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Jake Weatherald and captain Jake Lehmann added 171 for the third wicket as South Australia cruised to their target in the 39th over

The Report by Daniel Brettig20-Sep-2018Adam Zampa celebrates a wicket with his teammates•Getty Images

A sparkling century by Jake Weatherald and a strong captaincy debut by Jake Lehmann drove South Australia to a bonus-point victory over New South Wales in the domestic limited-overs match at the WACA Ground.The Redbacks were able to keep the NSW innings in check most of the afternoon, after Chadd Sayers made a pair of early incisions and Adam Zampa followed up with his own share of wickets, including the dismissal of Moises Henriques with his very first ball of the domestic season.Australia’s Twenty20 gloveman Alex Carey and capped international batsman Callum Ferguson were both dismissed early in SA’s pursuit, but Weatherald’s crisp strokeplay was augmented by Lehmann’s combination of aggression and invention across a partnership worth 171. While the Blues’ persistent use of the short ball belatedly paid off with Lehmann’s wicket, by then the Redbacks pair had scored so freely via the pull shot that they were on course for an extra point for reaching the target inside 40 overs.On a sunny Perth afternoon, the Blues were sent in by SA after losing their opening fixture to Western Australia on Tuesday. Sayers, who made his Test debut in South Africa earlier this year but was not chosen for the UAE tour to face Pakistan, found an early combination of outswing and seam to confound Ryan Gibson and then the NSW captain Kurtis Patterson.Henriques attempted a counterattack with some success, but his innings was ended when he played around an accurate first ball from Zampa and was bowled. Nick Larkin made a start before being wonderfully caught at slip by Tom Cooper, also off Zampa, and Daniel Hughes’ spinal contribution was ended on 79 in unfortunate fashion when Jay Lenton’s drive was deflected from Zampa’s hands onto the stumps with the non-striker stranded.Jack Edwards, Daniel Sams and Steve O’Keefe all made useful lower-order contributions to ensure the Blues reached 241, but this seemed a scant tally on a good pitch. So it was to prove once Weatherald and Lehmann were established, clattering regular boundaries and in the opener’s case a quartet of sixes to underline a considerable talent.The last of these, an impudent legside flick that landed halfway up one of the WACA’s grass banks, brought the scores level, and Cooper applied the finish with a straight drive in the 39th over. So SA started the competition with a win while NSW were left to ponder an opening pair of defeats. By a quirk of the competition, this is no handicap to making the finals – all six competing teams will do so irrespective of how many wins they register in the qualifying matches.

Colin Ingram blazed his way to a second century in the space of eight days as Glamorgan clinched a five-wicket NatWest T20 Blast victory over Essex in a run-fest at Chelmsford

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2017
ScorecardColin Ingram is one of the stars of the NatWest Blast•Getty Images

