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A superb opening partnership of 180 between Phil Mustard and Mark Stoneman, hit in just 27.5 overs, was the foundation Durham needed to compile a formidable total that proved just beyond Leicestershire’s capacity

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2016
ScorecardMark Stoneman was a central feature of Durham’s victory•Getty Images

A superb opening partnership of 180 between Phil Mustard and Mark Stoneman, hit in just 27.5 overs, was the foundation Durham needed to compile a total that proved beyond Leicestershire’s capacity to chase down, though the Foxes made a valiant effort, falling only 11 runs short.Played on the same pitch on which Durham made 120 for 9 in the previous day’s T20 match between the counties, a score Leicestershire knocked off for the loss of four wickets, it quickly became apparent this was going to be a very different sort of match.Having begun relatively cautiously, taking 37 from the first ten overs, the two left-handed Durham openers accelerated in style, with 48 coming off the next five overs. Stoneman, who took the majority of the strike, was first to his half-century, but Mustard clipped off-spinner Jigar Naik effortlessly over midwicket for six as the two left-handers passed the previous record one day partnership for Durham against Leicestershire, 167 between Michael Roseberry and John Morris in 1996.Centuries looked there for the taking, so much so that Mustard looked as shocked as anyone when he pulled a short ball from Kevin O’Brien low into the hands of Rob Taylor at long-on, his 88 having come off 70 balls and including four sixes.Stoneman too missed out on three figures, chipping a simple catch back to Taylor as the left-arm seamer held one back, his 93 coming off 113 deliveries.Having been very much under the cosh, Leicestershire’s bowlers began to exert a measure of control. Taylor bowled Graham Clark as the batsman stepped across his crease and attempted a paddle sweep, and Borthwick, having made 63, went in exactly the same manner.
Paul Collingwood and Ryan Pringle came and went quickly, but an important unbroken partnership of 48 between Keaton Jennings and Callum MacLeod ensured Durham’s final score was close to the 350 that had looked to be their minimal target after Mustard and Stoneman’s partnership.Leicestershire’s openers proved rather less effective, Mark Pettini losing his middle stump playing across the line at Chris Rushworth, and a frustrated Neil Dexter going well caught by wicketkeeper Mustard diving to his right after edging an attempted drive at Jamie Harrison.Kevin O’Brien pulled his first ball mightily for six, however, and together with Mark Cosgrove, ensured the home team remained in touch by bringing up the 100 in the 19th over. O’Brien went to his 50 off 41 balls, and Cosgrove in 48 before two balls after hitting Borthwick over extra cover for six, Cosgrove steered the leg-spinner straight to Collingwood at point.Niall O’Brien joined his brother in keeping up the run rate before lofting Pringle’s off-spin to Borthwick at long-off, after a partnership of 72 in 10 overs with his brother, and even after Kevin was dismissed for 89, Lewis Hill (31) and Tom Wells (31) kept the Foxes in the hunt.The Durham bowlers kept picking up wickets however, and Harrison, who finished with 4-40, and Rushworth (2-48), were outstanding at the death, giving the Leicestershire batsmen little to hit.

N Srinivasan has reportedly been re-elected the BCCI president for a one-year second term. He was the only contestant for the post

