Dwayne Bravo picked up his 400th T20 wicket to restrict Hobart Hurricanes to 164, and Cameron White went past 5000 T20 runs as he chased the target down with ease

Alex Malcolm21-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Melbourne Renegades recruited spree-turned heads during the off-season but it was some familiar faces that orchestrated a comprehensive first-up win over the Hobart Hurricanes. Dwayne Bravo became the first man to 400 T20 wickets and showed how valuable a commodity he is with his second five-wicket haul in T20 cricket to restrict the Hurricanes to a sub-par 164.Then Cameron White wound back the clock with a vintage unbeaten 79 to guide his side home with nine balls to spare. He was ably supported by Marcus Harris (50 off 34) and Renegade-turned-Striker-turned-Renegade Brad Hodge (22* off 14).It was Bravo who set the game up after the Renegades elected to bowl at the toss. He bowled four one over spells, all of which dragged the Hurricanes back after they threatened to post an enormous total on an excellent batting surface.Cameron White cuts one during his match-winning 79 off 59 balls•Getty Images

The new opening pairing of D’Arcy Short and Alex Doolan raced to 48 after five overs before Bravo’s mix of slower balls firstly yielded three dots to Doolan and then took him out, caught at short third man while trying a big shot down the ground. Short’s troubles against spin compared to his class against pace was evident when Brad Hogg slid one into his front pad as he tried awkwardly to sweep off an ill-advised length.Ben McDermott and George Bailey then ripped into Hogg, taking 22 from the 11th over of the innings to move the total to a healthy 2 for 102.Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi delivered an excellent over of offspin in the 12th conceding just four runs. The Hurricanes went 17 balls without a boundary before McDermott was caught off a Bravo slower ball.The Hurricanes spluttered from there with Nabi bowling four overs for just 25 and picking up Bailey. Matthew Wade was the only one to hit Bravo over the rope before he became the seamer’s fifth victim off the final ball of the innings.Jofra Archer in his delivery stride•Getty Images

The Renegades chase started horribly with Aaron Finch falling in the first over. White and Harris then combined for a 113-run stand, weathering the Hurricanes battery of express pace bowlers with some sound scoring plans and a touch of good fortune. They used the pace and waited for loose deliveries rather than trying to fight fire with fire.Jofra Archer was only Hurricanes bowler not to concede more than nine an over. He took 2 for 17 from four overs including a rare gem of a double-wicket maiden in the 14th to give the Renegades chase the speed wobbles.But Hodge, fresh from facing military mediums on synthetic pitches in sub-district cricket in Melbourne, launched the second ball he faced, a 140-plus kph rocket from Aaron Summers, onto the hill to ease the pressure.White went about his work with a minimum of fuss, as he has done so often in his career. On another day he would have been a worthy Man of the Match, but that honour went to Bravo.

England coach Trevor Bayliss has confirmed he will step down from his job when his current contract expires after the 2019 English season

