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Jim Allenby produced a match-winning performance as Glamorgan opened their Friends Provident t20 campaign with a six-wicket victory

Cricinfo staff05-Jun-2010
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Jim Allenby produced a match-winning performance as Glamorgan opened their Friends Provident t20 campaign with a six-wicket victory over Gloucestershire in Cardiff. In front of a crowd of 7,424 Allenby recorded figures of 3 for 23 in four overs to help restrict Gloucestershire to 148 for 6 from their 20 overs. He followed that up with 54 from 44 balls as Glamorgan won the clash with five balls to spare.Gloucestershire, who won the toss, got off to an encouraging start and reached 50 for 1 in the first six overs – losing just Will Porterfield to Shaun Tait, who celebrated his Glamorgan debut with a wicket from his fourth ball. But the home side fought back impressively through veteran Robert Croft, who proved he had lost none of his guile as a one-day offspinner, and Allenby.Croft disposed of Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman, who had struck James Harris for two fours in an over. James Franklin looked dangerous as he drove slow left-armer Dean Cosker for two sixes over long-on in the space of three balls, but his innings of 42 from 30 balls was ended by Allenby.Allenby had him caught sharply down the leg side by wicketkeeper Mark Wallace standing up and three balls later Allenby bowled Ian Butler. Two overs later he had Chris Taylor caught at deep backward square by Tait as Gloucestershire’s runs started to dry up.Hamish Marshall was the visitors’ last chance of posting a really competitive score but he was out in the 16th over, holing out to Croft on the long-off boundary.In reply, Glamorgan lost Mark Cosgrove in only the second over but Allenby nursed captain Jamie Dalrymple, who could only score 21 from 32 balls, through a second-wicket partnership worth 66 in 11 overs.Tom Maynard only lasted an over and Allenby was out two overs later, attempting a reverse sweep to Vikram Banerjee. It was left to Gareth Rees and David Brown, the former Gloucestershire allrounder, with 35 needed from the final four overs. Brown survived a dropped catch by Chris Taylor to hit Butler over long-on for six to leave Glamorgan needing just two from the final over, which they achieved with ease.

