Tag Futebol

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.

Chris Woakes has emerged as a new fitness concern for England ahead of the fourth Test in Southampton

George Dobell28-Aug-20181:10

Bairstow ‘desperate’ to remain England’s wicketkeeper

Chris Woakes has joined Jonny Bairstow as a fitness concern for England ahead of the fourth Test in Southampton. Woakes, who was player of the match in the second Test at Lord’s, has experienced a recurrence of “tightness” in his right quad and missed training with the rest of the squad on Tuesday afternoon.While Woakes played down the severity of the problem and had a gentle bowl in the nets on the nursery ground at the Ageas Bowl, it is an injury that has recurred a few times over the last couple of years and kept him out of all England’s white-ball games earlier in the summer. As a result, the England management may take a cautious approach to his involvement.With Sam Curran, who did not play in the third Test in Nottingham, already with the squad, England have decided there is no need to call-up another bowler as cover at this stage. Jamie Porter, who is on standby, is scheduled to start a Championship match for Essex (against Hampshire) in Chelmsford on Wednesday morning. He can be called out of that game by England if required.Moeen Ali is also with the squad and could come into the side either as a second spinner – an option that has not been ruled out – or to replace Bairstow.Bairstow, meanwhile, returned to training for the first time since breaking a finger during the third Test in Nottingham. While he remains insistent he wants to play a full part in the game as batsman and keeper, he had a relatively brief session with the gloves in training. Instead Jos Buttler, who took the gloves at Trent Bridge and is already England’s limited-overs keeper, spent around 30 minutes practising his keeping. Bairstow batted in the nets as normal.Despite Bairstow’s reluctance to give up the gloves, having worked hard to improve his keeping hugely over the last couple of years, it seems likely the England management will decide to appoint Buttler as keeper for this game in order to reduce the chance that Bairstow’s injury could be worsened by another blow to the finger.It was also noticeable that during England’s catching practice Joe Root slotted in to second slip. Buttler has fielded at second slip recently, with Root at mid-off. Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings remained as first and third slips respectively.”The finger feels good,” Bairstow said ahead of training. “The swelling’s gone down and it’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be.”I want to play so if I’m not able to keep wicket I’d like to think I can play as a specialist batsman. I’m still desperate to try to keep my place as the keeper.”Jonny Bairstow was attempting to prove his fitness to keep wicket•Getty Images

It could also be that the England management’s desire to strengthen the batting sees Ollie Pope, who bats at No. 6 for Surrey but has batted at No. 4 in his two Tests to date, dropped down the order a place or two – although Bairstow didn’t seem especially enamoured with the prospect of being promoted.”I’ve not really batted higher than five for Yorkshire,” Bairstow said. “If you look at the stats they suggest I’m better if I keep wicket as well. I’d like to keep my spot as keeper because I like to think it’s gone well over the last 38 or 39 Tests since I’ve been keeping for England.”There are obviously conversations to be had but, at this moment in time, I was asked if I was comfortable batting at five and keeping and it’s been successful.”The England coaches were assisted by Michael Yardy, James Kirtley (both formerly of Sussex and England) and Michael Bates (the former Hampshire and Somerset keeper) on Tuesday afternoon. The surface for the Test looked surprisingly green, though locals expect it to settled down and prove pretty good for batting. Root, who has been a little short of runs in the series, arrived early to have an extra session in the nets.Training was also noticeable for the sight of Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, being asked for ID and threatened with ejection by an enthusiastic steward. Bransgrove, who has invested – lost, might be a more accurate term – more than £10m into Hampshire and the Ageas Bowl ground, eventually proved his identify by pointing out a mural on the wall of the pavilion (the pavilion that bears his name) showing him holding aloft a trophy.

For Australia this is a must-win game; for England, a victory would continue their winning momentum into the semi-finals, but their real incentive must surely be the chance to eliminate their oldest foe

