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Wicketkeeper hopes new-look England get distracted as they build towards 2025-26 campaign

Vithushan Ehantharajah16-Jul-2024Joshua Da Silva says he is not irked by England already setting their sights on the 2025-26 Ashes – but is more than happy to accept their generosity if such future planning allows West Indies back into the series.A dominant innings and 114-run win at Lord’s gives England a 1-0 lead in this three-match series heading into the second Test at Trent Bridge which begins on Thursday. The first Test was also James Anderson’s retirement party, coinciding with the start of a new era as Gus Atkinson and Jamie Smith excelled on debut, with the former marking the changing of the guard with match figures of 12 for 106.Anderson’s removal from the team, and into a bowling coach role he fulfilled for the first time on Tuesday in Nottingham, was done with a view to regaining the urn in Australia in two winter’s time. The move has been criticised in some quarters, not least for drawing focus away from West Indies.Da Silva, however, does not see the move as a slight and understands England’s motivation to prepare for Australia in advance. Especially if it means underestimating their current opponents.”That’s their biggest fixture of their calendar,” Da Silva said. “So if they’re looking forward, they’re looking to groom some players to make sure they have their team ready for them. I don’t think it’s wrong of them at all.”Nah, it doesn’t hurt us. I don’t study it especially. We still have to play the cricket. If they take us for granted we might get a win, or might win the series. For me, I take that as a favour.”Last week’s dispiriting defeat was followed by an honest discussion among the touring party. The batting efforts of 121 and 136 were the main point of conversation. Although leeway was given for the lack of experience in English conditions, the onus was put on individuals failing to hit their marks.Gudakesh Motie was West Indies’ top-scorer in the match with 31 down at No.9 in the second innings, among a handful of other starts and single-digit scores. On day one they collapsed from a solid 88 for 3 to 121 all out, before they were reduced to 55 for 5 in their second innings the following afternoon.James Anderson dismissed Joshua da Silva for his 704th and final Test wicket•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Da Silva, who pocketed a two-ball duck and nine in his two innings, is optimistic that amends can be made at Trent Bridge.”Obviously in the batting a few of us didn’t stick our hands up,” Da Silva said. “We had a few soft dismissals.”We are pretty disappointed after the first Test. We have put that behind us, we’ve had our discussions, and we are looking forward to the second Test. We are doing everything we can, rebuilding, and going hard forward into the next Test.”It might not look like it, but we’ve taken a few positives. A lot of guys got starts and just didn’t carry on. We talked about soaking up more pressure and how we are going to deal with those situations if we are put in them again. Not losing wickets in clusters.”It’s about reminding ourselves of the process and trusting that process because all of us have a different way of going about it. It’s just about trusting our own game and making sure we get the job done.”West Indies trained on Tuesday morning, pushing through the rain that arrived at the end of their session in the outdoor nets. Shamar Joseph, who suffered from stiffness in his left hamstring during the first Test, was able to bowl despite doubts as to whether he would be able to continue in the XI for the second Test. He could yet be replaced the uncapped Jeremiah Louis, whose brother Mikyle made his debut at Lord’s.”He should be good, yeah,” Da Silva said, on Shamar. “I am not part of the medical team so I can’t really comment. But he bowled a couple in training so I’m sure he will be alright.”Da Silva also insists Anderson’s farewell was not a distraction for the visitors, barring the odd bit of ceremony: “It was the first time I had to walk out, every morning of a Test match, in a line.”The wicketkeeper batter became Anderson’s 704th and final Test victim on Sunday, the veteran signing off with a trademark pearler to take the right-hander’s edge through to Jamie Smith.”I tried my hardest not to be one of those wickets but unfortunately I got a good Jimmy seed,” Da Silva said. “I told him after the game I was trying really hard, and he had a good laugh. What a legend he is, and I’m happy I don’t to have to see him again.”For da Silva, the next few days are as much about improving his own output as helping those around him. With 27 caps, he is the fourth most experienced member of the squad, and he is the only one of three players – along with Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Holder – to score a century against England.Related

