Yorkshire Day was not exactly Yorkshire’s day at Headingley where they lost to Warwickshire by 114 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the Royal London Cup

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2016
ScorecardJonathan Trott made his 19th List A hundred (file photo)•Getty Images

Yorkshire Day was not exactly Yorkshire’s day at Headingley where they lost to Warwickshire by 114 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in the Royal London Cup. But in the end there was a silver lining in the grey clouds for both sides as they managed to qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.Yorkshire, however, having led the North Group for quite some time, had to be content with third place and an away match whereas a well-deserved victory for Warwickshire saw them finish second with a home tie to look forward to.Chasing Warwickshire’s 283 for 6, Yorkshire, who rested Tim Bresnan, lost an over because of two short stoppages for rain and saw their target reduced by a run but they never got anywhere near and were bowled out for 167 in 37.4 overs. When their ninth wicket went down at 148, they could still have managed a home tie if they had made it to 189 but they were still 22 short when Steven Patterson was dismissed.The visitors were indebted to three outstanding individual performances, first Man-of-the-Match Jonathan Trott scored a beautifully constructed 118 and spinners Ateeq Javid and Jeetan Patel then claimed seven wickets between them – Javid leading the way with a career-best 4 for 42.Adam Lyth and David Willey put on a quick 22 at the start of the Yorkshire reply but the former then fell to a great slip catch by Laurie Evans and – with Alex Lees run out soon afterwards – Yorkshire were never in the hunt. Australian Travis Head batted soundly for his 53 from 63 deliveries with five fours but when he was bowled off stump by Javid, Yorkshire were 125 for 6 and sinking fast.Winning the toss, the away side found runs hard to come by in the opening stages against the new-ball pairing of Willey and Patterson and only 16 had been scored by the eighth over when Will Porterfield fell to a tumbling catch to his right by Liam Plunkett at midwicket off Patterson.It stayed tight for a while when Trott came in but he worked the ball around well and made sure that the score kept ticking over throughout his innings. Another fine diving catch, this time by wicketkeeper Andy Hodd brought Plunkett the wicket of Warwickshire’s other opener, Sam Hain, who managed only 10 in 13 overs.Ian Bell came in at 40 for 2 but Yorkshire kept a tight hold on the reins and the visitors managed only 74 from the first 20 overs. Shortly afterwards Trott completed his half-century from 61 balls with five boundaries by taking a single off Plunkett but Bell chipped the next ball from the paceman straight to Willey at cover, having contributed 21 to the third-wicket stand of 52.Trott continued to shine and Tim Ambrose survived a difficult chance on nine when he struck Azeem Rafiq to deep midwicket and Karl Carver made a lot of ground to get to the ball but could not make it stick. Five penalty runs were awarded when a ball from Plunkett to Trott went through to Hodd and deflected off his glove on to a helmet placed behind the wicketkeeper.Trott’s 19th List A century came off 122 balls with nine fours but – with the partnership worth 93 – Ambrose was out for 34, driving Rafiq straight to Will Rhodes at long-on. The end of Trott’s chanceless innings arrived when he hit Patterson high towards the square leg boundary where Jack Leaning positioned himself well for the catch. The former England batsman had received 135 balls and stroked 11 boundaries.At 214 for 5 in the 46th over, Warwickshire needed some quick runs and they were supplied by Clarke and then Evans who blasted his way to 48 not out off 30 balls with three fours and two sixes.Clarke was caught on the boundary edge after Lyth had signalled he did not know whether he had taken the ball cleanly, but Evans’ clean-hitting helped Warwickshire to boost their total as they claimed 104 from the last 10 overs.