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2018England coach Trevor Bayliss has confirmed he will step down from his job when his current contract expires after the 2019 English season.Speaking in the aftermath of England’s 4-0 Ashes defeat, Bayliss said that he had made clear to Andrew Strauss, the director of England cricket, a year ago that he would not be seeking an extension regardless of results.It means that Bayliss, who was appointed in 2015, will leave the role following a season that will include England’s tilt at the home World Cup and the next Ashes series.”I told Andrew Strauss probably 12 months ago that September 2019 I’m contracted to and that would see me out,” Bayliss said. “I’ve never been anywhere any more than four or five years. Whether you’re going well or not I’ve always felt that round about that four-year mark is time to change. A new voice, a slightly different approach slightly reinvigorates things. So I passed that on him 12 months ago.”England’s comprehensive Ashes defeat has continued a poor run of form away from home in Tests since beating South Africa on the 2015-16 tour. They drew 1-1 in Bangladesh, lost 4-0 to India and were flirting with another Ashes whitewash before the draw at Melbourne.However, Bayliss has overseen a dramatic improvement in England’s limited-overs cricket – they have reached the final of the World T20 and semi-final of the Champions Trophy under his watch – and he has been given the support of the ECB hierarchy during this Ashes tour so he remains safe in his job.Bayliss also hinted that he could see Joe Root still being captain for the next Ashes in Australia in 2021-22. It is very rare for an England captain to get two chances to lead in Australia – it has not happened since Johnny Douglas in 1911 and 1920, either side of the first World War.”I think someone coming for the first time as captain, even with experience, it’s going to be a hard tour to be on,” Bayliss said. “I think he handled it pretty well. He is a young captain and I would expect in four years, when he comes back with another four years experience and an away Ashes under his belt, he’ll feel a lot more comfortable.”England’s next Test assignment is two matches in New Zealand at the end of March for which the squad is due to be named on Wednesday morning in Australia although the final selection meeting has been delayed due to Root’s illness on the final day in Sydney.James Vince and Mark Stoneman are under pressure after mediocre Ashes returns. Gary Ballance, who has been the spare batsman in Australia is expected to miss out, while Moeen Ali also had a torrid series. In spite of that, Bayliss did not foresee major changes.”I can’t see too many big changes. We’ve known for a couple of years we’ve been three or four performing players short of a very, very good team. We’ve had good performances at home in Test cricket but a lot of that’s been on the back of our big five or six players.”Trying to fill those last three of four spots so you’ve got that consistency in the team would help away from home. Malan has probably done enough, he’s probably cemented one of those spots we were after.”James Vince and Mark Stoneman have shown what they’re capable of but would be a little disappointed they weren’t able to capitalise on some of their good play.”If guys like that can capitalise on their starts and make big hundreds that gives us across out top seven players who are performing well.”

A steady half-century from Jake Weatherald and a solid contribution from John Dalton means South Australia are 43 runs away from victory

The Report by Alex Malcolm18-Feb-2018Nick Winter belts out an appeal•Getty Images

Nick Winter’s third five-wicket haul in four innings has put South Australia on the brink of an upset victory over New South Wales at the SCG.The Blues began the day at 1 for 61 looking to set South Australia a substantial total to chase in the fourth innings. They progressed to 1 for 87 before Daniel Worrall removed both Daniel Hughes and Ed Cowan.Winter then claimed four of the last seven wicket to secure his first Sheffield Shield ten-wicket haul in just his second match. Worrall finished with 4 for 55 as the Blues were all out for 213 with a lead of just 189.A steady half-century from Jake Weatherald (56) and a solid contribution from John Dalton (29) set the run chase up. Stand-in skipper Callum Ferguson was unbeaten at stumps with his team requiring just 43 on the final day with seven wickets in hand.

An unbeaten century from Hilton Cartwright has helped Western Australia set a near impossible fourth-innings chase for South Australia

Alex Malcolm16-Mar-2018
Associated Press

An unbeaten century from Hilton Cartwright has helped Western Australia set a near impossible fourth-innings chase for South Australia at Glenelg Oval.The Warriors began the day 269 runs in front and showed no mercy despite losing D’Arcy Short and Ashton Turner early on. Both men were caught behind off the bowling of Nick Winter.But Cartwright and Ashton Agar added 136 for the sixth wicket. Agar made 86, his first half-century of the season, before becoming Winter’s fourth scalp.Cartwright got to a patient century, his first of the season after he was moved down the order from No. 3 to No. 6 following a lean period.The Warriors showed no urgency in declaring, piling up a lead of 524 before sending the Redbacks in to face five overs late on day three.Joel Paris had Conor McInerney caught at second slip off the second ball of the innings before Jake Weatherald and Callum Ferguson saw the home side through to stumps.

Darren Lehmann has announced that the Johannesburg Test will be his last as Australia coach, as the ball-tampering scandal that occurred in the Cape Town Test continues to take its toll on Australian cricket

