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Moeen Ali oversees 15-run win as Dwayne Bravo makes winning debut for Rapids

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2022Worcestershire Rapids celebrated their first victory of the season in the Vitality Blast after Brett D’Oliveira hit a competition-best 71 in a 15 run success over local rivals Birmingham Bears at New Road.The opener struck three sixes and six fours from just 38 balls as Rapids amassed 217 for 5 – their fifth highest ever T20 total. It surpassed D’Oliveira’s previous best of 69 versus Leicestershire at New Road last summer.D’Oliveira was given superb support by Jack Haynes, with a 22 ball half-century, and Colin Munro after Bears had put the home side into bat.Then a three wicket burst with the new ball by Dillon Pennington had Bears on the back foot as they slumped to a second defeat in 24 hours. Only Sam Hain looked capable of pulling the game out of the fire as Bears closed on 202 for 8.Moeen Ali, fresh from being awarded an OBE, returned to lead Worcestershire for the first time this season after a short break following his spell in the IPL with the Chennai Super Kings. West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo made his Rapids debut after also being part of the CSK side alongside Moeen.D’Oliveira got the Rapids innings off to an explosive start on a hybrid pitch with 20 runs off the first over from Paul Stirling. He hit the first three balls for four and then straight drove the final delivery for a huge six.Ed Pollock was equally destructive as he faced his former county for the first time and the 50 came up in four overs. Craig Miles broke the stand when Pollock went for a pull and feathered a catch through to the keeper.Moeen, in his first Rapids appearance since last June, hammered Danny Briggs for six over long on before being caught behind off Bears skipper Carlos Brathwaite. But D’Oliveira galloped to a 29-ball half-century and achieved his career-best score before he drilled Jake Lintott to cover.Munro and Haynes maintained the momentum for the Rapids with a stand of 56 in 4.5 overs. Munro maintained the form which had brought him two half-centuries in his first three appearances with powerful hitting in making 41 from 21 deliveries.He was eventually caught behind off Brathwaite but Haynes produced some wonderfully clean striking in completing a 22 ball half-century with four sixes and four fours.Stirling seemed determined to make amends for his performance with the ball as he smashed 22 from the first over by Moeen. But Pennington, restored to the side after a two-game absence, swung the game Worcestershire’s way.He had Jacob Bethell and Stirling caught behind and at short third man respectively in his first over and then in his next Alex Davies aimed a blow over midwicket and fell to a fine catch by Haynes running back.Adam Hose and Hain tried to repair the damage during a partnership of 65 in 7.1 overs. But Josh Baker broke the stand in his first over with D’Oliveira holding on to an excellent low catch at deep square leg to dismiss Hose.Baker then had Chris Benjamin caught behind and Brathwaite was run out by Bravo’s throw to the non striker’s end. Hain holed out to deep midwicket off Ed Barnard and Bravo’s debut wicket came when he bowled Brookes.

Lakmal, Bopara tried their best to give Colombo Kings the crown, but it wasn’t to be