Filer, Wellington, Knight star for Storm but skipper prevails for hosts

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2024Southern Vipers 137 for 9 (Adams 55, Knott 37, Filer 3-8, Wellington 3-17) beat Western Storm 119 (Knight 69, Adams 3-23, Dean 3-24) by 19 runsGeorgia Adams produced a superb all-round performance with bat and ball to guide Southern Vipers to a 19-run victory over Western Storm in an enthralling Charlotte Edwards Cup contest at Bristol’s Seat Unique Stadium.Heather Knight had scored 69 from 56 balls and was threatening to win the game for Storm when Adams struck a crucial blow by claiming her wicket in the penultimate over. The Vipers captain finished with figures of 2 for 23, while fellow spinner Charlie Dean took 3 for 24 as the home side were bowled out for 119 in 20 overs.Adams had earlier top-scored with a 40-ball 55, mustered six fours and a six and helped stage a progressive stand of 55 in 6.1 overs with Charli Knott as the visitors posted 137-9 after losing the toss.Lauren Filer produced her best performance of the season, taking 3 for 8 in four overs, while overseas leg spinner Amanda Jade Wellington returned figures of 3 for 17 and Sophia Smale claimed 2 for 28 to keep Storm in with a chance at the halfway stage.But Vipers held their nerve in a close finish, spinners Adams, Dean, Knott and Linsey Smith making the difference to keep the defending champions on course for a place in the knockout stages.Vipers posted 41 in the powerplay for the loss of Maia Bouchier and Georgia Elwiss. Restored to Storm’s attack, pace spearhead Filer made an immediate impact, having England team-mate Bouchier held at mid-on without scoring, while Elwiss succumbed to Smale’s slow left arm, chipping to short extra and departing for nine.Fortunately for the visitors, Knott and Adams were able to harvest sufficient boundaries from the other bowlers to remain in credit, the former carving Ellie Anderson over cover point and then straight-hitting her for an imposing six on a ground where she made a magnificent hundred in a 50-over contest only last month.Storm deployed spin at both ends in a bid to stem the flow, only for Adams and Knott to each plunder a six at the expense of Chloe Skelton as the eighth over yielded 20 runs. The 50 partnership occupied just 32 balls and the home side no doubt breathed a collective sigh of relief when Knott, having raised 37 from 29 balls with four fours and two sixes, advanced down the pitch to fellow Australian Wellington and was comprehensively stumped in the tenth with the score on 78.That quickly became 81 for 4 in the next over when Freya Kemp, playing back to a fullish delivery from Filer, dislodged a bale and was given out. Wellington then had Charlie Dean caught at the wicket in the act of cutting, at which point Vipers were 84 for 5, having lost three wickets in the space of 12 balls. Well and truly back in the game, Storm piled on more pressure, Filer clean bowling Nancy Harman to further reduce Vipers to 96 for 6 in the fifteenth.Alice Monaghan holed out to long-on off the bowling of Wellington for 11, but the redoubtable Adams remained at large, pulling Smale to move to a 37-ball 50 via her fifth four. By the time she departed in the penultimate over, caught on the long-on boundary off Smale, Vipers were assured a competitive total.Storm made a shaky start to their chase, Nat Wraith and Fran Wilson falling to successive deliveries from slow left armer Smith in the third over, but Knight remained unfazed as she plundered six boundaries in a powerplay that yielded a healthy return of 43 runs.Cast in a supporting role in a third-wicket stand of 54, Sophie Luff was pinned lbw by Dean with the the score on 54 in the ninth, but Knight continued to trade ostensibly in boundaries as Storm reached the halfway point on 71-3, requiring a further 68 from 60 deliveries.Knight went to 50 from 43 balls, but Knott had compatriot Wellington caught at short fine leg and Dean bowled Niamh Holland and Issy Wong with successive deliveries to reduce Storm to 93 for 6 in the fifteenth as Vipers deployed spin to build pressure during the middle overs.Requiring 45 off the last five overs, Storm were now almost totally dependent upon experienced campaigner Knight. But the England captain was rapidly running out of partners, Smale holing out to long on off the bowling of Adams, who then put down a tough return catch to afford Knight a life on 62.Storm still needed 24 off two overs when Knight attempted to straight-drive Adams for six and was brilliantly held by Monaghan on the boundary. Adams then removed Filer with the next delivery to put the outcome beyond doubt.

Brook and Joe Root score unbeaten tons during 294-run stand to lift England out of trouble

Alan Gardner23-Feb-2023Harry Brook came into the Wellington Test in possession of some of the most outrageous stats in the history of the game for a batter at the start of their career – and promptly turned the amps up to 11 with an astonishing display on day one at the Basin Reserve.It began with Brook tip-toeing to the crease amid the wreckage of England’s top order, as New Zealand’s reshaped seam attack capitalised on helpful morning conditions to reduce the tourists to 21 for 3. He walked off with the weather closing in again, but with England in a far sunnier mood. In between times, Brook had peeled off a career-best 184 not out from 169 balls, taking his Test average above 100 (and with a strike rate of 99.38 into the bargain).Oh, and Joe Root scored an immaculate, unbeaten hundred, too.Their unbroken stand of 294, already the third-highest for England’s fourth wicket in Tests, turned the tables completely on New Zealand after they had made what seemed an impeccable start on winning the toss and choosing to bowl for the second week running.Related

