With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers ran through Karnataka’s batting order to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Kolkata20-Dec-2017AFP

Vidarbha’s extraordinary resolve and single-mindedness put them within inches of their maiden Ranji Trophy final, as their classic against Karnataka headed towards a stunning conclusion. With unshakeable confidence, supreme skill and tremendous discipline, Vidarbha’s pacers brought Karnataka’s bullish batting order to its knees to all but knock out the eight-time champions on the fourth day at Eden Gardens. At stumps, Karnataka were seven down in pursuit of 198, still requiring an improbable 87 runs.And it was Rajneesh Gurbani, Vidarbha’s find of the season, who once again ripped through Karnataka. Siddhesh Neral’s double-strike had given Vidarbha an opening, but Gurbani pushed the door wide open. He ran through the heart of Karnataka’s middle order with 4 for 35 that included the game-changing scalps of Karun Nair and CM Gautam.Not once did Karnataka look in control of the chase: an unprecedented instance for a team that has racked up totals of over 400 six times in eight matches this season. Perhaps critically, Karnataka made that one mistake that Vidarbha were wise to avoid when they batted, by going into extreme caution after the loss of early wickets, at one point scoring a solitary run in 27 balls.Throughout, Karnataka’s batsmen were found wanting on several fronts, not covering the line of the delivery, failing to get entirely forward and not getting to the pitch. Such lapses made an appearance early, when Mayank Agarwal, the season’s highest run-scorer, fell to Umesh Yadav’s electric reflexes in the third over. Having closed the face of his bat to one that had straightened, Agarwal popped a leading edge to Umesh’s right, who got down in an instant and stuck out his right hand.Dega Nischal, Karnataka’s promising No. 3, lived a charmed life. First, Akshay Wadkar reprieved him by fluffing a simple catch down the leg side. Nischal survived a second time when Paschim Pathak turned down a huge appeal for leg before when Gurbani cut one back into the batsman and seemed to have him plumb in front of middle and leg.Even R Samarth, whose front-foot game is characterised by assuredness, pushed and prodded tentatively on numerous occasions. It cost him when a skiddy inswinger from Neral hit him dead in front of middle stump. Five balls later, Nischal played a shot he will rue for a long time: pushing at a sixth-stump delivery and edging to the keeper.With Karnataka three down for 40, Faiz Fazal brought back his premier paceman, Umesh. The one trick Fazal missed was in hesitating to place a third slip, perhaps guarding himself against the low target to defend. The flaw was exposed when Umesh found Karun Nair’s outside edge that went past second slip and gully. Fazal immediately closed the gap, but Umesh made a fuller offering on the pads next ball. He continued to be erratic and was easily the least impressive of Vidarbha’s pacers.Usually firm-footed, Nair continued to live on outside edges and streaky boundaries. Ill-judged singles and edges became routine as Karnataka showed signs of cracking under pressure. But one way or the other, Nair and Gautam, like they did in the first innings, began to steady Karnataka and took them to 69 for 3 at the tea break.The post-tea passage began in an all-too-familiar manner, Gautam finding an edged four through third man, before Nair crunched an imperious cover-drive off Neral. And then, Gurbani took centrestage.In his first over after tea, Gurbani had Nair poking at one that jagged off the seam and took the edge. Stuart Binny was trapped on his second ball in front of middle with one that shaped into him. Pathak adjudged Gautam to have tickled one to the keeper too, much to the disappointment of the batsman. Having managed bounce, swing in the air and movement off the deck, Gurbani then found reverse swing that had K Gowtham playing all over a delivery that was angled into him, being adjudged lbw for 1. With each wicket that he took, Gurbani’s celebrations grew increasingly ecstatic, and Karnataka’s shoulders sagged as they slipped from 81 for 3 to 104 for 7.Despite Gurbani’s heroics, the contributions of Aditya Sarwate weren’t forgotten. Karnataka soared early in the day, taking out Vidarbha’s overnight batsmen Ganesh Satish and Akshay Wadkar in the morning.Wadkar and Satish had begun well, smartly extending Vidarbha’s lead through singles. But an incisive spell from Binny, who kept probing batsmen and inviting errors, turned the heat on Vidarbha. He struck first ball after his introduction, and it was to a poor shot from Wadkar, who followed the line loosely of an away-going delivery.Satish, Vidarbha’s biggest hope, was bounced out by a fiery Abhimanyu Mithun, and when Akshay Wakhare played at a Binny outswinger, Vidarbha had lost three wickets for six runs.Karnataka did just about everything right on the field, with Mithun’s pace, Binny’s swing, Vinay’s accuracy, some outstanding slip catching, and tidy ground fielding. But Sarwate stalled their charge with a fighting half-century and added 68 runs for the last two wickets. With the field spread out – at one point, Karnataka had as many as six fielders at the boundary – he capitalised by pinching singles.Though he farmed the strike for the most part, the big shots ensued when he turned it over. Umesh played the biggest of them all when he shoveled Binny over wide long-on. A crunching late cut behind square gave Sarwate his fifty as every run, every four, even a tidy forward defence drew rousing cheers from the Vidarbha dressing room as they continued to believe. By the end of it all, it had stood them in good stead.