Madushka Balasuriya24-Dec-2022The Jaffna Kings were crowned LPL champions for the third time in as many seasons, as yet another Avishka Fernando fifty anchored a tricky chase against a dogged Colombo Stars.He was ably assisted by Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sadeera Samarawickrama – albeit in disparate styles. Gurbaz came first, bludgeoning everything in sight, but once he fell – and Afif Hossain shortly after – Sadeera took over, accumulating runs and ticking things over. It was this partnership that in end broke the spine of the chase. So much so that even a spate of late wickets couldn’t halt Jaffna’s charge.At the halfway stage though it might have been the Stars who would have been the happier of the two sides, after a late Ravi Bopara salvo had boosted his side to a competitive 163 for 5. His was a much-needed knock for Colombo, after the youthful spin pairing of Dunith Wellalage and Vijayakanth Viyaskanth had throttled the innings in the middle overs, in the process nipping in the bud a threatening stand between Dinesh Chandimal and Charith Asalanka.Stars to their credit fought every step of the way, but the two-wicket margin of victory perhaps masks to an extent Jaffna’s control over proceedings.Thisara Perera once more led the side well, and Jaffna once again seemed to be the side with the most balanced look about it. They may have lost star spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, but the likes of Wellalage and Viyaskanth have stepped up while new faces such as Samarawickrama and Binura Fernando have been yet more astute picks. Credit for which should go to Thisara as well as head coach Thilina Kandamby.Asalanka and Chandimal set the toneAfter four ducks in a row, Stars had little choice but to remove Niroshan Dickwella from the starting XI, but his replacement Nishan Madushka, only brought in at the knockout stage, fared little better. On Friday, he fell off the fourth delivery of the game. But fortunately for Stars, in Asalanka and Chandimal, as well as Bopara and Angelo Mathews, they have one of the more established middle orders in the tournament. And so it proved again, as they took the attack to Kings with Chandimal and Asalanka taking apart each of Kings’ seam options, be it Thisara, Binura Fernando or Zaman Khan. It wasn’t long before Kings realised that pace-off was the way to go on a sticky surface.Wellalage and Viyaskanth pull it backEnter Wellalage and Viyaskanth, the youngest members of the Jaffna squad, whose introduction ushered a period in which just two boundaries were scored between the 6th and 15th overs. It meant Stars were forced to go after the likes of Maheesh Theekshana, with the crucial wicket of Mathews a result of this very circumstance. Aged 19 and 21 respectively, against seasoned campaigners such as Chandimal, Mathews and Bopara, the pair showed maturity and game nous that belied their years.Bopara finishes with a flourishBut in Ravi Bopara, admittedly in the twilight of his career, Stars had a very experienced campaigner. Aware that Kings would have to find a few overs at the death from somewhere after Binura had strained a muscle in his lower back while fielding, Bopara waited for his moment. As it turned out, Binura would return to bowl at the death, though his pronounced grimaces after each delivery were a dead giveaway he wasn’t at a hundred percent. Bopara would show no sympathy however, taking him for 16 in the 18th over, before hitting 12 off Theekshana in the next. He was ably assisted by Mohammed Nabi, who would also launch Binura down the ground at the start of the 20th over. Binura would succumb to the pressure with a series of wides outside off, as Stars took 17 off the final over and 61 off the final five.Gurbaz goes bangIf Stars’ innings had the manner of a side figuring things out as they went along, Kings came out with a clear game plan, exemplified by Gurbaz’s early blitz. He may have been around for only 18 deliveries, but his 36, replete with four boundaries and two sixes, would shed any nerves Kings might have head in approaching a tricky chase. The explosive Afghan would go straight after Kasun Rajitha in the very first over, before punishing Stars’ hesitancy in replacing the injured Seekkuge Prasanna mid-over; the leg spinner would bowl only two deliveries on one leg, but Gurbaz plundered them for 10 runs. By the time Gurbaz fell, the required rate had dropped to seven an over, and while this would fluctuate throughout the innings, mentally the Kings knew then it was their game to loseAvishka and Sadeera steer the chaseAfif followed Gurbaz, but his brief stint in the middle was one crying for a merciful end. When it eventually did come, in walked Sadeera – Kings’ man for every occasion. While Avishka hunkered down happy to rotate the striker, Sadeera took it upon himself to find at least a boundary each over. Whether it was cheeky dabs down to third man, delicate paddle sweeps, or scything pulls to deep midwicket, Sadeera proved adept at finding runs when needed. He would fall with still 36 to get off 30, but by then the target was well in hand – a fact not even a flurry of wickets at the death could alter. Sadeera would fittingly cap off the evening by taking home the player of the series award. As for Avishka, it’s a second LPL final in a row he’s starred in, and with 339 runs it was no surprise he was adjudged player of the tournament as well.Viyaskanth’s momentVijayakanth Viyaskanth has had to wait patiently for his big break. Yes, there was excitement when he was drafted to play for Jaffna in the inaugural LPL – after all a player from the north of Sri Lanka was something many a fan had been eagerly looking forward to following the end of the civil war – but Viyaskanth would barely get a game over two seasons, stuck behind none other than Wanindu Hasaranga. But when Hasaranga departed to Kandy Falcons ahead of this season, Viyaskanth was finally handed his chance. Thirteen wickets and an emerging player of the tournament award later, safe to say, he’s more than grabbed it. And while he would go wicketless in the final, it was fitting that it would be the boy from Jaffna Central College was at the crease when the winning runs were scored.

