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Wealth of opening options means that middle-order specialist could be valuable

Andrew Miller13-Oct-2020On the day that England’s logjam at the top of their T20 batting order potentially got even more clogged following the successful promotion of Sam Curran as Chennai Super Kings’ latest opening batsman against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, there is at least one candidate for their World Cup plans who has no intention of pushing his way up the order.After what may yet prove to have been a breakthrough summer in England colours, Sam Billings says he would relish the chance to become the team’s designated finisher, having completed the English international season with his first extended run of opportunities since 2017.And England may well need him to do just that, given that so many of their batting options are currently gravitating towards the top three, both for England and increasingly in franchise cricket.For the moment, Jos Buttler and Jason Roy remain England’s first-choice T20 openers, with Jonny Bairstow slated to come in at No. 3 despite his powerful opening partnership with David Warner for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tom Banton made his IPL debut at the top of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ order earlier this week, while Dawid Malan, the No.1-ranked T20I batsman in the world, is likely to get a chance to push his case with a stint in the BBL this winter.And with Ben Stokes returning to action this week as Buttler’s new opening partner at the Rajasthan Royals prior to Curran’s powerful opening cameo of 31 from 21 balls on Tuesday, that leaves Billings and Eoin Morgan as the only two specialist batsmen in England’s most recent T20 squad whose skills are not currently being deployed at the front of the innings.”There’s quite a few options at the top of the order,” Billings said. “Jason, Tom Banton, Phil Salt… all these guys. But they can battle it out for those three spots. I’ve just focused on what I’ve done this summer and hopefully I can continue that form over the course of the winter.”It is a different role, and it’s a very specific role,” he added. “So it’s one that I really want to grasp. It’s a role that I’ve done consistently over the last few years for Kent, and something that actually I prefer.”Billings, 29, withdrew from the Chennai Super Kings’ squad last year, prior to the Covid outbreak, primarily to focus on his red-ball duties with Kent. But with England’s squads split across two formats to allow their full international programme to take place in a condensed season, he seized his recall with a pair of match-winning knocks in tight run-chases against Ireland, before producing a maiden ODI hundred against Australia.And while his returns in four T20Is against Pakistan and Australia were less imposing, that is the format in which he has produced his finest innings to date for England – a blistering knock of 87 from 47 balls in St Kitts last year, in which he rescued a scoreline of 32 for 4 in the sixth over, to set up a crushing 137-run win.ALSO READ: England’s winter tours: What is the current state of play?That innings, however, came shortly before Billings dislocated his shoulder in a fielding accident in his first appearance of the 2019 county season – an injury which ended his hopes of featuring in the World Cup and left him fearing his England career would end up being a series of stand-in appearances when he was omitted from the tour of South Africa earlier this year.”It’s easy to say that but, actually, if you look at the record, that was a fact,” he said. “This [summer] was the first time I played consecutive games for England in ODI cricket since 2017. And then before that, it was two games against Ireland, and before that it was my debut series back in 2015.”It’s great to get consistent opportunity and an extended run as a player,” he said. “Chennai have done with loads of players and that’s why they are the most successful franchise around: they give players the opportunity to succeed and fail as well. A game here or there isn’t in anyone’s best interest.”I know my game,” he added. “In the middle overs, if we’ve lost early wickets, it’s about rotating the spinners, as you see all the best players in the world do. That’s something that I strive towards, and then having the power at the back-end of an innings to win games of cricket.”I’m never going to be the biggest run-scorer in terms of a competition or a tournament,” he said. “However, in terms of winning games of cricket, whether it’s ten runs off the last three balls, they’re the kind of contributions that are hugely valued in that role, and I want to be the man to do so.”Sam Billings swings into the leg side•Getty Images

