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England’s national selector James Whitaker was repeatedly pressed the absence of Kevin Pietersen from squads for the Caribbean and World Twenty20

David Hopps06-Feb-2014James Whitaker’s attempt to justify the omission of Kevin Pietersen from the squad for England’s tour of the West Indies and subsequent World Twenty20 in Bangladesh could not have been more carefully controlled: only the rights holders, Sky TV and BBC radio, were allowed anywhere near him and, with legal issues still swirling, the demarcation lines on what he could answer were clearly laid down.For all that, Whitaker has had better days. With one unscientific poll on ESPNcricinfo suggesting around 80% of England cricket fans supported Pietersen – and about half of the rest wanted more answers – Whitaker, the new national selector, was probably on to a loser but he did nothing to swing sympathy towards the ECB’s unforgiving stance.”The ODI team and the England T20 team has played a number of matches over the past 12 months or so without Kevin and on occasions has performed very well so we would hope that is still going to be the case going forward,” he said on Sky TV.”Yes, while it’s a surprise going into an ICC competition without one of our leading run-scorers, the players and the management group are well rehearsed in coping without him. So, yes, in a way a tricky decision, but in another way it gives an opportunity for players to play in that environment and excel in it.”At that point, he was temporarily put out of his misery when his mobile rang. “I thought I’d turned that off,” he muttered, half apologetically, as he fielded a call from a figure who is thought to have been none other than the ECB’s chief executive, David Collier. There have been many suggestions what Collier might have said, but “You’re walking the argument, son” was not one of them.As for the explanations the public has demanded, none were forthcoming: legal constraints being what they are, or what they are claimed to be. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to negotiate without acceptance of legal constraints, which would ensure the cricket-watching public got a fairer deal. Such a passing observation is doubtlessly legally naïve, which might be a jolly good thing.But there were more references to England’s need to rebuild their ethics and their culture. There were even vague suggestions that the ECB, or perhaps the new coach, or perhaps somebody in Whitaker’s mind but as yet not as yet fully identified, is about to oversee a new code of conduct.”What I can say,” Whitaker said, “is that there’s a group of players there looking forward to re-energising this team, going forward with different values, re-evaluating the culture of the team, and it will start in the West Indies, and I’ve every confidence that, in the players that we’re take to the West Indies, that will happen.”Any team has certain values, sometimes written down, sometimes they’re just forms of communication, that good teams adhere to and good teams will carry forward with them, and England over the past four or five years has shown these good values. Over time they can precipitate [sic] a little bit.”But now we believe is a time to rewrite those, and whoever’s involved in the management group and the players will do that, they will continually communicate it. I believe it starts from smart work, from winning back the country’s perception of what the cricket team is about, we want to see a pride back into the cricket, and I believe the players we select will show that to the country.”That begged the question. “Those values you believe haven’t applied to Kevin?”The question did not beg the answer. “Well sometimes performances go against us, you have to re-evaluate what is going on. No-one really is privy to what is going on within the intricacies of the team working, but we have to review various conversations with people and have to make decisions.”Asked if, in an ideal world, Pietersen would be a player Whitaker would want to select, he replied: “We would always review our options of players available to play for England.”Come again? If that was a hint that the door remains open for Pietersen, nobody was prepared to believe it.”Players are resilient,” Whitaker concluded. “They do get over issues. They can reboot, they can go back home, they can reassess and they can energise very quickly. Cricketers are used to doing that, it’s a unique environment in that sense … There’s a great sense of optimism about the England team going forward.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the second T20 international between West Indies and Ireland