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale 09-Jun-2017

Match facts

June 10, 2017
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)2:28

Fleming: England have the resources to finish off innings

Big picture

Which was the only undefeated team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup? It wasn’t Spain, for although they finished the tournament as champions, they lost a game to Switzerland in the group stage. No, the only side that went through the 2010 World Cup unbeaten was New Zealand, who drew all three of their group matches but failed to progress to the knockouts. It is a piece of trivia that pops up frequently in quizzes, but why is it relevant to the 2017 Champions Trophy? Because it is just possible that Australia could find themselves the answer to a similar question. If their final group match against England is washed out, and should England then fail to win the tournament, Australia would emulate the All Whites in 2010 in achieving an equally underwhelming exit.Such has been the frustration for Australia throughout this competition. Since they secured victory over Sri Lanka in a warm-up game at The Oval, Australia have had three games washed out: one further warm-up, and two matches in the tournament proper. Their third match, against England, is at Edgbaston, where not a single game has yet been played in this tournament without being affected by rain. The forecast for Saturday suggests rain in the morning and in the evening, which could allow enough time during daylight hours to complete a match – if the Met Office knows its stuff. Then again, if the past couple of days in the UK have proven anything, it is that the art of prediction is difficult, even for the experts.The scenario in Group A is simple. England are through to the semi-finals no matter what, and so too will Australia be if they beat England in this game. In the event of Australia losing or the game being washed out, Bangladesh will qualify alongside England. So for Australia this is a must-win game; for England, a victory would continue their winning momentum into the semi-finals, but their real incentive must surely be the chance to eliminate their oldest foe before they’ve even got started in the competition.

Form guide

England WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia LLWWW3:10

Fleming: Probably the right time to replace Jason Roy

In the spotlight

Who would you say is the leading ODI wicket taker of the past 12 months? Mitchell Starc? Kagiso Rabada? Nope. The answer is Liam Plunkett, the England fast bowler who is enjoying a career renaissance nearly 12 years after he made his debut for England. Plunkett is still only 32, with potentially several years of international cricket ahead of him, and in the one-day format he is peaking. Over the past year Plunkett has taken 43 ODI wickets, more than any other player (although Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan, currently in the West Indies, might have overtaken him by the time this game starts). And a pair of four-fors to start the Champions Trophy means Plunkett is in fine form heading towards the business end of the tournament.Despite the wet weather, most of the Australians who have been selected in the first two games have either had a chance to bat or a decent spell with the ball, or in the case of Matthew Wade, kept wicket for nearly 90 overs. The exception is Glenn Maxwell, whose entire contribution so far has been a solitary over that cost nine runs against Bangladesh. If Plunkett has experienced a career renaissance over the past year, Maxwell has found himself at something of a career crossroads in the same period, struggling to hold his place in Australia’s side and in one case even being dropped by Victoria. And yet in the same time he has struck maiden centuries in Test and T20 international cricket. Maxwell has curiously been overtaken by Travis Head in Australia’s spin-bowling plans of late, and thus will be desperately waiting for a chance with the bat to – again – prove his value.

Team news

England appear unlikely to make any changes, with struggling opener Jason Roy strongly backed to retain his position. Jake Ball, under scrutiny following an expensive outing against Bangladesh, bounced back superbly against New Zealand, stepping into Chris Woakes’ new-ball bowling boots to claim the Man of the Match award.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Jake Ball.Having not completed an innings so far in the tournament, Australia have had limited chance to assess their batsmen. Chris Lynn could be in contention for a call-up, but less clear is who would sit out to accommodate him.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Moises Henriques, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Travis Head, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Pitch and conditions

Big runs have been on offer at Edgbaston in this tournament, and this match should be no different. The pitch is new and will be good – it had been earmarked for Wednesday’s clash between Pakistan and South Africa but was too damp for use at the time – but there will also be rain in Birmingham on Saturday, the question is whether it will come at game time.

Stats and trivia

• Against Bangladesh, David Warner became the fastest Australian to 4000 ODI runs and the equal third among all-comers, behind Hashim Amla and Viv Richards
• Eoin Morgan in this match will move into equal second on the list of ODIs captained for England; this game will take him to 62, alongside Andrew Strauss, and behind only Alastair Cook (69)
• Australia could be forgiven for expecting the worst from this game: of their past six ODIs at Edgbaston (a period stretching back to 2005), five have been washed out.

Quotes

“Our motivation is purely on keeping momentum going and playing well. We think we’re still learning, still trying to be as good as we can be. Who we’re playing on Saturday is irrelevant. It’s case of us continuing to do well.”
Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, hopes his team can focus on performance rather than the identity of their opponents.“You can’t do much about it. You can’t control the weather, so for us it’s simple. We have to win the next game. That’s all we can do”

Marcus Stoinis made a fighting hundred but after two days in Alice Springs, Victoria had a mountain of work still ahead of them in their battle with New South Wales for a place in the Sheffield Shield final

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2016
ScorecardMarcus Stoinis scored the third century of his first-class career•Getty Images

Marcus Stoinis made a fighting hundred but after two days in Alice Springs, Victoria had a mountain of work still ahead of them in their battle with New South Wales for a place in the Sheffield Shield final. At stumps, the Bushrangers were 8 for 239 in reply to the 341 scored by the Blues, with Chris Tremain at the crease on 6 and Jon Holland yet to score.Victoria had been in early trouble at 2 for 4 but Stoinis, batting at first drop, steadied the innings in a series of partnerships that culminated in a 132-run stand with Daniel Christian. Stoinis scored his third first-class century and was eventually out for 107 – one of three wickets for Nathan Lyon – while Christian fell for 53.It was a busy day for Lyon, who began the morning unbeaten on 7 with New South Wales on 8 for 262. He took an aggressive approach to his tail-end innings and struck five sixes and seven fours on his way to 75 from 46 deliveries – the first half-century of his first-class career.

