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Namibia followed up a solid batting display by picking up two wickets in Uganda’s second innings to move into a commanding position in Windhoek

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2010
ScorecardNamibia followed up a solid batting display by picking up two wickets in Uganda’s second innings to move into a commanding position at the end of day three of the ICC Intercontinental Shield match in Windhoek. Substantial contributions from the middle and lower order lifted Namibia to 609, the highest first-class score without a century.Resuming at 320 for 4, Namibia lost Craig Williams, lbw to Charles Waiswa in the day’s first over and Bjorn Kotze soon after, with the score at 340. Gerrie Snyman and Louis van der Wethuizen staged a recovery, putting on 115 runs for the seventh wicket. Snyman scored 86 with seven fours and two sixes while Wethuizen made 50 with seven boundaries.Their departure, within 25 runs of each other, offered Uganda no respite. In came Tobias Verwey and Louis Klazinga, who added 99 at over a run a ball for the ninth wicket. Verwey made 73 off 78 balls with nine fours and three sixes while Klazinga hit an unbeaten 48 off 53.Uganda used eight bowlers in the innings with Waiswa the best of the lot, picking up 3 for 123. Every Namibia batsman reached double figures as they set their first-class record, going past the 605 scored by Madhya Pradesh against Haryana in 1998-99.Uganda’s problems were compounded when they lost two quick wickets in their second innings. Roger Mukasa was unbeaten on 48 at the close of play as Uganda finished the day at 77 for 2, needing 203 to make Namibia bat again.

Indian allrounders Krunal Pandya and Nitish Rana were sought after by RCB and RR

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-20242:04

Moody: Curran poses a left-hand conundrum with bat for CSK

Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the most expensive player sold in the early bidding on day two of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) buying him for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.28 million approx.).Fast bowlers were in high demand with Deepak Chahar going to Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 9.25 crore ($1.10 million approx.), Akash Deep to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), Mukesh Kumar to Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), pace-bowling allrounder Marco Jansen to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 7 crore ($0.83 million approx.), and Tushar Deshpande to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 6.50 crore ($0.77 million approx.).RCB and RR also went up against each other for Indian spin allrounders, with RCB snapping up Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 crore ($0.68 million approx.)and RR getting Nitish Rana for INR 4.20 crore ($0.50 million approx.).Related

• The surprises: No takers for Warner, Thakur

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• Who is Priyansh Arya, PBKS' new big buy?

A large number of players were unsold in the early bidding, including established IPL names like Shardul Thakur, Kane Williamson and Ajinkya Rahane. There were no takers for Prithvi Shaw either, despite his base price being only INR 75 lakh. On day one, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were among the high-profile players to go unsold.Records were broken on day one of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, when PBKS first bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore and then LSG bought Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore, making them the most expensive players in the history of the league.

No escape from fate as final five wickets fall on fourth morning at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2023Lancashire’s Luke Wells ripped through Northamptonshire’s lower order taking career best figures of five for 25 with his part-time leg-spin to consign the hosts to their fifth innings defeat of the summer and their fourth at home.Northamptonshire resumed on the fourth morning of this LV= Insurance County Championship match at Wantage Road on 211 for five, still needing another 81 to make Lancashire bat again. Hartley though had other ideas as the Steelbacks were bowled out for 266 to lose by an innings and 26 runs.Lewis McManus (24) and Saif Zaib (45) extended their overnight partnership to 56 against the spin of Wells and Tom Hartley as the visitors waited to take the new ball.McManus chipped Hartley over midwicket for four, but his long vigil finally ended after 82 balls when he turned Wells to George Bell at short leg who took an excellent catch.Northamptonshire started to implode with Wells picking up a second wicket when Zaib chased a wide one, Phil Salt taking the catch behind the stumps. Wells soon had a third thanks to a stunning left-handed catch off his own bowling to remove Tom Taylor (4). Jack White (6) then slashed him to Keaton Jennings at slip.Ben Sanderson was determined to go down fighting, smashing two fours and thumping Hartley over the Family Stand at long-on for six before he became Wells’ fifth wicket, caught at mid-off with Northamptonshire leaving the field after just 50 minutes’ play.