The Preview by Alan Gardner20-Feb-2014Match factsFebruary 21, 2014
Start time 2pm local (1900 GMT)West Indies’ big-hitting batsmen struggled against a disciplined Irish attack•West Indies CricketBig PictureIreland certainly enjoy their trips to Sabina Park. The “Boys in Green” strolled to victory in the first T20 against a lacklustre West Indies, adding to their list of Full Member scalps. This was different to the breakthrough win over Pakistan on the same ground at the 2007 World Cup, however – Ireland have established their credentials, they merely want the chance to demonstrate them on a more regular basis.For West Indies, it was their fifth T20 defeat in a row; hardly the sort of form you want to be taking into a tournament as defending champions. Their World Twenty20 campaign begins in just over a month and Ottis Gibson will need to crank up the intensity for the second Ireland match, ahead of three more T20s against England next month.Since struggling in their opening two Regional Super50 fixtures, Ireland have grown more accustomed to Caribbean climes. George Dockrell and Alex Cusack were impressive with the ball, while Andrew Poynter showed form with the bat. Ed Joyce was fresh to the touring party but immediately found his groove. By contrast, several of West Indies’ big names looked decidedly rusty – Darren Sammy, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels all missed the domestic 50-over competition with injuries, and it showed.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLLLL
Ireland WWWLL
Watch out forDwayne Smith is one of the few West Indies players demonstrably in form, having passed 50 three times in four matches – including 83 in the final – as Barbados won the Regional Super50. Smith is one of the slightly less deluxe T20 guns-for-hire going around but tends to give sides plenty of bang for their buck; West Indies could do with more from him than two fifties in 18 innings.As Ireland adapt to life after Trent Johnston, Alex Cusack may be able to shoulder some of the extra burden. His four overs of niggardly medium pace cost just 17 runs and accounted for Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons – enough to earn praise from Ireland’s coach, Phil Simmons. It may be unglamorous but, on slow pitches such as those that will be found in Bangladesh, Cusack’s role will be important.Teams newsFive West Indies batsmen made double figures only to fall before reaching 20 in the first match but most will get another shot, as there is only Andre Fletcher to call on. Left-armer Krishmar Santokie could come in to provide variety in the bowling attack – though having not played since the Caribbean Premier League in August, he would increase the lacking-match-practice quotient.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Lendl Simmons, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Darren Sammy (capt) 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Ravi Rampaul/Krishmar SantokiePoynter was preferred to the more experienced Niall O’Brien on Wednesday and should keep his place after contributing the second-highest score. Tim Murtagh was expensive, despite claiming two wickets, with Craig Young providing another seam-bowling option within the squad.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Gary Wilson (wk), 5 Andrew Poynter, 6 Kevin O’Brien, 7 Alex Cusack, 9 Stuart Thompson, 9 Max Sorensen, 10 George Dockrell, 11 Tim MurtaghPitch and conditionsThe pitch was quite slow for the first T20, which suited Ireland’s attack. There is a threat of rain in the afternoon again.Stats and trivia Ireland are only 10 points behind eighth-placed England in the ICC T20 rankings. West Indies have slipped to sixth. Avoiding defeat would give Ireland their first win in a bilateral series against a Full Member. West Indies’ 116 for 8 was their fourth-lowest total in T20 internationals where they have batted 20 overs. Ed Joyce will play his 100th match for Ireland on Friday.Quotes”We never took them for granted. We weren’t complacent. They bowled well against us and we just didn’t handle it as we should have.”

“It would be lovely to win 2-0, especially as we’re probably a slightly better 50-over side than a 20-over side.”

Zimbabwe thought they’d sealed the deal. The scores were tied and there were three deliveries remaining. Surely it could not go wrong from there? Vusi Sibanda ensured it didn’t. Eventually.

