Tag Futebol

Ashish Nehra has fractured the middle finger on his right hand putting a question mark over his selection for the final against Sri Lanka on Saturday

Nagraj Gollapudi 31-Mar-2011Ashish Nehra has fractured the middle finger on his right hand putting a question mark over his selection for the final against Sri Lanka on Saturday. Ranjib Biswal, the Indian team manager, confirmed the development but said the team would only take a call on Friday about whether or not he could play. “Nehra has a fractured finger, which was revealed from the scans taken this morning,” Biswal said. But Gautam Gambhir, who went off the field during Pakistan’s innings in the semi-final having felt some pain and did not return, is expected to be fit for the final. Biswal said they would clarify the position on Gambhir tomorrow.Nehra picked up the injury while attempting a catch against Pakistan. He was fielding at deep midwicket when he attempted to pick up a pull by Shahid Afridi against Yuvraj Singh. Nehra, not known so much for his deftness in the field, charged forward to pick the ball that was dying on him at the very last minute. Replays confirmed the ball had bounced in front of him but Nehra’s attempt drew applause from his team-mates as well as the fullhouse. Unfortunately, Nehra was grimacing in pain and immediately had his finger taped.Since the injury was on his non-bowling hand, Nehra was able to get through three more overs in the match. However, there are worries he will not be able to field.It was a bit of a surprise to see Nehra in the first XI during the semi-final, given that the man he replaced, R Ashwin, had been impressive in the two matches he had played in the tournament. Despite Nehra’s performance of 2 for 33, and Munaf Patel’s 2 for 40, India captain MS Dhoni said after the game that India had misjudged the pitch and should have played another spinner.Ashwin may well have returned in place of either Nehra or Munaf for the final in any case, and will almost definitely be in the side if Nehra does not recover. The only other pace option India have is Sreesanth, who has been left on the sidelines since the first game of the tournament.Nehra had missed the first two matches of the tournament with a sore back and was brought in for the group-stage game against Netherlands. Against South Africa in Nagpur, he went for 65 runs in 8.4 overs, 16 off which were scored in the last over of the game, consigning India to defeat. He was then left out for India’s next two games, before returning for the semi-final.

England fought back well with the ball on the second day at the Bankstown Oval, running through Australia to put the value of Charlotte Edwards’ unbeaten 114 into stark perspective

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2011
Scorecard
Katherine Brunt struck early for England as the visitors surged ahead on the second day•Getty Images

England fought back well with the ball on the second day at the Bankstown Oval, running through Australia to put the value of Charlotte Edwards’ unbeaten 114 into stark perspective. England’s tail clung on stubbornly in the morning session, Holly Colvin stretching her stay to 98 balls, and the bowling attack then combined to reduce Australia to 9 for 159 before the hosts declared. England’s openers then negotiated a tricky couple of overs to increase the lead to 57 at stumps.Edwards’ ton propped England up on the first day, and she remained firm on day two, receiving good support from a determined Colvin. Their partnership was worth 49 when Colvin missed one from offspinner Lisa Sthalekar to be bowled for an obdurate 15 with the score at 196.Lauren Griffiths managed to stick around for 23 balls before she fell to Sarah Elliott, and she was back in the action – behind the stumps this time – shortly afterwards as England’s new-ball bowlers nipped out a couple of wickets before lunch.Katherine Brunt, opening the bowling for England in her first Ashes Test in Australia, found the edge of Shelley Nitschke’s bat and Isa Guha then dismissed Elliott in similar fashion as Australia slipped to 2 for 8 in the eighth over and reached 2 for 16 by lunch.England continued to chip away after the interval, reducing Australia to 6 for 68 before a battling partnership between Jess Cameron and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy. They carried Australia to 6 for 105 at tea but Guha then struck back with two wickets in two balls. Ellyse Perry clung limpet-like to the crease for 90 balls as Healy played a few shots to reach 37 on Test debut before she top-edged a pull to be caught at mid-on.Australia extended their innings for just over six overs before the declaration came. That left Heather Knight and Caroline Atkins with 10 overs to face before the close, and they opted for watchful defence to ensure England go into the third day with all 10 wickets intact.”Things didn’t quite go right for us today but we’re all really positive and we’re looking to play a nice aggressive style of cricket,” said Healy. “We declared 50-runs behind because we wanted to have a crack at them tonight and although we didn’t get a break through we’re really confident that we can take 10 more wickets and chase down the target.”England were up and bowling really, really well today but we know when get a second crack we can turn it around and chase whatever they set us. We know we can win from any position.””I’m really pleased with how we have performed today,” said Guha, who picked up 3 for 27. “It’s been a real team effort with wickets shared amongst the bowlers. I think that shows the strength and variety in our bowling attack. We’ll be looking to have a good day with the bat tomorrow.””It was a great feeling to pick up my first Test wickets,” said Danielle Hazell, playing in her debut Test. “There was good energy in the field and support for all the bowlers. It was an interesting decision for them to declare but they know they have to win. We too are playing to win and I would personally love to pick up some more wickets along the way.”

