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Teenage spinner now has 15 wickets in five One-Day Cup appearances as Lancashire stumble

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Aug-2025Warwickshire 253 for 5 (Shaikh 75, Malik 72, Blatherwick 4-48) beat Lancashire 249 for 9 (Tazeem 3-39) by five wicketsHamza Shaikh made 75 and legspinner Tazeem Ali took 3 for 39 to help Warwickshire beat Lancashire by five wickets at Aigburth and thereby consolidate their bid to reach the knock-out stages of the Metro Bank One Day Cup.Having restricted the home side to 249 for 9 on a pitch that aided spin, Ed Barnard’s side reached their target with 61 balls to spare, Kai Smith finishing on 45 not out having put on 77 with Shaikh.The one consolation for a severely under-strength Lancashire was that Jack Blatherwick took a career-best 4 for 48 but Marcus Harris’s side have now won just one of their seven matches in this competition and their own slim chances of making further progress had vanished with Wednesday’s defeat to Durham.Michael Jones was caught behind without scoring off Ethan Bamber’s second ball of the game but George Bell and Kesh Fonseka then batted positively against the Bears’ seamers to give their side a respectable platform of 69 for 1 after 15 overs.However, 33 of the next 35 overs were bowled by the Warwickshire spinners and scoring runs never looked as straightforward as it had done in the first hour of the game. Lancashire’s second-wicket pair put on 87 before Fonseka was caught at cover by Shaikh for 43 when driving Tazeem and the legspinner took his second wicket in his next over when Bell was leg-before for 46 when attempted to sweep.Harris and Harry Singh then tried to rebuild the innings with a stand of 68 in 13 overs only for Singh to depart for 29 when he pulled Rob Yates straight to Alex Davies at deep midwicket and the left-handed Harris to be bowled for 41 by a lovely offbreak from Yates.File photo: Shaikh led the way in Warwickshire’s run chase•ECB via Getty Images

Tazeem took his third wicket when George Balderson pulled him straight to Zen Malik and the remainder of Lancashire’s innings was dominated by Arav Shetty, who consolidated the good impression he has made during this competition by making 40 off 30 balls.Shetty, though, was one of two wickets to fall to Jake Lintott in the 49th over of the innings and the experienced Warwickshire wristspinner finished with 2 for 62 from his ten overs. Yates finished with 2 for 44 but it was Tazeem’s bowling that had taken the eye – and not for the first time this month.Warwickshire’s reply got off to a thunderous start, eight boundaries being struck and 44 runs scored in the opening four overs. But the visitors’ progress was slowed, first when Ed Barnard was caught by Bell when trying to scoop Blatherwick for 21 and then when Yates tried to slap Blatherwick through mid-on but only found Balderson’s safe hands and departed for 23.Former Lancashire batter Alex Davies was then surprised by the lift Blatherwick extracted from the Aigburth pitch and was caught behind for eight to leave his side on 71 for three in the eleventh over. That, though, was as near the home side got to upsetting the form book.Sheikh put on 97 with Malik, who reached his maiden List A fifty off 39 balls and seemed set for a century when his attempt to hit Blatherwick for six over mid-off only found the safe hands of Jones on the cover boundary and he departed for 72. Seemingly untroubled by this setback, Shaikh reached his own fifty off 74 balls and Warwickshire’s victory was all but certain long before Shaikh was bowled by Luke Hands when his side needed five runs.

Put in to bat, they raced to fifty in 3.3 overs and never looked back against Dubai Capitals

Hemant Brar17-Feb-20242:18

Pooran: ‘From day one, the agenda was to win and everyone was on board’