Sydney Sixers dominated Perth Scorchers from the start to lift their second Women’s Big Bash League title in three seasons, drawing inspiration from the exemplary bowling of Sarah Coyte

The Report by Daniel Brettig in Adelaide04-Feb-2018Sydney Sixers won their second straight title•Getty Images

Sydney Sixers dominated Perth Scorchers from the start to lift their second Women’s Big Bash League title in three seasons, drawing inspiration from the exemplary bowling of Sarah Coyte after she returned to the team late in the tournament following a much-publicised departure from the game for mental health reasons.Electing to bat, the Scorchers found the early going hard on an Adelaide Oval pitch offering some moisture to the bowlers, and once Coyte struck to deceive and dismiss Elyse Villani, the West Australian side was never able to build the partnerships capable of building a defendable total. Left with a modest chase, the high-powered Sixers batting line-up was never likely to be tested, and galloped home to victory with five overs to spare.Pressure brings wicketsBoth captains had spoken about the need to cope with the pressure of the occasion on the eve of the final, with the memory of Adelaide Strikers’ horrid batting collapse – 6 for 3 – in the semi-final still fresh in everyone’s minds. To that end, the Scorchers started their innings intent on not losing early wickets after Villani won the toss, while at the same time the Sixers bowlers were intent on tight lines and the denial of runs. Runs duly came at a trickle, and only three boundaries were struck in the Powerplay.The longer this Mexican stand-off went on, of course, the more it favoured the Sixers, who created pressure of their own in the minds of Villani and Nicole Bolton through the knowledge of the power contained up the top of their batting line-up. Ultimately, it was this pressure that forced Villani into error, advancing to a change of pace from Coyte while failing to reading either the length or the subtle movement away from the bat. Alyssa Healy pounced on the stumping chance virtually before Villani had the chance to turn around, and clapped her gloves triumphantly in the prone Scorchers’ ears as she ran past to celebrate the vital first breakthrough.Coyte’s day in the sunThe Sixers’ grip on proceedings went from firm to vice-like in the first ball of the eighth over when Kim Garth seamed a ball back on the line of middle and leg to pin Bolton lbw, with Ellyse Perry following up by coaxing an edge from the bat of Natalie Sciver. When Megan Banting fell to Erin Burns, three wickets had fallen in as many overs, Scorchers’ innings well and truly in free-fall.Sarah Coyte celebrates a wicket with team-mates•Getty Images

Chief beneficiary of the game’s decisive turn towards the Sixers was to be Coyte, who followed up her first over deception of Villani by winning in lbw verdict against Thamsyn Newton and then bowling a driving Heather Graham five balls later. Coyte’s figures of 3 for 17 summed up the Sixers’ dominance, while at the same time capping a wonderful return to the game, following her decision to step away from the game in early 2017 to deal with personal health issues. In four matches, she has scooped 10 wickets at a meagre average of 8.10, providing the fresh impetus the Sixers needed towards the end of a lengthy campaign.A simple chaseDefending 99, the Scorchers needed early wickets but were unable to take them, thanks to Perry and Healy. The Sixers innings began in the manner that Villani had perhaps envisaged for the Scorchers, starting slowly then building steadily to a peak of shotmaking aggression – helped of course by the fact the modest target did not bring too much in the way of scoreboard pressure. As is customary, Healy went a little more eagerly for her shots – striking three fours in the fifth over – while Perry played within herself, and together they had taken the required runs down to a mere 36 from 59 balls when Healy was stumped for a 32-ball 41.The remaining runs were gobbled up without much fuss by Perry and Ashleigh Gardner, who reminded all of the powerful hitting that had made her such a key force in the tournament by depositing Katherine Brunt for a towering six over midwicket. Perry was left to hammer the winning runs with a pair of boundaries, meaning the Sixers had won with a yawning nine wickets and five overs to spare.‘Relaxed but focused’Sciver summed up the Scorchers’ anguish at saving their most inept performance for the biggest of days, and agreed the slow going in the early overs had made a rush of wickets more likely. “In a situation like that, it’s always difficult not to lose wickets in clusters and unfortunately we managed to do that a couple of times and never really got a partnership going, which is what has been one of our strengths throughout the season, so not our best batting day,” she said. “It’s a bad day of cricket really from us and we had to play it on the biggest stage in this tournament. Previously, the girls have done brilliantly and throughout the season different people have stood up…we couldn’t have played any worse really.”As for Perry, there was relief at putting it all together in the final, a year after the Sixers had won far more narrowly over the Scorchers. “It was one of our best games of the season certainly, we started the tournament with a bit of a bang in Sydney when we put on 242 and to finish in the fashion we did today was absolutely awesome,” she said. “I thought our composure was absolutely outstanding today, we seemed quite relaxed but really focused in the field. In hindsight, it was probably not a bad toss to lose because there was just a bit of moisture in the wicket early and I think it just held up and gave our bowlers enough to bowl at Elyse and Nicole. We kept the pressure on them and it showed in the end.”Perry reserved special praise for Coyte, and also noted the initiative of the coach Ben Sawyer, who first saw the possibility of bringing Coyte back into the fold. “Firstly, it was an absolute masterstroke from Ben Sawyer, our head coach, he noticed she’d been playing some grade cricket and gave her a call and asked her if she’d be interested,” Perry said. “Secondly, and most importantly it’s been an inspiration not only for the girls in our team but for lots of young girls who’ve watched her play. Coytey’s got an extraordinary story and she’s so strong and such a fighter and been really brave in what she’s gone through and how she’s spoken about it as well. To see her perform on the biggest stage and slot back into the team is a true testament to the character of her and how brave she is.”