England’s international plans for the winter remain up in the air, with their planned white-ball tour of South Africa still awaiting clearance from the South African government. But one tournament that Billings will be taking part in is the Abu Dhabi T10, which has been pushed back from its original date in November to January 28-February 6.And though he does hope to be in the top three for that particular event, Billings reckons that many of the skills required for finishing in T20s will be in even more demand with only 60 balls to play with.”It’ll be pretty tricky coming in at five or six, you might be in for two balls,” he said. “But it’s about the realisation that, as a batsman especially, your numbers won’t stack up. I think T10 cricket will change how we measure batting, so that instead of averages and traditional strike rates, it’ll be judged in terms of batting impact.”In T20 cricket, everyone wants to bat in the top three, because it is the nicest place to bat. But actually, a contribution of 20 off six balls as a No. 6 batsman has far more of an impact than, say, 40 off 30 at the top of the order. So how cricket is going to change in that respect is really interesting.”

Australia survived the loss of early wickets and a Trent Boult hat-trick to cruise to an 86-run win at Lord’s

The Report by Alan Gardner29-Jun-2019As it happenedBig-game temperament, they said. On a decent run of form, with players coming back in who will strengthen them further. Know how to win a World Cup (or five). Plenty of observers warned the real Australia would turn up at this tournament, though fewer predicted they would be the first team to secure a semi-final place. But after brushing aside the early pace-setters in this round-robin format, Australia look increasingly – and menacingly – close to their best once again.Watch on Hotstar (India only): Highlights of Alex Carey’s match-turning inningsNew Zealand removed Australia’s openers cheaply, chipped away at the middle order and then finished off the innings with a Trent Boult hat-trick – the first in ODIs at Lord’s. That Australia managed to make as many as 243 for 9 was largely down to a century partnership between Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey, the latter batting more fluently than anyone else on the day. Mitchell Starc then corralled a record third World Cup five-for, as a relentless, ruthless and (admittedly) slightly hotchpotch attack dismantled New Zealand.Alex Carey pulls to the boundary as he takes the fight to New Zealand•Getty Images

The key wicket, that of Kane Williamson, was claimed by Starc, whose 5 for 26 saw him overtake his tournament-leading tally of 23 wickets from the 2015 World Cup. New Zealand’s captain had not previously been dismissed by Starc in ODIs – a record which included their group-stage encounter four years ago, when Williamson thundered the final six that sealed a barnstorming one-wicket win in Auckland. At Lord’s, it never got anywhere near so close.Having recovered from 92 for 5, Khawaja anchoring the innings from the fifth over to the 49th – when he became the first part of Boult’s late-swinging yorker tryptich – Australia simply preyed on New Zealand’s insecurities with the bat. Williamson’s 40 included being dropped twice and Ross Taylor was the only other player to get past 20 as the challenge of going at almost five an over on a tacky pitch proved too much.WATCH on Hotstar (US only): Full match highlightsAustralia captain Aaron Finch was able to cycle through as many as four part-time bowlers, including himself, as his three premier quicks plus the orthodox spin of Nathan Lyon kept New Zealand tied down. Never was the sense greater that momentum was with Australia than when Steven Smith was brought on to bowl an over of legspin and promptly claimed his first ODI wicket in five years, as Colin de Grandhomme picked out long-off.Finch, Smith, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell combined for figures of 9-0-43-1 and that in itself provided a measure of Australia’s eventual dominance. None of the big four went at more than 3.60 an over, with Jason Behrendorff backing up his five-star performance against England by removing both New Zealand openers in an opening spell that was extended to nine overs; and Nathan Lyon claimed his maiden World Cup wicket to suggest Australia have found the right balance for the slower surfaces that have predominated in the tournament.New Zealand were left to ponder another stuttering batting display, which leaves them facing a potentially nervous final group game against England next week. The move to bring in Henry Nicholls for Colin Munro at the top of the order brought only limited success – although an opening stand worth 29 was still New Zealand’s third-best of the competition – while despite starting well with the ball, Ish Sodhi’s legspin was underused and Williamson resorted to bowling himself for seven overs during the pivotal stand between Khawaja and Carey.Williamson perhaps reasoned that his offbreaks were more likely to trouble the pair of Australia left-handers – with both Sodhi and Mitchell Santner turning the ball into the batsmen – but it reinforced the nagging sense that New Zealand are overly reliant on their captain.He did eventually remove Carey, caught at cover looking to press the accelerator in the final Powerplay, though by that time Australia had fought their way back into the contest. Khawaja was largely becalmed, scoring only two boundaries in his first 100 balls, but he proved an adept foil for the more dynamic Carey, who continued his excellent form by scoring more than two-thirds of the runs during their 107-run stand.On a day highlighted by several brilliant catches – Martin Guptill’s to dismiss Smith, James Neesham’s off his own bowling to remove Glenn Maxwell, and Smith off Tom Latham all deserved a mention in dispatches – it was a missed chance that may have proved most significant. Khawaja’s second ball, driving at Boult, flew hard and low off the outside edge only for Guptill to shell it going one-handed to his right from second slip.On a roasting day in the capital, Australia had chosen to bat but, for only the second time in the tournament, Finch and David Warner could not provide a significant foundation. Boult rapped Finch on the knee roll and Warner was the first of a brace of short-ball breakthroughs for Lockie Ferguson, with Smith then plucked brilliantly by Guptill after pulling sweetly but within range of short fine leg; but although neither Stoinis nor Maxwell could produce the goods in the middle order – Australia’s one area of minor concern – they nevertheless found a way to get away.The innings juddered to a halt as Boult struck the stumps of Khawaja and Starc, then had Behrendorff lbw to complete the first World Cup hat-trick by a New Zealander. But it was Australia who ended the day emphatically on top.

