Category Uncategorized

Headingley’s future as an international venue has been secured after Leeds City Council formally approved an emergency deal to ensure a major £35m refit could go ahead

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Apr-2017Headingley’s future as an international venue has been secured after Leeds City Council formally approved an emergency deal to ensure a major £35m refit could go ahead.Mounting dismay that the ground’s status was under threat has hurried the council into brokering an agreement with a private financial services firm which will provide most of the funding for a new stand with a dual purpose for the cricket and rugby stadiums.Although no council funding is involved in the new solution, it is effectively underwriting the deal, without which the development would have collapsed as unaffordable.The council will lease the new facilities from the investor and Yorkshire and Leeds Rhinos will then take sub-leases from the council to cover the cost of the development in full. Both clubs will have to provide adequate security should there be any default in their rent.The deal follows the council’s sudden withdrawal of a promised £4m loan to Yorkshire to part-finance the construction of a new rugby stand, which encouraged fears that the development would collapse and see Headingley lose Test status as well as hosting rights for the 2019 World Cup.There was cross-party support at a meeting of the council’s executive board. Final agreements can now be signed between the four key parties, and work can start in early June to prepare for construction from September onwards.

Kolkata Knight Riders read a greenish Eden Gardens pitch and skittled Delhi Daredevils for 98, which the hosts chased with nine wickets and 35 balls to spare

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu10-Apr-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrad Hogg finished with figures of 4-1-19-3•BCCI

Kolkata Knight Riders did not have several players key to their success over the years for their opening game of the 2016 season. Shakib Al Hasan and Morne Morkel, central to their plans last season, were benched. Sunil Narine, who played a stellar role in their title-winning run in 2012 and 2014, was unavailable because of his father’s death. Did it hamper them? It didn’t look like it, as Andre Russell and Brad Hogg took three wickets apiece to skittle Delhi Daredevils for 98. Robin Uthappa and Gautam Gambhir’s 69-run opening partnership then set a strong platform for a nine-wicket win with 35 balls to spare.Russell and John Hastings, who took Morkel’s place, ran in hard and hit the deck harder to extract unusually high bounce. Quinton de Kock, who had pulled Umesh Yadav for back-to-back boundaries, was the first to go when he skewed a catch to mid-off. Four balls later, Shreyas Iyer was trapped lbw for a duck. Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair also exited in successive overs as Hastings capped the Powerplay with a wicket maiden. By then, Daredevils were in a familiar spot at 35 for 4.Gambhir multiplied the efficiency of his attack by deploying two slips for most parts of the innings. He even placed himself at short leg after Russell dismantled the top order.Pawan Negi, who was promoted to No.6, swished and missed balls before Hogg had him stumped for a 19-ball 11. IPL debutant Carlos Brathwaite, who had fired West Indies to their second World T20 title last week, momentarily broke free with a biff over wide long-on, but was foxed by a skiddy googly from Piyush Chawla two balls later. Sanju Samson was the eighth Daredevils batsman to be dismissed before Hastings made a reappearance to wrap up the innings.Daredevils had slumped to their seventh sub-100 score in IPL, and the second-lowest score in the tournament’s history at Eden Gardens.The chase was a stroll for Knight Riders, and the onset of dew only made things worse for Daredevils. Zaheer Khan, playing his first competitive game since May 2015, floated flick-me balls in the lower 120kph range on to Gambhir’s pads and got picked for three fours in the second over. Uthappa moved into his shot-making stride with a brace of straight-driven fours as the hosts raced past 50 in the eighth over. Although Uthappa holed out for 35 in the tenth over against the run of play, Gambhir and Manish Pandey ensured Knight Riders enjoyed a winning start.Daredevils, who revamped their side again before the tournament and opted for lesser-known youngsters, will look to regroup quickly before they meet Kings XI Punjab in a home match on April 15.

Kumar Sangakkara is the only player who hasn’t preferred his IPL franchise for the Champions League Twenty20, among the 12 eligible to play for two sides in the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2013

Players, and their team preferences in bold

Dwayne Bravo – Trinidad & Tobago/Chennai Super Kings
Kevon Cooper – Trinidad & Tobago/Rajasthan Royals
Kieron Pollard – Trinidad & Tobago/Mumbai Indians
Faf du Plessis – Titans/Chennai Super Kings
Albie Morkel – Titans/Chennai Super Kings
Chris Morris – Highveld Lions/Chennai Super Kings
Nathan Coulter-Nile – Perth Scorchers/Mumbai Indians
Michael Hussey – Perth Scorchers/Chennai Super Kings
Mitchell Johnson – Brisbane Heat/Mumbai Indians
Shane Watson – Brisbane Heat/Rajasthan Royals
Thisara Perera – Brisbane Heat/Sunrisers Hyderabad
Kumar Sangakkara – Sunrisers Hyderabad/Kandurata Maroons