Australia stand-in captain David Warner has said his century in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka came as a “sigh of relief” as it was his first score over 20 in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2016Australia stand-in captain David Warner has said his century in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka came as a “sigh of relief” as it was his first score over 20 in the five-match series. Warner scored 106 from 126 balls, his seventh ODI hundred, and became the first Australia batsman to score an ODI ton in Sri Lanka.”When I was out there it was obviously about trying to get the runs and stay there till the end and that’s the way that I had to try and play tonight,” Warner said after the match. “It’s obviously great to get a hundred but for me it was a bit of sigh of relief. I never doubted myself and kept backing and executing my plans. You do need a bit of luck in this game and I’m pretty sure I hit that one to short leg (leg slip) but that’s part and parcel of the game, you get a bit of luck your way and fortunate tonight I got that luck.”When Warner was on 22, he attempted a sweep off left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana in the 14th over and seemed to top-edge the ball to leg slip. Sri Lanka appealed but chose not to review Aleem Dar’s decision who had adjudged it not out. Warner later admitted that he had edged it.”It was a semi, half appeal,” Warner said. “The bowler came up to me and said ‘Lucky, you hit that one’ and I said ‘Yeah, I think I did’. “I wasn’t 100% [sure]. The keeper thought I didn’t hit it. I think there was a faint edge. That’s the luck. The responsibility is on the players as well, they’ve got to make that decision to either use a referral or not. They still had it up their sleeve.”It was not a typical Warner century because Australia lost two early wickets for 25 runs while chasing 196, and Sri Lanka employed their spinners to strangle the visiting batsmen. Warner, accompanied by George Bailey, had to “grind” on a slow pitch using a lot of sweeps and reverse sweeps.”It was almost going back to the Test matches and trying to grind but still try to rotate the strike,” Warner said. “Me and Bails out there we were actually saying to each other that we feel like we’re trying to play that big shot and we were telling each other to try and rotate the strike because you always want that sense of relief somewhere, because they weren’t giving us any bad balls to put away. So we just had to try and grind away and use the bit of pace they were giving on the ball, and try to sweep and reverse sweep as much as we can. That was the game plan we had to try and manufacture [shots]. It is quite handy sometimes when you don’t have that rhythm or hitting the ball out of the middle and to actually be able to play that kind of role it does help.”When asked to identify reasons why Australia were whitewashed in the Tests but came back so strongly in the ODIs, Warner pointed out that the batsmen did not “adapt fast enough” in the Test series. He also said that a different approach was needed when batting in Asian conditions and Australia adjusted much better in the ODIs with their shot selection.”From my own personal experience, it comes down to runs on the board and the pressure. We all talk about taking the game on and in these conditions you still have to look to score. When we’re at home, we always have that intent to score,” Warner said of the key differences between the Tests and ODIs. “That’s when our boys are playing our best. If you face six balls in these conditions, then one is going to have your name in it.”In these conditions you’re going to have to sweep, you need to use your feet, you’re going to have to watch the ball hard onto the bat where you can’t leave the ball because one is going to skid on. They’re the variables in this game and I think that’s where we lacked a little bit [in the Tests]. We didn’t adapt fast enough. In the one-day game you get some release because you can’t have those catchers around the bat. You can, but [against the] white ball you can play these kinds of shots, there’s no reason why you can’t play in the Test matches. That’s how you’re going to have to score in these conditions.”

Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets and defended ten runs off the final over to hand Karachi Blues the title

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Mohammad Nawaz struck twice in the final over•Chris Whiteoak

Karachi Whites threatened to chase down 183 with a rapid 61-run opening stand and late blows from Tariq Haroon and Sohail Khan, but Mohammad Nawaz defended ten runs off the final over to give Karachi Blues the National T20 Cup title.With Whites needing 11 off the last over with four wickets in hand, Mohammad Hasan reverse-swept Nawaz’s first ball for four. Nawaz came back with a dot and then an arm-ball that took Hasan’s middle stump. Azam Hussain sliced a couple over the covers before falling lbw off the next ball. It ultimately boiled down to five off the last ball. Mir Hamza heaved at it, and could only manage a double.Nawaz, playing only his second game of the tournament, finished with figures of 4 for 26. He had taken the first two wickets of the Whites’ innings as well. He bowled Asif Zakir for 32, and in his next over removed Asad Shafiq for 6. The two wickets dragged Whites back after they had raced to 60 in the first seven overs.Nawaz was helped by his fellow spinners – Saeed Ajmal, who capped the tournament as the leading wicket-taker with 20 scalps, and Mohammad Asghar. They picked up two wickets each. Karachi Whites eventually got to 179 for 8 thanks to late cameos from Tariq and Sohail. Haroon hit 38 off 17 balls, while Sohail 24 off 11 balls.Blues’ win was set up by half-centuries from Khurram Manzoor and Fawad Alam. Alam set about reviving the innings after the early loss of the openers, with a brace of pulled fours. Manzoor, becalmed till then, struck three fours in four balls, and motored to his half-century in 36 balls, bringing it up in the 15th over. By then, Blues were 118 for 2.Manzoor kicked into a higher gear when he crashed back-to-back sixes off Azam in the 17th over. But he fell next ball, skewing a catch to gully. Alam then reached his own half-century off 35 balls, and was assisted by Mohammad Sami’s unbeaten 20 off 10 balls. Blues took 64 off the last five overs, and it proved just enough to deny Whites.

