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Zafar Gohar stars on spinning deck as rain at Edgbaston provides vital safety net

David Hopps27-Sep-2022Relegation is what many critics wished upon Yorkshire as the Azeem Rafiq racism allegations were at their height a year ago. That sanction never came from the ECB, or at least it hasn’t yet, so it would at least quell the argument if they went down anyway.That relegation still cannot be discounted. The best news on the second day for Yorkshire was that it was raining in Birmingham. They are approaching the end of the season in forlorn mood. If Warwickshire don’t beat Hampshire at Edgbaston, they will remain in Division One. But if Warwickshire somehow manufacture a 18-point win in a rain-hit game, then a Gloucestershire win at Headingley would send them into Division Two.If this Championship summer has been disappointing on the field, it has been a colossal public relations failure off it. What should have been a summer of healing, with the promotion of a united new vision for a confident, multi-racial Yorkshire, has been instead been a taciturn summer that allows resentments to fester. Disrepute charges announced by the ECB against the county and seven individuals in June, and due to be considered this autumn, hang heavily.A new coaching staff has done well to hold body and soul together in a young dressing room. But they will not rest easily with Gloucestershire holding a second-innings lead of 211 with five second-innings remaining. The pitch might be flattening out a shade, but a target beyond 270 will be a stretch, especially considering the frailty of a top six which possesses only two seasoned batters, one of whom, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, is heading to Somerset at the end of the week and whose gung-ho batting approach in the first innings did not give the perception he is mentally attuned to a backs-to-the-wall relegation fight.Koher-Cadmore would contend that that is how he plays and that his 46 from 45 balls represented Yorkshire’s top score in a sub-standard batting display. Jack Taylor’s adventure also served Gloucestershire well as he made 67 from 78 in a sixth-wicket stand of 124 from 34 after Gloucestershire had lost half their side for 74. But Kohler-Cadmore, who came in at No 4, has pretensions as an opening batter. It is safe to assume he does not model his game on Geoffrey Boycott.He did have the decency to sound a little guilty afterwards. “How I got out today, it was annoying. I thought it was a bad ball, but I top-edged it and it went straight up,” he said. “I want to leave the club on a high and finish the season with a good positive result. It’s quite slow and hard to take wickets. We have should have put ourselves in a better position with the bat. It wasn’t a 180 or 190 pitch, or whatever we ended up with. It’s a decent surface.”On a chilly day, the sense among a meagre crowd was that the cricket was to be endured, not enjoyed. There is little conviviality around Headingley, no light-hearted sense of optimism. No wonder romantic souls prefer to finish the season at places like Worcester and Canterbury. For all the constant stream of world-class talent for England, until such ingrained attitudes change, cricket will never be entirely here, unless trophies are being won. Jason Gillespie managed both pleasure and trophies – an extraordinary feat.Positions on the Rafiq affair are entrenched. Stances on both sides are too often based on general prejudices. If anything, Yorkshire have allowed attitudes to harden. Most of the 16 summarily sacked after signing a confidential letter privately questioning Yorkshire’s handling of Rafiq’s allegations have won out-of-court settlements for unfair dismissal, with only Wayne Morton’s medical group still involved in a legal process.All this led the to carry a headline last week advising Yorkshire’s chair, Kamlesh Patel, to “Clear Your Desk”. That would rather assume he has filled his desk in the first place. Patel set the initial tone, and how, but since then he has been an occasional presence and he has hinted that he will stand down soon after Yorkshire finally get round to appointing a chief executive. Meanwhile, those in charge of day-to-day operations – supposedly bearers, however temporary, of the New Yorkshire flame – prefer to remain low key.Zafar Gohar, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, and arguably the best pound-for-pound overseas player in the Championship (not that the pound is worth very much anymore), claimed five of the seven morning wickets as Yorkshire subsided from 80 for three overnight to 183 all out. He now has 43 Championship wickets at 29.44, a shrewd signing whom Gloucestershire would do well to retain.Related

• Yorkshire come to grief over Azeem Rafiq affair, but acceptance is a way off yet