October 15, the original date for the match, is the first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri, so the game could now be played a day before on October 14

Nagraj Gollapudi26-Jul-2023In a move that could impact the overall ODI World Cup schedule, the BCCI is considering moving the most high-profile match of the tournament – India vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad – from October 15 to October 14.The reason for the change, ESPNcricinfo has learned, is that October 15 is also the first day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri, and the local police has told the BCCI that it would find it difficult to take care of security on the day.It is understood that the BCCI has alerted the ICC about the issue, but no concrete decision has been taken yet. The BCCI is expected to have a meeting with all the state associations that are hosting World Cup matches on July 27 before a final call is taken.Related

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The original World Cup schedule has October 14 down as a double-header day: England play Afghanistan in a day match in Delhi and New Zealand play Bangladesh in day-night game in Chennai. Incidentally, there are no triple-headers scheduled, though there are two matches on six days.India, who open their World Cup campaign on October 8 with a game against Australia in Chennai, would have also played Afghanistan on October 11 in Delhi before the game against Pakistan, while their next fixture is against Bangladesh on October 19 in Pune.As for Pakistan, they play Netherlands in Hyderabad on October 6, the second day of the tournament, and Sri Lanka on October 12, also in Hyderabad, before playing India, followed by their fourth game, against Australia in Bengaluru on October 20.Therefore, in case the game moves to October 14, Pakistan will have just a day between their games in Hyderabad and in Ahmedabad, while India will have two days’ gap.The development comes roughly a month after the BCCI announced the World Cup schedule, which itself was severely delayed. While the BCCI has not yet announced any information on when matches tickets will go on sale, fans and other stakeholders have already booked flights and hotels in Ahmedabad for the match, which has historically been one of the most watched sporting events globally.

Rajasthan’s Ashok Menaria, who led the side to Australia this year, will captain the 15-man squad

Cricinfo staff06-Dec-2009The BCCI’s junior selection committee announced the Under-19 squad to tour New Zealand for the World Cup, from January 15-30, 2010. Rajasthan’s Ashok Menaria, who led the side to Australia this year, will captain the 15-man squad.Notable names in the squad are those of Saurabh Netrawalkar and Sufiyan Shaikh, who were impressive during the BCCI Corporate Trophy.India, defending champions, kick off the tournament with a match against Afghanistan on January 15 in Lincoln. They will then play Hong Kong two days later in Christchurch, followed by their final game of the group stage against England on January 21. The top two teams in each group will progress to the quarter-finals.The squad will head to South Africa for a short series before the World Cup.India Under-19 squad: Ashok Menaria (capt), Mandeep Singh, Mayhank Agarwal, Akshath Reddy, Harpreet Singh, KL Rahul, Sufiyan Shaikh, Zahid Ali, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkad, Sandeep Sharma, Saurabh Netravalkar, Harmeet Singh, Manan Sharma, Gaurav Jathar.

“Everyone’s forgotten I am a bowler,” says an elated Naseem after his pair of incredible strikes

Shashank Kishore07-Sep-2022Babar Azam wasn’t even born when Javed Miandad hit last-ball six in Sharjah off Chetan Sharma to clinch the Austral-Asia Cup for Pakistan. Yet, when Naseem Shah deposited Afghanistan fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi for two towering sixes down the ground to clinch a one-wicket thriller to put Pakistan in the Asia Cup final, he was reminded of Miandad’s magic from 36 years ago.”At the back of the mind, I thought this is T20 cricket, and I have seen Naseem bat like this, so I had a little bit of belief,” Babar said at the post-match presentation. “This reminded me of Javed Miandad’s six in Sharjah.”Related

