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Kane Williamson savoured the “unique” experience of scoring a Test hundred at Lord’s but admitted he could not really soak up the generous applause he received when eventually dismissed for 132

Andrew McGlashan23-May-20151:26

Williamson praise for Gillespie

Kane Williamson savoured the “unique” experience of scoring a Test hundred at Lord’s but admitted he could not really soak up the generous applause he received when eventually dismissed for 132 because he was feeling “brassed off” at not being able to extend his innings.Williamson was 92 overnight and quickly moved to his hundred in the second over of the day but from there on, as the cloud cover rolled in, life became much tougher. He had built an important 50-run stand with BJ Watling, after England had struck either side of a rain delay at lunch, when he feathered a catch to leg slip against Moeen Al having weathered some testing overs from the quicks.”I was a bit brassed off to be honest,” he said. “It’s so unqiue how you walk through so many different people – it’s very different to anywhere else. Coming off I was pretty frustrated to get out at that time after such a tough period where England bowled extremely well under cloud cover.”Overnight, knowing you are really close to three figures and the much spoken-about honours board, it plays your mind a little but to be honest was just trying to put that to the back and get on with the job at hand. It was nice to cross the line, with all the history here at Lord’s and there a lot of great names on the honours board.”Much had been made of the lack of preparation Williamson had heading into the series after an IPL stint largely sat on the bench. He had batted just twice since the World Cup final – and his last innings was on April 13 – but on the second day he progressed so serenely that it was as though he had never been away from Test cricket: his last five-day innings was the small matter of 242 not out against Sri Lanka.In Williamson’s favour was the fact he has played county cricket for Yorkshire and in the Test here two years ago made 60 in the first innings of a bowler-dominated match.”Towards the end of the IPL when I wasn’t looking like playing my focus was very much to prepare for Test cricket as it was so soon,” he said “I was able to prepare although it would have been nice to have the odd warm-up game, but I could draw on experience I’ve had here before. The most important thing is actually the mental transition and not letting little things disturb you.”

Harry Pilling, the former Lancashire batsman, has died at the age of 69. A right hander, he played for the county from 1962 to 1980

Martin Williamson24-Sep-2012Harry Pilling, the former Lancashire batsman, has died at the age of 69. A right hander, he played for the county from 1962 to 1980 and was a key member of the side which dominated domestic one-day cricket in the first half of the 1970s.Standing at 5ft 3in, Pilling never took a backward step and one of his more famous innings came in the 1970 Gillette Cup final at Lord’s when he struck an unbeaten 70 to guide Lancashire home against Sussex.Pilling’s lack of height was inevitably what headline writers concentrated on – and perhaps accounted for him never being selected by England when far inferior batsmen were – but it underplayed his bravery and ability. Given his lack of reach he was not a great driver, but his ability to nudge and nurdle made him well suited to the limited-overs format which started around the same time as he did. He was, unsurprisingly, unfazed by short-pitched bowling.At the start of his career he was an offspinner but he soon graduated into a specialist No. 3, passing 1000 runs in a season for the first of eight times in 1965. Although he went on to make 25 hundreds he never passed 150, and despite his early potential as a bowler he took just one first-class wicket.But one-day cricket was his forte. In 1970 he was the first player to pass 1000 runs in the fledgling John Player League, and after his success in that year’s Gillette Cup final he was in the side that retained the trophy in 1971 and 1972.In first-class cricket, Pilling made 15,279 runs at 32.23 in his 333 matches. Off season, as David Frith recalled, saw him make ends meet in a wide variety of ways. “For a while [he] had been a coffin salesman. His … earnings over the years came from an extraordinary variety of means: apprentice butcher, toolmaker, coalman, general labourer, lorry driver, and ‘an umbrella-handle putter-onner’.””He should have played for England,” former Lancashire team-mate Farokh Engineer told the Manchester Evening News. “He was a really good cricketer, but more than that he was a good team man and a real character. He was one of the first people I met when I arrived at Lancashire from India and he greeted me with a traditional ‘alreet lad!’ I will never forget it, I didn’t have a clue what he was saying..”We used to call him Mr Reliable in the dressing room because we knew that whatever happened at one end, he would be at the other steadily going along making runs, whatever the wicket.”Former Lancashire captain Jack Simmons, who went into business with Pilling after they had retired, told the newspaper that “he could just bat and bat … and he would guarantee you 1,000 almost every year. When he was in nick, which was most of the time, he never went in the nets he just used to put bat on ball. But if at any stage he was struggling, he would be the first in the nets and the last one out.”But the greatest thing was that wherever I went in the world, whether it be in England, Australia or the West Indies, people always asked me how ‘Little Harry’ was.”Lancashire’s outgoing chief executive Jim Cumbes said: “We are greatly saddened to hear about Harry’s passing. He was a stalwart of the Lancashire side in the 1960s and 1970s and was a key member of the successful one-day teams from that era.”

