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Luis Reece takes 10 wickets for the match as Derbyshire ease to victory

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Derbyshire 391 (Madsen 118, Came 83, Jewell 61) and 93 for 1 (Jewell 51*) beat Gloucestershire 222 (van Buuren 67, Reece 6-52, Dal 4-43) and 259 (Charlesworth 110, Reece 4-45) by nine wicketsLuis Reece celebrated a personal milestone to set up a Derbyshire victory over Gloucestershire by nine wickets on day three of the Rothesay County Championship Division Two match at Derby.The allrounder took 10 wickets in a match for the first time, finishing with 4 for 45 to add to his 6 for 52 in the first innings.Ben Charlesworth made 110, his third first-class century, but no one else could play a significant innings as Gloucestershire were bowled out for 259.That left the home side a victory target of 91 and Caleb Jewell’s unbeaten 51 , his second half-century of the game, guided them home inside 20 overs to give Derbyshire a 22-point haul and a victory from the opening match of the season for the first time in six years.Gloucestershire needed a big partnership from Charlesworth and James Bracey to have any realistic chance but they added only 10 more runs before Zak Chappell broke through.Chappell found some late inswing in the seventh over of the morning to beat Bracey’s defensive push and give Derbyshire just the start they wanted.Gloucestershire’s hopes of setting Derbyshire any kind of challenging target rested with Charlesworth and Graeme van Buuren, who was the only batter to pass 50 in the first innings.He started positively, driving Chappell down the ground for four and cutting Anuj Dal for two more boundaries but Derbyshire soon took another step closer to victory.Martin Andersson tempted van Buuren into an expansive drive which he edged into the hands of Wayne Madsen at second slip.Gloucestershire were only seven ahead and now it was a question of how long they could delay the inevitable.Charlesworth completed a fine hundred which came off 171 balls when he turned Jack Morley behind square for a couple but the opener’s timing seemed to desert him before he became the next wicket to fall.He miscued advancing down the pitch to Morley and only just cleared mid off but when he tried to pull Reece he picked out Pat Brown at midwicket.Tom Price and Zaman Akhter prevented further setbacks before lunch but the stand was broken six overs into the afternoon session when Akhtar was lbw playing back to the spin of David Lloyd.Lloyd then had Price lbw for 26 leaving Reece to run in from the City End and polish off the tail with the second new ball.Matt Taylor edged to second slip as he pushed forward and in his next over Reece beat Ajeet Singh Dale’s swing across the line to leave Derbyshire with a modest victory target.They lost Lloyd in the fourth over to Tom Price but the main concern for Gloucestershire was improving their over rate to avoid a points deduction.Spinners Ollie Price and van Buuren operated in tandem which allowed Jewell and Harry Came to ease to the finishing line in the late afternoon sunshine.The only note of concern for Derbyshire was a worrying injury to substitute fielder Aneurin Donald who appeared to damage his shoulder diving to try and save a boundary.

Phillips 72-ball hundred flips the script as New Zealand beat Pakistan

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A blistering onslaught from Glenn Phillips in the final six overs of the first innings helped New Zealand ease to a crushing win over Pakistan in the first ODI of the tri-series in Lahore. The visitors posted 330 thanks to Phillips’ 72-ball century, with 98 runs coming in the final six overs. Pakistan could never quite muster a convincing response, with all hopes pinned on a flying start from Fakhar Zaman. However, when Phillips – who could seemingly do no wrong – trapped him in front for a 69-ball 84, their resistance melted away, and New Zealand’s task became something of a cakewalk. To make Pakistan’s evening worse, Haris Rauf picked up an injury which prevented him from batting, and New Zealand won by 78 runs.New Zealand’s innings appeared a struggle until the 44th over, with Pakistan taking regular wickets, even if half-centuries from Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell kept them ticking along. On a flat wicket, Pakistan’s bowlers had done a stellar job restricting New Zealand’s scoring rate, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah combining for five wickets. So it seemed, anyway, until Phillips let loose, ripping apart Pakistan’s bowlers at the very end. He would score his last 77 runs in 32 balls, as New Zealand took momentum with them into the dinner break.New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat on what looked a dry, flat surface at the newly built Gaddafi stadium, but immediately ran into headwinds. Afridi continued his ODI wicket-taking form with one in his first over, inducing Will Young into a prod that got a nick through to the keeper. With Williamson largely subdued in the opening powerplay, run scoring came largely through a belligerent cameo from Rachin Ravindra. A couple of boundaries off Afridi either side of the wicket set the tone, and he had raced to 25 off 18 deliveries; 20 of them came through fours. But a slightly careless shot off Abrar Ahmed ended a nascently dangerous innings with Ravindra out caught and bowled.Williamson continued to consolidate, and for a while New Zealand had entered a rut. By the end of the 18th over, their scoring rate had fallen below four, with Mitchell looking laboured as he shuffled along, scoring 9 off his first 22 balls. The escalation came all of a sudden, and primarily through Mitchell, when he charged down the ground to loft Khushdil Shah over the sightscreen for six. Williamson began to come into his own, too as New Zealand began to milk the bowling, with the run rate beginning to tick upwards as the partnership approached three-figures.But Pakistan were maintaining a hold over the game by picking up regular wickets, and two in five deliveries pegged New Zealand back sharply. Afridi, once more, proved the partnership breaker, another gentle edge from Williamson that Rizwan comfortably pouched. The two-paced nature of the wicket went on to do for Tom Latham, who found the ball stopping on him as he chipped it up to midwicket.In Mitchell and Phillips, though, New Zealand’s two most potent late-overs bludgeoners were at the crease, and they would go on to prove it over the next hour. Mitchell was picking off the Pakistan spinners whenever their lengths dropped short; each of his five sixes came against spin, but it would also be his downfall. A harmless full toss from Abrar was clipped straight into midwicket’s arms, Mitchell’s disbelief writ large on his face as he walked away 19 short of a hundred.Fakhar Zaman’s quick fifty led Pakistan’s chase•Associated Press