Firdose Moonda19-Mar-2014Zimbabwe thought they’d sealed the deal, albeit fortuitously, when Sean Williams’ inside edge skooted past Wesley Baressi for four. The scores were tied and there were three deliveries remaining. Surely it could not go wrong from there?Williams missed the next ball but the scores were still tired and there were two deliveries remaining. Surely it could not go wrong from there?Then Williams ran himself out trying to scramble a single to ensure it did not go wrong. The scores were tied and there was only one delivery remaining. It could easily go wrong from there.Vusi Sibanda was under intense scrutiny. He was batting well outside of his regular opening berth, having being pushed all the way down to No. 6 because of the strategy on the day. He also didn’t inspire much confidence. He only averages 15.28 in the format, an indictment for a batsman of his quality. Two of his last five T20 scores were in single fingers and when he did get going, he failed to push on. In the last match, he succumbed to the pull shot – the stroke that he tends to go back to when he feels cornered and that is often responsible for his undoing.Against that backdrop, he had to face more pressure than has befallen him. It was not the pressure of building an innings but the pressure of ending one. At least someone one backed him to stand up to it.”Vusi has been playing international cricket for 10 years; he is a very talented player,” Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe captain, said. “Obviously it was not a familiar position that he is used to and something new to him. But we always had faith in him and when the field’s up, it does make it a little bit easier.”All Netherlands fielders were saving the single so Sibanda’s only choice was to go over them. He sent Ahsan Malik’s last ball further into the stands than anyone else had managed to in the match to remove Zimbabwean worries and keep them alive in the competition.Sibanda gave fighting spirit a new image, one Taylor feels it could have done without, given what it did to his nerves. “We needed that win but we made it very difficult for ourselves,” he said. “We shouldn’t have finished in the last over.”Taylor felt the same about Zimbabwe’s first match against Ireland. That was decided on the last ball as well and then, Taylor blamed his batsmen for not posting a sizeable enough score to defend. Then, a total of 180 on this pitch looked par, this time Taylor thought it had much less in it and felt responsibility lay with his fielders for not restricting Netherlands even further. “We leaked 15 or 20 runs and we should have restricted them to 120,” he said. “We were really sloppy and we made it a lot more difficult than it should have been.”Although Zimbabwe did not drop any catches, they were lazy in protecting the boundary and on three occasions, lost the ball as it approached the rope. They were also beaten too often in the infield and sometimes, more times than Taylor was happy with, failed to pick up the ball cleanly when chasing. Taylor identified that as one of the areas they need to improve on before their last qualifier on Friday.Despite letting Netherlands get away a bit, Zimbabwe never felt the chase was out of their grasp, even when the run-rate ballooned over nine. “We felt we needed wickets in hand,” Taylor said. “Chasing 140 with a quick outfield on a pretty decent wicket to bat on, if you have got wickets in hand, you can always chase 10, 12 or even13 runs an over at the end.” And if you are Sibanda you can even get six off the final ball.

Former England captain Paul Collingwood starred with bat and ball as the Durham got their NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a winning start.

Press Association16-May-2014
ScorecardCalum MacLeod swings himself off his feet•PA PhotosFormer England captain Paul Collingwood starred with bat and ball as the Durham got their NatWest T20 Blast campaign off to a winning start.Collingwood smashed 62 off 38 balls and took three for 29 as Durham, who had been put in by Worcestershire, cruised to a 29-run victory at Chester-le-Street.He was ably assisted by debutant Calum MacLeod with the pair putting on 113 for the fourth wicket after a dreadful start had seen Durham slump to 4 for 2.Opener Phil Mustard fell leg before to Moeen Ali off the fourth ball of the innings for just one and captain Mark Stoneman followed him back to the pavilion eight balls later after picking out Moeen at square leg off the bowling of Jack Shantry to leave the home side in tatters.Things did not improve markedly in the short run with Scott Borthwick holing out at mid-on to give Shantry a second wicket with the Jets having progressed to 33 in the sixth over.But it was then that MacLeod and Collingwood steadied the ship, adding 113 for the fourth wicket, the former reaching 50 of 40 balls and the latter taking nine deliveries fewer.MacLeod’s unbeaten 80 included seven fours and two sixes, while Collingwood struck three sixes and five fours before top-edging Saeed Ajmal to Daryl Mitchell.Shantry was the pick of the bowlers with two for 25 from his four overs, with Ajmal’s wicket costing him 45 runs.Worcestershire’s chase started positively with opener Ali racing to 21 before Usman Arshad had him caught by MacLeod at square leg, and although Richard Oliver battled his way to 43 before falling to a stunning diving catch in the deep by Gordon Muchall off Collingwood, the visitors succumbed tamely.Arshad took 2 for 21 and Gareth Breese 2 for 26, but it was Collingwood who broke the back of the Worcestershire innings.

Both Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils have two wins after seven games each and will need the second half of their campaigns to pan out much better than the first

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit06-May-2014Match factsWednesday, May 7, 2014
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)3:34

Hattangadi: ‘Knight Riders need Kallis’