Sachin Tendulkar, who has retired from the IPL, and Rahul Dravid, who has indicated the upcoming Champions League would be his last tournament, have been named in the Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals squads for the Twenty20 event. A Faisalabad Wolves squad has also been announced, in an indication of the Pakistan side’s probable participation in the qualifying stage of the league, after political tensions between India and Pakistan had cast doubts over whether they would be allowed to come over.Kumar Sangakkara is the only player who hasn’t preferred his IPL franchise for the tournament among the 12 wanted by two sides, and has decided to play for his home side Kandurata Maroons. Explaining the process for deciding which teams these players would represent, Dean Kino, a CLT20 governing council member and director of legal and business affairs, said: “Players who were named by more than one team were asked to select which team they were going to play for. Teams were then allowed to replace any player that withdrew from their squad and elected to play for another side.”CLT20 regulations state that when a player elects to play for their ‘away’ team, that team must pay the ‘home’ team $150,000 compensation per player. A ‘home’ team is classified as a team from the country a player is eligible to represent in international cricket.”This payment is applicable for 10 of the 12 players that were eligible for more than one team. The exceptions are Kumar Sangakkara, who will be representing Kandurata Maroons, which is classified as his home team, and Thisara Perera, who qualified for Brisbane Heat and Sunrisers Hyderabad, neither of which is classified as his home team.”Lasith Malinga has not been named in the Mumbai Indians squad as he wanted to be with his wife and family, as they expect their second child late in September.Group A includes Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Lions, Perth Scorchers and Qualifier 1 while Group B has
Chennai Super Kings, Brisbane Heat, Titans, Trinidad & Tobago and Qualifier 2. Otago Volts, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Faisalabad Wolves and Kandurata Maroons will play the qualifiers beginning on September 17 in Hyderabad, with the top two sides advancing to the main draw starting September 21 in Jaipur and to be played across Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Delhi.Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ambati Rayudu, Aditya Tare, Rishi Dhawan, Abu Nechim, Akshar Patel, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn MaxwellChennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, M Vijay, Wriddhiman Saha, R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Imtiaz Ahmed, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma, Michael Hussey, Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Jason Holder, Faf du Plessis, Chris MorrisRajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Ashok Menaria, Dishant Yagnik, Vikramjeet Malik, Rahul Shukla, Pravin Tambe, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Shaun TaitBrisbane Heat: Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Peter Forrest, Dom Michael, Chris Hartley, Nathan Hauritz, James Hopes, Matthew Gale, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Cameron Gannon, Alex Kemp, Kemar Roach, Chris SabburgPerth Scorchers: Ashton Agar, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Ashton Turner, Liam Davis, Brad Hogg, Burt Cockley, Simon Katich, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Alfonso Thomas, Tom Triffitt, Adam Voges, Sam WhitemanTitans: Jacques Rudolph, Henry Davids, AB de Villiers, Farhaan Behardien, Heino Kuhn, David Wiese, Eden Links, Ethy Mbhalati, Rowan Richards, Mangaliso Mosehle, CJ de Villiers, Graeme van Buuren, Morne Morkel, Roelof van der Merwe, Marchant de LangeHighveld Lions: Temba Bavuma, Gulam Bodi, Quinton De Kock, Neil McKenzie, Lonwabo Tsotsobe,
Ethan O’Reilly, Hardus Viljoen, Rassie van der Dussen, Alviro Petersen, Aaron Phangiso, Dwaine Pretorius, Jean Symes, Imran Tahir, Sohail Tanvir, Thami TsolekileTrinidad & Tobago: Denesh Ramdin, Rayad Emrit, Jason Mohammed, Nicolas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Evin Lewis, Samuel Badree, Navin Stewart, Shannon Gabriel, Yannick Ottley, Adrian Barath, Sherwin Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Darren BravoFaisalabad Wolves: Misbah-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Ali Waqas, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Salman, Waqas Maqsood, Samiullah Khan, Asad Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Ehsan Adil, Hasan Mahmood, Jahandad Khan, Farrukh Shehzad, Imran Khalid, Ammar MahmoodOtago Volts: Nick Beard, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Iain Butler, Mark Craig, Derek de Boorder,
Jacob Duffy, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Jimmy Neesham, Aaron Redmond,
Hamish Rutherford, Ryan ten Doeschate, Neil WagnerSunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel, Cameron White, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, Darren Sammy, Biplab Samantray, Thisara Perera, Karan Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ashish Reddy, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Anand Rajan, TBCKandurata Maroons: Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Upul Tharanga, Thilina Kandamby, Kumar Sangakkara, Shehan Jayasuriya, Chamara Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Dhammika Prasad,
Ajantha Mendis, Kaushal Lokuarachchi, Lahiru Jayaratne, Dhananjaya De Silva, Suraj Randiv