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As in Mount Maunganui, England’s aggression helped wrest the initiative away – by the time the forecast rain arrived midway through the evening session their overall run rate was 4.84. But that only told part of the story, with Brook and Root employing different methods to counterattack after Matt Henry and Tim Southee had made the early incisions on a green pitch that was expected to flatten out.Brook, as has been his wont during a patch of regal scoring that began with a century in his second match, in Rawalpindi before Christmas, chose barely fettered aggression throughout his innings. Southee was dispatched for three consecutive boundaries in his fifth over, and that set the tone for Brook’s approach; in all, 24 fours and five sixes came from his bat during another coruscating display.He moved to fifty just before lunch, as England reached the break on a more even keel, then raised a 107-ball hundred – his fourth in nine Test innings – during the afternoon session, during which the visitors rattled off 136 runs in 27 overs to transfer the pressure on to New Zealand’s beleaguered attack.Brook’s assault, audacious as it was, displayed a high degree of calculation. With New Zealand picking only three frontline bowlers – Henry, back after the birth of his child, and top-order batter Will Young coming in for Mount Mauganui debutants, Blair Tickner and Scott Kuggeleijn – Brook in particular chose to go after the support.Against Daryl Mitchell, nominally the fourth seamer, he struck four sixes – three towering blows down the ground and one impudent ramp to fine leg – and went at a strike rate of 158.06. Michael Bracewell’s offspin was dispatched for 22 off 15, while Neil Wagner saw his short-ball tactics dismantled for the second Test running, conceding six fours and a six. Only Henry, who gave Brook a few moments of concern early on, kept things tight, conceding just 33 off 49 balls bowled.While Brook plundered runs almost at will, adding his third fifty from just 38 balls, Root was content to slipstream his junior partner. His 29th Test hundred featured just seven boundaries, the majority of which came during the latter stages of the day – one via a perfectly executed reverse-ramp off the bowling of Wagner, the shot which had brought his downfall in the first innings last week at Bay Oval.He was on 23 at lunch, coasted along to 72 at tea and was visibly relieved to bring up three figures for the first time in 12 innings, turning Wagner into the leg side from the final delivery before the rain began to fall in earnest.Such a position of English dominance took on even more outlandish proportions given how incisively New Zealand had begun the morning session. Basin Reserve has a reputation for flattening out, never mind how green-tinged the surface, and most captains winning the toss look to eke out whatever small advantage they can: it is more than a decade since a team opted to bat first in a Wellington Test.Southee knew all this, saying that New Zealand were “accustomed to a very good cricket surface” at the ground, and would therefore have been delighted by the start for his side. Henry struck twice in his first three overs and Southee added a third as Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett all failed to make much headway.Henry beat Duckett with a beauty in his first over, although a review only proved the ball had flicked the trouser pocket. There were just a handful of scoring shots in the opening exchanges, as England were forced to temper their Bazball instincts, and the card read 5 for 1 in the fourth when Crawley felt at a wide ball from Henry – albeit on a perfect length – to be dismissed for his fourth single-figure score in six knocks.Pope fired off a volley of attacking shots in response but he was soon gone, as Henry jagged one away on an off-stump line to find the edge. Bracewell held the sharp chance at third slip, and then took an even better catch in the following over to leave England three-down. Duckett was again looking to be proactive, driving hard at one in the channel from Southee, and the edge flew to the left of Bracewell, who threw himself full length for a one-handed take, even managing to juggle it safely as the ball threatened to pop loose after his arm hit the turf.England were on the back foot, but soon began landing their punches in a familiar counterattack. Brook’s first boundary was edged wide of the cordon as Henry got the ball to kick from a length, but England’s form batter launched into Southee next over before clubbing Mitchell down the ground and then taking on Wagner with a series of belligerent blows through the leg side. Brook was on the move and soon looked unstoppable – which to all intents and purposes he was.

