Sam Billings found his best form since returning from IPL before Kewnt staved off a six-hitting assault from Shahid Afridi and Darren Sammy to hold off Hampshire by eight runs at Canterbury

David Hopps08-Jun-2016
ScorecardSam Billings found his best form since returning from IPL•Getty Images

When you are reeling from an onslaught of eight sixes in 22 balls, Shahid Afridi has a look of wild ambition about him and his batting partner Darren Sammy is looking more he-man by the minute, it is hard to keep faith that victory is in your grasp.Kent held their nerve as Hampshire’s high-impact duo reeled off their moves like a couple of seasoned tag wrestlers, withstanding their late assault to claim an eight-run win in the NatWest Blast.Canterbury is one of the quietest grounds on the circuit, where even the hum of the ice cream van is in danger of receiving a noise abatement notice, but as Hampshire recovered in that unfettered phase from 97 for 5 to 157 for 6 – slashing the requirement to 37 in four overs after being out of the game – the squeals of apprehension were getting louder by the moment.But David Griffiths’ mastery of yorkers at the death, completing an excellent spell of 2 for 24, saw Kent home, Afridi toeing a low full toss to Darren Stevens at long-on and Sammy falling with 11 needed off five balls when he flayed and edged to the wicketkeeper. The last pair produced no grand finale, Kent thereby gaining revenge for their nine-run defeat last week at the Ageas Bowl.Hampshire are the acknowledged masters of T20 cricket in England with six successive appearances at Finals Day; Kent, beaten quarter-finalists in two cup competitions last season, pronounced themselves the most exciting young batting side in the country.But Twenty20 has little respect for reputations and both had started slowly in this season’s NatWest Blast with one victory in three. Canterbury therefore staged what could be regarded, even this early in the tournament, as the first crunch game of the season and Hampshire, bottom of the Championship and disrupted by injuries, will now need a considerable change of fortune if they are going to extend their extraordinary Finals Day record.”It was a game that never felt done and dusted,” said Kent’s skipper Sam Northeast. “It’s never ideal when you’ve got Sammy and Afridi walking out, hitting it from ball one. Griff has been brilliant for us and it’s great to have him fit again after his back surgery. He’s seriously one of the best bowlers at the death when he’s fit and that was a remarkable little spell from him again.”Sean Ervine, Hampshire’s captain, had single-handedly kept Hampshire’s chase alive, reaching his half-century with a full-shouldered long-on swing against Stevens, 17 off the over announcing the charge. When Ervine was run out by Griffiths, Hampshire finally had Afridi and but 112 for 6 was no sort of preparation. “With two superstars at the back, we have to take the game deep,” bemoaned Ervine. “Four run outs didn’t help us either.”Without Michael Carberry, injured, and James Vince, elevated this season to England’s Test side, Hampshire’s top order is vulnerable. They were three down for 51 in the seventh over. Jimmy Adams chipped to mid-on; Lewis McManus ran himself out at the non-striker’s end, sent back by Adam Wheater who had driven straight to Denly in the covers; and Wheater was deceived by Ivan Thomas’ slower ball.Sam Billings’ return to Kent from a first season of IPL had been low key until now, but in his third appearance in the NatWest Blast since his stint with Delhi Daredevils he displayed some of the adventure which last season began to cement his reputation. His unbeaten 55 from 30 balls was capped by an audacious steel-wristed swept six off Tino Best.Few would have anticipated such entertainment 24 hours earlier with the Canterbury outfield underwater after taking the brunt of one of the brief thunderstorms that have crossed the country this week.With that in mind, having been put into bat, Kent would be satisfied with a Powerplay return of 52 for 0 on a slow surface. Denly and Bell-Drummond hunted the short legside slope towards the Lime Tree Café with alacrity and when Denly twice flicked Afridi for six into the building site at midwicket, where a series of retirement homes are in the early stages of development – Rob Key rumoured not to be interested – Kent’s authority was clear.By the time, Kent’s openers departed in the 11th over they were 98 runs to the good. Denly sought the leg-side boundary once too often and Liam Dawson took a neat, diving catch, and Best ardour was roused by the sight of Bell-Drummond’s splayed stumps. Dawson, a vital controlling influence, found some encouragement from a damp pitch that had escaped the covers, persuading Northeast and Billings to allow themselves a brief reassessment.Hampshire lacked three bowlers who made such a contribution to their success last season. The veteran Yasir Arafat decamped to Somerset on a season-long loan, Danny Briggs joined Sussex to escape his creeping reputation as a specialist one-day spinner and Chris Wood is out for the season with a knee injury. That is 53 wickets down, with Briggs also going at only seven an over.Against their replacements, Northeast and Billings broke free. Billings lofted straight and then, as Denly had before him, majored on the short leg-side boundary. When he swept Best into the building site, Kent’s stewards already seemed to have a retirement flat in mind, leaving Gareth Berg to jog around the security fencing to retrieve the ball himself.

