his crease and trod onto his stumps.Warner’s dismissal – Sunrisers’ third hit-wicket in four matches – left the game open again. They still required 83 off 47 balls – a stern test for a shaky middle order – but Yuvraj and Hooda hit Axar Patel for a four and a six later in the same over. The next three overs yielded roughly ten runs apiece, courtesy Hooda’s lusty hacks and Yuvraj’s well-timed blows.Hooda’s dismissal off the last ball of the 16th was followed by Axar’s stingy 17th over, which left Sunrisers with 39 to get off the last three overs. But Yuvraj and Cutting laid into Mohit Sharma and never looked back.After Kings XI had opted to bat on a hot Mohali afternoon, Amla set a brisk pace by square-cutting the second ball for four. That shot seemed to bring back the classy, free-flowing Amla, who can unpick the best of attacks with timing and calculated belligerence. An assortment of cuts and drives was accompanied by some rather adventurous scoops.Amla was helped by the fact that Sunrisers’ new-ball bowlers were not at their best. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was tidy but not threatening, while Ashish Nehra offered too many boundary balls in his first two overs. Despite the early loss of M Vijay – who spooned a well-disguised slower ball from Mustafizur Rahman to mid-off – the Kings XI innings soon gathered momentum.Amla stroked 14 fours and two sixes en route to his 96, receiving support from Wriddhiman Saha, Gurkeerat Singh and David Miller, in increasing order of explosiveness. Miller’s unbeaten nine-ball 20 towards the end of the innings was a timely boost to Kings XI, as Amla was beginning to run out of steam.In an increasingly desperate attempt to stem the run flow, Sunrisers used seven bowlers, none of whom proved particularly effective. They even lost Nehra to a leg injury in his third over. However, it was their batsmen who ultimately took them to their eighth win of the season and within sniffing distance of a berth in the playoffs.

South Africa’s shortage of fixtures against Zimbabwe stems from the absence of an enforceable FTP, rather than a reluctance to play so-called smaller teams, according to Tony Irish, CEO of the South African Cricketers’ Association

Firdose Moonda13-Jun-2016South Africa’s shortage of fixtures against neighbours Zimbabwe is mainly due to the absence of an enforceable Future Tours Programme (FTP), rather than a reluctance to play so-called smaller teams, according to Tony Irish, CEO of the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA).Irish was responding to a claim made by Makhaya Ntini, former South Africa fast bowler and current interim Zimbabwe coach, who told the that South Africa were “not keen on visiting here and don’t want much to do with Zimbabwe”. Irish explained the issue was not about preference as much as it was about trying to draw up an international calendar.”The real problem is with the international cricket structure as a whole. At the time of the “Big Three” takeover at ICC, the FTP was de-regulated and the smaller countries lost the benefit of being part of a framework in which all countries were obliged to play all others home and away every four years,” Irish told ESPNcricinfo. “The FTP was replaced with ad hoc bilateral agreements with no touring guarantees for the small countries. The schedule is now so packed with these ad hoc agreements that it’s difficult to schedule additional tours with a genuine [South Africa] team just to help out another country.”Since 2014, when India, England and Australia led a restructure of the ICC, South Africa have enjoyed more fixtures against bigger nations – including two four-Test series against India and England respectively – but fewer against smaller ones. In that time, they have toured Zimbabwe only once; in August 2014, South Africa played a one-off Test and competed in a triangular ODI series which also included Australia.Ntini claimed South Africa had not wanted to make the trip and had “nearly pulled out” of the triangular but Irish said he was unaware of any threat not to tour. “I wasn’t aware of any suggestion that South Africa wouldn’t visit Zimbabwe in 2014,” Irish said.South Africa have included Zimbabwe in the season-opening Africa T20 Cup, which is in its second year. Zimbabwe do not have a team in any of South Africa’s other domestic competitions, unlike Namibia, who feature in the semi-professional provincial tournaments which are played in three-day and one-day formats. South Africa have scheduled an A team tour to Zimbabwe later this year but there are no senior men’s tours on the calendar.Zimbabwe had a quiet 2015, in which they hosted no Tests and had only India and New Zealand visit for limited-overs matches. That is set to improve this year, with India currently touring for three ODIs and three T20Is, New Zealand due to play two Tests in July-August and Sri Lanka set to visit on their way to South Africa at the end of the year. They are in the process of revamping their structures with a slimmed administrative office, a new selection panel headlined by the return of Tatenda Taibu and a new-look coaching staff, comprised of South Africans, with Ntini at the helm for now and Lance Klusener as batting coach.While Klusener did not have his contract renewed with Dolphins, Ntini has not coached in South Africa at all and attempts to open an academy in his home town have been stalled by lack of funding. He was appointed Zimbabwe’s bowling coach ahead of the World T20 in March and has taken over the main job in the aftermath of Dav Whatmore’s sacking.Ntini said he believed the faith Zimbabwe showed in him demonstrated an “ability here to identify leadership potential”, and he hit out at the South African system for not providing him with opportunities to give back to the game. “It works differently in South Africa where you roast in the system and find that other coaches leapfrog you,” Ntini said. “There are talented coaches in South Africa who need to get their international dues.”

