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Arthur, who worked with Masood at Derbyshire, says he has “unlocked his hips” and has “developed his game in terms of accumulating”

Matt Roller17-Sep-20221:20

‘I’ve picked up a lot playing the PSL with top T20 players’ – Shan Masood

When Mickey Arthur’s tenure as Pakistan coach started in 2016, he made an understandable judgement on Shan Masood as a batter. “I thought he was just a Test player,” Arthur told ESPNcricinfo. “Nice and compact, with a really good technique.” Masood had hardly played T20 cricket and in his sporadic appearances, he struggled to get going.After losing his place in the Test side after a difficult tour to England, Masood set about expanding his game in domestic cricket. “In typical Shan manner, he was never satisfied,” Arthur recalls. He impressed in List A cricket – where he boasts a formidable average of 57.14 – and was picked up in the PSL for the first time by Multan Sultans.Related

• Andy Flower: 'I'd like Rizwan and Masood to develop their partnership a bit more'

• Shaheen making progress ahead of planned T20 World Cup comeback

• Mohammad Wasim backs Babar, Rizwan to improve strike rate

• Buttler on England's arrival in Pak for T20I tour: 'It's great to be back'

Now, after years of hard work, Masood’s evolution as a T20 batter has earned him a call-up to Pakistan’s squads for the seven-match series against England which starts on Tuesday, and the T20 World Cup in Australia beyond. At 32, he has been presented with a chance that must have seemed unlikely for much of his career.”I’ve been very fortunate to play PSL,” Masood said before training at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday night. “I’ve developed my role a lot over there. I’ve batted with different partners. We’ve had really good T20 players in that set-up: James Vince, Rilee Rossouw, Tim David, [Mohammad] Rizwan, Khushdil [Shah], Sohaib Maqsood.”Across four PSL seasons with Multan, he has averaged 32.78 with a strike rate of 136.10, captaining them in 2020 and lifting the title in 2021. “I’ve picked up a lot in terms of my development,” he added. “As a player, your game is always evolving.”But Masood’s call-up has also owed plenty to county cricket, where he has spent the English summer churning out runs for Derbyshire across formats. He signed a year-long contract after bumping into Arthur, their director of cricket, in Dubai airport after the T20 World Cup last year and captained them to the quarter-finals of the Blast, leading from the front with 547 runs in his 14 innings.”It was a big stepping stone in terms of me making it into the T20 side,” Masood said. “Playing the Vitality Blast and getting some runs was very important to just put my name out there. I got to play a lot of cricket… I figured myself out as a person and as a batsman. I owe a lot to Derbyshire and to Mickey Arthur for the time they invested in me over there.”The key has been his ability to open up the leg side. Unlike most modern T20 batters, who are leg-side dominant and work hard to access the off side, Masood was so used to ‘locking’ his hips that his scoring options were predictable and easy to cut off early in his short-form career.”He’s certainly unlocked his hips a little bit now,” Arthur explained. “All great T20 players have that ability to unlock their hips: you want them properly locked when you’re playing Test cricket because you want to be sideways on but he’s developed an ability to access all different areas on the ground now. That’s been a massive add-on.”It’s a testament to his hard work. Shan is the complete guy, he really is: he’s the guy you want your daughter to bring home. He’s a good guy with an unbelievable work ethic, good principles, values and morals. And he’s getting the recognition now that he thoroughly deserves.”The biggest question for Pakistan is how they will fit him into their side. The most obvious position for him is at No. 3 as a replacement for the injured Fakhar Zaman, but he has opened for much of his short-form career and recently impressed at No. 4 in the National T20 Cup for Balochistan.”When Fakhar was there, I thought Shan’s best opportunity of playing was at No. 4 because with Rizwan and Babar [Azam], he probably wasn’t going to open the batting,” Arthur said. “He opened for us in the Vitality Blast the whole time but has developed his game in terms of accumulating.”He’s developed a sweep which we’ve worked on quite hard so that in those middle overs he can kick on: normally when he gets to the middle overs he’s 30-odd not out, so he went and developed starting in the middle in the domestic T20 competition. That shows his desire to be the best he can be and his desire to play for Pakistan.”The answer may well emerge over the course of a seven-match series against an England side that Masood described as one of the leading T20 sides in the world, despite their various absentees. “It’s probably the ideal preparation to play one of the best sides in the world before the T20 World Cup,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be a Pakistani player.”

Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap in batting allrounder Delmi Tucker

Firdose Moonda23-May-2022South Africa will be without Marizanne Kapp, Lizelle Lee, Mignon du Preez, Sinalo Jafta and Masabata Klaas during their white-ball tour of Ireland next month.Kapp, Lee and Jafta are all recovering from illnesses, Klaas is out with a shoulder injury, and du Preez, who retired from ODIs but remains available in the shortest format, has been left out of the squad scheduled play three T20Is and three ODIs in Dublin. Regular captain Dane van Niekerk is also not in the touring party as she continues to recover from the ankle injury that ruled her out of the World Cup.That means van Niekerk’s participation in the England tour that follows, which includes a one-off Test, three ODIs, three T20Is and the Commonwealth Games, is in doubt. The final squad for those matches will be announced in the first week of June, which gives van Niekerk little over a week to make the cut. She returned to training earlier this month and is currently still on an individual program, and not training with the rest of the group. The South African squad that travels to Ireland will remain in the UK, with any personnel changes for the England series and Commonwealth Games to travel in or out as needed.For the Ireland matches, Sune Luus will lead a group that includes one new cap, batting allrounder Delmi Tucker, who has recently played for the South African Emerging side against Zimbabwe and Thailand. Tucker also had a successful domestic season for Western Province, where she scored 409 runs white ball cricket and took 15 wickets with her right-arm off-spin. “Delmi Tucker has been rewarded off the back of a very successful domestic season and has really made positive strides with significant contributions, and we are looking forward to seeing her transition into the international arena,” Clinton du Preez, South Africa’s selection convener, said.The rest of the squad includes the familiar faces of Shabnim Ismail, Laura Wolvaardt, Chloe Tryon and Ayabonga Khaka as well as all three reserves who traveled to the World Cup – Raisibe Ntozakhe, Nadine de Klerk and Andrie Steyn. Anneke Bosch, who missed the World Cup with a fractured thumb, also returns.While the T20Is are part of South Africa’s preparation for the Commonwealth Games and next year’s T20 World Cup, the ODIs are part of the 2022 to 2025 Women’s Championship, which will determine qualification for the 2025 World Cup.”When we are looking at the T20Is, there is a bigger picture when it comes to that. It is a new beginning for us this year, building up towards the T20 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” Hilton Moreeng, South Africa’s coach, said. “The senior players know what is at stake. The ODIs are the ICC Women’s Championship qualifications for the next 50-over World Cup, so there is a lot at stake in the sense that we are also looking to grow our base.”Squad: Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Nadine de Klerk, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Sune Luus (capt), Nonkululeko Mlaba, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Tumi Sekhukhune, Andrie Steyn, Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt

She’s confident, however, that she’ll be back among the runs during the T20Is against England

Annesha Ghosh08-Jul-20212:14

Harmanpreet Kaur: India looking into the possibility of retaining Richa Ghosh as keeper-batter

Harmanpreet Kaur has admitted that the longer-than-expected recovery from the groin injury she sustained in March, followed by her contracting Covid-19 later that month, affected her preparations leading up to India’s ongoing tour of England. That, in turn, she said, has played a part in her lean patch with the bat on the tour.Kaur made 4 and 8 in the drawn one-off Test in Bristol last month, and followed up with 1, 19 and 16 in the ODI series that followed.”I’m someone who likes to train every day and work hard every day. Because of Covid and injuries I didn’t get much time to prepare,” Kaur said ahead of the first T20I in Northampton. “This is not an excuse because I’m someone who takes a bit of time on the ground to prepare because at the international level, you cannot just come and get things easily.”Cultivating the mindset and approach you require at this level is not easy. But after five innings [on this tour], I’ve understand how and in what areas I need to improve. In the T20I series you will definitely see a different approach from my side.”Kaur suffered the groin injury during the fifth and final ODI against South Africa on March 17, and missed the three-match T20I series that followed, with Smriti Mandhana leading the side in her absence. There was no official word from the BCCI at the time on the nature or seriousness of Kaur’s injury.”During the game [fifth ODI] I had picked up a groin injury on the left side having already been carrying a grade-four injury in my groin on the right side,” Kaur said when asked about the specifics of the injury and rehab carried out thereafter. “Given ODIs are longer [than T20Is] and after rehab… Again, as I said earlier, because of Covid we are not getting those practice games that we get before international assignments. So directly going and playing [in the main matches] and testing yourself is not the right thing.Related

• Harmanpreet Kaur: Harleen Deol's catch a reflection of India's improved fielding under Abhay Sharma

