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The Mumbai captain credited his coach Omkar Salvi for creating a vision focussed on player fitness and freedom

Abhimanyu Bose14-Mar-2024Ending a wait that lasted eight years, Mumbai lifted their 42nd Ranji Trophy title in front of a jubilant home crowd at the Wankhede. Up against a stubborn Vidarbha team that refused to give in, Mumbai were eventually comfortable in defending 538 to win the final. Captain Ajinkya Rahane credited the triumph to the vision instilled in the team by head coach Omkar Salvi.”I think our journey started in June and it was all because of Omkar’s vision. We all had a vision as a team, but it came from Omkar,” Rahane said in the post-match press conference. “We focused on player fitness, creating a great culture in the team and giving freedom to all the players, not only on the field but off the field as well.”And you know, when someone is not doing well, you have to back that individual. It’s a team sport. Some players will do well in the team, few players won’t do well. But it’s all about backing all the players in the right time,” Rahane said. “So I think massive credit to Omkar. He has worked hard for this moment. Today I am really proud of him, really happy for him. His hard work has really paid off.”Related

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Rahane said that the title win, and the fact that there are several players from Mumbai representing India, bodes well for the team.”This victory means a lot. 42nd title, waiting seven-eight years. Last year we played really good cricket but unfortunately because of one run we couldn’t qualify for the playoffs. But this 42nd title means a lot. And as you mentioned, ten players representing Indian cricket, it’s massive.”He also underlined the importance of players turning up in domestic cricket.”I want to mention one thing about BCCI giving importance to domestic cricket which is a very good thing, telling players to play domestic cricket. Which is very important,” Rahane said.”From here on, for Mumbai cricket, it is important to keep growing, to keep thinking about how can we get better in all formats,” he said. “Winning the championship after eight years, we did this, but again, we want to repeat this in the coming years. Our focus will be on that.”But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Mumbai on the fifth day of the final as Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar and rookie Harsh Dubey played out a wicket-less morning session, sparking chatter about a potential upset of epic proportions. It wasn’t to be, but Rahane was the first to tip his hat to Vidarbha’s resilience.”The way they played cricket, the way they have fought in this match. When you concede a 120-run first-innings lead and are chasing 538, it’s easy to give up. But the sport teaches you that if you don’t give up and believe in your abilities, anything can happen,” Rahane said.”Chasing 538, the character which they have shown in the second innings was a great learning experience for all of us. The grit and determination with which they batted was very good.”The last 7-8 years they have been doing really good. They had a couple of championships and they won Irani Trophy once or twice. They are playing really good cricket.”Dhawal Kulkarni took the final wicket to seal Mumbai’s victory•PTI

Wadkar: ‘Never thought we were out of the game’

At stumps on the fourth day, Karun Nair had said that Vidarbha, 290 runs away with five wickets in hand, were faced with a “tough task” but also that they are a team that would not quit.Wadkar and Dubey exemplified that in their defiant partnership that saw Vidarbha go into lunch on the final day 85 runs closer to their target with no more damage to the wickets column. Wadkar scored his second century in Ranji Trophy finals, while Dubey brought up his second first-class fifty.”When we had our huddle, when we spoke in our team meeting, when we were speaking in our partnership, we didn’t think even 1% that we are out of the match,” Wadkar said.”We were just thinking that all the batters together, we’ll win the match. Because it’s the final and the last inning, so there was no scope of giving up or thinking negative. You have to go for the win, so we just believed that we will win.”Wadkar said that the Mumbai team kept having many discussions on their tactics since the fourth day, when he put on a 90-run stand with Nair and started his 130-run partnership with Dubey, but at no point did Rahane or his team look flustered, which meant that he knew Vidarbha still had a long way to go in the match.”[Mumbai] were having discussions since yesterday. When I was batting with Karun, when I was batting with Harsh. So they had discussions on field changes and bowling changes,” Wadkar said. “I was just observing their captain, Rahane, that what are his expressions? Is he talking a little harshly with the bowlers? Because then we would know that we are in the game.”But from his attitude, it looked like he was cool and calm. He didn’t let it show if he was getting frustrated or that we were getting close to the game.”So we also felt that we are quite far in the game and we have to go a long way. We did have a long way to go, of course, but from the attitude of the opponents, you get vibes about what they are thinking. But from his attitude, it didn’t look like [they were getting frustrated].”Akshay Wadkar scored his second century in a Ranji final•PTI

MCA increases prize money for Mumbai

While Mumbai were already receiving INR 5 crore from the BCCI for winning the Ranji Trophy, the Mumbai Cricket Association decided to double the prize money with a prize of INR 5 crore of their own.”MCA President Amol Kale and Apex Council has decided to double the Ranji Trophy prize money. The MCA will pay additional sum of Rs 5 crore to the winning Mumbai Ranji Trophy team,” the MCA said in a statement.Mumbai coach Salvi praised the board for the move, saying it would give the players more security.”I think nowadays there are very less institutions that provide jobs [to players]. I think BCCI taking that step and giving that money and along with that MCA putting that step forward to equal that amount is a great help for the players who don’t have jobs or other sources of earning,” Salvi said.”It also gives an inspiration. Definitely I feel [Inspiration] should be intrinsic but the monetary help will give them the security and it will stabilise them mentally and financially and they will give more to the game.”