Daniel Brettig29-Mar-2018Steven Smith’s anguished arrival was the final straw. A day after vowing to stay on and drive cultural renewal, Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann bowed to the inevitable on Thursday and chose to resign at the conclusion of the Wanderers Test match after five years at the helm of the national team, saying the former captain’s tears had convinced him it was the only course of action.His public announcement, a matter of minutes after he told an already shell-shocked Test squad, was followed by a surreal training session, where the touring party engaged mainly in football and fielding drills while the Wanderers public address system belted out classic Australian songs such as How to Make Gravy by Paul Kelly, Into My Arms by Nick Cave, Reckless by Australian Crawl, Don’t Dream It’s Over by Crowded House and Wide Open Road by The Triffids.Lehmann confessed to not being able to sleep since Saturday night following the team’s exposure for ball tampering. While maintaining his lack of knowledge of the plot between David Warner and Cameron Bancroft, with the approval of Smith, Lehmann conceded it was impossible for him to stay on as coach while the team and Cricket Australia continued to be under attack. The home Test series sponsor Magellan cancelled its deal on Thursday, while longtime broadcast partner Channel Nine looked the other way in signing a new five-year deal with Australian tennis.

Sutherland says he will stay on

James Sutherland has said that he will not step down as Cricket Australia’s chief executive in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal that has already resulted in bans for Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft and the resignation of the coach Darren Lehmann.
“I’m absolutely committed to my job, my employment and tenure is a matter for the board of Cricket Australia but I’m not resigning, in fact what has happened over the last few days has only strengthened my resolve to ensure that Australian cricket and the Australian cricket team gets back on track, and back in a place where it has not only the full respect but the pride of the Australian community,” Sutherland said in Johannesburg shortly after Lehmann had made his announcement.
“It’s been a difficult week, but most difficult for those three players who have returned to Australia. They are obviously in a very difficult and sad place, and between CA and the ACA, we will offer all of those players all the support we can, all the welfare services within and outside our system. We will make sure we support the players and their families as best we can.”

“It’s been happening for a few days, and you think you can keep going, but the amount of abuse or whatever word you want to use just takes its toll, everyone has their views out there, but they made a mistake, and we need to get the game back on track,” Lehmann said. “And speaking to my family they’ve had enough of traveling 300 days a year and not being home at all to see your family, so that’s also a big reason, the main reason. Spend some time with them, see the kids and maybe go and watch my son play cricket, and be there for my daughters.”I’ve been speaking with the hierarchy the last couple of days, and this morning, no sleep last night again, no-one’s slept, that’s the biggest challenge fronting up tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve slept since Saturday to be perfectly honest, couple hours here and there, playing around in your head, and what’s right, and let the game move forward.”After seeing events in the media today with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft, the feeling is that Australian cricket needs to move forward and this is the right thing to do. I really felt for Steve as I saw him crying in front of the media and all of the players are really hurting. As I’ve stated before I had no prior knowledge of the incident and do not condone what happened at all, but good people can make mistakes.”2:02

Lehmann’s long history of confrontations

After watching Smith and Bancroft speak emotionally in Australia, Lehmann said he hoped his decision would help the team and game to move on from a hellish five days. “It’s been unbelievable. Watching those two young men face the media and I’m sure David will be the same, it’s been unbelievable,” he said.”Hopefully the game gets back to the game of cricket, it is a game to be loved and enjoyed. I’ve had a great time coaching in my career and coaching the Australian team is a real high. So for me looking forward to having some time off and what’s the next step from there. I’d love to stay involved in the game because I love it so much. My family and I have copped a lot of abuse over the last week and it’s taken its toll on them.”As many of you sitting in this room will know, life on the road means a lot of time away from our loved ones and after speaking with my family at length over the last few days, it’s the right time to step away. I’m ultimately responsible for the culture of the team and I’ve been thinking about my position for a while, despite telling media yesterday that I’m not resigning, after viewing Steve and Cameron’s hurting, it’s only fair that I make this decision. This will allow Cricket Australia to complete a full review into the culture of the team and allow them to implement changes to regain the trust of the Australian public. This is the right thing for Australian cricket.”Asked what his proudest moment as coach had been, having won the Ashes twice at home and also the 2015 World Cup, Lehmann pointed to the way the team dealt with the death of Phillip Hughes in November 2014. “I would say the way we dealt with Phillip Hughes,” he said. “We’re only playing a game, that’s all we’re playing, we lost a great young man and the way we tried to deal with that is probably my proudest moment as coach. You win games, you lose games, that for me would be the most pleasing one.”Lehmann agreed it would be extremely difficult for the team to find the mental strength to perform at a high level over the next five days. “I thought this was tough, but speaking to the players and saying goodbye, telling them the news, that’s the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “It’s about fronting up for your country and playing good cricket over the next five days.”Like all Australians, we are extremely disappointed and as a team we know we’ve let so many people down, and for that we’re truly sorry. The players involved have been handed down very serious sanctions, and they know they must face the consequences. They’ve made a grave mistake but they are not bad people. I hope the team rebuilds from this and the Australian public find it in their hearts to forgive these young men and get behind the XI who are going to take the field tomorrow.”It’s been an unbelievable series marred by some incidents, but it’s great playing against South Africa, two rival countries that really play the game of cricket really hard and it’s been an exciting Test series. So our challenge is to get back to level the series, and that’d be a big challenge but the boys will be doing everything they possibly can.”That effort started with the Australian playlist over the Wanderers speakers. These are extraordinary times.

