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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

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• 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.”

Barbados Tridents go down by 47 runs in their opening fixture of CPL 2019

The Report by Peter Della Penna09-Sep-2019Guyana Amazon Warriors kept pace with Trinbago Knight Riders on the opening weekend of CPL 2019, as a fiery half-century from Nicholas Pooran helped them score 72 off the final four overs at Providence, putting a total on the board in the process that was well out of reach of Barbados Tridents. It gave them a 47-run win, which meant that Amazon Warriors ended their initial home slate with three wins from three to equal the Knight Riders on six points, while the rest of the teams remained winless.Pooran struck 61 off 30 balls with five sixes to light up the ground. Romario Shepherd then lit up the stumps in the chase, sitting on a hat-trick at one stage in the process of taking 4 for 13 in just 2.4 overs, as Tridents were bowled out for 133 in just 16.4 overs.A rough night for NurseAshley Nurse had a rough night. Having to go solo after his legspinning wingman Sandeep Lamichhane left the field after one over due to a bad reaction from a topical cream, Nurse went wicketless for 38 runs in his four overs. But worse, he spilled Chandrapaul Hemraj on a fairly straightforward chance off a full toss spliced to extra cover on 37. It allowed the opener to sustain momentum after a pair of early setbacks.Jason Holder had bounced out Brandon King in the second over while Shimron Hetmyer’s sliced drive was intercepted by a brilliant effort diving left at backward point by USA’s Hayden Walsh Jr., on as a sub for Lamichhane. Shoaib Malik was the third batsman to fall for a single-digit score when he edged Roshon Primus behind attempting to run a single to third man, and the tenth over ended on 63 for 3.But the home side scored 117 off their last ten overs, aided in part by the platform laid by Hemraj. Nurse atoned for his error in the 16th, running back from point to claim a skier off of Raymon Reifer’s bowling, but Hemraj had made 63 by that stage, and done a solid job building the foundation for Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford to launch from.Pooran turns it onThe wicketkeeper-batsman put on a sensational hitting display in the waning overs. Rutherford had provided an appetiser with four sixes muscled over the leg side and long-off in a stretch from the 17th through the first ball of the 19th. But Pooran came on strike and provided fans with the main course to lap up when he creamed five sixes off the last eight balls of the innings. He started with a pair of flicks over long-on before working his away around to long-off and finally cover. Almost every ball was pitched on off stump, but his clever use of the crease allowed him to spray the ball at will over different parts of the boundary. The pair left the Tridents shell-shocked heading into the innings break.Striking goldHemraj’s night wasn’t done after his first-innings half-century. He began the chase wiping out prized CPL recruit Alex Hales for a golden duck with a delivery that kept low and Tridents failed to get the wheels going after that. Shoaib continued to cycle through his spinners for the first eight overs as more breakthroughs followed.Shadab Khan struck twice – Johnson Charles caught at deep midwicket and debutant Leniko Boucher at mid-off – before Jonathan Carter dragged Shoaib on defending away from his body. Holder then committed a blunder with a slow response to a drive over cover by JP Duminy, allowing Keemo Paul’s relay to Chris Green to catch him short. Duminy soon dragged on to Paul as well, leaving the score 75 for 6 at the strategic time-out.Shepherd then wiped out the tail in quick time. Nurse’s aggressive counter-attack ended when he was brilliantly caught down the leg side by Pooran, who anticipated an attempted scoop to pull off a fantastic diving catch to his left. Reifer lost track of his stumps shuffling across and was bowled behind his legs first-ball to put Shepherd on a hat-trick. He ended the match in his next over. Primus flat-batted a slog to long-on before Lamichhane was yorked to send everyone home early.