• Sacked staff seek legal action after racism crisis prompts Yorkshire purge

• ECB charges Yorkshire and individuals over racism allegations

• Warwickshire sinking in the showers as relegation fears grow

Gohar struck with his first ball of the second day, interrupting Kohler-Cadmore’s shoot-the-breeze approach when he mis-pulled a short ball to midwicket on the way to figures of five for 40 from 14 overs. Thirty-two runs had come in less than four overs, but that was the height of Yorkshire’s success.Gohar then picked off the ingenue, Harry Duke, lbw as he pushed forward. Jonny Tattersall, whom Gloucestershire respect as a fine player of spin after his loan spell last season, edged an excellent delivery to slip off the back foot on 33. Jordan Thompson looks deadbeat after a long season – lacking finesse with bat and ball – and was also caught at slip. Ben Coad was a No.10 out slogging down the ground when a highly capable batter, Matthew Fisher, needed more intelligent support, a criminal abdication of responsibility.At least Steve Patterson, a captain who has not been retained, got a deserved guard of honour from Gloucestershire for a career well lived when he came out at No.11. He is a competitive soul who has drawn every ounce of talent from himself and he had a right to pass through his honour-guard cursing.Coad impressed more with the ball as Yorkshire again took control, removing Chris Dent and Miles Hammond with excellent deliveries. Briefly, Dom Bess’ offspin threatened to do for Yorkshire what Gohar had achieved for Gloucestershire – four wickets falling for 18 in six overs with Bess defeating Ben Charlesworth with turn and James Bracey with flight. But Taylor, in particular, hit Bess from the attack in the post-tea session as both he and Ollie Price reached what could turn out to be vital half-centuries.

While acknowledging areas of improvement still needed after the India series win, coach Boucher also said the players are “growing as cricketers and human beings”

Firdose Moonda24-Jan-2022South Africa were playing more than just the opposition over the last few summers with matters coming to a head this season after their coach, Mark Boucher, was charged with gross misconduct by Cricket South Africa (CSA). Boucher received his charge sheet – which confirmed CSA will seek his dismissal – on Monday, two days ahead of the ODI series against India that South Africa swept 3-nil.Boucher’s charges relate to historic and current handlings of race issues, which have always been part of South African cricket’s narrative but became even more topical since the Black Lives Matter movement’s resurgence in sport in 2020. Since then, South Africa have appointed their first black African ODI captain, Temba Bavuma, who now outlined the difficulties of being in charge of a team that continues to face issues off the field.Related

• Temba Bavuma: 'I understand I have a voice, and the influence to make things better around me'

• The Test hundreds may not be there, but Bavuma is close to being SA's best batter right now

• Covid-19 puts Keegan Petersen out of South Africa's Test tour of New Zealand

• de Kock and Phehlukwayo signal South Africa's rise back to the top

• CSA will argue in favour of dismissing Boucher at disciplinary hearing

“I don’t think it’s easy (captaining the team). There are a lot of dynamics that you need to manage. For me, the biggest thing is trying to keep cricket the main focus amongst the guys,” Bavuma said. “I hate to bring this up but it’s been a challenging period for the team, for the players, for particular members of management. There’s been a lot of scrutiny surrounding the team and surrounding the organisation, so to manage the conversations happening around the change-room and to ensure our energy is 100% geared towards performing out there, for me, has been the biggest challenge. It has been a big responsibility but has also been a privilege. But it’s not easy.”Bavuma did not name Boucher specifically and when the man himself was asked about the difficulties of coaching a team that is constantly facing off-field pressures, Boucher said: “I can’t answer that. Not now in any case.”ESPNcricinfo understands that Boucher has been advised not to discuss matters related to his disciplinary hearing as it is part of the ongoing investigation. Boucher and his legal team will meet with CSA on Wednesday to outline a timeframe for the hearing, but it is unlikely to begin before South Africa return from their two-Test tour of New Zealand, which starts on February 17. Afrikaans newspaper reported on Sunday that Boucher’s defence will be bankrolled by a group of wealthy businessmen, and though it did not name any of them, billionaire Johann Rupert, an entrepreneur, issued a tweet in support of Boucher earlier in the week.Despite what could be a rocky few months ahead for Boucher personally, he was positive about the development the team has made under his watch to beat India in both the Test and ODI series this season. “The progression has been great,” Boucher said. “We turned the corner a while ago, from a team perspective. We tried a few things in Covid times when we had to get a deeper squad and we gave a lot of opportunities to a lot of players. We are starting to reap the rewards now. It’s all falling into place, which is nice.”While acknowledging areas for improvement, such as the fielding in particular, Boucher said the ingredients in the squad could make a recipe for future success, especially because internally there’s a sense of harmony. “There are always places we can improve. I don’t think our fielding was great. But I like the look of this batting team. I like the balance. We are getting hundreds, and that’s with one or two of those guys out of form. I believe we’ve got a classy top six,” Boucher said. “And now with allrounders, we’ve got a couple that we can look at. We have an environment which is very good. The change-room is a happy change-room and the players are growing as cricketers and human beings.”South Africa will celebrate their twin successes against India, but Boucher said their feet remain “firmly on the ground”, and Bavuma, speaking from both a captaincy and batting perspective, echoed that. “It means a lot as a player. Knowing I contributed to the winning cause makes it better,” he said. “You will always be judged on your record and to convincingly beat an Indian side speaks a lot to my captaincy. But things are still early from a leadership point of view. I will take the positives but I will try very hard not to get ahead of myself.”