But for Pakistan, that was the reprieve before the storm. Phillips had been sedate until the 42nd over, nudging it around for 29 off 43, but when Salman Agha was pumped back over his head for a six, there were signs he was awakening. Agha was dispatched for another pair of sixes in his following over, but it was when the fast bowlers returned that the beast was truly unleashed.A nudge off Naseem in the 47th over brought Phillips his half-century, but he wasn’t nearly done yet. Afridi was launched over deep midwicket and then scooped above short third for consecutive sixes, before Naseem was plundered for 17 in the 49th over. But the worst of the carnage was left for Afridi in the final over, which produced a whopping 25, bringing up Phillips’ maiden ODI century.The crowd was at full capacity and full pitch when Pakistan came out to bat, because Babar Azam was opening alongside Fakhar. The noise was for Babar, but it was Fakhar who sprung out of the traps, helping Pakistan to a brisk start in the Powerplay. But Babar’s start to opening – the first time he has done so since 2015 – was inauspicious, flicking a harmless delivery from Michael Bracewell straight into midwicket’s hands.Kamran Ghulam was similarly turgid, and the pressure fell squarely on Fakhar to produce a mammoth innings if Pakistan were to make headway in the chase. For a while, he offered them hope, taking down Mitchell Santner and Bracewell as he hurtled towards his century, but Ghulam and Rizwan were sent packing at the other end.The death knell for Pakistan was struck by Phillips in the 24th over when he skidded one on that trapped Fakhar plumb in front. With the asking rate rising above nine and 212 runs still to get, there was little realistic hope the lower-middle order would be able to get Pakistan close. It was reflected in the activity of the crowd, which streamed towards the exits.Tayyab Tahir and Agha tried to keep it going, building up a tidy little partnership, but even moments of brilliance went New Zealand’s way when Bracewell took a stunning catch diving to his right to send a disbelieving Tahir back to the pavilion.Thereafter, it appeared both sides were going through the motions, New Zealand doing enough to chip away at the lower order. The only bad news for the visitors was what appeared a nasty injury to Ravindra, who lost a ball in the lights as it went on to hit him flush in the face, and went off as blood streamed down his hair.The game itself was far more straightforward for New Zealand. Khushdil and Agha fell to spin within four balls of each other and, despite an entertaining little cameo from Abrar at the very end, Pakistan were merely delaying the inevitable. Matt Henry bounced out Naseem with 13 balls still to go; they are well placed in this tournament, and, it appears, well placed ahead of the Champions Trophy.