A dominant performance by the Warriors helped them win their second match in three days, this one a composed and clinical victory over South Australia

The Report by Firdose Moonda25-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details JJ Smuts made an aggressive 88 to lay the foundation for Warriors’ win•AFP

A dominant performance by the Warriors helped them win their second match in three days, this one a composed and clinical victory over South Australia. JJ Smuts’ smashing 88 propelled them to an imposing total that proved too much for South Australia to chase. Smuts batted for all but seven balls of the innings and shared in two meaty partnerships, with Colin Ingram and Mark Boucher, that formed the foundations of their innings. The Warriors bowlers had plenty of runs to play with and, unlike their opponents, made good use of variation on a slow, dry pitch to frustrate the South Australia batsmen.South Australia had early success when Ashwell Prince was bowled by the pacy Shaun Tait in the second over. But they were unable to build on that, as Smuts and Colin Ingram hit top gear in the Powerplay. Smuts dispatched Adil Rashid, who opened the bowling, and showed no fear in taking on Tait, regardless of whether he bowled full or short. Ingram swept impressively, particularly against Nathan Lyon, and the pair raced to 59 from six overs.Lyon and Aaron O’Brien gave away only one boundary from the next two overs, but it was when Harris came on that the runs dried up. He bowled a good wicket-to-wicket line and frustrated Ingram, who tried to take him on at the start of the 11th over. The South African latched onto a short ball but didn’t have enough on it to carry cow corner and was caught.With Smuts tiring and Boucher battling to find his feet upfront, Christian and O’Brien pulled the run-rate down to under eight an over. Smuts continued to punish the short balls and Boucher finally got going with a lofted shot over O’Brien’s head that went for four.Tait’s inconsistency allowed both Smuts and Boucher to ready themselves for an innings-ending burst. Smuts dealt with his full deliveries in smashing style and Tait bowled a no-ball, sprayed five wides down the leg-side and battled to get the yorker right consistently. It was into Tait’s hands that Smuts eventually fell though. He looked well placed to get a century, but was dismissed trying to play an innovative scoop over short fine leg off Harris. Christian took two wickets in the final over to stop the Warriors from exploding at the end.Against a dynamic attack, South Australia never really looked in the chase. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was able to get a hint of movement and angled the ball across the right-hander. Daniel Harris was uncomfortable with the angle and when he tried to bash one through the covers, got a nick and was caught behind. Tsotsobe’s accuracy earned him a second wicket, that of Tom Cooper, who fed a simple catch back to him.Rusty Theron was at his best, mixing up the yorkers and slower balls with ease. He was rewarded when Callum Ferguson failed to read the change of pace and hit a slower ball straight to Ingram on the edge of the circle. With South Australia falling far behind the required run-rate, the captain Michael Klinger decided to take the on the spinners. He smacked Nicky Boje over long on but was trapped lbw by a sharply turning Johan Botha delivery.Cameron Borgas looked to do the same thing and cracked Smuts for a four and a six, before holing out to long-on, where Tsotsobe took the catch. Wayne Parnell was only introduced in the 11th over and continued in the same vein as his colleagues, making good use of the short ball. In his second spell, he started with a good length ball and bowled Tim Ludeman. Christian hung on until the end but was unable to pull off the spectacular as Parnell and Botha wound the match down and the Warriors completed a comfortable win.

There have been only two inconsequential games in this Champions League. Central Districts and Wayamba, two teams that have already been knocked out, clash at Port Elizabeth in the second such match.

