Division One leaders get on top with ball before Latham fifty anchors reply

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-2023 Surrey 138 for 4 (Latham 67*) trail Somerset 170 (Kohler-Cadmore 59, Lawes 4-41)Tom Lawes ran through the top order as Division One leaders Surrey bowled out Somerset for 170 after losing the toss on the opening day of the LV= County Championship match at Taunton.The home side were dismissed in 56.3 overs, 20-year-old seamer Lawes sending back three of the top four on his way to figures of 4 for 41. Tom Kohler-Cadmore top scored with 59. By stumps, Surrey had replied with 138 for 4, Tom Latham leading the way with 67 not out and fellow New Zealand Test player Matt Henry marking the last appearance of a prolific spell in red- and white-ball cricket for Somerset by taking 3 for 26.A day dominated by seam bowling began with Somerset’s total on 12 when Tom Lammonby clipped a Dan Worrall half-volley off his legs straight to Jamie Smith at midwicket. Tom Abell flicked at a leg-side delivery from Lawes and feathered a catch through to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes to make it 32 for 2. With nine runs added, Sean Dickson, on 25, fended at a delivery from Lawes and edged to Latham at second slip.Kohler-Cadmore hit offspinner Will Jacks back over his head for six. But it was a rare moment of cheer for Somerset supporters in a 2,000 crowd at the Cooper Associates County Ground.Soon George Bartlett became a third victim for Lawes, caught by Jacks at third slip. It might have been worse for the hosts as Jacks spilled a sharp chance, diving to his left, to give Kohler-Cadmore a life on 22, Jamie Overton being the unlucky bowler.With his side in trouble, James Rew took 32 balls to get off the mark and was unbeaten on 4 at lunch, which was taken at 85 for four, Kohler-Cadmore having moved to 32. But hopes of a substantial stand between the pair ended soon after the interval when Rew got a top edge aiming to pull a short ball from Jordan Clark and skied a simple catch to Foakes.Kasey Aldridge helped Kohler-Cadmore add 47 for the sixth wicket, contributing 18 before edging Overton, back on his old stamping ground, to Latham in the slips.Kohler-Cadmore’s innings ended in disappointing fashion when he aimed a big shot at a wide delivery from Lawes and dragged the ball onto his stumps. The former Yorkshire player had faced 101 balls, striking seven fours and a six.Craig Overton glanced his first ball from twin brother Jamie to fine leg for four, provoking two unfriendly short balls, the second of which he gloved through to the immaculate Foakes. Henry managed a few belligerent blows before falling for 16 and tea was taken when Ben Green was bowled by a full ball from Worrall.Somerset had batted poorly. But they managed an early breakthrough in the final session when, without a run on the board, Surrey skipper Rory Burns edged a defensive shot off Henry to Overton at second slip. The same combination accounted for Dom Sibley with the total on 15, Overton holding another straightforward chance off Henry, who was maintaining an exemplary line and length.Smith narrowly avoided the same fate when, on 4, he edged just short of Overton, as Henry finished a superb opening spell with 2 for 16, ten of those runs coming off the last of his seven overs.Momentum changed when Smith hit boundaries off four successive balls from Overton, who had switched to the River End. Batting started to look comfortable under cloudless skies as Latham helped put together a half-century stand in 67 balls.It was a surprise when Green broke through in the opening over of his first Championship appearance of the season. Having proved a golden arm in the Blast, the medium-pacer had Smith caught at midwicket by Lammonby, stretching out his left arm.Henry’s return to the attack saw him strike again with his third ball, Foakes nicking a defensive shot to wicketkeeper Rew to make it 95 for 4. Then Latham, on 43, survived a chance to Dickson at third slip off Overton.The experienced Kiwi left-hander went on to an 83-ball fifty, well supported by Jacks as Surrey closed just 32 runs behind.

“I think four or five players from that [Under-19] World Cup winning side in 2020. They will bring so much positivity to the group. They have done it in the past. They have a lot of energy. I am excited about the whole team, including my staff. We have high hopes and want to enjoy.”
about the first-timers playing the senior World Cup

Cameron Green will also feature for Western Australia against Queensland

Andrew McGlashan27-Nov-20231:53

Inglis on his century – ‘Nice to get the monkey off the back’

Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne will play in the Sheffield Shield this week following their return from the 2023 ODI World Cup while Cameron Green will also feature as he begins his push to return to the Test side.Carey, who was dropped from the one-day side after the opening game of the World Cup against India, will hope to find some form ahead of the Test series against Pakistan when he faces Victora in Adelaide.It is unlikely the selectors will make a change to the Test side, but Josh Inglis’ white-ball form is putting some pressure on Carey whose returns faded in the latter part of the 2023 Ashes after the controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s, although Carey has previously insisted that incident has not been a factor.Related

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Having made a half-century in the World Test Championship final against India and another vital fifty in the victory against Englandat Edgbaston, Carey finished the Ashes with scores of 8, 5, 20, 10 and 28.”I don’t feel like one-day and Test cricket overlay,” Carey said last week. “So we’ll wait and see when Test selection comes out, but I’m looking forward to getting out there Tuesday and having a hit with the red ball for the Redbacks and then see what happens.”You never want to get dropped in any format, and unfortunately after the first game I didn’t get back out there, but I thought I held myself around the group pretty well.”Green, meanwhile, faces a battle to win back his Test place after being dropped for the final match of the Ashes. Barring injury he still appears behind Mitchell Marsh in the pecking order for the start of the Pakistan series. After playing Queensland in Brisbane, Green will also feature for the Prime Minister’s XI against Pakistan in Canberra but he won’t be part of the BBL which means he may then get a break from the game unless he is carried as part of the Test squads.Alex Carey will hope for some time at the crease before the Test summer•AFP/Getty Images

“I’m obviously still learning as a cricketer. So I’m not too stressed about selection at the moment,” Green told AAP at the start of the summer. “There’s a lot of cricket, a lot of things can happen with injuries or form.”At the same time, I can use it as in a pretty positive way. I can spend more time in the nets, really trying to get that rhythm of red-ball cricket. If you’re not playing the Test match, you might be able to play another Shield game.”There are obviously a few silver linings you can take out of it and try and improve your skills and just be better for it if you get the chance.”But how many opportunities Green gets for red-ball matches in the latter part of the season remains to be seen as he will likely be part of Australia’s one-day and T20 squads in February and New Zealand for the two Tests which stretch into March. He will then embark on another IPL where he will appear for Royal Challengers Bangalore having been traded by Mumbai Indians.Labuschagne, who had a remarkable return to the ODI side after not making the initial cut for the World Cup followed by a run of events that kept him in the team throughout the tournament, will line up against Green for Queensland as he takes the opportunity for a red-ball hit before the Tests.Meanwhile, Nathan Lyon will complete his Test preparations by playing for New South Wales against Tasmania at the SCG. He has had a managed return from his Ashes-ending calf injury having previously faced Victoria and Western Australia.From the rest of Australia’s likely XI for the opening Test in Perth, the three frontline quicks – Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood – along with Marsh are all being rested after the World Cup. Scott Boland, who will likely feature at some point in a season that features seven Tests, has also been rested as has uncapped Western Australia quick Lance Morris.David Warner is also resting ahead of what will be his final Test series. Steven Smith and Travis Head are still currently with the T20I squad in India.Elsewhere in the final round of the Sheffield Shield before it breaks for the BBL there will be a fascinating head-to-head between Cameron Bancroft and Matt Renshaw at the Gabba with both vying to be Warner’s Test replacement in January. Marcus Harris, who has regularly been Australia’s spare batter over the last 18 months, will be in action against South Australia.

Offspinner picked for England tour of India after six first-class matches

Vithushan Ehantharajah14-Dec-2023Shoaib Bashir admitted he cried after receiving the call informing him of his selection for England men’s Test series against India.The Somerset offspinner was a shock inclusion in the 16-man squad just six months after making his professional debut. Bashir has just six first-class matches to his name, all for Somerset, with 10 wickets at an average of 67.He was selected on a Lions training camp in the UAE as one of seven spinners and impressed throughout on surfaces created to replicate what is likely to await England in India. He capped off the three weeks with 6 for 42 in a two-innings match against Afghanistan A, leaving an impression on Test coach Brendon McCullum and managing director Rob Key who travelled over to run the rule over potential spin options for the Test squad.”You (could) see that there’s something different there, or that looks special,” explained Key on the punt taken to select Bashir. It was McCullum who phoned the 20-year-old with the good news. While Bashir sensed he had performed well on the Lions tour in front of the right people, he was overcome with emotion when told he had made the cut for the five-match series in the New Year.”When I got the call, I let my emotions fall out,” Bashir told BBC Radio Somerset. “I was very numb inside – I cried. It’s just so special and I’m so grateful and thankful for the opportunity I’ve been given.”I’m very grateful. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do since I started playing cricket, since I started holding a bat, since I started bowling a ball – I wanted to represent my country. For this to happen at such an early part in my career is very special.Related