This match will have a huge say in who reaches the Sheffield Shield final and the home side spent the whole day in the field

Tristan Lavalette07-Mar-2025Kurtis Patterson stared down hostile bowling from quick Lance Morris on a tricky WACA surface and batted almost through day two in an indefatigable effort as New South Wales built a handy first innings lead against Western Australia.In a pivotal Sheffield Shield fixture, NSW reached stumps on top with captain Jack Edwards and Chris Green making invaluable contributions before the close.Related

• O'Neill, Boland share nine as McSweeney shines in Junction arm wrestle

• Neser's six-wicket burst leaves Queensland in command

• McSweeney open to possibilities in bid to earn Test recall

After 13 wickets fell on the opening day, the match appeared to be moving at warp speed in echoes of last month’s remarkable WA-South Australia clash at the WACA – the shortest outright result in Shield history.NSW teetered at 26 for 4 in reply to WA’s first innings of 196 before No. 3 Patterson, who was dropped twice, rescued the innings with unwavering powers of concentration to make 86 from 262 balls. He survived an onslaught late on the opening day before defying WA’s strong attack until he finally fell to Morris in the final hour of play.Patterson departed short of a deserved century, but continued his outstanding Shield season where he has now tallied 697 runs at 69.70. Patterson had an intriguing battle with Morris, who straddled sharp pace and control to good effect and finished with 4 for 25 from 18 overs.Morris, playing a rare back-to-back Shield match, does have a restriction of around 30 overs per game coming off a stress fracture last winter as well as a quad strain late in the pre-season. “I think I’m going to be a little bit restricted [bowling for the rest of NSW’s first innings], need to keep a few [overs] up the sleeve if we want to try and chase a result,” Morris said after play.Just 0.24 points separated second-placed NSW and WA before this round began with a victory for either team putting them in pole position to reach the final.Resuming at 17 for 3, NSW were initially in a battle for survival on day two but WA were left to rue an early chance off Patterson when Sam Fanning dropped a tough catch at short leg.Lance Morris was a threat but his workload is being managed•Getty Images

Nighwatchman Liam Hatcher, the second used in the innings, succumbed quickly when he was late on a short delivery and miscued to quick Cameron Gannon, who dived forward to take a sharp return catch in his follow through.Having claimed two wickets during a fiery spell late on the first evening, Morris bowled angrily after the earlier missed chance off his bowling. He consistently bowled around 140kph and bent his back to ensure the ball sizzled past the helmets.Matthew Gilkes unwisely took his eyes off the ball on one particularly fierce short delivery from Morris and copped a blow to the grill. He was shaken but stuck it out and provided good support for Patterson, who dropped anchor and scored just eight runs off his first 50 deliveries.After such a torrid time against pace bowling, his eyes lit up when offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli came into the attack and he swept superbly to finally get the WACA’s legendary scoreboard ticking over.But Patterson had more fortune on 27 when Fanning dropped another tough chance at short leg much to the despair of Rocchiccioli, who occasionally produced sharp bounce and turn.Patterson and Gilkes batted cautiously after the resumption knowing that wickets fell in clumps at the same stage on the previous day. The surface appeared to be flattening and an increasingly confident Patterson started to trust driving as he reached his half-century off his 156th delivery with a lovely stroke through the covers.The milestone – rare in recent times at the WACA – received strong applause from his team-mates in the terraces, notably Sam Konstas who earlier in the day’s play had been mobbed by kids desperate for selfies.WA looked out of answers until the 93-run partnership – lasting over 41 overs – was broken seemingly out of nowhere. Gilkes, who earlier had almost been run out, turned slowly on the second run and was short of his ground after a brilliant throw from Jayden Goodwin at fine leg was collected at the stumps by wicketkeeper Joel Curtis.It gave WA an opening, but NSW were still confident given they had plenty of batting still at their disposal having used up two tailenders for nightwatchman roles. Playing against his former team, Josh Philippe was aggressive against the old ball and clubbed a massive straight six into the ground’s construction site leading to a brief stoppage.Philippe’s run-a-ball 26 ended when the towering Gannon showcased his athleticism with his latest brilliant catch at gully. But WA’s bid to wrap up the innings was thwarted by Edwards as NSW batted through the day’s play against the odds.