The quality and condition of the pink ball has emerged as the major concern from the day-night match played under first-class conditions in Potchefstroom

Firdose Moonda06-Sep-2012The quality and condition of the pink ball has emerged as the major concern from the day-night match played under first-class conditions in Potchefstroom.The match, between North West and the Knights, was Cricket South Africa’s way of trialling the idea of playing the longer version at night, something that was discussed at the ICC’s most recent annual conference. It ended in a draw after heavy rains washed out the fourth day, but the issues that emerged from the first longer-form fixture played under lights in the country overshadowed the result.”It seems as though as the ball does not last very long. It will have to be investigated more if cricket is played this way in future,” Jacques Faul, acting chief executive of CSA told ESPNCricinfo.The pink ball became the talking point after the first innings, during which it was changed five times in 112 overs. Despite the Knights amassing 562 runs, their coach, Sarel Cilliers, was unimpressed. “As soon as the ball gets scuffed up, it loses colour,” Cilliers said. “Other than that it behaved like a normal ball and didn’t lose shape but I can’t see the ball manufacturers getting it right.”His opposite number, Monty Jacobs, was also not convinced that the pink ball could facilitate the demands of the longer format. “It scuffs easily and gets gratings and, it doesn’t shine like a red ball. With it being changed quite often, you lose that element of swing in the middle overs,” he said.It was not only the seamers who struggled to get the pink ball to talk. Jacobs said the spinners also had problems with it. “They struggled to grip the ball at times. So eventually it became a bit like a one-day ball with the spinners just darting it in instead of trying to spin it.”Match referee, Devdas Govindjee, who presided over the captains and coaches’ reports and will present them to CSA, had a more complex argument to explain why the ball was changed so often. He said the officiating panel debated it at length and came to the conclusion that colour was not the only problem. He also clarified that the first ball change occurred because of a split seam.”After that we changed it on average every 25 overs. We have to remember that it was the first time anyone was doing this so there was also some uncertainty at times. If you look at day two, we only changed the ball once, which is normal, I would say. So we learnt as we went along.
“On day one, there were various reasons that the ball was scuffing like that. It could have been because the bowling side did not look after the ball too well, for example. The other reason may have been because of the pitch, which was more abrasive on day one.”Govindjee’s comments on the pitch also highlighted another concern about day-night first-class cricket – how to tend to the surface. With the match being played early in the South African season, when rain has been scarce until now, the strip was always expected to be dry but could become even more lifeless in a day-night match considering the amount of time it will spend uncovered.The covers on the first day were removed at 7am – the normal time for a first-class match starting at 10am. That gave the pitch seven hours of sunshine before play began at 2pm. On the second day, the covers were only removed at 12:30, an hour and half before the start and the ball behaved differently.”There is a fine balance that has to be achieved when you decide about the covers. If you keep them on too long, they will sweat, but you also can’t remove them too early,” Govindjee said. If the pitch is left without protection from early morning it will, as Jacobs put it, “give you an eight-day old pitch by day four.”The removal of the covers early on the first day could have contributed in some way to the ball degradation but all three men interviewed by ESPNCricinfo stressed that the ball remained the “main issue.” Its neon nature also contributed to difficulty with visibility, which affected both the batting and fielding sides.”It has to be luminous, because that’s good for sight, but that means it creates an illusion as well and leaves a tail,” Cilliers said. “The batsmen couldn’t pick it up, especially in the twilight period, when it is already quite difficult to see.” Morne van Wyk, the Knights captain, who scored 125, specifically mentioned sunset as the time when his innings became the most difficult.Jacobs’ charges dropped five catches as darkness approached and although he was careful not to blame that on the ball alone, said the problems with “depth perception,” also led to butter fingers. “You can see the ball but you can’t see the edges,” he said.Along with trouble with vision, the players also had to contend with unusual hours, with play ending after 9:30pm to make up time. Compared to a one-day game that starts at 2:30pm and can end well after 11pm, it’s not too bad, but to operate on those hours for four consecutive days is something both coaches thought was a challenge.”There is too much dead time in the morning,” Cilliers said. “You can’t do any sort of conditioning then either.” Jacobs said he told his players to try and “sleep in until 11am,” but most found it unnatural and ended up with little to do in the morning. “It’s just a waste of good daylight,” he said.Both were also concerned about the costs involved in playing day-night cricket over four days. With electricity prices constantly rising in South Africa and power cuts, although not the notorious load shedding of four years ago, still fairly common, they both said playing cricket with natural light made more environmental sense too.Faul said CSA would take everything, including the bill, into consideration when they conduct their assessment of the match. While he accepted that the game itself was a “mismatch,” because it was contested between a professional franchise and an amateur provincial team, he said the exercise itself was worthwhile.”The ICC encouraged us to try this and we did. We can now give them a bit of feedback,” Faul said. But he confessed that the green light from cricket’s governing body was not the only reason South Africa are interested in the possibility of playing the longer game at night. “When we play some of the lower ranked Test teams we don’t get bums on seats, especially on the Thursday or Friday of the match. We wanted to see if this can help that?”Cilliers and Jacobs don’t think it can. Potchefstroom’s popular student crowd did not go to the match in droves despite it being advertised on multiple platforms. “Some people came dressed colourfully because they expected a T20 or a one-day game, because they heard it was at night. When they heard it was a first-class game, they left,” Jacobs said. “It’s the longer version, every ball can’t be action packed and that’s what they wanted. The atmosphere was actually a bit like those dead overs in a one-day game.”