The 34-year old fast bowler intends to play the domestic one-day tournament to test his fitness and insists he hasn’t “made a decision on anything yet”

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Feb-2018Lasith Malinga is mulling his playing future after being overlooked for the latest Sri Lanka T20 squad. Although the 34-year old fast bowler had initially hoped to play in the 2019 World Cup – using the 2018 IPL as a starting point for his preparations – he went unsold in January’s auction. For Sri Lanka, the ongoing tour of Bangladesh is the second successive overseas assignment Malinga has been omitted for.”I’m not sure to what extent I’ll be able to carry on playing in the future,” he told ESPNcricinfo before leaving for an ice cricket exhibition match in Switzerland. “Right now I am thinking of playing in the domestic one-day tournaments to see what my injuries are like. But I haven’t made a decision on anything.”Though not playing in the IPL, Malinga will be with the Mumbai Indians squad during the tournament, having been named as a bowling mentor. If he has in fact played his final international match, he would like the opportunity to take up more such appointments – though he has said he would stop short of taking an official coaching role.”I’ve learned a lot about cricket and bowling through my career, so it would be great to have the opportunity to pass that knowledge on to a younger group of players,” Malinga said. “I’ve already been able to do that a little with Jasprit Bumrah at the IPL. If the Sri Lankan team wants me, I think it would be great if I could help the next generation of Sri Lankan bowlers also.”Malinga had been the leader of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs attack for several years, and had been instrumental in devising the bowling plan that won Sri Lanka the 2014 World T20. Although clearly past his best years in 2017, the selectors had made the point that his presence in the squad was a boon to less experienced bowlers.”I don’t know how my injuries will hold up, and whether I will be picked for the next World Cup. But if I can go as a consultant even, that would be a joy for me.”If Malinga does play the List A club tournament, which begins in about two months, he may still have a chance of being considered again for national duty.”What we have told all players is that if they want to play for Sri Lanka, they have to play domestic cricket,” chief selector Graeme Labrooy said. “That I think is the challenge for Lasith. But we don’t write anyone off. Depending on his form and fitness in domestic cricket, we would consider him.”

A quiet break from cricket, after two high-quality Tests that were in the spotlight for several wrong reasons, has given the South Africa opener time to think about his faltering batting

