Ashton Agar and Steven Finn took three wickets apiece as Middlesex staged an astonishing comeback to beat Hampshire by 22 runs at Lord’s in the Vitality Blast

ECB Reporters Network26-Jul-2018Middlesex 165 for 8 (Stirling 60) beat Hampshire 143 (Munro 58, Agar 3-17, Finn 3-21) by 22 runs

ScorecardAshton Agar and Steven Finn took three wickets apiece as Middlesex staged an astonishing comeback to beat Hampshire by 22 runs at Lord’s in the Vitality Blast.Hampshire appeared to be coasting at 89 for 1, chasing a modest target of 166 for victory, but they somehow contrived to throw away their last nine wickets for just 54. That turnaround secured Middlesex’s first victory in the tournament for five games and lifted them off the bottom of the South Group table.Fidel Edwards and spin duo Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Liam Dawson ensured that Hampshire restricted their hosts to 165 for 8 after winning the toss, despite Paul Stirling’s accomplished half-century.Max Holden kept Stirling company throughout the Powerplay, but their stand of 58 was broken when the left-hander called a single that never looked on and was comfortably run out by Edwards’ throw.Stand-in captain Eoin Morgan’s promotion to three in the order failed to pay off as he made just 2 before holing out to deep midwicket – and Middlesex’s innings never gained any kind of traction. That was no reflection on Stirling, whose knock of 60 from 44 balls included five fours and three sixes before he eventually perished driving Colin Munro to long-on.Dwayne Bravo hammered a rapid 20 but, once he was run out attempting a risky single, Middlesex’s hopes of a par score evaporated and only some spirited late blows from Tom Helm hauled them up to 165.That target looked unlikely to cause Hampshire problems, although James Vince surrendered his wicket in the first over by spearing an attempted pull back to Finn. But Munro was soon into his stride with some clean hitting, dispatching all the Middlesex seamers to the boundary with regularity as he rattled up 58 from 29 deliveries.The New Zealander shared a second-wicket partnership of 85 with Sam Northeast before the latter charged Agar and missed, allowing John Simpson to whip off the bails.Agar then gave his side a glimmer of hope with two wickets in as many balls as Munro heaved one to long-on and Rilee Rossouw scooped the next into the hands of Stirling.Hampshire’s wobble soon turned into a full-scale collapse as Finn followed Agar by removing Chris Wood and Tom Alsop with successive deliveries. And it was Agar who applied the finishing touch in the penultimate over, calmly taking a catch at long-on to dismiss last man Edwards off the bowling of Bravo.

Olly Stone finished with seven wickets but Warwickshire face an immense task on the final day

ECB Reporters Network06-Sep-2018Warwickshire 310 and 28 for 1 lead Durham 292 (Stone 7-59) by 46 runs
ScorecardWarwickshire’s attempt to press for victory were thwarted by the weather on day three of their Specsavers County Championship match against Durham at Edgbaston.After heading into lunch on 28 for one, a lead of 46, rain started towards the end of the interval and continued throughout the day.The umpires did see an improvement as a 3.20pm inspection was called, but the weather deteriorated and no further play was possible meaning 70 overs in total had been lost.That will surely cause frustration for Warwickshire as promotion rivals Sussex have already won and Kent sit in a strong position again Northants.Jeetan Patel’s side must now bat aggressively in the morning to set-up a Durham run chase and unlikely victory with only 96 overs available on the final day.The day started under blue skies with the visitors resuming on 224 for 7, 86 behind.Olly Stone immediately exposed the tail by bowling Paul Collingwood first ball of the morning for 38, but any Warwickshire expectation of a sizeable first innings lead diminished as Barry McCarthy and Salisbury put on a resolute 42 between them.McCarthy was eventually dismissed, trapped lbw to Chris Wright for 43, but Durham were buoyed as they made inroads to the first innings total set.Chris Rushworth, the last man in, supported Salisbury in another valuable 26-run partnership before Stone struck with his seventh wicket to remove the stubborn number ten, who’d made a career-best 38, and bowl Durham out for 292.With conditions darkening, the Bears faced eleven overs before the interval and they saw opener Will Rhodes trapped lbw by Rushworth for 16.