Pakistan will play three back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE from October 18, followed by an ODI series

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Aug-2011Pakistan will play three back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah in the UAE from October 18, the PCB has announced.The first three games of the subsequent one-day series in November will be played in Dubai while Sharjah will host the fourth ODI on November 20. The teams will move to Abu Dhabi for the final one-dayer and the only Twenty20 international to be played on November 25.Pakistan have been forced to play their ‘home’ series on overseas territory since the terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009 and have favoured UAE as their venue of choice.”We had a choice of neutral venues but we opted for UAE because it allows us to manage things smoothly,” Subhan Ahmad, the PCB chief operating officer, was quoted in the as saying.The third Test of the series will mark the return of Test cricket to Sharjah which has hosted only two one-dayers between Afghanistan and Canada after being ignored as an international venue since 2003.

Chris Tremlett prepared for his 100th first-class match knowing that after playing his last Test three years ago, he was still a long way from international recall

Sahil Dutta10-Aug-2010Chris Tremlett prepared for his 100th first-class match knowing that, after playing the last of his three Tests three years ago, he was still a long way from an international recall. Of all of England’s well-stocked reserves, the fast-bowling ranks are the most crowded but, after a long period of injuries, near-misses on one-day selection and most recently a change of county from Hampshire to Surrey, Tremlett says he has emerged a stronger bowler and stronger character, ready to rejoin the fold at the highest level.His performances this season, capped by bursting through Sussex’s top order with three wickets in his first two overs on Monday, suggest he might just be right. After missing the start to the season he has led Surrey’s attack, sending down almost 240 overs to pick up 29 wickets at 21.13 in the Championship and the England management is known to have taken note.”I’m feeling very strong right now, the body is feeling good and I’m probably the fittest I’ve ever been,” he told Cricinfo. “I think the injury days are behind me, the change of club has brought a change of luck. I’ve bowled a lot of overs but I feel very fresh whereas in previous years by this time it’s been a battle to get through and I’ve picked up injuries, so hopefully I can keep bowling lots of overs, keep taking wickets and keep winning games for Surrey.”A hulking figure at 6’7″ with a strong and tall action, Tremlett ticks every box a fast bowler should. During his three Tests in 2007 he roughed up the vaunted Indian line-up, and showed enough to suggest he could have been a fixture in an England side that was desperately looking to move on from the 2005 generation. Back then he was keeping Stuart Broad out of the team but, three years on, it’s Broad who’s established England’s transformation and Tremlett has also watched Steven Finn, whose attributes so closely mirror his own, leapfrog him into the national side. Tremlett, however, sees no reason why he can’t line up alongside those two.”I can see a role for myself in the England side. I am similar in a way to Finny and Broady in terms of height and pace and I can bat a bit as well. If [England] want another bowler with pace and bounce that’s what I offer and I’m bowling well. I’ve stayed fit and done what I’ve been asked to in the past so I have no doubt I could go and perform.”The comparison with Broad is telling. While their physiques may match, their psyches could not seem further apart. Throughout Broad’s career he has walked a fine line between healthy aggression and outright petulance – a line he so clumsily crossed at Edgbaston – while Tremlett, on the other hand, has been held back by an apparent lack of fire. A hangdog expression and an infuriating reluctance to impose himself on the opposition has left an impression that he does not have the heart for a fight. It’s a charge he rejects entirely and puts more down to lazy stereotyping than any underlying truth.”Some of the things that people have said about me in the past have been complete rubbish. I don’t think the people who made these criticisms actually know me at all – they have no idea about my personality and what drives me,” he said. “If I didn’t have the heart or the drive I wouldn’t have moved to Surrey, I wouldn’t have fought back from injury after injury, and I wouldn’t be in the position I am now – bowling well and taking wickets.”Despite his annoyance with the ‘soft touch’ label, he acknowledges he has come across diffident at times and has spoken in the past of the need to add some devil to his on-field persona. Now 28, he feels more comfortable in himself and says that an aggression has come out of experience and confidence in his bowling.”I guess when I was younger I was a bit timid but, with age, now naturally