• Athanaze: 'Haven't set the world on fire as yet but that is something I'm looking to do'

• Ben Stokes feels the need for speed as England move on from Anderson-Broad era

• Brathwaite hoping his batters 'find a way' to challenge England at Trent Bridge

• Ben Duckett braced for birth of child as Dan Lawrence stands by

• England go back to the future as post-Anderson era begins at Trent Bridge

That came in March 2022, a match-winning effort to secure a 1-0 series win that, ultimately, set England on their way to a new Test captain and coach in Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. It remains da Silva’s only century in the format, though he still sees his experience as something for less seasoned teammates to lean on.”Oddly enough, yes and no,” Da Silva said when asked if he feels like a senior man in the dressing-room. “I’m in the front row of the team picture now so that says a lot!”I like to think that I’ve played enough, have a bit of experience. I don’t know everything and am far from knowing everything about Test cricket so I’m still learning off Kraigg, Jason and Alzarri especially. I hope to see that some of the boys can ask me some questions and just look up to the games that I’ve played.”Da Silva also echoed head coach Andre Coley in calling for a repeat of the resilience the team displayed against Australia at the start of the year when they squared a two-match series at the Gabba after a similarly dismal loss in Adelaide.”It’s something we can look at. It happened the same that time in Australia. We came back and we won the Test. If we can replicate that, all of us will be really happy. It’s not going to be easy again.”

Their six ODIs in the summer will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2023Ireland Women will tour the Caribbean for three ODIs and as many T20Is in June-July and then host world champions Australia for three ODIs in July. Ireland were originally scheduled to play five T20Is in the West Indies but those have been cut down to three and their board chief executive also said a planned multi-format series against Thailand had to be called off as well because of a schedule clash.Ireland will then head to the Netherlands for three more T20Is in August.Australia will be touring Ireland for the second year in a row, having played a tri-series against the hosts and Pakistan last July. The three ODIs this time will be part of the ICC Women’s Championship and will be played in Clontarf on July 23, 25 and 28. Even though it was in the warm-ups, Ireland had recently stunned Australia with a three-wicket win before the T20 World Cup in February when they had chased down 169.To start their summer, Ireland will leave for the Caribbean in late June for the ODIs – also part of the Women’s Championship – on June 26, 29 and July 2 followed by the T20Is on July 5, 7 and 9. Cricket West Indies (CWI) is yet to announce the venues for these games.It’s the first time Ireland are part of the Women’s Championship cycle, which is now a ten-team tournament with Bangladesh also included.”It can’t be under-estimated how important participation in the ICC Women’s Championship has been for Ireland – both in attracting top sides to Ireland and playing away in some great, but challenging venues,” Warren Deutrom, chief executive of Cricket Ireland, said was quoted as saying in a release. “The experience that our Ireland Women’s squad is gaining is invaluable to their development. Combined with their participation in the recently completed T20 World Cup, 2023 is a big year for the squad and they have already demonstrated their potential over the last six months or more.”We recently showed in the warm-up win over Australia at the past T20 World Cup, and the nail-biting Group Stage match against the West Indies, that we can compete with the best – the two upcoming series’ will obviously be a different challenge, but the squad will be well prepared by [head coach] Ed Joyce.”The three T20Is in Netherlands will be played on August 14, 16 and 17 in Amstelveen.”We are aware, however, that the players will better develop by playing more fixtures – and to this end, it was unfortunate that a planned multi-format series against Thailand scheduled for June have fallen through as a result of a clash with the Asia Cup,” Deutrom further said.