Colin Ingram blazed his way to a second century in the space of eight days as Glamorgan clinched a five-wicket NatWest T20 Blast victory over Essex in a run-fest at Chelmsford.Ingram survived being dropped on 13 to post a format-best 114 from 55 balls which contained eight fours and nine sixes, his second ton in three games having also reached three figures with 101 against Sussex last Sunday.His efforts went a long way to helping Glamorgan overhaul Essex’s 219 for 4, in which Varun Chopra went to his maiden T20 century with a splendid 103 not out from 59 balls, with six fours and eight sixes.But the Essex opener somehow found himself on the losing side as, with two runs required off the last ball, Craig Meschede cleared the ropes for the 29th six of the day to end a thrilling match in which 443 runs were scored.Chopra shared an Essex record third-wicket partnership of 122 in 11 overs with Ravi Bopara, who hit five sixes in a 32-ball 63. Essex’s batsmen hit 15 sixes in total, and their 219 was the third highest they have compiled in the competition.Essex won the toss, but lost Dan Lawrence to the third ball, beaten by Michael Hogan’s pace, before Chopra and Tom Westley laid into the Glamorgan attack in a second-wicket stand of 70 in six overs.Westley was dropped at wide mid-on by Andrew Salter before slashing at De Lange to be caught on the third-man boundary by Meschede. Chopra continued apace, alongside Bopara, and reached his half-century off 30 balls.The Essex pair were having no problems clearing the boundary and Bopara only needed 26 balls to bring up his fifty in an Ingram over that went for 26 with two more sixes from Chopra, the second straight into the river which brought up the 100 stand.Bopara pulled Timm van der Gugton over midwicket for his fifth sixth before feathering the next ball to the wicketkeeper.Chopra took Essex past 200 with 10 balls left with a straight six off Graham Wagg and the century was reached off the penultimate ball when Chopra pulled a one-bounce four over midwicket off Hogan.Glamorgan’s attempt to rattle along at 11 an over got off to a poor start when Aneurin Donald tried an inexplicable ramp shot to a straight one from Jamie Porter in the second over and was bowled, bringing Ingram to the crease.The South African pulled Porter over midwicket for the 16th six of the day, though when he went for another in the same over he was put down by Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate at long-on.Ingram had 13 at the time. Simon Harmer felt the brunt of Ingram’s relief with two sixes in an over costing 21, the first to long-off, the second over midwicket.David Lloyd helped Ingram put on 56 in five overs before he was caught at short fine-leg by Ashar Zaidi off Bopara.But Ingram was unperturbed and raced to his half-century from 23 balls with six fours and those three sixes. There were two more in an over by Porter, both in the cow corner area.Glamorgan captain Jacques Rudolph departed for nine, chipping Harmer high to Porter at short third man. But Ingram launched his sixth six off Zaidi and another off Harmer.His eighth, straight from a free-hit from Paul Walter, took him to his century from 50 balls. Number nine was pulled over midwicket off Bopara.Chris Cooke weighed in with three sixes of his own in an 83-run stand in seven overs for the fourth wicket before Ingram was run out at the non-striker’s end by Mohammad Amir.Cooke responded by hitting the next ball for six over midwicket before perishing on 49 to Walter’s catch on the cover boundary. It was left to Meschede to apply the coup de grace.

Pat Cummins has been withdrawn from the Australia A squad for a series of winter games in Queensland, with Cricket Australia taking a cautious approach to his recovery from a stress fracture of the back

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2016Pat Cummins has been withdrawn from the Australia A squad for a series of winter games in Queensland, with Cricket Australia taking a cautious approach to his recovery from a stress fracture of the back.Cummins will instead target the Matador Cup at the start of the 2016-17 season for his return, which would make it more than a year between matches for Cummins after he suffered the injury during Australia’s ODI tour of England last September.At the time Cummins was announced in the squad for Australia A’s matches in July-August, national selector Rod Marsh said that while he was hopeful Cummins would be available, it would depend on the advice of medical staff.”Pat is going really well with his rehabilitation but is unlikely be ready to play at full match intensity during the Australia A tour,” Marsh said on Wednesday. “After discussions with Pat and the medical staff, we have decided to wait an extra month and look for him to return for New South Wales in the Matador Cup.”A long series of injuries have afflicted Cummins, now 23, since he was Man of the Match on his Test debut in Johannesburg in late 2011, and he has not played a Sheffield Shield game in the past five seasons.

New Zealand gave themselves the opportunity of a substantial lead after their top order dominated the second day at Lord’s

The Report by Andrew McGlashan22-May-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details5:01

#PoliteEnquiries: Will Cook ever get good at captaincy?

New Zealand gave themselves the opportunity of a substantial lead after their top order dominated the second day at Lord’s. They had the luxury of a rare century opening stand, as Martin Guptill and Tom Latham added 148, which was then built on by Kane Williamson who will sleep on a graceful 92 having formed an unbroken partnership of 155 with Ross Taylor.By the close, the visitors were within 86 runs of England’s 389, which was substantial after being 30 for 4 but there was not much power to add on the second morning as the last three wickets fell for 26. England’s bowlers toiled as cloud cover gave away to late-afternoon sunshine, their only moments of relief coming in quick succession when the New Zealand openers – who were each given a life – departed in the space of three balls.It might have been three wickets in five balls with Taylor, too, having an early reprieve when Williamson’s call for a sharp single would have left him stranded if Stuart Broad had hit with an under-arm flick in his follow through. Apart from that, and when he was beaten by a Moeen Ali delivery which ripped out of the footmarks in the penultimate over of the day, Williamson did not put a foot wrong.