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Sep-201311.35am N Srinivasan has been re-elected the BCCI president for a one-year second term. He was the only contestant for the post: it would have taken nominations from two boards from the south zone to even force an election. However, Srinivasan cannot take charge as president until India’s Supreme Court announces its verdict on the Special Leave Petition filed by the Cricket Association of Bihar against the BCCI’s probe panel formed to investigate corruption in the IPL. The Supreme Court’s next hearing is scheduled for Monday.The AGM, which began at 11am, continues. Some of the other issues on the table are the selection of other important officials including vice-presidents, secretary, treasurer and IPL chairman. The impasse over the tour to South Africa is also likely to be discussed.Noon The other big news coming is that – as expected – Sanjay Patel and Anirudh Chaudhury have been named the BCCI secretary and treasurer respectively. Vacancies for these posts were created when Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in protest against how the inquiry into the IPL betting scandal was handled.Baroda’s Patel was the interim secretary already so this was a mere confirmation. Chaudhury has replaced the interim treasurer Ravi Savant, who is likely to be named the vice-president from the west zone. Haryana Cricket Association’s Chaudhury is the son of former BCCI president, Ranbir Mahendra, who was a known Jagmohan Dalmiya ally.12.15pm Sneh Bansal (north), Ravi Savant (west) and Rajiv Shukla (central) have replaced Arun Jaitley, Niranjan Shah and Sudhir Dabir as vice-presidents. Shivlal Yadav and Chitrak Mitra have held on to their vice-presidency from south and east zone.Jaitley, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, is understood to have pulled out because he will be busy with next year’s general elections. Shah and Dabir, though, are understood to be from the anti-Srinivasan camp. Shah’s replacement – Savant – emerged as a Srinivasan ally during the betting scandal, and was even the interim treasurer after Shirke resigned. Vidarbha’s Dabir is considered to be a Shashank Manohar-Sharad Pawar man. His replacement, Shukla, a junior minister in the national government who resigned as IPL chairman, is considered to be the BCCI’s problem solver in New Delhi.1.15pm After long deliberation, Ranjib Biswal, the Orissa Cricket Association chief, has been named the IPL chairman. Biswal, who was the team manager when India won the World Cup in 2011, and Jagmohan Dalmiya, who is the interim president in Srinivasan’s absence, were the two leading candidates for the post last night. The decision on the IPL chairman has featured the longest debate so far in the AGM.Biswal, a former Orissa allrounder with five first-class hundreds and 153 wickets in 41 matches, was also been the National Cricket Academy (NCA) chairman in the past. Kerala’s TC Mathew will now replace him as NCA chairman. Biswal also captained India Under-19 in 19891.30pm Among other appointments, Andhra’s G Ganga Raju has been named the head of the BCCI’s finance committee. Andhra’s staying with Srinivasan was crucial because only a split in the south zone could have caused an election for the president post. Raju has replaced Jyotiraditya Scindia, one of the first to openly question Srinivasan’s continuing as the president.Jharkhand’s Amitabh Choudhary has replaced Jammu & Kashmir’s Farooq Abdullah as the head of the marketing committee. This committee might have a lot of work ahead. The search for a title sponsor is already on, and if Sahara doesn’t continue its deal a new team sponsor will need to be found.1.40pm In a politician-for-politician switch, Rajiv Shukla has replaced Arun Jaitley as the head of the tour, programme and fixture committee.Goa’s Vinod Phadke is the new media committee chief, replacing Rajasthan’s CP Joshi.1.50pm First minor surprise of the day. Former Baroda batsman Connor Williams has replaced former India wicket-keeper Chandrakant Pandit in the junior selection committee.2.20pm A new committee to promote cricket in north-eastern parts of India has been formed. Jagmohan Dalmiya will head the north-east development committee. Currently there are two Ranji teams from the north-east: Assam and Tripura

India’s bowlers lost the second warm-up Twenty20 from a strong position against Pakistan, but Rohit Sharma does not believe the side’s attack is a concern ahead of the World Twenty20

Abhishek Purohit in Colombo17-Sep-2012India’s bowlers lost the second warm-up Twenty20 from a strong position against Pakistan, but Rohit Sharma does not believe the side’s attack is a concern ahead of the World Twenty20. Rohit pointed out that the same bowlers had defended a much lower total against Sri Lanka in the first warm-up match on Saturday.”It was one of those bad days, I would say,” Rohit said. “If you look at the last game against Sri Lanka, the bowlers got plenty of wickets. We defended a low score on that track, 145-odd runs. It was not a par score [for that track] yet the bowlers defended that. Yes, we had an off day today. I am sure we will come hard against Afghanistan and [do well] from there on.”Rohit and Virat Kohli had made fifties to lift India to 185 for 3, which Rohit felt was a decent score on the Premadasa pitch, but barring R Ashwin, who took 4 for 23, all the India bowlers were wicketless and expensive. “The track was very good to bat on. As you saw, more than 180 runs were scored in both the innings. It was a typical Sri Lankan wicket; if you bat well and apply yourself, you will get runs here. It was a good target I felt on this track, because I thought there was a little bit of help for the spinners. But it was one of those days where things didn’t come together.”We still have one more day before our actual game on 19th, so we will see how we should come back. It is not the end, it is just the start. Still a long way to go in the tournament, unfortunately things didn’t go our way today.”Rohit said despite it being a warm-up game, India had come out wanting to win it. “We were very focussed. We were quite intense in the field. It’s just that our bowling didn’t click together, which is a little bit frustrating because if you want to win the game everything has to click together. Our bowlers did a pretty good job in the first warm-up game when we defended 145 on that flat track. I don’t want to take any credit away from them. They have been bowling really well. I am sure they will come on well as the tournament progresses.”Batting is certainly India’s strength, but the openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir haven’t had a decent outing in both warm-up games. Rohit backed the experienced duo to come good. “Getting a good start is important. They have been batting really well, there is no doubt about that. I am sure that in the coming games, when the actual tournament starts, they will come good. They have experience playing in these conditions and it is just a matter of one game, and we are right in it after that.”