Nicholas Pooran’s MI Emirates lifted the trophy in the second edition of the ILT20 as they beat Sam Billings’ Dubai Capitals by 45 runs in the final.After Capitals opted to bowl, Muhammad Waseem and Kusal Perera gave Emirates a blazing start, smashing 72 in the first six overs. While the next six overs produced only 31 runs, Pooran’s unbeaten 57 off 27 balls towards the end steered Emirates to 208 for 3, the highest total of the season.In response, Capitals kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Their highest partnership was 38, between Billings and Sikandar Raza for the fourth wicket. Both sides were found wanting in the field, with Emirates dropping six catches in all. But they had enough run cushion to not let those reprieves hurt them.Earlier, Billings went against the conventional wisdom of putting up runs on the board in a big game, and Waseem and Perera soon made him rethink his decision. The two muscled Emirates past 50 in just 3.3 overs. By the end of the powerplay, Waseem had scored 43 on his own.Left-arm wristspinner Zahir Khan broke the 77-run stand when Waseem, attempting his fourth six, miscued a wrong’un to wide mid-off. In his next over, Zahir could have had Andre Fletcher as well, but Billings fluffed the stumping chance.However, Capitals managed to put the brakes on the scoring rate. When Perera tried to break free, he ended up losing his wicket to Raza.Fletcher had looked clueless against Zahir and Raza, and was on 28 off 27 at one point. He finally picked up the pace in the 16th over, hitting Scott Kuggeleijn for two sixes and a four and bringing up his fifty off 35 balls.Fletcher departed in the next over, but then Pooran stepped up and took the Emirates past 200. Along the way, he belted two fours and six sixes.Akeal Hosein put Emirates further ahead when he removed Leus du Plooy for a two-ball duck. Tom Banton, who came in as a Super Sub, struck some lusty blows but legspinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth had him stumped for a 20-ball 35.A few overs later, Viyaskanth dismissed Raza as well to dent Capitals further. By the end of the 13th over, the asking rate had crossed 15. In an attempt to catch up, Billings gave charge to Waqar Salamkheil but failed to connect a googly and was stumped.Jason Holder got three lives in five balls, but the boundaries did not come as frequently as Capitals needed. After Trent Boult gave away only five in the 17th over, and also got rid of Rovman Powell, the equation for Capitals was 75 required from 18 balls with four wickets in hand. The Capitals innings lasted full 20 overs, but the contest was over much earlier.

After chasing leather around the ground, the visitors’ openers repelled Australia’s new-ball surge

Tristan Lavalette01-Dec-2022 by 524 runsWest Indies debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul weathered a short ball assault late on day two on a grassy Optus Stadium pitch after double centuries from Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith powered Australia into a commanding position in the first Test.After spending 152.4 overs in the field, Chanderpaul impressively defied Australia’s star-studded attack alongside skipper Kraigg Brathwaite as the West Indies showed belated fight in a bid to claw back into the match.Chanderpaul, the son of legendary batter Shivnarine, copped an initiation into Test cricket as he edged a sharp delivery from quick Mitchell Starc through the slips. He then was hit on the pads by Starc only for the not out decision to be upheld in an umpire’s call.Chanderpaul was all at sea against quick Josh Hazlewood’s accuracy before a fluent drive through long on was a much-needed confidence boost. But he was back in the wars after being hit in a delicate spot, which required medical attention, before copping blows to the body from fierce short balls from Cummins and Hazlewood.Showcasing doggedness and similar technical characteristics to his father, Chanderpaul soldiered on gamely and started to look increasingly comfortable on a pitch playing few tricks. He unleashed several cavelier shots to counter the short ball but made it through his first test in this format.The gritty opening partnership has provided a much-needed spark for West Indies after a forgettable performance in the field.Australia declared 15 minutes into the final session when Travis Head was bowled for 99 just one delivery after Smith brought up his fourth Test double century.Head’s dismissal brought a close to Australia’s massive first innings, where they had three straight century-plus partnerships to vindicate Cummins’ decision to bat first on a green-tinged Optus Stadium surface which hasn’t produced fireworks so far.Australia’s massive innings was dominated by Smith and Labuschagne, who combined for a 251-run partnership and batted almost through the entire first session.Labuschagne reached his second Test double century just before lunch, celebrating by taking off his helmet followed by an enthusiastic wave of his bat. Two balls later, out of nowhere, he was dismissed just short of his highest Test score of 215 when he edged the spin of Brathwaite to wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva.Riding a dose of luck, Labuschagne continued his strong form at Optus Stadium, where he scored 143 and 50 three years ago against New Zealand in the last Test played at the ground.Marnus Labuschagne leaves to a rousing reception•Associated Press