The former Pakistan batter played two Tests, in 1969 and 1975

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2022Aftab Baloch, a domestic giant from the 1970s, maker of Pakistan’s second domestic quadruple ton, and a batter who could have played more than his two Tests for Pakistan, has died. He was 68 years old.Baloch is probably best remembered for the 428 he made as captain of Sindh against Balochistan in Karachi during the 1973-74 Quaid-e-Azam trophy. He added 174 for the fifth wicket in that game with a young Javed Miandad, playing only his eighth first-class game. It remains the only 400-plus score made by a Pakistani in first-class cricket other than Hanif Mohammad’s legendary 499, made 15 years before that.But there was much greater pedigree to Baloch beyond that one innings. His father Shamsher Baloch had played for Gujarat and Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy in pre-partition India. And Aftab’s first-class debut as a 16-year-old was testament to his talent: he scored an unbeaten 77 batting at number nine, and took 12 wickets in an easy win for PwD (Public Works Department) over Hyderabad Blues in August 1969 in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.Miandad’s presence in the 428 match, however, was significant in that it was testament to the depth in Pakistan’s batting during that decade, a depth that kept Baloch out of the side. Between the 1972-73 season and the 1977-78 season, Baloch was at his peak: he scored 5025 runs in Pakistani first-class cricket, averaging nearly 55 with 14 tons.At the same time, Pakistan had a batting order built around Sadiq Mohammad, Majid Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal and Mushtaq Mohammad – and then, eventually, Miandad himself. It was among the strongest batting line-ups Pakistan has ever had in Tests.In those peak years Baloch enjoyed considerable success as captain of a strong National Bank side. He led them to the Patron’s Trophy title in the 1974-75 season and then a double of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy and the Patron’s Trophy again the very next season. The next season he again led them to the finals of both tournaments, though this time they lost both (on first-innings scores rather than outright defeat). Baloch scored three hundreds across all those finals.In the midst of that run, he did at least get a Test, against the visiting West Indies at Gaddafi Stadium in February 1975. It was his second, after a debut in 1969, and he did well: he hit an unbeaten 60 in the second innings against a pre-great West Indies attack that still included Andy Roberts and Lance Gibbs. It was to be his last Test, in a side that would two years later become a serious force on tours of Australia and West Indies.”I am deeply saddened to hear the passing of Aftab Baloch, who was one the most popular cricketers when I was growing up,” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja said in a statement. “I not only had the privilege of watching him in action, but also played against him in the twilight of his career.”As he was a close friend of my late brother Wasim Hasan Raja, I knew him well outside the field of play and always admired him for his passion, love and understanding of the game. He was gentle, friendly and caring, and had qualities that made him a widely respected and loved person.”

Both teams have lost three out of four games and are desperate for a change in form

Alagappan Muthu03-Oct-20206:53

Gambhir: I would never drop Watson

Big picture

Chennai Super Kings don’t change. Instead, they keep picking their best players, wait for the moment it all clicks and then just keep on winning. But what if the team actually change? Like a wicket-taking spinner, someone opposition batsmen feel they have to respect, someone like Imran Tahir. It will bring down the targets they have to chase, helping fix another of their issues – a woeful opening partnership – but the downside there is the 41-year old leggie offers very little with the bat and not that much in the field. Even so, how long can Super Kings afford a spin bowling line-up with the second-worst economy rate (9.34) and the second-worst average (38.71) in this tournament?Kings XI’s concerns seem clearer. Their batting line-up is filled with match-winners but it is undermined by poor death bowling resources. Chris Jordan could fix that, but he’ll need time. Fixing holes in the XI helps, but to win and keep winning, you have to make fewer mistakes. Super Kings, with both ball and bat, and Kings XI, with ball mostly, haven’t quite got to that level yet.

In the news

• Stephen Fleming backed Shane Watson and Kedar Jadhav to find their form after Super Kings’ last defeat, which means there are unlikely to be personnel changes.
• If Kings XI go with a six-bowler strategy, KL Rahul wants one of them to be an allrounder. Jordan’s good at whacking it. He could be in contention.