The pair made explosive half-centuries to lift Australia to 324, a total Pakistan never threatened to surpass

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2018Alyssa Healy plays a pull•Getty Images

Australia opened up a four-point gap at the top of the table after three rounds of the ICC Women’s World Championship after completing a 3-0 whitewash of Pakistan in the ODIs in Kuala Lumpur. There was some consolation for Pakistan, though, as they recorded their highest ODI score against Australia in making 235 for 7, chasing 325.Batting first, Australia were 225 for 5 after 40 overs, with Ashleigh Gardner new to the crease, having faced just three balls. She proceeded to smash 62 off a further 34 balls, with six fours and three sixes, as Australia made 99 in their last 10. Gardner found a solid ally in Sophie Molineux, the pair adding 87 for the seventh wicket in just 9.1 overs. They put the finishing touches to the an innings which had got its early boost from Alyssa Healy, who made a robust 75-ball 97.Ellyse Perry, playing in her 200th international for Australia, made a watchful 64-ball 32 while Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney contributed 30 and 38 respectively. At one stage, Pakistan may have entertained thoughts of restricting Australia to under 250 when Sana Mir, the offspinner, dismissed Perry in the 29th over to leave Australia 151 for 4. However, Australia fought back and exhibited their lower-order might. Mir, who finished with three wickets, was also the most economical bowler, conceding 53 off her 10 overs.Having provided the fireworks with the bat, Gardner went on to make as much impact with the ball, snaring three wickets to dent Pakistan’s chase. Molineux, the left-arm spinner, displayed her craft to finish with magical figures of 1 for 16 off her 10 overs.None of the Pakistan batsmen barring Sidra Ameen and Aliya Riyaz managed to cross 40, when they needed at least two of them to bat through the innings. As it turned out, Pakistan at no stage threatened to chase down the runs, and opted to bat out the overs instead.

The batsman struggled for form as Lancashire were relegated in the County Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Nov-2018Liam Livingstone has stepped down as Lancashire captain following a struggle for County Championship form amid their relegation.Livingstone, who suffered a broken thumb in the Roses match against Yorkshire at Old Trafford, made just 336 runs in 10 matches and did not manage a half-century.He enjoyed more success in the T20 Blast, where Lancashire reached the semi-finals, including a maiden T20 century off 49 balls against Derbyshire.”It has been an honour and a privilege to lead the Red Rose in 2018 and my decision to stand down is something that I’ve thought long and hard about,” Livingstone said. “A big part of me wanted to continue leading the side, but I have to put the team’s interests first and the best way for me to help Lancashire is to ensure that I’m performing consistently to the best of my abilities in all formats of the game.”I hope that the opportunity to captain Lancashire will come again once I’ve been able to perform at the highest level on a consistent basis. As a senior player, I will support the team in all ways possible and I’m determined to put in some more match winning performances for Lancashire.”Lancashire head coach Glen Chapple said the door was open for Livingstone to return as captain in the future.”We fully support his decision to stand down as captain of the club. It’s a very brave and selfless one for him to make and I believe having him solely focused on scoring runs for Lancashire will be for the good of the team.”Being a 24-year-old captain at a big club like Lancashire is not easy and he showed a huge amount of character in leading the side last year, despite the disappointment of the injury he picked up half way through the season and his fluctuating form.”Liam’s qualities as a captain are not in question and we both agree that Liam needs to be performing at his best for the team to be successful in 2019. We would welcome Liam back as captain of the club should the opportunity present itself at any time in the future.”Livingstone has played two T20Is and was part of the Test squad in New Zealand earlier this year. He is involved in both the one-day and four-day squads for the England Lions series against Pakistan this month.

Pakistan will hope to extend their T20I winning run to nine in a row having already sealed an 11th consecutive series victory