Just before lunch, Smith equalled Sir Donald Bradman with his 29th Test century. He reached the milestone with a single to long on, who was strangely not brought in to restrict the run.In the process, Smith also passed 4000 Test runs at home. Only Bradman (98.22) and Sir Garfield Sobers (66.8) have better home averages than Smith’s 64.53.He also continued his dominance over West Indies, who he currently averages 232.33 against from six Tests.Even though the match meandered amid a smattering of fans, who started to create their own excitement by mocking West Indies’ sloppy fielding, Smith was unwavering in his concentration. He also reinforced his penchant for his new refined technique, where he has eradicated shuffling across the crease.Eyeing a declaration, Australia put the foot down in the second session with Head scoring at better than a run a ball in a 166-run partnership with Smith to flatten a lifeless West Indies attack.After aggressive captaincy early on day one, Brathwaite’s 30th birthday was soured as he sought a defensive approach and he might face further criticism for his use of the bowlers.Quicks Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales were surprisingly not used in the first hour despite West Indies needing early wickets to claw back into the contest.Brathwaite finally had some cheer later in the day in a rearguard along with his new opening partner Chanderpaul in belated signs of life from the tourists.

Century opening stand lays base but visitors fight back following rain interruptions

ECB Reporters' Network04-Jul-2021Devon Conway marked his first-class debut for Somerset with 88 on a rain-affected opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship match with Leicestershire at Taunton. The New Zealander faced 146 balls and hit 15 fours, sharing an opening stand of 143 with Steven Davies before Will Davis and Gavin Griffiths led a spirited Leicestershire fightback, which saw the hosts close on 242 for 7.Davis ended the day with 2 for 40 and Griffiths 3 for 48. Play was interrupted three times by rain and it certainly worked in the visitors’ favour after Conway and Davies had dominated the opening exchanges.Leicestershire skipper Colin Ackermann took the obvious decision to field after winning the toss on a heavily overcast morning at the Cooper Associates County Ground. Davis caused Conway problems early on and looked unlucky not to dismiss the New Zealander with the closest of several lbw appeals.The seamer’s initial spell of seven overs cost him just ten runs. But there was little support as Conway and Davies assumed control. The pair had put on 44 when the first shower caused a very brief interruption and 83 by the time more rain brought an early lunch at 12.45pm. Davies looked in good touch from the outset, appearing to have plenty of time to play his shots. He was unbeaten on 32 at lunch, with Conway 43 not out.Both batsmen moved to half-centuries on the resumption, Conway first to fifty, off 82 balls, with 10 fours, while Davies followed, off 79 balls, with five boundaries. They took the score to 134 with few alarms before the rain turned heavy at just after 2.15pm. Play resumed at 4.20pm, an early tea having been taken, and the complexion of the innings was soon transformed.Davies fell to Davis, bowled playing an indeterminate defensive shot, and Lewis Goldsworthy quickly followed, edging the same bowler to Ackermann at second slip.Left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson was struck for successive boundaries by Conway, but responded immediately by beating the batsman’s defensive push and bowling him in the 45th over. James Hildreth, on 5, survived a sharp chance to Rishi Patel at short leg off Parkinson. When George Bartlett fell lbw to Ben Mike playing no shot, Somerset had lost four wickets for 39 runs.Leicestershire’s fight back continued as Tom Lammonby edged a loose drive off Griffiths to second slip where Ackermann took another catch. Griffiths, whose first five overs had cost 38 runs, had Hildreth and Craig Overton, captaining Somerset for the first time in red -all cricket, caught behind off outswingers to leave Somerset 224 for 7.Roelof van der Merwe, who lofted a six off Parkinson, and Josh Davey saw the hosts through to the close of a day restricted to 74 overs.