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Ravi Shastri, who was doing the post-match honours, broke into a laugh, saying, “I was there that day, thank you for reminding [me].” Shastri had bowled nine frugal overs in that game, before Miandad stole the show.A relieved Babar also admitted the mood was anything but calm as Pakistan kept losing wickets. Pakistan were 87 for 3 at one stage with victory well within their sight, before they lost 6 for 31. When Naseem walked in to bat at No. 10 – with, as he later said, No. 11 Mohammad Hasnain’s bat because his own bat was “not that good” – Pakistan needed 20 runs off 10 balls. And when they lost Asif Ali in the same over, the equation was an even more tense 12 off seven balls with one wicket left. Naseem, who made his T20I debut only 10 days ago, was yet to score a run in international T20s.At stake was a place in the final, but Naseem seemed quietly confident. Over the next few minutes, the entire dressing room would have barely believed what they saw, watching two sixes sail over the rope as they roared in jubilation. Naseem had a big smile, tears of joy even as he was flanked by his team-mates. Wasim Akram, who also played that famous game all those years ago, also couldn’t contain his excitement, embracing Naseem in a warm hug.Minutes later, Naseem, still visibly pumped up and excited at the turn of events, narrated what his mindset was as he had taken strike. “When I came in to bat, I had the belief I could hit sixes,” he said. “I practice this. I knew they would bowl yorkers. I just tried and I executed. I had spoken earlier itself that we need to have belief, we can hit. We train in the nets, so that belief was there. I felt my bat was not good, so I changed it (laughs).”Asif [Ali] was batting when I came in, the idea was to give him single but when he got out, I thought it was all on me. In such matches, when you lose the ninth wicket, no one expects you [to win it], but I had belief that I can. I practice hitting a lot. This will be a memorable game for me. Everyone’s forgotten I am a bowler!”Shadab Khan, who was named Player of the Match for his crucial 26-ball 36, wasn’t going to forget Naseem’s heroics in a hurry. “Those sixes will always be remembered,” he said. “Our management has promoted our bowlers to bat a bit, because you don’t know what situation will come in a game. Our bowlers also have calibre to finish games with the bat.”Babar spoke of the palpable tension and the ecstasy that followed. “To be honest, it was quite a tensed environment in the dressing room,” he said. “We couldn’t build partnerships like last few games, but the way Naseem finished it, you could see the (vibe) after that.”A vibe sparked by the fact that Pakistan will meet Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup come September 11.

India coach says the importance of World Test Championship points has led to an increase in result-oriented pitches

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Mar-20234:50

Dravid: Wickets all over the world have got more challenging for batters

On November 29, 2021, New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel hung on for 8.4 overs in fading light to deny India a Test win in Kanpur. That one wicket India failed to take cost them eight World Test Championship points.Had India taken that one wicket – and all other global Test results remained what they were – they would now have 131 WTC points rather than 123. Ahead of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test match, which begins in Ahmedabad on Thursday, they would only have needed a draw to seal a spot in June’s WTC final at The Oval, rather than a win as they currently do.That Kanpur Test was Rahul Dravid’s first as India head coach. Two days before the Ahmedabad Test, Dravid referenced that Kanpur result while suggesting that the pressure to win World Test Championship points may have contributed to a glut of result-oriented, bowler-friendly pitches not just in India but all over the world.Related

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“It could be one of the reasons, because yes, there is a huge premium on results,” Dravid said on Tuesday. “You draw a game like Kanpur against New Zealand, where you take nine wickets in the second innings, you draw that game and that sets you back, in a home game.”Every team is getting results at home or are putting in really good performances at home, so there is a premium on results. You get four points for a draw and you get 12 for a win, so there is a premium on that, there’s no question about it.”India began the four-Test series against Australia needing three wins to confirm a place in the WTC final. They won the first two Tests and lost the third, and all three were low-scoring matches played on pitches where the ball turned sharply from day one. There have only been three 200-plus totals in 11 innings, and only four batters – two from each side – have averages north of 30.Under such circumstances, Dravid felt it was important for teams to have realistic expectations from their batters and set benchmarks accordingly.”It’s really about being realistic about what is a good performance on some of the challenging wickets we are playing on, not only here,” he said. “If you look at the last three-four years, all over the world I think wickets have got a lot more challenging, not only here. So you have to be realistic about what the benchmarks are now, what the standards are.”Just understanding that in these kinds of games, just one good performance can change the game. We saw that with Rohit [Sharma]’s performance [his century in the first Test in Nagpur], we’ve seen that many times over here. It’s just being realistic in our assessment of our batsmen, their averages and their numbers, and don’t really look so much into it.”Just backing our batsmen to understand that these are challenging conditions and they’re the same for both sides. And for them to be able to use it as a challenge and an opportunity to do something special. It might not necessarily be about scoring big double-hundreds, but you know there might be scores of 50-60 or scores of 60-70 somewhere might be really, really good scores in some conditions.”Sometimes, even a score of 17 can count as a positive effort. KS Bharat made that score in India’s first-innings total of 109 in Indore, and it came in a debut series of low scores for the wicketkeeper-batter. Dravid said India had no concerns over Bharat’s batting, and had words of praise for his keeping.Rahul Dravid is happy with the quality of KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping•Getty Images