As spectators soaked up the sunshine on an entertaining day, conversation often turned to the ECB’s controversial plans for 100-ball cricket

David Hopps at Headingley20-Apr-2018
ScorecardCricket’s changing landscape was there for all to see at Headingley. Behind the arm at the rugby end of the ground, the clanking and hammering told of a new stand rapidly taking shape. And, as spectators soaked up the sunshine on an entertaining, helter-skelter day, conversation often turned to the ECB’s controversial plans for 100-ball cricket. Praise for that in this hotbed of traditionalism is not easy to find.The two things are linked, of course. Without the revenue gained by successful short-form cricket, such stands as the one that will secure Headingley’s future would be impossible to finance. But this? Sun-creamed heads shook not with shock, but with deepening sadness.Many feel the game is being stolen from them. Championship diehards begin to grow old, lose friends and family and the game they love is gradually pilfered. Having become used to Twenty20, they are now told that even Twenty20 is not enough. If there was a unanimous plea here it would probably be to say: “Just leave us something worth caring for.”At such times, traditionalists take their pleasures one day at a time. There was plenty to be had with Yorkshire, up against it for much of the day, finding resilience down the order in the form of Andrew Hodd, who made 62 from 116 balls, and then picking up four cheap Nottinghamshire wickets by the close.There was zest, too, from Jack Brooks, who is no fall-guy with the bat. Last season he scored a Roses Championship century at Old Trafford and added another during an intra-squad friendly on Yorkshire’s pre-season tour of South Africa last month. His stand of 44 for the tenth wicket with Ben Coad gave Yorkshire the edge and his 30 included another clanking of the new stand with a six off Samit Patel.Three top-order wickets then quickened Yorkshire’s rally. Steven Mullaney dragged on and Chris Nash’s furtive dab flew to slip – two for Brooks in his first two overs. Patel fell lbw, that one met by a throaty Headingley roar, 100-ball cricket temporarily forgotten. If Nottinghamshire’s batting line-up is to survive the rigours of Division One, one senses that Patel needs a big season.Yorkshire made much play before the start of the season on batting time in the Championship. Twenty20 shot-making was to be frowned upon. Lines were drawn in indoor schools, sessions arranged with psychologists, meaningful conversations held.Yet before the ball had lost its sheen Alex Lees fended at a wide one from Jake Ball and Gary Ballance, the skipper, yet to score, slapped his ninth ball to point. Conditions were testing, but there were grumbles that nothing had changed. Still, if they were accused of a T20 mindset, they could always have suggested that nobody had warned them not to play 100-ball.It was grand to see Luke Fletcher among the wickets – four of them – after his horrendous head injury in a Blast tie against Warwickshire last season. Such career-threatening blows, if things turn out well, can encourage players to return with fresh resolve, determined to make the most of their good fortune.For 18 overs, Fletcher allowed few gifts. His quartet included the Indian Test No 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, a valid lbw decision which Pujara dwelt upon before leaving, as if he was still hanging around for his luggage at the airport carousel.