Durham seamer included alongside recalled James Anderson and Stuart Broad

Matt Roller01-Jun-2022Matthew Potts, the Durham seamer, has been preferred to Craig Overton and will make his England debut in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s which starts on Thursday.Potts, 23, has been the standout bowler in county cricket this year, taking 35 Championship wickets at 18.57 for Durham. Ben Stokes, England’s new captain, has played alongside him and, like Rob Key, the managing director of men’s cricket, has been impressed.England named a 13-man squad for the first two Tests and signalled that Yorkshire’s Harry Brook would be the spare batter, with a new-look top six of Alex Lees and Zak Crawley opening, Ollie Pope in an unfamiliar role at No. 3, and a middle-order engine room of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Stokes.Ben Foakes will play his first home Test, keeping wicket and batting at No. 7 with James Anderson and Stuart Broad sharing the new ball after their recalls and Jack Leach selected as the frontline spinner.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

By Potts’ own admission, an England debut “wasn’t at all on the radar” at the start of his season but he has benefitted from an injury crisis which has seen at least eight realistic seam-bowling options ruled out of the first Test.Overton is widely considered to be the better batter of the two but struggled on England’s tour of the Caribbean in March and Key said in May that sees Potts as “a point of difference” from Anderson and Broad. He is not a genuine fast bowler but can reach speeds north of 140kph.”I like the look of this Matt Potts,” Key said. “I’m pretty excited by what he offers. We see him as a point of difference. You see the way he runs in, the way that it looks like if you’re facing him, you’re in a proper contest… these are the picks I get really excited about.”Related

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• Southee: 'The Kiwi way is to muck in and get the best out of what we've got'

• Bairstow eager to stay on England treadmill

• Potts planning to 'run in and bowl hard' as debut beckons

Potts has never played a first-class match at Lord’s, having been rested for Durham’s Championship game against Middlesex two weeks ago on the back of six consecutive games. “I’ve had two chilled-out weeks, bowling a few overs and just fine-tuning everything,” he said on Monday. “I was a bit on simmer but now I’m raring to go and very, very excited.”It would mean everything to make my debut at the Home of Cricket. There is a little difference in the intensity but I’m honestly looking to change nothing about what’s got me here. I’m just going to run in and bowl hard, bowl my areas and see if that works.”Potts is due to bat at No. 8 for England, even though he has spent the vast majority of his first-class career batting at No. 9 or 10. He has regularly been used as a nightwatchman and has two first-class fifties and a hundred in second-team cricket, but has managed only 65 runs in seven Championship innings this season.

Three players named in the squad for Ireland series had trained with RCB and Mumbai

Matt Roller06-Jan-2021Ahmed Raza, UAE’s captain, is not concerned about his side’s fitness or preparation ahead of their four-match ODI series against Ireland, following a 10-month break from international cricket.UAE’s last game took place in February 2020, a 102-run win against Kuwait in the final of the ACC Western Region T20 competition, but players returned to training in June and have been playing domestic cricket over the past few months.Three players named in the squad for the series were also beneficiaries of the IPL’s change in venue for the postponed 2020 season. Raza and young wristspinner Karthik Meiyappan trained with Royal Challengers Bangalore, while seamer Zahoor Khan spent time with the Mumbai Indians squad.”We were one of the first associate teams to hit the ground running,” Raza said at a virtual press conference. “Having some cricket in the last few months has helped us. We haven’t played any international cricket for a long period, but [the pandemic] is something which is new to all of us. We’re really happy to be together as a squad and are just looking forward to playing some international cricket.”[The IPL] was massive. The experience you get over there training with the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and bowling to them [is great]. We felt like we’d gained a lot when we left the IPL. It’s hard to put into words, but you start feeling different, and you’re different in your approach as well. I hope that whatever we learned in that period, we can showcase in our performances in this series.”UAE go into the series, which sees four games in Abu Dhabi squeezed into a seven-day window from January 8-14, as underdogs: they are six places below Ireland in the ICC’s ODI rankings, and have lost all six of their previous encounters against Ireland in the format.Related

• Two UAE players test positive for Covid-19 ahead of Ireland ODIs

• Ireland could host Pakistan T20Is in England

• Afghanistan-Ireland series to be held in the UAE

They are also a team in transition. Robin Singh replaced Dougie Brown as director of cricket last year, and has managed to spend time with the group despite being stuck in India for several months due to a lockdown and working as Mumbai Indians’ batting coach during the IPL.Their squad is also still coming to terms with the suspensions of five players over the past 18 months due to corruption charges. As a result, the 17-man squad named on Wednesday has a youthful look to it, with Aryan Lakra, Alishan Sharafu, Kashif Daud and Adithya Shetty all winning their maiden call-ups. Chirag Suri and Khan are both fit after injury concerns.”You want to win every game you play, and this series is no different,” Raza said. “We want to win all the games and win the series. We’re playing in our own backyard and looking at the squad, there’s a good mix of youth and experience. We have to keep an eye on the 2023 World Cup down the line. Looking at the four or five youngsters in the squad, they all playing in the Under-19 World Cup and put in performances.”UAE squad to play Ireland: Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Rohan Mustafa, Muhammad Usman, Muhammad Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind

Spinner admits he thought he would be watching series at home – but now keen to prove his worth as a bowler

Matt Roller26-Aug-2019Vishwa Fernando’s 6, Monty Panesar’s 7, Clive Eksteen’s 4… and now Jack Leach’s 1.The list of the greatest unbeaten single-figure innings in Test history is not a prestigious one, but its members all share cult-hero status. In no other sport are players so prominently exposed for their inability in one facet of the game – Neymar wouldn’t make much of a centre-back, but he doesn’t ever have to spend 30 minutes trying to rescue a point there – and while those who fail are mocked, success as a tailender can turn an unremarkable player into a legend.ALSO READ: From Vishwa to Panesar – six great single-figure inningsLeach’s 60-minute, 17-ball epic in a remarkable last-wicket stand of 76 with Ben Stokes to haul England across the line at Headingley could so easily have been forgotten. Stokes offered a difficult catch to Marcus Harris at third man, repeatedly cleared fielders on the rope by the finest of margins, and would have been lbw but for the absence of DRS; if any of those had turned out differently, Leach’s efforts would have been an irrelevance.Instead, he found himself exalted.”I don’t know what it is,” he said. “It’s probably because I look like a village cricketer out there in my glasses, the bald head – maybe people think ‘that could be me!’ All the others look pretty professional.”The support’s been amazing, the support today for all of us was incredible. The noise was insane, and I’m just enjoying playing for England.”While wiping his glasses before facing each ball made him a subject of amusement, Somerset’s former strength and conditioning coach Daz Veness paid tribute to his “outstanding mental strength”.”Bat down, gloves off, helmet off, glasses off, glasses cleaned, everything back on in reverse order,” he tweeted. “You’ll bowl when I’m ready and my mate has caught his breath. And not before.” In the manner that county team-mate Marcus Trescothick has done in the final years of his career, Leach – who cannot wear contact lenses because he suffers from astigmatism – managed to dictate the pace of the game throughout his stay at the crease.”I just have to make sure they are clean every time they were facing up because I would really regret it if it had been smudged,” he said, “and then they zoom in on the glasses and say ‘he didn’t clean his glasses’.”I just had to stay calm and do the job at hand. I felt good out there, I was really focused on what I needed to do.”Generally left to face a ball or two at the end of an over, Leach left, ducked, weaved and defended his way out of trouble. “I got on with it,” he said, “and it [the target] quite quickly seemed to go down. Suddenly it’s eight to win, and you’re like ‘oh my God’.”It is all a bit of a blur to be honest. I didn’t want to get in Stokesy’s bubble when he was doing really well, hitting those sixes. I didn’t want to say too much but I also wanted him to just focus on the next ball, especially when we got close.”He said in the changing room that he got nervous when it was down to eight. It seemed so close but the way we were playing it was still quite far away. I just wanted him to focus on every ball, and if it was there he would hit it for six.”Jack Leach wipes the sweat from his glasses during his innings of one not out•Getty Images

There was, of course, the run-out-that-wasn’t. If Nathan Lyon had managed to gather the ball as Leach found himself stranded halfway down the pitch, the narrative around his innings would be starkly different.”That was not a nice moment,” Leach said. “There were two balls left so I thought [Stokes] might squeeze a single so that I could face one and he’d have the next over. But it’s all good. I don’t want to focus on that moment – I want to focus on running down to Stokes when he hit the winning runs.”And so he might. If his team-mates’ hardships rarely seem to extend beyond a bad run of form, it is worth reflecting on the multiple setbacks that Leach has overcome on his ascent to the Test side.He suffers from Crohn’s disease, a bowel condition that is often triggered by stress. In 2015, he fractured his skull after fainting on his way to the toilet in the middle of the night. The next summer, his hopes of an international call-up were twice set back; first by comments from his county captain Chris Rogers that he was not “emotionally” ready, then by the news that routine tests at Loughborough had revealed an illegal kink in his bowling action.Last summer, he found out he had broken his thumb the day before he was set to be announced in the Test squad to play Pakistan. A concussion suffered after being hit by a Morne Morkel bouncer then cost him the chance to prove his form ahead of the India series, and he was again left out.Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that Leach revealed he thought he would “be watching at home” during this series.Childhood friends Jos Buttler and Jack Leach celebrate England’s win•Getty Images