“I think he [Bharat] has kept beautifully for us,” Dravid said. “Even though it’s not a big contribution he got 17 in the first innings [in Indore], got a nice contribution in the last Test match in Delhi, he played nicely and positively.”So yeah, you need a little bit of luck sometimes in these situations, and he’s probably not had that, but no, I think he’s shaping up really well, he’s been playing really well. He’s keeping really nicely for us which is really important as well. I think you’ve just got to put, sometimes, the batting performances in perspective a little bit, and be a little bit understanding of it.”Given how little work the fast bowlers have got through in the series so far – Mohammed Siraj has bowled just 24 overs across three Tests – there could be a case for India to play an extra batter instead of a second fast bowler. While he didn’t rule out this option, Dravid said the fast bowlers have made an impact even without bowling all that much, citing as examples the wicket of Usman Khawaja that Siraj took with his first ball of the series, and Umesh Yadav’s three-wicket burst on the second morning in Indore. He also felt the batting ability of the three spinners gave India enough depth without needing the extra specialist batter.”We just have to meet every condition separately,” Dravid said. “These conditions might be very different to Indore last week, so I think everything’s on the table. We try and put together what we think is our best side and gives us the best chance to get 20 wickets and the most balanced side.”We’ve seen also at times that [the fast bowlers] haven’t bowled a lot, but the kind of impact even a Siraj can have, picking up that early wicket in Nagpur, Umesh’s spell the other day to pick up three wickets. So even though sometimes you may feel the bowlers are not bowling a lot, just having that balance and that ability at times to go back to a more balanced attack is really important.”The fact that when we are able to play three spinners we bat all the way up to 9, with Axar [Patel] or [R] Ashwin batting at 9 for us depending on left-right, it’s a pretty good depth we’ve got on the batting side of things. We have to weigh everything, weigh all the options and then decide.”

“The wicket didn’t have anything for the bowlers. We are very happy with the draw”

Mohammad Isam19-May-2022By the end of the Chattogram Test where even three innings couldn’t be completed, the once famished batters from both Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were wearing a satisfied look. They had spent five days tucking into some much needed comfort food thanks to the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium pitch.Sri Lanka had a rough time in India in March, when they couldn’t cross 208 in four innings. Bangladesh have been bowled out for less than 150 on four occasions in the last six months, including scores of 53 and 80 in South Africa last month.Batters averaged 44.88 in this Test, with three centuries and six fifties. Whenever there was a cluster of wickets, both sides managed to string partnerships to get them out of trouble. These recoveries happened on the first, second and fifth day for Sri Lanka, and on the fourth afternoon for Bangladesh. Despite Nayeem Hasan’s six-wicket haul and four-fors from Taijul Islam and Kasun Rajitha, it was a bowler’s nightmare.Related

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Last year, Kyle Mayers’ unbeaten 210 on the final day helped West Indies to a miraculous Test win in Chattogram. Bangladesh couldn’t knock over the last three wickets, in part, because the pitch didn’t break down they way they like. Sri Lanka had run up big totals here in 2014 and 2018 as well, when the ICC rated the pitch below average. The last time this pitch won praise for being sporting was in 2016.Is it just coincidence that almost every time Bangladesh come to Chattogram, their batters are in dire need of runs, and the pitch is obligingly flat? Four years ago, these same two sides played out a dull, high-scoring draw at this very stadium.On Thursday, the Sri Lanka allrounder Dhananjaya de Silva even admitted that “we knew it was going to be a draw from the first day. There was a very slight chance of Bangladesh to win but the wicket didn’t have anything for the bowlers. We are very happy with the draw.”Bangladesh captain Mominul Haque said that the batters have to make mental adjustments when they play in Dhaka next week, given the pitch there is much more sporting.”Playing on different pitches and conditions is a mental adjustment,” Mominul said. “We play in Dhaka and Chattogram all year long, so we all know how to play pace and spin in the two venues. The spinning ball comes a bit slow here, but in Dhaka the same type of ball will come quicker, whether it will turn in or go away. We can set it in training, so I think it is a matter of mentality.”The Shere Bangla National Stadium is going to be a test for the batters, but Mominul is confident that having batted well as a team, they can definitely carry their form. He was, however, slightly worried about the fast bowlers not doing well enough.”Everyone looked good to score runs and take wickets. We played as a team, and I have often said that we do well when we play well as a team. It gives us good results.”Pace bowlers have gained acceptability recently so they could have bowled better in the first innings. I think the spinners did well on a pitch where it is difficult to take wickets. Shakib had a very important role. They had raised their tempo in the first innings, but Shakib reined them in. It happened in the second innings too,” Mominul said.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, would be happy with how their fast bowlers put Bangladesh under pressure, despite the injury to Vishwa Fernnado. But de Silva is pretty sure what’s going to happen to them in Dhaka.”Definitely one pacer and three spinners [in the XI],” he said. “The wicket will be helpful to the spinners. If we are batting first, we will try to get 275-300, and then get them out for less than 150 in one innings. It will give us a chance to win.”Not many would argue with that assessment. The BCB have so far remained tight-lipped about the type of pitch in Dhaka but it is anybody’s guess what curator Gamini Silva dishes out.