Firdose Moonda19-Mar-2018The two things Dean Elgar has enjoyed most about the last seven days is the silence and the chance to reflect on two highly competitive games of cricket, away from the sideshows that have surrounded them.”There’s been so much noise that people have actually forgotten there is such a great Test series happening between two strong and competitive teams. The backroom noise is hindering what has been quite an exciting Test series,” Elgar said, as South Africa resumed training after a week’s break ahead of the third Test against Australia at Newlands.The match starts on Thursday, which has effectively meant a 10-day period for the teams to get away from each other, and on the evidence of the first two Tests, they needed that. Everything from the stairwell saga to the send-offs has been laced with aggression and intensity. Those close to the Australian camp have gone as far as to say the temperature of this series has been hotter than recent Ashes’ contests and the South Africans, usually a passionate but not overly petulant lot, have also turned on the heat.Elgar, one of the pricklier characters in the squad, admitted he has also got involved. “There’s been a lot of niggle. It comes from both sides. It’s what you expect when you are playing against quality opposition. The intensity should be there. That’s what makes the format exciting,” he said. “I’ve been on the receiving end of it and I have also been one to give it out a bit, in all the right measurements.”The “right measurements”, as Elgar put it, have been debated throughout this series and, so far, no one can provide a recipe as to what those might be. Steven Smith has, on several occasions, insisted there is a line his team does not cross while Faf du Plessis has endorsed chirping as good for the game but said he would not advocate swearing. And then there’s the physical side of things. From David Warner needing to be physically restrained in the episode with Quinton de Kock, to the shoulder brush between Kagiso Rabada and Steven Smith, Elgar is right when he said this series is less about cricket and more about contact.A tweet on Vernon Philander’s account went as far as to suggest simulation could even come into the picture, but the message was deleted a few ours after it was posted and Philander claimed his account was hacked. And so the silence Elgar was enjoying might have been broken in the middle of the break, when it suddenly emerged that there may be a new flashpoint.Though very little has been made of the post on Philander’s account and the subsequent backtracking from it, that could change. Cameron Bancroft has already suggested Australia will use the tweet to try and unnerve the seamer on his home ground; the same venue where he played a major part in bowling them out for 47 in his debut Test series in 2011.AFP

Elgar suspects it will take more than that to get under Philander’s skin. “He’ll take it in his stride like Vern does. He is quite a relaxed human being but on the field he is as competitive as anyone else,” Elgar said. “He is going to expect that they are going to come out and say something to him on the field, and I am sure he is going to be prepared for that.”Philander might have other things to think about than what the Australians have to say. Should South Africa be without Kagiso Rabada – whose appeal hearing against a Level 2 charge extended to over six hours today – Philander will lead an attack that will likely include the retiring Morne Morkel and the inexperience of Lungi Ngidi. South Africa will have to find a way to take wickets without their leading bowler.Though the players have tried not to become preoccupied with the Rabada proceedings, they understand losing him would be a big deal. “As players, we are just trying to isolate ourselves away from that situation. We know we don’t have any influence over what has happened or what can happen. It would be nice to put it behind us,” Elgar said. “Having KG [Rabada] in our side is massive for us. It’s massive for the game, massive for the format, because KG is an extremely special cricketer. But we do know there are rules. We respect that. If he is good to go for the third Test, it will be awesome for us and awesome of the game.”In the meanwhile, Elgar would like to concentrate on his own game and on finding the form that had him finish as the third-highest run-scorer in Test cricket last year. Elgar’s 2017 included 1128 runs from 12 Tests at 53.71 with five centuries, but he has only managed 285 runs from five Tests this year at 31.66.He accepted that “it was always going to be difficult to follow-up on what was a very good year”, but would like to start contributing more, especially because of his returns so far. He was dismissed in single-figures in both innings in the first Test and the second innings of the second Test; his only score in double-figures so far this series was a stubborn 57 in Port Elizabeth. “I feel that I am batting nicely. I am getting through all the tough parts and then I am letting myself down with silly, stupid, uncharacteristic kind of dismissals,” Elgar said. “I know it’s not what the team requires, our team requires me to try bat out a day.”His half-century, which took five hours and six minutes to score, used up most of a day and helped lay a platform for South Africa to take a match-winning first-innings lead in Port Elizabeth. But on either side of that knock, Elgar has twice been caught and bowled by Nathan Lyon and desperately wants to change his record against the spinner.”I have handled him quite [badly],” Elgar said. “Like I said, silly dismissals that are uncharacteristic of me. In the past I have handled him quite well. He has developed his game massively in the last two years, and I will just be mindful of that and still trust my defence against him.”And hope for some more peace and quiet before the series resumes.

Cricket West Indies is offering its contracted and non-contracted players major pay hikes as an incentive to play the series of three T20 internationals in Pakistan next month

