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Batsman turns from scapegoat to saviour in the space of 72 hours, as England bounce back from Old Trafford defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2018Alex Hales turned from scapegoat to saviour in the space of 72 hours, as England bounced back from an ignominious batting collapse at Old Trafford to square the T20I series with a hard-fought five-wicket victory at Cardiff.And no-one fought harder than Hales himself, as he clubbed England over the line with 58 not out from 41 balls to atone for his momentum-squandering knock of 8 from 18 in the opening match of the series.”It’s right up there,” Hales said after the match. “The game at Manchester was a very, very bad day at the office personally and as a team, we didn’t quite get going. But today was brilliant, to bounce back in a must-win game shows a lot of character as a team.”One of the keys to England’s success was the negation of Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wristspinner whose wiles had bamboozled their batsmen to the tune of five wickets at Old Trafford. After intensive work against their spin-bowling machine, Merlyn, England came up with a plan to combat his angles, much of which involved staying deeper in the crease.”I’d never faced him before and I didn’t know much about him,” said Hales. “Maybe I just went out in Manchester without a plan and couldn’t get going. I watched a bit more footage, worked with Merlyn and looked to play a bit more off the back foot and waited for him to float one up hit a bit straighter, rather than cross bat like my dismissal the other night. It’s about having a bit more of a plan and more composure.”We picked him the other night, but I don’t think we played him very well,” he added. “You can see it out of his hand which way it’s spinning, but the other night we were maybe a bit rusty and had never played against him. Now we have had good look, had a good plan and it’s important to take that into Sunday and keep on top of him.”Asked if England’s success against Kuldeep had dealt him a psychological blow, Hales responded: “I think so. I guess it would do, yeah. It’s good for us to have that momentum heading into a must-win game on Sunday. Everyone collectively had a poor day on Sunday, but we bounced back well and it was brilliant today. Particularly Adil [Rashid], I think the Indians were looking to line him up to that short boundary so to go for under 30 was amazing.”Despite his personal success, Hales is under no illusions that his place in England’s starting XI remains vulnerable, especially with Ben Stokes nearing full fitness and potentially pressing for inclusion in the series decider at Bristol.”I’m doing all I can to score runs and keep putting pressure on the guys who know they’re playing,” he said. “We will have to see what happens. If it’s me that’s left out, you look at the guys who are playing ahead of me and what can you do? It’s up to me to keep training hard, being positive and have a decent mindset. It’s funny how quickly things can change.”It’s what Jonny [Bairstow] did for three years. Every time he got a chance he delivered, and has now made four hundreds in six games. I maybe find myself in that position now and have to see what I can do.”One of the strengths of England’s current white-ball set-up is the adaptability of their line-up, with batsmen moving up and down the order according to the match situation. Hales himself came in at No.4 at Cardiff, having been at 3 at Old Trafford, but he admitted that learning new roles was part of the challenge of playing in this team.”The batting line-up is that strong, you look how well Jos [Buttler] is playing, he’s batting on a different planet. Just to be part of this batting line-up, anywhere in the order is a great effort. Wherever I find myself I have to adapt and keep learning, and that was a different role tonight, it was like me and Jos swapped roles. I have to keep learning going forward if that’s the role I’ll play.”Whatever happens to Hales in the course of the next few games, he believes he has the wherewithal to cope with being left out of the side, which is something that he was forced to learn at a young age in county cricket.”When I was young, 22 or 23, I was dropped from the Notts team and was sent on loan,” he said. “Being on a downer is something I have had to deal with in my career so it’s nothing new to me, so when I face those moments, as I did the other night, I had a poor night, I know how to deal with it and bounce back and know that can happen in cricket. It’s a funny game.”