The Preview by Danyal Rasool03-Nov-2018

Big Picture

Pakistan have been pushed this T20I series, in a manner they weren’t against Australia, but no matter the challenge thrown at them, they seem to find a way in this format. The detractors are finding it harder to explain away Pakistan’s spell of dominance as a purple patch, a streak of good fortune, or a consequence of playing against weaker teams. They have now put Australia and New Zealand to the sword with the same ruthlessness that overpowered West Indies, Sri Lanka and Scotland, showing a versatility in the paths to victory this side can take. They have won tough, they have won easy. They have won by enormous margins and heart-stoppingly narrow ones. They have won batting first, they have won chasing. And now, with one to spare, they have won another T20I series, their 11th in a row.This one comes against the side that has tested them more in this run than arguably any other, both this week and in New Zealand earlier this year. Yet, they go into the final game in Dubai having won their last four against Kane Williamson’s men, and their last eight overall. Should they stick to their plans, they are well-fancied to come out of yet another series unblemished, their strength lying not just in the playing XI, but their overall depth. They might make the odd change to the fast-bowling unit, but in what is overall a very settled side there should be no overhaul for a dead rubber. With Pakistan having such a proud recent record to defend, there really are no dead rubbers for Sarfraz Ahmed’s team.Despite having lost one series within three days of the tour beginning, it is unlikely Williamson will be too disappointed with what his men have showed. There is plenty to suggest New Zealand have a lot to offer for the remainder of this tour, with the visitors always likely to mount sterner challenges in the longer formats. A win in the final T20I could well be a springboard to success in the games that follow, and with New Zealand having lost one game by two runs and the other by two balls, it isn’t a stretch for them to hope they can put one on Pakistan even if they cannot prevent them lifting the trophy.New Zealand have missed Martin Guptill’s big hitting at the top, with the young Glenn Phillips unable to complement Colin Munro quite as effectively. They have to work out how to make better use of the first six overs to relieve some of the pressure on Munro. It may see the captain promoting himself to open, with Williamson famous for his ability to pierce narrow gaps in the infield. There is a large discrepancy between Phillips’ T20I strike rate – 98.27 after nine innings – compared to the 134.20 he boasts in T20s overall, and if he is backed for a third game, he will need to bring his best to give his side the greatest chance to victory.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand LLLLL

In the spotlight

There are few more exciting players in Pakistan cricket than Fakhar Zaman, and yet, since his heroics in Zimbabwe, he has been going through a slightly barren limited-overs run. Either side of a successful Test debut, Fakhar has scored 105 runs in his last eight white-ball innings at an average of 13.13, numbers that sit uncomfortably with his deservedly elite status in the current Pakistan side. There is no particular reason you could put this down to except just one of those runs every cricketer will go through; after all, in his maiden Test appearance against Australia, he amassed 160 runs. But having returned for the second T20I from a slight niggle, Fakhar may be itching to make the sort of singular impact only he can. With the series won and the pressure off, it is an ideal opportunity, and if Fakhar is primed to grasp it, he could smash New Zealand out of the game very early on.While New Zealand have almost matched Pakistan in both games, the one area where the difference in quality is vast is the spinners the respective captains can turn to. While Sarfraz has a plethora of options the envy of any international side – think Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, perhaps even Shoaib Malik – Williamson is limited to Ish Sodhi and Ajaz Patel. There is a reason Sodhi is ranked among the top ten T20I bowlers, but his economy rate is higher than any of Pakistan’s quartet of spinners, and it was his 17-run over that put Pakistan on course on Friday. Add to that the inexperience of Patel, who after an impressive debut was indifferent in the second game, leaving Williamson to draw on three overs of Munro’s medium pace. If New Zealand are to seriously challenge Pakistan, Sodhi and Patel have to perform out of their skins in these conditions where spin matters so much, because so far, the gulf is evident.

Team news

It is unlikely Pakistan will make too many changes to a side so brimful of confidence. With the series sealed, Waqas Maqsood is set to make his debut.Pakistan: (Possible) 1 Babar Azam, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Asif Ali, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5, Mohammad Hafeez 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Faheem Ashraf, 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali/Shaheen Afridi, 11 Waqas MaqsoodIt has been a bit of a surprise not to see Mark Chapman feature yet. He may be drafted in for the third T20I, should New Zealand decide to drop Phillips. Lockie Ferguson’s pace, too, may see him get a start ahead of Adam Milne, who despite looking promising, hasn’t quite hit the heights he may have this series.New Zealand: (Possible) 1 Colin Munro, 2 Glenn Phillips/Mark Chapman, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Colin de Grandhomme, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Tim Seifert (wk), 8 Tim Southee, 9 Adam Milne/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Ajaz Patel

Pitch and conditions

Winning the toss and batting first seems to be the favoured formula at the moment, and there has been nothing to suggest the teams rethink that. As has been the case all series, competitive totals appear to nestle in the narrow strip between 145 and 155.