• Harmanpreet Kaur ruled out of first T20I against South Africa; Smriti Mandhana named captain

• Harmanpreet Kaur tests positive for Covid-19

“But we didn’t have any additional time. And I’m someone who likes to give 200 per cent on the field and chances of injuries can be high sometimes. I know a lot of time my physios and trainers say, ‘Just save yourself and play,’ because I like to give 200 per cent.”Harmanpreet Kaur made 4 and 8 during the one-off Test in Bristol•Getty Images

While her recovery had only begun, Kaur tested positive for Covid-19 on March 29 as a second wave of coronavirus infections swept India.”The [second] groin injury was a grade-two one, but because of Covid the NCA (National Cricket Academy) was also shut at the time, so I was doing my rehab online, through Zoom meetings. And during that time I also got Covid myself, so the injury that would have required 15 days [to recover from] took about two months, and then a month after Covid, as you would know, you don’t feel much strength in your body to go and train.”That phase didn’t allow me to work much on batting or bowling skills. I was just working on myself so that I was physically fit for the team.”Kaur also said the lack of warm-up matches in England kept her from building up batting rhythm.”We didn’t get a single practice game and we struggling even for open nets sessions,” she said. “I usually prefer more open nets and practice games than nets because in regular nets you don’t get much of an idea and every day you’re facing the same bowlers, so you can’t analyse how you should be batting.”These are not excuses, but a reality that I faced. It’s just the matter of a good innings and once you get back that momentum I will definitely carry that ahead.”Before being grounded by injury and Covid, Kaur seemed to be getting into form during the ODIs against South Africa in Lucknow. In India’s first international series in close to a year, she made 40, 36 and 54* before retiring hurt on 30 in the final game. In India’s last assignment before that series, the T20 World Cup in Australia, Kaur had gone through a poor run, managing a top score of just 15 in five innings.Her performance in that tournament was a contrast to her displays in other recent ICC events: her 171 not out in the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 2017 and her 103 in the 2018 T20 World Cup opener had been pivotal to India’s strong showings in both tournaments.”I do watch videos of matches where I have performed well, whether it was a long innings or a cameo in a winning cause,” Kaur said, when asked if she uses her own past performances to lift herself up when the runs aren’t flowing. “Such innings you feel like watching several times over because they always motivate you to perform better and they boost your confidence.”But at the back of the mind, as I said earlier, I’m someone who works every day and I have realised this time (during this tour) that you have to figure out ways yourself to get the best out of yourself when you don’t have enough time to prepare. I’m watching those videos of myself and I hope they’ll help me in this T20I series.”

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Nov-2015

Jeff Thomson and Wally Grout will become the newest inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2016Jeff Thomson and Wally Grout will become the newest inductees into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the Allan Border Medal night in Melbourne on Wednesday.Thomson was one of cricket’s most fearsome pacemen and took 200 wickets at 28.00 from 51 Tests, and was also regarded by many who faced him as the fastest bowler the game has seen. He formed a terrifying partnership with Dennis Lillee during the 1970s and in particular demolished England during the 1974-75 Ashes, which was just Thomson’s second Test series.”Only a handful of Australian cricketers had taken 200 Test wickets and Jeff did it at a strike rate of almost four wickets a Test, which is exceptional,” David Crow, the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame chairman, said. “But of course he was most famous for his pace and outright aggression, and it is was these qualities that people came to see when he played. He was a major drawcard for Australian cricket.”Thomson, now 65, rates the 1974-75 Ashes as a career highlight, along with playing in the 1975 World Cup final, and beating West Indies during 1975-76. He had made his Test debut in 1972-73 against Pakistan but went wicketless in his one Test appearance that season, which he played with a broken foot, and he was finally given another chance two years later.”I had to work really hard to get back (into the Test side), and I never doubted I was good enough,” Thomson said. “I always knew I was going to brain them, I just needed the opportunity.”Of the Hall of Fame honour, Thomson said: “It’s for my wife and kids, my parents, my brothers, my mates, all those people who took me to cricket when I was young and helped me along the way. I got a ring from a mate of my brother’s who I hadn’t spoken to for 30 years. He was rapt and said how weird it was for a bunch of kids who used to play cricket for hours against a telephone pole that one of us was now in the Hall of Fame.”Like Thomson, Grout also played 51 Tests, and he finished his career with 187 wicketkeeping dismissals, which at the time made him the Australian record holder and the second most prolific keeper in Test history behind England’s Godfrey Evans. His Test career lasted from 1957 to 1966, and he died of a heart attack at the age of 41, less than three years after his last Test.”Wally Grout was one of Australia’s finest wicketkeepers,” Crow said. “Luminaries such as Bob Simpson and Wes Hall claimed he was the finest gloveman they had ever seen. Wally Grout was the first player in Test history to claim six dismissals in an innings and that remains an Australian record which has since been matched by Rod Marsh, Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist.”Wally also set the record for the most catches taken in a Sheffield Shield innings, eight, which is now held jointly with Darren Berry. But Wally’s contribution went beyond immaculate wicketkeeping. He was highly regarded for his honesty, integrity and sense of humour. As captain, Richie Benaud relied on Wally for the team’s strategy because of his great understanding of the game.”Grout and Thomson take the number of Hall of Fame inductees to 43 since its inception in 1996.Hall of Fame inductees Warwick Armstrong, Richie Benaud, John Blackham, Allan Border, Sir Donald Bradman, Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Belinda Clark, Alan Davidson, George Giffen, Adam Gilchrist, Clarrie Grimmett, Wally Grout, Neil Harvey, Lindsay Hassett, Ian Healy, Clem Hill, Bill Lawry, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Charles Macartney, Rod Marsh, Stan McCabe, Glenn McGrath, Graham McKenzie, Keith Miller, Arthur Morris, Monty Noble, Bill O’Reilly, Bill Ponsford, Jack Ryder, Bob Simpson, Fred Spofforth, Mark Taylor, Jeff Thomson, Hugh Trumble, Victor Trumper, Charlie Turner, Doug Walters, Shane Warne, Mark Waugh, Steve Waugh, Bill Woodfull.