Pakistan will find time to address concerns about their middle order despite the joy of overcoming Sri Lanka to progress to the knockout stage

Andrew McGlashan in Cardiff12-Jun-2017Pakistan have little more than 36 hours before taking the field again in Cardiff for their Champions Trophy semi-final against England, but will find time to address concerns about their middle order despite the joy of overcoming Sri Lanka to progress to the knockout stage.Fakhar Zaman’s explosive entrance to the one-day side, with innings of 31 off 23 balls against South Africa followed by his 35-ball 50 against Sri Lanka, has helped overcome the sluggish starts which have plagued their batting, but there were a series of loose dismissals in the chase which left them needing a rescue mission of dramatic proportions from captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Amir in an unbroken stand of 75 in 15 overs.”If you look at the game we started well but after Fakhar Zaman got out we lost the momentum and then most of our dismissals were soft which definitely is an area of concern for us,” Sarfraz said. “We will sit tomorrow and talk about this and hopefully we will recover from this.”After the way we started we could have finished this game with six or seven wickets in hand but those dismissals really dented us. We should have won by a good margin but a win is a win. Yes, we need to sit and talk about it and realise that if we a settled that we should take the game to the end rather than leaving it for the upcoming batsmen.”On his own innings, an unbeaten 61 off 79 balls, he admitted things went his way especially with the first dropped catch by Thisara Perera but was delighted to see the chase through. “I played the shot in the air, I just said, ooh…as a captain, it’s very important innings for me. After this innings, I’m really boosted.”Before the tournament, Sarfraz spoke about how the team’s No. 8 ODI ranking meant there were no expectations on them – which looked justified after the woeful performance against India, who they have a chance of meeting again in the final – but now they have a semi-final berth he sounded a little more bullish.”Indeed it was very important for us as a team. Obviously nobody was rating us and they were writing us off, but once again I give all the credit to the team management for boosting us after the India game, especially our bowlers. The way Junaid [Khan] and Amir bowled was a turning point. I hope we can carry the momentum ahead and take a lot of confidence.”Sarfraz also promised his side would play “positive” cricket against England, the side they conceded the world record ODI total of 444 for 3 against at Trent Bridge last year. That one-day series ended in a 4-1 drubbing but the lone Pakistan victory did come in Cardiff as they chased down 303 in which Sarfraz made 90.”We chased down 300-plus runs and that is a good memory,” he said. “We have to play positive cricket as England have been playing positive cricket in the last two years. Obviously we have to play hard and we will try to replicate our last year performance to win them again in Cardiff. If you’re playing a world class team you play more positive cricket. So will definitely do that against England.”

Former West Indies pace bowler Tino Best has joined Hampshire as they continue their efforts to address a crippling early-season injury crisis

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2016Former West Indies fast-bowler Tino Best has joined Hampshire on a short-term deal.Best, who has played 25 Tests and 26 ODIs for the West Indies, joins the club as a Kolpak player on a short-term contract. Best, 34, has a wealth of experience in all formats and he averages 28 with the ball in 115 first-class matches and Hampshire’s director of cricket Giles White challenged him to match the exploits of Fidel Edwards in straitened circumstances last summer.His latest headlines, though, have come not from fast bowling but from his impending autobiography and his claims of an immense sexual proclivity.White said: “Fidel joined us last year under similar circumstances, he never looked back and this is a chance for Tino to emulate him. He trained with us in Barbados during pre-season and looked good. It has come about at short notice, initially on a short term contract. He seems excited about the opportunity and very motivated to do well; we look forward to seeing how things develop.”Hampshire’s current injury crisis includes fast-bowler Fidel Edwards, who suffered a fractured ankle at Headingley last week whilst fellow seamers Reece Topley, Gareth Berg and Ryan Stevenson are all currently not available for selection due to injury.White continued: “Unfortunately Fidel has had a serious break and will have to undergo surgery on Tuesday. It’s a real shame for him, he has been unbelievable since he has been with us and has become an extremely popular member of the club. We will support him through his recovery and look forward to having him back in a Hampshire shirt as soon as possible. He is a class act and the team will miss him.”Hampshire signed Craig Young, the Ireland seamer, on a short-term deal last week.