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit21-Sep-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, September 22
Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)

Big Picture

Jamie How has almost single-handedly carried the Central Districts batting•AFP

How competitive this year’s tournament has been can be gauged from the fact that it has taken the last league fixture in each group to decide the semi-finalists. That has resulted in very few inconsequential games, in fact, only two. Central Districts and Wayamba, both of whom have already been knocked out, clash at Port Elizabeth in the second such match.Of the three sides that have lost all their games to this point, Central Districts have been the most impressive, but a lack of depth has hurt them. Jamie How, the captain, has been inspirational, being dismissed once in three innings for his 178 runs. However, he has lacked support, with Kieran Noema-Barnett’s 66 runs coming a distant second-best. All the bowlers have leaked runs, which has meant that when the batsmen have put up competitive scores, like they did against Victoria and Warriors, the chasing side has been under no pressure.Wayamba’s struggles have been well documented. The insipid manner in which they have played their cricket has given some the feeling they are in South Africa only to make up the numbers. A squad that boasts of eleven players with international experience had no business losing three consecutive matches without putting up a semblance of a fight. They will start as underdogs in this battle to avoid the wooden spoon in Group A.

Team news

Doug Bracewell was smashed all around the ground by the Warriors. Left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan could get a game in his place. Peter Ingram, meanwhile, has made six runs in three innings. Will How persist with his opening partner?
Central Districts: (possible) 1 Peter Ingram, 2 Jamie How (capt), 3 Brad Patton, 4 Mathew Sinclair, 5 George Worker, 6 Kieran Noema-Barnett, 7 Brendon Diamanti, 8 Bevan Griggs/Tim Weston (wk), 9 Doug Bracewell/ Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Adam Milne, 11 Michael MasonFarveez Maharoof, if he has recovered from injury, should replace Chanaka Welegedera who has gone for almost eleven runs an over in the tournament.Wayamba: (possible) 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Jeevantha Kulatunga, 3 Mahela Udawatte, 4 Jehan Mubarak (capt), 5 Kushal Perera (wk), 6 Shalika Karunanayake, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha Mendis

Watch out for …

Mahela Jayawardene was Wayamba’s highest run-scorer in the Sri Lankan domestic Twenty20 event. He will fancy his chances against Central Districts’ weak bowling attack, after showing glimpses of his silken touch against Victoria.
Jamie How has been another one of the successful batsmen-captains in the tournament and will be crucial to his team’s fortunes again.

Key contests

Wayamba spinners v Central Districts batsmen: Both Victoria and Warriors struggled to score against Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, and it will be interesting to see how the New Zealand batsmen tackle them.

Stats and trivia

• Doug Bracewell’s return of 1 for 54 off 3.1 overs against Warriors is the most expensive in this Champions League.
• Five Wayamba batsmen were out without scoring against Victoria. Only Kenya and Zimbabwe have managed more ducks in a T20 innings.

Quotes

“We had two good warm-up games. Ever since then we haven’t been able to string two or three decent partnerships with the bat which is vital in T20 cricket.”

Abbas’ sensational six-wicket haul was not enough to deny the hosts, with Rabada and Jansen sealing the victory

Firdose Moonda29-Dec-2024South Africa have qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final after beating Pakistan by two wickets in a high-drama encounter at SuperSport Park. Set a modest but challenging target of 148 to win, they were 99 for 8 just before lunch and it was left to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen to score the remaining 51 runs in a tense ninth-wicket stand against a Pakistan attack with their tails up.Mohammad Abbas, on a comeback from a three-year absence from the Test side, bowled a marathon 19.3 overs spell from the Hennops River End and took a career best 6 for 54 but could not end Pakistan’s lean run in South Africa. This is the eighth successive Test they have lost in the country, dating back to 2007.Pakistan gave themselves every chance by running through South Africa’s middle order on a morning of mayhem, where South Africa lost 5 for 37, including four wickets for three runs in 12 balls, which put the onus on the bowlers to finish the job.Related