Teenager Tess Flintoff smashed the fastest WBBL half-century off 16 balls before Sasha Moloney picked up 4 for 24 to help Stars beat Adelaide Strikers

AAP02-Nov-2022Teenager Tess Flintoff has smashed the WBBL record for the fastest half-century in the competition’s history to power Melbourne Stars to a 22-run win over Adelaide Strikers.The allrounder blasted an unbeaten 51 from only 16 balls at North Sydney Oval on Wednesday. Flintoff broke the previous mark – 22 balls – by smashing a six off the final ball of the innings to push Stars to 5 for 186 after Strikers elected to field first.The 19-year-old’s blistering career-best knock consisted of six fours and three sixes. Flintoff had not been required to bat in Stars’ past three matches, but her most recent innings was an unbeaten 40 against the Perth Scorchers on October 20.Australia allrounder Ashleigh Gardner and South African Lizelle Lee shared the previous record for fastest WBBL half-century, with both reaching the mark in the same game back in 2017.England batters Alice Capsey and Lauren Winfield-Hill also played important roles in the Stars’ big total sharing an 81-run stand for the second wicket.Flintoff’s match-winning knock proved too much for Adelaide to overcome, with Strikers finishing their 20 overs on 8 for 164. Australia star Tahlia McGrath’s troubled run with the bat continued, with Strikers’ captain out for just 1 following two ducks in as many games.Adelaide had solid contributions from Katie Mack, Bridget Patterson and Laura Wolvaardt as Sasha Moloney was the pick of Stars bowlers claiming 4 for 24.It was just Stars’ second win of the tournament, with Adelaide remaining in third on the table with four victories.

Fast bowler insists Test cricket is “still at the hearts of West Indian cricketers”

Andrew McGlashan23-Jan-2024Kemar Roach has encouraged Shamar Joseph to “build his own legacy” after bursting onto the Test scene last week in Adelaide but knows there will be distractions for him along the way.Joseph struck with his first ball in Test cricket when he removed Steven Smith, then finished with 5 for 94 and also showed his prowess with the bat to suggest he won’t be staying at No. 11 for long.His rise to Test cricket has been remarkable on the back of just five first-class games, having grown up in the village of Baracara in Guyana, which could only be reached by boat. He has now shot to global prominence and is being talked about as part of West Indies’ future as they look to rebuild their Test cricket, but Joseph already has an ILT20 deal and more such offers are unlikely to be far away.Related

• 'I'll take a picture, and post it up' – Shamar Joseph on dream first-ball wicket of Smith

• Brathwaite: Shamar Joseph 'gave a lot of confidence to the team'

• How many players have taken a wicket with their first ball in Tests as Shamar Joseph did?

“The best advice I can give him is to build his own legacy,” Roach said. “Understand what you want from cricket. That’s up to him to determine, if it’s monetary, or if it’s just stats and statistics or whatever. There’s going to be a lot of distractions… he’s a hot commodity right now. So he needs to choose what he really wants and what he thinks is best for his career going forward. So it’s up to him, as a young man, but I definitely give him that advice.”Roach, the senior figure in West Indies’ attack with 80 caps to his name, is happy to take on a mentor role having had similar players to feed off early in his career.”I had that when I started. Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards [were] some guys around to help me when I started my career,” he said. “I took knowledge and learning from it. So obviously for me now, it’s all about passing on the mantle now to the youngsters. He’s got a very good career ahead of him. At this stage, he’s willing to learn. We have a lot of conversations. So, I think once he keeps doing that, not just coming from me but anyone who he thinks can help him in his career, he can take a lot of knowledge on board and become a better cricketer.”Roach himself is towards the latter stages of his career but has put no end point on his Test career. “Day by day,” he said with a smile, “let’s see how it goes.” He made a big impression on his first tour of Australia when he forced Ricky Ponting to retire hurt in Perth but has found the country the toughest place to take wickets with 10 at 77.90 from eight matches.”As a bowler coming to Australia you are bowling against some of the best batters in the world so there is always a good challenge,” he said. “I love a good challenge. I have lived for that my whole career so for me coming here is just about expressing yourself, enjoying and relishing the moment and giving it a good go. Be confident in yourself and your skills and let’s see how the day goes for you.”Kemar Roach has the fifth-most wickets (267) in Tests for West Indies, but averages 77.90 with only ten wickets in Australia•Associated Press