Sri Lanka Cricket is looking to the expatriate community in Europe for development funds, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said, after the board appointed a representative in the region on Friday

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Oct-2013Sri Lanka Cricket is looking to the expatriate community in Europe for development funds, SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said, after the board appointed a representative in the region on Friday.United Kingdom resident and textile tycoon Sarath Abeysundara was tasked with raising money for district and school cricket in Europe, and SLC is hopeful he will ease the burden on SLC’s stretched domestic budget.”Mr. Abeysundara’s job is to try and help the board build relationships with the Sri Lankans living in Europe and to raise funds for developments in districts and schools,” Ranatunga said. “We’ve told him to come up with a few options on how he would raise funds for SLC, which he was very keen to do. He has raised funds for SLC before, which we were aware of.”Ranatunga said Abeysundara had links to county team Leicestershire and served on SLC’s foreign committee in the UK – one of several of the board’s outposts abroad. He is also an elected member of SLC’s sponsorship committee, under whose purview the assignment falls.

Lancashire have released former England faster bowler Saj Mahmood after ten years at the club

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2012Lancashire have released former England fast bowler Saj Mahmood after ten years at the club. Mahmood, 30, spent the latter part of the season on loan at Somerset, after losing his place in the Lancashire side, and it has now been confirmed that his contract will not be renewed.Mahmood, who has played in eight Tests and 26 ODIs, was a part of Lancashire’s title-winning team last season, taking 35 wickets, but saw his opportunities this year limited by the arrival of Ajmal Shahzad from Yorkshire. He made just three Championship appearances in 2012 and didn’t play again after conceding 42 from 2.3 overs – and 17 off his last three legitimate deliveries – in Lancashire’s opening Friends Life t20 defeat to Derbyshire.Lancashire’s director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, said: “We would like to thank Saj for his contribution to the club over the last 10 years and we wish him well for the future.”After being spotted playing in the Bolton Leagues, Mahmood joined Lancashire on a scholarship in 2002 and went on to make his international debut at the age of 22. With more than 300 first-class wickets to his name and the ability to bowl at significant pace, Mahmood should be an attractive prospect for many counties, though he recently admitted that “inconsistency” had dogged his career.Although he swapped a relegation battle that saw Lancashire drop into Division Two for a spell with the county that eventually finished second to the champions, Warwickshire, Mahmood was mainly signed as cover by Somerset. In three appearances he claimed eight wickets at 30.12 and they may prefer to rely on the emerging Overton twins and Lewis Gregory as fast-bowling back-up for 2013.

Vusi Sibanda is more comfortable now that he has traded in his spectacles for contact lenses and has also developed a more stable stance

Firdose Moonda in Bulawayo30-Aug-2011A strange thing happened to Vusi Sibanda when he stopped wearing glasses – he could see. Alright, it wasn’t exactly that dramatic, because Sibanda switched to contact lenses instead, but the change resulted in improved vision and, in turn, better form with the bat.The three years between 2008 and 2010 were particularly blurry for Sibanda. He failed to average over 20 in ODIs in any of them, a disappointing effort after the previous two years, where he maintained healthy one-day averages of over 35. Since the start of 2011 though his form has improved remarkably: he averages 44.00 in ODIs this year, and will be one of Zimbabwe’s key players during the upcoming series against Pakistan that starts with a solitary Test on September 1 and will feature three ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals thereafter.Two days before he got called up to Zimbabwe’s World Cup squad, Sibanda made a bold decision to aid his game. “We [Mashonaland Eagles] were playing a four-day game here in Bulawayo against Matabeleland Tuskers and I had to excuse myself to go to the optometrist,” Sibanda told ESPNcricnfo. “I had the tests done, got the lenses and came back to continue playing. I was quite nervous and had to stand outside the 30-yard circle while I got used to them.”The change had an immediate impact. “It became easier to pick the line and length of deliveries and I seemed to have a lot more time than I used to have.” Also, not having to wear glasses made Sibanda more comfortable at the crease. “It sounds a bit weird, but the glasses would start falling off because of the sweat and it would get annoying because I had to keep putting them back on.”The switch to lenses, that he had delayed for years because he did not like the idea of putting something in his eyes, was just the first of several adjustments Sibanda made to his game. Since 2008, Sibanda has spent a few weeks a year in Sydney with Michael Clarke’s mentor Neil D’Costa, where they have worked intensively on a few key areas.”I used to shuffle a lot in the crease and now I don’t have that trigger movement anymore,” Sibanda said. “With a more solid stance I can react faster.” He still is rushed into a shot sometimes though, particularly by the short ball, and calls himself a “compulsive puller.” The shot cost him his wicket four times in the series against Bangladesh. Sibanda dealt well with Bangladesh’s spinners on his way to three half-centuries in the series – one in the Tests, two in the ODIs. Still, he maintains that it is the quicks that he prefers to face. “I’ve always liked pace; spin used to be a bit of a problem for me.”The Bulawayo pitch, where the Test against Pakistan will be played, usually offers the spinners something. Sibanda, though, said he saw a fair bit of grass on the strip when he went to observe it. Even if it does turn, Sibanda’s recent form has made him confident he can deal with any conditions.