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Jansen and Rabada are both capable with the bat but with the pressure turned up fully, every ball was an event, from the second one Rabada faced, that he hit up and over point for four, to the final one, steered delicately by Jansen through point to secure the winning runs.Those strokes are also screenshots of the way the pair approached the chase: Rabada backed himself to play his strokes while Jansen was more conservative and happy to wait for scoring opportunities.Between them, they offered only once chance, when Rabada, on 12, fished outside off and edged but the chance fell short of Mohammad Rizwan. That came post-lunch, the break South Africa went into needing 32 to win.By the time Abbas found Rabada’s edge, they needed 28. Rabada went on to score five boundaries in his 31, the third-highest score by a batter at No.10 or lower in a successful chase.A normally nervous character, Jansen, who spoke about his game plan on the third evening, was solid in defence and then struck two of the sweetest fours of his career, first when he got on top of the bounce from Abbas and then to seal a famous win.While Rabada and Jansen held their arms up in celebration on the field, South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma and coach Shukri Conrad embraced in the changeroom. The pair came together at the end of the last WTC cycle to lead South Africa through this one. Mission accomplished.Mohammad Abbas ran through South Africa in the morning session•Gallo Images

Bavuma would have also been a relieved man after he worked his way to 40 and then walked when he did not hit the ball. He was given out off what seemed to be the inside-edge and walked. Replays showed the ball had brushed a part of his clothing and, with all three reviews available, South Africa could have asked for a second opinion.Instead, Bavuma, who had received treatment on his elbow shortly before that, left the middle order to finish the job.This is the second time Bavuma has walked at SuperSport Park – in 2020 against Sri Lanka, he was on 71 when he thought he had under-edged Dasun Shanaka and left the field before the umpire had raised the finger. This time, Alex Wharf had given Bavuma out but he chose not to review to the surprise of the South African changeroom. His dismissal triggered the collapse that left the tail at the crease.Kyle Verreynne could not get behind the line of a Naseem Shah delivery and chopped it onto his stumps. In the next over David Bedingham chased an Abbas ball and was caught behind, and Corbin Bosch did almost exactly the same thing to give Abbas his sixth wicket and South Africa had crumbled from a position that felt comfortable: 96 for 4 after teetering precariously on 27 for 3 overnight.Bavuma got the first runs of the morning, and his first runs, off the fifth ball, off a Abbas half-volley that he clipped through square leg. Abbas adjusted to back of a length and in his next over, thought he had found Bavuma’s edge. Rizwan indicated the ball had brushed Bavuma’s thigh but Shah Masood reviewed anyway. Rizwan was proved right and Bavuma, on 5, could continue.Aiden Markram looked slightly more in control but got a streaky boundary off the edge before Bavuma creamed Khurram Shahzad through mid-on to leave South Africa with 100 runs to get.Off the next ball, Bavuma, on 13, was given out lbw to Shahzad but reviewed immediately. Replays showed an inside edge and Bavuma survived again.South Africa scored just three runs off the next 27 balls before Bavuma released the pressure with a hook shot off Abbas that Naseem thought he could get under. Naseem got hands under the ball but the momentum carried him over the boundary rope and not only did Bavuma get away with the shot he has fallen to several times this season but he got six for it.Temba Bavuma pulls away a short one•AFP/Getty Images

To add insult to injury, Markram smashed the second ball of Naseem’s next over over extra cover for four. Fourteen dot balls followed before a Markram single took South Africa to the first drinks break with no damage done and 35 runs scored in the first hour.Three balls after the interval, Markram was bowled by an Abbas delivery that kept low as he tried to jam his bat down and keep it out. That ended a 43-run fourth-wicket stand between Bavuma and Markram and brought Bedingham, who has a top score of 35 this summer, to the crease.He started with a wristy flick for four before Bavuma reeled off an exquisite cover drive but the eye-catching shots were followed by risky ones.Bavuma could not resist another hook, despite not being able to extend his elbow fully, but the chance fell safely. He went on to advance on Shahzad, brought back to replace Naseem, and hit over the covers but could never get comfortable.Two balls later, Shahzad thought he found his outside edge but Rizwan saw it was pad and Masood listened. Bavuma faced eight more balls before he required treatment on his right elbow – the left was injured before this season – but continued. In the next over, he drove expansively and loosely against Abbas and walked but his team-mates had enough in the tank to guarantee South Africa’s place at Lord’s next year and take a 1-0 series lead. South Africa will play one more Test in this cycle, against Pakistan, at Newlands next week.