Smart stats

79.13 Kane Williamson’s batting average in his last 15 Tests. He has scored 1741 runs during this period, with six hundreds and eight fifties.
4 Number of century partnerships in Tests between Williamson and Ross Taylor in 38 stands, at an average of 55.63 per stand. This is their second-best partnership in Tests.
10 Number of times both the New Zealand openers have passed 50 in a Test innings against England.
5 The number of century opening stands for New Zealand in England. The previous one was in 2004, when Stephen Fleming and Mark Richardson added 163 at Trent Bridge in 2004.
324 The number of runs added by England’s fifth, sixth and seventh wickets. The other seven wickets added a combined total of 65 runs.
100 Runs Martin Guptill had scored in 11 previous Test innings, before this one, at an average of 9.09.

Williamson, whose previous Test innings was an unbeaten 242, had not batted in the middle since April 13 having made just two IPL appearances for Sunrisers Hyderabad – perhaps that was a good thing given his natural tempo. He also has an insatiable appetite for nets and is unlikely to have missed the chance for some extensive sessions.He certainly looked like a man who was well in tune with his game, driving England’s bowlers to distraction with his delicate touch through third man – which was left oddly unprotected – and timing each of his 12 boundaries beautifully. A century beckoned on the third day as did the prospect of Brendon McCullum, scorer of a triple, two double-hundreds and a 195 in little more than a year.Opening partnerships have not been a hugely successful part of New Zealand’s history, but on this occasion Williamson and Taylor had a wonderful foundation to build on. This was just New Zealand’s fifth century opening stand on English soil and fifth against any team since 2004 – highlighting the challenge they have had in finding a productive combination. Both openers took advantage of being reprieved: Guptill, on 25, was caught at first slip off debutant Mark Wood, who was denied the wicket by overstepping, and Latham, on 21, was dropped at second slip by Ian Bell off Ben Stokes.Wood nudged 92mph in his first over in Test cricket and got the ball to carry through at chest height to Buttler. In his third over he produced an excellent delivery which climbed outside off, took Guptill’s edge and was well held by Alastair Cook at first slip. The celebrations began, but then agony took over as replays showed he was on, not behind, the popping crease.Wood’s Durham team-mate Stokes was also eye-catching in his first spell, finding help off the surface and troubling Latham in particular who he should have removed when the left hander pushed at one going across him but Bell, moving to his left at second slip, could not hold on.Guptill, showing the form of the last four months, which has included double-hundreds at the World Cup and for Derbyshire then 150 in the recent warm-up match against Worcestershire, went to his fifty from 87 balls and Latham, with a sweet cover drive, from 95 deliveries. The off-side play of both batsmen was a stand-out feature, Guptill opening his innings with a lovely cover drive, while Latham regularly picked off boundaries through the covers.New Zealand’s scoring rate was well above four an over in the afternoon (and did not dip under that for most of the day) as England struggled to gain control. Moeen, who did not bowl until the 33rd over but found some purchase from a dry surface, provided the breakthrough when Latham was trapped on the back foot by one which skidded on. Two balls later and Guptill’s innings was also over when the desire to drive brought his downfall as he played on the up against Broad and was superbly caught, down to his left, by Gary Ballance at cover.Kane Williamson did not look like a man who had not batted for more than a month•PA Photos