A second-wicket stand of 206 was the bedrock of a comfortable win, with a mid-innings collapse ending New Zealand’s challenge in a rain-shortened chase

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Nov-2024Kusal Mendis and Avishka Fernando made centuries, and put on 206 together to send Sri Lanka to a commanding score. Then, once rain had reduced New Zealand’s chase to 27 overs, Sri Lanka’s spinners reaped five wickets for 22 runs to derail the visitors after their openers had made a strong start.In the end, New Zealand didn’t get close to the 221 they required off 27 overs. They puttered to 175 for 9, with too little firepower in their lower order to get them up with the required rate, and too much know-how in Sri Lanka’s attack to let them prosper after the collapse.The primary architects of Sri Lanka’s victory, however, were Kusal and Avishka. Their partnership was the highest ever for the second wicket in men’s ODI’s between these sides. Kusal’s 143 off 128 was also his highest individual score. And their propelling Sri Lanka to their eventual 324 for 5, before rain brought a halt to their innings after 49.2 overs, was a huge step towards victory, because although this surface was not especially spin-friendly, no chasing team had made so much as 290 in Dambulla.In the end, a long rain delay meant New Zealand had a curtailed chase. But even their openers, who put 88 off 80 balls, weren’t quite keeping up with the required rate. Will Young made 48 off 46 and Tim Robinson 35 off 36. But they needed big fireworks from the likes of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. They never came.Early on, after Pathum Nissanka was dismissed, Kusal and Avishka gained significant momentum through the first powerplay, in which Sri Lanka scored 57 runs. In the fifth over, bowled by Jacob Duffy, Mendis smoked a straight drive, then crashed a short ball in front of midwicket to hit his first two fours of the innings. In the next over, bowled by debutant Nathan Smith, Avishka lifted a ball down the ground, then swivel-pulled another one over the fine leg boundary for six.Kusal Mendis made a career-best 143•AFP/Getty Images

That period did have a hiccup – Mendis was dropped on 11 by Duffy, who could not hold a sharp return catch. But otherwise Sri Lanka’s progress was smooth. There was not as much turn as expected, and Kusal and Avishka settled into a steady rhythm of accumulation, both batters using the sweep to good effect when the New Zealand bowlers delivered consecutive dot balls.Avishka was also strong over cover, going inside-out repeatedly, while Kusal found runs square of the wicket on the off side. They both milked the bowling of Ish Sodhi and Michael Bracewell, neither of whom were able to build pressure over substantial periods. Kusal got to his fifty off the 64th ball he faced, before Avishka got to his own half-century – his ninth – off his 60th ball.They raised the tempo slighly after getting to those milestones, but largely batted in the same gear. Avishka was dropped on 77 by Sodhi in the outfield, though the fielder only really got fingertips to the chance. Kusal got to his century first, in the 37th over, off 102 balls. Avishka got there in the 38th. For both batters, this was their fourth ODI ton.Avishka was out soon after, caught at mid-off, but the partnership had delivered Sri Lanka to the brink of the death overs. At his fall the total was 223 for 2 in the 39th over.Both Kusal and Charith Asalanka were effective through the last 10, Kusal largely bashing spinners down the ground while Asalanka found runs square of the wicket. The rain returned with Asalanka being caught on the square leg boundary, with four balls remaining. It had rained early in the match too, forcing a roughly 40-minute break in the first over.Charith Asalanka enjoyed a happy outing with bat and ball•AFP/Getty Images