Revamp of central contracts system comes as part of bid to prevent talent drain to global T20 franchise circuit

Vithushan Ehantharajah22-Sep-2023The ECB has offered unprecedented three-year contracts in a bid to quell the threat of franchise teams co-opting England’s best and brightest cricketers.The deals are a revamp of the pre-existing central contract structure which solely featured year-long deals, and come at a time when IPL ownership has spread into other T20 competitions around the world, allowing franchises to recruit players solely for their purposes all year round.It is understood 26 contracts have been offered, an increase from the 18 full and six incremental contracts handed out last October. Of the 26, around 20 are multi-year deals, with a group of top players including Ben Stokes, Harry Brook and Mark Wood in receipt of three-year packages.Jonny Bairstow is understood to be one of the majority offered two-year contracts. Single-year offers are on the table for those not featuring on the franchise circuit, such as Jack Leach, and others at the back end of their careers, like James Anderson, who recently turned 41.It is perhaps with regard to fast bowlers that the protection of assets is most evident. Young quicks like Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, who made their international debuts this summer, are expected to sign multi-year contracts. Similarly, Jofra Archer, 28, could be in line for a three-year deal having reportedly been subject of much interest from Mumbai Indians looking to recruit him full time. Archer played for MI Cape Town in the SA20 at the start of the year ahead of his IPL season with Mumbai, which ended prematurely through injury.England’s players will now decide whether to accept the contracts. While the basic remuneration has been agreed upon, those offered multiple years may request 12-month deals to give themselves greater flexibility.These contracts, which will come into effect from the start of October, represent a significant step forward for the ECB after a month of back and forth with the England team. There will inevitably be kinks to iron out and disgruntled players who have narrowly missed out on the initial batch. But by and large, the situation is regarded as more beneficial, particularly for those who go on to sign lengthier contracts.”It’s certainly not negative, it kind of gives you a bit of security,” Ben Duckett, who is understood to have been offered a two-year contract, said ahead of England’s second ODI against Ireland. “I think it’s great that they’re offering these contracts.”The security of players wanting to keep playing for England is perfect. For me the main thing is walking out and representing my country, it’s not really a contract but that’s a bonus.”The number and size of the respective contracts are possible through an additional £3.4million added by the ECB to the collective pot, with the split among the 26 players decided by a performance rating points system. The system awards points relating to all three formats, ranging from whether a player is likely to feature in Test and white-ball squads to “recognition of extraordinary performance” in the previous 12-month cycle. These will be re-assessed annually.Finer points are still to be ironed out, notably insurance pay for injury and other such clauses.

“It should go the football way… Bilateral tournaments – no one remembers,” says former India coach

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2022The IPL media and broadcasting rights for the next five-year cycle are going to go up for sale in June, and the value of the property is expected to increase massively. Could the IPL then become even bigger, with more matches and more matchdays? It’s not inconceivable. But that means the possibility of the international calendar being even more squeezed. So what, asks Ravi Shastri. Bilateral T20 series should go off the table, he says, and international T20s should only be played at World Cups.”Yes, absolutely, there’s too much of bilateral stuff going on in T20 cricket,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s Runorder programme. “I’ve said that [before], even when I was the coach of India, I could see it happening in front of my eyes. It should go the football way, where, in T20 cricket, you just play the World Cup. Bilateral tournaments – no one remembers.Related

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“I don’t remember a single game in the last six-seven years as coach of India, barring the World Cup. A team wins the World Cup, they will remember it. Unfortunately, we didn’t, so I don’t remember that either. Where I am coming from is: you play franchise cricket around the globe; each country is allowed to have their franchise cricket, which is their domestic cricket, and then, every two years, you come and play a World Cup.”The discussion was on the future of the IPL at the end of the 2022 season on Sunday night. It featured ten teams and 74 matches, spread over 65 days. Speaking on the programme, Daniel Vettori, Ian Bishop and Aakash Chopra agreed that the IPL was likely to get bigger. Could it have two windows every year, of two months each? Why not? Could it become a six-month league along the lines of some other sports leagues around the world? Maybe. Could it render bilateral T20 cricket redundant? Possibly.As it stands, some international cricket is played during the IPL every year, but there is almost always a tussle between the boards involved in these series and their players who have IPL deals. Compromises are usually arrived at, not always to the satisfaction of the players or the boards, or the IPL franchises whose plans are formulated around their entire bank of players.”I actually foresee there might be two editions of the IPL in every calendar year,” Chopra said. “And that’s not too far away.””That’s the future,” agreed Shastri. “It could be tomorrow – 140 games, split 70-70. In two seasons. You never know. That’s the way it’s going to go. That’s the way it’s developed as a beast of a property. And you cannot hide away from that.”You might think that’s overdose, but nothing is overdose in India. I have been sitting outside the bubble, I have been watching people, how they have seen, how they have reviewed these last few months, especially [after coming] out of Covid. And they are loving every bit of it, and they are almost having withdrawal symptoms.”Bishop and Vettori concurred. “It could well happen,” Bishop said. “You talk about American sport – I know Dan watches his baseball, I watch a lot of NBA basketball, and each team plays 70-odd games a season. There’s the All-Star break in between where they get a week off, but it is really stretched.”On the subject of player availability and that of support staffers, who often sign up for other gigs for the non-IPL part of the year, Vettori felt, “That can easily be sorted with remuneration and another window being carved out, which the BCCI has the power to do.”