Taylor endured a nervous start, greeted by a strong lbw appeal first ball by Broad and then being left stranded by his partner next delivery. He was nowhere near as fluent as Williamson and flirted with being lbw on two further occasions – one of which, against James Anderson, brought a review – but came down the pitch to loft Moeen straight and later uppercut Stokes to third man although towards the end of play, as Broad peppered him with the short ball, he appeared to be struggling with an injury.England had resumed on 354 for 7 following the final-ball dismissal of Jos Buttler on the first evening and the lower order could not push them beyond 400. Moeen made 58 – overall England’s Nos 5 for 8 added 315 runs for the innings – but Trent Boult twice found outside edges during an impressive spell.Moeen had moved to his half-century in the first over of the day when he pulled Southee for his ninth boundary but he only added a further five runs before sparring outside off against Boult and edging through to Latham, who continued to deputise for the injured BJ Watling behind the stumps. Boult had his fourth when Broad feathered an edge, but he could not join Southee on the honours board when Matt Henry chimed in for his fourth courtesy of a fine reflex catch in his follow through to remove Anderson.Anderson, who is sitting on 397 Test wickets and having seen the ball swing for Southee and Boult, sprinted off to prepare to open the bowling on a ground where he has profited throughout his career. But it was a much wearier walk off come the end of the day.

Worcestershire have signed Graeme Cessford, a Royal Air Force Corporal, for the 2013 season

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2012Worcestershire have signed Graeme Cessford, a Royal Air Force Corporal, for the 2013 season.Cessford, 29, has been granted elite athlete status by the Royal Air Force which means he can take his chance in county cricket before returning to the military when his contract expires.During the 2012 season Cessford made three appearances for Worcestershire’s Second XI, taking seven wickets. He also played for Northumberland Minor Counties and Chester-le-Street in the North East Premier League.”I’m delighted to have signed for Worcestershire,” Cessford said. “I’d like to extend a massive thank you to the Royal Air Force, the RAF Sports Board, and Worcestershire for giving me this fantastic opportunity.”Worcestershire’s director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, said: “Cess has the ability to bowl with pace and this will be a valuable asset in our 2013 campaign. He will give the squad some depth for bowling spots and I am looking forward to working with him.”Squadron Leader Sally Varley added: “Corporal Graeme Cessford has been granted Elite Athlete Status by the Royal Air Force. This status allows him time to realise and develop his cricket potential through the opportunity to play for Worcestershire County Cricket Club. In addition, the Royal Air Force has exceptionally adjusted Corporal Cessford’s employment for a year to include a public relations engagement role.”Cessford is not the first county cricketer to join from the military in recent seasons after Gloucestershire signed David Wade, an active Lance Corporal with Royal Signal Corps in the British Army, although he was released after the recent 2012 season after a two-year stint where he failed to break into the First XI.

Peter Handscomb chose a career in cricket instead of tennis and the rewards are now coming after his encouraging start to his domestic career