England captain empathises with footballers amid public pressure for results

Andrew Miller09-Jul-2024Ben Stokes says that England’s evolution as a Test team has to begin in this summer’s home series against West Indies, because he wants to be able to lead a team into the 2025-26 Ashes tour in 18 months’ time that can “not just compete with Australia, but beat them”.Speaking at Lord’s on the eve of the first Test, Stokes admitted it had been a hard decision to tell James Anderson that his 188-match career has to come to an end this week. However, he acknowledged that the shortcomings exposed in England’s recent 4-1 series loss in India had forced them to redouble their efforts to be ready for their next big overseas challenge Down Under – arguably the one by which the success of Stokes’ era as captain will be judged.”I’m not going to lie: I want us to be able to take a squad out there that I know is going to go at Australia,” Stokes said. “I’ll be nearly four years as captain when we go out there. I want to be able to go out there knowing we’ve done everything possibly right over this 18-month period, to go out there with a strong enough squad to not just compete with Australia, but to beat them.”Ben Stokes has half an eye on Australia as England prepare to learn from their setback in India•Getty Images

As Stokes himself admitted, the throw-forward nature of his comments was rather at odds with the ‘live in the moment’ message that had been a bedrock of the so-called Bazball era. But, with Stuart Broad and Jonny Bairstow already gone from that original genre-bending team, and with Anderson soon to follow, England’s focus has undergone a subtle shift in the four months since the disappointments of the India tour.”It’s probably the first time you’ve heard me speak like that about something so far away, but again it goes back to our progression as a side,” Stokes added. “I want this team to progress over the 18 months, so I’m focusing on that, because I want us to go out to Australia and win the Ashes back.”That ambition, in turn, pointed to an underlying flaw in England’s recent record. For all the excitement that Bazball has stirred up among the cricket-watching public, Stokes bridled when it was put to him that – despite providing some exhilarating entertainment along the way – England have not actually won any of their three full series in the preceding 18 months, including last summer’s compelling home Ashes campaign.Aside from a ten-wicket win in a one-off Test against Ireland, their last outright series win was an unprecedented 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan in December 2022.”Let’s just take that in,” he said. “Before the last four Tests in India, we won [the first Test] in New Zealand [in February 2022], then lost the second Test by one run. We came back from 2-0 down against Australia, had a drawn match [at Old Trafford] because of weather. [Saying that] we haven’t won a series in that time, I think is going into it a bit too much.”I won’t lie, those last four matches in India were incredibly disappointing, but going at it like that is a bit uncalled for. There’s so much that goes into winning a Test match. We go out there to win, but we put a focus on the way we play our cricket, knowing that we have found a way that brings the best out of us as individuals and a team.”Ollie Pope acknowledges the crowd after his 196 at Hyderabad, in England’s only win of the India tour•Getty Images

England’s India series did feature one extraordinary high point, as Ollie Pope’s second-innings 196 helped overturned a 190-run deficit in the first Test at Hyderabad, before Tom Hartley capped his debut with matchwinning figures of 7 for 62. Thereafter, England had their moments but ultimately were forced to blink at the key moments of the campaign, a fact that Stokes both acknowledged and vowed to learn from.”We know if we play to our capabilities, we will have given ourselves the best chance of winning that game,” he said. “[Since India], what we probably have a better understanding of now is, when the opposition might be on top, how do we handle that pressure? How do we get through that, and put it back onto them?”Sometimes it takes a hiccup to say, ‘if this is going to happen again, how do we handle that?’ But it’s also knowing that we need to put pressure back onto the opposition, rather than taking a backward step and letting them dictate terms. When we are putting pressure back on opposition, that is when we feel as individuals and as a team [that] our mindset is so much clearer.”Stokes added that he empathised with England’s footballers at the European Championship in Germany. They face the Netherlands on Wednesday evening having reached an unprecedented third semi-final in the space of four competitions, yet still come under immense criticism from a demanding public that expects even more.Related

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“It’s not surprising, is it?” Stokes said. “I want all English teams to do well, whatever sport it may be, so as a professional sportsman myself I find it quite tough to see the backlash that the footballers have gotten and they always seem to get.”They’re in the semi-finals of the Euros, they’ve done what they needed to do to get to where they are now. Something that me and Brendon have tried to do is to just relax everyone and keep that noise out. The dressing room is the most important thing.”When you’re an outsider, like I am from the England football team, it’s tough to see that kind of stuff, because I know that all that scrutiny and added pressure isn’t going to help that team go out there and perform as well as they would like to.”I know the public wants to see English sports teams do really well, but I find it tough sometimes when people are quick to hammer down on them. But I understand it, because I know how passionate this country is about seeing their teams do well.”

A swimming pool, a beer or two and an Ashes Test in full swing – what better time to pop the question?