Dunk has not ruled out returning to the BBL but may prioritise overseas competitions to fit around family life

Matt Roller27-Jan-2021Ben Dunk has pinpointed Christmas Day as the moment when he realised that he wanted to terminate his contract with Melbourne Stars after three-and-a-half seasons at the club.Dunk signed a five-year deal with the Stars ahead of the 2017-18 Big Bash having led the tournament’s run charts the previous season, but performed a long way below expectations during his time at the club. In 39 innings for the Stars across four seasons, he made 621 runs at an average of 16.34 and a strike rate of 115.34, regularly moving up and down the order as they desperately tried to help him replicate the form he had shown in the Pakistan Super League and the Mzansi Super League.This season, he made 69 runs in six matches – including two as an X-factor sub – and after spending Christmas away from his family in the tournament’s hub on the Gold Coast, Dunk and the Stars came to a mutual agreement to terminate his contract midway through the season.The termination allowed him to fly to the UAE to take up his contract with the Qalandars in the Abu Dhabi T10 League. He finished his quarantine period at the start of the week, and trained with his new team-mates for the first time on Tuesday night ahead of their first fixture on Friday.Related

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At a media briefing which coincided with the Stars’ elimination from the competition – he had listened to the first innings on the radio after struggling to find TV coverage – Dunk admitted that he had struggled to come to terms with his lack of role security at the club.”My position at the Stars was not secured in the team,” he said. “With the rule changes, I’d been the X-factor player quite a bit – so I was playing some games, some not, keeping wicket in some games, some not. As players, we live for gamedays, and time away from home when you’re not playing was proving difficult.”I’ve got two young children at home, so Christmas time is really important to me. It really hit home this year when I was in the hub on the Gold Coast and my family were back in Hobart on Christmas Day. I’ve got a little boy who turns four in February and understands what Christmas is and gets really excited. That made the decision a little bit easier, in terms of trying to free up time to be with family.”And while Dunk insisted that he had no plans to retire from the BBL, he conceded that the uncertainty over the cricket calendar on account of the pandemic and his reluctance to miss another family Christmas meant that he may not make himself available for the full season if approached by a team. At 33, Dunk remains a popular pick in several leagues around the world, and he hinted that he would consider prioritising other tournaments over the BBL.”The pandemic has thrown the cricket calendar into absolute chaos,” Dunk said. “When you include the two weeks of hotel quarantine when I get back to Australia, it’s just another bit of murkiness in the water. I certainly want to explore my playing options, especially around the world.Ben Dunk has continued to be a consistent scorer in overseas leagues•Pakistan Super League

“The Big Bash obviously has that window all the way through to mid-February, which is a long time in a cricket season. Who knows what will be going on, especially with the pandemic? With the Big Bash, [we don’t know] whether that’s going to stay in that slot for the same period of time, whether the South African comp [Mzansi Super League] gets back up and running, Bangladesh, the T10 – there’s a lot of cricket to be played.”From my own, selfish point of view, it’s nice to be free around that sort of time. But I’m certainly not retiring from the Big Bash – there might be an opportunity there to play next year in a limited capacity, depending on what else is going on around the world.”More immediately, Dunk expressed his excitement about the opportunity to play with both Tom Banton and Rashid Khan in the T10 League and the upcoming PSL respectively. He will play for the Qalandars franchise in both competitions, under their Lahore guise in the PSL.”I’ve come across [Banton] a couple of times at the Big Bash and the PSL but we’ve never been in the same team, so I’m excited to see him up close and see how he works. He’s an exciting player who I think we’ll watch for a long period of time.”In the PSL, we went on a great journey last year, all the way through to the final where we were beaten on the day by a better team in Karachi. I’m really excited to play with Rashid Khan – he’ll be a great addition to our squad and hopefully we can go one better.”