Hashim Amla’s 23rd ODI hundred and Imran Tahir’s 7 for 45 led South Africa to a bonus-point win against West Indies at Basseterre

The Report by Firdose Moonda15-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details Hashim Amla scored his 23rd ODI hundred and brought up 1000 runs in the format against West Indies as South Africa put on their best batting display and the only 300-plus score of the tri-series so far. But that was only half of how the visitors boosted their hopes of qualifying for the final.Imran Tahir claimed 7 for 45 – the best ODI returns by a South African bowler, and he also became the fastest to 100 ODI wickets from the country – to deny West Indies, who have never been successful chasing a target over 300.South Africa bundled West Indies out for 204, secured a bonus point, and topped the table. The result meant the St Kitts’ segment of the series ended with all three teams in the same position as they were after the Guyana leg. Australia, South Africa and West Indies have played four matches, won two and lost two.In the lead up to Wednesday, Amla stressed the need for the top six to take more responsibility. On Wednesday, he stood by those words and shared a 182-run opening partnership with Quinton de Kock. Allrounder Chris Morris, who returned from a hamstring niggle, was promoted to No. 3 and provided a cameo before Faf du Plessis led the late assault. South Africa plundered 105 runs off the last 10 overs.Although this was the best surface for batsmen in the series so far, West Indies’ bowlers lacked control and penetration. Four of their six-man attack conceded more than six runs an over with only the spinners, Sunil Narine and Sulieman Benn, able to hold up an end. The pacemen could not find the right lengths and runs came easily for South Africa.Amla dominated the early exchanges, outscoring de Kock. The pair brought up 50 in nine overs, 100 at the start of the 18th, and 150 inside the 27th during a chanceless stand. Amla attempted to accelerate further after he brought up his century, off 89 balls. He got low to scoop a ball to the fine-leg boundary, flashed hard and edged one to third man, and eventually holed out to long-off looking for his first six.The stage seemed set for de Villiers’ entrance but Morris was pushed up. It seemed a mistake when, in the next over, de Kock’s off stump was taken out by a Jerome Taylor yorker. The left-hander had made 71 off 103 balls. Still, de Villiers did not appear.Morris struck a flashy 40 off 26, including four boundaries, before he found deep midwicket. De Villiers finally arrived, and along with du Plessis, played Narine out before cutting loose. The pair plundered 64 runs off seven overs to take South Africa over 300. Du Plessis stayed unbeaten with 73 and got them close to 350.A similar breakneck pace was set by West Indies’ openers Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles as they took advantage of Kagiso Rabada and Wayne Parnell’s insistence on bowling short. The score raced to 58 in the first six overs before Tahir was brought on. The legspinner made the first incision at the end of his second over thanks to a stunning catch by Farhaan Behardien on the midwicket boundary. Fletcher swung hard but Behardien grabbed it inches off the ground, with the ball dying on him.Morris and Tabraiz Shamsi helped Tahir keep West Indies in check. The spinners were exerting their control as Shamsi foxed Charles with a googly that he sliced to long-off. Realising the help on offer, Parnell resorted to offbreaks and bowled Darren Bravo to leave Marlon Samuels having to stage a coup. West Indies needed 254 runs in only 204 balls with seven wickets in hand.Denesh Ramdin hung around before top-edging a googly from Shamsi to deep backward square leg for 11. Then Tahir took over. He picked up his 100th wicket in only his 58th match when Samuels edged to de Kock, and knocked over all three of West Indies’ big-hitting allrounders in the same over. Jason Holder was trapped lbw for 19 off 31, Carlos Brathwaite was handed a golden duck, and Kieron Pollard was caught at deep midwicket to give Tahir five.West Indies lost their last five wickets for 35 runs and were bowled out in 38 overs.