David Munden, photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a battle with Parkinson’s Disease

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Mar-2018David Munden, the renowned cricket photographer and former county batsman, has died at the age of 60 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.Munden, who was a fixture on England cricket tours in the 1980s and 1990s, had been on Leicestershire’s books from 1975 until 1981 when, as captain of their second XI, he signed off with a century in his final appearance against Worcestershire at Grace Road.He was a contemporary of David Gower’s at the club, with whom he also represented England Under 19s on their tour of the Caribbean in 1976.”His passion for cricket was evident in the way he took to photographing the game once he realised he would not go on to enjoy a senior county career,” said Mark Baldwin, the chairman of the Cricket Writers’ Club.”He was a highly popular and much-respected colleague in and around press boxes at home and abroad. Cruelly, David’s illness eventually forced him to retire from his photographic work and he fought against the debilitations of Parkinson’s for many years.”In 2015, Leicestershire held a fundraising testimonial for Munden at Grace Road, where his father Victor and uncles Donald and Paul had also represented the club.The news of Munden’s death comes in the wake of the loss of Dave Callaghan, the BBC Yorkshire broadcaster, and Neil Bell, the BBC South East sports reporter.”In different ways and across different mediums the three of them contributed much to the promotion and presentation of cricket to a wide audience,” added Baldwin, “and they will be remembered with huge affection. What they shared, meanwhile, was a deep love of cricket and respect for the game.”

Chris Woakes wasn’t the England allrounder who gained the most attention in the IPL auction, but he proved his value to England once again with a match-winning contribution in St Kitts

George Dobell in St Kitts27-Feb-2017
ScorecardJahmar Hamilton and Rahkeem Cornwall added 123 for the sixth wicket•Getty Images