The hosts chased down Zimbabwe’s total with eight balls to spare thanks to several contributions with the bat

Andrew Fidel Fernando16-Jan-2022Zimbabwe’s batters gave their side a healthy chance. On a flat Pallekele track, the openers put on 80 off 88 balls – debutant Takudzwanashe Kaitano hitting 42, and Regis Chakabva going on to make 72 off 81. Then Sean Williams dominated the middle and late overs, hitting 100 off 87.But although they made 296 for 9 – generally an excellent first innings score on Sri Lankan surfaces – the home side’s top order had the measure of the target. They had three major contributors. Opener Pathum Nissanka hit the first half-century of his ODI career, making 75 off 71 to set the chase up. Then No. 4 Dinesh Chandimal and No. 5 Charith Asalanka took the baton, putting on a match-defining 132-run stand, hitting 75 off 91 and 71 off off 68 respectively. In the end, they got there with five wickets and eight balls to spare.On a surface that was not particularly conducive to turn, the seamers of both teams made bigger contributions. For Sri Lanka, Chamika Karunaratne took 3 for 69 and Nuwan Pradeep claimed 2 for 54, both bowling their full quotas. Zimbabwe’s standout was Richard Ngarava, who claimed 3 for 56 from nine overs. Blessing Muzarabani and Sikandar Raza claimed one wicket apiece.In nine previous ODI innings, Nissanka’s high score had been 24, but batting in his preferred opening position in this match, he was efficient in the Powerplay, finding boundaries through midwicket and through cover, as Sri Lanka cruised to 59 for 1 at the end of the 10 overs. He put on a 40-run partnership with Kusal Mendis, and 41 with Kamindu Mendis, but it was during his stand with Chandimal that Sri Lanka really gained the advantage, the pair making 66 together off 66 balls.Nissanka continued to score heavily off errors of length, and struck at a run-a-ball more or less throughout his innings, reaching his maiden ODI fifty off the 49th delivery he faced. He was out in the 25th over, edging Sikandar Raza behind, though it did take a review to dislodge him.Sri Lanka were a batter light in this game, with Karunaratne coming in at No. 7, but their next partnership made the game safe. Chandimal had begun slowly, as he often does in ODIs, hitting just 11 off his first 22 balls, but nurdled his way into a comfortable rhythm, and even before he struck his first boundary, off his 43rd ball, looked like he would play an innings of substance.Where Nissanka had remained at close to a run-a-ball or better through the course of his innings, Chandimal was content to be less ambitious. He reached his half-century off his 64th delivery. Thanks to Asalanka scoring more quickly at the other end, Sri Lanka were cruising in their chase.Sean Williams celebrates his hundred•AFP/Getty Images

Asalanka himself had started with measure, but hit two fours and a six in the space of nine balls to get his strike rate around 100, and though he slowed slightly through the middle – Raza, Tendai Chatara, and Ngarava bowling nicely through the middle overs, Sri Lanka never seemed under particularly testing pressure, thanks to the singles both batters were squeezing out. Asalanka reached his fifty off the 57th ball he faced.He accelerated a little after that, as Sri Lanka’s required rate edged occasionally above a run-a-ball. He struck Ngarava for six over square leg to bring the equation down to five needed off the last 13 balls, then was hit on the pads and was trapped lbw. Dasun Shanaka and Karunaratne took the chase home in the next over.Earlier, Zimbabwe had looked like they were headed to a total near 300 since the start of their innings, when Kaitano and Chakabva put on 80 together for the first wicket. Kaitano was the aggressor through much of that, finding five of his eight boundaries behind square. Chakabva also used the pace of the ball to score a substantial percentage of his runs, but also picked frequent singles and twos through cover and midwicket, against the spinners in particular, as he put on a 50-run partnership with Williams as well.Williams’ own innings was perhaps the best of the match, even if his first boundary was a lucky top edge for six off Nuwan Pradeep. He kept his run rate healthy via frequent singles and twos, but made sure to punish Sri Lanka’s errors in line in particular. He reached his half-century off 52 balls, and upped the tempo in the death overs, although Zimbabwe will perhaps reflect they should have hit more than the 69 they managed in the last 10 overs, with six wickets still in hand.Williams was especially severe on Karunaratne, whom he hit for two fours and a six in the 48th over. He got to his fifth career hundred in the next over, but Karunaratne dismissed him eventually, hitting his off stump as Williams heaved across the line. It was a heroic effort from the Zimbabwean, though in the end, not a match-winning one.