Australia needs to show the capacity to learn quickly from the reverses of the first match, while Sri Lanka seek to extend a psychological advantage

Daniel Brettig07-Aug-2011Match facts
August 8, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
Start time 19:00 (13:30 GMT, 23:30 EST)Big Picture
There is no substitute for match conditioning. This much was clear after the first Twenty20 between Sri Lanka and Australia in Kandy, as the hosts showed the benefits of a testing tour of England, as opposed to the training camps in Brisbane and net sessions in Colombo that served as the visitors’ preparation for the tour opener. The Sri Lankans also showed far better knowledge of the conditions, bowling plenty of spin on a surface that offered turn, while Cameron White preferred to use his pace bowlers in the latter stages and saw them belted out of sight by his opposite number Tillakaratne Dilshan.Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen described it as a “frustrating” start to the tour, but there will be more gnashing of teeth in store for the tourists if they do not tighten their fundamentals and show a little more understanding of the conditions that confront them. Shaun Marsh and David Hussey in particular looked out of sorts against the accurate spin of Dilruwan Perera, while Mitchell Johnson’s first spell of the tour was disheartening in its inconsistency. More encouraging was the bowling and batting of Steve O’Keefe, and the slugging power of David Warner.Australia need to show the capacity to learn quickly from the reverses of the first match, while Sri Lankan will seek to extend a psychological advantage.Form guide
Sri Lanka WWWWL
Australia LWLLLIn the spotlight
Tillakaratne Dilshan was the undisputed star of the first match, and the Australians will need to find better ways of coping with his combative attitude and inventive strokeplay. Dilshan was not placed under too much pressure as a captain in the field either, as his bowlers kept the Australians in check. Cameron White said he had resorted to adjusting his field to counter the ‘Dil-scoop’ and thus created other gaps for the Sri Lankan captain, a rare admission.Mitchell Johnson was attacked mercilessly towards the end of the innings, and was unable to find consistent line or length, let alone any swing. His work with the new bowling coach Craig McDermott is key to Australia’s success in future matches on this tour, and he will want to improve his performance after a shoddy start.Team news
Sri Lanka seem unlikely to make many changes to a team that performed so soundly and evenly in game one. For the Australians, Aaron Finch’s pugnacity may be useful after some of the batsmen struggled for traction in the opener, and James Pattinson could be in line for a T20 debut.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Jeevan Mendis, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Dilruwan Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Dhammika Prasad, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Suranga Lakmal.Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Steven Smith, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Steve O’Keefe, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Brett Lee, 11 James Pattinson.Pitch and conditions
The surface for the first match confused the Australians somewhat by offering some bounce but also plenty of spin, a combination the Sri Lankans were far quicker to adjust to. Match two will be played on a similarly equal-opportunity surface.Stats and trivia* Tillakaratne Dilshan’s century was the fifth in T20 internationals
* Dinesh Chandimal was the fifth batsman to be out hit wicket in T20I matches
* Sri Lanka had not previously won a T20I at home, losing their first four such fixtures
* Dilruwan Perera achieved the rare feat of taking wickets in each of his first three overs in international cricket
Quotes
“I had the confidence to play it. It worked and I think after I played the Dil-scoop they changed the field and I felt [it was] more easy to score more runs in other areas.”Tillakaratne Dilshan succeeded in dictating terms to Australia’s bowlers in game one”If anyone scores a hundred off 57 [55] balls it will be hard work to win the game from there. But look, there were some disappointing aspects of the game from our end as well.”Cameron White knows the Australians need to sharpen up after looking rusty in the opener