Roach only briefly dipped his toe into the franchise world of T20 – his last game in the format was in 2018 – although that did include a stint with Brisbane Heat, who will play the BBL final against Sydney Sixers on Wednesday. The last time Heat won the BBL was in 2012-13, when Roach claimed 3 for 18 against Perth Scorchers at the WACA. “I saw my picture on the wall, so good memories,” he said of his return to the Gabba, the home ground of Heat.Test cricket, where he ranks fifth among West Indies’ all-time wicket-takers, has remained his No. 1 priority and Roach firmly believes that is the case among many young players in the Caribbean.”I love Test cricket,” he said. “Honestly, I love the red-ball format. I’ve played one-dayers and the T20 format as well but I think my heart was always a part of the red ball. I just wanted to be a part of those mega cricketers back in the days. The Joel Garners, the Malcolm Marshalls, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, I just want to be a part of those names.”And I think for me, obviously, I didn’t grow up much in the franchise era. So I had Test cricket at heart, and it has stuck with me throughout. I just think it is different times now. So for me, it’s just about these youngsters, what they want to achieve from it. And they make the right decisions and they go forward [in their] careers.”The franchises are a big distraction,” he added. “But guys still want to relish red-ball cricket. Test cricket is still at the hearts of West Indian cricketers at home. It’s just about us to provide support around it. To keep those guys interested in red-ball cricket. Discussions will be had. I’m not part of it. They take Tests very seriously still. They are very proud to be a part of the red-ball team for the West Indies.”

Retirement of legendary pairing in consecutive home Tests will leave huge gulf in bowling ranks

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-2024Stuart Broad has warned that England’s onus on blooding a new generation of fast bowlers in the wake of James Anderson’s retirement could leave Ben Stokes with a “quite scary” lack of experience for the forthcoming Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka.Anderson is set to play against West Indies at Lord’s on July 10 before calling time on his legendary 188-match, 21-year Test career, and with Broad himself having stood down from England duty against Australia at The Oval last summer, it means that the Test team will have lost more than 1,300 wickets and 354 matches-worth of experience in consecutive home games.And while Broad, speaking on Sky Sports’ Cricket Podcast, acknowledged there was a pressing need for a new generation of bowlers to bed into their roles in good time for the next Ashes tour in 2025-26, the team risks being “exposed” in the short term, not least by a West Indies team that recently beat Australia at the Gabba and who, in the words of their attack leader Kemar Roach, are itching to “ruin” Anderson’s farewell.Related

• Key, McCullum, Stokes told Anderson: It's time to move on

• Stuart Broad retires

• Anderson to retire after Lord's Test against West Indies

• The magician who became a puritan, James Anderson faces final curtain

• Kemar Roach calls on West Indies to 'ruin' James Anderson's retirement Test

“You could easily go into a Test match this summer with a very, very inexperienced bowling group couldn’t you?” Broad told Sky Sports. “There’s going to certainly be a huge hole left by Jimmy Anderson that someone is going to have to step into. And not just by swinging the new ball. But by communicating, by keeping calm if the boundaries are leaking, by tactically being aware of what field works at certain grounds, and on certain pitches and certain times of Test matches.”Ultimately, you don’t learn that unless you’re thrown in. But it’s not just about throwing caps away and saying ‘have a go’, you need to pick a bowling unit that can win on that particular pitch.”The logic of Anderson’s enforced retirement could equally be applied to Chris Woakes, another outstanding performer in English conditions, and the current holder of the Compton-Miller Medal after his series-turning performances in last summer’s Ashes. However, at the age of 35, he is another player with no realistic chance of featuring in Australia, especially given his recognised shortcomings in overseas conditions – in which his average (51.88 in 20 Tests) is exactly 30 points higher than on home soil (21.88 in 28).Ben Stokes faces a ‘scary’ lack of experience in his bowling ranks•BCCI