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2017It could go down as one of the most romantic moments in Ashes history.It is certainly a contender for the most Australian act of the year.A marriage proposal, in a swimming pool, at an Ashes Test, while throwing down the Amber Nectar and wearing face paint daubed in Australian green and gold.But wait a minute, that looks like a marriage proposal•Getty Images

Not forgetting what the Australians like to call a pair of matching green-and-gold “budgie smugglers”.Michael Langridge was watching the cricket from the pool deck at the Gabba with his girlfriend Tori Roebuck when he got down on one knee and popped the question.Fortunately, for Michael, Tori said “yes” and excitement quickly spread from poolside around the Gabba and worldwide on social media.We think she’s said “yes”•Getty Images

The pool deck at the Gabba has become one of the most popular places to watch cricket since it was introduced last year.Emotions haven’t run so high since the Hon. Ivo Bligh fell for Florence Morphy in 1882 as the legend of the Ashes was born.Not that Ivo Bligh would have countenanced the idea of a marriage proposal in a skimpy pair of swimming trunks before a full house at the Gabba.It’s one of the great Ashes romances•Getty Images

Shaheen Afridi’s five-for ensured Australia did not get near the 400-run mark they had seemed destined for over large parts of their innings, but that was little consolation for Pakistan in the end

Danyal Rasool20-Oct-20231:04

‘What works for Warner is he’s super fit’

Australia may have drawn level with Pakistan today, but really, they were one step ahead all evening. A game that briefly threatened to break into a thriller ultimately had Australia clinching a routine win, the havoc unleashed by centuries from David Warner and Mitchell Marsh too much for Pakistan to overcome in the end. Pakistan fought back to contain – to the extent that word can be used for a team that posts 367 – Pat Cummins’ side, and gave the chase a good go. But despite a 134-run opening stand between Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, Australia began to chip away with regular wickets, with Adam Zampa taking four for the second consecutive game. Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan looked to take the game deep, but eventually Pakistan would lose six wickets for 36 runs as Australia won by 62.The outcome of this game was, in hindsight, set in stone by the halfway stage of the first innings. Marsh clobbered Shaheen for six in his first over to set the tone, and both openers treated Hasan Ali with similar initial disdain. But Pakistan’s golden chance was yet to come, which Usama Mir – coming in for Shadab Khan – would fail to grasp. Batting on 10, Warner skied Shaheen Afridi to mid-off, with Mir given enough time to set himself and get underneath it. It hit him in the chest before it fell, and Shaheen fell to his knees in despair.Related

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Collectively, Pakistan would spend much of the next two hours in that position. Haris Rauf – on a rare bad day – was clobbered for 24 in his first over, and that was the cue for both openers to ignite. Starting with that over Australia ransacked 101 runs overs a 10-over period, getting themselves well ahead of the game, both openers hurtling towards centuries. They would get there off consecutive deliveries in the 31st over, by which time the 200 was up, and 400 looked a near-certainty.Pakistan’s fielding would only go from bad to worse, with Shafique grassing Warner once more in the deep before Babar Azam put Steven Smith down at first slip. Afridi – the only Pakistan bowler who truly emerged with credit – removed both Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, promoted to three, off consecutive balls as Pakistan finally looked to rein Australia in.They would go on to enjoy their most dominant spell in the game. The final third of the Australian innings saw Pakistan completely on top, with regular wickets falling as Australia’s run rate came to something of a screeching halt. That was especially true after Warner finally fell, though not before another huge six off the hapless Rauf had taken him to within a whisker of his highest ODI score, and Australia were marching past 350 at any rate. But the further acceleration they had eyed never really came, thanks primarily to superb death bowling from Afridi, who managed a five-for with wickets off successive balls in the 50th over – the second time he was on a hat-trick in this game. The last six overs had just 29 runs scored as Pakistan carried the momentum with them into the break.Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up a five-for, one reason for Pakistan fans to cheer•Getty Images

They began brightly with bat, too. While there was little strike rotation and plenty of dot balls, they had brought up 40 in the first five overs before Australia found that line just short of a length to put the brakes on. Kept quiet through most of the rest of the powerplay, it wasn’t until the field spread out that Shafique freed his arms, a four and a pair of sixes off Cummins signalling Pakistan’s intent.They brought up the 100 partnership in the 17th over, but Pakistan knew they needed much, much more. Only two ODIs have ever been lost outright when a side posted a score as high as Australia’s 367, and it would require big partnerships and probably big hundreds. That is where it seemed Pakistan would fall short as Stoinis struck with his first ball to remove Shafique, and returned to get Imam to hole out to deep point the following over. A couple of wickets turned into a bit of a cluster as Babar, who looked sublime in the brief period he was there, muscled one straight into the opposing captain’s hands at short midwicket, the wild look of delight on Cummins’ face indicating what a huge moment that was.It sunk Pakistan back into a rebuilding phase as the asking rate climbed. Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan were just about keeping the runs ticking along, Shakeel taking a liking to the pull shot in front of square which fetched him a few boundaries. It would also prove his downfall, though, as one miscue flew up towards cover on the offside, where Stoinis completed an excellent catch.Marcus Stoinis struck first ball to break Pakistan’s century opening stand•AFP/Getty Images

With 136 still to get, Pakistan made their last stand. It was spearheaded by the cult hero that is Iftikhar Ahmed as he spanked Cummins for a pair of sixes to bring up Pakistan’s 250, and 13 off the following Stoinis over brought the required run rate down to 8.5. It was perhaps the only time in the game Pakistan might have felt like slight favourites, though Australia reminded them of the one thing they had that Pakistan currently don’t: a world-class spinner.Zampa returned for a phenomenal final three-over spell. He took a wicket in each of those overs, plunging the dagger further into Pakistan every time. First he trapped Iftikhar in front with one that skidded on, then Rizwan failed to get a sweep away the following over and also found himself pinned in front of his stumps. Off his final ball, Zampa struck the knockout punch, beating Mohammad Nawaz in the air to catch him well out of his crease as the keeper Josh Inglis whipped the bails off, leaving Pakistan eight down with more than 80 still to get.That done, his team-mates polished the tail off. By the 46th over, it was all done and dusted, Pakistan left to reflect on their mistakes from six hours previously. Australia, meanwhile, are clambering up the table with two successive wins, gathering pace just as their favourite tournament begins to enter its business end.