“I wanted to be ready to play and not presume anything,” he said. “It’s been a tough lead-in because obviously the county cricket has been all T20 stuff, my last long bowl was the Australia A game [for the England Lions in July] which was quite a while ago. That’s been a challenge but I’ve tried to stay ready through training, and my opportunity has come about so I’m trying to make the most of it.”If those comments are damning on the suitability of the county fixture list, they also serve to add to Leach’s status as a normal bloke. To stay match-fit between the Ireland Test and his Ashes debut at Lord’s, he went home to play for his club side, Taunton Deane. Once part of the Cardiff MCCU production line under Mark O’Leary, he is an example to every club, university, and county cricketer as to what can be achieved with sheer dedication.It is important, too, to remember that Leach has bowled well in his two opportunities this series. Since Graeme Swann’s retirement, England have longed for a spinner who can tie down an end at home; for all Moeen Ali’s mercurial talents, he has generally been a wicket-taker rather than a defensive option.So Leach’s economy rate of 2.64 in this series has been just as important as his five wickets. Moving into the final two Tests, at the traditionally more spin-friendly venues in the country, he will be expected to play a role of increasing importance.”I think I have more to offer with the ball,” he said, “and hopefully I’m able to show that over the next couple of games. Obviously the last couple of times I’ve been doing media stuff at the end of games it’s been for my batting, which is mad! I want to be helping the team out with the ball primarily, and I’m looking to bring my best to Old Trafford.”

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.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) hopes that the state associations will distill their objections to the Lodha Committee recommendations to one or two points when they meet on Sunday (June 25) in Mumbai

Arun Venugopal23-Jun-2017The Committee of Administrators (CoA) hopes that the state associations will distill their objections to the Lodha Committee recommendations to one or two points when they meet on Sunday (June 25) in Mumbai, a day before the BCCI’s SGM. This, the CoA believes, will be a significant step towards firming up the BCCI’s model constitution.The Vidarbha Cricket Association is the only one so far to draft a new constitution as per the Lodha recommendations, and it has subsequently been ratified by the BCCI. A number of state associations, however, have filed petitions in the Supreme Court objecting to different recommendations of the Lodha Committee. The CoA feels this is counter-productive to all parties concerned. “We are focused on making sure that the Lodha Committee report gets implemented, which requires the model constitution to be adopted,” a CoA official told ESPNcricinfo.”For this, the states need to be aligned. We told them even in the last meeting that going to the court with multiple petitions won’t work. We have asked them to narrow it down to two points that are absolutely critical from their standpoint. If they are going to withdraw all their petitions and ask the court to consider two points, it’s much easier for the court to deal with the matter rather than dealing with 15 different petitions with different permutations and combinations.”My hope is in that meeting we will be able to narrow it down and then consider and work with the court to see if it is possible to amend one or two these things and then move forward to get the constitution finalised. Then you can conduct elections and hold AGM in September.”The CoA is given to understand that a majority of state associations are opposed to four recommendations – one-state, one-vote; the age cap of 70 for office bearers; the cooling-off period of three years for office bearers between terms in office; and restriction on the number of selectors to three as opposed to the earlier five. A Cricket Association of Bengal official, for instance, told ESPNcricinfo that the age-restriction was a major stumbling block since “more than 60%” of the state body’s officials were over 70.While the Kerala Cricket Association objected to the cooling-off period, it also sought clarity on the role of the Apex Council. “We have 11 office-bearers as opposed to the nine-member Apex Council that has been prescribed by the Lodha Committee for the BCCI,” a KCA official said. “We want clarification on whether the formation of an Apex Council applies to us as well; that is should a state association like ours need to have an Apex Council like the BCCI.”The CoA official indicated that the Supreme Court might be inclined to reconsider one or two recommendations so long as they didn’t tinker with governance issues. “We have indicated to the state associations that if they try and dilute anything surrounding governance, it is unlikely to fly,” the official said. “So, within that context, let them decide what they want to take to the court but it is unlikely the court will dilute any governance-related clauses. One-state, one vote, and three selectors, I think, the court may be willing to consider.”The state associations might still want to take [governance-related clauses] to the court and the court might strike it down. They might want the court to specifically say that they are unwilling to make amendments. But, if they adopt all the recommendations except one or two points that they object to, the court will at least feel they have a genuine inclination towards reform. That’s what we have been telling them to do, so that it is in their interest as well that if the court wants to consider something, if the court feels that they are moving forward.”The CoA is also likely to discuss other issues such as the Deloitte report that has dealt with financial irregularities in certain member associations. “Even in our previous meetings, we tried to talk to them on various matters, including governance,” the official said. “In this case, there might be something to discuss on ICC-related matters, obviously on what is coming up for voting in the SGM on June 26. There are other things that we sent to them to respond to – the Deloitte report and appointment of Ombudsman and redressal officer.”