Once their opening pair was separated, New Zealand’s downfall was rapid and decisive. Maheesh Theekshana delivered the first two breakthroughs, having Robinson stumped, then Young bowled, in the same over, the 14th of the innings. Henry Nicholls was then bowled off the inside edge by Asalanka, before Theekshana held on to a screamer off the bat of Chapman at short midwicket, also off the bowling of Asalanka. When Glenn Phillips sliced a Jeffrey Vandersay legbreak to point, New Zealand had lost their top five in the space of 28 balls. It was always going to be almost impossible to recover from there.Of New Zealand’s players, Jacob Duffy came out of this match with perhaps the best performance, having taken 3 for 41 in his 8.2 overs. With the freshly-arrived Adam Milne likely to be fit for the second ODI on Sunday, Duffy has made a strong case that he should be persisted with. Of their three debutants (Nathan Smith, Mitchell Hay, and Robinson), Robinson showed the most promise in this match.

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.

Hampshire channeled the sadistic spirit of Surrey’s Gareth Batty in racking up 648 for 7 declared before attempting to force victory with the ball

Tim Wigmore at Kia Oval04-Jul-2017
ScorecardGeorge Bailey’s 161 piled the pressure on Surrey•Getty Images

At the Ageas Bowl a year ago, Gareth Batty decided that Surrey’s first innings should bat on and on, until after tea on the second day. The reason was simple: “To piss their batters off”. Only when Surrey had reached 637 for 7 did Batty finally declare.Here, Batty was injured. But Hampshire channeled his sadistic spirit: Surrey were pummeled.From the moment that Sean Ervine eased the opening ball, from Amar Virdi, through long-off for four, the entire second day seemed an exercise in waiting for the moment when George Bailey would take pity on Surrey and declare.He did not seem in a generous mood. This was a characteristic innings – remorseless, efficient and exactly in keeping with his team’s needs. There were two sixes thundered over long-on against spin; mostly, though, his near six hours at the crease were characterised by cold, bloodless accumulation. Only when attempting his third six was Bailey dismissed, for 161. No matter: he had already continued his supreme recent form against Surrey; Hampshire had a round 600 runs and Surrey their spirits sapped.All Hampshire batsmen on the second day were united by their ravenous run-scoring. Ervine combined with Bailey to add a record fifth-wicket stand against Surrey of 167 in 44.5 overs, his seamless ascent towards a second Championship century of 2017 ended only when he dragged Conor McKerr on. It was McKerr’s maiden Championship wicket for Surrey but, after match figures of 10 for 141 in his last game of a profitable loan spell at Derbyshire, he will not be lacking in awareness of the gulf between Division One and Two.If there was a criticism of Hampshire’s approach, perhaps they could have been even more attacking. Not that they dawdled: the run rate for the innings ended on exactly four, thanks to late pyrotechnics from Gareth Berg, who gleefully feasted on Surrey’s spin in harrumphing 35 off 16 balls. When he was caught at long-on, Hampshire had already surpassed Surrey’s gargantuan total from last summer. The 648 for 7 declared they mustered was not merely their highest ever first-class score against Surrey, it was the fifth-highest total in Hampshire’s 153-year history.The upshot was that Surrey needed an absurd 499 just to avoid the follow on. Hampshire had clearly recognised that, on a pitch that has so far proved particularly docile, batting once, and very, very big, was their best and only hope of forcing a win.At 3.58pm, Kyle Abbott was entrusted with the new ball. Over 60 overs in the day had already passed, and yet they all seemed a mere prelude to the 30 that Surrey had to face. Three slips waited purposively as Abbott ran in to bowl, and all the intensity that had seeped out of the game on a meandering day suddenly returned. Abbott, the most potent pace bowler in county cricket this summer, had a couple of left-handers – his preferred prey – to feast upon, and could bowl without any regard for defending runs.His initial six overs could not, though, overcome an alliance of the pitch and some commendable opening batting. Mark Stoneman was renowned for stolid defence at Chester-le-Street but has shown an altogether more assertive game after moving south; fresh from 144 not out in Surrey’s cup final defeat on Saturday, he drove and cut with wonderful authority.So well-timed were his shots that they only needed to locate a couple of unguarded inches on the off side to reach the boundary. Together with his immaculate defence off Abbott – a contest that could easily have been played out at Lord’s on Thursday instead – it added to the impression that Stoneman might well be the finest English first-class batsman not required for the national team this week.The sight of Ervine bowling some exploratory offspin after Surrey’s openers had reached their century stand seemed to encapsulate Hampshire’s uncertainty over how they would be able to winkle out 20 wickets on this surface. And yet Ervine proceeded to snare Stoneman, who had looked so serene: he was caught at first slip from a flighted delivery, though he gave the impression of being underwhelmed by the decision.With that, and the knowledge that Kumar Sangakkara is absent for this game, Hampshire were imbued with a sliver of hope that a fourth victory of the season might be within their grasp. But as Rory Burns swept the day’s final ball, from Mason Crane, to fine leg for four, it reaffirmed the sense that this is the sort of wicket to make bowlers weep.Of course, the same seemed true at the Ageas Bowl a year ago, until Surrey clinched a fraught victory in the dying embers of the match. For all that, basic arithmetic remains squarely against Hampshire: a match that has seen only eight wickets in its opening two days will now require another 19 in the final two.