Bess claims four wickets as Madsen, Came resist in vain for Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2023A quick-fire burst of four wickets for only three runs in 24 balls during the final 20 minutes of the fourth morning set Yorkshire up for a deserved LV= Insurance County Championship 277-run victory over Derbyshire at sunny Scarborough.Jordan Thompson and Dom Bess struck twice apiece in that spell as Derbyshire, in the face of a 571 target, slipped from health at 198 for two to peril at 201 for six.Thompson trapped opener Harry Came lbw for 58 before Bess did the same to Wayne Madsen, who made a superb 93 off 71 balls. Shortly afterwards, off-spinner Bess also had Derbyshire captain Leus du Plooy lbw for nought, and the visitors failed to recover.They were bowled out for 293 just before 2.20pm and lost for the second time this season to Yorkshire after a defeat at Chesterfield in June. They are the only two matches bottom side Yorkshire have won this season. But they still remain rooted to the foot of Division Two despite gaining 18 points to three for the visitors.Bess finished with four for 79 from 24.2 overs, while Matthew Revis added three afternoon wickets to Thompson’s two. Yorkshire did gain 20 points but were docked two because of a slow over-rate.Derbyshire started the day on 65 for one, and they were facing a home attack minus the services of fringe England Test quick Matthew Fisher due to a mild side strain.Ben Coad had Brooke Guest caught at second slip three overs into the day – 71 for two – but Derbyshire hit back.Such was the aggression shown by Madsen, their 39-year-old legend making his 200th first-class appearance for the county, you did wonder whether they were eyeing up that mountainous target.He hit three leg-side sixes, reached his fifty off 48 balls and hit Bess for 22 in an over shortly before falling for his second 93 of the fixture.He shared 127 inside 21 overs for the third wicket with the more circumspect Came, who started the day on 33 and went on to reach his fifty in 116 balls.Yorkshire being a bowler down in Fisher was a concern at this stage on a pitch offering bounce for the seamers and turn for the spinners – but not the usual North Marine Road pace.They needn’t have worried.Thompson trapped Came lbw with a full ball which he looked to play to leg before Bess also trapped a sweeping Madsen in front in the next over, leaving the score at 198 for four in the 50th.Bess’s previous over was the one which had been taken for 22 by Madsen, including four fours and a six. But revenge came quickly.He also trapped du Plooy lbw in his next over after Madsen’s departure before Thompson had Matt Lamb caught behind off the inside edge in the next, leaving the score at 201 for six in the 53rd over.Yorkshire’s position at the bottom of Division Two owes more to their off-field issues than it does on.Promotion will be a definite aim for captain Shan Masood and company in 2024. So a good final month of the summer, in which three games remain, will set them up perfectly.While Yorkshire won for the second time in 11 games, Derbyshire suffered their fourth defeat.After lunch, Yorkshire’s second-innings centurion Matthew Revis had Alex Thomson caught behind five balls into the session – 211 for seven – before some respite for the visitors.Anuj Dal and Zak Chappell shared 78 in entertaining fashion, the latter clubbing three sixes in 33 which saw Yorkshire employ the short ball tactic.And it worked when he miscued Revis to Bess, who took a smart catch at square-leg tumbling backwards, leaving the score at 289 for eight in the 69th over of the innings.Revis got Sam Conners caught at long-leg with the same tactics in his next over before Dal was stumped by Bess for 33 to wrap up Yorkshire’s large margin of victory by runs in first-class matches for them against Derbyshire.

Mohammed Shami is still recovering from ankle surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Sep-20242:57

Takeaways: No Shami, Sarfaraz gets retained

Rishabh Pant is back in the Test side for the first time since his car accident in December 2022 as India announced the squad for their first match against Bangladesh. There was no return for Mohammed Shami, though, who is recovering from an ankle surgery.Meanwhile, left-arm seamer Yash Dayal has received his maiden Test call-up. His selection comes with an eye on the five-Test series in Australia later in the year.The 16-member squad also sees the return of KL Rahul, who was ruled out of the England series after one Test. Akash Deep, who made his debut during that series, has retained his place. Akash impressed once again by picking up nine wickets in the Duleep Trophy game in Bengaluru.Rahul’s last Test was in January against England, after which he was out of the rest of the series with a quadriceps injury. He gave a good account of himself in the same Duleep Trophy game, scoring 37 in the first innings and 57 in the second for India A. For India B, Pant scored 7 and 61, and took seven catches behind the stumps.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Dayal also impressed by picking up three wickets in the fourth innings to help India B to a comfortable win. He has played 24 first-class games so far in which he has picked 76 wickets at 28.89.Dhruv Jurel, who made his debut against England and scored 190 runs in three Tests, is the second wicket-keeper in the side. From that series, India have left out Rajat Patidar, KS Bharat, Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar and Mukesh Kumar.Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj are expected to lead the pace attack. In the spin department, India went with the usual quartet of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav.The first Test against Bangladesh will be played in Chennai from September 19 and the second Test in Kanpur from September 27. The two Tests will be followed by three T20Is.