Offspinner took 51 wickets in title-winning 2016 season but fell down Middlesex pecking order

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Mar-2020Ollie Rayner, the offspinner who won the County Championship with Middlesex in 2016, has confirmed his retirement from cricket at the age of 34 after his release at the end of last season.Rayner, a tall spinner with an orthodox action, took 51 wickets at 23.56 in Middlesex’s title-winning team in 2016, but was consigned to a holding role in the following three seasons and was twice sent out on loan after falling down the pecking order behind Ravi Patel and Nathan Sowter.Intriguingly, both those loan spells were to Division One counties (Hampshire in 2018 and Kent in 2019) while Middlesex were in the second tier, demonstrating the high regard in which he was held elsewhere but also a breakdown in his relationship with the club.Confirming his retirement in an interview with wisden.com, Rayner revealed that he only found out he had been put on the loan list last season when he was called by Kent “telling me they were looking forward to having me”.”I was like: ‘Hold on a sec, I’ve got to talk to my family.’ There were things that definitely could have been done better.”Rayner also said that playing under Dawid Malan’s captaincy from 2018 onwards was “very hard work”, suggesting that he never felt as though he had been given enough opportunity to impress. Malan left Middlesex at the end of last season, and since his departure several players have indicated that the dressing room had been a difficult place under his leadership.”I didn’t always see eye to eye with Dawid,” Rayner said. “We had a chat at the end of last season and I said that if he goes to Yorkshire he should just stay out of the politics and get on with his batting because he’s a fine player. If he can do that he’ll go far.”I haven’t necessarily got any animosity there, but that relationship didn’t really help me personally in my progression.”Rayner previously detailed his frustrations about the plight of English spinners in a 2015 article for ESPNcricinfo, in which he said “it is not easy being an English spin bowler at this moment in time”. His case was backed up in 2018, when he went unused in five of the nine Championship games he played.ALSO READ: The plight of the English spin bowler“Over the last few years I’ve been renowned as steady Ollie; I’ve offered a lot of control in what have been seamer-friendly conditions – I don’t think I thrived under that.”It just clicked in 2016. I just felt so backed. In my career when I’ve had my best years it’s when I’ve been used as an attacking option.”That year they were dependent on me for breaking partnerships. Adam Voges was brilliant in that he’d bowl me before lunch, and when you bowl well you stay on and earn the right.”Rayner ended his career with 313 first-class wickets to his name at 33.26 apiece, plus a further 53 in List A cricket and 41 in T20s.He started his career at Sussex, making a handful of first-team appearances in the side that won the Pro40 (2008, 2009), the Twenty20 Cup (2009) and Division Two of the Championship (2010) before joining Middlesex, initially on loan, in 2011.He spent the 2013-14 and 2016-17 winters on England Lions tours, and was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on the Test tours to Bangladesh and India in 2016-17 having been overlooked for Zafar Ansari and Gareth Batty. Aside from the Championship win, his finest hour came at The Oval in 2013, when his 15-wicket haul sealed a memorable win against Surrey.

India might have been disappointed with 324 after looking good for 350, but their bowlers quickly washed it off with a comfortable defence

The Report by Sidharth Monga26-Jan-2019
In a league game in Champions Trophy 2017, India couldn’t really capitalise on their score of 178 for 2 in 33 overs and failed to defend the underwhelming 321 they posted. A year and a half later, in an ODI in New Zealand, they reached 179 for 2 in the 31st over, but again failed to convert it into the 350 they looked good for. Just as a measure of how far their bowling has come from there, though, India defended the 324 in Mount Maunganui with consummate ease.

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India’s quicks and spinners both drew more out of the pitch than New Zealand’s did, which meant they didn’t need to resort to the funky fields and plans that New Zealand needed to restrict India after a 154-run opening stand at more than a run a ball between Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. By the time New Zealand reached that score in their response, they had lost six wickets. The first five of those fell one each to the new-ball skills of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami, one each to the wristspin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, and one to the deadly combination of Kedar Jadhav’s unfathomable low-arm spin and MS Dhoni’s super-quick hands.The two first halves couldn’t have been more different. Any hope New Zealand had of taking a wicket fell prey to innovative field placing. Rohit edged the first ball of the match, but the lone slip was well wide of the orthodox position. By the time New Zealand went to the orthodox two slips, the ball had stopped swinging. Rohit and Dhawan kept India around six an over almost on auto-pilot mode. So good is their game and form that the bowlers needed to err only slightly for them to pick the gaps either side of the wicket. Nine of the first 10 overs, and 17 of the 25 that the two batted together, went for at least one boundary.As is often the case, Rohit faced more balls, ate more dots, but scored more runs and hit more boundaries than Dhawan in the partnership. Dhawan, who showed glimpses of regained form in his half-century in the first ODI, looked flawless. At the halfway mark, both had brought up their half-centuries, and looked ominous. You can never count out a Rohit double if he is still batting at this stage; not least if he is in his 80s. However, once Dhawan edged a short and wide ball from Trent Boult, New Zealand began to claw back in.Kuldeep Yadav picked up four wickets•Getty Images