Benny Howell took his wicket tally in the NatWest T20 Blast South Group to 23 as Gloucestershire made sure of finishing top with a four-wicket victory over Middlesex at Bristol

ECB Reporters Network29-Jul-2016
ScorecardLiam Norwell narrowly fails to run out Steve Eskinazi•Getty Images

Benny Howell took his wicket tally in the NatWest T20 Blast South Group to 23 as Gloucestershire made sure of finishing top with a four-wicket victory over Middlesex at Bristol.The competition’s leading wicket-taker claimed 3 for 18 from his four overs to help restrict the visitors to 156 for 5 after winning the toss. John Simpson top scored with 40 not out, while spinners Tom Smith and Graeme van Buuren both bowled tightly.In reply, Gloucestershire reached 162 for 6 with three balls to spare, Jack Taylor seeing them home with an explosive 44 off 23 balls, including 4 sixes, after Ian Cockbain had contributed 42.Some of the edge was taken off the game by the fact that both sides were already sure of quarter-final places, in Gloucestershire’s case with home advantage. But it still produced a thrilling finish.

Gloucs look to Grieshaber

Gloucestershire skipper Michael Klinger admitted Gl;oucestershire are short on wicketkeeping cover after they drew Durham in the last eight.
“Durham creates a problem for us in terms of a wicketkeeper because Gareth Roderick and Chris Dent are injured and we won’t be able to play Phil Mustard, who is on loan to us from our quarter-final opponents.
“It is something we will overcome. Young Pat Grieshaber did well for us behind the stumps in our Royal London Cup win over Sussex at Cheltenham and showed he can bat as well in that game.”

Middlesex made a promising start to their innings as Nick Gubbins and Stevie Eskinazi scored 52 off the first five overs before Gubbins, on 29, having hit 3 sixes, skied a catch to on-loan wicketkeeper Phil Mustard off Andrew Tye.James Franklin fell cheaply against his old club, stumped in Howell’s first over. But it was the all-rounder’s second over that proved most damaging as he had Eskinazi caught at short third-man for 29 and George Bailey lbw for one three balls later.The Middlesex innings got bogged down against Howell, typically effective with his pace-off-the-ball seamers, and the two Gloucestershire spinners, who shared seven overs at a cost of just 36 runs.Simpson and Ryan Higgins did their best to pick up the pace in the closing overs, while Toby Roland-Jones hit a four and a six off the last, sent down by Tye. But the Middlesex score still looked below par.Gloucestershire made a brisk start in reply, Michael Klinger and Hamish Marshall taking the score to 31 in the third over before Marshall, on 16, was run out attempting a second to third-man and failing to beat Roland-Jones’ throw to the keeper.That brought together two of the leading run-makers in the competition, Klinger and Cockbain, who soon overtook his skipper. An out-of-sorts Klinger was dropped on ten by Nathan Sowter at deep cover off Harris before falling for 13, caught trying to reverse sweep the relieved Sowter.Mustard was quickly bowled by Franklin and when Roland-Jones struck twice in the 15th over, having Cockbain caught at cover and bowling Howell as he advanced down the track, Gloucestershire looked to be in trouble at 101 for five.Taylor hit the first six of the innings as 14 came off the 17th over, bowled by Harris, and van Buuren followed up with a maximum off Ollie Rayner before falling next ball.With 24 needed from the last two overs, Taylor blasted successive sixes off Roland-Jones and nine were required as Steve Finn prepared to bowl the last six deliveries.The first was a no-balled bouncer costing two extras. Taylor missed the next one and smacked the next to mid-wicket where the diving Sowter failed to gather and let the ball slip through for a boundary.The scores were level when Finn was no-balled again for a bouncer and Taylor cut the next delivery for six over cover to end the game.