KL Rahul is one half of IPL 2020’s best opening partnership•BCCI

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ambati Rayudu, 4 Kedar Jadhav, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Piyush ChawlaKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Mandeep Singh, 6 Sarfaraz Khan/ K Gowtham, 7 Chris Jordan/ Mujeeb ur Rahman, 8 M Ashwin/ Ishan Porel, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Mohammed Shami

Strategy punt

• Mayank Agarwal vs fast bowling in IPL 2020 is a revealing study of contrasts. Overall, he has made 81 runs off 62 balls with one dismissal, but filter it and look at his stats against incoming deliveries and a weakness emerges. The hard-hitting, room-loving, off-side dominant batsman has made only 19 runs off 27 incoming balls and lost his wicket to it as well in his last game. Super Kings should match him up against swing bowlers Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran and ask them to focus on attacking this weakness.
• Dwayne Bravo, in addition to his death-bowling ability, has been brought in to hit the big ones. But Kings XI have a way to stop him. Sheldon Cottrell has a superb T20 record against Super Kings’ star allrounder: 27 runs off 30 balls and three dismissals.

Stats that matter

• Super Kings’ biggest problem this season has been their opening partnership, which averages 13 and strikes at 96. They are the cause for the team falling behind so early in chases and forcing the middle order to delay power-hitting for fear of getting bowled out.
• Kings XI have no such issues with KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are averaging 69 as a partnership, while also striking at 157. It’s worst vs best tomorrow.
• Sam Curran has a strike rate of 268 in this IPL, which is the highest for a batsman with at least 50 runs this season. Super Kings will want to find more time for him in the middle. Opener, perhaps? (He has two fifties and strikes at 147 in the position in all T20s)
• Sheldon Cottrell has been brilliant for Kings XI in the powerplay. He has taken four wickets in four games, the most for any bowler in IPL 2020 in the first six overs. He will be instrumental in getting the early wickets against Super Kings – a team that doesn’t start well.

Mohammad Amir opens up on his strategy against Australia that fetched him his maiden career ODI five-wicket haul

Danyal Rasool13-Jun-2019Mohammad Amir’s spell against Australia was one of the few bright moments on a day that, for Pakistan fans, proved grey in more ways than one.Under overcast conditions at Taunton, Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed looked especially pleased to have won the toss and put Australia in; Pakistan had left out their ace spinner Shadab Khan specifically for this eventuality. The joy would soon evaporate, however, as Australia put on 146 for the first wicket in 22 overs, looking well on track for a total above 350 on a pitch where the par score was at least 75 runs below that.That they didn’t manage to get there was thanks almost solely to one man, Amir needing to come up with career-best figures – including a first ever five-wicket haul in ODI cricket – to bowl Australia out for 307 in 49 overs. Given the impregnable position they had been in less than two hours earlier, it was an impressive passage of play for Pakistan, and a reminder of why Sarfaraz had opted to bowl first – this was what Pakistan had hoped would transpire for all 50 overs, not just the second half.That Amir would need to fight something of a lone hand was evident in the first five overs, where despite the left-armer having conceded just three runs in his first three, Australia had raced to 27 in the opening 5. Shaheen Afridi, playing in place of Shadab, hadn’t made the selectors look too bright with an opening two overs where he was much too short, far too predictable, and way too inaccurate to complement his colleague at the other end. Perhaps he, or indeed Hasan Ali who followed him, hadn’t figured out the best strategy for the pitch – something Amir said he had sussed out as early as the first over.”As soon as I bowled the first over, I got the idea it wasn’t swinging, it was seaming,” he told the PCB’s official website. “So I was just floating the ball and making sure I put it in the right area instead of putting too much work onto it at the point of release. And the movement it generated came off the seam. It was just a matter of hitting the right areas on this wicket and I did that effectively.”There’s no doubt Australia batted well, but in the first 10-15 overs, we weren’t able to pitch the ball up as consistently as we needed to. I think that might have been the difference between a score of 250-260, and the 300 plus they ended up getting.”The five-wicket haul means Amir is now the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup (10), a remarkable turnaround in form from just a few weeks ago. In the initial squad, named on April 18, Amir had been left out by Pakistan because his ability to strike at the top of the innings had deserted him. Before the first game of the World Cup, he had managed just five ODI wickets in the two years since the end of the 2017 Champions Trophy, and none in the first Powerplay for 17 months – 12 consecutive ODIs. It was his uncanny ability to keep the runscoring down at all stages of an innings, however, that saw him get the nod at the end. At Taunton, he was impressive by both metrics, conceding just thirty runs in ten overs even as Australia ran up a total of 307.Even so, he acknowledged his personal glee was tempered significantly by the 41-run defeat, which leaves Pakistan precious little margin for error if they are to make it to the semi-finals.”It would have been a lot more satiating if we’d won, of course,” Amir admitted. “We have to win every single game now. We can’t lose even one. We have to go into each match with a positive mindset, because pressure exists for every team, not just Pakistan. If we continue to play the positive cricket we played for parts of the Australia game, I’m sure we can win.”