“Woakes’ last Test match, he finished Man of the Series,” Broad said. “But was very aware that he wouldn’t be going [on the Test tour to] India, even while playing that series. There’s not many better bowlers than him in English conditions, but if the mindset is, ‘we’re focusing on who can bowl with the Kookaburra in two winters’ time’, does Woakesy fall into that category as well?””If you don’t play Woakes and Mark Wood is having a rest… you could have three seamers and a spinner potentially out there with 20 caps between them. And that’s quite scary, as a Test captain, I’d have thought.”That could leave you a bit exposed. But there’s only one way to find out with bowlers, and that’s to give them a go, encourage them to communicate out there, encourage them to solve their problems live in a Test match. I think exposure for some bowlers now is really important because there’s talent out there.”The candidates for selection this summer include the Durham seamer, Matthew Potts, who impressed in the 2022 summer before slipping down the pecking order, as well as the Surrey pairing of Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton, whose recent injury is preventing him from staking a claim for the T20 World Cup squad. Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have also had intermittent opportunities in recent seasons, while Essex’s Sam Cook continues to make a strong case with his prolific form in the County Championship.None of them, however, can come close to filling the experience void left by Anderson’s retirement.”With the style of play that they’ve been operating with, and the quality of player that England have got, there’s no doubt that England’s goal will be to win all six Test matches this summer,” Broad added. “And if you set that goal, then you need to pick a bowling attack that you think can take 20 wickets as well.”First things first, however, England’s focus will be to win that Lord’s Test, and give Anderson the send-off that his service deserves.”Jimmy won’t see it like that. He’ll just want to take wickets and win the game at Lord’s,” Broad said. “But us cricket fans and friends of his will be able to see it as a bit of a celebration and have a great time. It’s very difficult when you do hang up the boots, it’s a very difficult decision to make, but he can’t achieve anymore. There’s nothing in the game that he’s not done.”He’s been the ultimate bowler and the best we’ve ever produced. So he won’t leave the game with any anguish of probably wanting to play anymore. I think deep down, he knows that he agrees with the decision.”

Australia prevailed amid a flurry of DLS calculations in Canberra and can now set their sites on a whitewash

Andrew McGlashan24-Jan-2025After retaining the Ashes in Sydney, Beth Mooney didn’t want to get drawn into talk of a whitewash before the series was won but with that box ticked team-mate Grace Harris now wants to “embarrass” England with a 16-0 scoreline.Australia prevailed in Canberra amid a flurry of DLS calculations – England were ahead when the game was stopped for the first time – and latterly Heather Knight played a defiant hand before rain returned with 18 needed off five balls.Australia have been hugely motivated by the draw in the 2023 Ashes which left them with muted celebrations when they lifted the trophy at the end of the series having seen England fight back from 6-0 down. Now, with the final T20I to come in Adelaide followed by the day-night Test at the MCG, the focus turns to not allowing the visitors to get anything on the board.Related

• Heather Knight has point to prove as Women's Ashes reaches grandest stage

• Healy declares herself fit but not locked in, Dunkley to play but Cross unavailable

• Jon Lewis: Culture, not fitness, at root of Australia's dominance of Women's Ashes

• Healy in doubt for rest of Ashes series as she misses first T20I

• McGrath, Harris, Schutt and rain help Australia win the Ashes

“Of course, I have thought about 16-0,” Harris told after the win. “A whitewash would be outstanding. England got the better of us in the last series.”To me, it’s a loss, a draw is boring. But 16-0, that would be very, very good if we could embarrass this England team because they’re actually a very competitive outfit and they’ve got some really good players among them.”Stand-in captain Tahlia McGrath, who has taken over from the injured Alyssa Healy since the start of the T20I series, admitted relief was one of the initial emotions after the Ashes were secured outright having been behind the DLS when play was first suspended.”It hasn’t quite sunk in yet, there’s just so much drama in that game and so much mental capacity taken up watching DLS, watching run rates, radars, so it was a weird way to wrap up and win them outright,” she said. “Relieved, happy to win it this early, it would be nice when we get a chance as a group to properly celebrate together but job not done, still two really big games to go.””[A whitewash] would be pretty special to us. The Ashes last year, retaining them in England didn’t quite sit well with us and we’ve been hungry for a while and looking forward to these Ashes for a very long time. We’ve been playing some really good cricket but still feel like there’s areas to improve.”Tahlia McGrath has been in resounding form in recent games•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

McGrath herself has played a key role with the bat in the last three games after a lean start to the series which, amid Australia’s abundant batting talent, put her under scrutiny. But she has responded with a 38-ball ODI fifty, 26 off nine balls at the SCG and an unbeaten 48 off 35 in Canberra having come in when Australia had lost 3 for 9.”I was really disappointed with my batting in the first two games,” she said. “I went away from my natural game a little bit. I like to take the game on, I like to move around the crease and I sort of went away from that.”I went into my shell a little bit the first two games so I went back to a blueprint that has worked for me in the past and just trying to be a bit braver, a bit more fearless and lucky enough that it’s come off for the last couple of games.”But Grace was huge for me because I was scratching around a little bit and struggling and she came out and took the pressure off me and just freed me up a little bit at the back end as well.”