World Cricketers Association calls out 'random and inconsistent' support for Afghanistan women

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Global cricket needs to move away from “random and inconsistent,” outbursts of support for Afghanistan’s exiled women’s cricketers and towards a “systematic global approach.” That’s the view of the global player body, the World Cricketers Association (WCA) whose CEO Tom Moffat has called the exclusion of women’s players in any country “unacceptable.”In the same week that an Afghan Women’s XI will come together for the first time to play against a Cricket Without Borders team at the Junction Oval in Australia, Moffat spoke to ESPNcricinfo about possible collective action which he says “doesn’t necessarily mean boycotts,” but should include both the ICC and individual boards.”The ICC and national governing bodies run and regulate the game and their tournaments, and have a responsibility to exercise leverage to ensure that the rights of players in our sport, including Afghanistan women’s players, are protected and respected,” Moffat said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean boycotts, there are a number of ways to exercise leverage, but to date the random and inconsistent manner of dealing with it, and of even having the conversation around the world, highlights the need for cricket’s governing bodies to implement a more systematic global approach to protecting basic player rights, along with just about every other aspect of the sport.”Related

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Afghanistan, who have been a Full Member since 2017, does not have a women’s team but was developing one before the Taliban takeover in 2021. In 2020, the ACB contracted 25 women’s players but they never played an international. Under the Taliban regime, women have been banned from participating in sport and there have been increasing restrictions on them in all aspects of public life including education and access to healthcare.The crackdown on women’s rights has drawn criticism from several international organisations including Amnesty International and the United Nations, and though there are asset freezes on some Taliban officials, there are no sporting bans in place. Afghanistan remain members of FIFA and the ICC, to name two global bodies and sent a team of three men and three women, who were living in exile and were not recognised by the Taliban government, to last year’s Paris Olympics.Currently, Australia are the only country who have cancelled bilateral engagements against Afghanistan while England have said they will do the same. Both countries continue to play Afghanistan in ICC events, even as calls to boycott those games grow.In England, a cross-party parliamentary group >wrote to the ECB strongly urging the men’s team and officials to, “speak out against the horrific treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan,” and to consider not playing Afghanistan in their Champions Trophy fixture on February 26. In response, the ECB CEO Richard Gould called for “a coordinated, ICC-wide approach,” which is similar to Moffat’s stance.Similarly, South Africa, who are also grouped with Afghanistan in the Champions Trophy, have received backlash from their sports minister Gayton McKenzie, who compared the Taliban’s treatment of women to Apartheid.Cricket South Africa have actively sought out fixtures against Afghanistan and played them in an ODI series in Sharjah last September and maintain that shunning the men’s team will not have a material impact on the situation facing women in Afghanistan. South Africa’s stance is important because they have first-hand experience of being banned from the 1970s to 1990s and sporting isolation (along with economic sanctions) was a significant contributor to the fall of Apartheid. However, CSA is of the opinion that it will take more than a cricket boycott to force the Taliban to recognise women’s rights.

While there is a need to acknowledge that the freedom to play sport is one of many that have been taken away from Afghan women and girls, there is also a desire from organisations like the WCA to underline how crucial that right is.”Every athlete has the right to equality of opportunity which is protected in the Universal Declaration of Player Rights, underpinned by international law,” Moffat said. “That means each player has the right to equality of opportunity in the pursuit of sport, free of discrimination, harassment and violence, and a player’s right to pursue sport cannot be limited because of his or her gender.”As these rights are not being extended to women and girls in Afghanistan, the WCA reiterated that it is “absolutely supportive of any player who wants to speak up on this issue.” Several Afghan men’s players including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, have spoken out about the need for education to be available to everyone but have not said anything in support of female cricketers, despite their pleas for support.It is understood that many of the Afghan men’s players have family in the country and fear retribution for speaking out, especially as they have little protection. As things stand, Afghanistan does not have a player association but some of the men’s players are part of the WCA’s global commercial program.