Brydon Coverdale25-Oct-2011The choice between cricket and football is a common dilemma for young sportsmen. Peter Handscomb had a different decision to make. A talented junior tennis player who was seeded in tournaments that also featured Bernard Tomic, Handscomb had to decide whether to pursue a career on the court or on the pitch.”There was a point in time where I did have to make that decision,” Handscomb told ESPNcricinfo. “But it didn’t turn out to be that hard. I could see that cricket was more of a chance, especially because tennis is such an expensive game to get in to. Travelling the world would have been quite hard.”And now the rewards for choosing cricket have started to arrive. It has been a big month for Handscomb, 20. A fortnight ago, he made his first-class debut for Victoria and compiled a patient, mature 71, and he followed that last week with a magnificent double-century in a second XI match against New South Wales.Now, he’s retained his spot for the Sheffield Shield outing against the Blues, despite the return of David Hussey and Aaron Finch from international duties. That alone is a win for Handscomb, who earned his first rookie contract with Victoria this year but expected to spend the summer watching the Bushrangers from the sidelines.”I just want to hold my spot for as long as I can,” Handscomb said. “I didn’t expect to play a game let alone start the season in the team, so anything from here on in is really a bonus. But my goals have changed and I want to stay in for as long as I can.”To stay in as long as he can is Handscomb’s goal not only in the team environment, but in every innings he plays. An opener with the successful St Kilda club in Melbourne’s grade competition, Handscomb has learnt the art of batting long from his club captain Graeme Rummans, and the work paid off when he made 233 in last week’s second XI game.”I spoke to Rummo about getting my head right and the mental side of it,” Handscomb said. “It’s about not really being satisfied with making 70s or 80s, or if you get to a hundred, not being satisfied with just a hundred.”It helped that Handscomb spent the winter playing club cricket in England, where he was also picked for the Leicestershire Second XI and promptly made 117 opening the innings in his first game. But despite holding a British passport – he was born in Australia to English parents – Handscomb’s loyalties are firmly with Australia.And after playing for Australia’s Under-19s two years ago, Handscomb’s opportunity at state level finally arrived this month, after he scored a century in a ‘probables versus possibles’ state squad match before the start of the season. When he stepped up on an early-season Gabba pitch Handscomb, who concedes he is “definitely no big fence-clearer”, had to rein in his strokeplay even further.”I’d spoken to Shippy [coach Greg Shipperd] beforehand and we’d chatted about how to play on that pitch, what shots to play and what ones not to,” he said. “It just turned out that a few of my shots I had to really rein in. It was a conscious effort really to survive and stay in.”He did just that. Now his next task is to stay in the Victorian side when the captain Cameron White returns. Whatever happens, Handscomb is pleased to have made a promising start to his career.”Cricket is one of those games where it won’t take much to go the other way,” he said. “Hopefully I can keep it going as long as I can.”

A round-up of the eleventh day of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Twenty20 tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2010

North Zone

Harshad Khadiwale’s aggressive half-century took Maharashtra to the knock-outs with a five-run win against Baroda•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi crushed Services‘ hopes of qualifying for the knock-out stage with an easy nine-wicket victory at the Palam B Ground. Delhi overhauled Services’ score of 124 with 18 balls to spare, leaving them tied on points with Haryana, but behind on net run-rate in the North Zone table.Medium-pacer Kapil Yadav took 3 for 18 for Delhi, while opener Irfan Khan was the only Services’ batsman to get going, with a score of 46 off 39 balls. The rest of Delhi’s attack supported Yadav well as Services finished with a below-par score. Opener Puneet Bisht set the tone for Delhi’s chase with 24 off 16 balls, and after his exit Chetan Sharma settled down to finish unbeaten on 65. Mithun Manhas stayed with Sharma as Delhi eased home by nine wickets, giving them a spotless record going into the next round.Haryana qualified past the group stage despite a nine-wicket loss to Himachal Pradesh in their final group match at the Palam A Ground. Choosing to bat, Haryana stumbled to 14 for 4 in the fifth over before a lower-order recovery took the score into triple figures. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Diwan finished with 3 for 25, while Ashok Thakur supported him with 2 for 19, leaving Himachal chasing 109 for a win.Sangram Singh scored 58 of 57 balls, and his 92-run opening stand with Manvinder Bisla put the result beyond doubt, but Haryana managed to qualify for the next round on net run-rate courtesy of Delhi beating Services by a similar margin. Himachal finished fourth in the North Zone table.Punjab beat Jammu & Kashmir by 29 runs in the battle of the North Zone also-rans, at the Palam A Ground in Delhi. Punjab chose to bat and were sent on their way by a 40-run opening stand off 4.2 overs between Jaskaran Singh and Sarul Kanwar. Ravi Inder Singh, Amit Parashar and Bipul Sharma ensured that the momentum was maintained as Punjab surged to a strong score. Abid Nabi suffered the most, conceding 40 runs in his four overs as J&K faced a chase of 141.Opener Arshad Bhatt held one end up with a steady 43, but the steady loss of wickets at the other end meant that J&K gradually lost steam. Seamer Manpreet Gony finished with 3 for 17 as Punjab closed the J&K innings at 111 for 6.