I am more aggressive. I’m not working on my body language any more, the older I’ve got the more experienced I’ve got, and the more confident I’ve become. I’m not over the top or anything, I don’t think I ever will be, it’s not who I am and it’s not the type of bowler I am. But I let batsmen know I’m there, let them know I’m bowling well and let the ball do the rest.”I’m definitely a better bowler now to where I was when I last played for England. The wicket at The Oval has been very flat and it’s forced me into becoming a better bowler – I’ve had to think a lot about how I’m bowling and that experience has helped me be more naturally aggressive.”It is an important point. Long gone are the days when fast bowlers queued up at The Oval expecting the kind of pace and carry that propelled Devon Malcolm to his nine-wicket destruction of South Africa 16 years ago. Much like its Australian equivalent at Perth, the pitch is a much more soporific affair now as England may well find out next week. The lingering suspicion, all the more apparent after Pakistan’s third-day resistance at Edgbaston, is that the gloss on England’s attack fades when the sun shines. Finding ways to succeed in unfavourable conditions is a pressing concern for the Ashes in particular and Tremlett feels his Oval experience gives him the ingredients to succeed.”The Oval pitches have been very slow and low this year. Luckily for me my body is feeling good so I’ve bowled quicker this year but I’ve had to learn to bowl better areas. I now back myself to go at under three an over and take wickets on flat decks. My action is more solid so I think I’ve got what it takes for Australia – I’ve played Test cricket, I’m a good bowler and can offer pace and bounce on any track.”

“I thought I’m able to play, I’m able to bowl, I’m able to stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it,” Rashid said after match-winning five-for

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Sep-2024Rashid Khan was struggling with his hamstring, but he knew his contribution would “be the key” if his team were to pull off a historic series win against South Africa. So, he thought, if he could somehow “stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it”. Go for it he did, and finished with figures of 9-1-19-5 to spin out South Africa and hand Afghanistan their first series win against a team ranked in the top five of the ICC rankings.”I got a hamstring [injury], I had it a month before as well, quite unlucky but I tried my best to stay on the ground till the end, tried my best to do for the team as much as I can,” Rashid said after the whopping 177-run win was sealed in Sharjah. “Big opportunity for us as a team you know, to win the series against a big team and that’s what I had in my mind: my contribution will be the key so I have to go and stay till the end.”Rashid has struggled with injuries quite a bit of late. Hamstring trouble had ruled him out of the final week of the Hundred in August, before he returned home to play Afghanistan’s domestic T20s, the Shpageeza Cricket League, and picked up a back niggle. He went on to miss the one-off – washed out – Test against New Zealand. In fact, this ODI series is his first cricket in either of the two longer formats since the 2023 ODI World Cup in India in November last year. After that World Cup, Rashid had undergone surgery on his back, and was sidelined altogether for four months after that.Related

• Markram 69 helps South Africa sign off with big win

• Rashid's birthday five-for, Gurbaz's ton give Afghanistan series win

• Stats – Afghanistan's historic series win, Gurbaz's record century

On Friday, Rashid’s 26th birthday, he was batting when his hamstring issues resurfaced. Coming out in the 47th over, he ran a two first ball, and immediately needed the attention of the physio. He continued to bat though, finishing six not out off 12. Would he come back out to bowl, though?”We had a big opportunity to win a series against South Africa and I think the love for this game is just pushing you to play, doesn’t matter how [hard] it is and I thought I’m able to play, I’m able to bowl, I’m able to stay in the field till the end, why not, I should go for it,” Rashid said. “Good job done by the physio as well, to get me ready and deliver for the team.”Afghanistan had one more injury concern on the night, with half-centurion Rahmat Shah going off the field in the 21st over with what seemed like cramps at the time. That, it turned out, was hamstring trouble too. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi was hopeful it is not too serious though.”I talked with him, he’s good , maybe he will play the next game,” Shahidi said at the post-match presentation. “But before that also I think he was not feeling good, hamstring happened to him, hopefully he will be okay and play the other game.”Afghanistan have sealed the series 2-0, but have a third game to play, also in Sharjah, on Sunday. After that, they have a bit of a break, with – as things stand – their next scheduled cricket being an all-format tour of Zimbabwe in December-January.