The next week or so holds the promise of being a momentous one for the club with Championship and T20 titles on the line

Alan Gardner20-Sep-2019It is the business end of the season, and Essex are threatening to get busy. The next week or so holds out the promise of being a momentous one for the club. Modestly resourced but tightly run from their endearingly ramshackle Chelmsford HQ, the culmination of the summer brings opportunity on two fronts – a rare chance in the modern county game to enjoy simultaneous first-class and limited-overs success.It is more than a decade since Sussex last managed to combine winning the Championship with taking home one-day silverware as well, beating Lancashire in the 2006 FP Trophy final. Currently top of Division One, Essex know they are in a scrap to hold off Somerset and claim a second title in three years; but before that denouement in Taunton, Vitality Blast Finals Day and the chance of a maiden T20 trophy.Such an outcome looked more than a long shot back in August, when they had won just two of their first ten games. Essex were “dead and buried”, says Ryan ten Doeschate, captain of the Championship side and a vastly experienced old lag in T20. Then came three wins and a tie from the last four and something in the universe aligned – not since the Blast had switched to a 14-game season, had a team sneaked through to Finals Day on such meagre rations.Also read: ‘Young players win you games, but experience wins you titles’ – GurneySuccess had not been signposted by Essex’s recent T20 form, either. Last season brought just two victories and a seventh-place finish in the South Group, while the most recent of four previous Finals Day appearances came in 2013.Ten Doeschate has been involved in them all, though none was particularly memorable from an Essex perspective. “Is it four?” he asks, furrowing his brow. On each occasion – against Leicestershire in 2006, Kent in 2008, Hampshire in 2010 and Northants six years ago – Essex were beaten in the first semi-final. The joke going around this time is that, with their game against Derbyshire scheduled for 2.30pm on Saturday, this is already the furthest they have been in the competition.Ten Doeschate handed over the white-ball reins for this season to Simon Harmer, the former South Africa Test offspinner who has played such a vital role in Essex’s Championship push. Harmer has overseen the return to Finals Day contention, with a largely similar squad to previous seasons – aggressive opener Cameron Delport the one significant addition.It took a while to find the right balance for the team, with Varun Chopra eventually omitted and Tom Westley moving up to open alongside Delport. There have also been new roles for ten Doeschate and his old mucker, fellow Finals Day veteran Ravi Bopara, further down the order. But they seem to have found a formula at the right time.”What’s most exciting is we’ve turned things around with pretty much the same personnel,” ten Doeschate tells ESPNcricinfo. “The last few years has been a bit of a struggle, Harmy coming in has shaken things up. The fact we haven’t had two overseas for a lot of the games – the way the young guys have stepped into their roles.”He’s created a belief. He’s gone with the approach, ‘This is what we’ve got, we’ve got to make it work’. I think he’s instilled a lot of confidence, particularly in the young guys. He wants the batters all to be positive, the change we’ve made a) in the batting order and b) personnel, I think that’s made a big difference.”Essex will have to cope without their overseas players at Edgbaston on Saturday, with Adam Zampa and Mohammad Amir both unavailable (Amir missed almost half of the group stage with visa issues anyway). Netherlands seamer Shane Snater and young left-arm spinner Aron Nijjar have been added to the squad, and aside from ten Doeschate, Bopara and Adam Wheater, who went to Finals Day on more than one occasion with Hampshire, most of those on the bus up to Birmingham will be experiencing the occasion for the first time.”The fact that most of the guys haven’t been to it is probably a good thing, we’ll go there tomorrow and it won’t play on too many peoples’ minds,” ten Doeschate said. “The experience some of us do have, particularly myself and Rav, we’ve played a lot of games and hopefully we can spread that through the squad and prepare the guys for tomorrow. The fact it’s been a season for turning things around, and we’ve done it against the odds. The position we were in with four games to go, we were dead and buried, virtually no way we could make it. That’s a nice way to go into a final.”It was ten Doeschate and Bopara who were in the middle together as Essex sealed a quarter-final win over North Group winners Lancashire a fortnight ago. With 344 and 329 T20 appearances respectively, as well as experience in the IPL and beyond, they will hope to provide the big-match savvy as Essex seek that first semi-final success.Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate celebrate after beating Lancashire in their quarter-final•Getty Images