Rain washed out close to four sessions of the second Test, and an entire day’s play in the third. It is likely to interrupt play, by all appearances frequently, in the fourth Test as well

Karthik Krishnaswamy18-Aug-2016In the two days leading up to the fourth Test at the Queen’s Park Oval, rain has hit Port of Spain either before or during India’s practice sessions, sending them into the indoor nets. On Wednesday afternoon, during the second half of West Indies’ practice session on the eve of the match, it rained again, and kept raining for over two hours.Rain washed out close to four sessions of the second Test, and an entire day’s play in the third. It is likely to interrupt play, by all appearances frequently, in the fourth Test as well. The weather isn’t in either team’s control, and Virat Kohli, India’s captain, said his team would need to ensure they didn’t lose their intensity if there are frequent rain interruptions in Port of Spain.”Sometimes when you have too many interruptions, some people tend to think they can relax, but I think you require more concentration in an interrupted game,” he said. “When there are no breaks you can plan according to how the game will go for five or four days. But with breaks your plans and concentration will be disrupted very quickly.”The term that people say – ‘switch off and switch on’ – I think that is the most important factor in an interrupted game. That’s what a cricketer has to master pretty quickly in his career, because these sort of games you don’t want a situation where you’re not 100% into a game if you get interruptions. It’s challenging, but when it happens you have to make sure that you get a hang of this as well, because it does happen quite often, especially in Test cricket.”By the time the Test match gets underway, rain may have affected the preparation of the pitch as well. On Tuesday, two days before the game, it had looked noticeably drier than the surfaces that staged the first three Tests, a pale yellow colour with a smattering of coarse grass and small cracks all over.Ronald Faria, the curator, said this was because he had needed to exercise caution while watering the pitch, mindful that there may not be enough sunshine to permit the regular amount of watering. He said he was keeping a careful eye on the weather, and was watering the surface just enough to ensure it retained the optimum level of moisture – with his key going in about an eighth of an inch and no more – on the first morning.India seldom reveal their line-up on the eve of a Test match, but the team management by then has usually decided the combination they will play. On Wednesday, however, Kohli said they would keep their options open given the uncertainty over what conditions they would find at the toss.”I had a look [at the pitch] yesterday, there were a few damp spots,” he said. “Covers came on pretty quickly today, so I don’t know how much that has dried up. We’re obviously going to name a few more than eleven and take a call tomorrow as to what the best combination is.”Apart from the damp spots, the surface looks pretty dry. [It] Should have turn and bounce, that’s the feeling I got, but if we have rain for the next three days on and off, I’m sure the seamers will get much more assistance. Even in the side nets today, the seamers did get a lot of assistance. So as I said, we’ll have to keep enough players in the squad for us to change last-minute according to what the weather conditions are like and how much the wicket is going to stay under covers.”West Indies played four seamers and used the allrounder Roston Chase as their main spinner in the third Test in St Lucia. The dryness of the surface and the history of spin-friendly pitches at Queen’s Park Oval could prompt them to leave out one of their quicks and recall the legspinner Devendra Bishoo, but their captain Jason Holder said they had not made a decision yet.”Not quite sure yet,” Holder said. “Yesterday, I saw the wicket, looks pretty dry, a bit of grass on it as well, you know, so it’s probably a good possibility that you’d probably see a change in the squad, but I haven’t sat down and met the selectors yet. At the end of the day, they have the final say, and we’ll go and see what happens.”Weather permitting, it will be interesting to see how the teams approach this situation, and the conditions they might encounter – a pitch that looks like it might help the spinners, and atmospheric conditions that could help the seamers.

Twelve wickets tumbled on the third day of the four-day clash between Australia A and India A, with both teams in with a chance when the Brisbane rains called for an early stumps at the tea interval

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-2016
ScorecardTwelve wickets fell on a rain-hit third day of the four-day match between Australia A and India A but both teams will consider themselves in with a chance when play resumes on Sunday in Brisbane. Australia A need 100 runs more in their chase of 159, while India A need six wickets.Having eked out a two-run first-innings lead, India A resumed on 2 for 44 on the third day and collapsed to 156 all out. They managed to reach that score due to a late 46 from Jayant Yadav at No. 8. Australia A ended the day precariously placed at 4 for 59, after Shardul Thakur’s two wickets in consecutive balls resulted in an early wobble for the hosts.Batting under overcast conditions at the Allan Border Field, India lost overnight batsman Manish Pandey in the ninth ball of the day. Pandey was caught brilliantly at slip off new-ball bowler Daniel Worrall. Shreyas Iyer, India A captain Naman Ojha and Karun Nair all followed suit in quick succession, before Jayant strode out with the score at 90 for 6. He then single-handedly tried to lift India A to a respectable score, striking 46 of the next 66 runs they scored. Jayant was the last man dismissed, caught off medium-pacer Chadd Sayers in the last ball of the 48th over. He faced 75 balls for his 46 and struck eight fours.Australia A’s pace attack did the bulk of the damage, with Worrall, David Moody and Sayers taking three wickets each, while legspinner Mitchell Swepson accounted for Thakur.Thakur then rocked Australia A with twin strikes in the seventh over, sending back opener Joe Burns and Travis Dean. Captain Peter Handscomb negotiated the hat-trick ball and raced away to 24 off 18 balls with help of five fours. However, Handscomb was dismissed by Hardik Pandya, before Varun Aaron trapped Marcus Stoinis lbw to send him back for an 11-ball duck.Opening batsman Cameron Bancroft resisted for 74 balls and was unbeaten on 16. Giving him company at stumps was Beau Webster, who had faced 11 balls for his unbeaten 6.Thakur ended the day with figures of 2 for 14 in six overs. Aaron and Pandya had a wicket each.