Glenn Maxwell produced a jaw-dropping 46 not out from 26 balls to deliver Australia into the tri-series final and left his batting partner Mitchell Marsh lost for words at the other end

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jun-2016In the lead-up to Australia’s must-win match against West Indies, acting coach Justin Langer spoke of how important Glenn Maxwell’s experience and finishing ability could become at the business end of the tri-series. As if on cue, Maxwell produced a jaw-dropping 46 not out from 26 balls to deliver Australia into the tri-series final and left his batting partner Mitchell Marsh lost for words at the other end.Australia needed 62 off 50 balls with six wickets in hand when Maxwell walked to the crease, a man who had failed to reach double figures in any of his past five ODI innings and had been dropped earlier in the series. But Maxwell found his x-factor and got Australia home with eight balls to spare, along the way reverse-sweeping Sunil Narine for six.”I said give yourself a few balls mate and then go for it,” Marsh said. “I was literally speechless at the other end watching an innings like that. Maxi has had a lot of doubt and hasn’t been in the greatest of form but an innings like that tonight shows why he’s one of the first picked in this side, because he’s so dangerous and can win us games like that in a few overs. Really rapt for him.”He actually told me we’ll just take them for ones. Next thing he’s playing a reverse-sweep for six. I absolutely loved it. Maxi is a free spirit, you’ve just got to let him go and do what he does. When it comes off like that it’s unbelievable to watch.”Maxwell and Marsh steered Australia to victory with their 62-run partnership, which followed on from a 122-run stand between Marsh and captain Steven Smith. Marsh’s innings of 79 not out from 85 deliveries was critical given that he had come to the crease at 99 for 3 chasing 283, and like Maxwell he had struggled for batting form in the series, having not reached 20 in any of his previous for innings.”It’s right up there, I think any time you can bat through an innings and be not out in a win in a crucial chase like that, it’s very satisfying,” Marsh said of his own innings. “I’ve put in a lot of work. I haven’t had much of an opportunity – well, I have, but I haven’t taken them in this series. So it was really nice to step up and get us over the line.”Australia’s place in Sunday’s tri-series final in Barbados is now secure, and they will take on the winner of Friday’s clash between West Indies and South Africa.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford described Kusal Mendis’ 176 as “one of the best” he’s seen, and said the batsman’s temperament had impressed him as well

