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Hosts lead by 91 with two wickets standing after fifties from Dent, Bracey and Lace

ECB Reporters' Network09-Apr-2021Chris Dent has, at times, carried Gloucestershire’s batting in the past years and it was the captain who again led his side’s effort as they built a solid response to Surrey’s 220 at Bristol, though it was far from a lone hand as the hosts reached 311 for 8 at the end of day two.Dent’s bright 78 was followed by 54 from James Bracey and Tom Lace’s 65. None of them could turn their positions into a potentially match-defining innings but they still helped give Gloucestershire a significant lead and three batting points.After Surrey were polished off within three balls of day two, Dent and Bracey immediately put the home side on the front foot with a rattling opening stand of 139 in 28 overs. Dent survived a chance to second slip on 28, where Jamie Overton couldn’t claim the catch leaping at full stretch over his head, and went on to pull Overton for six over midwicket to raise fifty in just 55 balls.Another maximum was hoisted down the ground from Amar Virdi’s offspin but just after lunch he couldn’t get out of the way in time trying to leave Reece Topley and edged into his stumps – the first of four wickets for the England left-armer.It was a bonus for Surrey, who were much relieved to break the opening partnership on the stroke of lunch when Virdi skidded one into Bracey playing back. The wicketkeeper had impressed, punishing three wide deliveries from Gus Atkinson for four before skipping down to lift Virdi for another boundary. A calm single in front of cover brought him fifty in 81 balls.The third half-centurion was Lace, in his first innings since signing permanently from Middlesex. It should have ended before it began as he chopped Topley to second slip on 0 only for the catch to bounce out of Overton’s hands at shoulder height. He also edged Overton just wide of fourth slip but clipped two pleasant boundaries through midwicket in his 101-ball half-century before sweeping at Virdi, missing, and falling lbw.Lace was one of five afternoon wickets for Surrey as they kept Gloucestershire in sight and when they took two wickets in 15 deliveries with the second new ball, the hosts were eight down leading by 62.But Jack Taylor, who at one stage was 1 from 41 balls, and his brother Matt, nudged their side beyond 300 to regain momentum before rain again curtailed play.

Peter Moor will lead Zimbabwe in the four home ODIs against UAE

Liam Brickhill08-Apr-2019Zimbabwe will be without the services of captain Hamilton Masakadza and premier batsman Brendan Taylor for the four-match ODI series at home against UAE, starting April 10. Both the players were ruled out because of injuries: Masakadza has a problem in his left thumb, while Taylor is recovering from a right-calf muscle tear. Peter Moor will lead Zimbabwe in Masakadza’s absence.

Zimbabwe squad

Peter Moor (capt), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura

Masakadza picked up his injury during a domestic game in February, while Taylor sustained tore his muscle during a stint with Lahore Qalandars in the PSL 2019. Both had been named in the training squad of 27, but Zimbabwe Cricket said the two had “not recovered in time to play a part at least in the first two matches of the series”.Taylor told ESPNcricinfo that he was focused on recovering in time for the tours of Ireland and the Netherlands.”The calf injury is coming on well. It was a grade-two tear, but it’s been about seven weeks so I might have another one or two (weeks) to go,” Taylor said. “I haven’t put much strain on it. These things, I’m told, you don’t want to rush them because if it does happen again then it’s ten to 12 weeks.”The goal was to be ready for Afghanistan, but that didn’t happen and now there’s not a lot of pressure to be ready for this series. I’m probably going to be more focused on the Ireland and Netherlands series leading up to the (2020 T20 World Cup) qualifiers. So that’s it. Obviously I’d like to play, but I’ve been advised not to play. It’s a bit frustrating, but it is what it is.”Zimbabwe’s squad for their first international series since November 2018 includes uncapped left-arm spinner Ainsley Ndlovu and offspinner Tony Munyonga. Also in the squad are Regis Chakabva and Timycen Maruma, who have not played ODIs since November 2015 and June 2016 respectively.All matches in the series will be played at Harare Sports Club with ticket proceeds from the third match, on April 14, going towards Cyclone Idai disaster relief efforts.