India’s squad for first Test vs Bangladesh

Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal

South East Stars struggle to post 148 but heavy rain then raises spectre of bowl out

Valkerie Baynes21-Sep-2023A bizarre day ended with early season pace-setters Blaze overturning a three-game losing streak at the perfect moment to defeat South East Stars and secure a place in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy Final.Originally set 149 to win after they had bowled Stars out for 148 in 43.5 overs, persistent heavy rain throughout the day led to a revised target of 52 runs from 10 overs being confirmed half an hour before the cut-off for the fixture to constitute a match and to avoid the second protagonist of Sunday’s finale against Southern Vipers in Northampton being decided by a bowl out. At that time, Blaze were 15 for 1 from 3.2 overs, leaving them 37 runs to get off 40 balls.Stars’ Beckenham ground – chosen as host despite Blaze finishing second in the table because Trent Bridge is preparing to stage Saturday’s ODI between England and Ireland and the other two options, Derby and Leicester, are in the midst of home County Championship fixtures – was bathed in glorious autumnal sunshine when play began.But soon the heavy grey clouds that have so challenged the wisdom of playing cricket in England mid-September over the past week or so descended and interrupted play, albeit briefly. At least the Blaze fan decked out in orange and black – one among about 30 spectators at the ground in total – who launched into a heartfelt chorus of “Feeling Hot Hot Hot” when Marie Kelly pinned Aylish Cranstone lbw to reduce Stars to 77 for 7 in the 20th over seemed oblivious to the impending gloom, as were her team.Or perhaps they were acutely aware of the weather forecast, such was their initial hurry to get this match done with Kelly, Kirstie Gordon, Lucy Higham and Kathryn Bryce taking two wickets apiece to bowl their opponents out well inside their 50-over allocation, despite a plucky 33-run stand for the ninth wicket between Ryana MacDonald-Gay and Chloe Hill giving Stars’ innings some substance.Kira Chathli had fallen to the second ball of the match, bowled by Grace Ballinger, and Stars were 40 for 2 when Gordon bowled Bryony Smith, bringing Alice Capsey to the crease. But her stay was short-lived when Josie Groves struck with her third ball, Capsey dragging on to fall for just 5.Alice Davidson-Richards, called into England’s ODI squad which played Sri Lanka off the back of her century against Blaze at this very ground 11 days ago, dispatched Groves straight down the ground for six but soon had her middle stump uprooted by Gordon. Then Alexa Stonehouse picked out Kelly at deep midwicket off Higham and Stars were in deep trouble.Kelly took a sharp return catch, launching herself forward to her right in her follow-through, to remove the threat of Stars’ leading run-scorer Paige Scholfield cheaply and, sure enough, a heavy downpour arrived on the stroke of midday and play was suspended for about 15 minutes.It was only another quarter of an hour before Bethan Miles was adjudged lbw to Kathryn Bryce, leaving it to MacDonald-Gay, the 19-year-old No. 10, to top score for Stars with 26, including a lovely straight-driven four off Kathryn Bryce shortly before she was stumped by Sarah Bryce sashaying down the pitch to Higham in the 44th over.When Lizelle Lee was run out in the second over of the reply, her hesitation on being called through for a single by Kelly giving Davidson-Richards ample time to fire the ball in to wicketkeeper Chatli, Blaze’s prospects of a quick run chase took a hit and they were destroyed by a second wave of showers arriving at 2pm and persisting on and off even through baking sunshine at times.The irony of that as the absurd prospect of a bowl out to decide who would do battle for the season’s title loomed brought a huge sense of relief when the sun prevailed over yet another shower at around 5pm and the players began preparing like they were possessed, the match allowed to enter a tense final stanza, thanks in no small part to the groundstaff who worked tirelessly throughout the day.Stonehouse had Kelly caught behind with the third legitimate delivery after the re-start, much to the delight of the few Stars supporters who had hung around for three-and-a-half action-less hours. But Sarah Bryce and Georgie Boyce marshalled their pursuit at around a run a ball and when Bryce swung Davidson-Richards through the leg side for four, the pressure eased. She sealed victory with a six straight down the ground off Smith and eight balls to spare.Sarah Bryce admitted a bowl out “would’ve been a very strange way, I think, for the game to be decided”.”I guess you’ve got to get results somehow or decide who’s going through but it would be a strange way to finish,” she said. “It was a strange day really. Pleased with our bowling performance to put us in such a good position, then the rain hanging around for a bit longer than we would’ve liked and then putting a little bit of doubt in the thought of a bowl off was a little bit nerve wracking for us all but we were absolutely delighted that we were able to get out there and finish the game of cricket and obviously delighted to come away with the win.”Blaze won their first six completed matches of the tournament, including against Vipers, who switched that result by a massive 126 runs in their final group-stage game last week. Vipers also defeated Blaze in the final of the Charlotte Edwards Cup in June.”They’re a good team,” Bryce said. “We’ve got a rematch of the T20 final, but we’ve also beaten them in the 50-over, in the first group game, so we know that we’ve got that belief behind us. Just really excited to be back at a final where anything can happen and hopefully we can come away with the right result.”One thing that one of our players actually said that I think was really valuable was the fact that we were in the eliminator allowed us the opportunity to hopefully go into a final off the back of the win. That can be a really positive way to look at it. We’ve not had the best three games that we would’ve liked, but we know that we have it in the tank – we’ve shown that at the beginning of the season and I think hopefully we can take the momentum from this game into the final.”