According to a statement from the board, he was dismissed for “acts of serious misconduct.”

Firdose Moonda27-Aug-2020Cricket South Africa have fired former CEO Thabang Moroe with immediate effect, almost nine months after he was suspended in December 2019. Moroe was sacked after an independent forensic investigation revealed he had “committed acts of serious misconduct.” He is expected to challenge this outcome in court.This brings to three the total number of former CSA staff who are contesting their dismissals. Former chief operating officer Naasei Appiah, who was fired earlier this month and former head of sales and sponsorship Clive Eksteen, who was fired in June, have taken their cases to the labour court and the commission for conciliation, mediation, and arbitration respectively.Kugandrie Govender, who was named acting CEO last Wednesday, will continue in the position while CSA search for a more permanent solution. Govender replaced Jacques Faul, who stood down last Monday, after being in the position since Moroe was suspended. Faul has returned to his role as CEO of the Titans franchise.The conclusion of Moroe’s matter brings to an end only part of the administrative crisis at CSA. The organisation is also without an elected president after Chris Nenzani resigned three weeks before his term was due to end and have lost one of their five independent directors after Steve Cornelius stood down last week. Those positions will be filled at CSA’s AGM which is due to take place on September 5.What is unclear is whether the full forensic audit which resulted in Moroe’s being sacked will be made available to CSA’s members’ council (the body made up of the 14 provincial presidents with the highest decision-making powers) or to the public. In July, Nenzani said that “key parts,” of the report would be made public but CSA have not indicated if that remains the case.That means, for now, the exact reasons for Moroe being sacked have not been listed by CSA, who only confirmed that Moroe’s offences were serious enough to warrant immediate dismissal, without the need for a disciplinary hearing.It is believed financial misdemeanors form part of the concerns against Moroe. Along with the revocation of the accreditation of five journalists, misuse of CSA’s step-in rights over provincial unions which led to the Western Province Board being disbanded and CSA’s increasingly poor relationship with the South African Cricketers Association (SACA), Moroe’s position was deemed untenable and he was dismissed without CSA holding a disciplinary hearing. CSA made the decision to sack Moroe after two meetings in which Moroe was afforded a chance to offer explanations over the findings of the investigation.”Mr Thabang Moroe was offered sufficient opportunity to provide representations to the independent forensic auditors and to the Board regarding the allegations of misconduct, which opportunity he failed and/or refused to utilise,” CSA’s statement on Thursday read.Having now sacked Moroe, CSA will be able to stop paying his salary, which amounted to R356,000 per month (US$20,877) and which Moroe has been receiving throughout his suspension.Moroe was confirmed CSA CEO in July 2018, on a three-year contract which would have run until 2021. Prior to that, Moroe acted in the role for 10 months following CSA’s parting of ways with Haroon Lorgat, who replaced Faul, who was, at the time, acting CEO after Gerald Majola was sacked. That means that all three of CSA’s last permanent CEOs have left the organisation in acrimonious circumstances which speak to the governance challenges that have plagued CSA over much of the past eight years.In that time, South African cricket has been through four Test captains and four national men’s coaches and has tried to get a franchise T20 competition off the ground, initially without success and then, in 2018, without a television rights or sponsorship deal. The Mzansi Super League (MSL), which has been played for the last two years and broadcast on state television, was due to attract a deal with pay-television provider this summer but that appears unlikely now and the tournament could be postponed altogether. With South Africa’s national teams (men’s and women’s) awaiting the season’s fixtures and the FTP up in the air, difficult days lie ahead for cricket in this country, with no obvious solutions in sight.CSA were due in parliament last Friday to answer questions relating to the forensic investigations, transformation and governance but their appearance was postponed because the forensic audit was not ready to be presented. Now that Moroe has been fired on the basis of the independent audit, CSA may be forced to begin the process of engagement, first with the sports ministry and then with other stakeholders.