Sylhet Division crowned NCL champions after five-wicket win over Barishal

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Sylhet Division became the National Cricket League champions for the first time after beating Barishal Division by five wickets. There were celebrations at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium where the home side reached 37 points in the competition, meaning second-placed Dhaka Division can’t reach them even if they win the last game with bonus points.Sylhet bowled out Barishal for 304 in the first innings, with medium-pacer Rejaur Rahman Raja taking five wickets. Sylhet replied with 342 with fifties from Mubin Ahmed, captain Amite Hasan, Nasum Ahmed and Tofael Ahmed. Fast bowler Khaled Ahmed then took four wickets to help bowl out Barishal for 142, leaving Sylhet with 105 runs to chase.Amite and Nasum added 77 runs for the fourth wicket, with the captain hitting the championship winning runs.Dhaka Division crushed Rajshahi Division by an innings and 11 runs in a match that lasted just two days in Bogra. It was an embarrassing performance from Rajshahi who were bowled out for 42, the lowest total in Bangladesh’s domestic history.Dhaka fast bowler Sumon Khan took 7 for 18 on the first day to blow away Rajshahi and wrap up their first innings with a hat-trick. Interestingly, this was the fifth hat-trick at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium. Rajshahi’s SM Meherob and Sabbir Hossain were the only batters to reach double figures.Dhaka were then bowled out for 181 with medium-pacer Asaduzzaman Payel taking four wickets. Openers Jishan Alam, making his first-class debut, and Rony Talukdar were the top two scorers with 44 and 40 respectively. the lead of 139 was enough for Dhaka, as Rajshahi were bowled out for 128 in second attempt. Pace bowler Anamul Haque took five wickets and Ripon Mondol took three, while there were two run-outs .Khulna Division beat Chattogram Division by 58 runs at the Sylhet Academy Ground.Batting first, Khulna were bowled out for 204 as Amit Majumder top-scored with 75, while offspinner Nayeem Hasan picked up five wickets. Chattogram then took a 16-run lead after left-hand opener Parvez Hossain Emon struck his maiden first-class century. His 107 came off 139 balls, with 19 fours and a six.Mahedi Hasan took his third five-wicket haul of the tournament, while seam bowler Masum Khan picked up four wickets.Khulna then got bowled out for 219 with fifties from Anamul Haque and Sheikh Parvez Jibon. Enamul Hoque picked up four wickets for Chattogram, who were then bowled out for 145 while chasing 204. Veteran seamer Al-Amin Hossain bagged five wickets, while Mahedi picked up three more.Mohammad Naim’s first-class career-best of 180 and fast bowler Mehedi Hasan taking a seven-for on first-class debut were the highlights of the drawn game between Dhaka Metropolis and Rangpur Division in Cox’s Bazar.Batting first, Dhaka Metro put up 475 with Naim hitting 20 fours and a six in his 285-ball knock. He added 198 runs for the second wicket with Tahjibul Islam (73). Marshall Ayub also scored a half-century. Rangpur replied with 301, with fifties from Naeem Islam and Tanbir Hyder.Dhaka Metro were then bowled out for just 118 with Mehedi taking 7 for 25, the best bowling figures on debut in a first-class match in Bangladesh.

Rohit: 'More comfortable' with match simulation than practice match

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India will go from their 0-3 defeat to New Zealand to Australia in a couple of weeks’ time and they will face that challenge without the aid of any practice matches. This was their choice. They’ve scrapped a game they were supposed to play against India A at the WACA in favour of centre-wicket training with India A. This means the first game of any kind they will play during the Border-Gavaskar series is the opening Test match in Perth.India took this decision before the whitewash happened on Sunday and the captain Rohit Sharma explained why. “Look, you know, rather than practice match, we planned a very match simulation kind of a thing with India A,” he said. “I think sometimes when you play that practice match, we’re travelling with a squad of 19 players and it was only three days that were allotted to us. And I don’t know how much workload we can get done in those three days in terms of getting everyone prepared.”So we, as a management as well, we feel that rather than having that, the match simulation where the batters can spend more time in the middle, batting in the middle, and then the bowlers as well can bowl a lot of balls, so that is something that, we as a team feel more comfortable doing rather than playing a practice game because game time is not a problem. All of us have been playing a lot of cricket. So it’s just about spending time in the middle.”Related

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India A are already on site and have played a four-day game against Australia A in Mackay. That squad includes members who are part of the Test squad as well and several other leading performers in first-class cricket. So Rohit is hopeful of getting reasonably good prep, especially now with the shift from practice match to match simulation.”If a batter gets out, he has to sit in the dugout for the whole day, you know, and he doesn’t get too much of batting done,” Rohit said. “Whereas in match simulation kind of a thing, you know, the batters can go out and play 50-70 balls and then if you feel that he’s had enough, we can retire him out and then get someone else in. So that is the plan.”We want to maximise this three-day slot that we’ve got and I feel this is the best way to do it where the batters can have a lot of time in the middle and the bowlers at the same time can get their workload in terms of getting the number of balls bowled in the middle. So that was the idea and we will be.”I think we’ll be training at WACA, which is as close to Optus where you have that bounce and carry. So hopefully we can use those three days perfectly and maximise how much ever we can from our point of view.”The five Tests in Australia now assume even greater importance because India will need to win four of them to make it to the WTC final next year. They may have to start the series without Rohit, who mentioned that he “wasn’t too sure if I’ll be going to [Perth]. But let’s see. Fingers crossed.”