Nottinghamshire edged their way to the 400 runs required to secure a vital fifth batting point

Liam Brickhill16-Sep-2010

ScorecardShivnarine Chanderpaul’s dismissal sparked wild celebrations from Nottinghamshire•Getty Images

In a result that seemed almost unthinkable this morning, Nottinghamshire have stormed to the County Championship title on a thrilling afternoon at Old Trafford. Needing to secure six bonus points to pull level with Somerset at the top of the table – and squeeze ahead by virtue of winning seven games to Somerset’s six this season – Nottinghamshire edged their way to the 400 runs required to secure a vital fifth batting point, with the tenth-wicket pair of Darren Pattinson and Ryan Sidebottom, in what could be his final game for the county, putting together 10 runs in 5.1 overs fraught with tension.Having declared, Nottinghamshire were left needing three wickets in 15 overs in order to secure the title, and Sidebottom soon came to the fore with the ball, snaffling Mark Chilton before Andre Adams’ double-strike sparked wild celebrations at Old Trafford. With Somerset settling for a draw at Chester-le-Street after quick wickets had put paid to their hopes of chasing down 181 in 17 overs, Nottinghamshire went into the final hour of the Championship campaign knowing exactly what they needed to do to secure the title. It took less than five overs, at the end of a long and arduous season, for a pumped-up Sidebottom and Adams to get them there.Sidebottom struck first as Karl Brown edged his eighth ball to Alex Hales at first slip. Though Brown might have left the delivery alone, in the next over Mark Chilton could do nothing about his dismissal as he got a feather on an unplayable delivery from Adams. Adams has been Nottinghamshire’s stand-out bowler in their Championship campaign, and he then struck for the 68th time and final time, having Shivnarine Chanderpaul caught by Samit Patel at third slip, to set the champagne corks popping.Nottinghamshire’s other option going into the final day had been to persuade Lancashire to forfeit an innings and set them a gettable total to chase this afternoon. Ultimately, however, their victory was hard-fought as they were given no quarter by Lancashire and it took a special partnership between Adam Voges and Samit Patel to push them towards the magic 400-mark.There would have been some frayed nerves in their dressing room during Sidebottom and Pattinson’s partnership, but the fact that Nottinghamshire got that close at all was thanks largely to Voges and Patel’s 153-run stand for the fifth wicket, which came before Simon Kerrigan ran through a nervous lower order to pick up 5 for 80.After a delayed start at 11.35am with 80 overs to be bowled after the players took the field in bright sunshine, the onus was on scoring quickly from the start. There was no sign of declaration bowling from Lancashire, with Tom Smith and Gary Keedy starting proceedings, but without being overtly reckless Voges and Mark Wagh managed to score at better than a run a ball almost from the first over of the morning.Sajid Mahmood replaced Smith at the Stretford End and his extra pace soon brought about a breakthrough as Wagh jabbed at an inswinger from the crease and had his stumps pegged back. Ali Brown looked to have settled, putting together 28 with Voges in good time, but fell on the stroke of lunch as Mahmood slanted one in to strike him above the left knee roll.The signs that Nottinghamshire would try to press on quickly after the interval were soon apparent, as Voges started aggressively by thrashing Mahmood to the cover boundary to go to his half-century. Soon after he charged out of his crease and clipped Keedy to the straight midwicket boundary to take Nottinghamshire past 200 – and their first batting point.Voges was on hand once again to secure another point when he took Nottinghamshire past 250 in partnership with Patel. Patel, who once again demonstrated the natural stroke-maker that has left England so frustrated by his fitness issues, eased to a rapid half-century from 60 balls and soon after brought up the century stand – from 117 balls – with a wristy cut through backward point.As Nottinghamshire neared 300 Voges and Patel upped the tempo noticeably, both using their feet to seamers and spinners alike and appearing unafraid to hit the ball in the air. Voges came down the track and bunted Keedy to long-on to register his first hundred for Nottinghamshire, and despite his head start, Patel rapidly caught up with him and had already reached 91 by the time he had gone to his ton. But he would not follow Voges to the landmark, falling in the pursuit of quick runs as he lofted Kerrigan to Kyle Hogg at long-off to depart for a 91-ball 96 that included 11 fours and a six.Kerrigan removed Chris Read and Steven Mullaney in quick succession, but with Nottinghamshire just 10 runs short of their 400-target and with two wickets in hand, Adams missed a wild mow into the leg side to be bowled by Kerrigan – the spinner’s fifth wicket. Then came Sidebottom and Pattinson’s vital stand, and Nottinghamshire declared their innings immediately after reaching the 400-mark to leave them 15 overs to push for the title.Despite Nottinghamshire’s fears that they would have to engage in horse-trading and negotiations in order to force a result in this game, ultimately they secured the title under their own steam and finished as deserved champions in a truly breathless finale to the county season.