Stokes reported a tight left hamstring during training in Leeds and will be assessed again on Thursday

George Dobell30-May-2018Sam Curran has been drafted into England’s Test squad after Ben Stokes sustained a hamstring strain. Stokes was only fit enough to bat in the nets on Thursday morning, with a scan due later in the day*.Curran, the 19-year-old Surrey left-arm swing bowler, travelled to Leeds on Wednesday night in order to train with the squad on Thursday. His brother, Tom, represented England in the final two Tests of the Ashes.Stokes sustained the strain during fielding practice on Wednesday. He is expected to take a late fitness test on Friday, before the start of the second Test against Pakistan, and it remains possible he could play as a specialist batsman.”Until we know how serious it is it’s hard to make decisions and because of that we can’t name a team today,” England captain Joe Root told Sky Sports News. “Of course if Ben’s fit we want him in the side, he’s one of our best players, he brings a lot to the table and offers so much to this team.”If Curran were to play, he would be the seventh youngest man – at 19 years and 363 days – to debut for England in Test cricket. He would also be the third man aged 20 or under to represent England in their last five Tests. Mason Crane made his Test debut in Sydney while Dom Bess made his at Lord’s. Both are 20. He was previously called into England’s T20 squad during the tri-series involving Australia and New Zealand earlier this year but did not play.Despite his relative youth, Curran has long been tipped for the future. He made his Championship debut aged just 17 – and took a five-for; the youngest man to do so in Championship history – and claimed a 10-wicket haul in his last Championship match, against Yorkshire a couple of weeks ago.In that match he dismissed the England captain, Joe Root, with a lovely inswinger in the first innings and the Indian batsman Cheteshwar Pujara in both innings.While not especially quick, his action – and ability to swing the ball – has drawn comparisons with Wasim Akram and he also has some pedigree with the bat. He is the son of former Zimbabwe allrounder, the late Kevin Curran.As well as being preferred to the likes of Craig Overton and Jake Ball, who represented England over the winter, Curran also appears to have leap-frogged his older brother. While Tom Curran’s commitment was impressive in Australia, his lack of pace was an issue on the flat wickets encountered in Melbourne and Sydney.Having just returned from the IPL, Tom has also not played a first-class game this season though whether than influenced the selectors is currently unclear.Stokes injury might also mean good news for Chris Woakes. He was 12th man at Lord’s but could come back into the side in place of either Stokes or, perhaps, Dom Bess if Stokes is cleared to play as a batsman only. Root and Dawid Malan could be asked to provide the spin bowling. Keaton Jennings also bowls serviceable medium-pace.*1100 BST, 31 May – Story updated with news of Stokes fitness and Root quote

Ben Stokes summoned a powerful retort in his first match since he tore a hamstring a month ago but Yorkshire ran out comfortable winners at Headingley

ECB Reporters Network05-Jul-2018
ScorecardYorkshire comfortably defended a 201 target against a Ben Stokes boosted Durham side at Emerald Headingley to make a winning start to this summer’s Vitality Blast.England all-rounder Stokes opened the batting in the chase and hit 90 not out off 68 balls in a 44-run defeat.But all in all, this was a comparatively subdued return to competitive action following the left hamstring tear he sustained in training prior to England’s Test against Pakistan here in early June.Delighted Yorkshire coach Andrew Gale said: “Adam Lyth was the glue throughout the innings. I thought he played really well. But the two debutants were outstanding. Harry Brook and Jonny Tattersall showed us what they can do. “I thought we backed it up in the field. We set the tone early. We starved Ben Stokes of the strike, and you could see how frustrated he was when he came off.”Stokes was never going to bowl against a Vikings side who amassed 200 for 3 thanks to 94 not out from Adam Lyth and an unbeaten 53 from Jonny Tattersall, the pair sharing an unbroken 110 in 8.5 overs.