Ben Stokes produced a day of all-round dominance to rival anything produced by an England player in the subcontinent, to drag his side into the ascendancy in a thrilling first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong

The Report by Andrew Miller22-Oct-2016England 293 and 228 for 8 (Stokes 85, Bairstow 47, Shakib 5-79) lead Bangladesh 248 (Tamim 78, Mushfiqur 48, Stokes 4-26) by 273 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBen Stokes produced a day of all-round dominance to rival anything produced by an England player in the subcontinent, to drag his side – wicket by wicket, run by run – into the ascendancy in a thrilling first Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong.With four crucial wickets in a supreme display of reverse-swing bowling in Bangladesh’s first innings, followed by a technically formidable 85 from 151 balls in England’s second, Stokes twice hauled England back from the point of no return, and in so doing, sapped the spirit of a Bangladesh side that had made much of the running in the first two days of the contest.By the close, England had recovered from a ropey 64 for 5 in their second innings to reach the close on 228 for 8 – an overall lead of 273 – with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes once again demonstrating the depth of England’s batting resources in a comfortable ninth-wicket stand. However, with the second new ball looming within four overs of the resumption, the vagaries of the pitch are sure to be revealed once again when Bangladesh’s spinners are armed with a hard new cherry, which in turn will reaffirm the magnificence of Stokes’ performance.The ball was in its 19th over when Stokes began his vigil, with men around the bat and England in some strife after the loss of four wickets for 20 runs in the space of ten overs either side of lunch. But, in a doughty display of patience and controlled aggression, Stokes demonstrated both maturity and the fruits of his own hard graft in the nets, as he played largely off the back foot to give himself time to react to whatever came his way.Aside from one early sweep for six over square leg off Taijul Islam, it wasn’t until the final session that Stokes unfurled his more belligerent strokes, as he began to warm to the lessening bite of the spinners to crunch six fours and two more sixes in a stay that spanned 46 overs. The second of his sixes, again off Taijul, was hoisted high over midwicket to bring up a 102-ball fifty.Jonny Bairstow was his principal ally in a sixth-wicket stand of 127, during which time Bairstow went past Andy Flower’s record for the most runs by a wicketkeeper in a calendar year. He finally chopped on for 47 to give Kamrul Islam Rabbi his maiden Test wicket – a rare success for Bangladesh’s seamers who contributed 11 overs all told and none before the 40th over – and Stokes followed three overs later to give Shakib Al Hasan the fourth wicket of a fighting haul of 5 for 79.However, as Stokes departed to huge acclaim from his team-mates, it was clear that he had already carried the destiny of this match beyond any reasonable doubt. Bangladesh cannot be entirely ruled out, of course, but in what is already a stiff fourth-innings requirement, it will require a performance of at least equal skill and resolve if they are to secure a win that would surely count as their greatest Test victory.To devalue Stokes’ efforts by commenting on the identity of his opponents would do a disservice to both parties. Bangladesh may have lost all eight of their previous Tests against England, but much like Sri Lanka in the early 1990s, there comes a point when past history counts for little and teams deserve to be judged on the here and now.Ben Stokes followed his wickets with a vital innings•AFP

And for two days of absorbing, and very traditional, subcontinental cricket, it had been Bangladesh putting in all of the inspirational performances – from Mehedi Hasan’s six-wicket debut, to Tamim Iqbal’s cool-headed 78. England started the third day with a lead of 73 and five Bangladesh wickets still to claim, no easy task given the listlessness of their spinners when armed with the soft old ball. It was clear that a lead of any description on this surface would be critical to either side, so Stokes made it his duty to be the man that England needed.Their day did, however, begin with a gift-wrapped opening wicket. His later wickets atoned for the misjudgement to a degree but, as their last remaining senior batsman, Shakib’s decision to gallop down the pitch to Moeen Ali’s second delivery of the morning was an aberration. He was stumped by three yards to depart for 31, and when the nightwatchman Shafiul Islam slogged an Adil Rashid legbreak to mid-on for 2, the door was flapping open for Stokes to kick through the tail.He had already made arguably the key incision of the match by extracting Mushfiqur Rahim for 48 on the second evening and, with the ball moving both ways seemingly at will, from over and round the wicket, Stokes was threatening left- and right-handers alike on both sides of the bat – as well as flush on the helmet, when he pinned the debutant Sabbir Rahman with a pinpoint bouncer. By the time he plucked out Rabbi’s off stump with a perfect inswinger, he had completed innings figures of 4 for 26 in 14 overs, including 4 for 10 in his last ten.By lunch, however, the pricelessness of England’s 45-run lead had become all too apparent, as Bangladesh’s spinners once again surged to the fore, armed with the hard new ball that seemed at times to detonate from the crumbling surface. In the space of eight deliveries, England lost both of their most acclaimed players of spin, as Alastair Cook was lured into a poke to slip off Mehedi before Joe Root – always eager to rotate the strike – dropped to one knee and was pinned lbw by Shakib. And right on the stroke of lunch, England lost their third wicket for two runs in the space of 20 balls, as Ben Duckett lobbed a simple chance off Shakib to short leg.Stokes’ appearance followed soon after the resumption when Gary Ballance, who had never looked comfortable as Bangladesh cramped his pads with a tight leg-stump line, swept firmly into Imrul Kayes’ midriff at leg slip for 9, and though Moeen survived his sixth TV referral of the match after a catch to short leg had been deflected off the fielder’s helmet, he too fell on the sweep to leave the fate of the game hanging on England’s redoubtable middle order. Not for the first time in recent months, they responded to the challenge.