Australia quicks' unbroken summer could be an 'outlier'

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Australia fielding an unchanged frontline pace attack last summer might have been an “outlier” as selectors strategise over their seam options in the wake of losing allrounder Cameron Green.Emphasising their remarkable durability, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have played in Australia’s last nine Tests stretching back to the Ashes tour.Related

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  • Cummins to prepare for Test summer in Pakistan ODIs, Marsh and Head on paternity leave

Last summer they were aided by bowler-friendly conditions at home and in New Zealand where none of the seven matches went into a fifth day. In only three of the innings did Australia need to bowl more than 78 overs which helped them keep fresh.But India’s imposing batting line-up represents a different challenge with the expectation that Australia will be made to toil in the upcoming five-match series played over seven weeks. There are doubts over whether Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood can replicate what they did last season and play the entirety of what should be a gruelling series.Australia’s pace depth has been tested with several fringe bowlers working their way back from injuries. Quick Lance Morris, uncapped at Test level but a regular squad member over the last couple of years, suffered an injury setback having picked up a quad strain in training recently but should return before the end of the month.Scott Boland and Michael Neser, who had a five-wicket haul for Queensland against Western Australia to start the Sheffield Shield season, have overcome off-season niggles and will be part of Australia A’s upcoming red-ball series against India A.”If you look at the quicks last year we were certainly prepared that they might not be able to play all the Tests and they did,” George Bailey, Australia chair of selectors, said on Monday.”Potentially that might have been an outlier and again this summer we’ll be prepared that if we do need to make some adjustments throughout the summer that we are ready to go.”The triumvirate’s workload could increase with Green sidelined for the entire summer due to a stress fracture of his back. Green’s bowling has been cautiously utilised in his Test career, but he was set to play a bigger role with the ball against India.”Someone like Cam basically started in Shield cricket as a bowler but hasn’t had to bowl heaps in Test matches. Now he is a few years older, I think we will be leaning on him a bit more,” Cummins said in August.1:08

Can India risk taking Shami to Aus if he misses the NZ Tests?

Mitchell Marsh might be required to help cover Green’s absence, but has bowled just four overs – all of which were in the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s – since tearing his hamstring during the IPL. He blasted 94 at No. 4 for WA in their second innings against Queensland, but did not bowl in the match as he mostly fielded in the slips and occasionally helped carry the drinks.If selectors decide on a like-for-like replacement then Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster will be in the frame. Hardie did not play in the opening Shield round due to a quad injury he picked up at the end of the England tour, but he is set to return for WA’s next match against Tasmania at the WACA starting on October 20.Bailey believed having an allrounder was a “luxury” rather than a necessity. “Even looking at the three quicks that we generally play in Test cricket, they’ve played a lot of Test cricket together where they haven’t had an allrounder as well”, he said.”Think it certainly depends on the personnel that are available. Guess the role that Cam and Mitch have played is that they’ve been able to hold down a spot purely on the back of their batting and think that’s still fundamentally what’s most important in that top six.”Will continue preparing for Mitch Marsh to bowl some overs as well, that’s been part of his management for the last couple of months.”Australia’s hierarchy have carefully managed workloads of the quicks ahead of the India series, with Cummins missing the entire white-ball England tour to give him a break from bowling.Cummins is unlikely to play a Shield game before the India series and will instead prepare by leading Australia in their ODI series against Pakistan. But Hazlewood and Starc are set to play in at least one Shield match before the Pakistan series.”Pat’s obviously had an individual prep, but if you go through the Test team from the end of last year and their build up to the first Test this year, everyone’s slightly nuanced,” Bailey said.”There’s always an eye to the individual as to what their best preparation is for any Test summer. I think the proliferation of franchise cricket means that there are plenty of opportunities and temptations for players to fill gaps.”Pat, Mitch and Josh have been pretty amazing over how they’ve been able to select which franchise tournaments they play. And they always give themselves good breaks when it’s appropriate as well.”