Durham bowled out for 262 after being harried by home side’s six-man seam attack

ECB Reporters Network17-Sep-2024Durham battled hard to reach 262 all out at the Kia Oval but it was still Surrey who had the better of day one as they seek a third successive Vitality County Championship title.Colin Ackermann’s unbeaten 78 was a particularly creditable effort but the 33-year-old was left stranded as Dan Worrall snatched two quick wickets with the second new ball and finish with figures of 4 for 39.In 12 overs’ batting before the close, Surrey then raced to 52 without loss in late afternoon sunshine with Rory Burns completing 1000 Championship runs for the season as he tucked into some loose new ball bowling to pull a six and also hit seven fours in a 46-ball 40 not out.Surrey, county champions in 2022 and 2023, began the penultimate round of Division One matches eight points clear of second-placed Somerset, who beat them at Taunton last week, and still in control of their own destiny.And, when they had reduced Durham to 134 for 5 by mid-afternoon, after opting to bowl first, it looked as if Surrey were on course to bowl their visitors out for a modest first-innings total.Ackermann and Bas de Leede, however, then added 70 in a punchy fifth wicket stand to blunt a six-pronged Surrey pace attack, in which only Conor McKerr – not introduced until the 49th over and whose four overs cost 33 – proved ineffective. De Leede struck six fours in his 36 from 54 balls before splicing a pull at a short ball from Tom Curran and offering a simple catch to wide mid-on.Sam Curran’s removal of Callum Parkinson for 1 just after tea, caught behind by Ben Foakes, left Durham uneasy again on 216 for 7. But Ackermann, straight driving the younger Curran brother for one glorious four, continued to flourish while 19-year-old paceman Daniel Hogg, making his fourth first-class appearance, helped him to add a further 30 for the eighth wicket.Hogg’s innings of 6 ended with a pull at Tom Lawes that went straight into Tom Curran’s hands at deep square leg and 16-year-old left-arm fast bowler James Minto managed two fours off Clark on his first-class debut before Worrall swung one back between bat and pad to bowl him for 8.Two balls later Chemar Holder was leg-before to a Worrall near-yorker, while Ackermann struck ten fours in his 125-ball knock.Alex Lees and Ben McKinney had earlier given Durham’s innings a solid start although the former, when he was on 23 and the total 44, was bowled shouldering arms to a Sam Curran no-ball.Both openers fell in Worrall’s second spell, the leader of Surrey’s attack having switched to the Pavilion End to better utilize a gentle cross breeze. On 60, McKinney fell for 23 when he pushed away from his body and edged to Foakes and fellow left-hander Lees, captaining Durham in the injury absence of Scott Borthwick, was bowled for 36 by an absolute beauty from Worrall that ducked back into him late.In between those wickets Tom Curran had Emilio Gay leg-before for a duck, ending an uncomfortable 12-ball stay on his Durham debut for a player who has joined on-loan ahead of a permanent move from Northamptonshire this winter.David Bedingham, dropped by a diving Dom Sibley on 14 when he miscued a hook at Lawes towards point – Sibley having run from second slip to try to get to the dropping ball – put on 51 with Ollie Robinson either side of lunch, but Surrey’s seamers would not let them get away despite Bedingham hitting consecutive fours off Lawes, through extra cover and wide of mid-on.Jordan Clark pinned Robinson leg-before for 17 and Lawes had his revenge on Bedingham by producing a perfect away-swinger to have him caught behind by a tumbling Foakes, before Ackermann marshalled the lower order to good effect.