Chris Woakes wasn’t the England allrounder who gained the most attention in the IPL auction, but he proved his value to England once again with a match-winning contribution in St Kitts.England, set 234 to win, were reeling at 177 for 7 in the 40th over before Woakes calmed the situation with a run-a-ball innings of 47 not out. It was the third highest List A score of his career and saw England to a two-wicket victory with seven deliveries remaining. He had proved the pick of England’s bowlers, too, claiming 2 for 37 from nine well-controlled overs.England were grateful for his contribution. With only Jake Ball, who had earlier been forced off the field with a knee injury, left to bat (England later confirmed that he would have batted if required), they were facing an embarrassing reverse against a modest-looking WICB President’s XI side hit by withdrawals with 55 required from the final 10 overs.But Woakes added 35 for the eighth-wicket with Adil Rashid and then an unbroken 22 for the ninth with Liam Plunkett to help England squeak home. Despite taking just one run from the 48th over of the innings – 10 were required from the start of it – bowled by Kyle Myers, he laced Ronsford Beaton for four from the next over to all but end the contest. He had earlier driven Myers for a straight six and produced a couple of sweetly-timed drives through the covers.But this was an unconvincing performance with the bat from England. With Sam Billings, caught off the shoulder of the bat by one that reared at him, again failing to take his opportunity at the top of the order, England were heavily reliant upon an innings of 86 from Jonny Bairstow to get them anywhere near their apparently modest target.Bairstow, thrust into the unusual position of opener, responded with his highest List A score since August 2014 and looked in fine touch. But when he fell, failing to time an attempted paddle and spooning a simple catch to leg slip, it exposed the lack of contributions from the rest of the top order.While Joe Root added 117 with Bairstow, Jos Buttler cut to point, Eoin Morgan missed a reverse-sweep and Ben Stokes was punished for being stuck in the crease when he was bowled for a second-ball duck. When Moeen Ali was beaten by some turn, it seemed England’s familiar nemesis – spin bowling – might be their undoing once more. But while Woakes may not be England’s most glamorous cricketer, he showed again what a reliable allrounder he has become with a match-winning contribution that revived memories of England’s tie against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge in 2016.To be fair to England, conditions appeared to become more difficult for batting as the day progressed. On the same pitch used for Saturday’s game, the ball both spun and appeared to stick in the pitch for the seamers as the match wore on. Chasing the sort of score that Jonathan Trott might have made look simple, they instead exposed a slight lack of sophistication by continuing to attempt to blast their way to success in conditions where accumulation was required. The pitches for the ODI series are expected to be similar.”It was the sort of pitch that got tougher and tougher,” Paul Farbrace, England’s coach, said. “Cricket out here tends to be four quarters: the first 25 overs is a lot easier to bat than the last 25 overs. I don’t want to make excuses, but it got tougher and the ball stopped.”But even so we made it a lot harder for ourselves than we needed to. If one bloke gets 130 not out you win the game comfortably.”Earlier the President’s XI were grateful for a stand of 123 for the sixth-wicket between Jahmar Hamilton and Rahkeem Cornwall. Coming together with their side on 55 for 5, they counter-attacked attractively, with Rashid hit for a series of vast sixes.Cornwall, in particular, is a fascinating cricketer. Standing at six feet, seven inches and carrying a significant amount of surplus weight – he looks as if he thinks of strength and conditioning coaches as a small snack between meals – he still manages to be a good striker of a ball and a more than decent offspinner. Despite his obvious mobility issues – he dropped Bairstow at slip on 46; perhaps a match-defining moment – he has bowled more overs than anyone in the regional four-day competition (and only two men have more wickets) and is a genuine contender for an international place.Those two apart, the President’s XI batsmen struggled against an impressive display from England’s bowlers. Plunkett, learning from the first game, delivered a series of cross-seam deliveries that stuck in the surface and claimed two wickets with catches at leg gully, while Stokes also claimed three wickets as reward for much improved control.When Root and Bairstow were ticking over in their century stand for England’s second wicket, it seemed victory would be straightforward. And had offspinner Andre McCarthy not been bizarrely withdrawn from the attack having just claimed two wickets in three balls, the President’s XI might have exploited England’s familiar weakness against spin. But Woakes held firm and ensures England head to Antigua on Tuesday with victories from both warm-up games.It remains to be seen who lines up in that team. Ball is one obvious injury doubt – Chris Jordan and Sam Curran appear to be the leading candidates to replace him – while it also seems that Alex Hales, who joins up with the squad on Tuesday, will not be considered for the first game or two. That means that Billings is likely to remain as opener and Bairstow may rue is failure to make his excellent start here count. Jason Roy, rested here due to a bruised hand, is deemed fit to play.

Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment at Shivnarine Chanderpaul not getting a ‘proper send-off’

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-20162:29

Bishop: I’m thankful I played with him

Former West Indies captain Brian Lara has expressed his disappointment at his long time team-mate Shivnarine Chanderpaul not getting a ‘proper send-off’ in international cricket. Lara called Chanderpaul, who announced his retirement on Saturday, one of the giants of West Indies cricket.”I was very disappointed that Shiv was not allowed a couple of more Test matches, not necessarily to break the record but to have a proper send-off. Something I think he is very disappointed [about] and unfortunately that did not happen,” Lara said.”That guy with the most Test matches for the West Indies, playing for over 20 years, I don’t think people in the West Indies understand exactly his contribution.”Chanderpaul is West Indies’ second-highest scorer with 11,867 runs in 164 Tests, 86 behind Lara who scored 11,953 in 131 Tests. At 41, Chanderpaul had not played for West Indies since May 2015; the selectors dropped him after a poor home series against England.”Shiv, who played since 1994, had a tremendous career. I started with Shiv in Guyana and remember his first Test match against England,” Lara said. “He has been a great servant for West Indies cricket and he has done some tremendous things throughout his career, and credit must be given to the man for how he has played.”When I do have the opportunity to give him a call and thank him, I will because for me he was one of the giants of West Indies cricket.”

The ICC has defended the performance of the umpires and the DRS after criticism following the Trent Bridge Test between England and Australia

George Dobell16-Jul-2013The ICC has defended the performance of the umpires and the DRS after criticism following the Trent Bridge Test between England and Australia, whilst also admitting to errors in cases involving Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad.The ICC has taken the unusual step of revealing its assessment of the umpires and the DRS analysis from the Test, arguing that the figures vindicate both. Some mitigation was provided for the errors that did occur, the ICC suggesting the “added intensity” of a first Ashes Test had increased pressure on the officials.According to the ICC, the umpires made a total of 72 decisions, which is well above the average (49) for a DRS Test match. The umpiring team, made up of Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena and Marais Erasmus, was assessed to have made seven errors during the match, out of which three were uncorrected decisions and four decisions corrected using the DRS.As such, the correct decision percentage before reviews stood at 90.3% but climbed to 95.8% as a result of the use of the DRS. This represented an increase of 5.5% in correct decisions, which was the average increase from DRS Test matches in 2012-13.The three decisions that were marked as uncorrected errors included one against Trott when a correct lbw decision (not out against the bowling of Mitchell Starc) was overturned. The others involved Broad, both the edge that carried to slip via Brad Haddin’s gloves and a leg-before shout where he did not offer a stroke, but neither but these could be corrected as Australia had no reviews available.”When coupled with the conditions, with reverse swing and spin playing an important role, and the added intensity of the first Ashes Test, it was a difficult match to umpire,” read the ICC statement.The ICC’s chief executive, David Richardson, added: “The umpires did a good job under difficult conditions. This reflects the calibre of umpires Dar, Dharmasena and Erasmus who have consistently performed at a high level. Like the players, umpires can also have good and bad days but we all know that the umpire’s decision, right or wrong, is final and must be accepted.”While the ICC has complete faith in the ability of its umpires, our confidence in technology is also strengthened by the fact that there was an increase in the number of correct decisions in the Trent Bridge Test through the use of the DRS.”Technology was introduced with the objective of eradicating the obvious umpiring errors, and to get as many correct decisions as possible. If it can help increase the correct decisions by 5.5 percent, then it is a good outcome, but we must continue to strive to improve umpiring and the performance of the DRS.”

