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Derbyshire were denied by rain after an unbeaten 90 from Wes Durston had carried them to the brink of victory over Essex in their County Championship match at Derby

13-May-2011
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Derbyshire were denied by rain after an unbeaten 90 from Wes Durston had carried them to the brink of victory over Essex in their County Championship match at Derby. Durston and skipper Luke Sutton had revived the home side with a sixth-wicket stand of 83 in 17 overs after David Masters had reduced them to 26 for 3 chasing a target of 223.Derbyshire were 202 for 6, only 22 runs away from a second Championship win of the season with 10.5 overs left, when a downpour ended what had been an excellent contest shortly after 6pm.Essex had started the final day 173 ahead with four wickets remaining and their chances of building a substantial lead rested with James Foster. Nightwatchman Chris Wright stayed with him for nine overs while 18 runs were added before he flicked Azeem Rafiq into the hands of midwicket.The offspinner then got one to turn at Tim Phillips who edged a drive to slip four overs later and only nine more were added before Greg Smith had Masters caught behind for one. Foster lofted Rafiq over cover for four but became Smith’s fourth victim in the next over when he edged a drive trying to keep the strike.Derbyshire had a minimum of 74 overs to reach their target but they were soon in trouble as Masters blew away the top order. Chesney Hughes lost his off stump playing back to a ball he should have been forward to with only seven on the board and Masters struck twice in consecutive overs after lunch.Only three runs had been added when Australia Test batsman Usman Khawaja left a ball which clipped his off stump and five runs later, Wayne Madsen was lbw to one that nipped back. At 26 for 3, the momentum was with Essex but the rest of the bowling lacked penetration or control which allowed Durston and Dan Redfern to start rebuilding the innings.With Masters out of the attack after taking 3 for 14 in nine overs, the pair took the total to 79 before Redfern played Phillips into his thigh pad and was caught at short leg for 29. Smith made 18 off 15 balls before he chopped Wright into his stumps to shift the odds back towards the visitors but Durston and Sutton regained the initiative with some positive batting.Durston, who was almost caught at long on for 27, reached his half-century from 69 balls and, despite two breaks for rain, the sixth wicket pair put on 83 in 17 overs to take their side to within sight of victory. But the batsmen could see dark clouds closing in over the County Ground and
Sutton fell trying to clear the ropes when he hooked Wright into the hands of long leg.There was time for just one more ball before the storm broke and this time, the umpires had no choice but to bring down the curtain on a dramatic game that will be remembered for the sacking of head of cricket John Morris half way through.

No play was possible on the third day of Somerset’s County Championship match against Essex at Taunton

29-Apr-2010
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The persistent rain won the day at Taunton•Getty Images

No play was possible on the third day of Somerset’s County Championship match against Essex at Taunton.Umpires Barry Dudleston and Jeff Evans abandoned play at 4.30pm with rain that had started at 9am still coming down. They had inspected at 2pm with the hope of a start, but the drizzle persisted and then became heavy again.