New Zealand’s record in World T20s has been disappointing, but with a promising squad coming off dominant T20 wins at home, they will be confident of their chances this time

Brydon Coverdale14-Mar-20167:08

O’Brien: Taylor’s form will be pivotal to New Zealand’s campaign

Big picture

At the 50-over World Cup, New Zealand are often a bridesmaid, never the bride. Seven times they have reached the semi-finals, though not until last year did they win one and gain maid-of-honour status. But at the World T20, not since the first tournament back in 2007 have they so much as passed the group stage. Forget being a bridesmaid, New Zealand go home before the speeches even begin. It is a surprising record for a team like New Zealand, a side that generally boasts a few big hitters, some canny bowlers, and is viewed as a perpetual danger at world events. At least they enter the 2016 World T20 with some sort of form behind them, having won their past two series, against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, albeit in home conditions.This is also the start of a new era for New Zealand after the retirement of Brendon McCullum last month. He farewelled international cricket in front of a sparse crowd on the fifth day of a Test against Australia in Christchurch. The post-McCullum age begins on Tuesday, half a world away in Nagpur, where Kane Williamson will lead his country in a T20 against India. Not that New Zealand should be unprepared for change. In fact, McCullum had not played a T20 international since June last year, Williamson having led the side to six wins from their past eight matches.They have batsmen capable of quick scoring – Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Luke Ronchi and Williamson himself. They have all-round talent – Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott, Nathan McCullum, Mitchell Santner. They have quality specialist bowlers – Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan, Ish Sodhi. But the challenge is to transfer their recent form to spinning conditions against quality teams – India, Pakistan and Australia – in the group stage. New Zealand are No.4 on the ICC’s T20 rankings, and will feel they have something to prove.

At the helm

No one could accuse McCullum of going with the flow as captain. He instilled in his team a distinct ethos and was always trying new tactics on the field. He is a hard act to follow. Williamson might be the best batsman New Zealand will ever produce, but how will he lead? Will we see a less adventurous New Zealand? Will the spirit of the side carry on as if nothing has changed? Williamson has stood in as captain on many occasions, but this is the beginning of his own era. And he is only 25, so it could be a long one.

Key Stat

11That’s the number of wins New Zealand have managed in World T20 matches, from 25 games. Among ICC Full Members, only Zimbabwe and Bangladesh have had fewer victories than New Zealand at the past five tournaments. Incidentally, New Zealand have a remarkable habit of tying T20 matches. There have been nine ties in the history of T20 international cricket, and New Zealand have played in five of them.Martin Guptill – with the bat – and Kane Williamson – as captain – will play decisive roles in New Zealand’s campaign•Getty Images

Leading Men

Martin GuptillOnly McCullum and Tillakaratne Dilshan have scored more T20 international runs than the 1666 Guptill has made. Notably, though, his best work has been done in bilateral series rather than at the World T20, where he has managed only 269 runs at 19.21 and has yet to score a half-century. He has the potential to dominate a tournament like this and at 29 years of age, the time is now to do so. In the absence of McCullum, New Zealand need Guptill to step up.Grant ElliottAt the World Cup last year, Elliott showed that he can rise to the occasion. When he launched Dale Steyn for a six from the penultimate ball of New Zealand’s semi-final chase against South Africa in Auckland, he lifted a giant weight off the collective shoulders of New Zealand cricket. Before that moment they had appeared in six World Cup semi-finals for six losses. How New Zealand would love Elliott to bring his big-moment mentality to the 20-over version as well.Adam MilneTrent Boult and Tim Southee might be the big names in New Zealand’s attack but in conditions that are unlikely to offer much swing or seam, Milne’s pace through the air could be key to New Zealand’s hopes of restricting their opponents. A fast bowler who can crack the 150kph mark, Milne also has recent form on his side, as New Zealand’s leading T20 international wicket-taker over the last 12 months.