An unbeaten half-century from 20-year-old Pant helped guide India A to victory in the tri-series final

Alan Gardner at The Oval02-Jul-20183:03

Centurion Hain ‘frustrated’ by final loss

ScorecardThe shape of the English summer is set to be defined over the next ten weeks by Virat Kohli’s India. A day out from that tour beginning in earnest, India lifted their first silverware, thanks to the A team’s five-wicket victory over England Lions at The Oval. An unbeaten half-century from 20-year-old Rishabh Pant guided them to the tri-series title, though it was an accomplished collective performance from a team bristling with IPL talent.Having been put into bat, the Lions were indebted to the series’ leading run-scorer, Sam Hain, maintaining his prolific white-ball form, as well as a colourful 83 from Liam Livingstone, who showed power and finesse to score swiftly on a slowish surface. The next-highest contribution was Steven Mullaney’s 17, as the India A bowlers bided their time and struck at opportune moments: twice during the initial Powerplay, as the Lions reached 41 for 2, and repeatedly at the back end of the innings.Deepak Chahar, two days after being called into India’s full squad for the T20 series beginning on Tuesday, picked up three wickets, while slow left-armer Axar Patel – also now in the ODI squad – was their most economical bowler as well as also claiming a trio of catches, two of them exceptional efforts.Rishabh Pant puts away a square drive•Getty Images

The Lions would rue a chance that wasn’t held, off Pant on 35, when Reece Topley failed to get his hands under the ball running in from long-on. With India A having just lost Hanuma Vihari to a needless run-out, the Lions needed to seize the moment; instead, Pant and Krunal Pandya added an unbroken 71 to seal the chase.There were perhaps a couple of hundred spectators in south London’s grand old ground, though the Indian tricolours were visible as Pant brought up his fifty moments after lashing Matt Parkinson – the bowler who might have had him caught – twice down the ground for six and four. A congregation had mustered near the changing rooms for the chance of a selfie with Rahul Dravid, the India A coach, and the visitors seemed to enjoy the conditions brought about by the UK’s recent heatwave, as the Lions sweated in the sunshine.Although Prithvi Shaw fell to the first ball of the seventh over, India A already had 39 runs on the board. A double-strike from Liam Dawson – who drew level with Sajid Mahmood as the leading List A wicket-taker for the Lions, or England A/B, with 33 – checked the innings at 83 for 3 in the 16th over, but further inroads were delayed by a fourth-wicket stand of 67 in good time.India A’s captain, Shreyas Iyer, cracked the first six of the innings – possibly the biggest of the day – off the bowling of Parkinson, though Iyer appeared unhappy to be given out caught behind down the leg side off Mullaney; wicketkeeper Ben Foakes also whipped off the bails, for good measure. Mullaney then dropped a return catch off Vihari on 25, though Topley’s miss of Pant was to prove more costly.Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, and Ed Smith, the national selector, were both in attendance and although the Lions came up short, there were several positive contributions in a hard-fought contest – most notably from Hain.Sam Hain drives during his century•Getty Images

Trying to force a way into England’s white-ball sides at the moment is a bit like getting hold of tickets, or looking for a quick route to MCC membership. Be prepared for a wait, basically.Nevertheless, Hain is making a compelling case. Following his second hundred of the series, he averages 68.81 in List A cricket; that rises to 115.00 from eight innings for the Lions and he has already joined James Taylor (who made four) and Dawid Malan as the only players to score three one-day hundreds for England’s second XI. Both of those went on to play for the senior teams although Malan, somewhat curiously, has been capped in T20 and Tests but not – thus far – ODIs.Hain has been likened to Jonathan Trott, with his extended routine for taking guard and penchant for leg-side nudges, and he certainly seems a tad more circumspect than some of England’s new generation of dashers. That approach was well-attuned to the conditions at The Oval, however, where India A won a useful toss and made life difficult for the Lions throughout.Only during a partnership of 152 in 26 overs between Hain and Livingstone did India A appear under pressure in the field. Livingstone hooked the first of his five sixes off Khaleel Ahmed in the 17th over, having taken some time to find his feet, and he became increasingly fluent as the innings progressed. Having reached his first fifty of the series, from 63 balls, Livingstone began to cruise up through the gears, but fell one over after hitting Chahar for consecutives sixes when Axar took an excellent diving catch running in off the boundary.Hain’s innings was a more nuggety affair, although he did deposit Krunal into the seats at deep midwicket. His hundred came from 113 deliveries, but he was unable to carry on right to the end, edging Chahar behind as the Lions lost 6 for 79 over the course of their last 16.2 overs.