Colin Benjamin19-Mar-2018Cricket West Indies (CWI) is offering its contracted and non-contracted players major pay hikes as an incentive to play the series of three T20 internationals in Pakistan next month.West Indies will announce a 13-man touring squad to tour Pakistan when the ongoing World Cup Qualifier concludes. CWI did not confirm or deny the amount but it is being suggested that the touring squad are being offered around US$25,000 each for the three matches in Karachi on April 1, 2 and 3.Depending on the contract status of players, that means they will be getting anywhere between 70% more and double what they would ordinarily be paid. Under the new CWI contracts announced in January, many of non-contracted T20 specialists got a raise of US$1725 to US$5000 per game, along with double match fees for all three formats.Though CWI will be paying the players, the money for that to happen has come from a payment made by the PCB to CWI for this series – as it is outside the Future Tours Programme (FTP) as it stands. According to a PCB official, that payment to a touring side by the host board is standard for non-FTP series and one the PCB benefited from in a 2013 ODI tour to South Africa.”Pakistan are looking to play more cricket at home, by playing half of the PSL in Pakistan next year and a number of matches in upcoming bilateral series under the current FTP,” CWI CEO Johnny Grave told ESPNcricinfo. “However what they can’t continue to do is pay international players additional fees to tour Pakistan or PSL.”So, considering this tour is outside the Future Tours Programme, the PCB have made a payment to CWI that is being fully utilised. CWI isn’t making any money from the series, just supporting cricket going back to Pakistan.”The issue of paying players extra to tour Pakistan, which hasn’t hosted regular international cricket since the March 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team, is a delicate one for the PCB. They paid Zimbabwe’s players US$12,500 each for a tour in 2015, the first by any international team to Pakistan since 2009.Foreign players were also offered extra money on top of their contracts to play in the PSL final in Lahore last year. The players that toured Lahore as part of a World XI last September were also paid by the PCB.It is an extra cost the board could easily do without but, because the aim is to bring back cricket to Pakistan, it is seen as a long-term investment. The PCB gradually wants to end the practice – no extra money was paid to Sri Lanka when they played a single T20 in Lahore last year, although it was a heavily depleted squad that came.Grave did confirm that the boards have a separate agreement to play T20 matches in USA and Canada. According to an ESPNcricinfo source, CWI has reserved dates at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida for the weekend of August 4-5 to play a pair of T20Is. This is the last weekend ahead of the start of the Caribbean Premier League, for which all West Indian players were announced to be available from August 8-September 16 since it does not clash with any FTP requirements.”As a trade off for this, we have their agreement to play regular T20 games in USA or Canada outside of the FTP to try and build interest in cricket in our timezone,” Grave said. “We [CWI] have been very up front with players and told them all money we are getting for this series they will be getting.”It is unclear which members of the current squad in Zimbabwe will tour Pakistan, however. According to sources close to players none of five of the Bravo brothers, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell – whom chief selector Courtney Browne attacked for choosing PSL over the World Cup Qualifier – were selected. There will also likely be no place for Darren Sammy.Russell and Dwayne Bravo are currently injured, while Narine also elected not to visit Pakistan, even before doubts resurfaced over his action after he was reported in the PSL.According to his representatives, Pollard does not feel comfortable traveling to Pakistan at the moment. He had already decided not to travel with his PSL side, Multan Sultans, if they had made it through from the group stage.Whether Darren Bravo was contacted about playing is unknown, but some likely squad members include veteran legspinner Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit and potentially a recall for Denesh Ramdin.Badree is set to visit Pakistan with Islamabad United and has the experience of going there with the ICC World XI last year. Emrit, who was recalled for the January T20 series in New Zealand for the first time in a decade, also visited Pakistan for the PSL final in 2017.

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has also confirmed that Lungi Ngidi, who had flown back to South Africa following the death of his father, has rejoined the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Apr-20181:36

Deepak Chahar could be out for a couple of weeks – Fleming

Chennai Super Kings fast bowler Deepak Chahar could be out of action for at least two weeks with a hamstring strain sustained during Saturday’s match against Mumbai Indians in Pune.Chahar pulled up injured after bowling the first ball of his third over. He left the field after that delivery and did not return for rest of the match. Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming confirmed the injury during his post-match press conference. “He (Chahar) has had hamstring injuries in the past, he has a pretty good idea when he is in trouble,” Fleming said. “Conservatively, it’s probably a couple of weeks, which is a bit of a blow.”Fleming also confirmed that Lungi Ngidi, who had flown back to South Africa following the death of his father, has rejoined the squad.Chahar has played in all seven Super Kings matches so far this season, and has picked six wickets at an average of 25.50, including a match-winning 3 for 15 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is also one of only two Super Kings bowlers with an economy rate of less than eight an over.