T20 World Cup winner chooses to focus on career in franchise leagues

Matt Roller04-Aug-20232:21

Alex Hales’ legacy: T20 World Cup winner or off-field antics?

Alex Hales has announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect, at the age of 34. He signs off from his England career as a T20 World Cup winner, having played his last game in their five-wicket win over Pakistan at the MCG in November last year.Hales has been in semi-regular discussion with England’s management over the last nine months, weighing up the balance between bilateral commitments and his franchise contracts. He has opted to bow out of the international game, confirming his continued availability for short-form leagues around the world.”It has been an absolute privilege to have represented my country on 156 occasions across all three formats,” Hales said in a statement seen by ESPNcricinfo before publication. “l’ve made some memories and some friendships to last a lifetime and I feel that now is the right time to move on.”Throughout my time in an England shirt I’ve experienced some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It’s been an incredible journey and I feel very content that my last game for England was winning a World Cup final.”Related

• Pooran could return to BBL after nominating for overseas draft

• T20 franchise commitments leave England short-stocked for ODI tour of Bangladesh

• Hales hopeful of featuring in MLC amid NOC doubts

Hales opted out of England’s T20I series in Bangladesh earlier this year in order to fulfil a contract in the PSL, and faced another clash of commitments later this month. He is in talks with a CPL franchise about a replacement deal, which would have ruled him out of England’s home T20I series against New Zealand.England are increasingly comfortable with white-ball players opting out of bilateral series but regular clashes played a part in Hales considering his future. He recently told Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket, that he was contemplating international retirement, and confirmed that decision on Thursday evening.Having last played 50-over cricket four years ago, Hales was never in serious contention for this year’s World Cup, but would have been a contender for England’s T20 title defence in the Caribbean and the United States next year. Instead, his retirement will open up opportunities for players like Will Jacks and Phil Salt.Hales made a surprise return from his three-year England exile last September after Jonny Bairstow’s leg-break ruled him out of the World Cup. He played 15 T20Is across their tours to Pakistan, Australia and the T20 World Cup, averaging 30.71 with a strike rate of 145.27.Hales played vital innings in England’s final two group games, making 52 and 47 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and then marmalised India with 86 not out in a 10-wicket semi-final thrashing in Adelaide – which he immediately described as “one of the best days of my career”.He fell second-ball in the final, bowled by a Shaheen Shah Afridi inswinger for 1, but England scrapped to a five-wicket win with an over to spare. Hales celebrated with team-mates in front of their travelling supporters – including family members who had travelled to Melbourne.Hales scored six ODI hundreds and twice helped England set records for the highest team total•Getty Images

He feared that moment – lifting a global trophy with England – would never arrive after he was axed from their squad for the 50-over World Cup in 2019. News of a failed recreational drugs test broke a month before the tournament started, and Hales was withdrawn.Eoin Morgan, England’s captain at the time, said that learning of the news via the media represented “a complete breakdown in trust” between Hales and his team-mates; Hales watched England lift the trophy from his sofa, and never played for England again under Morgan’s captaincy.Hales had been a significant part of England’s progress from short-form laggards to the game’s cutting edge, forming half of a destructive opening partnership with Jason Roy as Morgan and Trevor Bayliss launched their white-ball revolution in 2015.In 2016, he made 171 against Pakistan on his home ground Trent Bridge, breaking Robin Smith’s long-standing record for England’s highest ODI innings. His innings set up a world-record total of 444 for 3 – a record England broke at the same venue two years later, when Hales made 147 out of their 481 for 6 against Australia.By that stage, Hales was England’s spare batter, having lost his first-choice berth in the aftermath of the street-fight outside a Bristol nightclub also involving Ben Stokes. He was not charged with any criminal offence, but an ECB-imposed suspension opened up a vacancy for the recalled Roy, who then formed a brilliant opening partnership with Bairstow.Hales also played 11 Tests between 2015 and 2016 as one of England’s many attempts to find a regular opening partner for Alastair Cook. He made five half-centuries and averaged 27.28, but was dropped ahead of the 2016-17 winter tours and quit red-ball cricket ahead of the 2018 county season.”Throughout the ups and downs I’ve always felt a huge amount of support from my friends, family and undoubtedly the best fans in world cricket,” Hales added in his statement. “I look forward to continuing to play for Notts and experiencing more franchise cricket around the world.”Hales finishes his England career with 2419 ODI runs at 37.79, including six hundreds, and is one of three men to score more than 2000 T20I runs for England, with his single hundred coming against a Sri Lanka side featuring Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga at the 2014 World T20.

