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Lockie Ferguson took three wickets on his return from injury ahead of the T20I series

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2019Jonny Bairstow wants to use the T20I series against New Zealand as a route back into Test cricket, after his omission following a lean summer, and he has started the tour with an unbeaten 78 off 45 balls as England XI chased down 173 with 11 balls to spare at Lincoln.After a somewhat ragged and rusty display in the field on a blustery day – which included four dropped catches, three off Pat Brown – England slipped to 51 for 3 in the chase. Lockie Ferguson, returning to action after a broken thumb, removed Tom Banton, who struck his second ball for six, James Vince and Joe Denly to sit with 3 for 8 off two overs.Bairstow and newly promoted vice-captain Sam Billings then steadied things with a stand of 61 with Sam Curran then helping close out the chase with 28 off 15 balls, including the winning six. Ferguson’s figures were damaged when his last over was taken for 21. Captain Eoin Morgan opted to give others a hit as he slid down the order.”I’m on this tour to naturally score as many runs as possible,” said Bairstow. “That’s what’s going to be the key to winning games of cricket.”Selection is gone now. I’ve got some things to work on, I’m working very hard and I’m really enjoying that challenge.”Morgan had opted to bowl with a new-look attack feature Brown and Saqib Mahmood. It was the more experienced Chris Jordan who struck first and then Adil Rashid claimed a wicket with his fourth delivery in his first match since the World Cup final.However, the New Zealand XI put the visitors under pressure with Anton Devcich and Anaru Kitchen striking enterprising half-centuries off 35 and 36 balls respectively as they benefited from England’s poor catching. Having suffered the most with three drops, Brown managed to claim his first wicket off his final delivery when Christian Leopard was caught in the deep.Josh Clarkson gave the innings a strong finish by sending Mahmood, who was guilty of two of the missed chances, for sixes off the last two deliveries.

Surrey’s winning run ends at nine after Taunton covering fails and pitch damaged by tyre tracks

David Hopps21-Sep-2018
ScorecardSomerset pleaded an “Act of God” after Storm Bronagh proved too much for the Taunton covers and prevented the champions, Surrey, from recording their tenth Championship victory on the trot.Gales as strong as Storm Force 9, combined with torrential rain, battered Taunton overnight and when the groundstaff arrived on Friday morning they discovered that water on the pitch had made conditions unplayable.Photographs of the surface also suggested that the soft and wet pitch had also been damaged by tyre tracks – presumably as the covers were removed.Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, expressed “massive frustration” and questioned how much worse it would have been if the match had been a Championship decider: that had seemed possible deep into the season until Somerset were unable to keep pace with Surrey’s winning run.”It was very windy and I am sure that Somerset haven’t done this on purpose in any shape or form,” he said. “But we were trying to win a game and make it ten on the bounce. Whatever happened, we were well ahead, so it’s massive frustration.Damage on the Taunton pitch•Getty Images

“Imagine if this game had been a championship decider, which at one stage it looked like it might have been. It’s worth the ECB looking ahead to prevent this sort of thing happening again.”What are the repercussions? It is just an abandoned game. Is it the home side’s responsibility to make sure the covering is secure? I don’t know.”According to Somerset’s chief executive, Andrew Cornish, the storm lifted up the covers at one end.”The covers have lifted up slightly at one end,” he said. “That caused the flat cover to move away. Water has got underneath and settled in an area which the umpires deemed has made the pitch unplayable.”It’s really frustrating and not how we wanted out home season to finish. It’s frustrating for people who have come down from London and stayed overnight and those who have been down here for the duration. But this is an act of God and there was nothing we could do.”We had additional sandbags on the covers last night, we had secondary ties on the covers last night and nobody can remember anything like this happening before. It was a prolonged storm last night.”Somerset were already in danger of incurring the ECB’s wrath. They were warned by the ECB’s disciplinary committee that they were “treading a very fine line” after a tie with Lancashire on a sharply-turning pitch in their last home fixture that was eventually marked as “below average.They produced a much flatter surface for Surrey’s visit and began the final day in danger of defeat, still trailing by 174 runs with only seven second-innings wickets standing.Alec Stewart admitted to Surrey’s “massive frustration”•Getty Images

There will be relief therefore in the south west to hear Cornish’s assurance that the ECB had no plans for an investigation. “There was only one conclusion that the umpires could come to and they took that decision early to let as many people as possible know,” he said.”The match officials have been in touch with the ECB and they understand the situation. That’s the matter closed.”As for Surrey, whose lead over Somerset has now stretched to 68 points, they must settle for a record of nine successive Championship wins, a feat not achieved since 1957, the first year that the England captain, Peter May, also took charge of the county side.