Big pictureIt is said that one must live in the present and not dwell too much on the past. But if you are Kolkata Knight Riders, the past refuses to leave you. It keeps playing out in loop in the present, each newer version scarier than the previous one. Exactly a week ago, Knight Riders squandered a strong position against Rajasthan Royals, brought about a Super Over on themselves and then lost on the boundary count. A day ago, they motored to 121 for 0 in pursuit of 171 against the same opponents. Fifty runs needed, six overs left, all wickets intact. Piece of cake? Not quite, if you panic so much that you lose six wickets for the addition of two runs.If points were to be earned for scoring self-goals, Knight Riders would top the table. They are earned for wins, though, and Knight Riders have only two victories from seven matches. Which is exactly how many Delhi Daredevils have from as many games. Both sides will need the second half of their campaigns to be the opposite of how the first half has panned out. Even five wins each from their remaining seven games might not earn them a spot in the playoffs.Kolkata Knight Riders have often lost wickets in clusters•BCCIWhile Knight Riders have continued to come in the way of their own progress, the margin of Daredevils’ defeats suggests they have not competed, unlike their opponents. Four of their five losses have been by eight wickets, 93 runs, seven wickets and eight wickets. That last margin was after they racked up 178 against Chennai Super Kings. Rarely have both batting and bowling fired in unison for Daredevils this season, which began with high expectations from a revamped squad. Halfway into it, Daredevils need urgent course correction if they are to do better than 2013’s bottom-place finish.Watch out for…”We succumbed to the pressure,” Knight Riders coach Trevor Bayliss said of Monday’s capitulation. Knight Riders have been doing it too often. When Gautam Gambhir was not scoring earlier, it was said that the poor starts were putting pressure on the middle order. What pressure does an opening partnership of 121 bring about, though? The Knight Riders batsmen have to take collective responsibility. There is no point to the openers making fifties if the rest of the line-up sinks without any fight.Kevin Pietersen has failed in three of his four innings so far in the tournament. He has a strike-rate below 110 compared to a T20 career figure of 136.32. Pietersen is one who leads by example, by aggressive, dominating batting that can rouse his team-mates. That is what Daredevils would have wanted from Pietersen when they bought him and chose him to lead the side. We are yet to see such a knock from the Daredevils captain.

Stats and trivia

Daredevils have conceded 12.12 runs an over in the last five overs of an innings, the most expensive by a side this season Excluding Sunil Narine and Shakib Al Hasan, the rest of the Knight Riders attack has gone for 8.10 an over

The ECB have referred to the Press Complaints Commission following an interview with Michael Carberry in which he claimed he had been the victim of unfair treatment by England management.

George Dobell22-May-2014The ECB have referred to the Press Complaints Commission following an interview with Michael Carberry in which he claimed he had been the victim of unfair treatment by England management.While the ECB do not dispute the words spoken by Carberry in the article, published on March 31, were genuine, they were unhappy with the general tone of the piece and felt more should have been done to reflect their side of the story.Specifically, they were unhappy with the suggestion that, while the other players in the Ashes tour party were allowed to fly their families to Australia for Christmas, “only Carberry’s request that his mother be his invited guest was denied” and the insinuation that Carberry might have struggled for selection throughout his career “for some reason”.The ECB insist that the terms of the flights provided for the partners of touring players is clear and that Carberry was not the victim of inequitable treatment. They are also concerned that Carberry’s comment that “throughout my England career, even as a schoolboy, I’ve always had that shorter rope for some reason,” might be interpreted as a suggestion that he was the victim of racial discrimination.The ECB had earlier threatened to take legal action after an article in the magazine suggested that Carberry’s struggle to gain England selection might have been due to racial discrimination. The magazine deleted the article from all on-line platforms and printed an apology and retraction in the next issue. They also made a donation to Chance to Shine.It is understood the ECB made several attempts to persuade to print a similar retraction, but although the newspaper offered to print an explanation, the wording could not be agreed.The Press Complaints Commission is an independent body which administers the system of self-regulation for the press.

West Indies’ two-year wait for a Test victory over top-eight opposition is all set to come to an end in Trinidad