The last assignment for Justin Langer’s team before the two finalists are decided is a trip to play the Proteas in 2021

Daniel Brettig20-Jun-2018

Australia’s FTP schedule*

2015-2019
Tests 43
ODIs 58
T20Is 24
2019-2023
Tests 39
ODIs 47
T20Is 45
*excludes ICC tournaments

Australia’s hopes of reaching the inaugural Test World Championship final are set to hinge upon their ability to atone for the disgrace of this year’s tour of South Africa, with the 2021 return trip to play the Proteas looming as the last series for Justin Langer’s team before the two competing teams are decided.Currently placed third in the ICC’s Test rankings, the Australians face three away trips and three home series over the initial two-year cycle, starting with the 2019 Ashes tour of England and ending with the journey to South Africa. A visit to Bangladesh in early 2020 is the other away tour, while there are home series against Pakistan and New Zealand (2019-20) and India (2020-21). An inaugural Test against Afghanistan is also scheduled to take place at home, immediately prior to the India series.Given their present ranking and the fact that all teams will start equal going into the start of the Championship cycle, Australia are likely to be in the mix for a place in the final entering the South Africa series, providing exactly the sort of context and third-party interest among neutral nations that the game’s governing bodies and broadcasters have been seeking.James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said the new Future Tours Program and the Test and ODI league structures now meant that the Australian summer would effectively be limited to five home Tests a season and somewhere between eight and 12 limited-overs matches. New Zealand (2019) and South Africa (2022) are set to return to Boxing Day Tests at the MCG for the first time since 1987 and 2006 respectively.”It looks like five Test matches per summer is the staple diet of Test cricket. In terms of white-ball cricket, ODIs or T20I, there’ll be eight to 12 white ball matches per summer at home,” Sutherland said. “By natural extension, six of those matches will be ODIs as part of the one-day league, the remainder will be T20 matches.”What we are trying to do by design with T20 internationals is to play more matches when the cycle allows and when the cycle has us leading into ICC T20 events so we’re managing as best we can to increase the volume of T20 cricket in and around the World T20. Who we play against in Tests and one-day cricket there’s little flexibility now. That will be worked through in this model – when we play and how much cricket we play or how long each series is is a matter for bilateral agreement between the two countries.”Our preference is to play Tests at home in that traditional Test-cricket period which would encompass the Boxing Day and New Year’s Test matches. In 2022-23 South Africa have agreed to play Test matches over that Christmas-New Year period in Australia.”The cap of Test matches at five a summer creates a conundrum around the allocation of Tests to venues beyond the traditional centres of Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. In the forthcoming summer there are six scheduled, with Canberra’s Manuka Oval making its five-day debut for a fixture against Sri Lanka in February. Hobart has also been a common recipient of the sixth Test of a summer, but may now find its opportunities reduced to white-ball formats.Two bilateral Tests against Afghanistan – there is also an away match in the calendar preceding Tests against Pakistan in the UAE in early 2022 – mark a significant addition to Australia’s footprint, being the first new nation they have played since Bangladesh in 2003. Sutherland explained that the 2020 match would effectively serve as a warm-up to the India series to follow, after Australia committed to a T20-heavy diet of matches around that year’s global event. The increase in T20Is in the schedule is the most noticeable change from the previous 2015-2019 cycle.”I would imagine the Afghanistan Test match would be a prelude to a warm-up if you like to that Test series against India, noting that that off-season we won’t have had any Test cricket. There’ll be a long break from Test cricket,” Sutherland said. “If you think about that summer in 2020-21 we still have only five Test matches – four against India and one against Afghanistan. It’s a big summer of cricket, and the World T20 and matches in that summer will be played at all venues. Hobart has got matches and Canberra has got matches as well – it will be shared around.”

Former West Indies star forced to return to Barbados while applying for a visa to live in the UK alongside his British wife