Usman Khawaja’s maiden Ashes ton was backed up by the Marsh brothers – with Shaun going to the close on 98 not out – as Australia built a commanding 133-run lead

The Report by Brydon Coverdale06-Jan-20180:53

Khawaja and Shaun Marsh keep Australia in control

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIf the new year is about fresh starts, then Usman Khawaja has nailed the brief. Having failed to score a Test century in 2017, Khawaja used his first innings of 2018 not only to raise his sixth Test hundred, but to bat, and bat, and bat some more, spending 381 balls at the crease in the longest innings of his decade-long first-class career. Khawaja’s 171 was the centrepiece of a day of Australian dominance at the SCG, where Shaun Marsh was also approaching triple-figures by stumps, and Australia, hoping not to have to bat again in the match, had built a 133-run lead.For England, it was a long, hot, demoralising six hours in the field. They managed only two wickets all day, and the best that could be said of their results was that they prevented Steven Smith from making yet another century. And frustrating? Was it ever frustrating for England. Mason Crane missed a maiden Test wicket due to a no-ball, and both Marsh brothers, Shaun and Mitchell, were given out only to be reprieved on review. Both were still there at stumps, Shaun on 98 and Mitchell on 63, with Australia’s total on 4 for 479.

Stats highlights

• 171 Usman Khawaja’s second highest score and sixth century in Tests. During his 171, Khawaja also crossed 2000 Test runs. This was his first century against England in 15 innings. Khawaja now has one century in each of the five major grounds in Australia. The 381 balls faced in the innings was also his longest knock in terms of balls faced, surpassing the 301-ball effort against South Africa at Adelaide.

• 73.88 Partnership average for Steven Smith and Usman Khawaja – the highest for any pair with a minimum of 15 innings. Since April 2014, the two have added six century stands – the most for Australia. In 18 innings, the two have added 12 fifty-plus stands. Five of the six century stands have come at home.

• 1993 The only other instance for Australia in which the third, fourth and fifth wicket added 100 runs or more each in an innings, against England at Leeds in the fourth Test of the 1993 Ashes.

• 5 Instances of batsmen No. 2 to No. 6 each scoring half-centuries for Australia. The previous instance was also at Sydney in 2015 against India. All the five occasions have been at home.

Crane’s bowling was one of the stories of the day. He turned some big legbreaks, and googlies, and induced the odd false stroke, but made even more false starts himself. The sight of Crane walking to his crease, entering his delivery stride, and then holding on to the ball became about as ubiquitous on day three at the SCG as pink clothing. Perhaps he was worried about no-balling, for he often landed close to or over the crease, and had missed out on the wicket of Khawaja in the final over before lunch due to a no-ball.Coming around the wicket, Crane turned a big legbreak in to Khawaja, who thrust his pad out without playing the ball, and England asked for a review of the not-out lbw decision. Replays showed that, by a small margin, Crane had failed to land his foot behind the crease. Ball-tracking went on to show that Khawaja would have otherwise been out. An exasperated Crane appeared to argue the point, pointlessly, with umpire Kumar Dharmasena. Quite how a spinner can so consistently be close to no-balling is a matter for Crane to rectify.At length, he did manage his maiden Test wicket, and it was Khawaja. But by the time Crane beat the advancing Khawaja and had him stumped by Jonny Bairstow, the batsman had 171 runs, and had been at the crease for nearly nine hours. It was a patient innings from Khawaja, who brought up his hundred – his first in Ashes cricket, and his first at the SCG – from his 222nd delivery, and his 150 from his 334th. Until this Test, the best Khawaja had to show for this Ashes was a pair of fifties; this innings alone buys him a lengthy stay in the side.His dismissal, shortly after tea, was the last breakthrough England would make all day. The Marsh brothers made it three consecutive century partnerships for Australia in this innings – Khawaja and Smith had put on 188, Khawaja and Shaun Marsh 101, and by stumps Shaun and Mitchell Marsh had compiled an unbeaten 104.England thought they had Mitchell Marsh late in the day when he was given out lbw off the bowling of Tom Curran, and asked for a review. The third umpire, S Ravi, overturned the decision on the basis of Marsh having nicked the ball, though the Hot Spot and Snicko evidence appeared far from conclusive. At least the ball was shown to be missing the stumps in any case, so Marsh would have been let off even without the supposed edge.Usman Khawaja celebrates his first Ashes century•Getty Images