South Africa’s Test captain draws parallels from the tour of Australia last year where the visitors dominated the series after being pushed against the wall early on

Firdose Moonda26-Jul-2017Professional sportsmen claim the media serves mostly as a distraction, so they try to avoid it, especially mid-series. But for South Africa, the English press has been a barometer to measure how far under the opposition’s skin they are getting. If the reaction from Trent Bridge is anything to go by, they’ve burrowed deep into England’s epidermis.The immediate analysis focused on England’s batting issues, with several former players slamming their attacking approach. In the days since, everything from Joe Root’s captaincy, which is only two Tests old, to the mindgames England have had to play with Moeen Ali, which essentially involve convincing him he is not the best spinner in the squad even though it is obvious that he is, have come under the microscope. For Faf du Plessis, that only helps put the hosts under pressure, in much the same way as the Australian media did during South Africa’s tour in November 2016.”The situation feels very similar to Australia,” du Plessis said. “After the first game in Australia when we beat them, there was quite a bit of press against the Australian cricket team and then we stepped our game up even more in the second Test and then after that, it was a free for all. You could see the Australian team were feeling a bit of pressure.”Cries of a crisis dominated headlines in Australia after South Africa bounced back from losing Dale Steyn to a broken shoulder on the first day of the first Test in Perth – eventually winning that Test – and then handed Australia a hiding in Hobart. With the series lost, Australia’s then selection-chief Rod Marsh stepped down. England are not at the same tipping point, especially as they give new captain Root the leeway to let his leadership style settle. But, the questions over which direction the Test team is headed in under Trevor Bayliss will mount.Knowing that kind of angst is also hovering around England gives South Africa a vulnerability to try and exploit. “All teams don’t want to feel the pressure and you do feel the pressure when you don’t play your best cricket, that’s part of the game,” du Plessis said. “The England cricket team will be the first to say that they will accept criticism from the last Test match and they will try and brush it off straightaway and start a new game fresh and play some good cricket. And we will certainly try and make use of pressure wherever we can.”Exactly how South Africa will look to use the current uncertainties in the England camp is a detail du Plessis will keep to himself, but using the recent past as an indicator suggests that they will rely on their unity to force the opposition to question themselves. In the last season, South Africa have several members of the squad step up – rather one or two standout performers – and the absence of superstars like AB de Villiers and Steyn caused no hindrance, as predicted. It may even have helped South Africa because these days, despite having only lost one series on the road in ten years between 2006 and 2016, South Africa go into big contests under-rated. And that suits du Plessis just fine.”We don’t always have the names that we used to have and that is how I see our team’s strength. Our focus is on every guy in the team playing a small role to get us over the line. We’ve never wanted to rely on big names,” he said. “You get players that are consistent and put in big performances but if you look at our last year and a half or so of Test cricket, there’s been unsung heroes all the time that have stepped up and made plays for the team when we most wanted them to. I will be very happy to keep being the under-rated team and by making sure that if we keep putting in small performances, we put pressure on the big, strong teams around the world.”In Perth, it was Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj who picked up Steyn’s load. In Hobart, it was Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott. In Wellington, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma shared in a series-winning partnership and in Nottingham, runs from Hashim Amla, an all-round effort from Philander and crucial contributions from the likes of de Kock, Maharaj and Chris Morris allowed South Africa to level the series. They’re now in prime position to take the lead and set themselves up for another away win, a result that would further accelerate du Plessis’ vision of the team he wants to create.”When I took over, it was at a time of real darkness as a Test team and I had a vision of where I wanted us to go, and a blueprint for getting there. But getting there doesn’t always happen, you have to be patient and wait for it to unfold. Luckily things happened a lot quicker than I thought it would,” he said. “We’ve won every series that we’ve played, it’s been a good year for the team and for my captaincy.”Du Plessis first led South Africa in August 2016, when they were ranked No.7. Under him, they have climbed to No.2 in less than a year. In that time, their only major gripe has been that none of their batsmen have scored big runs consistently, and that continues to be a challenge in this series. South Africa don’t have a centurion, but England only have one and conditions have not lent themselves to excessive scoring. Du Plessis would like to see that change but isn’t labouring the point, because he knows the media can do that for him.”The conditions that we’ve been playing in haven’t been massive for scoring big runs.I’m not concerned, it’s a case of trusting yourself, of backing yourself, because if you keep talking too much about it, it can I suppose derail you from keeping it really simple,” he said. “We know as a batting unit that we need to do it, and if someone gets an opportunity to score runs they just need to be hungry that’s all I can ask for. If you’re hungry to make big plays for the team then the hundreds will come.”