Pakistan have appointed the former wicketkeeper-batsman Wasim Bari team manager for their upcoming series against West Indies in the UAE

Umar Farooq09-Sep-2016Pakistan have appointed the former wicketkeeper-batsman Wasim Bari team manager for their upcoming series against West Indies in the UAE. Bari will replace Intikhab Alam, whose contract with the PCB is set to expire this month.”Intikhab Alam’s contract with PCB as team manager is concluding this month,” the PCB said in a statement. “PCB would like to express its thanks and appreciation to Mr. Alam for his contribution to the Pakistan cricket team. The team has received a lot of plaudits for their conduct on the recent tour of England and were appreciated as positive ambassadors of their country. Mr. Alam’s role as head of the Pakistan contingent was key to the PCB’s efforts to ensure an incident-free tour of England.”The decision not to extend Alam’s contract, ESPNcricinfo understands, was taken midway through the England tour, as the result of a controversial decision he took. Alam allowed the family of bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed to reside in the middle-order batsman Ifthikhar Ahmed’s room during the Test series, forcing the player to share a room with Mohammad Rizwan. The incident was a direct violation of the code of conduct, with Alam found to be lenient in enforcing the code. The tour otherwise was a success unlike some previous tours of England.Bari played 81 Tests and finished with 228 dismissals, the most by a Pakistan wicketkeeper. He captained Pakistan in six Tests – the drawn home series against England in 1977-78 and the tour of England in 1978, which Pakistan lost 2-0. Like Alam, he has been a significant figure in Pakistan cricket, serving as player, captain, chief selector, director of the PCB’s human resource and education departments, and imparting anti-corruption training. He also served a stint as the chief operating officer of the PCB, the second-highest post behind only the chairman.Alam has been involved with Pakistan cricket through most of the last six decades. He made his Test debut in 1959 against Australia in Karachi, and played 47 Tests in all in a career that stretched until 1977. He captained Pakistan in 17 Test matches, and after his playing career served as manager, selector, coach – helping Pakistan to a World Cup title in 1992 and a World T20 triumph in 2009 – and as director of the National Cricket Academy and the PCB’s director of international operations.

Moeen Ali added another reprieve to his list of escapes with the bat in the Chittagong Test

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2016Moeen Ali has had his fair share of fortune in the first Test in Chittagong. His opening-day 68 involved five DRS interventions – three in a period of six balls when he was given out by Kumar Dharmasena either side of lunch – but in the second innings a reprieve came from a different route.Facing Shakib Al Hasan, on 6, he flicked the ball off his hip straight a short leg who, at first glance from a front-on angle, had appeared to grasp the catch close to his chest. However, Moeen was well aware of the Laws and had noticed that the ball had made contact with the grille of Mominul Haque’s helmet before settling in his hands.Mominul, himself, also appeared to know the outcome as he barely celebrated the catch amid the initial excitement from the bowler. After a quick check with the third umpire, it was confirmed as not out.This is the Law (32.3) in question: “The act of making the catch shall start from the time when the ball in flight comes into contact with some part of a fielder’s person other than a protective helmet, and shall end when a fielder obtains complete control both over the ball and over his own movement… it is not a fair catch if the ball has previously touched a protective helmet worn by a fielder. The ball will then remain in play.”In the dressing room, Jonny Bairstow may have had a wry smile. He has twice fallen foul of being caught off a fielder’s helmet. It first happened in Mumbai, during the 2012 series, when he prodded a catch to silly point which was held by Gautam Gambhir. Initially all looked normal with the dismissal, but the wicket also brought lunch and as replays continued to be scanned it became clear Gambhir’s helmet had been involved. There were attempts by England to have the decision overturned but Bairstow was not reprieved.Three years later, during the 2015 Ashes, it happened to Bairstow again. In the second innings at The Oval he inside-edged Nathan Lyon to short leg where, with a juggle, Adam Voges held the catch. Again, he walked off without much fuss only for subsequent replays to show it had come off Voges’ helmet.More recently, during the India-New Zealand Test series in Kanpur, there was another example when Tom Latham was given a life when he swept Ravi Jadeja off his boot to KL Rahul at short leg but the ball struck the chin-strap of the helmet before the catch was completed. The umpires had already sent the catch to the third umpire, to check for a bump ball, so the deflection was picked up and Latham survived.