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2018Colin Graves, the chairman of the ECB, has offered to help Collis King in his immigration fight, after it emerged the West Indian has been forced to return to Barbados while applying for a visa to live in the UK alongside his British wife.King, who starred in West Indies’ 1979 World Cup final victory, has spent more than 40 years living and working in the UK, alongside his native Barbados. But now, aged 67, he has been left in limbo after being told he could not submit an application for a spousal visa while still in the country, and given 14 days to return to the Caribbean.King’s story has emerged following a controversial crackdown by the UK Home Office, although it is distinct from the issues affecting members of the Windrush generation who came to live and work in Britain after the Second World War. According to the , King said he had been “treated like a criminal”.Graves was previously chairman of Dunnington CC in Yorkshire, where King has played and coached for 20 years, becoming a popular figure on the club scene. He has offered to act as a referee for King and write a letter of support.”I was staggered that his application was thrown out without any further investigation,” Graves told the newspaper. “Someone just looked at it and said, ‘On your bike’ and he was out. Nobody seemed to bother to look at it. It was cold and that is what upset me. They did not look at the individual, it was just another number on a file.”From a cricket point of view in Yorkshire he has been a colossus. He is known around all the clubs and we will do everything we can from a cricket point of view because he is helping with what we are trying to achieve in the recreational game.”King has been unable to play for Dunnington this summer, and has spent the last four months waiting to hear about his status. Having been told he had to return to Barbados, he also suffered the indignity of having his passport taken away at the airport, and only returned when his flight landed in Bridgetown.”I felt like I was treated like a criminal,” he told the . “It has really shaken me that after all that time that I can’t stay. It really hit me for six.”An attacking batsman who played nine Tests and 18 ODIs, King hit 86 from just 66 balls as he and Viv Richards demolished England in the 1979 World Cup final. Although World Series Cricket and a rebel tour of South Africa ended his international career, he became a much-loved performer in the northern leagues of England, as well as turning out in county cricket for Glamorgan and Worcestershire.Having previously travelled regularly to the UK on a visitor visa, King fell foul of the “hostile environment” cultivated by immigration officials after submitting his application for a spousal visa last year.”We tried to get some help at the embassy in Barbados but it is all done online – there is hardly anybody in Barbados to give you any help,” he said. “I have given all the information they asked for and more. I have waited and waited and nothing has happened.”I have been playing cricket in the UK for many years but I have always come back when my visa stated. I have never stayed longer than I was due to stay. If I had six months to play in the leagues, I would always come back on time. Never once in 44 years have I overstayed my time.”I was not born a British citizen but I have been going to Britain long enough to feel part of the English set-up. You cannot come to a country for so many years without loving the place. I have been coming and going, loving the country and that is the sad thing, really. When I tell people what’s going on, they say: ‘That can’t be right.’ But it is right because here I am, stuck in Barbados not knowing when this will end.”Another West Indies-born former cricketer, Richard Stewart, who played for Middlesex in the 1960s, has faced a similar struggle in his attempts to receive a British passport. Stewart arrived in England in 1955, aged 10, and has lived there ever since, but was only told this week that he had been granted citizenship.

The jury at Bristol Crown Court heard how Stokes acted “well beyond self-defence or the defence of others” at the start of a trial expected to last up to seven days

George Dobell06-Aug-20181:17

Stokes affray trial begins in Bristol

The trial of Ben Stokes has begun with jurors being told the England all-rounder acted “well beyond self-defence or the defence of others” when knocking two men unconscious in Bristol last September.Stokes, who is being tried in Bristol Crown Court for affray alongside Ryan Ali and Ryan Hale, is alleged to have “lost control and started to attack with revenge, retaliation or punishment in mind” after he, or those he was with, believed they were being attacked with a bottle by Ali and a piece of metal pulled from a street sign by Hale. Ali, who served in the British Army in Afghanistan, received “significant injuries” including a fractured eye socket in the incident.The incident is alleged to have started when Stokes (and England team-mate, Alex Hales), attempted to re-enter the Mbargo nightclub in which they, and several England colleagues, had been in earlier in the evening. It was after 2am, however, and a doorman Andrew Cunningham pointed out they did not allow entry at that time.Having been refused entry, Stokes is alleged to have offered Cunningham up to £300 in an effort to persuade him. When that offer was declined, Stokes is alleged to have become abusive to the doorman and then mimicked and mocked a young gay couple, Kai Barry and William O’Connor, who were leaving the club. Furthermore, he is alleged to have flicked a cigarette butt at the head of one of the young men.”He was clearly frustrated and annoyed,” Nicholas Corsellis, acting for the prosecution, said. “He took to acting in a provocative and offensive way towards Mr Cunningham, Barry and O’Connor.”A short time later, the prosecution claim, Stokes and Hales came across Ali, Hale, Barry and O’Connor in the street. After a brief exchange of words, Ali raises a bottle he was drinking from in an attempt to hit Hales, though he actually made glancing contact with Barry. Stokes responded by throwing a punch at Ali and the pair, with Hale, then tussled on the ground.Video footage shown to the jury then shows all the defendants get to their feet. And, the prosecution said: “If the incident had been restricted to that, it is highly unlikely we would be here today.”But while Hales is heard shouting “Stokes! That’s enough” and both Ali and Hale implore him to stop, Stokes is shown pursuing the pair and striking Hale with such force that he is rendered unconscious.”We know Mr Ali had a bottle and was using it,” Corsellis continued. “Stokes may have been – may have been – acting in defence of himself or another in taking hold or striking of Mr Ali at this stage. You may use violence in public if you think it is necessary to defend yourself or others.”But there is a big difference in using violence to defend someone and then deciding to retaliate or taking out a secondary attack on someone who had the temerity to attack you. That is exactly what you see in this clip. This is retribution and retaliation; not self-defence.”Further video footage appeared to show Hale, who works for the emergency services, come to his senses and, according to a witness, find a road sign, pull the metal legs from it and return to the fray.The injury to Ali is alleged to have occurred shortly afterwards as the result of a punch from Stokes and was witnessed by an off-duty police officer, Mark Spure, who was attempting to break up the fight.The jury were also shown body-worn camera footage recorded by the police at the time of Stokes’ arrest. In it, he admits striking Ali but insists he did it “because he was abusing my two friends for being gay.”The incident took place in the early hours of September 25, a few hours after England had played an ODI in the city against West Indies.Stokes, who arrived in court accompanied by his agent, the former England batsman Neil Fairbrother, and his wife Clare, who looked visibly upset at times. The ECB’s director of communications, Chris Haynes, was also in court to hear evidence.Encapsulating a grim day for England cricket, 16 potential jury members were asked if they had any interest in cricket that might, potentially, render them unsuitable for service in this case. None of them expressed any interest.The case is expected to last up to seven days, with Stokes’ defence likely to begin on Wednesday or Thursday.The trial continues.