Seamer takes wicket tally for season to 14 as Leicestershire manage just single batting point

ECB Reporters Network21-Apr-2022Derbyshire seamer Sam Conners continued his fine start to the season by taking 4 for 62 as Leicestershire were dismissed for 213 on the opening day of the LV= Insurance County Championship clash between East Midlands rivals at the Uptonsteel County Ground.Opener Sam Evans top-scored with 63, South African allrounder Wiaan Mulder made 39 on his Leicestershire debut and Ed Barnes an unbeaten 34 but it was another disappointing first innings by the home side, who have picked up only four batting points from the first three matches of the season.Sri Lanka Test fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, wicketless against Sussex last week, finished with 2 for 52 and saw two slip catches spilled, and 19-year-old seamer Nick Potts looked a decent prospect with 2 for 32 in only his second senior appearance, but 23-year-old Conners was Derbyshire’s brightest spark with the ball, raising his wickets tally for the season to 14.Derbyshire closed on 36 for 1 in reply, having lost skipper Billy Godleman. Pakistan star Shan Masood, already past 400 runs for the season in just his fourth innings for the county, was unbeaten on 20.Skipper Colin Ackermann chose to bat first on a green-tinged pitch but Leicestershire struggled. They lost four wickets for 68 runs before lunch and another three in the afternoon to be 158 for 7 at tea.Hassan Azad, who began the season with a century against Worcestershire, cut and drove Conners for the day’s first boundaries but Conners then produced an inswinger to have him leg before.Anuj Dal nipped one past the outside edge to bowl George Rhodes for 6, then took a good catch at backward point as Ackermann played loosely at Potts and there was a bonus wicket for Derbyshire in the over before lunch when legspinner Mattie McKiernan, playing his first match this season, bowled Louis Kimber.Sam Evans top-scored for Leicestershire with 63•Getty Images

The Kimber dismissal ushered in Mulder, who tested positive for Covid-19 while on Test duty earlier this month. Mulder survived a low chance to Alex Thomson at slip off Lakmal on 1 but grew in assuredness and picked up half a dozen boundaries as he and Evans built a partnership.After his match-saving half-century at Chester-le-Street, Evans completed another but then gave his wicket away with a poor shot, hanging his bat out to a ball from Conners to give an easy slip catch. The fifth wicket had added 69 but its value was diminished when Harry Swindells was lbw without scoring in the same over.Thomson put down Barnes at slip in almost a carbon copy of the Mulder escape but Lakmal was rewarded when he beat the South African’s attempt to work the ball to leg, trapping him in front.The Sri Lankan’s second wicket followed four overs after tea. Callum Parkinson, the left-arm spinner, unsettled by being hit on his bowling hand, then steered a ball rather tamely to second slip. Beuran Hendricks was ninth out when he dragged a Conners full toss on to his stumps.Barnes and Will Davis held Derbyshire up with a 39-run stand for the last wicket that at least secured one batting bonus point but ended when Davis edged behind to give Potts his second wicket.Derbyshire faced 16 overs at the close as they began their reply, losing Godleman, who was tested by Hendricks before being caught behind off a ball he tried to leave.

Opening batsman fell off England radar after three lean seasons for Lancashire

George Dobell04-Dec-2020When England returned from India at the end of 2016, it looked for all the world as if they had discovered a new opening batsman to serve them for a decade and more.Haseeb Hameed had only played three Tests in that Test series before a broken finger ended his involvement. But so assured had the 19-year-old seemed, so accomplished had he appeared, it looked as if they had discovered Alastair Cook’s successor.It was not to be. Returning to county cricket at the start of 2017, Hameed endured a horrid run of form. He had to wait until August to register a County Championship half-century and at one stage suffered four ducks in nine Championship innings. England couldn’t pick him.The hope was the year would prove to be a blip. But it wasn’t. He averaged 9.70 in the 2018 Championship season and 28.41 in 2019. As much for his good as theirs, Lancashire released him ahead of 2020.Nobody has yet been able to put their finger on what went wrong. There aren’t glaring technical flaws; there’s no lack of effort or obvious weakness. Some claim he wanted it too much. But they all do, really. Unless you’re committed, you won’t rise to the top. Those with simple answers tend to be those with simple minds.Haseeb Hameed had a lean three years in county cricket for Lancashire•Getty Images