On 22, Shaun Marsh had been given out caught behind off the part-time offspin of Joe Root, and after consulting with Khawaja, he called for a review. It was hard to work out why Marsh had not reviewed immediately, for the replays showed between bat and ball a gap big enough that Cameron Bancroft could almost have been bowled through it. Marsh went on to register his fifty from 121 balls, and by stumps was eyeing off a sixth Test century.He had come to the crease after the dismissal of Smith in the penultimate over before lunch. Smith appeared destined for his fourth hundred of the series when on 83 he chipped a return catch to Moeen Ali, who was bowling around the wicket. It was Moeen’s fourth wicket of the series, and the first time he had dismissed a right-hander in this campaign. And given Smith’s recent dominance, England could have hoped that wicket turned the tide. One wicket and 205 runs later, it was clearly anything but the case.

Yasir Ali’s unbeaten 47 helped Bangladesh A overcome Andy McBrine’s four-four and register a five-wicket win over Ireland A on the final day of their four-day fixture in Sylhet

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Oct-2017
ScorecardRaton Gomes/BCB

Yasir Ali’s unbeaten 47 guided Bangladesh A to a five-wicket win over Ireland A on the final day of their four-day fixture in Sylhet. Set 132 to win in the fourth innings, Bangladesh A reached the target shortly after lunch.It wasn’t before offspinner Andrew McBrine put them in some trouble in the morning, however, when he removed both the overnight batsmen Shadman Islam and Al-Amin. McBrine’s strikes reduced Bangladesh A to 60 for 4, McBrine having picked up all the wickets. Yasir and Nurul Hasan then shut the doors on Ireland by putting on a brisk 71-run stand for the fifth wicket.They couldn’t finish the job, however, as Nathan Smith dismissed Hasan when the scores were level. Yasir then completed the chase three balls later to end up unbeaten on 47. Hasan made 31 off 41 balls with the help of three fours and a six.The match had begun with Ireland A putting up 255 in their first innings, after electing to bat, powered by Simi Singh’s maiden first-class hundred. Islam led the home team’s reply with a century of his own as Bangladesh A made 337 to pick up a first-innings lead of 82 runs. Left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam then returned a five-wicket haul to send Ireland packing for 213 in the second innings and set up their successful chase.

The fast bowler will return home after the fifth ODI in Nagpur, as Australia eye his workload and preparations for the Sheffield Shield and the subsequent home Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-20172:18

Tait: Tye, Faulkner good options to replace Cummins

With a few of their key fast bowlers nursing injuries in the run-up to the home summer, Australia have decided to rest Pat Cummins from the T20I series against India with an eye on his workload management in the build-up to the Ashes. The fast bowler is not carrying an injury but will return home after the fifth ODI in Nagpur on October 1 to “refresh, both mentally and physically” before the start of the Sheffield Shield season.”Pat has played a considerable amount of cricket this year after a long period away from the game due to injury,” national selector Trevor Hohns said in a statement.”His body has handled the return to international cricket well, but we believe the best plan for him ahead of the Ashes Series is to return home to refresh, both mentally and physically, before he prepares for Sheffield Shield cricket.”Cummins’ main focus will be on preparations for the Sheffield Shield, which gets underway on October 26, but he could play for New South Wales in the later stages of the JLT One Day Cup, if they make it to the finals on October 19 and 21. A replacement for Cummins in Australia’s T20I squad will be named at a later date.Cummins’ fitness struggles since his Test debut in November 2011 had forced Australia’s selectors to take a long-term view regarding his workload in Tests and first-class matches, although he was picked in limited-overs squads subsequently. He made a comeback in December last year – after missing the 2015-16 season due to a stress fracture to the back – and has since played 22 of Australia’s 27 international matches across formats, and also featured in the IPL.In March, he was called up as Mitchell Starc’s replacement for the final two Tests against India – after Starc suffered a stress fracture to his foot – and made a Test comeback after a gap of more than five years in Ranchi. He also led the pace-bowling duties in the Tests in Bangladesh, following Josh Hazlewood’s injury in Dhaka, and ended up bowling 63 overs in the two-match series, the second-most for Australia after offspinner Nathan Lyon.David Saker, Australia’s bowling coach, had last week stated that Cummins’ workload would be assessed on a game-by-game basis.”At this stage we’re planning for him to play all the games,” Saker had said. “We’ll look at [resting him], it’s obviously been brought up between all of us. We know that his workloads are up there, but we know it’s an important series. It’s Australia v India, you don’t get any bigger than that. He’s really determined to play well over here. It’ll be game-by-game basis, we’ll play it by ear.”Hazlewood is still recuperating from a side strain he suffered in Dhaka, while Starc is in the final stages of recovery from the foot injury. There is a likelihood, however, that Starc, and injured quick James Pattinson, could play in the later stages of the JLT One Day Cup, although the hope is they will be fit to take part in the Sheffield Shield matches before the first Ashes Test, which starts from November 23 in Brisbane.