Captain’s 76 not enough as Gloucestershire defend 251 at York

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2024Ollie Price’s watchful 98 off 118 balls plus a feverish bowling display led by three-wicket quick Matt Taylor led Gloucestershire to an entertaining win over Yorkshire at York as they successfully defended a 252-target to triumph by 36 runs.Price had underpinned Gloucestershire’s 251 for 9, while opener Miles Hammond leant support with 54. But the visitors added only 85 runs in a damaging final 15 overs which saw seven wickets fall.The Vikings responded on a challenging batting pitch, with new-ball seamer Ben Coad (2 for 27 from 10 overs) particularly impressive as one of four bowlers who struck twice.Shan Masood and James Wharton hit 76 and 56 respectively to leave Yorkshire well placed, but they slumped from 137 for 2 to 215 all out inside 48 overs. Left-armer Taylor finished with 3 for 35 off 10. Both counties have now won two, lost two in Group B.Gloucestershire elected to bat on the same hybrid pitch used for Yorkshire’s Wednesday win over Sussex, and they showed early caution against accurate bowling. After Cameron Bancroft’s early departure, caught behind off Coad, Hammond and Price advanced impressively as extra bounce was evident without extra pace.They rotated strike amidst an 88-run partnership, and a feature of Price’s innings was his sweeping and reverse-sweeping against spin. But the reverse against Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin was Hammond’s undoing, bowled shortly after reaching his 84-ball fifty. By then, Price had also reached 50 off 65.Price beautifully drove two boundaries almost arrow straight off Ben Cliff’s seam in the 34th over before, at the start of his next, James Bracey hoisted the same bowler over long-on for one of only two sixes in the entire innings. However, Gloucestershire’s acceleration was shackled, as four wickets fell for 19 from 172 for 2 in 36th over to 191 for 6 in the 41st.Cliff struck twice in an action-packed 36th as Bracey played on and Ben Charlesworth was caught behind. Coad then forced Jack Taylor to play on, as did Moriarty to Graeme van Buuren. Tom Smith added a useful 27, but Price was yorked by George Hill as the visitors only just crept over 250.Wickets continued to fall as Yorkshire replied. Fin Bean was bowled off the inside-edge as he left Matt Taylor alone before Ajeet Singh Dale bowled Will Luxton shortly afterwards, the Vikings 24 for 2 in the seventh over.Masood and Wharton set about a no-frills recovery, sharing a third-wicket 113. Masood hit 63 in Wednesday’s Sussex win, and by the time his latest half-century arrived off 52 balls, Yorkshire were on a healthy 94 for 2 in the 21st.Acceleration came when they hit three leg-side sixes off the spin of Price and van Buuren, taking the score to 117 for 2 in the 23rd. It was now Yorkshire’s game to lose. But that’s exactly what happened.Matt Taylor had Masood caught behind and bowled Hill in successive overs before Harry Duke pulled Dom Goodman’s seam to midwicket – 147 for 5 in the 33rd.Wharton reached his fifty off 78 balls, but him crawling through the 40s heightened home nerves. It was, therefore, no great surprise when he miscued Smith’s left-arm spin to backward point, leaving the Vikings six down at 163.That became 176 for 7 in the 39th when Singh Dale trapped Dom Bess lbw. Now it was Gloucestershire’s game, and they didn’t let things slip.Coad was run out before Matthew Revis, for 41, and Moriarty were caught in the deep off Goodman and van Buuren.

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.”

Ramiz Raja says the move is aimed at improving results overseas, and helping prep for the T20 World Cup in the short term

Umar Farooq16-Dec-2021Pakistan are set to have a ready-made Australian pitch installed at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and the one at the National Stadium in Karachi next year. The PCB has ordered the two drop-in pitches in a bid to simulate Australian pitches and better prepare their players for overseas tours.Pakistan have never won a Test series in Australia, and haven’t had a great record in the country in other formats either. They’ve lost all three completed T20Is against Australia, and though they’ve done better in ODIs, the last time they won an ODI series in Australia was back in 2002, with an overall win-loss record of 17-37.Related

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“Pitches are one of the more significant aspects in developing a cricketer,” PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja told ESPNcricinfo. “This wasn’t given enough importance in the past, but for me as a cricketer and now a PCB chairman, its painful to see that it wasn’t given its due. Neither was it devised properly. It’s really an important element, and when I say I want to reset the GPS of Pakistan cricket it’s basically fixing the core of our cricket. And until pitches are not fixed, we aren’t going anywhere as it’s the heartbeat of cricket.”Historically, Pakistan’s batters have struggled on bouncy tracks, and victories overseas have been sparse, particularly in Australia and in South Africa. Pakistan have won just four Tests out of 37 played in Australia, while losing 26. In South Africa, they have won two out of 15 Tests, with 12 losses.Since the turn of the century, neither Pakistan’s batters nor their bowlers have shone in Australia. While the batters average 30.28 – well short of the likes of India, South Africa and England, the bowlers have had it even worse. Pakistan’s bowling average in Australia since the turn of the century is 54.42 – only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have done worse.Pakistan batting in Australia since 2000•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Part of the reason for the investment is Raja’s belief that the presence of high-profile coaches and a great backroom staff does not guarantee success. Between Mickey Arthur and Misbah ul Haq’s tenures as head coaches, the PCB is believed to have spent PKR 60 crore per year on support staff with the national setup, but the team only won in West Indies, Ireland and Zimbabwe, and lost its series’ in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.”We lost 14 straight Test matches in Australia, we haven’t won a single Test series there, we get thrashed, and never really offer enough fight,” Raja said. “So with these pitches at two centres, we at least start preparing right and being competitive. We need to think out of the box and aspire to produce 180 degree players. Now, the T20 World Cup is in Australia, and to replicate the conditions we need to inject the drop-in pitches. This is an investment on generations.”In hockey we are left behind just because we never adapted in time from grass to astro. The transition had to be on time but until we realised we weren’t able to catch up and now we are nowhere near the best teams in the world. But in cricket, I want our cricketers to be challenged at the age-group (level) and prepare for any conditions. The team becomes great only by winning overseas, and that is the purpose and exercise. This (drop-in pitches) might not be a 100 percent solution but we are trying to prepare and be competitive in Australian conditions. We just saw Australia coming all the way in the Middle East, adapting well, and winning the T20 World Cup in conditions where we were supposed to make a difference.”Pakistan bowling in Australia since 2000•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