Download our T20 Blast Podcast

Dan Norcross and Jarrod Kimber preview the Vitality T20 Blast 2018
Listen on ESPN Radio
Subscribe on iTunes

Stokes was tied down at the start of his innings, reaching four off 16 balls, but later accelerated without looking entirely comfortable, fitness wise. He reached 50 off 52 balls with a leg-side six and hit five in all.”Ben keeps getting a ball in the [right] foot,” Durham coach Jon Lewis said. “He got one there in the practice match he played on Tuesday, and he drilled one into his ankle in warm-ups before this game. It’s just bruising. The hamstring, to the best of my knowledge, is not an issue.”I think it was the running up and down which started to have an impact on what was already there. I think he’s alright. He’s certainly battled a bit and wasn’t happy with himself at the end. He’s not bowling yet fully, but I think he’s ready as a batter.”The visitors slipped to 13 for 2 and failed to recover as Jack Brooks excelled with three for 21 during his first T20 appearance in three years. They finished on 156 for 4.Although Yorkshire’s innings was built around Lyth’s effort, including nine fours and three sixes, it was lifted with the arrival of Tattersall at 90 for three in the 12th.When he came in, Lyth had 39. By the time the left-hander reached his fifty, Tattersall had 37 as he found the gaps with plenty of innovation.The Vikings wicketkeeper reached 50 off 26 balls with the penultimate ball of the innings.The game started with Yorkshire, invited to bat first, losing Tom Kohler-Cadmore to a top-edged pull at Chris Rushworth in the second over as the score fell to nine for one.Lyth then shared 81 in nine overs with Harry Brook, also on T20 debut like Tattersall.Brook hit two sixes and four fours in a brisk 44 before was caught at long-on off Imran Tahir at the end of the eleventh over.Gary Ballance then fell to Ryan Pringle at the start of the next over, superbly caught at cover by Tom Latham off a leading edge for a golden duck. But that was Durham’s last success as the Lyth and Tattersall attacked.Yorkshire started superbly with the ball as Brooks removed Graham Clark and Paul Collingwood in the space of three balls in the fourth over.Clark was caught at deep mid-wicket and Collingwood lbw for a golden duck.Although Stokes, who could play for England against India in Sunday’s T20 at Bristol, warmed to his task, he never looked like getting the Jets home.By the time he reached his fifty off 52 balls with a third six in the 15th over, Durham were 106 for four having lost Tom Latham and Will Smith to Steve Patterson and Brooks.And it was very much stand and deliver stuff at the end from the 27-year-old.

Jos Buttler fell for a first-ball duck but the first Blast quarter-final fell to a Lancashire side that could not believe its luck

David Hopps23-Aug-2018
ScorecardOnly one score lower than Kent’s 133 had ever been successfully defended in a T20 tie at Canterbury, but the overwrought faces on the Lancashire bench were a reminder that nothing would be automatic now the knockout stages in the Vitality Blast were spreading anxiety into every corner of this grand old ground. Although Lancashire took this quarter-final by six wickets with eight balls to spare, it felt closer.Lancashire had stiffened their ranks with two top-order England batsmen, Jos Buttler and Keaton Jennings, but Buttler was stumped first ball for a duck, Jennings (46 from 50) got out with the chase not quite broken. Sam Billings was a highly-resourceful captain and Kent fielded tigerishly.Memories of a horrendous collapse in the group stages against Durham at Old Trafford, culminating in three wickets lost in the final over, lurked below the surface. “Never again,” they had vowed in a dressing room inquest which burned the paint from the walls. There will be another occasion one day, there always is, but at least for Lancashire it was not to be this night.Lancashire hit one six all night and it as good as settled matters. When Jordan Clark swung Mitch Claydon over midwicket, the requirement was reduced to 11 from two overs. Only four more balls were needed as Clark and Dane Vilas stretched their unbroken fifth-wicket diving and scampering to 50 from 33 balls.Buttler will not be the first high-profile England player to be propelled into a county cup tie as if slightly disorientated. His emotions this week have been consumed by a maiden Test hundred at Trent Bridge and a heavy England defeat: vice-captain these days as well, remember. Too often, England players fail in high-profile county games and psychologically in such a crowded fixture list it is easy to understand why.It was a night when Lancashire could not believe their luck. They had bowled 52% of their overs in the group stages with spin bowling, with legspinners Matt Parkinson and Zahir Khan two of the most influential players in the tournament. By failing to win a home quarter-final the danger was that their spinners might be negated, but instead they found themselves on a Canterbury slow turner. They could not have planned it better themselves.”The worst we have batted all summer,” said Billings. “We certainly didn’t want to prepare a turning wicket like that against Lancashire with all their spin.” That he could smile through his frustration was a measure of the man, although he could not resist adding to BBC Radio Kent: “Whenever we play on good, flat, pacy pitches we play better than anyone. The only time we come unstuck is on slow snotheaps like that.”It has been a hot summer, county squares are heavily used and tired, and TV gantries can limit the choice even more. Quarter-finals can be hard to plan for. All that said, Kent could not have been more accommodating. Parkinson, with 3 for 27, took his competition tally to 23 wickets, second only to Worcestershire seamer Patrick Brown. “It spun more than we thought,” he said.Sam Billings stumps Jos Buttler first ball•Getty Images