Stats and trivia

• Colin Munro’s strike rate of 162.00 is better than any player ever to have faced more than 250 balls in T20I cricket. The best performer in the Pakistan squad is Fakhar Zaman, with a strike rate of 142.12.
• Babar Azam needs 48 runs to reach 1000 in T20Is. Should he get there on Sunday, in his 26th innings, he will beat Virat Kohli (27 innings) as the fastest to the mark.

He’s been an ever-present in New Zealand’s Test squad, but Southee, Boult and Wagner are set to keep him on the bench a little longer

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Dec-2018Forever on the brink of gaining a steady run in New Zealand’s Test team, but often just kept out by the three senior seamers, Matt Henry may have to wait until the Bangladesh series in late February and March to play his next Test match.Henry may have hoped that he would have played in at least one of the five Tests scheduled across November and December, but, having carried drinks through the three-Test tour of the UAE as well as in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington, Henry seems likely to miss out again in Christchurch, with coach Gary Stead confident that his three first-choice seamers will be fresh come the Boxing Day Test.”Matt’s an integral part of our squad still, and sometimes opportunities are hard to come by,” Stead said. “But we’ve got a long summer ahead of us still and in terms of the forward planning that we’ve looked at throughout the summer, there are probably chances for people to come out and freshen up with a bigger view to the World Cup down the track. I still think Matt will get a good amount of cricket over the summer.”If Henry does not make the XI of the Boxing Day Test, it willl be despite the fact that the series in the UAE and at home have run so close together that captain Kane Williamson described it as effectively a “five-match series” – the kind of undertaking that would generally require a team to use its seam-bowling depth. There is also the matter of Trent Boult and Tim Southee having bowled 52 overs apiece in the Wellington Test, and Neil Wagner having sent down 43 overs. As there are six days between the two Sri Lanka Tests, though, that trio has a good chance of remaining unchanged.”One of the things that has happened in the UAE is that two of the Test matches were over in four days, and in one of them we only bowled once as well,” Stead said. “Where we thought the number of overs for the fast bowlers would have been really, really big, we’re certainly not at that stage. I take on board though, that both Tim and Trent both bowled 50 or a bit more overs than that in this Test. I guess we will monitor how they are over the next three or four days. I think we have enough time to be able to select who we think our very best team is, because they would have recovered.”If there is an outside chance of Henry playing in Christchurch, it may be because of a mild dip in form for one of the incumbents rather than fatigue. Wagner collected figures of 0 for 100 in the second innings at Wellington, and 2 for 175 from the game in general – numbers that Stead put down to Sri Lanka’s handling of his short-pitched bowling.”Sri Lanka played Neil really well and it was probably some of the best batting I’ve seen against him in a while. I think everyone in world cricket knows the way he’s likely to bowl. I think Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews played him really well. They were gritty as well. They took a few on the body and I haven’t seen too many people do that. I don’t think on the fourth morning Neil was at his best, but in the afternoon sessions he bowled really well but got little reward.”

Suzie Bates and Amy Satterthwaite hit half-centuries to pull off slim chase and give the home side a consolation win

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Feb-2019
Anna Peterson and Lea Tahuhu did most of the damage, after Amy Satterthwaite asked India to bat, picking up seven wickets between them to shoot the visitors out for 149. Suzie Bates and Satterthwaite then helmed the chase, both hitting half-centuries as New Zealand got home in 29.2 overs with eight wickets in hand.India secured the series after winning the first two matches, but the points from this victory were useful for New Zealand, who have now moved back to the No. 2 spot ahead of India, only behind Australia, on the Women’s Championship table.

Mithali Raj on her 200th ODI appearance

On Friday, Mithali Raj became the first woman to play 200 ODIs. Among active cricketers, team-mate Jhulan Goswami has the most caps after Raj – 174, with England’s Jenny Gunn at No. 3 with 143.
After the game, Raj said about the landmark, “When I started, I definitely didn’t think I would come so far. My main aim initially was to represent the country, wear the India colours, and then be one of the core members of the team. But never did I think I would continue to play for so long.
“When you have a long career, there are different elements that come into your reasoning. But one thing has always been to constantly thrive and constantly work on my game to suit the different conditions and different areas of my game, and trying to keep up with the international standards is very important.
“I’ve seen highs and lows. When you have a long career, that’s part of it.”