West Zone

Baroda frittered away a dominant position against Maharashtra and the chance to make the knock-out stage at the Reliance Stadium in Vadodara, falling short of the target of 153 by five runs, after being 99 for 1 at one stage. Pinal Shah’s half-century got Baroda off to a strong start, and they needed 54 off 53 deliveries with nine wickets remaining. However, offspinner Ganesh Gaikwad ran through the middle order, taking 4 for 28, including the wicket of Pinal for 61. With 12 needed off the last over, Baroda lost two wickets to finish at 147 for 7.Openers Harshad Khadiwale and Nikhil Paradkar had smashed 109 in 71 balls to give Maharashtra a solid platform. Khadiwale was the more aggressive of the duo, slamming 59 off 34 balls while Paradkar made 49 off 40. But Baroda’s spinners picked up six wickets as Maharashtra’s middle order collapsed to 131 for 7. They recovered somewhat to post 152, which proved just enough to take them through.Left-arm seamer Jaidev Unadkat’s incisive three-wicket burst gave Saurashtra a three-run win in a low-scoring scrap against Gujarat in Vadodara. Defending a paltry 89 on a pitch where run-scoring was not easy, Saurashtra’s fast-bowling attack, led by Unadkat, struck at regular intervals to reduce Gujarat to 56 for 5. A watchful 18-run stand between Rujul Bhatt and Rohit Dahiya brought Gujarat back in the game, but Unadkat removed both off successive balls before a spate of run-outs left the hosts three short.Siddharth Trivedi was the main threat when Saurashtra batted, as he picked two of three early wickets that left the visitors gasping at 3 for 3. Shitanshu Kotak and Jaydev Shah then featured in the best partnership of the game, but Saurasthra stumbled again following their 41-run alliance. No. 8 Sandip Maniar’s late onslaught lifted them from 64 for 8 to their final score of 89, which in the end analysis proved just enough for Saurashtra’s first win in the tournament, while Gujarat finished their engagements winless.

Central Zone

Madhya Pradesh surged into the top spot of Central Zone with a hard-fought nine-run win against Railways who were bowled out with one over to spare in Jaipur. Needing a win to progress to the knock-out stage, MP began well with Naman Ojha anchoring their innings with a boundary-filled 49 off 38 balls. Sanjay Bangar slowed down proceedings in the middle overs with a tight spell of 3 for 22, but Amarjeet Singh went on the attack in the end overs, smashing five fours and two sixes in his 37 off 15 balls.Railways’ chase was derailed early as opening bowlers TP Sudhindra and Anand Rajan reduced them to 40 for 6 in seven overs. However, a late counterattack led by tail-enders DP Salvi, Shadab Khan and Murali Kartik brought them roaring back into the game. Kartik and Shadab lifted the score from 81 for 8 in the 13th over to 139 in the 19th. With 10 needed from eight balls, Kartik was run-out before Amarjeet, who had bled 40 runs in his first 3.5 overs, finished the game by castling Shadab with his last ball.Amit Paunikar’s unbeaten half-century took Vidarbha to the knock-outs with a 34-run win against Rajasthan at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Paunikar didn’t let the loss of two wickets in the first two overs bother him, and added 65 runs in 43 deliveries with Ravi Jangid. After Jangid fell for a quick 36, Paunikar carried on, hitting three sixes and six fours in his unbeaten 78 off 56. Vidarbha surged to 169 as 36 runs came off the last three overs.Rajasthan began well, with Dishant Yagnik hammering three sixes in his 36 off 22 balls to lift the score to 49 in the sixth over. Aakash Chopra’s steady 42 kept them in the chase, taking them to 110 for 2 with six overs to go. However, offspinner Akshay Wakhare took two wickets in three balls to stem the scoring, and also effected two run-outs to turn the tables. Rajasthan managed only 25 runs off the last six overs as Vidharbha completed their third win in four group games.