With nothing happening for the bowlers and with India’s top three looking incapable of making a mistake, New Zealand refused to just turn up and accept their punishment. They tried different things. Lockie Ferguson went round the wicket to Rohit, who was approaching his hundred, and they attacked Virat Kohli and Ambati Rayudu with six and seven men inside the circle. They were okay with three dots and a four instead of four easy singles.This was a high-risk plan, but it worked. Ferguson’s angle and changes of pace brought two wickets, Kohli fell to a bouncer from Boult, and the pressure was on Dhoni and the rest of the middle order again. Ferguson kept finding success with his bowling round the wicket. Twenty-five balls went without a boundary. At the start of the 48th over, though, Colin de Grandhomme dropped Dhoni. Dhoni and Jadhav – 48 off 33 and 22 off 10 respectively – gave India a little finishing kick with 35 off the last two overs.If the memories of that Sri Lanka chase were still fresh, they were exorcised quickly by a good start to the defence by Shami and Bhuvneshwar. Martin Guptill survived thrice – a run out, a dropped catch, an edge falling short – before finally offering third man a catch. The pressure was obvious. The new ball was doing more for India’s bowlers than it did for New Zealand’s. India were bowling with a higher skill. Shami eventually got the wicket of Kane Williamson with a short ball outside off, but he had bowled enough good balls until then to deserve this.Colin Munro, seen as a bit of a dasher, is one of the batsmen not yet assured of a place in the World Cup squad. Here he tried to settle in for a longer innings, playing more efficient and percentage cricket, but he could keep that up for only so long. In the 15th over, with the run rate still at six an over, Munro tried to switch-hit Chahal and missed.The final nail was probably driven through when Ross Taylor played Jadhav for the turn, but as he does so often Jadhav only got the ball to drift past the outside edge.Taylor overbalanced, his back foot left the ground for a split second, and it was time enough for Dhoni to stump him. New Zealand were 100 for 4, and India hadn’t yet introduced their big weapon: the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep.And then on came Kuldeep, running delightfully through the rest of the New Zealand innings who were trigger happy with their shots. Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls were beaten in the air, de Grandhomme paid the price for trying to hit every delivery for a six, and Ish Sodhi was beaten by the sharp turn. This, Kuldeep’s second in two matches in the country, was only the fifth four-for by a spinner visiting New Zealand this decade.Doug Bracewell then chanced his arm, secured his maiden half-century and also denied Kuldeep a five-for. In the larger scheme of the match, his 58-run stand for ninth wicket with Ferguson only served to bring India’s victory margin down to two digits.

Virat Kohli has been rested from the ODI series against Sri Lanka, which follows the third Test in Delhi from December 2. Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI side in Kohli’s absence

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-20172:07

Dasgupta: Pandya should have played third Test before SA series

Virat Kohli has been rested from the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma will lead the ODI side in Kohli’s absence.The squads for T20I series against Sri Lanka and the tour of South Africa will be picked around the time of the Delhi Test, which starts on December 2. Kohli will captain India at his home ground before going on break but there remains the “possibility” – according to a BCCI official – that he will be back for the T20Is starting in Cuttack on December 20.