To import the drop-in pitches, PCB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with investment company Arif Habib Group, who will be bearing the expense of PKR 37 crore in the procurement. The drop-in pitches were originally made for venues in Australia and New Zealand where the stadiums are multi-sport ones. A portable turf was installed for cricket. However, in Pakistan, the PCB owns its cricket stadiums either through a lease, or as the direct owner. Cricket is the only sport played at those venues, and all stadiums are maintained by the PCB.Raja admitted that the drop-in pitches were a “quick, short-term solution” ahead of the T20 World Cup, as preparing pitches to mimic those found in foreign conditions is a longer-term and more complex job. “But we have a plan to expand it further by having soil and 30 hybrid pitches at club level,” Raja said.

Domestic cricket restarted five months after it was suspended due to Covid-19

Andrew Fidel Fernando10-Aug-2020Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket season resumed on Monday with runs from Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews, almost five months after it was suspended due to Covid-19.Mendis hit 132 not out for Colombo Cricket Club and Mathews made 80 not out for Colts Cricket Club, in separate ‘Super Eights’ matches. All up, six first-class matches were played. That many of these featured current Sri Lanka cricketers is a rare occurrence, as top players are often busy with international commitments during the domestic season, which ordinarily runs from November to April.ALSO READ: South Africa’s tours of West Indies and Sri Lanka postponed indefinitelyThe resumption of domestic games, however, comes in the absence of international cricket, which SLC had hoped would take place in July and August. India’s limited-overs tour of Sri Lanka was postponed indefinitely, while the Bangladesh Test tour of Sri Lanka has been pencilled in – but not confirmed – for October. Instead of these tours, SLC now hopes to play the Lankan Premier League (LPL) T20 franchise tournament.Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket was slated to begin at the end of July after the government had lifted curfews and supposedly brought the spread of Covid-19 under strong control, but an outbreak of the virus last month forced the resumption date to be pushed back. According to government figures, Sri Lanka has been largely successful in containing the virus, with fewer than 300 Covid-19 patients in medical care at present.

Jayden is one of three new rookies, along with Sam Fanning and Bradley Hope, while Will Bosisto and Jonathan Wells miss out on new deals

Alex Malcolm20-May-2019Western Australia have handed a rookie contract to emerging batsman Jayden Goodwin, the son of former Zimbabwe and WA batsman Murray Goodwin, despite the 17-year-old not having played any grade cricket in Perth.Jayden represented WA in the Futures League and Under-17s last season, and also played for the Cricket Australia Under-17 XI in the Australian Under-19s championships. Jayden lives in Bunbury, three hours south of Perth, and is yet to play grade cricket in Perth, which has been the more traditional pathway into the state squad.Murray had an outstanding career for the Warriors and was a key part of their success in the late 1990s before he played international cricket for Zimbabwe. Like his father, Jayden also bowls a little bit of legspin. The father-son duo even played together in the Premiership for Colts Cricket Club in Bunbury last season with Jayden opening the batting and Murray coming in at No. 4.Jayden is one of three new faces added to a largely settled squad. WA have also contracted 18-year-old New South Wales batsman Sam Fanning, who made a century for Australian Under-19s against Sri Lanka in January. Bradley Hope has also been handed a rookie contract after making his Sheffield Shield debut following a dominant grade season with Claremont-Nedlands.Aaron Hardie, who rose to prominence when he dismissed Virat Kohli in a tour game last season, was upgraded to a full contract after making his Sheffield Shield debut last summer.Former Australia Under-19 captain Will Bosisto has been cut from the Warriors squad despite scoring a Shield century last summer. Veteran batsman Jonathan Wells and allrounders Clint Hinchcliffe and Tim David have also missed out on new deals. Young fast bowler Alex Bevilacqua, meanwhile, has moved to Tasmania.Western Australia’s Men’s 2019-20 squad: Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Jake Carder, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Cameron Green, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Simon Mackin, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam WhitemanRookies Sam Fanning, Jayden Goodwin, Bradley Hope, Lance Morris, Matthew Spoors

The PCB’s anti-corruption unit has formally charged the opening batsman for as many as five breaches of their anti-corruption code, to do with fixing, accepting money to improperly influence games as well as inducing other players to indulge in corrupt ac

Umar Farooq08-Feb-2018After 12 months of allegations and only a minor charge, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has blinked and made its first major move against Nasir Jamshed. The PCB’s anti-corruption unit has formally charged the opening batsman for as many as five breaches of their anti-corruption code. Jamshed is already serving a one-year ban after the PCB had found him guilty of the relatively minor charge of non-cooperation in the PSL spot-fixing investigation – that ends on February 13.