Surrey sprung a surprise during the final session of the day to round up eight Kent wickets for just 91 runs

Daniel Norcross at Beckenham21-May-2019In deciding on the readiness of young players to compete at the highest level, it is often said “if they’re good enough, they’re old enough”. Seldom though do you hear people opining that “if he’s good enough, he’s young enough”. In the 41-year-old Gareth Batty and the 37-year-old Rikki Clarke, Surrey quite definitely possess two of the more mature players on the circuit; yet they are both very much young enough.With this match drifting listlessly to what already seemed an inevitable high-scoring draw, Surrey’s gnarled old pros, longer in the tooth than your average walrus, broke the game open with a pair of interventions after tea.On Monday, it was Darren Stevens assuming the role of Yoda. This time, with Kent cruising comfortably at 227 for 2 on a placid pitch offering nothing to the bowlers since before lunch on day one, it was Batty to whom Rory Burns turned, much as Princess Leia did to Obi Wan Kenobi.Batty was, it seemed, Surrey’s “last hope”. The pitch was offering little by way of turn, but Batty summoned his most seductive Jedi mind tricks in assuring first Heino Kuhn and then Ollie Robinson the very next delivery that “these are the balls you are looking to edge”. Two arm balls, albeit with a little more bounce than either batsman was expecting, assisted by two very sharp Ben Foakes catches had suddenly thrown this somnolent, soporific match wide open.Wiaan “agent” Mulder came in to face the hat-trick ball but knew “the truth was out there”, just on a length outside off stump and spoiled the fun with the middle of a stoutly defensive bat.What Mulder didn’t see coming was the leaping left hand of Will Jacks at gully who dived impossibly far to snatch the ball an inch off the ground to an audible collective gasp from this now thoroughly engaged crowd. Jacks repeated the trick in the first over of a new spell from Clarke to remove Alex Blake, and when Stevens, who had survived two mighty close shouts for lbw off Clarke was finally put out of his misery by umpire Graham Lloyd, Kent had lost five wickets for 33 runs.All the while, Sean Dickson, who scored 318 the last time Kent played a first-class fixture at Beckenham, was looking on aghast from the other end. Just three hours earlier he and Zak Crawley had been busy compiling an untroubled, and often attractive opening stand of 128.Crawley really does look the real deal. Against a seam attack of Morne Morkel, Clarke, Sam Curran and the distinctly brisk Conor Mckerr, he appeared to have all the time in the world. Granted, there was little happening off the pitch, and neither did it swing, much to the surprise of the odd luminary in the commentary box, but there are few more testing attacks than Surrey’s and it came as a surprise when he was spectacularly castled by Clarke for 63, pushing out at a ball he should have been defending and losing his middle and off stumps in the process.Just as Clarke had sprung that first surprise, it was down to Batty to deliver the second when he too removed the middle stump, this time of Daniel Bell-Drummond who was attempting to run the ball down through third man. It was both too close to him and way too full. An ugly drag back ensued. Those Jedi mind tricks again. Frustration, disappointment and unfulfillment again from a player who has promised so much for years, at least since that terrific hundred against the touring Australians in 2015.The second new ball was taken as soon as it was available. Curran immediately accounted for Dickson, getting him caught strangled down the leg side to end an unspectacular but highly efficient innings from the opener in rather unfortunate circumstances. The last two wickets soon followed, the final one to another quite brilliant catch from Jacks at short leg to give Morkel his only wicket. Surrey’s catching had been exemplary, even spectacular on occasion.One bad session had produced eight wickets for just 91 runs. What at one time looked like a possible first-innings lead had resulted in a deficit of 145 runs. It is frequently the challenge for promoted sides to maintain intensity across the full duration of a match in this highly competitive top tier. Kent’s squad in large part lack Division One experience. Experience, though, is something Surrey have in abundance, and Batty and Clarke were quite simply the difference. Young enough? You bet.