Kristen Beams will look to return to cricket for the Melbourne Stars in the Women’s BBL, after being ruled out of action with a finger fracture

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Nov-2016Australia women legspinner Kristen Beams has been ruled out of the remainder of the home ODIs against South Africa due to a finger injury. She had fractured her right little finger during the third match on Wednesday in Sydney and parted with the squad on Friday.While the Australia squad headed to Coffs Harbour for the last two ODIs of the series, which they lead 3-0, Beams returned to Melbourne after undergoing surgery. Beams had bowled six overs for 35 runs and one wicket on the day.”You never want to see one of your team-mates get injured,” seamer Rene Farrell said before training at Coffs International Stadium on Saturday. “We’ve all been there and we’ve all had finger injuries before. Hopefully she’ll be right around the middle of the WBBL season. I know she’ll come back stronger, she’s a tough character.”Beams had broken her finger after bowling four overs on Wednesday and received medical treatment near the boundary line before returning to bowl another two and dismissed centurion Lizelle Lee in her final over.”Her finger was still dislocated and she bowled her last two overs for us,” Australia opener Nicole Bolton said. “That shows the strength of character of someone like Beamsy, who we heavily rely on with the ball, and for her to come out and do that for us was just incredible.”Beams had a terrific tour of Sri Lanka in September, across four ODIs and the lone T20I. She was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series, which Australia whitewashed, with 13 scalps at a stunning average of 5.92 and took two four-fors. In the T20I, her figures of 3 for 11 from four overs restricted the hosts to 59 for 8. She had bettered her career-best figures in both formats on the tour.She is also Australia’s leading wicket-taker (18) in ODIs this year, behind South Africa legspinner Suné Luus (30), England’s Katherine Brunt (21) and Luus’ team-mate Ayabonga Khaka (21).

Yorkshire have gambled on the anticipated dwindling of Gary Ballance’s Test career, at least in the short term, by appointing him captain in all three formats