Dwayne Bravo parts ways with CSK, joins KKR as mentor for IPL 2025

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Former West Indies allrounder Dwayne Bravo has ended his long and celebrated career at Chennai Super Kings, with whom he won four IPL titles in different roles. He has joined defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as mentor from the 2025 season.ESPNcricinfo learned that Bravo recently met with KKR CEO Venky Mysore during the CPL before agreeing to a long-term contract. Apart from KKR, he will be in charge of all franchises under the Knight Riders label in T20 leagues: Trinbago Knight Riders (CPL), Los Angeles Knight Riders (MLC) and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (ILT20).”DJ Bravo joining us is an exciting development.” Mysore said in a statement. “His relentless drive to win, along with his vast experience and deep knowledge, will greatly benefit our franchise and players.”Bravo, who turns 41 in October, replaces Gautam Gambhir, who took over as India’s head coach soon after helping KKR win their third IPL title in 2024. A day prior to the announcement, Bravo had retired from all cricket. Apart from Gambhir, KKR also lost two of their assistant coaches, Abhishek Nayar and Ryan ten Doeschate, both of whom were also given roles in India’s support staff. At KKR, Bravo will have Chandrakant Pandit as head coach and Bharat Arun as bowling coach.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I’ve been part of the Trinbago Knight Riders for the last 10 years in the CPL. Having played for and against the Knight Riders in various leagues, I have a lot of respect for how they operate,” Bravo said in a statement. “The owners’ passion, the professionalism of the management, and the family-like environment make it a special place. This is the perfect platform for me as I transition from playing to mentoring and coaching the next generation of players.”The mentor role with KKR is Bravo’s second team management position in the IPL. Having joined CSK in 2011, he retired from the IPL after the 2022 season and joined the franchise as bowling coach from the 2023 season. Bravo had immediate success in his first coaching role as CSK won the title in 2023, to go with his three titles with them as a player. Among the best death bowlers in T20 cricket, Bravo is the third-highest wicket-taker in IPL history and the first player to win two purple caps in the tournament.Related

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With more than 500 T20s worth of experience, Bravo is considered by players and peers as among the best tacticians and motivators, qualities that had elevated him to the West Indies captaincy. He had retired from international cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup, and while he continued to play in T20 leagues (at Mumbai Emirates in ILT20, Texas Super Kings in MLC and TKR in CPL), he gradually moved towards coaching. During the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bravo played a key role as a consultant coach for Afghanistan, helping the team making the semi-finals for the first time in their history.

Somerset maintain knockout push with clinical win at Northants

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Andy Umeed struck a commanding, clinical 63 as Somerset made short work of Northamptonshire Steelbacks, chasing down 156 to win this Metro Bank One Day Cup clash at Wantage Road with 148 balls to spare.Umeed faced 66 balls, blasting six fours and two sixes and combined with George Thomas (28) to get Somerset’s run chase off to a rapid start, the pair racing to 50 off just 31 balls in a blaze of boundaries. While Umeed fell with just 21 needed for victory, James Rew and Sean Dickson saw them home by seven wickets.In a match reduced to 49 overs a side due to rain, Saif Zaib cut a lone figure with 57 as Northamptonshire were bundled out for 155 inside 38 overs. Josh Davey claimed two early wickets before Zaib rebuilt, finding support from Ricardo Vasconcelos (29) and Lewis McManus (20).But hopes the Steelbacks might post more than 200 were soon dashed as the lower order collapsed, the last four wickets falling for seven runs in four overs, all seven Somerset bowlers taking at least one wicket. Somerset’s victory will give them extra confidence heading into next month’s Vitality Blast T20 quarter final between these two sides.Somerset made a crucial early breakthrough to remove their nemesis Prithvi Shaw, who plundered 244 off their attack in last season’s corresponding fixture. Shaw started positively, taking two boundaries off the opening over before he was caught behind off Alfie Ogborne.Davey then struck in consecutive overs, spearing one back in to clean bowl former Somerset teammate George Bartlett before James Sales played inside the line of a straight ball which hit the top of off-stump to leave Northamptonshire 33 for three at the end of the powerplay.Vasconcelos pulled Ogborne for two boundaries and helped take Northamptonshire past 50. But after sweeping a wide ball from Archie Vaughan for four, he attempted the same shot to a straight one and was was adjudged lbw, giving the offspinner his first senior wicket.Archie Vaughan – pictured being presented with his Somerset cap – took his first senior wicket•Getty Images

Zaib and McManus rebuilt, putting on 46 in 10.2 overs. Zaib smashed Vaughan down the ground for six and pulled Thomas from outside off-stump for another maximum. McManus too cleared the ropes when he dispatched Vaughan over long-on.But the break for drinks brought two quick wickets as first McManus had his off stump uprooted and next over Gus Miller was bowled by a Jack Leach delivery which straightened.Zaib duly scooped Leach for four to bring up his half-century off 62 deliveries, but that was where Northamptonshire’s celebrations ended as their lower order imploded.Zaib was first to go, caught in the deep when he attempted to muscle Lewis Goldsworthy over long-off for six. Michael Finan was bowled when he heaved at one from Riley Meredith and missed, Ben Sanderson chipped a return catch back to Goldsworthy, and Freddie Heldreich was caught behind off Ogborne. Justin Broad provided some late resistance, finishing 19 not out.In the run chase, Thomas took on Sanderson, who unusually failed to hit his trademark metronomic form. Thomas drove fluently and punched Sanderson through midwicket and flicked him over midwicket for six.Umeed meanwhile was unfurling textbook cover drives off Finan and played some attacking shots in the air, carving a Sanderson free hit behind square for four and flicking the same bowler over deep square leg for six.Thomas’ downfall came courtesy of an excellent diving catch from Vasconcelos at short midwicket off Broad, but next batter Goldsworthy (20) was soon into his stride. He got off the mark by cover driving Finan for four and leant into a wide delivery from Broad to square drive him to the ropes.Broad picked up his second wicket though when he pinned Goldsworthy in front lbw with Somerset 88 for 2.Umeed meanwhile was motoring, pulling Sales nonchalantly for four to bring up his half-century and clubbing Heldreich over deep midwicket for a huge six. He was ultimately unable to see his side over the line, edging a catch behind off Sales, leaving Rew and Dickson to wrap up the win.

