Durham beaten as Duckett, Clarke combine but hopes fade for hosts

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2022Nottinghamshire 184 for 6 (Duckett 53*, Clarke 51) beat Durham 183 for 8 by four wickets Nottinghamshire Outlaws’ last desperate hopes of a seventh successive T20 quarter-final berth finally vanished despite a comfortable victory over Durham Jets by four wickets in the Vitality Blast at Trent Bridge. Amongst other things, they needed a tie, no less, in Leicester to retain any hope but Leicester just refused to oblige.It was at least a rousing farewell for Dan Christian, their departing veteran captain who led the Outlaws to T20 glory in 2017 and 2020. He could revel in watching 51 from 30 balls for Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett’s unbeaten 53 from 34 that helped bring success at the gallop with three overs to spare.Christian’s fellow Australian and opposite number, Ashton Turner, threatened to upstage things earlier with a rapid 33 as Durham’s third wicket added 54 in five overs but Steven Mullaney removed him and two new batters in four balls as the Jets backfired.From 98 for five with 51 balls to come, Michael Jones, the opener, reached 41 until brilliantly caught on the mid-wicket rope by Mullaney off Jake Ball and Durham finished with 183 for eight, late-order hitting bringing 70 from the final six overs. It proved far from enough.The evening had started painfully when the opening delivery, from Ball, cut back to strike Graham Clark flush in the box, flooring him and causing a three-minute delay for treatment. Durham, already out of quarter-final contention, chose to bat but lost Clark, slicing his drive for 14, and Ollie Robinson, who skied a swipe to the keeper, as Ball conceded only four in the fifth over.But in the later charge, Brydon Carse, batting at No.7, was dropped off Ball when twelve before surging to 25 from 17 balls when becoming Lyndon James’s maiden T20 scalp, whilst Ned Eckersley finished unbeaten with 23 from a dozen balls. Andrew Tye hit two sixes in his not-out 13.Even by the second over of the reply, however, with Liam Trevaskis taken for 19, the target seeemed less than daunting. The left-arm spinner had revenge of sorts when Alex Hales top-edged a sweep to go for 26 but the Outlaws had struck as many sixes in the reply’s first 47 balls as the Jets managed in their entire innings.Clarke, who had creamed 53 with Hales in 26 balls for the first wicket on a typically good Nottingham pitch with short boundaries inviting mayhem, then added another 55 in 35 balls with Duckett.Eventually miscueing against a leg-break from the Australian, Nathan Sowter, Clarke gave way to Mullaney, another victim of spin when soon stumped by Robinson off Trevaskis next over. James arrived to send his third and fifth balls for six off Carse and at the end of an over that cost 16, only 46 were needed from the final 42 balls.James fell smiting for 20 but, maintaining the tempo, Tom Moores hit his first four balls for boundaries until magnificently caught by Sowter who took the ball jumping on the boundary, threw it up before crossing the rope then grasped it again back on the field. Dramatic, indeed. But not enough, even though Sol Budinger fell stumped with three needed.

New Zealand quick unavailable due to persistent Achilles injury

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2022Birmingham Phoenix have signed Ben Dwarshuis as an overseas player after Adam Milne was ruled out of the Hundred with an Achilles injury.Milne was one of Phoenix’s star performers as the reached the final of the first edition of the competition, finishing joint-top of the wicket-takers’ list, with 12, and the best economy (0.95 runs per ball) of any bowler.The fast bowler last played at the IPL in March, and he was unable to feature in New Zealand’s white-ball tour of Europe due to the same problem.Related

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Dwarshuis, the Australia left-armer who won his first cap in Pakistan earlier this year, has previously played county cricket for Worcestershire.He is due to arrive in the UK on Monday and will be available for the second half of the group stage, with Phoenix currently sitting on four points from three games.”We’re really pleased to be able to recruit such an experienced fast bowler in Ben,” Craig Flindall, Birmingham Phoenix general manager, said. “Naturally, we’re disappointed that Adam couldn’t feature for us this year, but Ben will add a left-arm option to our exciting group.”