Birmingham go second in North Group with six-wicket victory, Northants slip to fourth

David Hopps22-Jun-2022The time of reckoning is upon us in the Blast and Birmingham responded to it by swinging to the leg-side harder and more often. They remained in touch with Northants’ 211 for 6 from the outset, and even though they needed 77 from the last six overs, they broke the target with a merciless assault on the Northants’ left-arm wrist spinner, Freddie Heldreich as they pulled off the highest T20 chase in their history.Adam Hose is as uncomplicated a T20 batter as you can get, an unabashed seeker of deep midwicket. Put the ball in his arc and his long limbs will deposit the ball skywards. Chris Benjamin often looked scratchy, but give him half an opportunity and he can target the same region in destructive fashion. Both made unbeaten half-centuries, their shot selection excellent as their stand of 100 rattled along in 54 balls.Carlos Brathwaite, Birmingham’s captain, exudes relaxation and confidence, good attributes at this stage of the season. “We’ve been reckless at times this season,” he said. “We wanted to be positive, express ourselves, but bat a lot smarter.”Birmingham go second in North group with this victory whereas Northants now slip to fourth and will sense Yorkshire, in particular, scenting an opportunity to overhaul them.Heldreich, who went for 59 from four overs, must have felt himself deliberately targeted. Alex Davies’ whirlwind 42 from 18 balls set the tone. Successive sixes over long-on appeared to have put the bowler in his place, but Heldreich is a confident sort and, with his next ball, he drew Davies into a wild sweep and bowled him off a bottom edge.But it was not the bowler’s night. Chris Benjamin looked out of touch until he launched him over the leg-side for 6-4-6 in successive balls. Converging boundary fielders were beaten by inches and Heldreich winced, not the first bowler to wonder why the boards could not be pushed back to fairer proportions. With 59 needed from six, Birmingham’s head coach Mark Robinson, a bit of a poker face these days, flashed a smile for the first time on the night. By the end Jake Lintott, sat next to him in the dugout, had him roaring with laughter: when Birmingham are batting, the dugout is where Robinson wants Lintott, for more reason than one.Birmingham had lost three wickets for 64 by the end of the powerplay. Paul Stirling took Northants for a career-best 119 in a memorable Birmingham debut, including five consecutive sixes off James Sales, but he has been short of runs since. He biffed 17 from Tom Taylor’s first over, but that was that.The reason for that was Ben Sanderson, an old-fashioned seamer but highly effective as he nibbled the new ball both ways off the seam, having Stirling caught at the wicket off an inside edge and silencing Rob Yates with a bail-trimmer. Sam Hain, the lynchpin of the Bears’ line-up, is having to contend with a back strain, and there was general delight when Taylor returned to the attack and immediately had him lbw to a yorker.Northants’ batting remains heavily reliant, perhaps overly reliant, upon the Australian Chris Lynn, whose 59 from 43 balls moves him alongside Somerset’s Rilee Rossouw at the top of the Blast run-scorers with 443 runs apiece. Rossouw has a faster scoring rate (191 to 161) and has struck the most sixes, but over the tournament there have been no more violent batters in the country.There were times when Lynn felt comparatively reserved, as if aware of the responsibilities that rest upon him. Initial assessment was necessary because Olly Stone, on the ground where his career began, was unsettlingly fast and bouncy with the new ball. Stone is recovering cautiously from his fourth stress fracture in five years, but caution is thrown to the winds whenever he gets the ball in his hands.Somehow, Northants still emerged from the powerplay with 53 to their name. Ben Curran had also been troubled by Stone’s pace and bounce on an excellent, fresh pitch, surviving one bat-handle crusher with a cry of “where did that come from?” as he made it to the safety of the non-striker’s end. He fell after an opening stand of 72, bowled by Brathwaite as his defensive block spun back onto his stumps.Lintott’s avuncular left-arm wrist spin did for Lynn, who carved a ball angled across him to short third, but Saif Zaib quickened the impetus, his 74 taking only 32 balls, when he swung Lintott to long off. He was confident, steely-eyed and full of purpose. A definite, long-term breakthrough has been a long time coming, and he has had a thin time in the Championship this season, but he has more talent, if not better outcomes, than some batters holding Hundred deals. A career-best 92 from 58 against Derbyshire in Northants’ defeat the previous night, and now this: this time, at 24, he needs to make it pay.Birmingham gave both Lynn and Zaib lives in the field. Zaib was only 12 when he cut Craig Miles to deep point, but Yates, sliding in, failed to retrieve a half-volley chance. Benjamin’s miss at deep midwicket, off Brathwaite, when Lynn was 52, probably owed much to a low evening sun and he was fortunate not to take a blow in the face. The County Ground is hardly the most vociferous crowd in the country, but the most raucous spectators sit in this area, preying upon fielders like Great White Sharks exploiting the angle of the sun to hunt down their prey. Long before the end, Birmingham were firing sixes in their direction