They will face Western Australia in the final in a bid to end their 11-year trophy drought

AAP26-Feb-2023South Australia are just one win away from ending their 11-year trophy drought after a one-sided eight-wicket win over Victoria put them into the domestic One-Day Cup final.They turned around a heavy defeat against Victoria in this week’s Sheffield Shield match to ease to victory with 24 overs to spare in Adelaide on Sunday.The final-round contest between the two second-placed sides had a ticket to the March 8 final on offer, but Victoria’s hopes dipped early on at 6 for 97, and they were eventually bowled out for 136.South Australia cruised to a bonus-point success on the back of a 116-run opening-wicket stand between Henry Hunt (63) and Jake Carder (49).Awaiting them are a Western Australian side looking to repeat last year’s rare feat of winning both state domestic honours.Despite two defeats against Western Australia in this year’s 50-over competition, South Australia’s new skipper Jake Lehmann says the holders are not to be feared.”We are so excited about the opportunity to go over there and take them on,” he said. “Winning against WA in WA is obviously going to be tough, but it is an amazing opportunity.”We want to take our positive way of playing and positive vibes up to them and hopefully we can come up with a first win for South Australia in some 10 years, so there is nothing but excitement in our [dressing] room.”There is no one that is scared or intimidated by WA. They are a good outfit but we just need to play the best we can,” added Lehmann, who only assumed the captaincy before this match after Hunt elected to concentrate on his batting.South Australia’s performance was again marked by a strong bowling display, with six different wicket-takers.Heading the field was Nathan McAndrew, while new face Spencer Johnson impressed again following his recent Shield debut.”Our bowlers didn’t miss all day and credit to them where credit is due,” Lehmann said. “The momentum is there and we just have to keep riding that wave.”It was a surprisingly limp display from a Victoria side that had enjoyed a series of gaping wins in both forms of domestic cricket.Victoria lined up with two debutants in opener Tom Rogers and spinner Tom O’Donnell, son of former limited-overs star Simon O’Donnell.Only James Seymour (51) impressed with the bat for Victoria, while legspinner Ruwantha Kellepotha picked up both South Australia wickets to fall.

Four wickets for England captain and unbeaten century for batter give hosts slender edge