“Let that [women’s IPL] announcement happen officially, and then I will decide,” she says of the future

S Sudarshanan23-Sep-20223:23

Goswami: 20 years, 350-plus wickets, countless memories

It was a press conference unlike any other in Indian women’s cricket. Jhulan Goswami, who is set to play her last international match on Saturday, had more than the usual handful of journalists there to meet her, virtually, of course. The questions ranged from her favourite memories and regrets to the big one: what next. And Goswami showed the patience of a fast bowler who has run in hard for 20 long years while tackling them.”For the last two years, I was thinking every series could be my last, especially with Covid-19 postponing cricket to 2021,” Goswami said. “I was going through a lot of injuries. I was taking it series by series. After the [2022 ODI] World Cup I thought maybe the tour to Sri Lanka would be my last. But during the World Cup, I got injured and I was not fit enough to tour Sri Lanka. This is the last ODI series before the T20 World Cup (in February 2023), and so I thought I will go to NCA [National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru], do a lot of rehab, and come to England for my last series.”Related

• Mithali Raj: 'Jhulan would spit fire even in the nets'

• Celebrating Jhulan Goswami, from Lord's to Eden Gardens

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• Archives: Fast train from  Chakdaha

Goswami was part of two 50-over World Cup finals – in 2005 and then in 2017, when India lost by a mere nine runs. The veteran fast bowler said not winning a World Cup was a regret but was hopeful of the current bunch of players going the distance.”If we would have won one of those [two World Cup finals], it would have been great for Team India and women’s cricket,” she said. “That is the ultimate goal for every athlete. When you put so much hard work, you prepare for four years and if you win the trophy, it is a dream come true. Unfortunately we played three finals including T20 [World Cup in 2020] but were not able to win the final. It has hurt feelings and that is one regret.”Goswami has been a constant feature despite the changing landscape of Indian women’s cricket, and will finish her two-decade-long career at Lord’s.She is not yet sure about playing the women’s IPL, which is expected to take place in March 2023.”Let that [women’s IPL] announcement happen officially, and then I will decide,” she said. “At this moment, I am ending my career from international cricket.”When I started, I never thought about playing for so long. Those days we used to represent WCAI (Women’s Cricket Association of India), and after 2006, we [have been] in the umbrella of BCCI. I used to undertake a two-and-a-half-hour one-way train journey from Chakdaha, train and go back home and then go back for practice the next day. [But the] best memory was when I represented India… getting my India cap from my captain [Anjum Chopra] and bowling the first over in my career. That was the most important moment in my life.”As a ball girl in the 1997 Women’s World Cup, I saw the final at Eden Gardens between Australia and New Zealand, and that day I dreamt that one day I might represent my country. That is how I started and put in a lot of efforts just to represent my country.”She made her international debut in Chennai in 2002 in an ODI against England, and her aim was to “just bowl fast”.”Nineteen-year-old Jhulan, when she was debuting in 2002 in Chennai, was absolutely raw,” she said. “She just wanted to bowl fast and wanted to take one wicket because she didn’t know if she would be able to continue or not. She didn’t know if her performance could be maintained or not. Her aim was to just represent India and bowl fast. That desire to bowl fast remained with me forever.”11:53

“Irreplaceable, role model, a once-in-a-generation player”