It was a welcome change for New Zealand, whose bowlers had struck a grand total of three times in the first two games. Bar Deepti Sharma, none of the Indian batsmen stuck around for long enough to make a difference as Peterson returned 4 for 28 and Tahuhu 3 for 26. From then on, India were playing catch-up.Sophie Devine dropped down the batting order and Bates had a new partner in Lauren Down, and the two looked good for more than the 22 they got together. Down was run out backing up at the non-striker’s end in the seventh over when Bates’s drive caught Goswami’s fingers on its way to the stumps.But Bates and Satterthwaite made sure the advantage wasn’t lost with an 84-run stand for the second wicket, the runs coming in under 14 overs, till Bates fell after scoring her 25th ODI half-century. It was just a matter of knocking the runs off after that, and Satterthwaite did so in style, hitting her 20th ODI half-century, an unbeaten 74-ball 66. Devine was unbeaten on 17 at the close.India’s innings never quite gathered momentum, looking like it was headed for good things only when Deepti and Harmanpreet Kaur collaborated for the fourth wicket.Smriti Mandhana fell first to Peterson and Jemimah Rodrigues, the other opener, followed soon after being done in by Tahuhu. Mithali Raj, who was playing her 200th ODI, didn’t last too long either, and India were tottering at 39 for 3 at that stage, in the 14th over.Deepti and Kaur steadied the innings briefly with their 48-run stand, the latter showing intent with a couple of hits to the boundary, but after she fell, becoming Peterson’s second victim, there wasn’t much support for Deepti. D Hemalatha and Goswami did get into double figures, but Deepti’s 52 stood out in an otherwise sorry-looking batting card.The two teams now play a series of three T20Is, the first of them in Wellington on February 6.

New South Wales kept the pressure on Victoria at the top of the table as they wrapped up a 174-run victory inside three days

Andrew McGlashan05-Mar-2019Sean Abbott claimed 5 for 31 and Moises Henriques nipped out three top-six batsmen as New South Wales secured a convincing 174-run win at the Gabba by skittling Queensland for 89.Set 264 in conditions which had been challenging for batsmen throughout, Queensland never threatened to get close to the target after Abbott ripped out the top order with an impressive new-ball spell. With the light fading, New South Wales were told they could only use spin as the overs ticked down, but they were able to avoid having to return on the final day when Jason Sangha had Billy Stanlake caught at slip.Abbott had reduced the the Bulls to 3 for 14 inside six overs. Joe Burns shouldered arms to a delivery that ducked in and took off stump and then two ball later Marnus Labuschagne was given lbw to complete a pair. Charlie Hemphrey became the second batsman dismissed not offering a shot when his pad was clipped by Abbott.New South Wales’ charge was momentarily halted by Matt Renshaw and Sam Heazlett but Henriques’ introduction quickly put Queensland back in the mire when his second ball climbed and nipped away to take Renshaw’s edge. Heazlett was then caught in two minds whether to play or leave a short delivery, lobbing a simple catch to gully, and Nathan McSweeney was caught behind.It was now only a matter of whether the Blues could win in three days. Trent Copeland hastened the end by having Jimmy Peirson caught at third slip and then Abbott returned to complete his haul.New South Wales had fought hard through their second innings in conditions that continued to favour the quicks. Daniel Hughes and Henriques took their overnight stand to 119 with Henriques producing the most dominant batting of the match with his 78 off 116 balls.After resisting the pacemen, it was spin which broke through when Henrqiues edged Labuschagne to slip in his first over.Sangha edged a lifting delivery from Stanlake and Michael Neser ended Hughes’ gritty 218-ball stay when, after beating him repeatedly outside off, he had the batsman caught behind. Hughes had reached 40 off 83 balls on the second day, and his next 28 runs took 135 deliveries.Neser was impressive with old and new ball, later having Peter Nevill caught in the gully. However, Jack Edwards produced a valuable hand of 40 as the lower order pushed the lead over 200. It proved more than enough.