Stuart Williams, the assistant coach of West Indies’ A side, has said that the series against India A will be a good platform for Lendl Simmons to prove his fitness and return to the West Indies national team

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2012Stuart Williams, the assistant coach of West Indies’ A side, has said that the series against India A, that begins on Saturday in Barbados, will be a good platform for Lendl Simmons to prove his fitness and return to the West Indies national team.Simmons, who scored 1100 runs from 36 ODIs at 34.37, hasn’t played top-flight cricket since he injured his left knee during the WICB Regional Four-Day Tournament in February this year. “Simmons will want to use this series to prove his fitness and readiness to return,” Williams said. “He was excellent for West Indies in limited-overs cricket last year and he will want to get back in the groove and re-start his international career.Williams said that the series also gave legspinner Devendra Bishoo and batsman Kraigg Brathwaite, who played in the Test series against Australia in April, a chance to find form. “The ‘A’ team serves several purposes, and sometimes players lose form, and this series will be a chance for players like Bishoo and Brathwaite to regain their form and look to get back into the senior side,” Williams said. “They are both young, talented players and they have a lot to offer West Indies cricket.”Speaking after a training session on Thursday, Williams said that the ‘cohesion and camaraderie’ between his player would help them challenge the visitors. “They have brought a team with some experienced players (at the international level) so this series will be a good test for us,” Williams said. “It is always good to compete against good, strong opposition and push yourself to the limit. Our players recognise that this will be a ‘big’ series for them as they look to show continued development and progress.”Both India and West Indies have a mix of youth and experience in their side on the tour. Bishoo, Brathwaite and Simmons are among the capped West Indies players in the squad, while India have Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Rahul Sharma and Ashok Dinda in their mix.Williams said that he was confident his side would put on a good show, as a number of players have competed at this level before. “We have a great bunch of players and it is clear we have a very good team spirit,” he said. “We have formed a good unit and everyone is familiar with each other. The team has quite a few players who were part of the Sagicor High Performance Centre, as well as others who have played together for the West Indies A team before.” The series will feature three four-day matches, two Twenty20s and three 50-over matches.Edited by Carlyle Laurie

Terry Jenner’s former team-mates have remembered him as “a lovable rogue” who transformed from a good spin bowler into an outstanding coach

Brydon Coverdale25-May-2011Terry Jenner’s former team-mates have described him as “a lovable rogue” who transformed from a good spin bowler into an outstanding coach. To a generation of cricket fans, Jenner, who has died in Adelaide at the age of 66, was known as the mentor who helped Shane Warne develop from a promising young cricketer into the world’s greatest spin bowler.It was quite a leap for a man who took 389 first-class wickets but managed only nine Test matches. An attacking bowler in his younger years, Jenner later relied too often on the safer delivery out of the front of his hand than the loopy legbreak, but he found a way to instil confidence in Warne, who would turn to Jenner whenever he needed advice.”I think one of the reasons he was able to relate to spin bowlers was that he’d been through the mill,” said Greg Chappell, who played with Jenner at South Australia and captained him in the Test side. “He’d found it pretty tough himself as a spin bowler. It’s not an easy art. I think there were probably times that TJ didn’t have the confidence in himself that perhaps he was able to imbue in others as a coach.”I think TJ could relate to Warnie’s personality and perhaps the fact that he wasn’t one that handled authority very well, because TJ never did. TJ found spin bowling pretty tough and had obviously thought a lot about it and what was important about it … was to have the confidence to back yourself and trust what you had. There were probably times in TJ’s career where he didn’t do that, and having learnt from that experience I think helped him greatly when he was talking to others, but particularly someone like Shane Warne.”Jenner battled to hold down a spot in the Test team in the early 1970s, when Ashley Mallett, Kerry O’Keeffe and later Jim Higgs were all competing for the spin position. Jenner and Mallett had been close friends since they were 14, having played together in Perth when a teenage Jenner was trying to make his way as a wicketkeeper.They moved to Adelaide at the same time – Mallett to seek coaching advice from the great Clarrie Grimmett, and Jenner to pursue a relationship – and ended up bowling together for South Australia for many years. Mallett praised Jenner as a great communicator and thinker on the game, and said the pair worked well as a team, while maintaining a healthy rivalry at the same time.”I played a lot for South Australia with him, bowling in tandem, and we never had to discuss strategy or who we should be bowling to, it just happened instinctively,” Mallett told ESPNcricinfo. “We were very competitive in the nets. If you talk to the Chappell brothers, you’d know that it was on in the nets. We always figured that if we could bowl well to the Chappells, then the next day’s Test or Shield game would be easy.”There was always a beer hanging off a wicket. He’d always claim a wicket. If Ian would drive TJ half an inch off the ground, that was caught at cover! We had a lot of fun but it was extremely competitive in the nets. TJ and I were competitive, we were always trying to outdo each other. We’d always done that as kids.”Mallett and Jenner played together twice in Test matches, both times in 1975. The second of those games, against West Indies at the Gabba, was Jenner’s last Test match, and Chappell’s first as Australia’s captain. Chappell said one of his most vivid memories of playing with Jenner was when he was felled by a bouncer in the final Test of the 1970-71 Ashes series.”I was at the non-striker’s end when he got hit in the head by John Snow at the SCG. I always thought there was a single in it, but TJ never responded,” Chappell joked. “It’s fair to say that TJ was a lovable rogue. There was always a bit of fun just around the corner wherever TJ was.”Max Walker, who toured the West Indies with Jenner in 1973, said he would be remembered not only as a fine coach, but as an uplifting presence around the squad in his playing days.”He was always full of mischief,” Walker said. “To try and read his eyes it was a bit like, what’s coming next? Is it the zooter, the toppie, the wrong’un, the slow one or the wide one? As such, he was always an energiser in the team. Quite often he carried the drinks, but he was always very much one of the lads.”