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran19-Jun-2014
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tom Latham could do nothing about a snorter of a delivery from Sulieman Benn•Associated PressInnings and 51 runs, innings and 126 runs, innings and 73 runs, eight wickets, 186 runs – margins of defeat for West Indies in Tests over the past year. The wretched run prompted big changes: out went the perpetually under-pressure captain Darren Sammy, the bowling attack was revamped before this series, and the batting was rejigged before this Test. Barring an all-day torrential downpour on Friday, or something utterly sensational from the New Zealand tail, the sweeping changes are set to bear their first fruit in Port-of-Spain.It’s been a long time since West Indies dominated a Test against a top-eight side as they did this week. BJ Watling and Mark Craig may have frustrated the home side and the smattering of fans who showed up at Queen’s Park Oval, but their ninth-wicket defiance never threatened to alter the balance of the match. Dwayne Bravo, the allrounder looking to make a Test return, was among those watching from the stands, dressed in bright pink that was appropriate for a post-victory party, but that celebration will have to wait a bit.New Zealand began the day 166 behind, and though there was no sensational collapse, there weren’t many substantial partnerships either as West Indies chipped away through the day. Curtly Ambrose, the West Indies’ bowling coach, had given an animated speech during the team huddle at the start of the day, and he will be pleased that each of his specialist bowlers did their bit in the victory push.In the 20th over of the day, Chris Gayle was looking at the sky and pumping his fists in delight, while the bowler Kemar Roach was unleashing a string of joyous whoops. West Indies had just got the rock of New Zealand’s batting, Kane Williamson, ending his three-and-a-half-hour vigil.Either side of the Williamson wicket, there were moments of magic from Sulieman Benn to prise out two more wickets. First, he bowled a ripper that reared off a length to take Tom Latham’s glove on its way to silly point. Then, late in the morning session, he pulled off a bit of athleticism unexpected from the 6′ 7″ spinner, sticking out his right arm to pluck a low, hard return drive from Jimmy Neesham. The ball stuck in his palm, but Benn barely celebrated the astonishing catch – just the usual high-fives with his team-mates as though it was an everyday occurrence. Only a wide grin that remained for minutes after the dismissal betrayed how much he enjoyed that catch.It was a Herculean effort from Benn, who bowled unchanged between the 26th and the 86th over, to tie up one end and allow the quicks time to recover. His efforts were even more crucial to the victory push as one of the three quicks, Shannon Gabriel who had a poor first innings, was given only five overs in the first 68 of the innings.West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin turned to Gabriel after lunch, and the faith was rewarded. Ross Taylor and BJ Watling had been resisting gamely, but Gabriel tempted Taylor into driving one away from his body, resulting in a nick to the keeper.That brought in Hamish Rutherford, who recovered from a stomach bug that prevented him from batting on Wednesday evening. Rutherford could be seen yawning a handful of overs before his turn to bat, but he had to be far more attentive in the middle as the seamers were getting the ball to dart around and Benn was also probing.Watling again proved how reliable he is in the lower-middle order, but Rutherford showed that he has some way to go before becoming a consistent source of runs for New Zealand. He was squared up on his first delivery, fortunate not to edge it, but there were plenty of edges in his short innings after that. One dropped short of Chris Gayle at first slip, another flew through the vacant third slip area, another deflected the ball onto his pads. He finally perished offering no stroke to an incoming delivery during an outstanding spell from Jerome Taylor with the old ball.When Ish Sodhi and Tim Southee perished soon after tea, a four-day finish seemed a dead certainty, but Craig and Watling survived 27.3 overs to take the game to the final day. An innings defeat was averted, but the lead is a mere 18, and Trinidad can expect their delayed victory party on Friday.

According to a board official, Shakib had requested a reduction in his six-month suspension, and was told to send in an appeal

Mohammad Isam17-Jul-2014Suspended Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan met BCB president Nazmul Hassan on Wednesday. According to a board official, Shakib had requested for a reduction in his six-month suspension, and was told to send in an appeal, which he is likely to in the next couple of days.”Since he is a contracted cricketer, he always has the chance to appeal,” BCB director Jalal Yunus told reporters. “He met the board president yesterday, requesting him to reduce his sentences. He has been told to appeal, after which we will see what the board decides.”Right at this moment we cannot say whether the ban will be reduced or not. After he appeals, the board may decide to discuss it in a meeting. Otherwise the board president can take a decision and ratify it in the next board meeting.”Yunus however said that Shakib will probably appeal rather than apologise to the BCB.On July 7, Shakib was suspended from playing any cricket for six months and his NOCs withdrawn till December 2015 after the board found him guilty of several charges. One of them, according to Yunus, is for a commercial breach on Shakib’s behalf.”Sahara complained to us that Shakib posed for a billboard ad wearing a BCB jersey but without their logo. He has broken the rule doing this. Shakib actually didn’t ask for the board’s permission while doing this ad. This is one of the charges against him [in the six month suspension].”Jalal also confirmed that Shakib can train at any time, since he is a contracted cricketer. “Coach Chandika Hathurusingha will do his training management,” he said.