Chris Gayle whipped up the fifth fastest century by balls faced in Test history as West Indies refused to be blown over on a dramatic and heated day in Perth

The Bulletin by Peter English17-Dec-2009West Indies 2 for 214 (Gayle 102, Dowlin 55) trail Australia 7 for 520 dec (Katich 99, Watson 89, Haddin 88, Hussey 82, North 68) by 306 runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outNo, Chris, we should be bowing at you: Gayle kneels down to mark his awesome century•Getty Images

Chris Gayle whipped up the fifth fastest century by balls faced in Test history as West Indies refused to be blown over on a dramatic and heated day in Perth. Gayle unleashed the controlled fury of a captain who had watched his bowlers struggle for penetration with a 70-ball hundred that catapulted his side to 2 for 214, a promising collection which still leaves them 306 behind.Australia felt chirpy after declaring at 7 for 520 but were soon silenced by Gayle’s hot blade as he clumped 102 within 25 overs. The WACA has hosted some brutal innings and this one probably included the biggest six at the ground, with one of his straight sixes off Nathan Hauritz landing on the roof of the towering Lillee-Marsh Stand.That rocket, which was powered by his charge down the pitch and a free-flowing swing, took him to 91 and it was appropriate that his century came with another six, this one sailing over the sightscreen. It was his fourth clearance off Hauritz and sixth of the innings, prompting him to drop to his knees for a praiseworthy celebration. Everyone watching deserved to be bowing down at him.After a hard-working, unbeaten 165 in Adelaide, which re-floated his side after their three-day defeat in Brisbane, Gayle followed up in his traditional style. This was a batsman preening and flexing, exterminating the frustration of time in the field.Sulieman Benn, the giant spinner with a seriously grumpy alter ego, had signalled that West Indies would not slip away meekly when he started a lengthy confrontation with Brad Haddin that ended with Mitchell Johnson pushing the bowler away. Gayle then showed the right sort of aggression for a modern cricket field, an innings containing defence and leaving with Twenty20-style explosions thrown in.Gayle is without two of his best batsmen – Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Adrian Barath are out injured – on a surface with a reputation for supporting fast bowlers. He didn’t care. His team might look fragile but he was not going to be pushed around. Four boundaries were taken in Johnson’s opening two overs to set Gayle’s tempo and he would calm down only momentarily.The debutant Clint McKay was initiated with a four in front of point first ball and returned after tea to be swatted down the ground and lifted for a six to long-on. Gayle barely followed through and with his score on 79 from 46 balls there was a chance he could tackle Viv Richards’ record of 56 deliveries. It didn’t happen but, like Adam Gilchrist’s 57-ball effort in Perth during the 2006-07 Ashes, it didn’t matter.Strokes that would usually wedge in the mind were replaced at the speed of a wedding-ceremony slideshow. When Gayle flicked Doug Bollinger over square leg to bring up his half-century from his 34th ball it seemed like the shot of the series. An effortless swing cleared the fence on one of the world’s biggest grounds and the batsman’s heart-rate would not have fluttered. More grunt followed the grace.

Smart Stats

• Australia’s total of 520 is the second-highest score that did not feature a single century. Only India’s score of 524 for 9 declared against New Zealand is ahead on the list and featured six fifties against Australia’s five.

• Marcus North and Brad Haddin scored the 14th and 15th half-centuries for Australia in this series, but the hosts are yet to register a hundred.

• Chris Gayle’s century was the fourth for the visitors in the same time.

• If the Australian batsmen fail to register a century in the second innings, this would become only the ninth time that Australia have gone through a series of at least three matches without a century.

• The 15 half-centuries Australia have scored is already the highest scored by any team in a Test series where it did not score any centuries.