Billings rose to the challenge with a run-a-ball 37, but even this was an innings constrained by circumstance. Parkinson dominated with 3 for 27 and, although Zahir was clearly frustrated by his own inaccuracy, the final ball of his spell was a resounding one – a big chinaman from around the wicket, delivered from wide out, which turned back to strike Billings’ off stump.Kent lost three wickets in the Powerplay before the spinners showed their hand. Daniel Bell-Drummond sacrificed himself to Joe Denly’s optimistic call for a single to square leg, second ball. Bell-Drummond might have made it without hesitation, he certainly had time to send Denly back; instead he courteously spared his partner and was run out by yards.Worse followed when Heino Kuhn was caught at the wicket, trying to guide Toby Lester to third man and Denly gave Buttler a second keeper’s catch when he tried to cut Jordan Clark.Billings has supervised a fine Kent season since returning from IPL and sporadic England limited-over duties: a more professional set-up, with not as much universal supremacy for the captain, has helped. Kent were runners-up at Lord’s in the Royal London Cup final, they lie third in Division Two of the Championship, and were in a quarter-final of the Blast. But plugging holes in an innings feels much the same whatever the details.The next three Kent wickets belonged to Parkinson, fair hair tightly cropped. Sean Dickson came in at No 5 as a stabilising influence, helped add 40 in six overs and then advanced down the track but holed out at long off. Australian Marcus Stoinis made a third-ball duck. Alex Blake’s potential for devastation ended quickly at deep midwicket.Stoinis had recovered from a hamstring strain and Kent chose not to risk him in their last two group matches for fear of a recurrence. The danger remained, though, that he would be rusty. Parkinson beat him second ball with dip and turn and then replicated the delivery to have him caught at slip. Billings’ departure made it 102 for 7 with four overs remaining and a packed Canterbury crowd took refuge in ironic cheers for some late-over scrambling.Lancashire took a long time to recover from the loss of Buttler, stumped by Billings off Joe Denly’s leg spin. Aaron Lilley’s pinch hitting at No 3 was silenced by the pace of Adam Milne and Alex Davies’ fraught innings was not that of a batsman boasting an average of 63.75 in the competition: he tried to tick along, but survived a return catch to Imran Qayyum, might have been thrown out by Billings at the non-striker’s end when he dawdled a single on the last ball of the Powerplay, and finally chipped Qayyum down the ground.Jennings, coming in at No 4, assessed the target calmly before he, too, was stumped off Qayyum, another spinner to have a good night. But Lancashire saw it through. On the bench, their injured captain, Liam Livingstone, looked as if it would be an act of mercy to pass him fit for Finals Day even if his broken thumb is in three pieces.

He was also the manager of the Virat Kohli-led Under-19 side that won the World Cup in 2008

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2018Gopal Bose, the former India batsman and Bengal captain, died aged 71, in Birmingham on Sunday.
Bose represented Bengal in 78 first-class games from 1968 to 1978, scoring 3757 runs at 30.79 with eight hundreds. He also took 72 wickets with his offspin, with a best of 5 for 67. He also featured in eight List A games.The bespectacled opener was known for his ability to play long innings and once shared a 194-run opening stand with Sunil Gavaskar in a first-class game during the tour of Sri Lanka in 1973-74. He made 104.His only ODI appearance came against England at The Oval in 1974. He scored 13 runs and picked up the wicket of David Lloyd.Bose later served as a Bengal selector and coached their junior team as well. He was also the manager of the Virat Kohli-led India Under-19 side that won the World Cup in 2008.