Glenn McGrath has suggested has suggested that India are likely to cop another 4-0 Test series loss in Australia unless they improve on all aspects of their cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2014Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath has suggested that India are likely to cop another 4-0 Test series loss in Australia unless they improve on all aspects of their cricket. India play four Tests against the hosts from December 2014 to January 2015, followed by an ODI tri-series that also features England.McGrath told ESPNcricinfo that India would be under severe pressure if Australia play with the same intensity as their 5-0 thrashing of England during the Ashes at home last year.”For India to be competitive in the upcoming Australia series, a lot of things have to change. We saw, as you mentioned, England when they toured Australia last year, they were well and truly beaten 5-0. Now they have well and truly beaten India 3-1. It’s going to be a tough series for India in Australia,” McGrath said.”If Australia play anywhere near as they have been, then they are going to be really tough to beat. To be honest, I can’t see India winning a Test match, so my prediction is as it usually is – I predict Australia to win and win 4-0. It’s up to the Indian team to prove me wrong and to somehow find some way to turn around their form. Their fielding, their batting, their bowling [to a degree], they’ve got a lot of work to do in the next few months.”McGrath termed India’s performance in the Tests against England as “ordinary” and said the losses could be put down to a matter of getting the basics right, like converting the opportunities that the bowlers create.”It could have been better, no doubt about that. I have enjoyed Varun Aaron coming in, bowling with a bit more pace. Ishant Sharma has always promised a lot, he’s still taking wickets, but unfortunately, he’s had a few injury worries, his pace has dropped down. Pankaj Singh looks raw but has a lot of potential. As a unit they could have bowled better but they did create quite a few chances. That’s what you have to do at that level. But you can’t afford to drop 3-4 catches in every Test match. If you do that, you’re not going to win any. Overall, the bowling was 7-7.5 out of 10.”According to Glenn McGrath, Varun Aaron could fill the void of an out-and-out fast bowler in the Indian side•Getty ImagesBhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished as the side’s leading wicket-taker with 19 dismissals, was one of the stand-out performers for India in the Tests.”He’s done well. [He] bowls pretty good areas, he swings the ball and has got the knack of taking wickets, too. So it’s all about playing at this level, being successful, believing in yourself and then being able to improve and learn from every game you play.”McGrath pointed out that one of the main issues India face on overseas tours is the lack of a quality fast bowler. He said that Varun Aaron had shown the potential to fill that void but urged him not to trade his pace for something else. Aaron’s intensity was impressive in the two Tests that he played in England, taking five wickets.”I think India’s biggest problem has always been that they haven’t got an express, out-and-out fast bowler,” McGrath said. “I mentioned Varun Aaron, who bowls good pace, but the rest, you can say, are probably medium-pacers, so then you’ve got to be able to swing the ball, you’ve got to be able to build pressure.”I’ve done a bit of work with Varun at the MRF pace foundation. I’ve been impressed with his attitude and the way he goes about things. The thing that is special about him is that pace. He has to bowl 145-plus, up around that 150 km mark. He can’t afford to lose that, so the one thing he doesn’t want to do, and what most bowlers really shouldn’t be doing, is trading pace for something else. You need that control, no doubt about that, but you need to keep what makes you so special. So for someone like Varun Aaron, he needs to be bowling 145-150 kph for him to be in the Indian team.”

Unable to beat the odds and pull off a record-breaking run chase against Durham, Nottinghamshire know they have to beat Yorkshire next week or else the Championship pennant will by flying at Headingley