Anil Kumble, the former Indian legspinner, will be travelling to South Africa next week to take part in a coaching clinic with some of South Africa’s up-and-coming spin bowlers in Johannesburg on Thursday

Cricinfo staff13-Aug-2010Anil Kumble, the former Indian legspinner, will be travelling to South Africa next week to take part in a coaching clinic with some of South Africa’s up-and-coming spin bowlers in Johannesburg on Thursday. Kumble will be joined by fellow slow bowlers Paul Harris and Johan Botha as a host of young spinners receive first-hand coaching from one of Test cricket’s leading wicket-takers.The spin-bowling clinic, which will also be attended by Cricket South Africa’s High Performance spinning coaches, Shafiek Abrahams, Harry Shapiro and Paul Adams, will run alongside the second CSA Annual Conference, which will take place from August 18 in Sandton.”Anil Kumble is a living legend, and CSA is honoured that he has accepted our invitation to come out to South Africa and work with tomorrow’s stars,” said CSA chief executive Gerald Majola. “We will also invite some of our women cricketers, young batsmen and wicketkeepers who we believe will benefit from the experience.”CSA is encouraged by the progress made by our High Performance team, and we are confident that this visit is going to boost the good work being done in the spinning department.”

“If we can push them back into second and third spells and make them tire a little bit, then we have a chance”

Firdose Moonda07-Dec-20243:32

Takeaways: Paterson impresses at 35 with maiden five-wicket haul

Sri Lanka fancy their chances chasing “anything around or below 300,” on a wicket that is “playing really well,” at St George’s Park, according to former captain Angelo Mathews.Though he acknowledged South Africa, at 221 ahead with seven wickets in hand, have the advantage, Mathews brought fighting talk to the third day’s post-play press conference, with Sri Lanka looking for a win to keep themselves in contention for next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final.”We are not giving up. Obviously they are in front of us, but if we can get a couple of early wickets tomorrow, we can still push them back,” Mathews said. “And if we can, you know, get through the new ball, if we can push them back into second and third spells and make them tire a little bit, then we have a chance.”Related

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The highest score successfully chased at Gqeberha was 271 by Australia, 27 years ago and that sort of history may not be of much use to either side.Instead, the evidence of the last three days is that it remains good for run-scoring which has given Sri Lanka hope that they can tackle a big chase.”It’s playing pretty well. It’s just the odd one, keeping low and taking off, but it’s playing pretty well. There’s something always for the seamers and also a couple of balls also turned,” Mathews said. “It’s a good, even wicket and even contest with bat and ball on this wicket so it’s a great wicket to play on.”Likewise, Sri Lanka’s batters have acquitted themselves fairly well so far. The 42 all out aside, Sri Lanka have batted well on this tour, scoring 282 in their second innings in Durban and reaching their fourth highest total in the country, 328, in their first innings at St George’s Park.Marco Jansen has been nothing but trouble for Angelo Mathews and the other Sri Lanka batters this series•AFP/Getty Images

What they may regret is that that could have been much higher. At 242 for 3 overnight, they were eyeing a first-innings lead but Mathews conceded Sri Lanka were “unable to capitalise,” because of a “couple of good balls.”Mathews was on the receiving end of the first of those: a snorter from Marco Jansen that kicked up off a length and brushed the glove as he tried to fend it off. Jansen continued to generate good bounce thanks to his height and is the series’ leading wicket-taker, with an innings to come in which Sri Lanka will have to be especially cautious.”The ball is coming off six foot nine or something. Obviously, he gets bounce on any wicket,” Mathews said. “The Durban wickets also, he got a lot of bounce. We couldn’t really handle him in the first innings of the Durban Test. And also here he keeps troubling our batters. We played him pretty well this time around, but still he keeps troubling us. We need to come up with some more plans to try and combat his bounce. That’s what’s worrying: the odd one takes off on a good length as well because of his height.”Jansen aside, Sri Lanka will have to contend with Kagiso Rabada, who was South Africa’s best bowler on the second day but only got one wicket, and Dane Paterson, high on confidence after his first five-for and operating on a pitch suited to his style of play.”He [Paterson] reminds me of Vernon Philander. It’s really hard to score off him, and he’s just landing it on the spot consistently. So, yes, there’s a lot of hard work to put in, but yeah, we are willing to do that.”Sri Lanka also have fond memories of a successful chase at this venue. They hunted down 198 with eight wickets in hand five years ago. While that may sound like a doddle, Sri Lanka resumed the third day on 60 for 2 after 19 wickets fells on the second day.Kusal Mendis, who is in this team too, scored an unbeaten 84 off 110 balls to seal a series win. That can’t be done this time, but Sri Lanka could square the contest 1-all and keep themselves in the running for the WTC final.If they lose one of their three remaining Tests, including this one, in this cycle, they will be depending on several other results to go their way. Their last series of the cycle is against Australia at home early next year.