Pakistan have already wrapped up the series 3-1, but with the Champions Trophy deadline approaching they will aim not to take the foot off the pedal

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando25-Jul-2015

Match facts

Sunday, July 26, 2015
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Lasith Malinga’s bulging waistline has dragged Sri Lanka down•AFP

Big Picture

“We’re not too worried about losing,” Angelo Mathews keeps saying, as his side reels from the high-profile exits. A dip in results might have been expected as new men came in and launched careers, but the meekness with which this series has been surrendered has rankled. The three losses have been heavy, and the team’s willpower, seemingly weak.Copping a portion of the blame is Lasith Malinga, who has turned up bloated, and lives on the memory of past glories, like a late-period Elvis. In Malinga’s defence, he has been dealing with serious injury for much of the last year, but even allowing for that, there seem to be flaws in his preparation. Head coach Marvan Atapattu said Malinga’s lack of penetration was “one of the reasons we have lost the series”. Former bowling coach Chaminda Vaas didn’t mince words. “Our fast bowlers are currently overweight,” he told . “They need to train hard and make sure they emphasise on fitness.” Vaas didn’t single a bowler out, but it isn’t difficult to imagine at whom the criticism was mostly aimed.The visitors, meanwhile, are ever closer to that Champions Trophy berth. On this series’ evidence at least, they deserve to be there ahead of Sri Lanka. The Pakistan top order is so often a rollercoaster, rarely missing the chance to follow up a dizzying high with a gut-churning collapse. Here, Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez have been the engine room of S.S. Consistency, as it surges through the debris of Sri Lanka’s great exodus.Not to tempt fate, but their dominance of this attack has almost been… predictable. Each game, the top-order gains have been consolidated, before Shoaib Malik has turned up to give the innings its frenetic finish. The attack might be missing Wahab Riaz, but the new batting prowess has not come at the expense of that Pakistani knack for finding bowlers who are almost as good as the men they replace.