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“I think they were keeping a close eye on me since I made my debut. In Abu Dhabi they saw what I could do on a different surface to England, more for India. I felt like I showed a good representation of what I can do as well. I think that’s what caught the eye.”Bashir’s route to international recognition has not been straightforward or guaranteed. He had been part of the Surrey pathway since Under-9 level before being released almost a decade later, trialling briefly at Middlesex before stabilising himself at Berkshire.It was for Berkshire’s Under-18s that he first came up on Somerset’s radar, taking 5 for 26 in a 50-over semi-final against them. He was subsequently offered a two-match trial in their second team – the first locally against Surrey at Guildford, where he lives, taking 3 for 51 in a rain-affected game. He then took 4 for 44 against Warwickshire which led to his first professional contract.He came to prominence on his first-class debut against Essex this summer when his maiden over featured two deliveries that beat Sir Alastair Cook. Though he would only end up averaging a wicket an innings in Division One of the County Championship, there was clear promise. Watching on from afar, selectors were enticed by traits they sought for Indian pitches – specifically, Bashir’s high release-point from a 6’4″ frame, driving the ball into the surface without compromising on turn or flight.”My journey has been very special,” Bashir said. “Everyone has their own journeys but I feel like my journey is for me. My journey started from when I was in the Surrey pathway from U9s to U17s when I got released. It was probably the rock bottom of my career. I didn’t think I’d be playing at any kind of level at that point.”Thankfully I joined Berkshire, minor counties team, and actually really enjoyed my time there. I met some of my closest mates, to this day, and I think when you enjoy playing cricket, you put in performances.”Looking back now, it’s just so special. For any young kids out there, just work hard, and if you really want something, you put in the time, things will happen.”

A storm damaged the surface ahead of the final day of last week’s Prime Minister’s XI match

AAP11-Dec-2023Spin bowler Tanveer Sangha has dismissed concerns about the recently rain-soaked Manuka Oval pitch ahead of Sydney Thunder’s BBL opener.Last week’s Prime Minister’s XI match against Pakistan came to an abrupt end after 55kph winds blew the covers off the Manuka Oval pitch overnight Friday, when torrential rain fell in Canberra.On Saturday morning, play was deemed unsafe to continue on the drenched wicket and the game ended in a draw.Related

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Less than four days on from the downpour, Thunder are facing Brisbane Heat at Manuka Oval, which traditionally hosts the western Sydney team’s first home game of the BBL summer.Canberra has enjoyed mostly dry conditions since the downpour on Friday night and more of the same is forecast for game day on Tuesday.Thunder have trained at Manuka Oval in the lead-up to Tuesday’s match, which will be played on one of the wickets adjacent to that used for the ill-fated PM’s XI match. As of Monday afternoon, final preparations on the pitch were still being completed.Thunder will lean on intel from Cameron Bancroft and Nathan McAndrew, their team-mates who played for the PM’s XI last week, and have had the chance to inspect the wicket that will be used.”It didn’t look too bad. It looked fine,” Sangha said. “We expect a pretty true surface, a pretty nice wicket, but I think all the boys said it’s a nice batting wicket.Play was abandoned on the final of the PM’s XI match after a storm blew the covers off the pitch•Getty Images

“Red ball’s a completely different game from T20 Big Bash but I think it’ll turn out pretty good, Manuka’s usually a good ground, has really good crowds. I’m really looking forward to playing there.”The pitch discussion comes as Sunday’s clash between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers was called off after the Geelong pitch was also saturated by rain in the lead-up.Sangha looked forward to welcoming English top-order batter Alex Hales back for his fifth tournament at the Thunder.”He’s huge for us,” Sangha said. “The batting he brings, how dominating he is, how scared our opponents are to bowl to him, I think that brings a lot of fear and brings us a lot of confidence.”