An outrageous half-century from Faheem Ashraf took Pakistan to a victory that, even by their standards, must rate as one of the most improbable in their history.

George Dobell at Edgbaston27-May-2017Pakistan 342 for 8 (Shoaib 72, Faheem 64*) beat Bangladesh 341 for 9 (Tamim 102, Junaid 4-72) by two wickets

ScorecardShoaib Malik’s 72 kept Pakistan in the game before an astonishing finale•Getty Images

An outrageous half-century from Faheem Ashraf took Pakistan to a victory that, even by their standards, must rate as one of the most improbable in their history.Fahee, playing his first innings in a Pakistan shirt, thrashed 60 in 34 balls to turn this Champions Trophy warm-up match against Bangladesh on its head. Coming in at No. 9, he helped add 93 in 41 balls for the ninth wicket to take his side to an unlikely victory and make an all-but-undeniable claim for selection in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy side.Sadly for Faheem, this match will barely rate a footnote in the record books. With both sides able to utilise substitutes and Edgbaston sporting a remarkably short boundary towards the Pershore Road side of the ground (it measured just 42 metres, or 47 yards) in an effort to ensure the best surfaces were protected for more important matches, the game will not even be regarded as a List A encounter.But let nobody say this innings came in a soft or contrived manner. At various stages, Pakistan had looked doomed to a fourth one-day defeat in succession against Bangladesh – Bangladesh won the last series between the sides, in April 2015, 3-0 – as they subsided to 168 for 5, 227 for 6 and, in the 42nd over, 242 for 7.That meant they required exactly 100 from the final eight-and-a-half overs. But Faheem, who thinks of his seam bowling as his stronger suit, struck four sixes – none of them over the short boundary – and four fours to take his side over the line.He launched the assault by taking 19 off an untidy over from Mehedi Miraz, followed it with 16 off one from Mashrafe Mortaza and, with 13 required from the last, eased his side’s nerves with a vast pull for six from the first ball of the final over over the longest boundary in the ground.While it was his straight hitting that was most impressive – think of Darren Sammy at his best – it was noticeable that, when Bangladesh dropped short in an attempt to push him onto the back foot, he pulled with powerful assurance. It was, by any standards, a wonderfully persuasive performance by a man pushing for an international debut.Perhaps, had Mustafizur Rahman been playing – he was rested – things might have been different. Taskin Ahmed seemed to tire noticeably as the innings progressed and Shakib Al Hasan did not bowl his whole allocation of overs. But such was Faheem’s power that the Bangladesh bowlers’ ploy of making him hit towards the long boundary was negated and even the experience of Mortaza could find no answer for his clean hitting down the ground.Maybe we should suspend judgement on Faheem. This was a warm-up game, after all, without the large crowds or media scrutiny of a tournament match. But if he replicates anything like this in the game against India a week tomorrow – and it is hard to see how he could be left out of a Pakistan side that has been looking for a seam-bowling all-rounder since what seems the dawn of time – a star really will have been born.There was one other major caveat to this performance. The Bangladesh fielding was, at times, really quite appalling. At least five potential catches were dropped – including Faheem in the final over, allowing him to run three – and one important stumping was missed.Coming on the heels of a match against New Zealand where Bangladesh won despite dropping four chances it underlined the impression that their fielding is a major area of concern going into the Champions Trophy. As Imrul Kayes put it afterwards with a lovely hint of understatement: “I think we need a few more fielding sessions… That’s why we lost the match.”The shame of that is that, for a vast chunk of this game, Bangladesh were the better side. With Tamim Iqbal slamming a century, they set a total that we may well come to think of as something around par in a tournament that looks set to be hugely enjoyable for batsman and a complete nightmare for bowlers.After a relatively cautious start (he scored only 8 from his first 17 balls), Tamim thrashed 43 from his next 22 as he made full use of the short boundary and any width offered by Pakistan’s seamers. Imrul added a run-a-ball 61, Mushfiqur Rahim a typically pugnacious 46 and Mahmudullah and Mosaddek Hossain some impetus towards the end of the innings.With Mohammad Amir rested, Pakistan’s attack offered plenty of pace but no obvious control. Junaid Khan was taken for 25 in one over, Mushfiqur struck Imad Wasim for successive sixes and Wahab Riaz, who cannot be assured of his place in the side, was as mercurial as ever. While Hasan Ali, who could be the unfortunate man to make way for Amir’s return now that Faheem has made such a strong case for selection, leg-spinner Shahdab Khan and Faheem offered a little more control, this was a tough target for a Pakistan side who have made 340 in an ODI only once – and that against Zimbabwe – since the 2015 World Cup.And, for much of their innings, it seemed they had no chance of reaching it. Azhar Ali and Babar Azam both perished poking at balls outside off stump before Ahmed Shahzad’s promising innings was ended by a beauty from Shakib Al Hasan that gripped just a little and took his off bail. While Shoaib Malik, who was dropped on 8, and Mohammad Hafeez added 79 in 12.3 overs for the fourth-wicket to provide some hope, when they went and Sarfraz Ahmed soon followed, it seemed their chances departed with them.But Imad, who survived a stumping chance on 39, kept the chase alive before Faheem delivered his knock-out blow in partnership with Hasan.Insisting he was expecting to force his way into the side before the first match of the tournament – he was a non-playing member of the limited-overs team in the Caribbean – Faheem said he produced such innings “a lot” in first-class cricket – though a List A average of 15.52 with one half-century underlined that his shorter-format batting record is modest – and thanked his captain and coach for “their belief in me.””It’s the first innings I’ve played for Pakistan,” he said. “In first-class cricket I’ve played a lot of innings like that, but that’s the first one in one-day cricket. On one side, the boundary was very small. But they were bowling in good areas and we thought we would hit straight down the ground. I have an ability to hit straight.”He sure does. And while few will recall the details of such a warm-up game in a couple of weeks, his promise might mean that a Pakistan side seen as rank outsiders go into the tournament with hopes just a little higher.