SLC have named the Sri Lanka A squad for the series against New Zealand A and the side includes Nuwan Pradeep, Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, among others

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013

New Zealand A’s schedule in Sri Lanka

1st 4-day match: September 17-20, Pallekele
2nd 4-day match: September 23-26, Dambulla
1st one-dayer: September 29, Pallekele
2nd one-dayer: October 1, Pallekele
3rd one-dayer: October 3, Dambulla

Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been named in Sri Lanka’s A team for the forthcoming series against the touring New Zealand A side. Pradeep, who last played for Sri Lanka in January this year, had been sidelined with a back injury he suffered in March. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva, batsmen Kusal Perera, Kithuruwan Vithanage and Angelo Perera, and slow bowlers Seekkuge Prasanna and Akila Dananjaya are among the other high-profile inclusions in the 22-man squad.Pradeep has played four Tests and two ODIs for Sri Lanka, his most recent game being the New Year Test against Australia. One of the fastest bowlers on the island, Pradeep’s career has been constantly plagued by injury and he missed the A team’s tour of West Indies after suffering an injury during Sri Lanka’s first-class season.Dimuth Karunaratne, who captained the side during that West Indies tour, has not been named in this squad, though he is part of Sri Lanka’s preliminary squad for the tour of Zimbabwe. Silva, Vithanage and Prasanna are the other Test cricketers in the squad, while Dananjaya, Angelo Perera and Mahela Udawatte have played limited-overs matches for Sri Lanka.Twenty-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who took 55 wickets at 19.56 in his debut first-class season, is also in the A squad. He was a part of the Test squad for the last two home series in Sri Lanka but was not given a chance. Kaushal was also omitted from the 27-man preliminary squad for the Zimbabwe tour.Sri Lanka A will play two four-day matches and three one-dayers against New Zealand A. The first-class matches will start on on September 17, and all five games on the tour will be split between Pallekele and Dambulla.Sri Lanka A: Kithuruwan Vithanage, Kusal Perera, Kaushal Silva, Udara Jayasundera, Shehan Jayasuriya, Mahela Udawatte, Ashan Priyanjan, Angelo Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sachithra Serasinghe, Niroshan Dickwella, Madura Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Nuwan Pradeep, Vimukthi Perera, Lahiru Jayaratne, Malinda Pushpakumara, Tharindu Kaushal, Chaturanga de Silva, Seekkuge Prasanna, Akila Dananjaya

The end came sooner than the clouds. West Indies began the day needing 71 with six wickets in hand, but there were no twists as the hosts knocked off the required runs in just over an hour and secured a 2-0 series win

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran05-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKemar Roach and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were involved in a half-century stand (file photo)•DigicelCricket.com/Brooks LaTouche Photography

Smart stats

• West Indies won two Tests in a series against a major Test team (excluding Zimbabwe and Bangladesh) for the first time since the 2-1 win against India at home in 2002.

• West Indies completed their first series win against New Zealand since the 1-0 win in 1995-96. West Indies had gone on to lose three of their past four series against New Zealand.

• There has not been a single draw in the last 12 matches in Jamaica. Only two other venues (Headingley and Melbourne) have a hundred-percent result record since 2000 (min 10 matches).

• For only the fifth time since 2000, West Indies completed a successful chase of a 200-plus target. Their highest chased in the same period is 418 against Australia in Antigua in 2003.

• Kemar Roach, who picked up four wickets in New Zealand’s first innings, made his highest Test score of 41. He went past his previous highest of 29 against Pakistan in 2011.

• The 70-run stand between Roach and Shivnarine Chanderpaul is West Indies’ best for the fifth wicket in the fourth innings against New Zealand and level fifth overall for the fifth wicket (fourth innings stands).