Burning Question

How will New Zealand go without Brendon McCullum?
It is one thing to lose McCullum the captain, quite another to lose McCullum the batsman. McCullum is the all-time leading run scorer in T20 internationals, the only man with 2000 runs in the format, the only man with two centuries. He chose to depart from international cricket in what he called “the purest form of the game”, but New Zealand could really have used him in this tournament. Williamson’s class will be important to New Zealand’s hopes, but there can be no passengers among the rest of the batting order. There will be plenty of pressure on Guptill, Williamson, Taylor and their more junior colleagues to cover for the loss of one of the shortest format’s finest exponents.

World T20 history

If New Zealand often perform above themselves at the 50-over World Cup, you would have to say they have underachieved at the World T20. Only once have they progressed past the group stage, and that was at the very first tournament back in 2007, when they lost a semi-final to Pakistan.

In their Own Words

“It’s important that we adapt. We’ve been playing some good T20 cricket but at the same time you want to play smart, and over here cricket can be quite different to our conditions.”

Monty Panesar will not readily forget his debut for Essex. He was required to do so much bowling that he seemed to be on at both ends at once as Northamptonshire racked up 531

Ivo Tennant at Colchester21-Aug-2013
ScorecardMonty Panesar was made to toil on a difficult day for Essex•Getty Images

Monty Panesar will not readily forget his debut for Essex. It was another hot day with the pitch still sluggish and taking spin only on the rare occasions when he gave the ball some air, the batsmen still rapacious for runs. He bowled the day’s first over, spearing yorker length and flat deliveries in at the nimble feet of Andrew Hall and Steven Crook with limited success. He was required to do so much bowling that he seemed to be on at both ends at once. His figures, when Northamptonshire were finally dismissed for 531, read 54-18-133-2.Having taken his first wicket on the opening day, Panesar had Crook held at slip, attempting to cut. Would he benefit from bowling a little slower, here as elsewhere? Robin Hobbs, fine legspinner from a happy era of Essex cricket, does not believe he can. “He finds it difficult to do so. But then Derek Underwood could never flight the ball.” The more the batsmen milked him for runs, the more Panesar bowled at a speed akin to Underwood’s medium-pace cutters. Hobbs was not meaning to be disparaging: he knows that throwing the ball up above the batsman’s eyeline does not work for everybody.As to whether Panesar will still be an Essex cricketer next year, Nigel Hilliard, the Essex chairman, said that it would depend on how he fits into the dressing room. “His ability is unquestioned and the members will always be glad to see an England Test cricketer playing in front of them,” Hilliard said. “We can afford him, having taken on his pay structure from Sussex. At the end of the season Monty will be a free agent.” What also has to be resolved is the future for Tom Craddock, who will not play for the remainder of the season owing to personal reasons.Four of Northamptonshire’s remaining first innings wickets fell to spin – but three of them were taken by Greg Smith’s off breaks. Hall, like Crook, finished with 63, ten fours as opposed to eight. He was bowled as he made to force the ball away. The theory is that the square in mid-August always favours the Essex spinners, but Hilliard, who played club cricket here at Castle Park, recalled Peter Such toiling away, over after over with scant reward. So it was now for Panesar, who must hope that there will be more turn for him if and when he bowls again.Robert Keogh had been first to go, his middle stump uprooted by Graham Napier, and Smith concluded the innings by bowling Trent Copeland and having Azharullah taken at short leg. Essex then required 382 to avoid following-on. If the pitch was to take spin, best they made a solid start. Instead, Jaik Mickleburgh edged Copeland to the wicketkeeper; Gautam Gambhir, having driven Hall nicely through the cover ring, was bowled by Crook, back on his stumps; Ravi Bopara was leg before to Crook.Northamptonshire barely concerned themselves with spin, even if James Middlebrook, another in this match to be playing against a former county, was in their side. The medium pacers were rotated to good effect. But in the last hour James Foster, the very person to come in when the follow-on is looming, and Ryan ten Doeschate, who batted with similar resolve, ensured Northamptonshire still have much to do. Their unbroken partnership amounts to 84 and there was a freedom about their strokeplay in the closing overs which reflected poorly on the batsmen who had gone before. Essex are 344 runs in arrears.