A fourth quarter-final defeat in two seasons helped further the narrative of an Essex side that never quite delivers

David Hopps27-Aug-2015
ScorecardFour wickets, but no victory for Reece Topley as another Essex quarter-final went begging•Getty Images

The sight of Yorkshire, with their England contingent back in tow, arriving at Chelmsford for a Royal London quarter-final did Essex no favours in an uncomfortable season in which Paul Grayson’s future as coach hangs in the balance. The upshot of a fiercely competitive tie was a fourth quarter-final defeat in two seasons to encourage the narrative of an Essex side that never quite delivers.Yorkshire got home by 20 runs in a match that was much closer than the margin suggests. Their 252 for 9 was par at best, and even that required a transformative, unbroken last-wicket stand of 50 in 34 balls between Liam Plunkett and Matthew Fisher at a time when Grayson must have felt Essex were strong favourites to secure their first 50-over semi-final since 2008.Plunkett’s stern-faced muscularity was witnessed firstly with the bat – a bullish, unbeaten 49 from 32 balls with Jamie Porter the chief target – and then with the ball as he recovered from early punishment, much of it met with a haughtily disapproving sniff, to return 3 for 58 in a single spell in which Yorkshire’s stand-in captain, Alex Lees, dared to bowl out his fastest bowler in search of much-needed wickets and was rewarded for his enterprise.Essex looked down and out at 129 for 5 when Bopara, edging one slid across him, became Plunkett’s final victim, but Ryan ten Doeschate and James Foster evened the tie once more with a stand of 59. Will Rhodes, the former England U-19 captain, dismissed both, ten Doeschate falling at long-on with 47 needed, but even then Yorkshire knew they had little licence for error.”Once again we have fallen at the quarter-final stage and that has to be a great disappointment – not just for me and the players, but for our supporters,” ten Doeschate said. “We felt on top for much of the game.” Lees called Yorkshire’s score “a fighting total,” a relief after losing the toss on a nibbly pitch but well below what they envisaged at 163 for 3 with 16 overs remaining.It was uncertain which Yorkshire would pitch up at Chelmsford – the Yorkshire who stand 30 points clear in the Championship with a game in hand, or the Yorkshire who fell so far below expectations in Twenty20 that they finished second bottom, never had the luxury of a settled side and responded by blooding youngsters with a vengeance. In the end, they fell somewhere in between.The first stage of Yorkshire’s innings was a procession to the wicket of slightly damaged England batsmen, regretting a summer that had not quite gone according to plan. Adam Lyth was an Ashes winner but barely averaged double figures in the series and had drawn a line by pouring out his regrets on Facebook; Gary Ballance had been dropped after two Tests, his back-foot play analysed as critically as if it was the Retreat from Mafeking; Jonny Bairstow had re-established himself but then, to the shock of many, he had been omitted from the ODI squad where he had made such an impact against New Zealand.Broken, not so; dented, without question. All made starts, all failed to deliver a matchwinning innings. On a slow pitch, they were given a sounding out by Essex’s medium pacers, who found the assistance that Essex had anticipated upon winning the toss. Pretty much every club in England has a bowler of the pace of David Masters, now in his 38th year, but like many before them Yorkshire never quite came to terms with his nibbling seam and he completed his 10 overs off the reel for 28.Lyth dragged on Porter as he tried to pull a slower ball; Bairstow was undone by the wiles of Jesse Ryder, who wanders up to the wicket with the insouciance of someone taking an empty glass back to the bar before heaving strong shoulders into the ball; and Ballance followed, the wiles this time bearing the mischievous outlook of Bopara.