Allrounder helped win T20 Blast in 2016 but was disappointed to lose captaincy last season

Matt Roller05-Jan-2024Josh Cobb has left Northamptonshire with a year remaining on his contract after he was removed as T20 captain without prior consultation by coach John Sadler last summer.Cobb said he was “blindsided” by Sadler’s decision to name David Willey captain two weeks before the start of the Blast season, after spending four years in charge. “I am both shocked and disappointed to be relieved of my captaincy duties so close to the Blast starting,” he wrote on social media at the time.His form suffered in the Blast, making 76 runs in seven innings and he was deemed surplus to requirements throughout the Royal London Cup and the second half of the County Championship season. His final first-team game of the summer came on June 9.Cobb, 33, intends to continue his professional career elsewhere in 2024. “Cobb has left the club by mutual agreement ahead of the final year of his existing contract, allowing him to pursue cricketing opportunities elsewhere,” Northamptonshire said in a club statement.The high point of Cobb’s nine seasons with Northants came in 2016, when he hit 80 off 48 balls against Durham in the final of the Blast to help them win the competition for the second time in four years. It was the second time in his career that he was named player of the match in the Blast final, after taking 4 for 22 in Leicestershire’s 2011 victory over SomersetNorthants signed Cobb ahead of the 2015 season as part of a data-driven recruitment strategy which underpinned their extraordinary T20 success during a period of financial adversity. He leaves as their second-highest run-scorer in the Blast’s history behind only Alex Wakely, his predecessor as T20 captain.”I have loved my time at the club,” Cobb said. “Winning the T20 Blast in 2016 is one of the highlights of my career so far and I hope the club can return to those glory days in the future. I’d like to thank the club, staff, my teammates and of course the fans for all their support over the years.””On behalf of everyone at the club I’d like to wish Josh all the best for the future,” Ray Payne, Northants’ chief executive, said. “We’re grateful for his service as both a player and a leader as our white-ball captain during his eight years at the club”.Visa pending, Northamptonshire are hopeful of securing the services of Rory Kleinveldt, the former South Africa seamer, as their bowling coach for the 2024 season. Kleinveldt, 40, played for the club for four seasons between 2015 and 2018, including the 2016 Blast final, and was recently part of South Africa’s limited-overs set-up.

Ben Coad claimed a four-wicket haul to continue his impressive start to the season as Warwickshire stumbled to 152 for 8 on a rain-hit day