ECB Reporters Network24-May-2024A late fightback from Somerset left their Vitality County Championship game with Durham finely poised, despite starring roles from Ben Stokes and David Bedingham.Stokes took four wickets to restrict Somerset to 171 all out in their first innings while Bedingham led Durham’s reply with an unbeaten century on day one at an overcast Seat Unique Riverside.Having been put in on a grassy pitch, Somerset had their backs to the wall for most of the day, but Migael Pretorius, who was later replaced by Jake Ball due to concussion, got his second 50 of the season and Craig Overton had the hosts in a spot of bother at 19 for three.Ball took three late wickets including that of Stokes and Ollie Robinson, but Bedingham got his century just before close to leave Durham 177 for 6, six runs ahead with four wickets in tact.Durham skipper Scott Borthwick elected to bowl at the toss and it was justified in the first over, with Ben Raine claiming the scalp of Tom Abell for four with a ball that clipped the top of off-stump.After being restricted to run-scoring rations by Raine at the other end, Tom Lammonby then started to find his groove, with three fours from a Paul Coughlin over.At the other end, Australian international Renshaw was dogged in defence, with just five runs from 39 balls before he was caught behind by Robinson, Stokes’ first wicket of the day.Lammonby was the second victim of Stokes with the left-hander looking to cut one but extra bounce deceived him and he edged behind to the dependable Robinson for 22.Just five balls later, Siddle then joined the party on home debut as Andy Umeed edged to second slip for nine.Banton and James Rew came to the crease and combined nicely, but Raine got his second of the innings on the stroke of lunch when Rew was out LBW for 13 after padding up to one which was plumb.The lunch break didn’t bring better fortune for Somerset as in the first over after the break Siddle struck twice in two balls, removing Gregory and Craig Overton before Pretorius successfully defended the hat-trick ball.Pretorius supported Banton as they combined for a partnership worth 35, but Raine put an end to Banton’s defiance, as he chipped a ball straight to mid-wicket to give Raine his third.Stokes grabbed his third of the day when Josh Davey was LBW for 10, which spurred Pretorius on to attack and reach his half-century.Despite wickets falling at the other end, Pretorius played well for his 50, but the South African did not last much longer as he edged a Stokes delivery to second slip to wrap up the Somerset innings.That was Pretorius’ last action of the match as he was subbed out with concussion after being struck on the helmet prior to his dismissal, with Jake Ball replacing him for the rest of the game.Responding to Somerset’s total of 171, Durham started in the worst possible way as Alex Lees was run out for three while backing up, after Overton got his hand to a Borthwick straight drive and the ball cannoned onto the stumps when Lees was out of his ground.Colin Ackermann was then dismissed for one after he edged an Overton delivery to second slip and the Somerset man struck again to leave Durham 19 for three, after Borthwick was out LBW for nine.The in-form duo of Bedingham and Robinson decided to attack on the bowler-friendly wicket, as they ticked the scoreboard over and went past 100.The pair elegantly chipped away at Somerset’s total, with Bedingham hitting a Jack Leach delivery down the ground for six to reach his half-century from 60 balls.Unlike his partner, Robinson could not make it to the half-century mark as he fell to Ball for 46, which brought Stokes to the crease.The England Test captain then departed for a duck after Ball got him LBW and Ball struck again to remove Graham Clark for one.Just before close Bedingham hit his fourth consecutive County Championship hundred from 103 balls, giving Durham the edge over Somerset going into day two.

Opener makes unbeaten 50 to defeat Worcestershire by DLS method

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2024Nottinghamshire 100 for 3 (Hales 50*) beat Worcestershire 141 for 6 (Hose 43) by 1 run – DLSAlex Hales helped Nottinghamshire celebrate their first win of the summer in the Vitality Blast after overcoming Worcestershire Rapids by one run under the Duckworth-Lewis Method at Visit Worcestershire New Road.The Outlaws had lost their opening five matches in the competition including the meeting with the Rapids at Trent Bridge nine days ago. But a disciplined bowling performance by their seamers restricted the home side to 141 for 6 under heavy skies.Then Hales batted responsibly to ensure there was little threat of Notts falling behind the Duckworth-Lewis Method. He scored 50 not out from 37 balls to guide his side to victory by the narrowest of margins.For Worcestershire it was a third successive defeat.Nottinghamshire captain Joe Clarke won the toss and elected to bowl first on a fresh hybrid pitch which was two-paced in nature. He persevered with all-pace during the powerplay and was rewarded with three wickets.Ben Lister made the first breakthrough when Worcestershire Club captain, Brett D’Oliveira, top-edged a catch to third man. Josh Cobb was then trapped lbw by Matt Montgomery working to leg and Matthew Waite pulled Olly Stone into the hands of deep mid wicket.Worcestershire were restricted to 27 for 3 in the first six overs and it became 42 for 4 when Ethan Brookes went to cut and was bowled.The Rapids broke the shackles in the 15th over from Lyndon James which yielded 15 runs with Nathan Smith smashing a six over long off.Adam Hose and Nathan Smith added 69 for the fifth wicket with the latter striking maximums off Lyndon James and Calvin Harrison. But Harrison brome the stand when Smith perished on the deep midwicket boundary.Hose battled away to make 43 off 35 balls before he holed out to long on in the penultimate over from Ben Lister.Worcestershire’s new ball attack of Smith and Tom Taylor bowled accurately and the latter made the breakthrough when Joe Clarke (26) lost his middle stump.Run-scoring was again not a straightforward process on this surface and the increasingly leaden skies meant Nottinghamshire had one eye on Duckworth Lewis.Hales ensured they moved comfortably ahead with two sixes in the opening over from Cobb. But West Indian spinner, Hayden Walsh, struck in his first over when he bowled Will Young to leave the game again in the balance.Walsh made it two wickets in two overs as Haynes went for a reverse-sweep and was lbw.But Hales again wrestled the initiative for his side with two enormous pulls over the midwicket boundary at Walsh’s expense to edge Notts in front.