Surrey and Yorkshire are locked in an enthralling contest as Scarborough’s attempts to rival Barbados for sunshine last only a day

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road26-Jun-20181:34

Surrey hit with five-run penalty

ScorecardMist. Mist everywhere. Mist wreathing the sightscreens and the umpires’ coats. Mist masking the terraces around the ground and the refreshment stalls inside it. Mist crippling Surrey’s batsmen as they crept to 219 for 7 in reply to Yorkshire’s 342. Mist halting play nine times and for 25 minutes in all during the evening session as the umpires stood with the players and waited for it to clear. Mist turning Ollie Pope into a young ghost as he battled away for 34 plucky and unbeaten runs in conditions as alien as he can have known. Mist finally stopping play 14.5 overs before the close when more or less everyone gave it best and went home.Rarely can the weather have determined the nature of a day’s cricket as much as it did at North Marine Road this extraordinary Tuesday. The foghorn had sounded at six o’clock in the morning and even two hours later the cars were inching along Queens Parade past fret-gauzed hotels and pedestrians already armed with their copies of the The mist cleared and then swirled in again, invading every crevice and seeming to make an early start unlikely.But the lexis of religious observance is not forced at Scarborough. The faithful still make their pilgrimages on days of obligation and hotels are booked before the second Sunday in Advent. Those who have been coming here since the 1960s have seen it all and remember most of it. They were not dissuaded by the mist. Instead, they talked of these being ideal conditions for seamers like Tony Nicholson who used to rumble in and create havoc in the years when Yorkshire were winning the last three of their seven titles in a decade.This summer is not comparable to those and Steve Patterson’s seamers were made to battle for almost every breakthrough on a chilly Tuesday afternoon. After a morning session in which the mist lifted and 127 runs were scored, 38 of them by the home side’s tailenders, Surrey’s batsmen ground out the runs in a fashion which Yorkshiremen like Doug Padgett or Phil Sharpe might have admired. While Rory Burns profited from the attacking fields to hit 11 boundaries in a 46-ball fifty, the Surrey skipper’s colleagues were more restrained, especially after the mist returned soon after lunch.Before the break Mark Stoneman was caught at the wicket off Ben Coad for 9 and Scott Borthwick also taken by Jonny Tattersall when he skied a pull off Tim Bresnan. If those blows were not bad enough, the session brought disciplinary problems for Surrey. Following a Level One offence being committed by Jade Dernbach (not officially identified) when Jack Brooks and Patterson were extending their ninth-wicket stand to 61, Stoneman dissenting when given out. The two offences in the same game led to five runs being added to the home side’s total. The Scarborough crowd, ever vociferous, rather enjoyed that.The afternoon offered ideal bowling conditions and Yorkshire’s seamers made the most of them. Burns was caught behind off Coad for 59 after adding only five to his lunchtime score. Ryan Patel took nearly two hours over his 32 runs before he was fourth out, caught at slip by Harry Brook off Bresnan; 40 minutes later Theunis de Bruyn, after playing well for his 38, nicked Steve Patterson to TattersallThe murk increased in the evening session and play was stopped. Each hold up attracted barracking; each resumption brought applause. Will Jacks was leg before to Patterson for seven and Rikki Clarke caught and bowled by Bresnan for a duck. By the close Surrey could look back on a day in which they could have crumpled but did not do so. Pope’s innings was a magnificent demonstration of character and resolve in one so young. Yorkshire have the advantage but this match has a long road ahead of it. Let us hope we do not need fog lamps.

A bowler conceded 92 runs off just four legal deliveries as one of cricket’s strangest scorecards emerged from Bangladesh’s domestic cricket this week

Mohammad Isam13-Apr-2017A bowler conceded 92 runs off just four legal deliveries as one of cricket’s strangest scorecards emerged from Bangladesh’s domestic cricket this week. Sujon Mahmud, playing for Lalmatia Club in the Dhaka league’s third tier, gave away 65 wides and bowled 15 no-balls in an over that eventually lasted 20 balls. It meant Axiom Cricketers chased down their 89-run target in less than an over, in an innings that lasted 17 minutes, at the City Club ground in Dhaka on April 11.Mahmud’s bowling, it later emerged, was a form of protest against what Lalmatia alleged to be biased umpiring during the game and throughout this season’s competition. Lalmatia were bowled out for 88.”It started at the toss,” Adnan Ahmed, Lalmatia’s general secretary told . “My captain was not allowed to see the coin and we were sent to bat first and as expected, the umpires’ decisions came against us. My players are young, aged around 17, 18 and 19. They could not tolerate the injustice and thus reacted by giving away 92 runs in four deliveries.”This is not an isolated incident. Earlier this month, the daily reported a scorecard from the same tier of the competition that was manipulated to reflect fewer lbw decisions during a relegation play-off match between Kathalbagan Green Crescent Club and North Bengal Cricket Academy at the Jahangirnagar University ground. According to screenshots from the BCB’s official scoring site, there were four lbws at 11.55am, six at 12.39pm, and five at 1.32pm in the game on April 4.Screenshots of the scorecard from the match between Kathalbagan Green Crescent and North Bengal, at 11.55am (left) and 12.39pm (right)•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