“There are very few games at Essex I’ve played without Ravi in the team. So it’s always special to go out to bat with him. We are getting on, so we keep saying ‘One more time, one more time’. But the form he’s been in, and his approach to the game in the last six weeks – we don’t like to single people out, but he’s played a massive part in getting us to this stage of the competition.”As to whether Essex are overdue a limited-overs title, having last won the FP Trophy in 2008, ten Doeschate points out how difficult it is to combine success across the formats. Essex, of course, won the Championship in 2017, having been promoted the year before, and have set their store by red ball in recent years. Of the three other teams at Finals Day, Nottinghamshire have already been relegated in the Championship, while Worcestershire and Derbyshire are in the bottom four of the second tier.”There’s not many teams who do well in both formats,” he said. “This year’s a prime example. There’s a lot of merit in saying it’s hard to win both. But it’s great that we have an opportunity to go there and win a cup that’s long overdue.”With a rare double in prospect, can Essex be the exception that proves the rule? Ten Doeschate smiles and shakes his head. He will be 40 next year and hopes to still be playing for the club he joined in 2003 – whatever happens over the next week won’t change his view.”To dwell on results isn’t healthy. I think the club can be immensely proud of what the team’s done this year. The change in fortunes in white ball is something to be very proud of – and again the way we’ve competed in red ball. I’m not too focused on where we end up. It’s five days – I’m not going to let five days define whether I think it’s been a good season or not a good season. I think it’s been a great season, and the chance to win two cups is fantastic. Of course we want to give it a crack.”

Josh Cobb followed up his century against Birmingham as Northants finally found something to smile about

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2018
ScorecardAnother brilliant display of power hitting by Josh Cobb gave the Northants Steelbacks a first Vitality Blast win and dented Derbyshire Falcons quarter-final hopes at Derby.Cobb followed his century against the Birmingham Bears with an explosive unbeaten 73, including seven sixes, off 37 balls as the Steelbacks chased down a target of 178 with 10 balls to spare.Billy Godleman had made a T20 best 77 from 55 balls as the Falcons posted 177 for 6 but Cobb destroyed their attack to finally give the Steelbacks victory after nine defeats and a tie.There was no sign of what was to come when the Falcons started slowly after winning the toss as the seamers found plenty of movement on a grassy pitch with only 41 coming from the powerplay.Calum MacLeod was caught in the third over at the second attempt at slip off Roy Kleinveldt who then struck Anuj Dal a painful blow on the right hand with a ball that spat.Dal was beaten by a ball from Nathan Buck that came back sharply and although Wahab Riaz pulled a low full toss from Brett Hutton for a big six, he was run out off the next ball by a direct hit from cover.At the halfway stage, the Falcons were 70 for 3 but Godleman drove Seekkoge Prassana for six over long off while Madsen cut and pulled Buck for four consecutive fours in the 13th over.Goldeman completed his 50 from 43 balls and then launched the next one from Prasanna over long on but Madsen drove a slower ball from Sanderson to cover to break a stand of 83 from 49 balls in the 16th over.Godleman was run out going for a second but Gary Wilson provided late acceleration by pulling Kleinveldt for six in an unbeaten 24 before Buck restricted the Falcons to three off a clever last over.The Steelbacks started well with Ricardo Vasconcelos ramping Lockie Ferguson for six while Duckett drove and pulled powerfully as the Steelbacks took 62 from the powerplay.Duckett was threatening to take control when he missed a reverse sweep at Alex Hughes and Ferguson delivered a searing yorker to knock over Vasconcelos in the ninth over.Cobb showed he was in the groove with a top edged six and a straight-driven four off Hardus Viljoen before taking another six off Hughes.Ben Curran, brother of Surrey’s Tom and Sam, made only two on his senior debut but Cobb pulled Hughes for six before twice driving Viljoen over the ropes as he surged to a 27 ball 50.The Steelbacks needed only 20 off the last three overs but with skipper Alex Wakely lending sound support, Cobb finished it in style with consecutive sixes off Ravi Rampaul.