With his team’s World Cup dreams all but shattered, a devastated Zimbabwe captain lamented the two missed opportunities to qualify against West Indies and UAE

Liam Brickhill22-Mar-2018With his team’s World Cup dreams all but shattered, a devastated Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer lamented the two missed opportunities to qualify against West Indies and UAE. Zimbabwe needed a win in either match to be sure of their place.”It’s very painful,” Cremer said. “We had two bites at getting to the final, and we’ve stumbled at the last hurdle.”We were so hungry [to win today]. The ball was in our court, we just needed to turn up today and play some of our best cricket, then it might have been a different story. Guys are shattered in the change room. I’m sure most Zimbabweans are.”This tournament has seen packed terraces for all of Zimbabwe’s games, and Harare Sports Club was filled to capacity for their match against UAE. At one point in the afternoon, the gates were closed and people were being turned away from the match. But despite the vocal home support, they once again fell short.”The fans have been excellent, from Bulawayo to here, and another great turnout today. They’ll probably be more disappointed than anyone, because they’ve turned out and at least expected us to win one of these two games to qualify. So there was big expectation on us. We’re really sad that we couldn’t give them what they wanted.”Zimbabwe had found success in this tournament by setting totals, but after winning the toss on Thursday, Cremer opted to bowl. Zimbabwe picked up the early wicket of Ashfaq Ahmed, but UAE’s top five rallied to put them into a good position, with Rameez Shahzad top-scoring with 59. Once again, Zimbabwe weren’t quite as sharp as they needed to be in the field.”We were a bit unsure but we backed ourselves that whatever we did, bat or bowl, we will come out on top. We gave them a few too many, and then to only have 40 overs with the bat, that cost us a bit. We’d still back ourselves to chase 230 in 40 overs, but a poor start again. We keep losing wickets in that first Powerplay, which has probably cost us.”Zimbabwe lost Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor cheaply in their chase, but were revived by Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza. Williams raced to 80 at a run a ball, while Raza was quickly into his groove with a 26-ball 34. Neither was able to take their side home, however, and with their dismissals, UAE took control of the game.”When we were batting we got a few partnerships going but we lost wickets in crucial periods,” Cremer said. “When Raza got out, that was crucial for us. Because he could have won that game with a couple of overs to spare, the way he was batting. When Sean got out, that was another big moment in the game.”While Cremer rued a missed opportunity that could have far-reaching consequences for Zimbabwean cricket, UAE captain Rohan Mustafa celebrated what is a major milestone for his team: taking down a Full Member.”A great achievement for the UAE team, because we have never won against a Test nation team,” Mustafa said. “So it’s a great achievement, and it shows the world that UAE, and the other Associate countries, are getting better.”We can take confidence from this match, because we beat such a good team. Zimbabwe is one of the best teams in this tournament, and we beat them. So there is a lesson for us, and it will help us.”