Ryan Higgins scores 88 and takes three-for as visitors crash to 134-run defeat

ECB Reporters Network15-Aug-2023Middlesex’s Martin Andersson hit a maiden career century to help his side register their first victory of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup by routing Notts Outlaws at Radlett.The 26-year-old allrounder, promoted to bat at No. 6, produced a knock of exactly 100 from 81 balls to put the Seaxes back on track alongside Ryan Higgins, whose 88 from 58 was also a career-best performance in 50-over cricket. The pair’s effort enabled Middlesex to post 365 all out after being put in – and that target proved far too steep for the Outlaws, who could only muster 231 from 40.1 overs in reply.Higgins and Ethan Bamber picked up three wickets apiece and the 134-run victory margin – Middlesex’s highest against Notts in limited-overs cricket – would have been greater but for a spirited eighth-wicket stand of 74 between Tom Loten and Calvin Harrison.Asked to bat first, Middlesex skipper Mark Stoneman set off at a brisk pace, driving Brett Hutton over the top for six and finding the boundary regularly as he dominated an opening stand of 40 with Joe Cracknell, reaching 35 from 27. However, Hutton had the last word, breaching Stoneman’s defences with a straight one and the Outlaws seamer also picked up the wicket of Sam Robson, who dragged a ball back onto his off stump.Cracknell targeted left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White immediately with two successful sweeps to the fence, but a third attempt proved his undoing as Dane Schadendorf took a tumbling bat-pad catch behind the stumps.When Jack Davies was caught at cover, the home side had slumped to 136 for 4 – but the decision to move Andersson up the order paid off as he and Higgins shared a partnership of 129 from 78.Higgins was productive against seam and spin alike, looking well set for a maiden 50-over hundred until he skied Lyndon James to mid-off, but Andersson took full advantage of being dropped when he sliced to deep third on 18.He progressed to his half-century with a boundary, punching Patterson-White off the back foot through cover and, aided by Luke Hollman (35 from 34) steered Middlesex beyond the 300 mark. On 90 at the start of the final over, Andersson carved James for successive fours and then scrambled two to reach his milestone before being caught on the fence next delivery as the Seaxes posted 365.In reply, Notts lost three wickets during the powerplay overs, with both openers falling to Bamber – yet the most eye-catching dismissal was Stoneman’s stunning one-handed catch at midwicket to intercept James’ full-blooded pull off Ishaan Kaushal.Outlaws captain Haseeb Hameed, who dispatched his first ball from Kaushal to the cover boundary, had begun to repair the damage when Bamber uprooted his middle stump to leave the visitors reeling at 60 for 4.Andersson was unlucky not to add his name to the list of wicket-takers when Patterson-White’s edge narrowly eluded John Simpson and, when Montgomery cut him to gully later in the same over, Higgins spilled the catch.Higgins made amends as he whizzed through the middle order with three quick wickets, including the scalp of Montgomery, who was caught at backward point for 40 – but Notts’ eighth-wicket pair thwarted any hopes of a swift finish. Loten struck a career-best 44 before Robson had him caught behind and the legspinner finished proceedings when Harrison, chasing a maiden half-century, was taken at long-off for 41.