India’s squads

For Delhi Test: Virat Kohli (capt), M Vijay, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
For ODI series: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

Originally, the main reason for the selectors’ meeting was to pick the Test squad for the South Africa tour, which starts on January 5 in Cape Town. All three members of the panel – MSK Prasad, Devang Gandhi and Sarandeep Singh – were in Nagpur and were preparing to meet Kohli at the team hotel on Monday afternoon. However, ESPNcricinfo understands complications arose since Amitabh Choudhury, the BCCI secretary who is also the convenor of the selection panel, could not reach Nagpur. He was stuck in Mumbai due to flight delays. As a result, only the squads for the Delhi Test and the three ODIs that follow it were picked.There were two new faces in the ODI squad: batsman Shreyas Iyer and seam bowler Siddarth Kaul. Hardik Pandya, the allrounder who was rested from the Test series, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took leave on account of his wedding, will also be back for the ODIs which begin in Dharamsala on December 10.Iyer, who replaced Kohli in the ODI squad, is among the most highly rated young batsmen in Indian cricket. He is uncapped in ODIs but made his international debut during the T20I series against New Zealand earlier this month.Kaul, meanwhile, replaced Shardul Thakur, who was part of the ODI squad against New Zealand but didn’t get a game. Kaul hasn’t played international cricket yet, but has recently done well for India A in limited-overs series in South Africa and then at home against New Zealand A. He has also been among the wickets for Punjab in the Ranji Trophy, most recently picking up a five-for against Bengal. Thakur was unavailable due to a shoulder injury he picked up during a Ranji Trophy match against Tripura in Mumbai. The injury occurred during Tripura’s first innings and Thakur did not subsequently take part in the match.There were no other changes in the ODI squad, with Kaul joining what is now a settled limited-overs bowling combination that also includes Bhuvneshwar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Pandya.Rohit took over from Ajinkya Rahane as India’s ODI vice-captain ahead of their tour of Sri Lanka in July-August. He has done the job for India before, but has plenty of captaincy experience in franchise cricket, having led Mumbai Indians to three IPL titles in the last five seasons.With Kohli rested, only six players who have been part of recent India Test squads – Rohit, Rahane, Pandya, Bhuvneshwar, Kuldeep and Shikhar Dhawan, who returns for the Delhi Test – are part of this ODI squad.

As England began their first practice session of their tour of Bangladesh, stand-in limited-overs captain Jos Buttler said it was “refreshing” that the focus was back on the cricket

Mohammad Isam02-Oct-20160:55

Focus on security as England arrive

Just after 3.45 pm on Sunday afternoon, England entered the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for the first time on their tour of Bangladesh. The convoy was long, but the security personnel’s movement had been well rehearsed and spot-on. It had taken them less than 20 minutes to reach the ground from their hotel, driving mostly on roads emptied for what is locally called “VIP movement”.There wasn’t too much fuss after their arrival as they smoothly went about their business at the National Cricket Academy ground, a plush facility that has several practice pitches and a rectangular outfield. England began their warm-up while their stand-in captain Jos Buttler went to his first press conference on tour.

Farbrace on security

England’s assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, toured Bangladesh with Sri Lanka in 2014, when the political situation had people doubting whether the series, and the subsequent Asia Cup and World T20, would be held there due to security reasons.
But all three tournaments went off smoothly, and Farbrace has good memories of that tour. He said that the security in Bangladesh doesn’t come in their way in the team hotel, adding that the players’ uneasiness would dissipate once they saw the environment at the cricket grounds.
“The good thing is it’s been no different to the last time we were here,” Farbrace said. “Around the hotel it’s not too in your face, like Pakistan where there are guards sat outside your door with guns. First thing you see in the morning is a pair of boots and the butt of a gun. It’s not like that here and I don’t think we could be in a better place really.
“Once you get the first practice out the way, if the lads are in any way apprehensive, they will realise it’s about cricket now. There was always going to be a big show at the airport, but you only have to be here a day to realise how everyone just wants to talk about cricket. Once Reg had given his OK, you have to trust him.”