Andrew Strauss admitted he was “annoyed” that England had let slip the chance of a 5-0 whitewash

Andrew Miller at The Oval01-Jul-2010Andrew Strauss admitted he was “annoyed” that England had let slip the chance of a 5-0 whitewash against Australia, but played down suggestions that he had erred tactically in once again choosing to bowl first after winning the toss. After allowing Australia first use of a fast and true wicket, England were set an imposing target of 291, their highest run-chase of the series so far, but were bundled out by Ryan Harris for 212 in 42.4 overs.”We didn’t get enough things right today,” said Strauss. “We got off to a pretty good start with the ball, but [Michael] Clarke and [Ricky] Ponting played really well in the middle period, where we had done best in the first three games. We struggled to find ways of ‘dotting them up’, which was a little bit frustrating. We tried seven bowlers, but on a flat wicket it was easy to hit through the line of the ball.”Bowling first has been England’s modus operandi throughout the series to date, even though such a tactic flies in the face of conventional wisdom. With a varied attack that had helped to carry England to a run of eight ODI victories in a row – their best run of form since the 1992 World Cup – and batsmen of the calibre of Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen, England believe they have the personnel to keep any target within reach. But that notion received a bit of a reality check on a chastening day at The Oval.”It wasn’t as good a performance as the first three, and we’ve got what we’ve deserved,” said Strauss. “The idea of chasing down anything Australia set us has worked pretty well in the first three games – and we didn’t see any particular reason to change that today. When you lose in that fashion, you always think ‘Well, maybe we should have batted first’. But I’m pretty comfortable with that decision. I just don’t think we did enough things well today.”England have improved markedly as a one-day unit in recent months, but as Ponting made clear with his memorable “bragging rights” comment at Cardiff, they have an awfully long way to go to match the achievements and consistency of Australia’s one-day side – who, after all, haven’t lost a single World Cup match in the whole of the 21st Century. Another victory at Lord’s on Saturday would transform that 5-0 ambition into a far less imposing 3-2 result. It remains to be seen whether Strauss sticks to his guns by fielding first in that game.”You’ve got to play to your strengths, it’s as simple as that,” was Ponting’s take on the tactics. “If they think it’s in their interests to keep chasing they’ll keep doing it. They obviously like bowling first and trying to chase the runs down, although it’s not my preferred way of playing. If it’s dry when you start, it always gets that little bit tougher and it makes chasing hard.”But I wasn’t as surprised they bowled first as I was at Manchester,” Ponting added. “That was a wicket I thought looked particularly dry and hard to chase on, and as the game went on it certainly was that. But they seem to be very structured in everything they are doing at the moment, the way they are playing their cricket. We’ll see what they do at Lord’s.”For Strauss, the disappointment of the result was tempered by the small successes that came out of the game, such as Michael Yardy’s maiden ODI fifty – a tenacious but even-tempoed 57 from 63 balls that prevented England’s challenge from disintegrating until the final ten overs.”He played really well, and has played a lot of innings like that for Sussex – knocking the ball around, accumulating pretty quickly, and clearly we needed him to do that today,” said Strauss. “He stepped up to the plate – and on the back of his bowling in the first three games, it was good to see him scoring some runs. If you haven’t scored a one-day international fifty before, the first one is very important – regardless of the situation of the game.”The whitewash wasn’t a secret hope. We were very hopeful we could do it,” he said. “What we were trying to focus on was getting it to 4-0, trying not to look too far ahead. But Australia did what you expect them to do; they came back hard at us today and put in the better performances. They had three excellent performances in the game, and that’s why they won.”