Fighting performance in second innings keeps Surrey’s pacemakers at bay for now

David Hopps14-Jun-2022Somerset 180 and 319 for 8 (Gregory 71*, Goldsworthy 67) lead Surrey 382 (Burns 113, Jacks 88, Clark 63*) 117 runsSecond-innings resistance has hardly been Somerset’s forte this season – four previous attempts had brought an average return of 141 – so there was satisfaction to be had as they put up stiffer resistance than usual to take Surrey into a final day at Taunton. Not everybody expected such resolve and a few spectators will be regretting Wednesday morning commitments they made when pessimism was at its height on the second afternoon.Surrey should still complete victory on a surface that remains in good shape, their deficit only 117 runs at the close with two Somerset second-innings standing – and they may need to do just that to retain their leadership of Division One with their closest pursuers, Hampshire, well placed to see off Yorkshire on the final day at the Ageas.Somerset’s contentment focused primarily on Lewis Goldsworthy’s maiden Championship 50, an innings that in league with Lewis Gregory’s spritely unbeaten 71 staved off the possibility of a three-day defeat after the concession of a first-innings lead of 202. Gregory also finished off Surrey’s first innings with two wickets in the opening over of the day.Goldsworthy, a 21-year-old Cornishman, is the most unsung of Somerset’s array of young batters, and the most diminutive, too, standing around 5ft 6ins, but he could yet prove himself to be the most naturally suited to the four-day game. He is an impish player, particularly strong square on the off-side, although it was his favourite shot that brought about his downfall as he was caught at the wicket against the off spin of Will Jacks. He resisted gamely in the first innings, too, for more than two hours and looked deserving of an extended run even when the Australian Matt Renshaw returns at the top of the order and James Hildreth recovers from illness.Goldsworthy also became the fourth batter to be struck on the helmet in this match, top-edging Gus Atkinson on 20 when he tried to pull, and gaining a boundary in the process. It was another top-edged pull, against Jordan Clark, that delivered that all-important breakthrough fifty. The bouncer that sticks in the mind, however, was the first ball he received, from the enforcer-in-chief, Jamie Overton, a menacing, head-high delivery that he met with aplomb, flicking his head inside the line of the ball.Somerset’s opening frailties were again evident. Ben Green edged a good delivery from Dan Worrall to Ryan Patel at third slip, whilst Tom Lammonby showed signs of intent with a couple of pull shots before falling to the shot against Atkinson when he top-edged to backward point.Somerset’s prime need was to tame Jamie Overton, although he began a little ponderously, and Tom Abell helped himself to 12 runs from his first over of the day. Tom Banton, who has made serious attempts to establish himself as a Championship batter this season, with limited reward, was in better order in reaching 31, and deserved a better fate than to be strangled down the leg side as he glanced at Overton.A three-day defeat looked likely when Abell ran himself out for 45, risking a second to Atkinson’s throw from deep backward square. Steve Davies unveiled some characteristic flourishes square on the offside, but there were some play-and-misses, too, and when Jacks had him lbw on the sweep it left him with still only one half-century this season. There will be advocates of James Rew, an England U-19 batter/keeper, and fellow left-hander to be given an opportunity, although the disadvantage of that is that Somerset’s batting order is already short of senior personnel able to offer a phlegmatic perspective in difficult times.Roelof van der Merwe may feel slightly unfortunate to have fallen lbw to Atkinson, a marginal decision this, but Gregory grew into his innings on a beautiful Taunton evening. The most heartening sight for Somerset was probably when Overton yanked off his boot after delivering the final ball of the day, and trudged heavily from the field, but there was nothing to suggest that he won’t be fit and firing in the morning.

The Pakistan batting coach said he wished the new players were given “at least two to three series” to establish themselves