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Pallekele29-Jul-20162:21

‘One of the best innings I’ve ever seen’ – Ford

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford, who has previously praised Kusal Perera’s technique, described Kusal Mendis’ 176 as “one of the best” he’s seen, and said the batsman’s temperament had impressed him as well. At the end of day four, Mendis’ innings still appears a monumental anomaly in a match in which the next highest score is 47.”What can you say? It’s one of the best innings I’ve ever seen,” Ford said. “It was. He seemed to have a plan – and option – against all the bowlers. He showed real composure. The odd one did explode and turn on him but he didn’t bother about the previous delivery. He just focused on the next ball and got on with the job. He is an amazing talent. He works really hard and really loves the game.”Mendis’ innings was anomalous because of its tempo, as well as its size. Of top-order batsmen to breach 30 in this Test, no one else has had a strike rate of over 60. With his innings only spanning 254 balls, Mendis struck at 69. It is also anomalous in the context of his brief career so far – his previous highest in Tests had been 53 in Leeds.”He’s batted at no. 3 in all formats across the last couple of months, and shown wonderful maturity,” Ford said. “He’s shown signs each time of the possibility of making big scores. There have been really exciting cameos each time, but fortunately now he’s got one of those big innings under his belt, it will hopefully lead to a lot more.”He also just seems an extremely relaxed young man. Nothing really fazes him. He enjoys playing and he can’t wait to get out there and bat. Doesn’t seem to show any signs of nerves. He plays positively and plays his shots. He went to his hundred with a six – no nervous nineties. He definitely puts a lot of thought into it. He works hard. But there’s no signs of him being too bothered, or worried about failure, which is quite a nice way of going about his business.”Since debuting against West Indies in October last year, Mendis has largely filled the no. 3 position vacated by Kumar Sangakkara. “Had you still had the Sangas and the Mahela Jayawardenes, Kusal would have ideally been blooded at no. 6 or 7,” Ford said. “But without anybody really putting their hand up to grab that no. 3 spot, we thought he was the guy to get in and had the technique to handle it. Each time he went out there he looked like he had real capabilities to become a world-class and match-winning no. 3. So we decided to run with him and he’s paid us back.”

A stalwart effort from Nick Gubbins kept Middlesex in contention at Trent Bridge as they faced a stiff challenge from a Nottinghamshire side fighting for their first division lives

George Dobell at Trent Bridge07-Sep-2016
ScorecardNick Gubbins resists for Middlesex at Trent Bridge•Getty Images

It was more constrictor than cobra, more glacier than waterfall but, if Middlesex do go on to win the County Championship title this season, they may look back on Nick Gubbins’ innings here as a key contribution.With Yorkshire passing 400 at Leeds and Middlesex reeling at 81 for 5, this could have been the day their title challenge fell away. But through Gubbins’ skill and determination, they will resume on day three with the match in the balance and their first Championship title since 1993 still attainable.Gubbins has already contributed heavily this season. With 1122 Championship runs at an average of almost 60, he is not only his club’s highest run-scorer, but the fourth highest in the top division. He has played three fewer innings than all above him.But many of those runs have been scored on the slow and flat – the painfully slow and flat – surface at Lord’s. And while Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, reasons that such surfaces may benefit his team in the long-term (“they give batsmen confidence and teach bowlers the value of control,” he suggests), they can also inflate the records of some of those playing there.Here, though, in conditions where the ball moved all day for the seamers and on a slow, used surface that provided assistance to two spinners with international wickets to their name, he was forced to prove his quality in far less benign circumstances. And, after an opening over hat-trick on the first evening, he did it under the pressure of knowing his team needed him more than ever.It was, as he admitted himself, “a bit of a grind” at times. He went, at one stage, 38 overs without a boundary and 80 deliveries over the accumulation of five runs. His share of the stand of 42 with Stevie Eskinazi was just five and his half-century took 187 balls.But it was, in its way, compelling viewing. Forced to play straight and wait for the poor ball – and Nottinghamshire made him wait a long time – he refused to be drawn into playing away from his body and refused to let his impatience or frustration change his approach. For a 22-year-old, it was an impressively disciplined, selfless effort. Without it, Middlesex would have been in deep trouble.Gubbins is a batsman with far more to him than grim defence and crease occupation. He made his breakthrough as a List A batsman (he averaged 56.50 in that format in 2015) and has scored his Championship runs at a rate of 53.27 this season. He has a a trademark force off the hips – a stroke he can play on the ground or in the air off a good length ball on off stump – that can make a bowler wonder why he bothers.But reasoning that he is in this game for the long-haul, he has decided that such strokes are, for now, low-percentage. He has decided, like many top-order players before him, to play within himself (“that shot forces my head too far over to the off side,” he explains) and concentrate on a tight defence before worrying himself about domination. In conditions like this such a method will serve him – and, one day perhaps, England – well.There were still some elegant shots. When Brett Hutton dropped short he was cut, when Jake Ball – a little off colour, despite the five-wicket haul – he was driven. Imran Tahir’s odd loose balls were similarly punished. As Gubbins put it: “I never really felt I had dropped anchor, but they bowled very well, had in out fields and we had to battle hard to reach parity.”It was no surprise to hear that he has been spending time with Nick Compton. There were times here when this was much like watching Compton of 2012 vintage: a watertight defence and love for batting slowly breaking down the bowlers and feeding off their mistakes. It’s old school but it works.Such feats of concentration and mental and physical endurance can wear any player. It may be that both Compton and Jonathan Trott one day look back on their careers and reflect that they simply exhausted themselves. But, for now at least, Gubbins has the energy and the talent to relish the battle. If he can sustain it, he will be prove of great service to country as well as club.Notts looked far better than a bottom of the table team. Hutton produced a beauty to account for John Simpson – the ball swung in, pitched and moved just enough to beat what appeared to be a perfectly respectable forward defensive stroke and hit the top of off stump – while Harry Gurney bowled impressively dry and delivered four maidens in succession at one stage.If Dawid Malan felt himself unfortunate to be given out leg before – he held his head in his hands with disappointment – James Franklin felt to a loose upper cut to deep backward point and Eskinazi was well beaten by Imran. Gubbins’ fine innings was eventually ended by Hutton’s first over with the second new ball, when he was forced to play another beauty that swung in, held in the pitch and took the edge.Notts are not out of this game. With a potent leg-spinner to call upon, Middlesex face a tough challenge in the fourth innings on a used pitch. If Notts can just bat a little better in their second innings – and they started brightly – the great escape remains a distant possibility.Meanwhile Mick Newell, who is soon to be director of cricket at Nottinghamshire, hinted that a place could be found for James Taylor on the club’s coaching staff. Taylor, who was forced to retire with immediate effect in April after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition, has made no secret of his desire to try his hand at coaching.Notts have missed not just his runs, but his experience and spirit this season. While a role as a full time coach seems unlikely, it seems a part-time position mentoring young batsmen – especially in white ball cricket – could be created.”He’s interested and there’s scope for him to work with us,” Newell said. “I think he can work with young batters like Tom Moores. We lost a lot of mental toughness when he went. It was a big loss.”