When Goswami was starting out, Indian women primarily played 50-overs cricket and four-day first-class cricket. However, with T20s being used as the vehicle to drive women’s cricket around the globe, days’ cricket gradually went out of the calendar. As a result, the way bowlers prepare now is vastly different from how she did.”As a bowler, cricket is changing day by day and there is more pressure on the bowlers because of the restrictions and how you prepare is the important thing,” Goswami said. “You have to be skillful and it requires effort from the player as well as team. You can’t decide you will play for next 10-12 years. You have to go season by season. You have to be fit, you have to be very strong to take the mental and physical pressure, and have to deliver in crunch situations. Now the girls are very professional and there are decent enough bowlers in this team. I am hopeful of the current bunch playing for a long time.”Goswami’s career had its share of injuries. She joked that she could have been better off had she been a batter.”Whenever I got injured, I realised I will be missing the series, [and some] matches [and] had to sit back and not participate,” she said. “But that is what a fast bowler is all about. You will get injured and that is when your character is required for you to come back every time you fall down. I felt then that it would have been better if I had not been a fast bowler. I wished then that I should have been a batter. I would not have had so many injuries.”With India having sealed the three-match ODI series against England – registering their first series win over the hosts in England since 1999 in the process – the stage is set for Goswami to have a grand exit. A good individual show will be the icing on the cake.

In-form opener sought return south for family reasons

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2022Somerset have announced the signing of top-order batter Sean Dickson from Durham. The 31-year-old joins on a three-year deal.Dickson, who was born in South Africa but holds a UK passport, has scored 824 runs at 54.93 in this season’s County Championship, with four centuries. He signed for Durham, initially on loan, from Kent in 2020 but recently informed the club that he wanted to return south for family reasons.”Sean has been an outstanding member on and off the field since joining the club two years ago,” Durham’s director of cricket, Marcus North, said. “Unfortunately for Durham, Sean has requested to leave so he can relocate to the south of England to be with his fiancé, his daughter Remi and family.”We thank him for his contribution and wish him success in the future at Somerset.”Dickson averaged 38.46 for Durham in first-class cricket, and 37.36 in List A as part of the side that reached the final of the 2021 Royal London Cup. His highest first-class score remains the 318 he made for Kent in 2017.Somerset’s director of cricket, Andy Hurry, said: “To secure a player of Sean’s quality is a coup for the club. He is a proven performer with the bat at this level and has strong aspirations to play on the very highest stage.”We have been looking to strengthen our batting at the top of the order and Sean fits that bill perfectly. He has started to establish himself as one of the more consistent openers within the English domestic game and will certainly add something to our dressing room.”Sean is a player that we’ve been monitoring for a while, and once we were aware of his availability it was paramount that we acted quickly.”Dickson added: “I’m delighted to be joining Somerset. They are a great club with a long tradition and I’m looking forward to getting started. I’ve admired how they go about playing the game from afar and it’s evident when playing against them that there is a genuine buzz about the place. I can’t wait to get started.”It’s an exciting challenge and I will be working hard to help the club win trophies. By doing that I will hopefully move myself closer to fulfilling my goals within the game over the next few years.”

The build-up was full of fitness concerns and off-field noise; now it’s time for a star-studded line-up to flex its muscle

Andrew McGlashan20-Oct-2022In many ways, Australia’s preparation for their T20 title defence has felt like a contradiction. In all probability the XI that takes the field at the SCG on Saturday (weather permitting) will be the one that has appeared likely for quite some time, with Tim David replacing Steven Smith from the last T20 World Cup.So while that projects a sense of a stability, there is a lot else that has been going on that would suggest a build-up that has been far from ideal. It has included managing injuries to key allrounders Mitchell Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, plus back-up bowlers Ashton Agar and Kane Richardson; a significant amount of travel, including a week-long trip to India; the debate around David Warner’s captaincy ban, which national selector George Bailey made no secret was becoming a frustratingly drawn-out affair, and the appointment of Pat Cummins as ODI captain along with the debate around one of Australia’s leading sponsors.Related