Semi-final draw

Sunday, September 6: Yorkshire v Gloucestershire 1030
Monday, September 7: Surrey v Nottinghamshire 1130

It could have been worse. Lyth and Ballance narrowly avoided run outs and Ballance escaped when Reece Topley, diving close to a pitch mat at short midwicket, allowed the ball to spill from his grasp, a fact confirmed by the TV umpire.Topley’s most costly drop, though, was that of Jack Leaning, who has grown in stature this season while Yorkshire’s England trio have been otherwise engaged. The subsidence to 202 for 9 was damaging enough – six wickets lost for 39 in 11 overs with Rashid’s attempt to get off the mark with a six over midwicket the most outlandish contribution – but without Leaning’s 72 from 99 balls, his fifty brought up by flaying Porter over mid-on for six, the collapse could have been terminal.Topley silenced him with a skied pull into the deep, one of four wickets in a decent bowling night ahead of what he hopes will be an England T20 debut against Australia in Cardiff on Monday. His languid left-arm found swing with the new ball and his back-of-a-hand delivery offers solid variety in the later overs.Essex’s innings had early misfortune when Tim Bresnan ran out Mark Pettini, backing up, in his follow through, but they rallied with a second-wicket of 97 in 16 overs between Nick Browne and Tom Westley, the latter producing a half-century replete with handsome drives until Plunkett struck his stumps.The plucked-out stump that stuck in the mind, though, belonged to Ryder. Few cricketers play the game in such a relaxed fashion, but when Plunkett, from around the wicket, followed a delivery that whiplashed back into him with one that held its line to uproot his off stump, his look of befuddlement was proof of the quality of the delivery.

Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2015Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal for the 2015 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Akmal is expected to join the CPL franchise on July 3 after finishing his stint with Leicestershire in the ongoing NatWest T20 Blast.If he is picked for the Pakistan limited-overs side, however, Akmal will have to proceed to Sri Lanka on national duty for the five ODIs and two T20Is, with the first ODI on July 11 and the second T20 on August 1. The CPL runs from June 20 to July 26.It will be Akmal’s second appearance in the CPL after he played for Barbados Tridents in 2013. He had a disappointing return of 49 runs from six games before he suffered a seizure on a flight to Jamaica and was called back to Pakistan by the PCB for medical examination.Akmal has been in good form recently. He debuted for Leicestershire three days ago with an unbeaten 76 off 49 against Nottinghamshire. He was also the second-highest run-getter in the Super8 T20 Cup in Pakistan last month with 216 runs from four games at a strike-rate of 151.

Gareth Batty effectively admitted that he made a mistake “in the heat of battle” in not withdrawing appeal after Murali Kartik after he had run out a Somerset batsman while backing up