West Indies captain Jason Holder has praised Kraigg Brathwaite for showing the qualities “we have been asking for in the dressing room” during his 142 off 318 balls

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2016West Indies captain Jason Holder has praised Kraigg Brathwaite for showing the qualities “we have been asking for in the dressing room” during his 142 off 318 balls, an innings in which he carried his bat and gave his team a 56-run lead in Sharjah.Holder went on to take three wickets early in Pakistan’s second innings, and they were four down before they wiped out the deficit. He put that performance down to the motivation Brathwaite had given West Indies, and predicted that the opener would go on to play 100 Tests.”He showed great character, great composure, great faith,” Holder said of Brathwaite. “It was very inspirational for me and gave me the energy to go and do what we did in the end.”I have played a lot of cricket with Brathwaite – Under-13, 15, 17 and 19, and now senior cricket. He has scored a lot of runs in junior cricket. He has already played 30-odd Test matches and he has been the mainstay in terms of opening partnerships. I have no doubt in Braithwaite, who has shown the world what he can bring. If he can remain consistent, he will definitely play 100-plus Test matches.”After Brathwaite secured the lead, Holder consolidated the advantage by taking out Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan inside the first 20 overs, reducing Pakistan to 41 for 3. They were ahead by only 31 at stumps, with six wickets in hand.”We knew there’s just limited time in the last session, so we wanted to just give it our all,” Holder told . “Fortunately for me, I was able to get some balls to lift off a good length, which took the edge or the gloves. Fortunately, we had some luck in this session. I think we put ourselves in a good position because of this session.”When asked about offspinner Roston Chase bowling 13 of the first 39 overs in Pakistan’s second innings, while Devendra Bishoo bowled only two, Holder said the legspinner had a big job to do on the fourth day.”As the pitch wears out, Bishoo will come into the picture. He has a big job to do for us tomorrow,” Holder said. “The plan is to just keep rotating bowlers.”It was important to be disciplined and get wickets, and not allow them to get away from us with the runs. Roston was outstanding in the first innings. He has done a tremendous job for us since he has come into the team, so we’ve given him that responsibility.”Holder was concerned about the bounce in the pitch, but said that if it did not become variable, a target of around 200 was achievable.”It’s important to keep them under pressure in the first hour. We just have to continue to maintain the intensity. We all have to really toil for the wickets. We are very happy with the situation but we need to start well tomorrow.”

Queensland were in control after two days against South Australia in Brisbane

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2016
ScorecardCallum Ferguson managed only 4•Getty Images

Queensland will claim a major first-innings advantage some time on day three after continuing to dominate South Australia in the Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba.Jack Wildermuth and the wicketkeeper Chris Hartley pushed the Bulls as far as 7 for 475 declared before Luke Feldman and the former Redback Peter George tore into South Australia’s batting, including the Adelaide Test aspirants Callum Ferguson, Travis Head and Jake Lehmann.On 4, Ferguson edged Feldman behind to Hartley, and on 7, Lehmann did likewise to George. Head made it as far as 37 before he was beaten and bowled by George.At 5 for 73 the Redbacks were in dire trouble, but their situation was improved somewhat by the intervention of the gloveman Alex Carey and the wrist spinner Adam Zampa, who played contrasting innings to at least push South Australia past 200.Chadd Sayers, who went wicketless in the Bulls’ first innings, will also spend the night wondering how much his fruitless spell will have affected his chances of being named in the Australia Test squad.