“It was a bit of a headache for us to decide who it was going to be,” India captain on Axar-vs-Kuldeep debate

Alagappan Muthu24-Jan-20244:30

‘When there’s a headache to make your playing XI, that’s a good sign’ – Rohit Sharma

Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel? India know who they want in their XI to play the first of five Tests against England starting on Thursday, but they would prefer to keep the opposition guessing.Both players offer compelling reasons to pick them. Kuldeep has “X-factor”, India captain Rohit Sharma said on the eve of the game in Hyderabad. While Kuldeep has played only eight Tests since making his debut in March 2017, he has worked on his bowling in the recent past and showcased the very ability that India value in all their bowlers – keeping the stumps in play – even if it has been in limited-overs cricket.”Kuldeep gives you a certain X-factor with his bowling,” Rohit said. “You’ve seen how well he’s been bowling of late. Especially the wicket if it has bounce, or if it doesn’t have bounce, Kuldeep becomes a factor in those types of conditions as well because he has got superb variations.”He is also a much more mature bowler now. He has not played a lot of Test cricket in India because of [R] Ashwin and [Ravindra] Jadeja clearly. But that is what happens. Like with our middle order, all of us got an opportunity really late. But that’s the reality of it. You can’t hide from it. But Kuldeep being the bowler he is now, from what he was a couple of years back, he is much more improved and he is a very tempting option without a doubt.”Kuldeep played a Ranji Trophy match in the lead-up to this series; it was his first in over seven years and his first since becoming a Test cricketer. In that game, against Kerala, he bowled 26 overs across two innings and picked up four wickets, including the opposition’s highest scorer. The reason he is back in the picture is because Axar didn’t really go all that well in India’s last home series, against Australia in February-March 2023. Axar bowled only 13 overs each in the first three Tests, but he did end up as one of the team’s highest run-getters.Axar Patel was more impressive with the bat than the ball against Australia in February-March 2023•BCCI

“Axar with his all-round ability, giving us that batting depth, the consistency that he has shown playing in these conditions in Test cricket also is an important factor for us,” Rohit said. “It was a bit of a headache for us to decide who it was going to be. I’m not going to say who it is but it was a challenge for us to make that decision. We know we’ve got quality around our spin-bowling department, which is a good sign. When you’ve got quality around your team, when there’s a headache to make your playing XI, that’s a good sign.”Axar’s prized weapon is the ball that doesn’t turn. Exactly half of his 50 Test wickets are either bowled or lbw, and most of them involve the left-arm spinner beating the right-hander on the inside edge. The reason he kept doing that is because he was also getting the odd ball to turn. Against Australia, he seemed to have lost that a little bit. But now, after recovering from a quadriceps injury that forced him out of the ODI World Cup, Axar looks like he’s getting back to his old self. The left-arm spinner comes into these Tests having picked up ten wickets in seven T20Is against Australia and Afghanistan played over the last two months.Related

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The Hyderabad pitch will turn. Rohit, when asked about it in the pre-match press conference where he was happy to talk at length about various other topics – like the health of Test cricket, the value of blooding new players in, and the strength of his side in home conditions – gave a curt answer: “Looks good”.Rahul Dravid, on Tuesday, expected that it would take turn. England are certain to the extent that they’re going in with three frontline spinners and only one fast bowler. Kuldeep remains a prospect, especially against an opposition that will not hesitate to attack. Success in ODIs and T20Is has taught him how to cope with batters coming at him. It was just that his Test game was lacking a bit of control and he has since worked on that, getting quicker through the air without really losing any of his other assets – turn and bounce.But Axar brings that and batting ability, and with India missing Virat Kohli, they will probably want to shore up the XI with as many all-round options as possible.

Victoria were in control after the work of Nic Maddinson, Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb but Iain Carlisle’s spell changed things

AAP03-Mar-20243:30

Renshaw, Bancroft, Maddinson: assessing Sheffield Shield form

Victoria coach Chris Rogers was pinning his hopes on a Will Sutherland masterclass after his side suffered a costly late collapse in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in Hobart.On a day when Will Pucovski was subbed out after being felled by a Riley Meredith bouncer, Victoria went to stumps on day three needing another 69 to win with two wickets in hand.Related

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Nic Maddinson was the hero for Victoria on Sunday, cracking 109 off 145 balls and combining with Marcus Harris for a 178-run opening stand.Victoria were in the box seat when Peter Handscomb and Pucovski’s concussion sub Campbell Kellaway guided the visitors to 348 fo 4.But a collapse of 4 for 25 late in the day thrust Tasmania back into the box seat. Victoria’s hopes rest in the hands of Sutherland, Todd Murphy and No.11 Peter Siddle.Paceman Iain Carlisle (3-63) helped spark Tasmania’s comeback late on Sunday, snaring the scalps of Handscomb, Mitchell Perry and Fergus O’Neill in the fading light.Iain Carlisle trapped Peter Handscomb lbw to turn the game around•Getty Images