The inaugural season of the Tamil Nadu Premier League that will be held for two weeks in August-September will consist of 27 matches played across three venues – Chennai, Tirunelveli and Natham

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-2016The bidding for eight franchises in the inaugural Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) has fetched a total of INR 33 crore, with Thoothukudi Sports & Entertainments Private Limited making the highest bid of INR 5.21 crore for the ownership rights of the Thoothukudi team. According to Tamil Nadu Cricket Association secretary KS Viswanathan, all the franchises will have ownership rights “in perpetuity”.”The whole idea is to give an opportunity for players in Tamil Nadu to showcase themselves so that they have better prospects in the bigger tournaments that are being played today,” TNCA president N Srinivasan said at a press conference in Chennai on Thursday.

‘No loss of reputation for cricket in Chennai’

N Srinivasan is optimistic of the MA Chidambaram Stadium receiving the necessary clearances from the municipal authorities after Chennai was allotted a Test between India and England later this year. “I don’t think there is a problem to hold a Test match here. I believe things will be resolved in due course, hopefully,” he said.
Srinivasan also said there was no loss of reputation for cricket in Chennai, and was confident about the smooth return of Chennai Super Kings into the IPL fold in 2018. In 2015, Super Kings were suspended for two years, along with Rajasthan Royals, for corruption in the IPL.
“After one more season, CSK will come in without any external intervention,” Srinivasan said. “I don’t want to go into it in detail.”

The league will consist of 27 matches, including two semi-finals and a final, that will be held from the end of August to the second week of September. Chennai, Tirunelveli and Natham have been shortlisted as venues. The eight teams have been split into two groups of four, with each team scheduled to play a minimum of six matches.A player draft will be held in July, with each team having the right to retain players up to three years. “We are not going to have an auction,” Srinivasan said. “Whoever has bid the highest will get the first pick of players listed and it will keep repeating from one to eight [players] and again starting from one. We are going to suggest a modest salary cap, around Rs 60 lakh and see how it develops.”While the tournament features players registered with the TNCA, Srinivasan was hopeful of the BCCI allowing players from other states to take part in the event. “There will be a dialogue with the board, and we are hopeful they will agree to allow players from other states to be included in the player pool,” he said. “We have a very strong, robust competitive First-Division league, which has for many years players from other states playing here regularly as registered players. They are eligible to play.”He was also optimistic about the participation of big-ticket players from Tamil Nadu like R Ashwin and M Vijay, despite India having a packed season. However, that will depend on India’s domestic calendar as BCCI has indicated the possibility of the country’s top players playing in the Duleep Trophy, which will be used to trial the pink ball.In other developments, Star India has been roped in as the broadcast partner, and will provide commentary in English and Tamil. Ravi Sawani, the former BCCI-ACSU chief, will be the TNPL’s anti-corruption unit chief.FranchisesThoothukudi – Thoothukudi Sports & Entertainments Pvt Ltd, INR 5.21 crSouth Chennai – Metronation Chennai Television Pvt Ltd, 5.13 crCoimbatore – Lyca Productions Pvt Ltd, 5.01 crMadurai – Kothari (Madras) International Limited, 4.001 crKancheepuram – Ruby Builders & Promoters, 3.69 crThiruvallur – VB Cricket Academy, 3.48 crDindigul – Take Solutions, 3.42 crKaraikudi – Chettinad Apparels Pvt Ltd, 3.3 cr