Tilak Varma’s fifty on tricky track went in vain as West Indies overcame a mid-chase slide of 4 for 3 to edge home by two wickets

Himanshu Agrawal06-Aug-20231:20

Jaffer: ‘Hardik not giving Chahal a fourth over shocks me’

West Indies beat India in back-to-back T20Is for the first time since 2016, thus giving themselves every chance of triumphing over India in a T20I series (two games or more) for the first time in seven years. But none of this was without drama. With 27 runs to get off 37 balls and six wickets still in hand in the chase of 153, West Indies lost 4 for 3 in the space of 13 deliveries, their smooth progress hitting serious turbulence.Who would have thought then that they would win with seven balls to spare? Eventually, it took an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 26 between Nos. 9 and 10 Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph to get their side home.But before rescuing West Indies with the bat, both Hosein and Joseph grabbed two wickets each – as did Romario Shepherd – to set the base for the win by restricting India to 152. Nicholas Pooran then led the effort with the bat, clobbering 67 off 40 balls with six fours and four sixes to keep India under pressure for most of the chase.

Powell’s calls, bowlers’ execution spot on

Rovman Powell had lost the toss, but his tactics ensured India’s batters hardly ever felt settled on a pitch where the ball was gripping and turning. Throughout India’s innings, there were only two occasions when a West Indies bowler bowled at least two overs in a row. And even that first happened only when Jason Holder bowled the ninth and 11th overs, with the constant rotation of bowlers not allowing India any momentum.Obed McCoy, Holder, Hosein and Joseph executed the plan to perfection, combining to grab 4 for 111 across 16 overs – an economy rate of less than seven an over – across multiple change-ups. There were fast ones zipping and skidding through on the two-paced pitch – from the pace bowlers and the left-arm spinner Hosein alike – as well as slower balls, cutters and turning deliveries, which India’s batters could not get a hold of.West Indies got everything they could have hoped for on Sunday to keep India in check: the slowness of the pitch playing a part in a leading edge from Shubman Gill, a direct-hit to run Suryakumar Yadav out, turn to have Sanju Samson stumped, and pace and accuracy to clean up Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan. Batting was difficult on this track in general too, as India struggling to 53 for 2 off the first nine overs indicated.Ishan Kishan was cleaned up by Romario Shepherd•Associated Press

Tilak’s maturity holds India together

On debut in the previous game, Tilak Varma wasn’t afraid of pulling back-to-back sixes to open his runs tally despite India having not started well in the chase. He hit 39 from 22 balls there, in Tarouba, as India fell just short. Three days later, Tilak was happy to play anchor. He came in at 18 for 2 in the fourth over, with Gill and Suryakumar’s lean returns continuing.Despite hitting two boundaries, Tilak was only on 21 off his first 24 balls. But even then those fours hinted at his confidence: the first was a clean loft over mid-on, the next a bold scoop over short-fine leg. He ultimately upped the tempo and finished with 51 from 41, though he did enjoy some luck.When on 25, his pull shot was anticipated by Shepherd at short fine leg, where he stuck his right hand up only for the ball to brush it and trickle to the rope; on 30, McCoy ran and dived to his left from long-on, but dropped another tough chance. But a reverse-sweep for four and a heave over short fine for six soon after showed Tilak still wasn’t afraid to take his chances.