Sutherland was still lucky to be there after being dropped by Beau Webster on 7. Webster reached across his team-mate at slip in a bid to take the one-handed catch, but it went down.”We’re still in it. It feels like a long way to go, but there’s still hope,” Rogers said. “You never know what can happen.”Will Sutherland is still there. He can score and score quickly. If he can get some support down the other end, you never know what can happen.”Victoria entered the match second on the table and knowing a loss could tumble them to as low as fourth with just one round remaining.But a win over Tasmania would leave them in the prime position to secure a spot in the final – and possibly hosting rights – ahead of their final-round clash with Western Australia at Junction Oval.Tasmania can secure their spot in the decider with victory, with hosting rights also within their reach.Nic Maddinson made his third hundred in three Shield matches•Getty Images

A whopping 17 wickets fell on the opening day and 13 on the second at Blundstone Arena. But the pitch looked as flat as a road for most of day three as Maddinson and Harris put the Tasmanian attack to the sword. Maddinson’s ton, his third in consecutive Shield matches, came off just 112 balls, with 14 fours and a six.His departure sparked a chaotic period in which Pucovski retired hurt after being struck by a Meredith bouncer as Victoria lost 3 for 33.Pucovski went into the match having suffered at least 11 previous concussions in his career, and it remains to be seen what impact his latest head knock will have on his playing future.

Skipper says domestic players can stake claims ahead of T20 World Cup and the Ashes

Matt Roller19-Apr-2024Heather Knight, England’s captain, has challenged her squad to “go out and dominate” in regional cricket this summer and hopes domestic players will stake strong claims for selection ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Ashes later this year.The 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy begins on Saturday with a full round of games and while many of England’s centrally-contracted players will miss the opening weekend to attend Tammy Beaumont’s wedding, they will have some opportunities to feature for their regions ahead of England’s T20I series against Pakistan, which starts on May 11.”It’s never a closed door, if people are performing well,” Knight said at the ECB’s launch of a national tape-ball competition. “The standard of those regional games has gone through the roof in the last couple of years, so those performances are worth more. It’s a really exciting time and obviously we’ve got huge competition in the squad as well.”You want to see England players go and dominate, and really put their name forward to keep being in that England side. It’ll be an individual basis as to who plays what… most of us will miss the first round at least. But I always keep a close eye on what’s going on, what young talent is coming through, and it’s going to be no different this year watching those games.”Related

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There is substantial competition for places in England’s T20 set-up ahead of the World Cup in Bangladesh later this year, and Knight took confidence from the recent 4-1 series win in New Zealand. “We’ve got Mahika Gaur [who missed the tour due to school commitments] and Freya Kemp coming back from injury as well,” she said. “We’ve got a real depth of players we can pick from.”It’s super exciting. It makes selection a lot of tougher and sometimes you have more unhappy players – which is completely fine. It’s a really good place to be. With that World Cup in October, it’s really important that we keep moving forwards… Bangladesh is a tough place to go and play, so that’s the focus of the summer: trying to get in a really good place, ready for that tournament.”England were without four first-choice players for the first three T20Is in New Zealand due to their Women’s Premier League commitments, which gave them the opportunity to test their depth. With the chance to bat in the top three, Maia Bouchier was the tour’s breakout star and finished the T20I series as the leading run-scorer with 223 in five innings.Knight bats at the ECB’s launch of a national tape-ball competition in Birmingham•ECB/Getty Images

“She had a really good tour, particularly in the T20s off the back of a really good summer last year,” Knight said. “She’s always had the talent, but she’s just starting to work out how to manage herself in the middle and how to convert her talent into performances. That has been pretty cool to watch. She’s someone that you watch and think, ‘how does she play that shot?'”It’s remarkable, some of the shots she’s played. Obviously she had a brilliant tour, and now for her it’s about building on that and having that consistency. She’ll get a bit of a run in the team, particularly in that T20 opening spot which we haven’t quite nailed on so for her to grasp that [means that] she’ll get a little bit of a run. Hopefully, she continues the form that she’s had.”Edgbaston have already sold more than 10,000 tickets for England’s opening match of their T20I series against Pakistan, and Knight believes that the ECB’s joint marketing campaign with the men’s series against the same opposition can help build on the commercial success of last summer’s Ashes series.”It was a really awesome summer to be involved with: you felt the support and momentum for cricket around the country,” she said. “It’s obviously slightly different to an Ashes summer, but the amount of people that came along and – anecdotally – have said, ‘we want to come back, we want to come watch you guys’ has been pretty cool. Hopefully we can put on a show.”