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Most recently an old golf club snapped in Josh Inglis’ hand on the second hole at the La Perouse course in Sydney, badly cutting the wicketkeeper and ruling him out of the tournament. In itself it is not the most damaging injury the squad could have been dealt on the eve of the tournament – Inglis would not have been in the starting XI – but it left an unwanted conversation about who should be the replacement and its implications (Warner as wicketkeeper, perhaps?). Inglis was also a very versatile batting understudy.On the field Australia would have been beaten 3-0 by England if it wasn’t for rain in Canberra, after which Aaron Finch made comments about fatigue in the squad after the lengthy build-up. A number of players have felt they have had matches they didn’t need, but then on the other hand there have been one or two lingering form questions, although Finch made timely runs against India at the Gabba.Mitchell Marsh looks at home at No. 3, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be fit to bowl against New Zealand•Getty Images

Glenn Maxwell remains the one who has yet to put in a significant contribution with the bat this season – although he, too, looked to be getting going against India – but he is being backed to come good when it really matters.”I think it looks a lot different on the inside than it does on the outside,” head coach Andrew McDonald said of the build-up. “We have a task at hand and that’s to get the players ready for the first game.”Probably the thing that’s consumed us the most has been injured players returning and you’ve seen in the lead-up that we’ve had to not take certain players to certain fixtures because of the risks of injury, so that’s been our big discussion to get the eleven players who will play that first game to the start line. The medical team has done a fantastic job. So we’ve had our own, probably internal, battles as opposed to what’s been happening on the outside.”The injury concerns over Marsh (ankle) and Stoinis (side) were the most critical to Australia’s build-up given their overs are vital to balance the side since it moved to seven batters and four bowlers. McDonald conceded losing one or both of the allrounders “was real” for a period of time over recent weeks, which led to their extended use of Cameron Green at the top of the order after his success in India, in turn leading to the unusual sight of Finch batting in the middle. In the end Green has found his way into the squad, but as Inglis’ replacement.Marsh may still not be right to bowl in the opening game against New Zealand and there are lingering concerns over Stoinis being able to back up in a tight schedule, particularly when travel is included – Australia, as hosts, play each group game at a different venue. In the balance of their side, Maxwell becomes as important for his bowling as his batting.Yet, despite all of that, if Australia can put their expected XI on the park, it looks very strong. David has brought more power and finishing ability to the middle order, Warner has played some sparkling innings leading into the tournament, Marsh still looks at home at No.3, Matthew Wade has had a prolific 12 months as a finisher, and it’s hard to pick holes in the four frontline bowlers with Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood particularly dominant in the format.Tim David’s finishing prowess will be put to test in the T20 World Cup•Getty Images

The big selection call has been to move Smith aside from the first-choice XI, although McDonald reiterated there could be a role for him during the tournament. While Smith has shed the ‘Mr Fix-It’ tag, there is still the question of how Australia respond if they are in early trouble against the new ball, but McDonald was confident others could do that role.”The term ‘hitters’, those players have a few extra layers than just being able to hit the ball over the ropes,” he said. “They do have some power but they do have some craft as well.”All this does not mention the opposition themselves on Saturday, the well-drilled New Zealand side who were the other finalists last year and have a terrific record in global events. However, there is a thought that they are side that has, perhaps, passed its peak while they have not beaten Australia in any format in their country since 2011. The hosts are probably not too disappointed to be starting against them.After a long build-up that has not all been smooth, it is what happens at the SCG that matters. The prospect of rain and a shortened game brings further jeopardy. No men’s team has yet to defend the T20 World Cup and there is very little room for a mistake.