As the nets were being drawn up and the batsmen got padded up, assistant coach Paul Farbrace sized up the net bowlers, who nearly outnumbered the England entourage. Buttler said this is exactly what he and the team had been looking forward to – the cricket.”Security is paramount when traveling to the subcontinent but we are always looked after well,” Buttler said. “Obviously there is a lot of security but that’s part and parcel of making the tour okay. Thankfully, now we are here. We will start practicing today and start thinking about cricket. I think those things will go back into the background. It will be a very competitive series.”I think today we start training and start gearing up for the matches. Bangladesh have been playing well in their own conditions. We need to be prepared. All we want to do is play cricket. Once we start, it will be very refreshing to start talking about the cricket side of things.”This is Buttler’s fourth tour to Bangladesh, having come here earlier with the England Under-19 in 2009, England Lions in 2012 and the senior team during the 2014 World T20. He said that the challenge would be for the batsmen to survive the tricky early period of every innings which would reveal the nature of the pitch. He added, though, that while adjusting to conditions they would not lose their attacking team persona.”It would be a good challenge for the guys,” Buttler said. “We had a series in Dubai last winter on those pitches in which we played well. We have to learn to adapt and win in all conditions. We still want to be aggressive and bat as fast as we can, but conditions will dictate.”From previous experience, I think it takes 10 or 15 balls. If you can get through that period, then you start to get used to the pace of the pitch and the timing. Rotation of the strike, and boundaries may be tougher to come by. We will play our brand of cricket but we will adjust it to conditions.”Buttler said that playing against Bangladesh would be a major challenge, given how confident they are playing at home. They have now won six ODI series in a row at home since November 2014, and have developed several match-winners along the way.”We will be playing against a confident team in their own conditions. If you look at the makeup of the Bangladesh side, their spinners have been doing well. We will be ready to get used to the conditions. We are focused on ourselves and what we need to prepare. We are a young athletic team and I will want us to play in the same way.”

Chris Dent’s superb career-best 268 put Gloucestershire in the ascendancy against old foes Glamorgan on the third day of their Championship match at Bristol

ECB/PA24-Sep-2015
ScorecardChris Dent recorded the highest score by a Gloucesteshire player since World War II•PA Photos

Chris Dent’s superb career-best 268 put Gloucestershire in the ascendancy against old foes Glamorgan on the third day of their Championship match at Bristol.Gloucestershire’s formidable total of 558, founded upon a record-breaking stand of 166 between Dent and James Fuller, helped the home side establish a meaningful first-innings lead of 125. But a draw appears the most likely outcome after Glamorgan openers Jacques Rudolph and James Kettleborough overcame fatigue to negotiate 27 overs and reach the close on 88 without loss.Rudolph’s chanceless innings of 56 not out has occupied 87 balls and the captain will seek to steer his side, who trail by 37, to safety on the final day.On a day when the records tumbled, Dent posted the highest individual score by any Gloucestershire batsman in matches against Glamorgan since World War II, eclipsing the 254 made by Andrew Symonds at Abergavenny in 1995.His run-laden alliance with Fuller, who registered a career-best 73 from 99 balls, represented a club record stand for the eighth wicket in matches against Glamorgan, surpassing the 128 mustered by Mark Hardinges and Ashley Noffke at Bristol in 2007.And Dent comfortably bettered his previous highest first-class score of 203 not out, made against Cardiff MCCU in 2014, in the process becoming the only Gloucestershire player to pass 1000 first-class runs this season.Dropped by Colin Ingram in the slips before he had scored, Fuller made good his escape to eclipse his previous highest score of 57, made against Leicestershire at Cheltenham in 2012.With the exception of a couple of early setbacks, Benny Howell shouldering arms and losing his off stump to Michael Hogan without adding to his overnight score of 40 and Kieran Noema-Barnett chipping Craig Meschede straight to point for 5, it was pretty much plain sailing for the home side.Dent and Jack Taylor, who raised 35 from 33 balls and struck seven fours before top-edging a catch behind off Dewi Penrhyn-Jones, redressed the balance in an entertaining stand of 53 for the sixth wicket.With Gloucestershire opting to apply scoreboard pressure rather than pursue a contrived finish, Dent was presented with a chance to post a maiden Championship double hundred. In no mood to pass up such an opportunity, the Bristolian clipped Penrhyn-Jones to backward point and scampered a quick single to reach the mark in the 98th over. When he guided Graham Wagg to the fine leg boundary in the next over, the left-hander entered hitherto uncharted territory and County Ground regulars rose to acknowledge his achievement.Fuller must have had one eye on a maiden hundred when he advanced down the track to Andrew Salter and attempted to clear the long-on boundary, only to find Penrhyn-Jones, who took a fine catch just inside the rope.David Payne was bowled by Salter shortly after tea and Dent, having batted for eight hours, faced 347 balls and accrued 34 fours and 2 sixes, was last man out, superbly held by Wagg on the deep midwicket boundary off the bowling of Meschede. It proved tough going for Glamorgan’s seamers and Australian Hogan was the only bowler to emerge with credit, returning figures of 3-83.