George Dobell at Edgbaston14-Apr-2017
ScorecardFinding the silver lining to the cloud is a necessary skill for the county cricket watcher at this time of year.It is not just enduring the inevitable bouts of rain and cold weather they will encounter in the early season – we lost almost exactly half a day here – but that, increasingly, they have had to accept their team’s needs are so far down the administrators’ list of priorities that the chances of putting out a full-strength side are minimal.Despite all the ECB’s talk of communication and transparency – a word that is hard to square with the non-disclosure agreements that have bound county officials to secrecy in recent times – associated with the new-team T20 competition, there is a sense of disenfranchisement pervading county spectators at present that suggests their administrators have stopped representing or even listening to them. Really, they may as well just slap county spectators in the face when they buy a ticket and have done with it. The sooner supporters have a collective voice the better; the Cricket Supporters’ Association may be the partial answer.There was a time when it would have been unthinkable to allow England’s best players to grace another nation’s domestic tournament during the county season, as is the case with Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and several others at the IPL. And while most people will understand the well-intentioned reasons – they can gain wealth and useful white-ball experience before a global limited-overs event – they might also reflect on the costs: it is inevitable that the standard of the County Championship will be diluted by the absence of its best players.Just as it is inevitable that England will struggle to produce spin bowlers – or batsmen with experience of playing spin bowling – while so much of the season is pushed into the margins (counties will have played eight of their 14 Championship matches by the end of June) and medium-paced nibblers are disproportionately important. It is many years since England produced a legspinner as talented as Mason Crane; there is something wrong with a system that cannot find a space for him in a side.The ECB may claim it is keen to prioritise Test cricket, but it is hard to ignore the conclusion that it has prioritised white-ball (especially T20) cricket at every opportunity in recent months. The scheduling of this season’s T20, with matches in a block, is the primary reason so high a proportion of the Championship has to be played so early in the season and the introduction of another T20 competition, to be played at the same time as the 50-over competition, will equally compromise England’s performances in the World Cup.Really, it tells you everything you need to know about the future shape of cricket that the new-team T20 competition is scheduled to start on 24/7/2020. Yes, the days of endless T20 are almost upon us. And good luck in the 2023 World Cup if the top 110 players in the country haven’t played domestic 50-over cricket for four years.How, really, can the absence of Jonny Bairstow – who hasn’t played first-class cricket this year – in this match be justified? He was, after all, free to go to the IPL but, having not been picked-up in the auction, has been rested from the Championship and is instead summarising for Sky. It is just another example of the way the game’s administrators continue to demean and degrade the competition they should protect and promote.If only they believed in it as much as the 1.1 million who listened to the BBC’s commentary on the Championship’s first round. If only they believed in it enough to invest the (circa) £35m ring-fenced for the first year of the new-team competition into the NatWest Blast. If only they believed that the return to free-to-air they foresee for the new competition would also revive the old. Alas, it seems the ECB has lost faith in its own products and is therefore prepared to risk their health in search of something new.None of this is the individual players’ faults. They have been encouraged to rest or play in the IPL. But the danger of such policies is that, in time, they weaken the Test side. We saw in India and Bangladesh how England’s issues against spin can be exposed and, if the gap between county and Test grows wider, we will see further reverses at Test level. It is understandable that the ECB wants to prioritise white-ball cricket – it may even be right to do so – but it would be nice if they were a little more open about it. You could make a strong case that the ECB represents one of the most serious threats to the future of Test cricket.The silver lining to all this is that, had Yorkshire been at full strength, it is highly likely that Ben Coad would not have won selection for these opening matches of the season. But with Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Jack Brooks and Ryan Sidebottom all absent against Hampshire last week due to injury, Coad was drafted into the side and responded with eight wickets in the game.It was similar here. Taking advantage of some early season assistance – there is nothing the matter with this pitch – and the fragility of Warwickshire’s batting, he claimed four more wickets to reduce Warwickshire to 77 for 7 moments after lunch. He is currently the leading wicket-taker in Division One.If one or two of his wickets here owed something to reckless batting – William Porterfield drove to mid-off as he attempted to thrash one through the covers – several others were the result of fine, probing bowling. Alex Mellor edged a beauty on off stump that demanded a stroke, Jonathan Trott’s attempt to drive into the leg side was punished by a touch of away movement and Rikki Clarke (who has not accepted a one-year contract extension in the hope of securing his future until the end of 2019), was struck on the back pad as he pushed forward at another that left him.In between times Ian Bell was, for the second match in succession, punished for attempting a lavish drive unsuited to the conditions or the match context, Tim Ambrose was drawn into a drive at a good ball that left him in the air and Sam Hain was beaten as he played around one that may have nipped back.It wasn’t that Warwickshire batted horribly. It was that they batted without the requisite discipline for such conditions. It was that, when patience was required, they pushed at balls that could have been left and tried to turn balls that should have been met with a straight bat into the leg side. These are early days and they have the quality to turn things round, but they are earning the title of relegation favourites.This all left Yorkshire in a strong position not only in the game, but in terms of their long-term planning. They had appeared to be entering a transitional phase with the likes of Sidebottom (39 and retiring at the season’s end), Brooks (33 in June), Steve Patterson (34 in October), Plunkett and Bresnan (both 32) at the stage of their careers where it would make sense to start lining up replacements. The emergence of Coad, who bowls at fast-medium pace and, on this evidence, moves the ball away from the right-hander, suggests there are good-quality reinforcements on the staff.Willey’s return slightly ahead of schedule following shoulder surgery was also welcome. If he was understandably a little rusty in terms of his line, he generated decent pace and will have encouraged the selectors ahead of the Champions Trophy squad announcement in about 10 days.Contrast all this with Warwickshire. Only three members of this Warwickshire side are aged under 30 and perhaps only Hain would gain selection in a full-strength team. Their relative strength in recent years has made it harder for new players to force their way into the team and, of those that have, a couple (Varun Chopra and Laurie Evans) have left and a few others (Ateeq Javid and the likes of Jonathan Webb and Freddie Coleman) have not kicked-on as anticipated. As a result, Warwickshire are reliant on diminishing returns from a very talented group of players, but one that is – in several cases – just a little bit past its sell-by date.Here Jeetan Patel and Keith Barker provided something of a fightback with an eighth-wicket stand of 53 in 56 balls as the softer ball rendered batting slightly easier. But when Adil Rashid came into the attack and promptly bowled Patel with a googly, it left Yorkshire well on top.