The end came sooner than the clouds. West Indies began the day needing 71 with six wickets in hand, but there were no twists as the hosts knocked off the required runs in just over an hour and secured a 2-0 series win, their first against a team other than Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in the last three years. There were fears that the tropical storm, Ernesto, would wash away the last two days of the Test, but much to the relief of the home side the players woke up to clear skies. Kemar Roach and Shivnarine Chanderpaul played contrasting knocks but extinguished any fears that West Indies could capitulate in the anxiety of pushing for that elusive series win.Roach, who came in as the nightwatchman, was the revelation, outscoring Chanderpaul with enterprising shots. West Indies had the edge by the end of the third day but given their propensity to collapse, a couple of early wickets would have redressed the balance. The aim would have been to dislodge Chanderpaul early, but New Zealand found Roach a handful. His plan was to be positive and he wasn’t afraid to drive on the up. New Zealand, expectedly, set attacking fields but he managed to find the gaps.Roach got the chase rolling with a fierce straight drive off Tim Southee, and later in the over smacked a short one over point. Roach’s aggression took the pressure off Chanderpaul, who dropped anchor at the other end and didn’t give the bowlers an inch. Roach rubbed it in further by slapping a short delivery from Neil Wagner past cover to bring up the fifty stand. The writing was on the wall for New Zealand.Roach missed out on a half-century, though, when he drove hard at Kane Williamson and got a thick outside edge to point. When he departed, West Indies were just 23 away from victory. Narsingh Deonarine, who gave New Zealand headaches with his off spin, unleashed a couple of boundaries to take West Indies closer just as the clouds started to appear. The final honours went to Chanderpaul, who dabbed Williamson to third man to bring up West Indies’ first series win against New Zealand since 1996, and their first clean sweep since the 2002 series in Bangladesh.New Zealand, though, failed to give their outgoing coach John Wright a winning farewell. Defeat rounded off a difficult tour, in which they lost the T20s 2-0 and the one-dayers 4-1. They won’t have much time to rectify those errors, with the tour of India coming up in a few weeks.

Eight months after wondering whether or not his career might be over, Ryan Harris is ready to press his Test claims for Australia

Daniel Brettig23-Aug-2011Eight months on from surgery and wondering whether or not his career might be over, Ryan Harris is ready to press his claims as a senior member of Australia’s Test bowling attack in Sri Lanka. Though he had been primarily concerned about the longevity of a battered knee, it was a fractured left ankle that ended Harris’ Ashes summer in the fourth Test at the MCG, following a nine-wicket haul at the WACA that demonstrated his value.Since returning to cricket via the IPL, 31-year-old Harris has been earmarked as a Test match bowler, and was not selected for the Twenty20 or limited-overs legs of the Sri Lanka tour. He has been able to prepare with longer spells in mind, an approach advocated for Australian fast bowlers in the Argus review.”I’ve bowled a fair bit in the nets over the last four to five weeks, probably 40 to 50 overs a week,” Harris said after Australia’s training session at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. “It’s been good to know I was in the mix for selection, so I could prepare for it.”Michael Clarke, Australia’s captain, has a bevy of bowlers he will want to play in the three-day tour match against a Sri Lankan board president’s XI from Thursday, and Harris is in need of some match practice to build up ideal rhythm for the first Test in Galle that begins on August 31.”Personally I haven’t played any longer forms of cricket since I broke my ankle, so if I play [the tour game], I just want to get out there and get a few longer spells under my belt.”I’ve played a lot of Twenty20 cricket in the last three or four months, so I’m just looking at it as a good opportunity to get out and get more fit, and hopefully do enough to secure a spot [in the Test XI]. But I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself by saying it’s an audition.”The pain of the MCG injury was compounded by the doubts that followed it, as, not for the first time, Harris wondered if his journey from the fringes of the South Australian state team to Test cricket via Queensland had reached an abrupt end.”[It was] very frustrating, doing that in Melbourne and having surgery virtually the next day,” Harris said. “I spent the next few days laid up, thinking about whether or not I’d get back. The negative thoughts go straight to your mind, but I always thought deep down I’d get back. It just took a lot of hard work and patience.”At times, when I felt I was ready the physio just held me back and the bonus is where I am now, rather than rushing it and getting injured again. The first few outings definitely [you worry about an injury relapse]. I probably came in a week early for the IPL – I really wanted to get over there and use it as a launching pad. I went there with a bit of tenderness where the surgery was, not so much the break. I was told by the physios that it would just be a bit of stiffness and scar tissue. I got through that period and the pain went away.”Harris has also been pleasantly surprised about the strength of his problem knee, which has clearly benefited from the rest a broken ankle necessitated. “My knee is surprising me every day – it has not blown up the day after a big session and it’s not sore. How that’s working I’m not sure, but let’s hope it stays that way.”It had a good rest [because of the ankle injury], but I’d rather be resting in four or five years’ time when I’m retired – I don’t want to be missing too much more cricket.”