Umar Farooq20-Jan-2021Pakistan batting coach Younis Khan appealed for patience, warning people not to heap too much pressure on a young Pakistan squad ahead of the series against South Africa. He said a lot of people had over the years been picked in Test cricket for performances in other formats, but it was necessary to give this side time to adapt their game to the highest level.Pakistan named nine uncapped players in a 20-man squad for a two-match Test series against South Africa following a disastrous New Zealand tour, dropping several Test regulars – Shan Masood, Mohammad Abbas, Imam ul Haq, Haris Sohail and Naseem Shah. A dramatic overhaul saw white-ball specialists Haris Rauf and Abdullah Shafique making into the side alongside with a slew of players from domestic circuit. These included Kamran Ghulam, Salman Agha and Saud Shakeel, prolific run-scorers on the domestic circuit, as well as Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan and Tabish Khan, similarly successful in the wicket-taking department.Since January 2010, Pakistan have had handed Test debuts to 43 cricketers, but of those, only Azhar Ali (83), Asad Shafiq (77) and Sarfaraz Ahmed (48) have played more than 30 Test matches. Babar Azam, with 29 Tests, has showed enough promise to build a successful Test career, but several have faded away after a handful of games. While handing chances to new players hasn’t been an issue, Pakistan have continued to struggle to enable them to last the course once they are promoted to the Test side.”Ideally, a player should have lots of cricket behind them before being selected for the top national team,” Younis said. “When we talk about other players from successful teams, they come with an excess of 100 first-class matches, and we are missing out on this. We have so many players inducted into the team after playing T20I matches and ODIs so, in terms of Test cricket, it takes time to understand your role and transform your game accordingly from one format to another.”There is definitely a lack of cricket behind them when they are picked for the national side. We [Younis, Inzamam etc] used to play a lot of cricket from the top to grade 2 level and had more tough conditions overall. But these days it’s different, with a lot of players picked after one-off performances. But when they are selected too early, they are found out on the international stage, with a lot of weaknesses highlighted that are not apparent on the domestic level.”Pakistan have struggled to find their feet in Test cricket since rising to the top of the rankings in 2016. For much of the past four years, they have dropped back down to the lower half of the table, and currently sit in sixth place in the ICC Test rankings.Since 2016, when the first edition of the PSL took place, a number of players who rose to prominence in the T20 league have made it into the Test side, but Younis insisted he did not want to see the importance of the domestic first-class system erode. That was evident in the number of players plucked from first-class cricket for Pakistan’s series against South Africa, and Younis wanted to see these players get an extended run, confident they would make the grade.”International cricket is all about yourself, how you go about your skills, hone them, and evolve as a player,” Younis said when asked why so many Pakistan players couldn’t stay the course at the international arena. “I won’t say its technique and tactics but it’s more about focus. When I started, I used to play with different styles and techniques and in a few years’ time, I realised I had to stick with what was best for me to survive. So I’m there to help the players but not overwhelm them with too much input. They tend to make mistakes and there will be failures and that is how they will learn. They need to be given the freedom and we have to understand that young players need time and should be given time.”Coaches can identify the problem and tell the players the solution, but then at the end of the day, it all comes down to the players. They themselves have to take initiatives and work hard towards their goals.”I wish that the young lot of players we have selected for the South Africa series should be given at least two to three series. Because when you chop and change, it’s really tough not only for the players but for coaches. It happened in the past and I wish this doesn’t happen again and I get to work with the boys to make a difference. We don’t have to look for their performances right now and we have to show belief and trust in them.”

The 27-year-old medium pacer makes his first-class debut for Wellington after a switch from Auckland

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2019Tuesday was special for the Snedden family as Michael Snedden, the 27-year-old medium-fast bowler, became the latest from the family to play first-class cricket – he is the first fourth-generation cricketer in New Zealand’s first-class history.Michael follows in the footsteps of his father, 1980s New Zealand international Martin Snedden, grandfather Warwick Snedden, and great-grandfather Nessie Snedden to play first-class cricket.While Martin played 25 Tests and 93 ODIs between 1980 and 1990, Nessie captained the country in several representative matches against overseas sides, but his career finished before New Zealand were granted Test status.Overall, Michael is the sixth cricketer from the Snedden family to play first-class cricket, which also includes Nessie’s cousin Colin, who had a decade-long career with Auckland in the 1930s and 1940s, and Cyril, who played in 1920-21.Injuries to frontline seamers Hamish Bennett and Ollie Newton paved the way for Michael’s first-class debut for Wellington Firebirds in their second round Plunket Shield clash against Canterbury at Basin Reserve, which started on Tuesday.Michael spent his first day as a first-class cricketer in the dressing room as Wellington racked up 415 for 6 on the opening day of their second-round match against Canterbury.Michael made his List A debut for Auckland Aces during the Ford Trophy last year, but featured in just two matches that yielded three wickets. In his only innings with the bat, he made an unbeaten 18. He switched teams ahead of the 2019-20 season.Michael’s first taste of days’ cricket came in 2014, when he was picked for a tour game against the visiting Sri Lankans. It was a game in which he bowled only six overs before dislocating his shoulder. He was part of a strong New Zealand XI that played Sri Lanka again in a three-day game last year.