Having been clouted to all parts of Centurion, the Wanderers and Durban, Australia’s punch-drunk bowlers will be seeking some respite in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Daniel Brettig08-Oct-2016

Match facts

October 9, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)

Big picture

Having been clouted to all parts of Centurion, the Wanderers, and most brutally in Durban, Australia’s punch-drunk bowlers will be seeking some respite in Port Elizabeth. Equally, Steven Smith, the touring captain, will be eager to add some respectability to a series score line that is as stark as the contrast between crestfallen Australia and jubilant South Africa on Wednesday night at Kingsmead.Unfortunately for Smith, and coach Darren Lehmann, Australia’s options for an improved line-up are slim. Scott Boland arrived as one of the more experienced members of the attack, but was promptly dropped after game one, while Joe Mennie’s fast-medium pace also lasted only one match before he was shuffled back out. The spectre of defeat invariably leads to players starting to think of their own positions in the team, and it will be critical for Lehmann and Smith to ensure minds remain focused on the task.Lehmann has stated that he believes the biggest problem for Australia’s bowlers has been an inability to replicate training patterns under the spotlight of crowds, television cameras and confident opponents, something for assistant coach David Saker, and Ryan Harris, the bowling assistant, to ponder.”We’ve got to find a way to get some early wickets and put some pressure back on South Africa, and at the moment, we’re not doing that,” Lehmann said after Durban. “And we’re not doing the good things that we do in the nets and taking them out into the middle in front of a packed house. At the end of the day, the blokes have trained really well and prepared well, and bowled really well in the nets, but international cricket is quite pressurised. They’ve just got to get used to that.”For South Africa, Port Elizabeth will be about seeking to avoid a let-down following the heights of Kingsmead and the sealing of the series. Acting captain Faf du Plessis appeared somewhat shocked to have been on the winning end of that match, something for which he had David Miller to thank, with a century that was scored having picked up a groin injury that has proved bad enough to leave him sidelined. The hosts will also be mindful of trying to keep Australia’s batsmen under slightly more control than they managed in game three, even if a mighty total ultimately proved inadequate.