Similarly placed West Indies and South Africa meet amid hopes of competitiveness

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Big picture: Where has the competition gone?

A rivalry that started with intensity in a one-off Test in 1992 has fizzled out into a one-sided affair with South Africa victorious in 22 out of 32 matches against West Indies, and vanquished in just three. They have never lost a Test series (the emphasis being on multiple matches in a tour) to West Indies, and last lost a match to them 17 years ago. But this is not the South Africa that bossed the away-from-home arena in the mid 2000s; and with inexperience laced through the visitors’ line-up, hosts West Indies will believe anything is possible in this series, ahead of the first Test in Port of Spain.It was only six months ago that South Africa lost a Test series to New Zealand for the first time, and though that was with a makeshift squad, it suggested something about the shifting sands of long-format depth. South Africa, whose provincial players only have seven red-ball matches a season, have chosen to invest the bulk of their resources into the kind of cricket that brings in, rather than costs, money. West Indies, on the other hand, continue to spend money developing the first-class game.Despite having a domestic system that costs more than anywhere else in the world to run because of their island geography, West Indies play red-ball cricket at the Under-17 and Under-19 levels, and at the academy level too; but whether they are reaping rewards remains up for debate.Related

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  • Roach returns, Alzarri rested for WI's home Tests against SA

  • 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be SA's new Test No. 3

This January, West Indies beat Australia in a Test for the first time in over two decades – for comparison, South Africa did not get a win in Australia in 2022-23 – but have not won a series against a World Test Championship (WTC) team since beating Bangladesh in 2022. Just before that, they beat England in a series, something South Africa have not managed since 2012.Pound for pound, the recent history of these squads suggests they don’t have much between them as they both enter yet another rebuild phase against the backdrop of continued T20 league expansion. In personnel terms, they are similarly matched too.Both have batting line-ups with newcomers hoping to establish themselves: Mikyle Louis for West Indies, and Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs for South Africa. Both sides have an experienced seamer – Kemar Roach and Kagiso Rabada – and some fiery youngsters in Shamar Joseph and Nandre Burger, although neither have made the final XIs. And both are desperate for points in this WTC cycle. At the least, that could mean we see the most competitive contest between these two sides in 30 years, which would be a very satisfactory outcome indeed.One of the positives from West Indies’ last two tours is Kavem Hodge, who scored 120 in Nottingham•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Form Guide

West Indies: LLLWL
South Africa: LLLWW

In the Spotlight: Kavem Hodge and David Bedingham

One of the positives from West Indies’ last two tours is the rise of Kavem Hodge, who scored 71 against Australia in Brisbane, and 120 in Nottingham and 55 in Birmingham against England. Given that the rest of the batters have struggled for regular runs, it’s easy to argue that Hodge has been West Indies’ most consistent recent performer, which could result in more pressure on his shoulders. But West Indies are actively working to reduce that. Head coach Andre Coley told ESPNcricinfo that he will not add to Hodge’s expectations, and has just asked him to continue playing the way he has done so far. Hodge has already stood up to Australia and England’s attacks, and it will be interesting to see how he performs at home against South Africa’s.His Test career is only four matches old, but David Bedingham is already been spoken of as a mainstay in the South Africa line-up. And it’s easy to see why. The runs have been coming in the county circuit since his century against New Zealand in February. With the Championship just over the halfway mark, Bedingham is currently the leading run-scorer with 926 runs in 14 innings for Durham. His haul includes five centuries, four of them scored in successive innings against Hampshire, Lancashire (two in two innings) and Somerset, and comes into this Test series in exceptional form. Bedingham had a slight hamstring injury heading into the West Indies tour, but scored 84 in the warm-up match and is expected to play a big role in this line-up.Conditions may dictate that Dane Piedt is preferred to accompany Keshav Maharaj•Getty Images