There have been several more complaints about poor umpiring in the Dhaka league system this season and in the last few years, including in the 2016 Dhaka Premier League which is Bangladesh’s main domestic tournament, given List A status.Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis (CCDM) chairman Gazi Golam Mortaza said on Tuesday that his proposal of letting CCDM appoint umpires to each league match wasn’t taken into consideration.”The only solution is for the CCDM to take charge of the umpires during the league. I also proposed that we pick umpires through a lottery, which will take place in front of both team officials the day before their game,” Mortaza told the Bengali daily . “But these proposals weren’t approved.”We don’t get any response from the umpires committee despite repeated calls. We have also requested them several times but to no avail. They insist that appointing umpires is in their jurisdiction, but this is not going to solve anything. CCDM has to decide which umpires will stand for each match.”The Dhaka league system consists of four tournaments, with the Premier League at the top, and the First, Second and Third Divisions below it. The top two teams in each division are promoted and the bottom two relegated.

South Africa have earned themselves an excellent opportunity to win the ODI series against England despite a century An outstanding, unbeaten century from AB de Villiers enabled South Africa to become just the fourth side to come from 2-0 down to win an O

The Report by George Dobell14-Feb-2016An outstanding, unbeaten century from AB de Villiers enabled South Africa to become just the fourth side to come from 2-0 down to win an ODI series after defeating England by five wickets in another enthralling, if error-strewn, match in Cape Town.On a couple of occasions, first as Reece Topley claimed three wickets in nine deliveries and then as England’s spinners provoked a hiccup in mid-innings, it seemed South Africa may buckle under the pressure of chasing their modest target in the fifth and final game.But, in the end, the class of de Villiers, proved decisive. The South Africa captain, playing his 200th ODI, made a sparkling century – the 24th of his career – to lead his side to victory with 36 balls remaining and ensure they did not lose the ODI and Test portions of a home season to the same opposition for the first time since 2001-02.It was not just de Villiers’ extravagant ability to put away the poor ball that made the difference. It was his composure. In a match characterised by missed opportunities and reckless batting, de Villiers was one of the few to combine restraint with his natural positivity.So while England were, for the second match in succession, bowled out within their 50 overs as punishment for some reckless batting, de Villiers attacked with discretion. And while Farhaan Behardien was lured into clubbing to mid-on and Rilee Rossouw, who replaced JP Duminy in the South Africa side, drove to short cover, de Villiers waited for the poor ball and was happy to play out a few dot balls safe in the knowledge that his side had plenty of time.That result – both of the game and the series – represented scant reward for Alex Hales. After four half-centuries – including an innings of 99 at Port Elizabeth – in the first four matches of the series, Hales became the fifth England player to register five successive scores of 50 or more in ODI cricket. The previous four were Geoff Boycott, Graham Gooch, Alec Stewart and Jonathan Trott. None of them had managed it in the same series.Here Hales, with his second and highest ODI century, was the only man to reach 30 as England failed to exploit a frenetic display in the field from South Africa and failed to show the composure required on a pitch offering the bowlers some assistance. It helped Hales finish the series as the leading run-scorer on either side (he amassed 383 runs at an average of 76.60) but he lacked the support to earn England a commanding position.The frustration, from an England perspective, will be that South Africa did not bowl especially well. With de Villiers winning an important toss – rain had kept the pitch under covers until about 30 minutes before the start of an overcast morning – the bowlers benefited from some assistance.AB de Villiers recorded his 24th ODI hundred•Getty Images