A round-up of Group A matches on the opening day of the 2016-17 Vijay Hazare Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2017At the Palam Grounds, Deepak Hooda began the tournament with his maiden List A century that set up Baroda’s 30-run win over Railways. Hooda’s 106-ball 119 lifted Baroda to 259 for 9 before their bowlers hunted in a pack to dismiss Railways for 229.Railways gained the upper hand early after they opted to field, reducing Baroda to 36 for 2 in the 14th over. Hooda joined hands with Kedar Devdhar to resurrect the Baroda innings through a 135-run third-wicket partnership. Devdhar contributed 77, and once he was caught off Ashish Yadav, Baroda again began losing wickets at frequent intervals. But Hooda batted till the penultimate over to lift them to a reasonable total.Railways made a solid start to their chase through a 60-run opening stand in 11.4 overs. Babashafi Pathan broke through, having Asad Pathan trapped in front for 34. Saurabh Wakaskar, his opening partner, continued to grind it out for 58, but the rest of the middle order, barring Shivakant Shukla (33) largely failed to make an impression and they fell short of the target. Six of the seven bowlers used by Baroda were among the wickets, with Krunal Pandya finishing on top with three wickets.At the Karnail Singh Stadium, half-centuries from Chaitanya Bishnoi and Rahul Tewatia drove Haryana’s chase of 230 with five wickets in hand against Odisha. Bishnoi first stitched together 56 for the third wicket with Himanshu Rana after Haryana were reduced to 37 for 2. Haryana then lost their next three wickets for 40 runs, but Bishnoi (83*) and Tewatia (62*) both produced career-best efforts in their unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 97 to shut out Odisha.Haryana could have been chasing a lot more had they not squandered a strong position. Their openers Sandeep Pattnaik (91) and Anurag Sarangi (77) put on 157 in 33.5 overs after their team opted to bat. Joginder Sharma’s double-strike in the 34th saw the back of Sarangi and Odisha captain Govinda Poddar, after which it was a procession of wickets as Odisha folded for 229 in 47.5 overs.At the Feroz Shah Kotla, medium pacer Siddarth Kaul’s four-wicket haul went in vain as Punjab chased down 219 on the back of Mandeep Singh’s 86 not out, with six wickets in hand against Vidarbha. Vidarbha’s top four made solid contributions to get them into a solid position, but Kaul ran through the lower order as Vidarbha slid from 128 for 2 to be bowled out for 218. Kaul’s wickets included that of Ambati Rayudu, who top-scored with 86.Half-centuries from Manan Vohra and Mandeep set the tone for Punjab’s chase as they raced to 91 in the 19th over, before Akshay Karnewar’s left-arm spin accounted for Vohra for an even 50. Shubham Gill and Gurkeerat Singh fell without doing much as Punjab became 118 for 3. Abhishek Sharma then took the score past 200 in the company of Mandeep. When he fell for 46, only 18 were needed, which Mandeep and Mayank Sidhana knocked off with just under nine overs to spare.

Steven Finn could be fast-tracked straight into England’s Test team for next week’s Boxing Day Test at Durban, with the management expected to give him an opportunity to prove his match fitness in Sunday’s final warm-up game against South Africa A at Piet

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2015Steven Finn could be handed a chance to play his way straight back into England’s Test team for next week’s Boxing Day Test at Durban when Sunday’s final warm-up game against South Africa A gets underway in Pietermaritzburg.However, the England management’s eagerness to give him an opportunity to prove his match fitness may have to be weighed against the need to give their original squad bowlers enough overs going into the first Test, following the untimely thunderstorm that wiped out the final innings of their first practice match in Potchefstroom.England are expected to inquire about rescinding the second fixture’s first-class status and making it another 13-a-side affair. However, South Africa A have provided a strong opposition containing several international players, including Quinton de Kock and Dane Vilas, and there may be justifiable reluctance to agree to such a move.Finn, who was forced to pull out of England’s Test series in the UAE in October after suffering a bone-stress injury in his left foot, was drafted into the squad as a late addition last week after impressing for England Lions in two Twenty20 comeback appearances against Pakistan A in Dubai.The initial suggestion had been that Finn would not come into consideration for a place until the second Test at the earliest, which gets underway at Cape Town on January 2.However, the pace and hostility that he displayed in his two four-over outings in the UAE have been on display in the nets at Potchefstroom, where a final-day thunderstorm curtailed the opportunities for his two main rivals for a Test berth, Chris Woakes and Mark Footitt, to advance their claims during the opening warm-up match.Ottis Gibson, England’s bowling coach, said of Finn: “The understanding is that once he has made it here he is added to the squad and therefore if he proves in the next couple of days that he is ready, my understanding is that everybody is available for selection.”He has been excellent. He has obviously done a lot of work in the UAE and the guys over there who looked after him did a great job getting him up to speed.”He hasn’t played a game but given the facilities here he has done a lot of good stuff in the nets and put himself right in the frame.”With James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes – who has himself recovered from injury in the Pakistan series – all certain selections for Durban, their match readiness may have to be the main focus in the three-day fixture at City Oval. Anderson and Broad bowled 11 overs between them in the first match.However, Gibson said that Anderson in particular would not need much in the way of warming-up ahead of the first Test. “The stage he is at in his career you treat him slightly different to someone who’s just coming in,” he said. “He’s a very experienced senior pro and he knows exactly what he needs to get himself ready for a Test match nowadays.”Steven Finn could yet feature in the Boxing Day Test•Getty Images