Team News: SA go with lone spinner, West Indies pick two

Alzarri Joseph has been rested for this series, but Roach is back as the leader of the attack after missing the Tests against England due to injury. Roach last played a Test in January but has been in action for Surrey, where he took 18 wickets in six matches. He bowled 13 overs in the warm-up match for the Champions XI against South Africa, with figures of 0 for 35.They have opted to take in a twin-spin attack with Jomel Warrican joining fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie which means that Shamar misses out. Keacy Carty has been confirmed for his Test debut, likely at No. 3. Warrican has been preferred over the uncapped offspinner Bryan Charles.West Indies: 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Mikyle Louis, 3 Keacy Carty, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Jason Holder, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Gudakesh Motie, 9 Jayden Seales, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jomel WarricanSouth Africa announced their XI on match eve. Lungi Ngidi is set to play just his second Test since December 2022, with Rabada and Wiaan Mulder the other two seamers. Dane Piedt missed out of the XI as the second spinner with Keshav Maharaj the lone spin bowler. Nandre Burger missed out too. South Africa have essentially included an extra batter in Ryan Rickelton to lengthen the batting and sacrificed a bowler as a result.South Africa: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Tristan Stubbs, 4 Temba Bavuma (capt), 5 David Bedingham, 6 Ryan Rickelton, 7 Kyle Verreynne (wk), 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Wiaan Mulder, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Lungi Ngidi.Kagiso Rabada needs nine wickets to get to 300 in Tests•AFP/Getty Images

Pitch and Conditions: Expect rain in Port of Spain

“Everything tells us it’s going to spin. The question is how early or how late in the game it’s going to spin,” Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s Test coach said ahead of the game. Apart from seeing a surface that Conrad described as “devoid of grass”, West Indies have picked three frontline spinners in their squad, which South Africa have read as a clear indication to expect slow, dry pitches.That may negate the pace threat on both sides unless the weather offers some assistance. There are showers forecast for all five days of the Test, mostly in the later afternoon. Days one and five appear likely to be worst affected.

Stats and Trivia

  • Rabada needs nine wickets to get to 300 in Tests. If he takes all nine in this Test, he will equal Allan Donald as the second-fastest South African to the landmark, and will get there in 63 Tests.
  • The last time West Indies won a Test against South Africa at home was in 2001. Since then, South Africa have played nine matches in the West Indies, having won six and drawn three.
  • Between them, the two squads combined have 21,652 Test runs – the second-least runs in Tests between the two after the XIs that played each other for the very first time in 1992.

Quotes

“These Test matches are going to be quite traditional because conditions don’t lend themselves to fast-scoring, and we don’t have bouncy or seamy wickets. It’s for us to stay in the fight and drag it out, and when those tough periods come, to be at our best.”
South Africa’s Test coach Shukri Conrad expects a slog

Pakistan change hotel in New York to avoid long commute

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Pakistan have made a change to their accommodation in New York, switching to a hotel closer to the cricket ground in Nassau County, where they will play two T20 World Cup group games on June 9 and June 11.Pakistan were originally booked to stay at a hotel about an hour and a half away from the venue. ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB took exception to the arrangement and arranged for the team to move to a hotel in Long Island, about a ten-minute drive from Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.Pakistan arrive in New York from Dallas on June 7 and play India at the venue two days later. The Indian team has been accommodated at a hotel about ten minutes from the ground, and have been in New York for more than a week, having played their warm-up match against Bangladesh and their first group game against Ireland at the venue.Generally at World Cups, hotel bookings are handled by the ICC working with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), a body that includes the host board. It is rare for teams to change hotels but given Sri Lanka’s experience during their stay in New York, arrangements have come under scrutiny.Sri Lanka were staying in Brooklyn ahead of their game against South Africa, 90 minutes from the ground. The logistical complications resulted in them cancelling their training session on the eve of the game to prevent fatigue. Ahead of their morning match, Sri Lanka were forced to start their day at 7am and ultimately succumbed to a heavy defeat against South Africa. Bowler Maheesh Theekshana called the scheduling and logistics “unfair” and Sri Lanka’s manager Mahinda Halangoda told ESPNcricinfo they had lodged an official complaint about their travel arrangements in this tournament.The PCB decided not to wait and raised concerns about their hotel being too far from the ground, insisting on a change in accommodation. The ICC eventually acquiesced to the request. Pakistan play India on Sunday 9 June, and Canada two days later in New York.

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