Jon Culley at Chester-le-Street03-Sep-2014
ScorecardPeter Chase belts out an appeal during his five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesAt least, for Nottinghamshire, what is required of them now is absolutely clear. Unable to beat the odds and pull off a record-breaking run chase against Durham, they know they have to beat Yorkshire when the sides meet at Trent Bridge next week or else the Championship pennant will by flying at Headingley next year, regardless of what happens thereafter.On a ground where last day runs have never come easily, Nottinghamshire achieved a fourth-innings score that has only twice been bettered here, although that will be of no consolation at all. They needed 375 to keep Yorkshire within comfortable reach, which was always going to be a tall order, even if Riki Wessels, on whom they hopes rested most heavily with four wickets down and still 178 more to get overnight, turned his 77 not out into 150 or more.In the event, he had made 90 when he pulled a ball from the Irish debutant Peter Chase, striking it nicely enough but managing to send in straight into the hands of Gordon Muchall at deep square-leg. Wessels threw back his head in disgust as he might. Even in the words of the bowler, it was a delivery that deserved the treatment – “a bit of a long hop, really”, he said.But then this was a day when the 20-year-old from Dublin was possessed of the golden arm, drafted into an injury-ravaged Durham bowling attack only a couple of weeks after being registered to play and taking 5 for 64 on debut. His nerves calmed to a degree after the superb catch by Calum MacLeod in the gully that gave him his first success on Tuesday evening, he bowled as he had been instructed – “they told me just to run in and bowl as fast as I could” – and the wickets kept on coming.Paul Coughlin, another of limited experience required to bolster attack from which Graham Onions, Mark Wood, Jamie Harrison and Usman Arshad are all ruled out, played an important part too, claiming the second most crucial wicket when he had James Franklin lbw, but it was Chase’s day.As Chris Read craved someone to stay with him and keep the improbable target at least possible, Chase dismissed Ajmal Shahzad, caught behind off an inside edge, and Luke Fletcher, rooted in front of his stumps, with consecutive balls.Jake Ball, the rookie in the Nottinghamshire camp, stuck with his captain manfully for 36 minutes, scoring four boundaries in his 20, but when a short ball from Chase climbed on him he could only deflect it to Muchall at third slip off the shoulder of the bat.Effectively, it was all over, although the next 40 minutes produced a little bit of drama. The fall of the ninth wicket meant that lunch would not be taken until the game was finished, or else until 1.30pm arrived.In that time, Gary Keedy offered a caught and bowled chance that John Hastings put down and then a catch to first slip off Chase that Collingwood, of all people, allowed into his hands and out again.Read stroked a couple of boundaries off Chase to bring the target down to 56 – a fair effort given that it had been 155 still when Wessels departed and he came in – but with only three balls to go until lunch would have had to be taken, allowing Read and Keedy to regroup while Durham became twitchier than ever, Hastings came up with the ball of the game, a perfect yorker in middle stump, and the game was finished.Mick Newell, understandably subdued as he awaited confirmation of Yorkshire’s win at Old Trafford, admitted afterwards that the odds are now stacked against his side winning the title.”It is a heck of a lead going into two rounds of cricket,” he said. “We know we are going to have to win against Yorkshire, whatever position we are playing for and it is going to be a very difficult game. They are a strong side anyway and they will have Root and Ballance back as well.”Their presence will only place more pressure on Nottinghamshire’s frontline batsmen to deliver, something they failed to do in this match, as a collective.”In both innings we were three down very quickly and our key batters have not made much of a contribution and their bowlers generally bowled better than ours,” Newell said. “In the end you get what you deserve.”I genuinely thought we had a serious chance while Riki was still out there,” Newell said. “He has got that ability to take games away from people and with him 70 not out I felt he was a person that could turn it into 150, and that was what was going to be needed to win the game.”He was out to a loose shot off a nothing ball in the end, although you can’t really have a go at a bloke who’s battled away and got 90 for you.”Newell said that Andre Adams, who missed this match with a knee injury, could bit fit to face Yorkshire, the New Zealander’s decision to play for Hampshire next season not something that will affect Nottinghamshire’s plans for him in what remains of his time at Trent Bridge.”We need to look at Andre and try to get him ready and to see if it is a risk worth taking,” Newell said. “We will be desperate to get him on the field next week because if we are going to win the title we have to have Andre in the team.”Jon Lewis, the Durham coach, admitted the result was “huge” for the 2013 champions after their defeat at Old Trafford left them in the bottom two places.”Losing to Lancashire was a kick in the guts for us but to play well here and beat a side pushing for the title is a big lift,” he said. “The next two games are important for us now. We don’t want to think in terms of avoiding finishing in the bottom two but of seeing how high up we can get and finishing in the respectable position we feel we should be in.”