Mumbai Indians head coach Ricky Ponting has hailed the character and resolve of his team, after they turned around the disastrous start to the season by winning five games in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-20152:11

O’Brien: Pandya put his name up in lights

Mumbai Indians head coach Ricky Ponting has hailed the character and resolve of his team, after they turned around the disastrous start to the season – four straight losses – by winning five games in a row. Their latest victory was Chennai Super Kings’ first defeat at home in 2015, and came despite needing 30 off the last two overs.”It has been a great turnaround but it has nothing to do with me, full credit should be given to the players. We have worked really hard from the first game but things didn’t quite go to plan,” Ponting told iplt20.com. “We knew that if we can string a couple of wins together, we will be able to come back strong.”In the first four games we actually played some reasonable cricket, but we lost some important moments which cost us. I think we have started to play more like a team now.”Mumbai had a similar start to the 2014 season as well, losing their first five matches, but came back to win seven of their last nine games to qualify for the playoffs.One of the reasons for Mumbai’s recent success has been the consistency of their opening partnership between Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel. Stands of 84, 1, 111, 43, 42, 35 and 47 in their last seven games have helped Mumbai start well.”The opening partnership was the one area where we tried different things in the first three games to find the right combination,” Ponting said. “Barring the game against Delhi Daredevils, our starts with the bat have been particularly good and we need to build that platform for the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard to come and finish things off well. Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel have done that. Parthiv’s form in particular throughout this tournament has been very good. He hasn’t been getting big scores but he has got us to a good start in every game.”With Lasith Malinga missing for the match in Chennai, the other bowlers stepped up to keep Super Kings to 158 after Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith were involved in a 44-run opening partnership in 29 balls.”I think Mitchell McClenaghan has given us more wicket-taking firepower. Our spinners, J Suchith and Harbhajan Singh have been great,” Ponting said. “This is a big win for the team. But as big as it is, we still have three more games coming up and we need to win them to give ourselves a chance to qualify for the playoffs. We cannot afford to get carried away but I am really proud of the way the guys have fared in the last five games.”Hardik Pandya scored a eight-ball 21, including three sixes off Pawan Negi in the penultimate over to help win the match for Mumbai. He also contributed in the field with three catches.”I have actually got quite close to Pandya since I started in this job, he is fearless and has lots of very good skills,” Ponting said. “We haven’t seen his bowling much yet but it is particularly good. We saw some of his hitting prowess tonight and even in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore where he took 16 in the end. He is going to be a very good cricketer going forward and is someone I am excited to continue to work with.”

Deccan Chargers’s hopes of returning to the IPL received another blow after the Bombay High Court, on Saturday, overruled the arbitrator’s ruling that the BCCI termination be stayed