The early front-runner for the third seamer’s berth was Footitt, the Surrey left-arm seamer who has forced his way into the squad at the age of 30 after collecting 158 Championship wickets in the space of two seasons for his former club, Derbyshire.His initial efforts in the opening tour match against a South Africa Invitational XI were a touch erratic, however, and Gibson suggested that his best chance of success would come if he finds a way to relax and believe in his ability.”There were obviously nerves and everything with it being his first bowl for England but he got a wicket and then settled down,” Gibson told reporters.”It’s his bowling for Derby over the last couple of years that has got him here and my message to him is to do exactly what he’s been doing for them. There’s no point him trying to be someone else when he gets here.”He’s impressed the selectors – that’s why he got picked – so the best thing he can do now is relax in this environment because that’s the way for him to produce his best.”Footitt’s 90mph pace and left-arm line would doubtless prove an asset in the Kingsmead Test, a venue that has traditionally favoured fast bowling. Like Finn, his full-throttle approach would provide a strong and contrasting back-up to the established new-ball pairing of Anderson and Broad, and would provide a hostile counterpoint to South Africa’s renowned pace attack, which looks set to be led once again by Dale Steyn, after he came through a fitness test on the groin injury that he sustained during the Test series in India.”The way he has taken wickets over the last couple of years should give him the confidence to believe he can do it here,” Gibson added of Footitt. “It’s a step up but the key thing for him is to find the balance of managing his nerves and being as relaxed as he can to do what he has been doing for the last two seasons.”He’s got good pace, he can swing it and he’s a wicket-taker. He is going to be an asset.”

Steve Mullaney and Paul Franks cut loose after solid work by the Nottinghamshire top order before late wickets put Yorkshire on the back foot

Paul Edwards at North Marine Road06-Jun-2013
ScorecardSteven Mullaney’s innings helped Nottinghamshire up the tempo of their innings•Getty Images