Form guide

(last five matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: LLWLLPakistan: WWLWW

In the spotlight

Kusal Perera may never become a fifty-every-other-match kind of player. He’s more likely to make sparse, but high-impact contributions, similar to the half-century that formed the basis of Sri Lanka’s Pallekele win. But he would nevertheless feel a little more comfortable if the substantial innings come more frequently. So far in his career, he has hit a fifty every 7.5 innings. A good outing at Hambantota will help lift that average.Ahmed Shehzad had gone through the tour making significant enough contributions to keep his place in the side, until he played his first truly big innings on Wednesday. He had a lucky escape against Malinga, when he edged two through the slips in quick succession, but otherwise seemed to play himself into excellent form, finding plenty of boundaries square of the wicket when the bowlers erred in length.

Teams news

Nuwan Pradeep’s hamstring strain makes him unavailable for this match, and rookie seamer Lahiru Gamage has been added to the squad. There is also a chance Sachithra Senanayake could play his first match of the series. Mathews said there may be “a few” changes to the team.*Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Kusal Perera, 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 5 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 6 Ashan Priyanjan, 7 Milinda Siriwardene, 8 Sachith Pathirana/ Sachithra Senanayake, 9 Thisara Perera/ Lahiru Gamage, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Suranga LakmalThe match may be a dead rubber, but with rankings points on the line and the Champions Trophy deadline approaching, Pakistan will likely play their top side.Pakistan (probable): 1 Azhar Ali (capt.), 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Mohammad Rizwan, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Pitch and conditions

The weather is expected to be fine, but there is often a furious crosswind at Hambantota, particularly in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Tillakaratne Dilshan needs 55 runs to complete 10,000 ODI runs. He would be the fourth Sri Lankan to the milestone, and the 11th batsman overall.
• Pakistan have the four of the top run-scorers, and five of the top wicket-takers in the series. Malinga has actually been Sri Lanka’s most penetrative bowler, with four wickets at 61.50.

Quotes

“We expect a lot from Lasith and he knows that. He needs to stamp his authority as well. He’s been given a lot of opportunities – he played the last four games. He knows that he hasn’t done that well. It happens. He will work hard on his fitness and come back strong.””The pitch looks like it has a bit of moisture in it, but the sun has been shining on it, so it might dry out by tomorrow.”*Team news updated after pre-match press conference

Capacity crowds have been drawn to the Investec Ashes all summer in anticipation of another high-octane series, but England are juddering to their destination as if Australia have slipped petrol into their diesel engine.

The Report by David Hopps23-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKevin Pietersen struggled to flourish on a slow wicket but made a valuable half-century•Getty Images