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Oct-2012Deccan Chargers’s hopes of returning to the IPL received another blow after the Bombay High Court, on Saturday, overruled the arbitrator’s ruling that the BCCI termination be stayed. On Friday, the franchise owners had failed to meet the deadline stipulated to raise the Rs 100-crore bank guarantee ($19 million), a condition set by the court to keep the Chargers alive in the IPL, thereby reviving the BCCI’s original termination order. However, in a countermove, the Chargers immediately approached CK Thakkar, the court-appointed arbitrator, who put a stay on the termination order passed by the High Court.In the ensuing legal thrust and parry, the BCCI filed for an “urgent” hearing challenging Thakkar’s ruling today in the High Court. “We moved an urgent appeal in front of the Bombay High Court this morning against the learned arbitrator’s ruling, because we felt it was not within his jurisdiction as he is not a superior tribunal to the learned judge of the High Court,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo. Thakkar, a retired Supreme Court judge, had been appointed by the High Court to determine the legitimacy of the grounds of the Chargers’ original termination.It is understood the judge, Justice RD Dhanuka, ruled in favour of the original termination. “The judge passed an order staying the order passed by the learned arbitrator on the ground that it was a self-operating order of the High Court, and on the eventuality of the bank guarantee not operating, the termination will take effect. The result of that is, now, the termination has already taken effect,” the board official said.The only avenue left open to the Chargers now is to file an appeal in the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court’s order.Meanwhile, in its first formal response on the development, the BCCI welcomed the move of the Hight Court. “The termination of Deccan Chargers franchise was challenged in the Hon’ble Bombay High Court by the DCHL pending the arbitration. A Conditional Order of stay was granted by the Hon’ble High Court pending arbitration on 1st October 2012. The condition to give BCCI a Bank Guarantee of a Nationalised Bank for Rs 100 Crores by 5 pm on 12.10.2012 to cover expenses of IPL 6, was breached by DCHL.Notwithstanding the Hon’ble High Court’s refusal to extend time to DCHL, the Learned Arbitrator passed the Order of Status quo last evening (12.10.2012). BCCI moved an appeal against the Order of Arbitrator and the same was heard this morning. The Hon’ble High Court was pleased to stay the Order of Arbitrator after hearing both the parties. Thus, the termination of DC Franchise stands,” Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, said in a media release.After the Chargers’ owners had dragged the issue into the court, the BCCI had to put off floating a tender for a new franchise(s). However, now the BCCI is free to invite bidders for a new franchise, but it is understood the board does not want to take a step in haste and would instead like to see the Chargers’ issue end completely before they make their next move.

Virat Kohli played his finest Twenty20 innings but it was the little-known Arun Karthik who delivered the knockout blow

Siddarth Ravindran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium05-Oct-2011One of the allures of the Champions League Twenty20 is the chance it gives for the little guy on the big stage. None of the obscure domestic cricketers grabbed the opportunity as dramatically as 25-year-old Arun Karthik. He thwacked the final ball of the match over midwicket to conjure a preposterous win, which took Royal Challengers Bangalore through to the semi-finals, and set off on a memorable chest-thumping celebration. That will be the abiding image of Royal Challengers’ victory over South Australia, and perhaps of the league phase of the CLT20.There was another moment to define the game though. It was in the 13th over of the chase, in the middle of an audacious counterattack by Virat Kohli and Tillakaratne Dilshan. Kohli punched the air angrily after drilling a full toss to long-off for a single. After completing the run, he chastised himself and practised the off-drive again. Annoyance at missing out on a hit-me ball is one thing, but Kohli had missed out on the fourth ball of the over after striking the first three for six, six and four. It was that sort of a match, where no amount of runs seemed enough.Kohli had played a couple of blinders for the Royal Challengers in the CLT20 last year, and was second only to Chris Gayle in amassing runs in the IPL this season, but this 36-ball 70 ranks as his finest Twenty20 innings. There were several challenges to deal with in this high-pressure must-win game: no IPL team had ever beaten an Australian side in the CLT20, only a handful of times had a target in excess of 200 been successfully hunted down, and finally Gayle, the man whose form has closely mirrored that of the Royal Challengers this year, had been dismissed relatively cheaply.After Gayle and Dilshan had provided the initial thrust, Kohli came out and utterly dominated the high-octane century stand with Dilshan, which kept the chase on course. Of the first 74 runs of the partnership, Kohli’s contribution was 61, a big chunk of which came off his favourite Twenty20 stroke – the inside-out lofted drive in the arc stretching from long-off to deep extra cover. There were dabs past third man for four, hard-run twos after tucking the ball softly towards the deep, and no ugly across-the-line heaves were attempted.Virat Kohli made a vital 70 from 36 balls•Associated Press