But instead of maintaining a tight off stump line and full length, they instead unleashed a barrage of short deliveries and struggled to maintain the tight line that might have brought them greater rewards. Chris Morris, while the quickest of the attack, also conceded four of the 11 wides.Imran Tahir, introduced into the attack in just the fifth over, trapped Jason Roy – beaten a leg break that gripped and hit him on the back leg – with his sixth delivery, while Joe Root was unable to punish Hashim Amla for dropping him on 12 and was adjudged leg before, after a review, when he missed an attempted sweep against the same bowler. Eoin Morgan’s modest series with the bat – he averaged 12.80 – ended when he gave himself room and could only edge a wide delivery outside off stump.While Ben Stokes and Hales were putting on 70 in 11 overs, it appeared South Africa may have squandered their opportunity. But when Stokes, moving across his stumps, was bowled round his legs by Kagiso Rabada, it precipitated a decline that saw England lose five wickets for 37 runs in nine overs in mid-innings.Jos Buttler, beautifully set up by a field that suggested a short ball, was slow to react to the full ball that followed from Rabada and played on, before Moeen Ali, attempting to hit over the top when the situation – with more than 15 overs remaining – required retrenchment, was brilliantly caught at cover. Chris Woakes chipped a half-volley outside leg stump directly to the fielder on the fine leg fence and Adil Rashid then attempted to clear the in field – an unnecessary risk with so much of the innings remaining – and gifted a simple catch to mid-off.Not for the first time, the thought occurred that, for all England’s admirable dynamism and boldness in recent times – and it is worth remembering that is exactly 12 months since they produced a timid performance in their opening match of the World Cup – it might prove rather more successful if it was allied to some common sense and match awareness.On this surface, a total of 280 may well have proved enough, but in attempting to score 320, they left themselves requiring a miracle. They were, once again, the Blackjack player that keeps saying ‘hit me’ until they have a perfect 21. A more sophisticated approach may serve them better.Hales, once again showing the maturity to complement his natural positivity, put away the wayward deliveries – and there were many – with customarily sweet timing to keep his side in the game. Strong off his legs, strong on the cut and pull, he also drove fluently. The on drive that brought up his century, a beautifully timed shot, was reminiscent of the stroke that brought Boycott his 100th hundred.He enjoyed some fortune. He utilised a review, on 20, when umpire Johan Cloete thought he had edged a delivery off Morris – reward, as much as anything, for Hales persuading Roy not to squander the review on his leg-before dismissal – and reached his 50 with an inside edge that flew perilously close to the stumps on its way to the fine leg boundary. Twice more he was slightly late on yorkers, but got enough bat on the ball to squirt the ball past the stumps or slips.Within eight overs of the South Africa reply Topley had three wickets and South Africa were 22 for 3. Quinton de Kock was caught behind – England reviewing a decision that was originally given as not out – before Faf du Plessis was beaten by a beautiful inswinging yorker first ball and Rossouw mistimed a slower ball to cover.But first with Amla and then with David Wiese, who took the pressure off his captain with a thumping 41 off 32 balls, de Villiers kept his head when all others were losing theirs and saw his side to a victory that should restore some confidence going into the T20I section of the tour and the World T20 that follows.

Two young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey at Chester le Street

Les Smith at Chester-le-Street24-Aug-2013
ScorecardJamie Harrison claimed his first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•Getty Images