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke was far from alone in fuming as the umpires made the unilateral decision to take the teams off for bad light

The Report by Daniel Brettig04-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDavid Warner gave Australia impetus at the start of their second innings•Getty Images

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke was far from alone in fuming as the umpires made the unilateral decision to take the teams off for bad light with the tourists leading by 331 runs on the fourth evening of the Old Trafford Test. To widespread incredulity around the ground and the world, Tony Hill and Marais Erasmus judged conditions to be unsafe for play, maintaining the officials’ unedifyingly scene-stealing role in this series.Clarke’s disgust was as clear as the barely concealed relief of his opposite number Alastair Cook, for England need only a draw in Manchester to retain the Ashes. Rain arrived subsequently to end the day, but the umpires’ enthusiasm to get the combatants off the ground cost 30 minutes of possible play, a figure that may prove critical should the skies clear enough on the final day to allow a full allotment of overs.Speaking to the host broadcasters, Hill and Erasmus stated that they had deemed conditions unsafe, even though Australia had been motoring along at close to six runs per over. They also revealed they had asked Cook to bowl spin, a request England’s captain understandably refused given the series scenario. Clarke remonstrated at length when asked to depart, but under current ICC regulations had no say in the matter.No side has chased more than 294 to win in the fourth innings at the ground, but Clarke appeared to be pushing towards a lead of around 350 with more than 30 overs still scheduled to be bowled on the fourth evening. The hosts had reduced Australia’s chances of forcing the victory they need to keep the series alive with doughty lower order batting on the fourth morning, but were then conspicuous in their time-wasting tactics in the field.Matt Prior and Stuart Broad put together a critical stand of 58 that averted the follow-on, before the last man James Anderson aided England’s wicketkeeper in another pesky union that pared back the tourists’ first innings advantage to 159. From there England played the situation with pragmatism but little imagination, letting their over rate sag and then being happy when Hill and Erasmus made a ruling that left spectators almost as nonplussed as Clarke himself.A series of cameos by Chris Rogers, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Shane Watson and Steve Smith had kept Australia’s runs ticking over, though a wicket fell every time they threatened to go from a canter to a charge. Watson’s absence at the top of the order reflected his lack of batting confidence in the first innings, but also allowed Warner the chance to make a decent contribution to the match after his brief and less than illustrious visit to the middle on the second day.Rogers appeared fluent again but sacrificed his wicket to an attempted ODI dab towards third man, resulting only in an edge off Broad, well held by Prior. Warner played with good sense after lunch, finding gaps on the offside and behind square leg, though England felt they had him snicking a Broad bouncer behind. A referral was used, but amid scant evidence to overturn the original decision Warner stayed, leading to a petulant reaction by Cook’s men.Eventually Warner would fall, hooking into the hands of his Birmingham Walkabout target Joe Root at deep square leg. Khawaja played neatly until being bowled around his legs by a Swann delivery that drifted and spun, Watson made his usual start before upper cutting to third man, and Smith unfurled a pair of handsome lofted straight drives before falling victim to a run out as Clarke forgot to run the first one hard.Broad and Prior resumed in the morning with a simple goal – avoid the follow-on and then let a bleak weather forecast conspire with them to thwart Australia. Clarke opened up with a weary-looking Ryan Harris, his usual vim sapped by the previous day. Prior and Broad seemed wise to this and attacked, while at the other end Broad kept Nathan Lyon out.Runs accrued quickly, to a combination of decent shots and fortunate edges, the vacant third slip region getting particular attention. Australia’s lead was quickly diminished, and with a slashing Broad drive off Harris the follow-on was saved. Now sensing his primary task had been achieved, Broad had no qualms about turning on his heels to the pavilion after Lyon procured the thinnest of edges through to Brad Haddin.Prior continued to attack and was dropped at shortish midwicket by a lunging Smith from Lyon. Graeme Swann did not last long, also walking after doing well to inside edge a searing delivery in Siddle’s first over of the morning, but Prior and Anderson then did their best to prolong England’s innings and thus reduce the time available for Australia.This resulted in some curious shot choices and equally odd field settings, the crowd growing restless as Prior farmed the strike and Anderson looked safe enough against the few deliveries he did have to face. Drinks arrived after 67 runs had been added for the loss of two wickets – a ledger most favourable to England.Prior did not last too much longer, skying Siddle to hand him a deserved fourth wicket. From there Cook’s team would take on a decidedly defensive if not outright cynical posture, until Hill and Erasmus joined them in reducing the chances of an outright result.