Pooran shakes India up

Pooran had arrived at the crease with West Indies 2 for 2 after four balls, and managed only a single from his first five deliveries. But he then came to life as if abruptly waking up from deep sleep. Pandya was heaved over long-on for six and slashed through point for four in the third over; Mukesh Kumar was slapped and drilled through cover for fours in the fifth; and Ravi Bishnoi was deposited for 4, 6, 4, 4 to end the powerplay.That gave West Indies 61 runs off the first six overs, and Pooran got to his half-century off 29 balls to start the tenth over. It all looked rosy for West Indies while he was at the crease, before his dismissal triggered that mini-collapse and set nerves jangling in their dressing room. Fortunately for them, a stoic Hosein and Joseph were up to their task.

Haynes completes third century in as many matches as Azhar finishes unbeaten on 202

ECB Reporters Network20-May-2022Worcestershire 456 for 3 (Ali 202*, Haynes 127) lead Leicestershire 148 (Barnard 3-45) by 308 runsAzhar Ali scored a superb double-hundred as he and fellow centurion Jack Haynes rewrote the record books on day two of the LV=Insurance County Championship match with Leicestershire at New Road.Pakistan Test batter Azhar and former England Under-19 batter Haynes put on 281 in 78 overs for the third wicket – a record partnership for any wicket against Leicestershire. It surpassed the 278 by Cyril Walters and HHIH ‘Doc’ Gibbons at New Road in 1934.Their efforts were largely responsible for Worcestershire totalling 456 for three by the close – a lead of 308. Haynes was eventually dismissed for 127 but Azhar went onto bring up his double-ton in the final over of the day with a cover drive for four off Rehan Ahmed.It was completed from 328 balls with one six and 18 fours and he then shared in another century stand with Brett D’Oliveira (52 not out).Azhar arrived at New Road after a successful Test series against Australia which included a marathon 175 spanning 11 hours at Rawalpindi. He initially found it a challenge acclimatising to English conditions and his opening six innings yielded 34 runs.But he has flourished since hitting 92 against a Durham attack including Ben Stokes, and for the majority of the time he has been in partnership with Haynes.The pair had been together for stands of 195 (Durham) and 187 (Derbyshire) before joining forces for this marathon effort.Haynes has been quick to acknowledge the influence on his batting this summer of Azhar as he has converted promising innings into major contributions. His maiden hundred came in the Durham game and this was the Worcester-born batter’s third century in successive matches.He was the first Worcestershire player to achieve that feat since Daryl Mitchell in 2017 when he scored hundreds against Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Sussex.The former England Under-19 player has always looked full of class and on this form may soon be knocking on the door for further international recognition.Azhar and Haynes took full toll of a toiling attack and both benefitted significantly from the cut and pull shots as they provided rich entertainment after a delayed start to proceedings.Play did not get underway to 1.10pm but the third-wicket pair made up for lost time by scoring 148 runs during the afternoon session.Haynes pulled Chris Wright for six and Leicestershire were powerless to stem the flow of boundaries before Azhar took a stride forward and flicked Ed Barnes for a single to fine leg to complete his century from 159 balls with 11 fours.His partner followed him to three figures with a clip to deep mid wicket off Rehan. It took 15 more deliveries than Azhar and contained one six and 14 fours.The second new ball was taken immediately after tea but the record stand was established when Haynes cut Mulder for his 17th and final boundary.Mulder had his revenge soon afterwards when Haynes pushed forward and was lbw for 127. He batted for five hours and faced 230 deliveries.Azhar continued to demonstrate some superb stroke-play after he was joined in the middle by Club Captain, D’Oliveira.Some of his cover drives, cuts and pull shots were a delight to watch as he showed little sign of tiringD’Oliveira, a century-maker against Leicestershire at the Uptonsteel County Ground last month, also played fluently in another century stand with Azhar from just 134 balls.His own half century came from only 86 deliveries.