Australia’s newest ODI and T20I squad member has impressed everyone who has seen him from junior cricket to Sheffield Shield level

Alex Malcolm29-Oct-2020The sky is the limit for Australian cricket’s rising star Cameron Green, according to former Australia Under-19 coach and current Victoria coach Chris Rogers.Green, 21, was named in Australia’s 18-man white-ball squad to face India on the back of a stunning 12 months in Sheffield Shield cricket, where he’s scored 929 runs at 84.45 in nine games including four centuries, although he hasn’t played many List A 50-over or T20 cricket and has only scored one half-century in 22 matches across both formats.Former Cricket Australia talent manager Greg Chappell told earlier this week that “he is the best young player I’ve seen since Ricky Ponting”. He had been bullish about Green when he was at the National Performance Centre in 2018 where Rogers was working as a batting coach and took very little convincing of his talent.”The thing with Cam is he picked things up so quickly, little instructions or tips that he would adapt into his game really, really quickly,” Rogers said. “So it hasn’t been surprising how well he’s been able to do things like that. What has been surprising is the fact that he can bat for such a long period of time.”That is quite extraordinary for a young man developing that skill to be able to face 450 balls is off the charts. That’s unbelievable really. If he can continue to do things like that then the sky is the limit.”Ponting played 26 Sheffield Shield matches before he made his ODI debut for Australia in February 1995 as a 20-year-old. He had scored 2,358 Shield runs at 54.84 with nine centuries 100s and nine half-centuries. He added two more centuries before his Test debut later that year. Ponting had a similarly mediocre List A record prior to his debut having scored just one half-century in 21 matches for Tasmania and Australia A yet he went on to become Australia’s all-time leading run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket.Much has been made about Green’s bowling ability given he already has two five-wicket hauls in first-class cricket but he hasn’t bowled in a game since November last year due to ongoing back issues. He is hoping to bowl in this week’s Shield game against Tasmania.Rogers believes Green’s bowling could be his second string despite popular opinion.”I think his bowling could be on a par, but that’s just saying how good his batting is,” he said. “It’s interesting because when he does bowl, it looks effortless and it’s fast and it’s bouncy and he can swing the ball out, so he’s obviously got every attribute but it obviously puts a lot of pressure on his back. Hopefully, he can sort that because if he can, you’ll see quite an incredible cricketer.”There’s a lot of pressure on him, but it will be up to him how he continues to develop.”Western Australia team-mate Sam Whiteman wasn’t surprised by Chappell’s comments about Green, but he did not think the hype would affect him.”It’s probably spot on,” Whiteman said. “I think Greeny is a guy that can tune a lot of information out. Yeah, there’s a lot of pressure to that comment but he’s fortunate he’s got a big group around him here to guide him and stick him to what he’s doing now. Because clearly, it’s working.”Whiteman shared a 173-run stand with Green during his marathon innings of 197 against New South Wales last week.The Blues threw everything at Green during that innings and he remained unflustered and determined to bat for as long as he possibly could.”I think that’s the most impressive thing about Greeny is when he gets in, he bats for long periods of time,” Whiteman said. “You could see the other day when he got out just before 200 he was shattered.”When he first came in a lot of sides would go the short stuff and guys watching probably thought that was his one weakness but credit to him, he’s worked hard at. Like you saw the other day he rode it out for 20-30 overs, picking the right ball to pull. He definitely deserves that selection. Everyone is pumped for him. What a great opportunity.”