The legspinner Fawad Ahmed appears likely to join Australia’s Ashes campaign after being rushed into the Australia A squad for the remainder of its tour of England and Ireland

Brydon Coverdale06-Jun-2013The legspinner Fawad Ahmed appears likely to join Australia’s Ashes campaign after being rushed into the Australia A squad for the remainder of its tour of England and Ireland. On Wednesday night, legislation was passed by the parliament’s House of Representatives which cleared the way for Ahmed’s Australian citizenship to be fast-tracked and although the bill must still be approved by the Senate, that appears to be a formality.That should mean Ahmed can obtain an Australian passport well in advance of the first Ashes Test, which starts at Trent Bridge on July 10. The Australia A matches against Ireland from June 14 to 17 and Gloucestershire from June 21 to 23 now loom as a genuine Ashes audition for Ahmed, who will join the incumbent Test spinner Nathan Lyon and the promising young left-armer Ashton Agar as the slow bowlers in the Australia A outfit.”It is a dream come true, after a long struggle and being through a really tough time,” Ahmed said in Melbourne on Thursday. “I am very happy now and it is a great opportunity for me to prove myself at that level … It’s an opportunity for me to give something to this country because this nation has given me a lot. They loved me, give me an honour and give me respect. This is now the time that I can give back to them and serve my nation.”The selectors had originally planned to send Ahmed on the Australia A tour of South Africa in July but that was when they thought he would be ineligible for a national call-up until the final Ashes Test. The expected passing of the parliamentary bill, which eases the residency requirements for certain individuals in exceptional circumstances where their becoming a citizen could benefit Australia, has encouraged the selectors to give Ahmed some time in England ahead of the Ashes.Under the ICC’s player eligibility criteria, Ahmed would be unavailable for Australian selection until August 18 unless granted a passport before then. The criteria do not apply to A-teams. When Australia’s selectors named their Ashes squad in April they chose 16 players and left one further space unfilled, which at the time was seen as an indication that Ahmed would come under consideration if he became eligible.”We are pleased to be able to provide emerging cricketers with an opportunity to show their abilities,” John Inverarity, the national selector, said. “Fawad is a spin bowler of interest and we look forward to seeing how he performs for Australia A.”Ahmed, 31, played ten first-class matches in Pakistan before fleeing to Australia in 2010 as an asylum seeker, saying his life had been threatened in Pakistan. Initially his claim was rejected but after Cricket Australia weighed in to support him, Ahmed was granted permanent residency last year and subsequently made his Melbourne Renegades debut in the Big Bash League and earned a call-up to the Victoria state side in February.”It’s just like a dream with open eyes, because I never expected something like this to happen after three and a half years,” Ahmed said of progressing to Australia A selection. “There was a question on my life [in Pakistan], there were people raising their fingers on my life, so I was just surviving. I just came here for a better life, and I was just thinking to survive here and be like other people who came here as immigrants. This is something amazing, it is like a dream. Even I couldn’t imagine this. This is something unbelievable for me.”In three Sheffield Shield matches towards the end of the summer, Ahmed collected 16 wickets at 28.37 and impressed his state captain Cameron White so much that White declared Ahmed “one of the better legspinners – if not the best – I’ve seen in first-class cricket outside [Stuart] MacGill and [Shane] Warne.”