By the time Kohli was dismissed, the pair had taken Royal Challengers to 165 for 2, with an eminently gettable 50 needed off the final five overs. “We were pumped up, to want to play like me and Dilshan did, you need some sort of adrenaline,” Kohli at the post-match press conference, with the sound of the Royal Challengers celebrating still being heard. “I was really excited since we were hitting the sixes at the right time and probably the best T20 match of my life.”Still to complete the job after Kohli’s dismissal, Royal Challengers needed some amazing hits and most of their batsmen delivered. Saurabh Tiwary bludgeoned Tait for a 99-metre six over long-on, Mayank Agarwal pummelled his first ball over the extra-cover boundary, Daniel Vettori flicked one way beyond midwicket, and S Aravind played an immensely courageous scoop in the final over for four. Despite all that, it came down to nine off three balls, at which stage Kohli says he lost hope.”I didn’t (think we could win),” he said. “I was sitting with the coach and we needed seven off two, and I told him, ‘coach if we get four off this ball, and two off the last ball, just run, I think we are going to make it,’ when we got a single, I just closed my eyes, and said coach whatever happens, happens.”Then came Karthik’s moment of magic, and the crowd went berserk. The Royal Challengers were also delirious, mobbing Karthik, who couldn’t stop bouncing up and down after the match-sealing six. Kohli, an animated presence in the dug-out since his dismissal, charged out and was the first to pluck some stumps as souvenirs. “None of us can still believe that, especially since it was a quarter-final for us, to be able to play like that was a team’s delight, a coach’s delight, a player’s delight, all in all a wonderful experience.”Royal Challengers may have emphatically proven they can win without Gayle turning in a headlining performance, but their shoddy fielding and toothless bowling remain a cause for worry. For their fans and the team, those concerns can wait for another day as they savoured a famous win.

The Pakistan players will sign a revised code of conduct with a strong emphasis on anti-corruption ahead of the upcoming tour to UAE, team manager Intikhab Alam has said

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2010The Pakistan players will sign a revised code of conduct with a strong emphasis on anti-corruption ahead of the upcoming tour to UAE, team manager Intikhab Alam has said. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) revised its standard touring code following harsh criticism from the ICC over the spot-fixing controversy and the board’s handling of the issue.”There are one or two things that are new in this code of conduct for touring,” Intikhab told ESPNcricinfo. “We have tightened up on indiscipline and have reiterated that there will be zero tolerance for it. There are a couple of new points about corruption, being wary of agents and a few other things.”Taking note of the continuing decline in Pakistan’s cricket governance in the wake of the spot-fixing controversy, the ICC had decided to closely monitor the running of the game in the country. The international body also set an ultimatum to the PCB to implement a series of effective anti-corruption measures within 30 days, starting October 13. The revised code of conduct is seen as one of those measures.”The new code of conduct is the first step towards fulfilling the ICC’s recommendations,” Intikhab told AFP. “We hope the new code will help us in dealing with the disciplinary and corruption problems.”The Pakistan team is currently undergoing a training camp in Lahore ahead of the UAE tour, and Intikhab said the players attended a 90-minute briefing about a number of issues that have dogged the side in recent times. “They were briefed about corruption in the game, doping and discipline and I hope the players will be responsible enough to show good conduct during the tour and in home matches.”

Thunder’s captain was given a life and made Hobart Hurricanes pay to set up a meeting with Brisbane Heat

AAP27-Nov-2024Phoebe Litchfield steered Sydney Thunder to within one win of the WBBL grand final, helping her side end Hobart Hurricanes’ season with a tense six-wicket victory at Drummoyne Oval.With Thunder chasing 127 for victory in the knockout final, they appeared to be in trouble with 26 runs required from the final three overs.Enter Litchfield and Anika Learoyd, who got the job done for the Thunder with six balls to spare. The pair took 16 runs off the 18th over from Heather Graham, before Litchfield struck Nicola Carey for six off the first ball of the next over.The 21-year-old was eventually bowled trying to scoop Carey and finish the game off, but by the time she walked from the field on 46 the game was effectively over.Litchfield controlled the chase calmly, twice breaking the tension by driving Hurricanes’ bowlers to the rope when the pressure appeared to be building. She hit five fours in her 36-ball knock with Hurricanes left to rue a crucial missed stumping chance when Litchfield was on 23 and Thunder still needed 42 to win.Her runs came as Learoyd played a supporting hand with an unbeaten 23 from 24, while Chamari Athapaththu hit 31 up top after also taking two wickets with the ball.The victory means Thunder will play Brisbane Heat in Friday night’s Challenger, with the winner of that to face the Melbourne Renegades in Sunday’s final at the MCG.Elyse Villani had given Hurricanes a small hope of victory with an unbeaten 49 after the Hurricanes had fallen to 47 for 4 from their opening 10 overs.Athapaththu’s 2 for 24 did the bulk of the damage with the ball, bowling Carey for 1 and then having Heather Graham caught cutting to cover cutting on 10.Litchfield also took two neat catches, while Taneale Peschel got the key wicket of Lizelle Lee for 23.And while Molly Strano’s 1 for 8 from four overs and Amy Smith’s 1 for 17 from three threatened to strangle Thunder, Litchfield was in the end too good after being offered a second life.