For four sessions this match was rich in adagio and short on allegro. No shame in that, of course. Nottinghamshire’s batsmen were charged with building a substantial first-innings total on a testing wicket against an accurateYorkshire attack. Their lunchtime score on the second day – 242 for 5 off 101.5 overs – bore testimony to the hard work both sides had doneThere had been no criticism of the tempo of the cricket from the knowledgeable crowd either. Decked as they were in sunhats and pastel shades on this glorious Thursday in June, promenaders of both loyalties understood very well that it is not always possible to play festival cricket, even at Scarborough.And, yes, there is often a symphonic quality to a fine innings, whether it is played by a team or an individual. Not for nothing do the coaches talk about the value of batting in partnerships: one pair shows fierce restraint in order that their successors can play with gorgeous freedom.Nottinghamshire’s first innings 443 possessed something of this musical balance.
Michael Lumb and Ed Cowan’s 101-run stand on the first day was the prelude to Lumb’s attack on the Yorkshire attack in the evening session. On Thursday, Lumb and Taylor, the latter batsman probably carrying his defensive duties from principle to dogma, blunted Andrew Gale’s bowlers in the morning in the hope that a big score would be the consequence of their self-denying ordinance.Lumb added 19 runs to his overnight score before being caught by second-slip Adam Lyth off Steven Patterson for 135; Taylor had faced 148 balls for his 38 runs when he unwisely tried to whip the same admirable fast bowler to leg in the over before lunch.The strategy bore fruit but the sheer brio and chutzpah of what took place in the afternoon session still came as a lovely surprise for Nottinghamshire fans, many of whom were prepared for yet more studious sonatas and scurried singles. Steven Mullaney, unbeaten on nought at the break, unveiled a series of excellent drives and cuts as the Yorkshire bowlers finally forswore their vows of rectitude and accuracy.In company with Paul Franks, Mullaney added 87 in 16 overs before he was caught off bat and boot at short leg for a 97-ball 79. Richard Pyrah came in for particularly rough treatment, Mullaney cutting and gliding the medium-pacer for five boundaries in nine balls. And before dismissing Mullaney, Adil Rashid had been hit for two sixes, one straight, the other over long-on as the batsman capitalised on his colleagues’ work.After tea Franks, too, played with far greater freedom as the innings moved from exposition to its final development. Long regarded as one of county cricket’s more valuable performers – a players’ player, if you will – Franks made 70 off 108 balls, taking his team’s total beyond the 400-mark and finally battering Gale’s bowlers into defeat. Three late wickets made not a minim of difference to the balance of the piece. Patterson, who took 3 for 74 off 37 overs was the pick of the Yorkshire attack and it is a little puzzling that this most consistent of seamers has never received any sort of England call.There was a late clatter of wickets for the Nottinghamshire supporters to enjoy too. Luke Fletcher and Harry Gurney are one of the English game’s more hostile pace duos. With the new ball and on a pitch that offers bounce and movement to those prepared to bend their backs, the pair removed Adam Lyth and Alex Lees and nightwatchman Patterson, the latter getting a touch to a Hannibal Lecter of a delivery: it was very nasty and went straight for the throat.Yorkshire still need 265 runs to avoid the follow-on. Almost every member of Chris Read’s orchestra had played their parts to perfection; there had been few duff notes. It was something for home supporters to ponder as they made their way out of North Marine Road and back to their hotels and guest houses on a tearfully lovely evening. They may place their hopes on yet another virtuoso performance with the bat from Rashid. But they cannot rely on their newly crowned maestro forever.

Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has said he needs to bat higher up the order to covert his double figures scores to three figures.

Umar Farooq30-Apr-2012Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has said he needs to bat higher up the order to covert his double figures scores to three figures. He scored his only ODI hundred three years back in Sri Lanka and has pressed for the chance to make more when Pakistan return to the country in June.Pakistan’s ODI line up is currently in transition with Umar moving around the middle order. He has been tried from No 3 to No. 7 with most of his success coming at No 6, where he has scored 935 runs in 28 matches at 40.65, and at No. 5, where his record stands at 811 in 21 matches at 40.55.But Umar believes that a rise in the order will improve his record and he is making no secret about his ambition.”It’s a matter of the batting order that I’m not able to score a hundred,” Umar told reporters in Lahore. “When I am batting down the order, sometimes I have to bat in a crisis when the top order has stumbled and sometimes I get fewer overs to bat otherwise I have the tendency to score in three figures.”Apart from the first three, Pakistan are flexible with their batting order, sending in batsmen accordingly to the state of the game. Umar said: “If I bat at the top of the order, mainly at No. 4, then it would be easy for me to extend my innings and convert my 30 and 40-odd scores to a hefty innings.”I am doing all the necessary training with the coaches in the Academy and playing club matches to apply my learning. I am building myself to get ready for the Sri Lanka series where I had a wonderful debut. I am setting my target to be the man of the series.”Umar, 21, scored his maiden ODI hundred in his third match of his career while, on the third day of his debut Test, he hit a century, becoming only the second Pakistani to score a hundred on debut away from home.He has gone on to play 63 ODIs and 16 Tests so far, but reaching a hiundred has been a rare instance for him since his hugely-impressive debut in 2009. His Test place is still uncertain though has an assured place in limited-over squad.