But the story isn’t over. Signing for Nottinghamshire ahead of the 2020 season – he wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last to be charmed by their head coach Peter Moores – Hameed enjoyed a steady if unspectacular return to form. Thursday gave us, perhaps, the next step in his rehabilitation, with the announcement that he had signed a contract extension securing his future at Nottinghamshire until at least the end of 2022.Some caution is required here: Hameed averaged 38.85 in 2020. There were three half-centuries in seven innings. That’s pretty good, but there were no centuries and he averaged about half what his opening partner, Ben Slater, did and about 20 fewer than another top-order player on that India tour, Ben Duckett. Talk of an England recall is premature.ALSO READ: Notts move lays foundation for Hameed to reinvigorate his faltering careerStill, it is heartening to see him heading in the right direction, and to see him smiling as he talks about his cricket. He’s still only 23. It’s not unreasonable to think there could be brighter days ahead.As he spoke on Thursday, it became clear how tough some aspects of the last few years have been and, as a consequence, what an achievement it is to return to a position where he is consistently scoring runs.”I didn’t give it too much thought,” he replied when asked whether he considered leaving the game entirely. “Of course when you’re going through a tough phase there are a lot of different voices in your head. You go through that bit of difficult period. You get a number of different thoughts of walking away from the game. I’d say it was very tough. To have had the success I’ve had, to then have what followed… it hit quite hard.”There were hints, too, of what may have helped turn things around. Instead of concentrating on run-scoring, for example, Moores has him focused upon enjoyment. And instead of conversations about what he needed to do, teammates discussed his successes of the past.”The Notts players appreciated this was a new chapter for me,” he said. “And they appreciated you don’t want to dwell on what happened. It was starting afresh. So we’ve just talked about good memories: I was able to score a few runs against Notts in red and white-ball cricket at Trent Bridge. Having those sort of conversations does help. And they signed me as a player. You can take confidence from that.”Cricket is fun again. That became quite a focus: enjoying batting again, enjoying being with my team mates and all those different things. This environment is brilliant for that. It’s a lovely mix of younger lads who are extremely ambitious – Joe Clarke, Ben Duckett, Tom Moores and Zak Chappell – and extremely talented. To have that mix with the older guys who have been around the club for a long time is brilliant.”It’s interesting to note, too, that Moores, once derided for his obsession with data, is now credited with uncluttering Hameed’s mind.”Peter is a big believer in there being an information overload now,” Hameed said. “It’s easy to look at other players and think you’ve got to do this or that. But the key message from Mooresy is: trust your game. Make refinements, yes, but not wholesale changes.”For me right now, it’s less about being so methodical and so watchful. It’s more about letting my game flow and enjoying the art of batting. It’s a case of not getting too caught up in almost survival. Yes, at the top of the order you do need a strong defence. But at the end of the day the game is about scoring runs and there is no point spending 100 balls at the crease to score 10 runs and then getting a good ball or a bad decision, and you’re out.”Haseeb Hameed celebrates with his team-mates after another Nottinghamshire wicket•Getty Images

Most of all, though, the whole episode speaks of a resilience within Hameed. There are no guarantees that he’ll ever recapture the spirit of that 19-year-old with the broken finger in Mohali. But there’s something admirable in the way he’s fought through the bad times. You’d need a heart of stone not to wish him well.”I still look at myself as quite a young man within the game,” he said. “I look at it as something that can propel me to achieve greater things.”One thing I’ve prided myself on from a young age is my best years were after my worst years. As a 15-year-old I won the player of year trophy at Lancashire and three awards at the Bunbury festival and then selection in the England development programme came after a year, when 14, I had the worst year of junior career.”Then I look at not being selected for the U-19 World Cup and, a year later, going to Bangladesh in the senior team. That stuck with me. That tells me I’ve something deep down that won’t let me stop. Of course you have doubts. But that’s when you need something within you, deep down, to stop you giving in and try one more time. That mental resilience has been quite good for me.”Look at those who have achieved great things in life and in sports: these things don’t happen without setbacks and real slumps. The ones that achieve more are the ones who have had the biggest slumps and bigger downfalls. To say those four years have been easy wouldn’t be true. It was very difficult.”But I still want to push. I’m still clear what I want to achieve and I still have the confidence I will get there.”