The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284

Alex Malcolm22-Nov-2022Australia 5 for 355 (Head 152, Warner 106, Stone 4-85) beat England 142 (Roy 33, Zampa 4-31) by 221 runs (DLS method)Life after Aaron Finch is proving a breeze for Australia with new opening pair Travis Head and David Warner piling up twin hundreds in a record-breaking partnership to hammer a listless England in the final ODI at the MCG a secure a series whitewash.The pair put on a stand of 269 in 38.1 overs, falling just short of their own Australian record ODI partnership of 284, to underpin Australia’s imposing total of 355 for 5 after the innings was reduced to 48 overs due to rain. They broke a host of records including becoming the second duo in ODI history to post two 250-plus runs stands behind India pair Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly.Head continued his dominant year in ODI cricket scoring 152 from 130 balls, his second century and third overall, while Warner made 106 from 102 to post his first century for Australia in any format since January 2020, breaking a 68-innings drought. Head’s innings was even more extraordinary given he was fighting gastro, having struggled to take on food and fluids pre-game, and was unable to field.England are booked on a 6am flight out of Melbourne on Wednesday morning and played like they were already waiting for it as they slumped to their largest ODI defeat after winning the toss and electing to field. England’s intensity matched that of one of the smallest ODI crowds ever at the MCG of 10,406, on a miserable cold and wet Tuesday night in November, with the dead rubber resembling an Australian domestic one-day fixture. It was the lowest crowd at an MCG ODI since 1979. Two rain interruptions only dampened the mood further. All of England’s bowlers were collared at more than six runs per over. Olly Stone took four of the five wickets to fall but finished with the extraordinary figures of 4 for 85.Their chase was equally poor in pursuit of a DLS-adjusted target of 364, albeit they had the tougher of the batting conditions as the ball nipped and swung under lights. But it didn’t excuse a lack of intent from the top three and then a slew of poor shots from the middle-order as they folded to be bowled out for 142 in just 31.4 overs. Adam Zampa picked up 4 for 31 as all five Australian bowlers shared the wickets. The final margin of 222 runs surpassed England’s previous biggest loss of 219 runs. Australia could have ended the game sooner if they had not dropped four catches.Like Australia, England found some swing early on with the new balls on an overcast afternoon and Head enjoyed several slices of luck. He twice edged behind, flashing hard outside off stump, as one flew safely through a vacant third slip and the other escaped the grasp of Liam Dawson at second as he jumped high to his right. Head was also given out lbw onfield to Chris Woakes but had it overturned on review as it was pitching outside leg.From there Head found another gear, lashing England’s bowlers to all parts of the MCG on what turned into an excellent batting surface. Not even a brief rain delay could slow his momentum.The early swing subsided, and he feasted on the easy pace of England’s seam attack. He smashed 16 fours and four towering sixes, to reach his century off just 92 balls in the 27th over, celebrating by rocking his bat like a baby in acknowledgment of his recently born baby girl.David Warner had the chance to bring out the trademark leap•Getty Images

Warner was the silent partner for a large part of the partnership. He was on 62 when Head reached his century having barely taken a risk. He breezed to his 19th ODI century, punching a gift of a full toss from Stone wide of mid-off and celebrated with his trademark leap. It looked like a statement innings, moving to second on Australia’s all-time ODI centuries list just a day after he had vented his frustration at Cricket Australia for their handling of a review into his lifetime leadership ban.Australia were 217 for 0 at the second drinks break after 34 overs, having not struck a boundary in the previous five overs. Head and Warner then went into party mode smashing 52 from the next 24 balls as Head raced past 150. But both men holed out in the same Stone over to stall Australia’s momentum a touch. A second rain delay cut two overs off the innings and saw Marcus Stoinis fall attempting a wild swipe first ball after the break. But it allowed Mitch Marsh to come in and smash 30 off 16 balls to finish the innings.England never came close to chasing the adjusted target. Dawid Malan was caught behind cheaply while Jason Roy and James Vince opted to dig in rather than hit out as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins proved extremely challenging under lights. The pressure eventually built as most of England’s batters had one foot on the plane home. Jos Buttler’s wild swipe across the line fourth ball to be caught off a leading edge for just 1, just nine days after holding the T20 World Cup aloft on the same ground, summed up England’s mindset. The game could have ended sooner had Australia’s catching been sharper. Zampa dropped two, including one off his own bowling that cost him three wickets in an over. Steven Smith missed a very difficult diving catch at slip, and substitute fielder Mackenzie Harvey, who was on for most of England’s innings as Head had felt ill after his innings, spilled another challenging chance at deep backward square having held another earlier on.To make matters worse for England, Phil Salt was subbed out of the game with concussion after suffering a head knock and shoulder injury in a fruitless chase and dive to save a boundary. Salt had his left arm in a sling post-match but it is believed to be precautionary. Moeen Ali was subbed into the game having been rested after Buttler returned as captain.