Two young Durham players, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad, bowled their side into a dominant position against Surrey, who are still 261 runs behind with seven wickets in hand after being made to follow on.From 97 for 6 overnight, were only able to add 11 to their first-innings total. Their tail was mopped up by Harrison, a 22-year-old Lancastrian whose left-arm swing and seamers are delivered at a very brisk pace. He disposed of Surrey’s last three batsmen, two lbw and finally scattering Jade Dernbach’s stumps, without conceding a run.It was Harrison’s first five-wicket return in first-class cricket, taken in his first County Championship appearance this year. Steven Davies, easily Surrey’s most impressive batsman in a poor team showing, stood firm amid the mayhem and finished unbeaten on 41, with his team 313 behind.Harrison was a satisfied young man at the end of the day. He suffered a frustrating 2012 when he was hobbled by shin splints, and has worked hard on his fitness in the meantime. “All through the winter I was in the swimming pool at six in the morning and ten at night, and putting ice on my legs,” he said. “That seems minimal when you take five wickets.”He has also put in a lot of overs, 350-plus, this summer for his club side Stockton and the Durham seconds, and the fitness dividend was clear to see.With an eye on the weather forecast and trusting the bowlers who had served him so well in the first innings, Durham’s captain, Paul Collingwood, enforced the follow-on and Harrison was immediately at it again, bowling Arun Harinath behind his legs for a duck. Rory Burns stood firm for three quarters of an hour but then Collingwood introduced Arshad and the innings took a new direction.Arshad, 20, is making his first class debut, and he looks very useful. From Bingley, near Bradford, he has made his way northwards and impressed the Durham coaches with his performances in the second team this summer.The absence of Ben Stokes with the England Lions has given him his opportunity and he grabbed it. He took two good wickets in Surrey’s first innings, then two in two balls in the second. First he had Burns caught by Scott Borthwick at slip, then he tied up Vikram Solanki, who was caught behind down the leg side.The day’s play was restricted to 23 overs by rain and bad light. The decision by the umpires to take the players off in the late afternoon was not popular with the sparse crowd, and the light didn’t appear at that time to offer any danger to batsmen or fielders. It became academic, however, when rain set in.Harrison said that Durham were confident that, if the weather stays fair on Sunday and their bowlers stay patient, they will take the seven wickets they need for the win. He is probably right.

With rain again playing the decisive role, Essex and Leicestershire had to settle for a draw in their Division Two match at Chelmsford

04-Aug-2012
ScorecardWith rain again playing the decisive role, Essex and Leicestershire had to settle for a draw in their Division Two match at Chelmsford.The adverse weather restricted the action to just under half-an-hour in the morning session, long enough for David Masters to claim his seventh wicket and the visitors, resuming on 336 for nine, were bowled out for 359.This left Essex with a lead of 75 but before they were able to embark upon their second innings, rain returned to wash out further play, stumps being pulled up shortly before 2pm.Shiv Thakor and Matthew Hoggard carried their last-wicket partnership to 56 before Masters struck to finish with a haul of seven for 60 from 26.5 overs to record his best figures of the season.He did so by finding the edge of Hoggard’s bat to Harbhajan Singh, who pouched his fourth slip catch of the innings. His success in that department was in complete contrast to his bowling where he managed just one wicket at a cost of 96 from 37 overs.It was the 23rd time in his first-class career that Masters has claimed five or more wickets in an innings, and underlined his liking for playing against his former county. Last year at Southend, he took eight for 10 as the visitors were swept aside for only 34 in their second innings.Hoggard’s departure for 28 left 18-year-old Thakor stranded on 62, his highest score in the Championship. Neat and compact, the teenager’s effort included three fours and a six but it was an ability to coax the ball into the gaps that was a feature of his knock.Essex, who had gone into the match still had slim hopes that victory would keep alive their promotion aspirations, had to settle for 10 points while the visitors emerged with seven on a day when only 5.5 overs were sent down.In what has proved a miserable summer, Essex have now lost a total of 1,677 overs in the County Championship due to the weather and close on 2,000 overs if the Clydesdale Bank 40 and Friends Life t20 competitions are also taken into account.

West Indies and Guyana umpire Clyde Duncan has died in Trinidad, where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jul-2011Clyde Duncan, the West Indies umpire, died in Trinidad, where he had been undergoing treatment for cancer. Duncan, 57, had officiated in two Tests, one each against Australia and England in the early 90s. He also stood in 21 ODIs and six Twenty20 Internationals, the most recent being when West Indies hosted South Africa in May 2010.Guyana Cricket Board’s president Chetram Singh said Duncan’s loss would be felt across the Caribbean. “Clyde has contributed so much to umpiring in the West Indies and Guyana,” Chetram told . “He was always willing to impart his knowledge to the youngsters.”WICB president Dr. Julien Hunte said: “It is with immense sadness that the Board has learnt of the passing of Clyde. We extend deepest condolences to his wife Fay and their four children.”Clyde served West Indies cricket faithfully for over two decades and was always humble in his service. He was a consummate gentleman, always kind and pleasant and he will be missed in the cricketing fraternity. The West Indian cricket family is poorer with this immense loss.”