David Hopps15-Dec-2016Yorkshire have gambled on the anticipated dwindling of Gary Ballance’s Test career, at least in the short term, by appointing him captain in all three formats.Ballance’s appointment represents the first major decision by Yorkshire’s new head coach, Andrew Gale, and ends weeks of conjecture about whether Ballance’s leadership role can remain undisrupted by further England calls.Alex Lees, who was hailed as Yorkshire’s youngest official captain since Lord Hawke, one of the county’s most iconic figures, when he took charge of the limited-overs formats in 2016, has relinquished the role after only one season.Ballance, at 27, still retains the drive to add to his 21 Tests, but he has been omitted from England’s line-up throughout the India series, so much out of contention that it is questionable whether there has been any purpose in him remaining on tour.”When Andrew Gale called me, it was impossible to turn down. Being captain is something that I enjoy doing and hopefully I will do a good job for Yorkshire and follow on from the good work that Galey has done over the years.”I’m experienced now, I have played a bit of cricket over the years, so I have seen how different captains work. I think that I am a calm person and like to think that I have a decent cricket brain. I’m not a massive speaker, but I will be looking to lead by example on the field and get the lads to follow me.”It must be challenging nevertheless to accept a job with total conviction when deep down you are hoping that you might bat so well you will make yourself redundant again in no time.Gale is not blind to the risks but he made no secret of his preference for a captain to cover all formats when he was unveiled as 1st XI coach – indeed, he was not best pleased when his own captaincy career finished in the Championship only – and Ballance was his preferred option from the outset if it was felt that England calls would be limited.Although England’s middle-order remains far from settled, the emergence of Haseeb Hameed and Keaton Jennings does give England more options at the top of the order, with the possibility that Jennings might fill a role at No. 3, and with the Champions Trophy looming in June there is no Test cricket in the first half of the 2017 summer.Although, to the outsider, he might not immediately give off the presence of a leader, Ballance commands great respect in the dressing room with younger players naturally gravitating to him for advice.Gale said: “I wanted to take my time when deciding who to appoint as new Club Captain and Gary is the right man to take the team forward. I am a firm believer in continuity and I am pleased that Gary will captain Yorkshire across all three formats.”Gary is respected on and off the field, has a good cricket brain and knows the direction that we would like to take the team in. He has led from the front for many years with the bat and his experience speaks for itself.”Last season, I missed a game against Nottinghamshire at Scarborough with a back injury and Gary stepped in as captain. He showed great qualities as a leader and I am excited about how he will lead the side in the future.”Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director cricket, has contented himself with an advisory role as Gale, retired for all of a month, made the captaincy call, but Moxon was quick to praise the attributes of Yorkshire’s new leader.”Gary has captained a little bit in the past and has done a really good job,” Moxon said. “He has got the respect of the players and is a very popular member of the dressing room. He is a hugely experienced cricketer now having played international cricket. Tactically he is astute, so he will be very good at that side as well as managing the lads.”For Lees, the emphasis changes to making top-order runs and reviving his reputation as one of the most promising top-order batsmen in the country. Captaincy seemed to have come too early for him, although he did rally Yorkshire in mid-season in the NatWest Blast to the extent that, against expectations, they reached Finals Day.”Galey feels, and I agree, that one captain is the way to go,” Moxon said. “It is an opportunity for Alex to concentrate on his batting and make sure that he is the best batsman that he can be. That is important for his development and for the team if he is stacking the runs up.”We felt that it was only right that he didn’t have any distractions with that in mind and he is very comfortable with that.”

The WICB’s decision came after the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations warned that the risk level in Pakistan remains “at an extremely elevated state”

Umar Farooq12-Jan-2017West Indies’ proposed tour to Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-March is off the table, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. The WICB rejected the PCB’s proposal for the tour after receiving advice on security from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. The WICB has also cancelled an expected security recce, which was planned for later this month. The two boards, however, continue to discuss the possibility of two T20 internationals in Florida on March 19 and 20.It is understood that earlier this week the West Indies Players Association wrote to FICA, seeking advice on the current security situation in Pakistan. FICA reportedly gave WIPA the latest security advisory from its security consultants, Eastern Star International, who provide security for various international boards including the ECB, Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and the ICC.In the report, FICA warned that the risk level in Pakistan remains “at an extremely elevated state” and that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed”. Earlier this month, FICA’s report on player safety and security strongly discouraged players from traveling to Lahore for the Pakistan Super League final, scheduled for March 5.According to the proposal, Lahore was likely to host the two matches on March 18 and 19, followed by two matches in Florida, which are still being discussed and are likely to go ahead.On Wednesday, the WICB released the schedule of Pakistan’s seven-week tour of the Caribbean, beginning from March, which comprises two T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests across five venues. As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), four Tests had been originally slated for this series, but one Test was dropped from the itinerary to accommodate the proposed tour of Pakistan and the T20Is in the USA.West Indies are the third team – after Ireland and Sri Lanka – to reject travelling to Pakistan in the last two years.In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan. The ICC, however, had refused to send its match officials for the series. The PCB appointed its own match officials, and hoped the Zimbabwe series would serve as a stepping stone to reviving international cricket in the country. That ambition, however, suffered a setback when a suicide attack took place near the Gaddafi Stadium during the second ODI. Zimbabwe, though, played the third and final ODI two days later and completed the tour.The PCB remains firm in its plan to host the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore on March 5, and has drawn up contingency plans to replace those overseas players unwilling to travel to the country due to security reasons. The board has decided to hold a new draft in the last week of February to bring in foreign players who will be willing to travel to Pakistan in place of those who will opt out.