Liam Trevaskis took three wickets in the final over as Durham continued to defy expectations in North Group

ESPNcricinfo staff and ECB Reporters Network07-Aug-2018
ScorecardLiam Trevaskis a part-time left-arm spinner from Carlisle, took three wickets in a brilliant last over as Durham once again proved their ability to scramble wins from unpromising situations as they snatched a startling victory against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.Trevaskis, 19, who had taken only one wicket in seven previous T20 appearances, defended just six off the last over and finished with a career-best four for 16 as Lancashire chased a 155 target, slipping badly from a position of strength at halfway.He conceded only one in the last over as he had James Faulkner caught at long-on, Lamb stumped and Matthew Parkinson caught at deep midwicket. The Lightning needed 63 off the last 10 overs with six wickets left and finished on 150 for nine.It was another blow for Faulkner, Lancashire’s Australian allrounder, who is attempting to rebuild his reputation after his career was blighted by injury.Trevaskis made his T20 debut last season, dismissing England’s Alex Hales in the match against Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street and also played for England’s Under-19 side in the One-Day series with India.

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Durham’s four-run win significantly strengthens their hopes of quarter-final qualification. The second-placed Jets have moved to 14 points from 10 games, one behind leaders Worcestershire. Lancashire are fourth on eleven points from 10. Durham, assumed to be also-rans, are proving more resilient then many deemed possible.”I’m still a little bit lost for words on how we actually came out victorious,” said Durham captain Tom Latham. “James Weighell was going to bowl the last over, but it looked easier with pace on the ball and Liam had bowled a good couple of overs beforehand. He hasn’t played a huge amount of T20 cricket, and his main role is as a batter.”Earlier, Lancashire’s Afghanistan spinner Zahir Khan impressed with 2 for 19 on his debut on an Old Trafford pitch again prepared with slow bowlers in mind.Durham posted 154 for 7, a total which looked under par when Alex Davies flew out of the blocks in reply with 53 off 33 balls.Zahir, also 19, has signed for the rest of the season on Jos Buttler’s recommendation having been squad mates at Rajasthan Royals in the IPL earlier this summer. He bowled considerably more googlies than chinamen in a mid-innings spell that seemed to have made Lancashire strong favourites.Trevaskis was bowled around his legs as he tried to sweep and veteran Paul Collingwood fell lbw sweeping in an eye-catching four-over spell.Durham started positively with the bat, reaching 56 for 1 in the seventh over. But they stumbled through the middle in the face of Khan and Lamb, whose sister Emma also struck twice in a Kia Super League game earlier in the day.In the end, the Jets did well to get up to 154 as veteran Will Smith hit three sixes in 37 not out. Their innings included nine sixes and only six fours.Danny Lamb had James Weighell caught at deep cover off a full toss and Stuart Poynter caught at mid-off in only his second Blast appearance of the summer and third in all. Earlier, Jordan Clark caught younger brother Graham at long-on for 29 off leg-spinner Matthew Parkinson.Chris Rushworth had Karl Brown caught at mid-on in the first over of the Lightning chase, but Davies quickly found his range on the way to a club record equalling fifth Blast fifty of the season.Davies found useful support from pinch-hitter Arron Lilley (28). They shared 72 inside eight overs for the second wicket before Lilley was run out to leave the score at 78 for two in the eighth.Davies reached his fifty off 32 balls in the 10th over, but he was caught behind off Ben Whitehead’s leg-spinners with his next ball – 88 for three.Steven Croft miscued a return catch to Trevaskis as Lancashire’s target became 41 off the last six overs. Whitehead struck again to remove Dane Vilas as the game tightened up significantly to 19 off two overs. Jordan Clark fell to Nathan Rimmington in the penultimate before Trevaskis had the final say.Lancashire face Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley on Thursday evening, while Durham host Leicestershire on Wednesday in a busy week that could decide their season.