David Lloyd at Taunton30-Aug-2012A contrite Gareth Batty effectively admitted that he made a mistake “in the heat of battle” in not withdrawing the appeal that resulted in Somerset’s Alex Barrow being run out for backing-up too far – a practice known outside England at least as ‘Mankading.’The Surrey captain accepted full responsibility for the decision and said: “The last thing I wanted was to bring the spirit of cricket into disrepute.”Although it has always been strictly acceptable within the laws, ‘Mankading’ is regarded by many within the English game as being a breach of etiquette and is an unpalatable act for many players, as well as fans.County cricket has remained wedded to such mores since the late nineteeth century but attitudes are now blurred, especially outside England, to the point where for the tradition to survive it might ultimately have to be written into England’s domestic playing regulations.Law 42.15, as adapted by ECB playing regulations for championship cricket, simply states: “The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker”Somerset and their supporters were incensed when Murali Kartik, their former spinner, removed a bail and appealed for a run out after non-striker Barrow had wandered out of his crease.The young batsman had already been warned by Kartik, earlier in the over, for leaving his ground too soon – a caution the bowler did not need to deliver under the laws, but one which if delivered traditionally protects the bowler from allegations of sharp practice.*As captain, Batty was asked by umpire Peter Hartley whether he wanted the appeal to stand. “In the heat of the battle I made the decision that, according to the letter of the law, it was the correct decision for him to be out,” said the former England spinner.Batty said that “hindsight was a wonderful thing” and suggested that if – like India during last summer’s Test at Trent Bridge when Ian Bell was reinstated following a controversial run-out incident – he had enjoyed the luxury of a 20-minute tea interval to reconsider events, a different outcome would probably have resulted.”People obviously think the spirit of the game has been brought into disrepute – that was not my intention and I thoroughly apologise for that,” Batty said.He added that he would be speaking to Marcus Trescothick, Somerset’s captain. “I want to make sure it is right with Marcus and his team,” he said.Trescothick is not the sort of person to hold a grudge but he was clearly cross with what he had witnessed. “It’s not what you come to expect in county cricket – I’ve never seen it before,” the former England opener said. “That was quite astonishing and disappointing. The game doesn’t need to come to that. It’s not the game we like to play. It annoys the players and upsets the players. But we’ll move on, come back tomorrow and carry on playing the game.”Chris Adams, Surrey’s team director, was also in placatory mood. “I think in terms of upholding the laws of cricket it was the right decision but I think the situation certainly challenges the spirit of cricket,” said Adams. “That is regrettable.”I will support the captain in this because I have been out there in many, many situations where it is very intense. These are very intense days for a lot of teams, but especially us. It has been a very, very difficult summer [Surrey’s young player Tom Maynard died in an accident on London underground in mid-summer] and we find ourselves in a position where every point, every wicket and every run appears to be of the highest premium.”Adams also recalled the dismissal of Bell against India last year, run out after he thought tea had been called. “In that incidence they India had 20 minutes of a tea-break to reflect, discuss and consider and whether it was right to change that decision,” he said.”I think we all breathed a sigh of relief when that decision was overturned. I would like to think that had we been afforded the same 20 minutes that perhaps we would have come to the same outcome. Perhaps we wouldn’t.”I would suggest maybe in the goodness of time we could all say that the one thing that hasn’t been totally upheld is the spirit of cricket, and that is regrettable.”The issue has come to the fore because of a recent change in the ICC playing regulations – adopted by the ECB for domestic cricket – which now allow the bowler to run a batsman out until the point where he has completed his delivery stride – not entered his delivery stride as stated in the MCC laws. That has made the practice easier for the bowler and confused players and spectators alike.As for Kartik, he apparently could not understand what all the fuss was about, tweeting: “Everyone get a life please… if a batsman is out on a stroll, in spite of being warned, does that count as being in the spirit of the game?”*2:50 GMT August 31: The report had erroneously stated that the law relating to Mankading was rewritten last year.

Kevin Pietersen will be at September’s World Twenty20 – not as a player but as part of ESPN STAR Sports’ team of television presenters

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2012Kevin Pietersen will be at September’s World Twenty20 – not as a player but as part of ESPN STAR Sports’ team of television presenters. The news comes soon after it was confirmed that Pietersen would not play the World T20 for England following his spat with the ECB and his team-mates – whose performance he could now be commenting on from the outside.ESS*, who hold the broadcast rights for ICC tournaments, said on Friday that Pietersen – who was named player of the tournament when England won it in 2010 – would be on their ‘presentation and analysis team’ during the marquee tournament. Players have done commentary stints on series they’ve had to miss through injury but this could be the first time a player omitted in such controversial circumstances will be at the mic.Following his spectacular century in Leeds against South Africa, in a series which resulted in England losing their No. 1 Test ranking, Pietersen had spoken at a press conference about how he’d like to “carry on but there are obstacles that need to be worked out … and points I’m trying to sort out in the dressing room”. The issues included his desire to play the IPL in its entirety, text messages he sent to South African players during the series – allegedly about England captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower – and a parody Twitter account that he suspected his team-mates of starting.He had since apologised and released a video where he committed himself to international cricket but, as the matter grew more complicated, he was left out from the squad for the final South Africa Test, and was not among the 15 England players named for World T20 on August 21.Apart from analysis, the ESS release said, Pietersen will also play an important role in the publicity and promotion of the broadcast of World T20.*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)