Capacity crowds have been drawn to the Investec Ashes all summer in anticipation of another high-octane series, but sometimes things do not work out that way. Instead, England are juddering to their final destination as if Australia have slipped petrol into their diesel engine.When England are under pressure, they commit themselves zealously to pre-programmed, conservative, risk-free cricket. There will be a computer programme somewhere suggesting that the careworn approach they displayed on the third day of the Oval Test has improved their victory chances by 5.62% and their chances of avoiding defeat by rather more.Their give-’em-nothing approach probably possessed unabashed cricketing logic and provided further proof of their tough mental state. They were 3-0 up in the series and were determined not to grant Australia a consolation victory with the return series already looming. Faster scoring, according to Joe Root, young in years but old in brain, was “not viable”. The result was drab fare for all but the most obsessive Test cricket watcher.Excited England pre-match talk of an unprecedented 4-0 Ashes victory was quietened on the first day by a lost toss and Shane Watson’s domineering century for Australia. What has followed has been prosaic in the extreme: attritional batting, laggardly attitudes which might usefully waste a bit of time along the way, and a general tedium as England have made grim, and probably successful, progress towards passing the follow-on figure of 293.They scored at only 2.19 runs per over on the third day, making 215 in 98 overs, while losing only three wickets on a ponderous but reliable Oval surface, one on which Australia proceeded at 3.81 runs per over while making 492. But Australia had to make the running and that meant taking wickets. They failed in their prime task.Australia’s attack was disciplined but – as England emphasised, hour after long hour – resistible: Nathan Lyon, barely seen until mid-afternoon, got the occasional ball to turn and bounce sharply and, if Ryan Harris ever opts for body art, a huge bull nose ring would be perfect; for his unyielding approach alone, he deserves to be named as Australia’s man of the series. But England’s obduracy triumphed and it arose not from conditions but largely from their choice to put an unwillingness to yield above loftier ambitions.Perhaps the presence of a debutant allrounder, Chris Woakes, at No. 6, was enough to curb England’s ambitions. As it was, Woakes, although only 15 not out at the close, launched his Test career with a ringing square drive against Mitchell Starc and generally looked more comfortable than most. If he has a Test future it may be as a batting allrounder.Even the umpires caught the slow rhythms. Aleem Dar thought for an age before giving out Jonathan Trott to Australia’s first delivery with the second new ball, ten minutes before tea. Trott, who had reached 40 with great deliberation, while bearing the demeanour of a cabinet minister who had just approached the despatch box to announce the banning of Fun, reviewed Starc’s lbw decision but the call was a good one. Australia had stifled his leg-side strength to good effect.Alastair Cook’s unproductive Ashes continued when he became the only England batsman to fall on the third morning. Cook’s exceptional record – 766 runs in seven innings – was the bedrock of England’s first series win in Australia for 24 years three years ago, and he has another series victory to bring contentment here, but he has found little personal glory in his first home series as an Ashes captain.When Harris enticed him to push woodenly at a wide one, and offer a simple catch to the wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, it left him with 243 runs at an average of 27 and the prospect of one more innings, at best, to remedy matters.As for Haddin, he is only two dismissals short of Rod Marsh’s all-time record of 28 dismissals in a Test series, achieved against England in 1982-83, which is not the sort of statistic you expect to find when a side is 3-0 down.Cook has three half-centuries in the series, but his batting for the most part has been characterised by stilted defence. His 28 came from 88 balls, with only 11 added from his overnight total, his pleasure drawn from a solitary square drive against Harris and the only half-century stand that his new opening alliance with Root has brought all summer.He also survived an Australia review, on 25, when Harris exposed his summer-long tendency to fall too far over to the off side. But it is doubtful whether he was overly concerned. Predictably, replays showed the ball pitching well outside leg stump, continuing the trend in a series in which the DRS success rate of both sides now lies under 25%.Root did at least find some benefit. Remove his herculean 180 in the second Test at Lord’s and all he had to show for his first series as an opener was six scores under 20, but he survived an awkward examination from Starc in particular and by the time he unpacked his first third-man glide of the morning he looked in better order. His half-century was neatly packed away by lunch.James Faulkner, like Woakes, is a one-day allrounder on Test debut, and his introduction after lunch encouraged Root’s most enterprising moments as he twice preyed on width to drive to the boundary. But expectations that Root could inject some life into the day were dashed by Lyon, who had him caught at short fine-leg from a top-edged sweep.Kevin Pietersen was awarded a miniature silver bat at lunchtime as recognition of becoming England’s highest runscorer in international cricket, but it brought no air of celebration. His fifty took three hours, his second slowest in Tests for England, and came up with a bottom-edged pull against Faulkner as he was through a pull shot far too early. Ironic cheers rang out from a crowd which had soaked up its punishment patiently.He has rarely made such ugly runs and did not make another run after his half-century, poking a full-length ball from Starc to first slip. There had not been a strut in sight. There was, though, a prolonged exchange with Michael Clarke after he was sledged for the way he apparently mothers Ian Bell through an innings when they are together at the crease.Pietersen had most difficulties of all against Lyon, who found turn from around the wicket and enough harum-scarum moments against bat and pad to keep the short leg, Steve Smith, in perpetual hope that a deflection might fall within his range. His impatience was apparent when he gambled on a risky single to mid-on and was spared by David Warner’s inaccurate shy. Lyon caused occasional alarms, but he could not cause mayhem.Were it not for forecasts of heavy rain, spinners could be expected to have a sizeable say on the last two days. Instead, with storms forecast for Saturday, there was a sense of a series meandering to a climax, a series which has sporadically brought great entertainment, but which has been of inconsistent quality.Roy Hodgson, the England football manager, was in the crowd and, in his terminology, he must have felt that the third day remained goalless, with only a couple of shots on target.

Arun Lal, the former India opener, is in recovery after being diagnosed with jaw cancer and is hopeful of a return to commentating in “two months”

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Apr-2016Arun Lal, the 60-year old former India opener, is in recovery after battling jaw cancer and is hopeful of a return to the commentary box in “two months.”Lal’s cancer, which he described as “rare and dangerous,” was identified in January and he underwent intensive treatment, including a 14-hour surgery and replacement of his jaw.”The symptoms were detected in time before I went through a rigorous treatment process,” he told the . “Thank God, I have been able to hold my place.”Lal was known for his fortitude during a seven-year international career as well. He made six Test fifties for India – one on debut against Sri Lanka in 1982 and two against Pakistan in the same match at Eden Gardens in 1987 – and played his final matches for India on the tour of West Indies in 1988-89.Lal struck an unbeaten half-century in the 1989-90 Ranji Trophy final as Bengal ended a 51-year wait for the title. He played first-class cricket until 1995 and was an active presence in club cricket for a further six years. Lal announced his retirement from competitive cricket at the age of 45.Fifteen years later, having persevered through great personal trauma, he feels he is starting anew: “Obviously it is like a new life. It was tough, but I am indebted to the fantastic job by the doctors.”Lal received “calls from close friends” to help with his recovery. Among them was Yuvraj Singh, who had fought against cancer in 2011 and has since returned to playing international cricket.”I know what it feels like because I have been through this,” Yuvraj said. “It’s nice if you can share someone’s pain and help him overcome it. I always try to understand the mindset of the patient because it mentally defeats you.”