Clauses under which Nasir Jamshed is charged

2.1 Corruption: 2.1.1 Fixing or contriving in any way or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to any agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any Domestic Match, including (without limitation) by deliberately underperforming therein.
2.1.2 Ensuring for Betting or other corrupt purposes the occurrence of a particular incident in a Domestic Match.
2.1.3 Seeking, accepting, offering or agreeing to accept any bribe or other Reward to (a) fix or to contrive in any way or otherwise to influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any Domestic Match or (b) ensure for Betting or other corrupt purposes the occurrence of a particular incident in a Domestic Match.
2.1.4 Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach any of the foregoing provisions of this Article 2.1.
2.4.4 Failing to disclose to the PCB Vigilance and Security Department (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations received by the Participant to engage in Corrupt Conduct under this Anti-Corruption Code.

But all through the last year, the PCB firmly believed that Jamshed was more central to the plots to corrupt games during the PSL and it was made clear several times by the board that he would face further consequences. That, potentially, could be the case now, as Jamshed has been charged with fixing, accepting money to improperly influence games as well as inducing other players to indulge in corrupt activity.Jamshed was also arrested in the UK by the National Crime Agency in February last year in connection to this case, though he was quickly released on bail. That investigation is believed to be ongoing, though officials familiar with the case believe a decision is expected in a few weeks – Jamshed, these officials believe, is not the centre of the NCA’s investigation.”The Pakistan Cricket Board has today issued a notice of charge to cricketer Nasir Jamshed, wherein he has been charged with multiple violations of Articles 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4 and 2.4.4 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (“the Code”),” a statement said. “Nasir Jamshed now has fourteen (14) days to respond to the notice of charge.”According to officials involved with the case, the PCB acted after the emergence of fresh evidence, centering around alleged meetings prior to the PSL in the UK. The board has, over the past year, claimed to have overwhelming evidence against Jamshed and also said that they have been waiting for the NCA to share their evidence – the latter has not occurred, though an NCA official did appear as a witness via video link in one of the PCB’s tribunal hearings. At least one part of the evidence against Jamshed is a collection of WhatsApp voice recordings allegedly between Jamshed and others also implicated in the case; these recordings were leaked to the media.Jamshed has all along denied any wrongdoing and has, in fact, threatened to take the PCB to court for maligning his name. He is based in Birmingham and has been communicating with the PCB through his Lahore-based lawyer, and has appeared before the PCB tribunal via video link.Jamshed was the fifth Pakistani player sanctioned in relation to the spot-fixing case that marred the start of the second season of the PSL last February. Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Nawaz were all fined and banned for various periods of time, for a variety of charges. Shahzaib Hasan was also charged and is presently undergoing legal proceedings before a PCB three-man tribunal.Jamshed hasn’t played an international game for Pakistan since the 2015 World Cup and last featured in domestic cricket in December 2016.

Tasmania were in trouble at 5 for 107 at stumps on day two in Hobart, in reply to the New South Wales total of 5 for 495 declared

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-2016
ScorecardPeter Nevill was unbeaten on 179 when New South Wales declared (file photo)•Getty Images

As Australia moved towards victory without him in Adelaide, Peter Nevill reminded the national selectors of his batting prowess by striking an unbeaten 179 against Tasmania on the second day in Hobart. Nevill was the top scorer in a New South Wales total of 5 for 495 declared, and another former Test player – seamer Trent Copeland – then destroyed the Tasmania top order.At stumps, the Tigers were wobbling at 5 for 107, with Beau Webster on 30 and Jake Doran on 17, and a massive task remained for Tasmania to make the Blues bat again. Young fast bowler Harry Conway removed Jordan Silk for 22 but the rest of the wickets all fell to Copeland, who finished the day with 4 for 29 from 16 overs.The morning had started with New South Wales on 3 for 288, with Moises Henriques on 94 and Nevill on 73. Henriques moved to his fifth first-class hundred before he was bowled by Cameron Stevenson for 115, but Nevill had plenty of batting left in him.He scored his seventh first-class century and occupied the crease for 331 deliveries for his unbeaten 179, which was the second-highest score of his career – his best, an unbeaten 235, also came against Tasmania in Hobart two summers ago. He had support from Ryan Gibson, who in his second first-class appearance finished unbeaten on 65.