Unbeaten half-century lacks support as Sunrisers fall short in 18-over chase

ECB Reporters Network15-Jun-2024 South East Stars 153 for 4 (Redmayne 38*, E Jones 36) beat Sunrisers 111 for 5 (Scrivens 62*) by 19 runs – DLSGrace Scrivens’ stylish half-century proved in vain as Sunrisers slipped to a 19-run defeat under the DLS method to finals day-bound SE Stars in a game reduced to 18 overs aside at The Oval.The England A captain in New Zealand last winter struck 62 not out off 48 balls with a six and eight fours, but with only Jo Gardner (23 from 16) offering meaningful support, the visitors were 111 for 5 and behind the clock in the chase for 154 when the rain drove the players off with 13 balls remaining. Dani Gregory took 2 for 21 while Tilly Corteen-Coleman (1 for 14) kept up her remarkable record of taking a wicket with her first ball.Earlier, Stars’ impressive score of 153 for 4 was built around Australian debutant Georgia Redmayne’s patient 38, the fireworks being provided by Emma Jones (36 from 23), Phoebe Franklin (23 from 21) and Bryony Smith (21 from 11). Mady Villiers was the pick of the Sunrisers attack with 2 for 23.Morning and afternoon rain delayed the start until 3:50pm, but Smith made up for lost time after losing the toss and being put into bat, plundering four boundaries from one Eva Gray over, the pick a back-foot drive creamed through extra-cover.Smith fell in the next over bowled by Villiers, the spinner luring her down the track to be stumped by Amara Carr, who then caught England opener Sophia Dunkley, holding onto a skied top edge.Franklin though picked up the baton, a delightful square cut and a bludgeon over the head of mid-on among her four fours. Villiers cut the innings off in its prime when Franklin hoisted one into the hands of Gray at cow corner but that was the cue for Jones to unleash her power.The all-rounder hit two mighty sixes, the first at long-on where Jo Gardner got fingertips to it but could only parry the ball over the rope. No such doubt about the second blow however which sailed five rows back into the seats at deep square.Left-hander Redmayne was content to play second fiddle in a stand of 57 and when Jones departed to a catch on the fence, the Aussie gave the stage to Alice Davidson-Richards, who smote a six and a four in reaching 16 off 6.Chasing 154 for an unlikely win, Sunrisers were soon in tatters. They lost Villiers without a run on the board, Jones in the action with a catch on the fence from the bowling of Stonehouse.Lissy Macleod then top edged one from Ryana MacDonald-Gay into the hand of keeper Redmayne and when Corteen-Coleman produced her latest party trick to trap Carr lbw for a duck the visitors were 19 for 3.Skipper Scrivens, who’d watched the carnage from the other end, responded with the first six of the reply, before being given a life by Aylish Cranstone, who spilt a regulation chance at point from the bowling of Jones. By then though Gregory had struck twice in three balls to remove Amu Surenkuma and Flo Miller.Scrivens continued to hit boldly, reaching 50 in 41 balls and Gardner too cleared the ropes but the task was just beyond them.