Form guide

South Africa: WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LLLWW

In the spotlight

Early in South Africa’s chase in Durban, Quinton de Kock was subjected to plenty of verballing by the Australians in reference to a slow start that was soaking up balls. That baiting seemed primarily to wake de Kock from his initial slumber, and he went on to hammer 70 from a mere 49 balls to get South Africa off to the start they needed to stand a chance. Off the back of his punishing 178 in the opening game, his wicket looms as vital to Australia’s chances.John Hastings’ reputation for miserly spells has taken something of a hit in recent days, as he has not been able to quell South Africa’s scoring in ways that he has previously managed against other teams. As the most experienced member of the bowling attack on tour, Hastings will be expected to step up in Port Elizabeth and lead a better collective display.

Teams news

The groin injury which Miller sustained during his monumental matchwinning hundred will keep him out of the rest of the series which is likely to mean a recall for Farhaan Behardien. The rest of the recast batting order, which made room for Hashim Amla by shuffling Rilee Rossouw down the order, can be expected to be retained. Dale Steyn, however, may be rested now that the series is decided as could Kagiso Rabada with the possibility of playing an extra spinner.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien , 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Dale Steyn/Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada/Aaron Phangiso, 11 Imran TahirScott Boland may be in line for a recall by Australia’s tour selectors, after the bowling attack was hard-hit once again in Durban. Usman Khawaja is also waiting for his next chance.Australia: (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steve Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Mathew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Chris Tremain, 11 Daniel Worrall/Scott Boland

Pitch and conditions

Spin, and pace off the ball will likely play a role on one of South Africa’s slower pitches. The weather forecast for Port Elizabeth is for fine conditions, with periods of cloud cover.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won four of the seven ODI encounters between the two teams at Port Elizabeth, though South Africa have won the two most recent contests, in 2009 and 2011
• Australia haven’t lost four matches in an ODI series since England won 4-0 with one match rained out in 2012

Quotes

“I think we worked out we’re taking pretty much seven of our first-choice one-day team out of the bowling attack, and when you go through that it’s some high-quality bowling. But it’s an opportunity for the young guys to learn, to learn quickly and learn what they need to do to step up in international cricket. At the moment, we’re failing in that and they’ve got to get better.”

Temba Bavuma and Stephen Cook acknowledged the WACA’s similarity to the pitch back home at the Wanderers, where they represent the Lions

Firdose Moonda01-Nov-20161:56

Wanderers experience will help at WACA – Cook

The joke is that South Africans feel more at home in Perth than some Australians. With an estimated 30,000 of their countrymen permanently settled in the city, and its distance from the rest of Australia’s cities, you can understand why. South African batsmen Stephen Cook and Temba Bavuma also have reason to feel like they belong at the WACA, but it’s got more to do with where they come from.They play their cricket at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, which Cook said was “probably the one ground in the world that’s similar to Perth in terms of pace and bounce.” While the WACA has lost some of its bite and the Wanderers has been known to produce run-fests, especially in limited-overs cricket, the surfaces remain spicy enough to keep bowlers interested.Batsmen need familiarity to be properly equipped on such pitches and Cook, whose domestic career is more than a decade and a half old, said he had more than enough. “I think it will stand me in good stead and I will try to take a few of the lessons I’ve learnt in my career and translate them into playing here,” Cook said.Bavuma only has half of Cook’s experience but more than three times his number of Tests caps and is just as eager to show what he can do on a seamer-friendly strip. “Judging by the nets, it’s quite similar to the Wanderers. Here the bounce is a bit exaggerated. That’s a challenge I am looking forward to,” he said.But both will need major improvements on what they have showed on tour so far if they are to match their talk with action. The pair are the only two in the top seven who have not scored at least a half-century in South Africa’s two warm-up matches.Cook managed just 5 and 12 in the first one, a day-night practice match, and got a duck in the second. Bavuma fared slightly better with scores of 11, 21 and 43. On South Africa A’s winter tour to Australia earlier this year, Cook scored only 58 runs in four innings – two of them were ducks – while Bavuma scored 51 in that series, with a top score of 21.Those numbers are not reassuring, but Cook insisted they were not a cause for concern. “I haven’t scored that many runs since I’ve been here but I’m not too perturbed by that. Things were pretty good in a couple of domestic games back home and I’ve felt like I’ve been in decent touch,” he said, referring to an unbeaten 97 in the first-class season opener between the Lions and Cobras at the Wanderers.Stephen Cook was confident that failures in the warm-up games will not affect his Test performances•Getty Images