Warwickshire’s appeal to overturn the ECB Pitch Panel’s decision to dock them eight points for a ‘poor’ track has failed

ESPNcricinfo staff23-May-2011Warwickshire’s appeal to overturn the ECB Pitch Panel’s decision to dock them eight points for a ‘poor’ track has failed.An Appeal Panel comprising Ricky Needham (chairman), Cliff Pocock and David Acfield was convened to hear the appeal which relates to Warwickshire’s home Championship match against Worcestershire on 11-14 May 2011.Warwickshire won the match easily but the pitch was widely felt to be unsuitable for first-class cricket. Though the club didn’t deny that charge they felt the procedure, where the ECB was not alerted to concerns about the pitch by the match umpires, but by a member of the media, could offer ground for appeal. Moreover there felt there were extenuating circumstances relating to the new stands, outfield and drainage at Edgbaston.The Appeal Panel, however, heard submissions from both Warwickshire and ECB and decided on both counts not to uphold the appeal. Consequently the eight-point deduction remains and Warwickshire were ordered to pay £3000 costs.

Mahmudullah’s ecstatic on-field celebrations were followed by a chirpy press conference after stumps

Andrew Fernando in Hamilton17-Feb-2010Mahmudullah had cut a disappointed figure at missing out on a maiden Test century by four runs against India recently, but he only had to wait one more match to get to the coveted landmark. After his 115 helped Bangladesh avert the follow-on on day three at Seddon Park, Mahmudullah’s ecstatic on-field celebrations were followed by a chirpy press conference after stumps.”I was happy that this time I got the century after missing out against India … this one might have been my best innings so far because I came into a difficult situation with us six down for around 200, and we batted well,” he said.Mahmudullah also commented on his record-breaking partnership with his captain Shakib Al Hasan. “We had fun, it was a good partnership. We just tried to keep positive and go for the bad balls and were happy to make the runs. If you look at the scorecard, everyone in the top order made a start but didn’t capitalise. So it was good, the way that Shakib and I batted well.”Shakib’s controversial dismissal was played down by Mahmudullah, who believed the ball had carried to the keeper initially. “I thought it was a fair catch the way the New Zealanders were coming [into the huddle], but I was unhappy that Shakib couldn’t also make a century. All the boys were a bit disappointed, but that’s just a part of life.”New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori also weighed in on the issue saying, “I haven’t seen the replays, but Brendon was unsure about it so I went to the umpires and talked to them and they were confident about the decision,” pointing out that Bangladesh “still had a review up their sleeve” but opted not to use it.Vettori also praised the 145-run stand between Mahmudullah and Shakib. “It was a very good partnership. They were busy at the crease and put away every bad ball and put the pressure back on us.”Vettori revealed some of New Zealand’s plan of attack for the rest of the match. “We’ll try to bat out the first two sessions tomorrow and see where we are from there,” he said. “We got a few to turn today, but there is still a large role for the seamers to play. They need to execute better in the fourth innings when we are trying to bowl them out.”