He won’t be available for most of the Asia Cup, but will join the team for the World Cup in October-November

Umar Farooq21-Apr-2023Pakistan’s new team director Mickey Arthur will only be available to the team in a limited capacity over the next ten months but he will be involved in designing and overseeing strategies remotely while he also fulfils his responsibilities as head coach of Derbyshire. His appointment was formally announced by the PCB in Rawalpindi on Thursday.Arthur is only one year into his four-year contract with Derbyshire and his reluctance to leave that role meant that it took months for him and the PCB to arrive at an arrangement to work part-time with the Pakistan team. Arthur will be available to Pakistan for only one game in this year’s Asia Cup – against India – and will miss the tour to Sri Lanka and the series against Afghanistan in UAE. He will be available for the ODI World Cup in October-November, the away tour to Australia and home series against West Indies.The PCB had also hired former South African internationals Morne Morkel and Andrew Puttick as bowling and batting coach, while Pakistan’s former fielding coach Grant Bradburn is now the head coach. Assistant coach Abdul Rehman is the only Pakistani in the coaching group, which has been designed to facilitate Arthur working remotely as team director.Related

• Zaka Ashraf, Najam Sethi set to contest PCB leadership again

• Bradburn confirmed as Pakistan men's head coach for next two years

• PCB's Najam Sethi-led management committee likely to get extension

• Arthur 'excited' to rekindle Pakistan relationship

• Morne Morkel set to be Pakistan's bowling coach

“I am pleased that Mickey has formally re-joined the Pakistan men’s cricket team with an enhanced role in which he will be responsible for formulating and implementing strategies for the upcoming assignments across all formats,” the PCB’s head Najam Sethi said. “Furthermore, he will also be responsible for strengthening the national team culture and identifying and grooming future stars, so that we can strengthen our bench strength and strategically secure our future.”Having lived and worked in Pakistan during his previous tenure, Mickey knows the current players, the structure, and the system at the back of his hand. I am sure he will incorporate learnings from the previous tenure so that he can have an even more successful second term.”Arthur’s re-hiring wasn’t straightforward. He wanted to stay on with Derbyshire while the board wanted him full time, and discussions stalled twice before both parties reached a consensus. At one stage, the PCB said it had moved on from Arthur, but negotiations were ongoing.Arthur was Pakistan’s head coach from 2016 to 2019, a tenure that included a Champions Trophy title in 2017 and during which Pakistan became the top ranked T20I team. They were not as successful in Test cricket under Arthur, and a league-stage exit from the 2019 World Cup led to him being replaced as head coach by former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq.Arthur’s reappointment was criticised by Misbah, who called it a “slap on Pakistan cricket.”

Since the conclusion of The Oval Test, the Australian rumour mill has been abuzz with theories as to the motives behind Nathan Hauritz’s omission