“If we try to force the issue, it won’t work. We will leak runs. We have to get the new ball to swing a bit”

Mohammad Isam12-Dec-2022Taskin Ahmed reckons the Bangladesh bowlers will have to show patience on what is expected to be a flat batting surface at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, in Chattogram- the venue for the first Test against India.The pitch curator, Praveen Hinganikar, has left a bit of grass on all of the centre surfaces two days out from the Test, but as it was quite evident in the third ODI on Saturday, the batters should enjoy their time here. Fast bowlers can expect a long toil, but Taskin believes the only way forward would be to bowl with discipline.Related

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Taskin has been Bangladesh’s leading fast bowler over the last two years but has had injury concerns in recent times. He missed the first two ODIs against India due to a back injury, before returning with figures of 2 for 89 from his nine overs in the third outing as Ishan Kishan took the bowlers to the sword.The bowling average for seamers at Chattogram in Tests too is high, but Taskin believes it is up to the bowlers to make themselves “so skilful” so as to remove the type of surface out of the equation.”It’s the same everywhere: top of off [stump],” Taskin said on the lines fast bowlers should target in Chattogram. “If we try to force the issue, it won’t work in our favour. We will leak runs. They are good players, so we have to get the new ball to swing a bit. Maybe get reverse swing with the old ball. We have to try to break their patience. We have to bowl patiently and wait for their mistakes. It won’t be right to say that we want to blow them away.”Fast bowlers ideally want to bowl on green tops. Conditions are not in our hands. We have got slow and flat tracks in South Africa and New Zealand. We have to make ourselves so skilful that we can bowl well on all types of wickets. Great bowlers are also getting five-fors on flat tracks. We have to focus on our self-improvement rather than [look at] conditions.”Taskin Ahmed has been under an injury cloud lately•AFP/Getty Images

Taskin isn’t a sure starter for the first Test that gets underway on Wednesday. As he slowly works himself back to full fitness, he admits he isn’t entirely sure whether his workload build-up is up to the standard set by the team management.”The team management is concerned about my workload build-up. I have just returned from an injury, so I am working on increasing workload build-up, fitness and bowling load.”If I can fulfil the load before this game, they may think of playing me. If not, then I might not play this Test. I might be playing the second Test in that case. I have spoken to them about it. I am following my workload plan,” he said.While their ODI outfit is flourishing, Bangladesh have struggled in the Test format, having won just a solitary game this year in eight attempts. They have been on the losing side six times with one Test ending in a draw. They are yet to beat India in a Test match, and Taskin feels Bangladesh’s first attempt will be to take the game into the final day, and then hope for a positive finish.”Chattogram is a batting paradise in Bangladesh. It has never been easy for fast bowlers here. We are improving but we are yet to get favourable wickets. It is usually a batting track,” he said.”Test cricket is always challenging. We have won Tests by taking it to the fifth day, so here too, we have to take the game into the fifth day.”Bangladesh are likely to go into the first Test with two fast bowlers, a combination favoured by the team management at home. Still, Taskin, Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain have shown enough evidence that they can carry the bowling attack in most conditions. Taskin believes that Bangladesh’s fast-bowling unit has shown improvement in all three formats, with the focus being on better work ethic and desire.”As a pace bowling group, we are hungry for improvement. We are all in it together. Work ethic has improved. This is all we have in our hands. The management is with us, so if our desire remains, we can do better,” he said.