While Scotland’s captain rued his team’s bad luck with lbw decisions, West Indies’ Jason Holder pointed out that the availability, or otherwise, of the DRS was not under his control

Liam Brickhill in Harare21-Mar-2018As has been pointed out, the margin between success and failure for Associate nations is incredibly small. On a rainy afternoon in Harare, the margin of difference between West Indies and Scotland was a mere five runs. One hit, if you will. But those five runs booked West Indies’ place in next year’s World Cup, while Scotland’s next opportunity on the world stage is not quite so clear-cut. Chasing 199, the rain arrived with Scotland 125 for 5 in the 36th over to divide the fate of the two teams.”We feel pretty rough right now,” said Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer after his team’s narrow DLS defeat. “There’s a bit of emotion going around. The guys are absolutely gutted. They’re sat upstairs right now, and finding it pretty tough at the moment. It’s not the way we wanted to end the tournament but we look back and it’s five runs… it’s just five runs. And it’s something pretty important that could have happened there.”Scotland have been one of the most watchable teams of the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe, going undefeated through the group stage. But their last two matches have seen crucial umpiring decisions go against them. Against Ireland, Andy Balbirnie was given a reprieve on an lbw shout that looked adjacent, and he went on to hold Ireland’s innings together with a century. Against West Indies, Richie Berrington was controversially given out lbw to a delivery from Ashley Nurse that appeared to be heading down the leg side, setting Scotland back just before the rain arrived.”Clearly that lbw decision is not sitting very well with us right now,” said Coetzer. “It’s not the first one in this tournament. In a competition like this, it comes down to a big game like that. Two critical moments in two critical games have potentially cost us. So we’re not feeling too flash right now.”With no Decision Review System in place for this tournament, Scotland were unable to challenge either decision. While the lack of DRS in today’s match ultimately ended up benefiting West Indies, their captain Jason Holder pointed out, quite rightly, that the availability, or otherwise, of reviews was not under his control.”That’s beyond my control,” Holder said of the lack of DRS. “I think it’s a question for the ICC. At the beginning of the tournament, they set up the rules, and those are the rules we played with. It’s cricket. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it goes against you.”A lot of the games weren’t televised. So if you’re being consistent, if it wasn’t there at the beginning, you stick by it.”Despite his obvious disappointment, Coetzer insisted he was proud of his team’s performance through the tournament. Fast bowler Safyaan Sharif currently tops the wicket-taking charts, with 17 dismissals at 13.94, and their only defeats came against Ireland and West Indies.”I couldn’t say any more for our guys,” said Coetzer. “They have been absolutely outstanding. There’s obviously been a lot of pressure on them. There was extreme pressure today, with pretty much the whole world barring the West Indies wanting us to turn them over, for what we feel is for the good of the game. Try and make a scene and get us into that World Cup. But it wasn’t to be today.”Coetzer’s disappointment stood in stark contrast to Holder’s relief at having secured West Indies’ passage to England next year. Holder said that a collective effort had been key to West Indies’ success.”Definitely relieved,” said Holder. “Coming into this tournament, being here for the first time in a qualifier, we knew what was at stake. And I was really pleased with how the guys responded. We really came together as a squad and everyone put their heads together and tried to do what’s best for West Indies cricket and what’s best for ourselves. I can’t see two or three individuals dominating. It was a strong collective effort in every game. That’s a strong sign of a good side. I’m really relieved and pleased.”Scotland will leave this tournament having won over many new fans, and impressed even more with their development as an exciting and dangerous limited-overs side. With the World Cup in England and Wales limited to 10 teams, and only two qualifying spots available, several teams were always going to leave Zimbabwe with their hopes dashed.”We had the full backing of every Associate nation behind us today,” said Coetzer. “Everyone was wanting us to turn over the West Indies. But it was not to be. It’s hard to comprehend that there’s only going to be a 10-team World Cup. After all the hard work we’ve done, it’s a rough one to take. It’s a tough pill to swallow right now.”