Wharton fifty drives hosts but low-key feel to contest after ECB points deduction

ECB Reporters Network03-Sep-2023Derbyshire all-rounder Anuj Dal impressed with five for 72 during a hard-fought opening day of their LV= Insurance County Championship clash with Yorkshire at Scarborough.Dal’s 20 overs of medium pace limited Yorkshire to 297 after they had been inserted in a low-key Division Two affair.While Yorkshire are bottom of Division Two and definitely out of the promotion race, Derbyshire are just about still alive. But it would take something remarkable to secure a top-two finish given they are 52 points adrift with four games remaining.Dal’s third career five-wicket haul – his second in the Championship this season – stood out during a day which saw a number of Yorkshire batters fail to make the most of encouraging starts on a pitch not as pacy as is usual at North Marine Road.James Wharton top-scored with a middle-order 58, but Fin Bean and Jonny Tattersall both fell in the forties. Derbyshire then reached close at 47 for one from 17 overs.For large parts, the cricket meandered in front of a subdued crowd in the Scarborough sunshine, interspersed by regular wickets for 27-year-old Dal.Yorkshire’s openers Bean and Adam Lyth confidently shared 59 inside 20 overs.But both left-handers were lbw stuck on the crease to Dal either side of lunch. Lyth fell for 32 and then Bean for 41.When the latter fell six balls into the afternoon, Yorkshire were 98 for three after 30 overs. Home captain, and last year’s prolific Derbyshire overseas player, Shan Masood had also been caught behind cutting at Sam Conners for eight just before lunch.After an opening half-century stand, Derbyshire did well to limit Yorkshire.Their fourth success came when the battle of the Georges was won by tall quick Scrimshaw, getting Hill feathering behind for 11 at 129 for four in the 41st over.For Yorkshire, this final month was always going to be about signs of progress ahead of next year’s promotion push after July’s 48-point deduction sunk them to the bottom of Division Two. So for someone such as 22-year-old Wharton to contribute will encourage significantly.He has reached fifty in all formats this year – his breakthrough campaign – including a blistering Vitality Blast 111 against Worcestershire in June.The pace of this innings was vastly different, but there were signs of dominance as he and Tattersall shared 71 for the fifth wicket through the afternoon.Wharton hammered a pull through midwicket off Conners and shimmied down the pitch to work off-spinner Alex Thomson wide of mid-on for four more.The latter took him to his second Championship fifty, off 102 balls. By that time, Yorkshire were closing in on 200. But when they reached that mark, Wharton fell as he edged a drive at Dal behind in the 61st.That was the first of two identical dismissals in successive Dal overs.When Matthew Revis was caught behind aiming an expansive drive like Wharton had, Yorkshire were 204 for six in the 63rd. Dal’s fifth wicket came in the first over of the evening having earlier removed Bean in the opening over of the afternoon. This time, Tattersall fell caught behind driving for 45, leaving Yorkshire 213 for seven in the 65th.Mitch Wagstaff took a stunner of a gully catch head high to help Scrimshaw remove Dom Bess shortly afterwards before Jordan Thompson and Matthew Fisher both hit sixes over long-on off Thomson’s spin to push Yorkshire up towards 300.The hosts narrowly missed out on that, but Fisher hit six leg-side fours in eight balls he faced from Scrimshaw, including four in an over, en-route to 37 not out off 22 balls.Thompson made 32 before miscuing a catch off Thomson. Scrimshaw then wrapped up the innings by getting Ben Coad caught behind.Coad then struck early in Derbyshire’s reply, but the departure of Harry Came was due to Tattersall’s brilliance behind the stumps as he completed a one-handed diving catch down leg – nought for one in the third over.Left-handed Wagstaff then confidently ensured there were no further dramas, closing with an unbeaten 32.