“We all hit the ground running when it gets to the real stuff. Sometimes a lot gets read into practice games and situations like that but I’ve played this game for long enough to know that there’s no direct correlation between the two.”Bavuma also has recent form to fall back on. On his ODI debut against Ireland, batting as an opener, he scored a century and showed an ability to shift gears, which he knows could be called on in the Tests.”Where I bat in the middle order you generally have to be able to play the situation,” Bavuma said. “There will be moments in the series where you have to take the attack to the opposition. It’s about me being able to recognise those moments and adjust.”Bavuma has already showed an ability to adapt to pressure. He is the first black African batsman to play Test cricket for South Africa and as such, carries the hopes of a nation. He accepts that. If that was not enough, at 1.67 metres (5’5″) he has since been asked if he also considers himself an ambassador for the vertically challenged as well. He isn’t entirely sure of the answer but he knows that he could be seen as a novelty and that means expectation on him will grow with each game.”It’s a pressure I am trying to embrace and take in my stride. I want to improve and better myself all the time,” Bavuma said.At 33, so does Cook. Schooled alongside former South African captain Graeme Smith, Cook has waited almost half his life to play for South Africa and with time not on his side, he wants to make the most of every match.”My first Test was a dream, but as cricketers we’re never satisfied. You get a taste for something and you want more. This is an iconic series. It’s been a series in which a lot of players’ and a lot of teams’ careers have been defined. Therein lies another wonderful opportunity for us as a team. It’s for me as an individual to make my stamp and put my mark on it.”Cook watched as JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis prospered on previous Australian tours and saw two people “of similar age and and who I grew up playing cricket against, go from guys who were maybe not that well known, to guys who put in big performances under pressure.”Neither Cook, nor Bavuma are well-known yet. But they have put in performances under pressure at the Wanderers. Now they have to do it at the WACA.

The former allrounder’s first assignment is the New Zealand Test series beginning on November 17 in Christchurch

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-20161:28

Mahmood to coach Pakistan full time

Azhar Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder, has been appointed the team’s bowling coach for a two-year period. His term begins with the first Test of the New Zealand tour on November 17.Mahmood, 41, had first been brought on as a temporary replacement for Mushtaq Ahmed for the Asia Cup in February 2016, then worked along with Mushtaq at the World T20. He was with the team during the limited-overs series against England in August as well. The short-term nature of these stints was because Mahmood was contracted as a player with English county club Surrey until July 2016. He has already linked up with the Pakistan squad in Sharjah, where they were playing the third and final Test against West Indies.Pakistan have been without a bowling coach since the end of the England tour. The PCB were deliberating over several candidates, including former fast bowler Aaqib Javed. However, he was unwilling to give up his current role as the PSL team Lahore Qalandars’ head of cricket operations.Mahmood may have less than a year’s experience coaching an international team, but he represented Pakistan for 10 years and after he retired in 2007 he became a T20 specialist, playing for domestic teams at home and in England, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand and the West Indies.Pakistan depart for New Zealand on November 4 to play two Tests, in Christchurch and Hamilton.

Beau Webster’s unbeaten 122 – his third first-class century – helped Tasmania set Victoria a target of 361 out of which they knocked off 44 without losing a wicket on the third day

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2016
ScorecardBeau Webster scored his third first-class hundred•Getty Images

An unbeaten hundred from Beau Webster set Victoria a stiff target of 361 out of which they scored 44 without losing a wicket by the end of the third day in Hobart.Resuming the day on 3 for 127, Tasmania lost Jordan Silk for 76 on the seventh ball of the day, but Webster kept knocking runs off in the company of some lower-order batsmen. He forged stands of 70, 98 and 47 with Jake Doran (24), Simon Milenko (51) and Sam Rainbird (32) respectively even as the Victoria quicks picked wickets. Webster was not out on 122, his third first-class hundred, before Tasmania declared on 9 for 387. Chris Tremain finished with 4 for 97 while Jon Holland and Dan Christian took two wickets each.Victoria openers Travis Dean and Marcus Harris played out 17 overs to end the day with them needing another 317.