Alex Brown29-Nov-2009Since the conclusion of The Oval Test in August, the Australian rumour mill has been abuzz with theories as to the motives behind Nathan Hauritz’s omission from the starting XI. The move to play an all-pace attack on a parched pitch that turned early and substantially played a sizable role in Australia’s eventual 197-run defeat, and prompted on-duty selector Jamie Cox to offer a rare on behalf of the panel after the match.But murmurings around the Australian camp suggest there is more to the overlooking of Hauritz than meets the eye. Several team sources have told Cricinfo that Australia’s selectors intended to play their specialist spinner in the series decider but, hit with a crisis of confidence before one of the most important Ashes Tests in modern history, Hauritz either withdrew his candidacy or was deemed too great a risk.Whether true or not – and Hauritz insists upon the latter – the issue of the spinner’s confidence has been a discussion point within Australian cricket for some time. Greg Matthews, one of his spin-bowling mentors, once described him as “heavily scarred” following his arrival in New South Wales from Queensland, and Hauritz himself has been candid in discussing his need to be more assertive as a bowler.In the immediate aftermath of The Oval defeat, the aforementioned sources expressed concern over the working relationship between Hauritz and Ricky Ponting looking ahead. Their worries appear unfounded. Ponting showed no hesitation in tossing the ball Hauritz’s way throughout subsequent limited-overs campaigns in South Africa and India, and was effusive when discussing the spinner’s five-wicket contribution to Australia’s thumping Test win over West Indies at the Gabba.”As far as I’ve been concerned for the last eight or ten months he hasn’t let anybody down,” Ponting said. “The more exposure he’s getting to better players and different conditions to bowl in he’s learning a lot about the art and craft of offspin bowling in Test cricket these days. It’s not an easy skill anymore. Batsmen are playing differently and always trying to stay a step ahead of the bowlers and a lot of the wickets we play on these days around the world aren’t that conducive to it. I think he’s done a great job.”As for Hauritz, evidence of his evolving confidence was on display at the Gabba – both on the field and in the press conference room. He appeared in no way intimidated returning to the venue that almost broke him as a first-class cricketer, bowling with a tantalising loop that was all but absent in his latter years with Queensland. It was at the Gabba that Hauritz was jeered – first as an underperforming Queenslander, then as a New South Wales “defector” – and he admitted to a sense of self-satisfaction when, after dismissing Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach with successive deliveries on Saturday, the once antagonistic crowd erupted into chants of “Haury”.As striking as Hauritz’s self-assured deeds on the pitch were his comments off it. No longer was he dealing in one-game-at-a-times. Hauritz expects to be on the plane to Adelaide on Tuesday, and Perth thereafter. “I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I belong in the side,” he said with trademark self-deprecation. “I don’t know if that feeling exists within such a competitive culture. But I know I’m very happy with where my game’s at, at the moment.”It’s going to be a different situation going to Adelaide. Adelaide is a lot slower wicket but it is renowned for turn. It’s going to be different. That’s one of the first Gabba wickets I’ve played on – and I don’t know if my bowling’s different now – that I got the ball to turn a little bit. I don’t know if I’ve changed a bit as a bowler or the wicket’s changed, but I enjoyed bowling out there and I’m looking forward.”Such is Hauritz’s confidence in his own game at present, he is toying with the idea of revealing his experimental doosra against West Indies in Perth. Though much has been written about his “other one”, Hauritz has thus far been unwilling to bowl it outside the nets. The third Test at the WACA, he hinted, might prove a suitable occasion for the unveiling.”For me, I need to be able to consistently land it in the nets before I bring it out because I sort of feel short-leg would die if I don’t get it right,” he quipped. “Punter’s always trying to get me to bowl it in a game. Whether it’s this series I don’t know, but definitely on a wicket like Perth, where the bounce is so fast and it does spin, it might come out there. I’m looking forward to playing the next two games because there’s two totally different wickets.”This week Hauritz will return to the venue that staged his sudden and unexpected comeback to the Test arena last year. A training mishap involving the then Test incumbent Jason Krejza prompted Andrew Hilditch to order Hauritz, an occasional member of the New South Wales side at the time, onto the next Adelaide-bound flight. His efforts in that match and the remainder of the summer earned him a ticket to the Ashes and a chance to reignite a Test career many, himself included, feared had stalled at the Wankhede Stadium four years prior.”The [feeling] in Adelaide was one of great relief playing that second Test,” he said of last year’s recall. “I never thought that would ever come along. There might not be any difference in the areas I land the ball – there might be a little bit more spin, I don’t know – but definitely the mental strength and the confidence with what I’m doing makes me a lot different bowler to then.”Mo Matthews is always keen [for me to] embrace it all. I’m generally a pretty reserved person. I’m pretty happy to stay to myself and just bowl and play cricket. Definitely one part of my game that can improve is my aura on the field. That might change after 30 or 40 Tests, I don’t know. But I’m just happy to be playing each Test on its merits at the moment.”

Perth Scorchers had claimed four wickets for nine runs but the home side turned the tables

AAP29-Oct-2023Melbourne Stars 154 for 7 (Sutherland 49) beat Perth Scorchers 147 for 9 (Darke 45, Day 4-27) by seven runsAnnabel Sutherland’s late power hitting and smarts with the ball helped take the Melbourne Stars to a crucial seven-run WBBL win over Perth Scorchers.After Stars lost 3-0 midway through their innings at Junction Oval, Sutherland smashed 49 off 27 to help her side recover to 154 for 7.Sutherland then took 2 for 31, including the key wicket of Scorchers’ top-scorer Maddy Darke, to put paid to a late fightback.The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Stars, who had been beaten by Adelaide Strikers twice and Brisbane Heat once in the past week and a half.And much like their other win this season over Sydney Sixers, they had player-of-the-match Sutherland to thank for it.With Stars battling midway through their innings, Sutherland swung the momentum when she hit spinner Lilly Mills for 22 off one over. The big over included a powerful blow back over Mills’ head for six, as well as three other boundaries against the spinner.After taking 2 for 41 herself, Mills eventually caught Sutherland with her hands over the long-on boundary rope late in the innings to put an end to the onslaught.But Scorchers were on the back foot from early in their chase, with left-arm spinner Sophie Day taking 4 for 27.Day’s wickets included key overseas marquees Sophie Devine and Amy Jones for 9 each, while she also removed Chloe Piparo and Amy Edgar.Rising talent Darke had threatened to keep Scorchers in the hunt with 45 off 33, but Sutherland had her caught on the rope in the 15th over during the power surge.The allrounder then removed Lisa Griffith next ball for a golden duck, taking the pace off as she delivered it out the back of her hand to have the right-hander swinging hard and caught at gully.From there the Scorchers fell well out of the contest and to a 2-2 record, with only 21 runs from the final over off Alice Capsey adding respectability to the scorecard.