Brendon McCullum has strongly resisted claims that New Zealand have gone into the series against England with a mindset of trying to avoid defeat rather than aiming for victory

Andrew McGlashan in Wellington18-Mar-2013Brendon McCullum has strongly resisted claims that New Zealand have gone into the series against England with a mindset of trying to avoid defeat rather than aiming for victory. Their previous Test series had been a torrid affair in South Africa, where the top order understandably failed to cope with the No. 1 bowling attack in the world, but he insisted there was no hangover from that contest.The nature of the two Tests support McCullum’s stance; they set the pace in Dunedin, scoring at nearly four-an-over in their innings as they tried to make up for lost time and never stopped trying to dismiss England for a second time over the final two days. Their approach to this Test in Wellington was dictated by a poor first day, which left them trying to make up ground and they fought back on the second, but once England reached 465 they had to set their stall out to save the match.”If you’ve seen the way we’ve played in the last two Tests we’ve been reasonably proactive,” McCullum said. “We go into every game trying to win, it’s not about hanging on for a draw. We see it as a great opportunity to clinch a series win against England, which is something we’d all hold very fondly.”McCullum also defended the Test pitches and hopes the surface in Auckland is similar to those served up during the series so far. He is adamant that it has been the weather, rather than the nature of the 22 yards, which has led to two stalemates and set up a deciding match later in the week.It has been hard work for the bowlers on both sides during the series, but there has been success for some to enjoy notably Neil Wagner in Dunedin and Stuart Broad in Wellington. McCullum made a pointed reference to David Saker’s comments about the pitches not being ideal for Test cricket on Sunday, but is more than pleased with the conditions he has been given.”I’ve read and heard a lot about our pitches being too flat. It seems to be bowling coaches who have an issue with them. It’s always going to be the way,” he said. “If you look at the first Test we lost a whole day to rain and there would have been a result in that game and in this Test as well we’ve lost a day and a half to rain and it would have been interestingly poised. There would probably have been a result, too.”It’s not three or four-day Tests, it’s five-day grinding wickets were you have to work incredible hard for your fruits but I don’t see anything wrong with our wickets and they have certainly allowed both teams periods of dominance. For me, I’d like a wicket similar to these last two [in Auckland].”Alastair Cook maintained England’s view they would like more bounce from the pitches. “In an ideal world, we would,” he said. “It makes for slightly more exciting cricket certainly. Whichever wicket we get, we’ve got to try to find the best way of winning the game.”Even if there is more life on offer at Eden Park – which will use a drop-in surface and will host a Test just days after the latest rugby game at the ground – McCullum has seen enough of his batsmen that he is convinced they can adapt to the challenge.”If it is a bit bouncier than we’ve seen in this one, and especially in Dunedin, we’ll have to come up with a strategy to overcome it and I’m confident that the guys are treading in the right direction. We’ll see how we respond,” he said. “It’s been a good series for us so far, we are learning a bit about ourselves and were we are at. We have made some improvements from previous series but we know the third Test is what we will be decided on.”He also backed his decision to bowl by saying, as Tim Southee did during the match, that the bowlers did not make the most of conditions. “Certainly no regrets in this game,” he said. “If you do that you won’t be able to get out of bed each morning. It was about the best way to win this Test, which was to get some favourable conditions on day one. Even though the Test didn’t last five days we didn’t see the wicket breaking up. I don’t think it’s too bad a strategy for playing Test cricket in New Zealand.”McCullum suggested that he favours an unchanged team for the final Test – his pace bowlers have had a decent break after England enforced the follow-on followed by the rain – although he will wait to see how Doug Bracewell comes through his domestic one-day outing on Wednesday, where he will test his injured foot, before making a clearer plan over how he will attack the final Test.