Defending champions in search of first win must overcome a rash of missed chances

Valkerie Baynes15-Mar-2022England will be looking for a vastly improved performance in the field against India to keep their World Cup hopes alive.Another defeat would mean England have to rely on other, unlikely, results going their way to reach the semi-finals. They must also eradicate a rash of missed chances which cost them in a seven-run loss to West Indies and Monday’s three-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa.England are yet to record a victory at this tournament so far, having also lost their opening match against Australia to sit seventh on the table, with Pakistan the only team below them.Wicketkeeper Amy Jones, who returned to form with the bat to score a half-century against South Africa, acknowledged that a better showing in the field on Wednesday would be crucial – they missed five chances against West Indies and dropped three catches against South Africa with Jones missing a stumping off Laura Wolvaardt, who scored 77.However, while the stakes are high and honest discussions had taken place in the England camp about those errors, Jones added that it was important to strike a balance between sharpening up and placing too much pressure on the fielders in the next match, which could have obvious adverse consequences.Related

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“After the West Indies game, we dropped and missed a lot of chances, so we spoke about that as a group, obviously not wanting to put a huge amount of pressure on the first opportunity that comes in the next game,” Jones said.”We just spoke about how we wanted to be really positive, really supportive of each other out there and just do the little things right like attacking the ball, fizzing it in to me, getting just some good energy going and hoping that the chances will be taken from that. We know our skill level is good enough to take those chances.”Then it was unfortunate that we missed a few again last night, but I think with the games coming so quick, you have to look individually if there’s any quick learnings you can make but in terms the whole team, it’s just so important that we keep supporting each other, we keep the energy high in the field. We do play our best and we’re enjoying it, we’re supporting each other, having a bit of a laugh, so I think that’s the kind of mood we want to create when we go out there.”Jones’ 53 against South Africa came during a century stand with Tammy Beaumont for the third wicket and was her first ODI fifty since she scored 60 against New Zealand last September. In five one-day innings in between, Jones’ highest score was 28 against Australia in Melbourne during the Ashes last month and prior to that knock against the White Ferns, she had passed 30 just twice in 13 ODI innings.”I’ve been quite short of runs recently so it was a bit of a relief to be honest,” Jones said. “I didn’t change a huge amount.”I’d been struggling to rotate the strike early on in the first few games and then sort of putting a bit of unnecessary pressure on myself, so basically going into the last game, I was just trying to stay relaxed at the crease, still trust my timing and not try and force it if there were a few dots. It was great to get going into my innings and to have that partnership with Tam.”Jones said the fact they were playing their second match in a row at Mount Maunganui would benefit England, who would take “some learnings” from the South Africa game, although India have also played at the ground recently, defeating Pakistan by 107 there in their World Cup opener. Also informative would be the 2-1 ODI series victory over India on their multi-format tour during the English summer, which England won by 10 points to six.”It definitely gives confidence,” Jones said. “When you play any team, it’s quite natural to look back at the last games that you played against them and so to have that fairly recent success against them I think as a group will definitely give us confidence.”India have dropped one of their three World Cup matches so far, losing by 62 runs to New Zealand, who also won their ODI series 4-1 immediately before the tournament.Australia’s seven-wicket win against West Indies overnight could help England’s cause, pulling the Windies back to two wins and two losses from four games after they got off to a flying start, upsetting New Zealand and then beating England.West Indies, New Zealand and India are all locked mid-table on four points, although victory for India on Wednesday would pull them clear of the other two. After India, England play New Zealand, whom they defeated 4-1 in ODIs at home late last year, followed by Pakistan and Bangladesh, ranked eighth and sixth on the ICC’s ODI team rankings respectively, although – as seventh-ranked West Indies have already shown – danger can lurk in any opponent at this World Cup.