The Australians were in shock and awe, especially Hauritz, who will do well not to have nightmares of Gayle’s right leg stepping down at him. Ricky Ponting kept Hauritz on hoping for a mis-hit, and there was an edge on 81 that was spilt by Michael Clarke at first slip. If Gayle missed a century it would have been a bigger crime than the physical confrontation of Benn and Johnson.He didn’t and after such carnage his dismissal was as weak as the winds in the eye of a storm, a limp waft at a short ball floating to Shane Watson at point. Bollinger was the bowler but the noise that followed was for Gayle’s innings of 72 deliveries, which also had nine forgotten fours. As he exited to the first ball of the 24th over he had all but 34 off his side’s 136.Travis Dowlin was the almost silent partner but his 55 was hugely valuable until he scooped a catch to gully off Johnson. By stumps the tourists had Ramnaresh Sarwan on 42 and Narsingh Deonarine on 10, while Johnson, McKay and Hauritz were left to tend their bruises.It was a day for runs, none of which went to Ponting. He did not bat due to his injured left elbow, but closed the innings midway through the second session after Haddin had built on the work of Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey and Marcus North. On another day Haddin’s 88 from 91 balls would have been the most memorable and North’s confident 68 would have been discussed with appreciative nods. Sorry, but Gayle’s special circumstances relegated them to small mentions.Australia resumed the second day at 3 for 339 and quickly lost Hussey for 82, with Haddin soon doing his best to impersonate Gilchrist. Gayle did a better job, but Haddin’s collection was important in inflating Australia’s total, which is still intimidating despite West Indies’ forceful reply.Haddin threatened to become the first Australian of the series to score a hundred, but instead became the 15th local to reach a half-century during a purposeful innings that gained intensity with his elongated debate with Benn. The complicated exchange inadvertently brought in Johnson when the bowler pointed at Haddin and accidently brushed his partner’s shoulder.It had all begun when Haddin took offence at Benn and Johnson running into each other when the bowler was fielding in his follow-through. The ultimately harmless episode was an unnecessary and ugly period that showed both teams have some fight left after three weeks of play. It didn’t help Benn though, as he returned 1 for 87 off 28 overs, but added to the excitement of a breathless day.

Current ACA boss and former NRL CEO to take over CA CEO role when Nick Hockley departs at the end of the summer

Alex Malcolm03-Dec-2024Todd Greenberg has been announced as the new Cricket Australia chief executive to take over from Nick Hockley when he steps down from the role at the end of the summer.Greenberg, the current Australian Cricketers’ Association CEO and former CEO of the National Rugby League, had long been the front-runner to replace Hockley.He has strong relationships with the players due to his current role but also played first-grade cricket in New South Wales. His background as NRL CEO and General Manager of Stadium Australia has given him extensive experience in management of broadcast partners, sponsors, stadia and live events.He was a key player in the most recent MOU signed between CA and the ACA and also toured Pakistan in 2022 alongside Hockley when Australia returned there to play international cricket in the country for the first time since 1998.CA chairman Mike Baird was thrilled with the appointment.”I’m delighted Todd Greenberg will join Cricket Australia as Chief Executive Officer,” Baird said.”Todd will bring enormous experience to the role from his time leading the National Rugby League and his current position as CEO of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, as well as his time in club and stadium management.”He is also a renowned driver of commercial growth and innovation, such as bringing the State of Origin to Melbourne and introducing the NRLW.”We are entering a period of great opportunity and the recruitment panel and CA Board was enormously impressed by Todd’s passion for cricket and his vision to build on the achievements of the past few years and continue the game’s growth.”I would like to thank Nick Hockley who will leave the game in a position of great strength at the end of the season with important foundations including our broadcast rights deal, MOU and seven-year content strategy in place.”Todd Greenberg (left) has traveled to Pakistan with Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley•Getty Images

Greenberg said he was excited to take on the new role as head of CA’s administration after beating out a field of candidates from within Australia and overseas.”I am grateful to be given the opportunity to take on this enormously important role in Australian sport and to further my involvement with a game I’ve loved since childhood.” Greenberg said.”This is an extremely exciting time for cricket with the rapid growth of the game across the globe creating fantastic opportunities, while also presenting some challenges to ensure Australian cricket retains its position at the very peak of the game.”Thanks to the work of the current administration the game has strong fundamentals in place. I want to ensure we build on this momentum so Australian cricket continues to thrive – from local parks to the nation’s biggest stadiums.”I’m grateful to all those at the Australian Cricketers’ Association where we formed positive and productive partnerships across the game, and I look forward to continuing and enriching these relationships for the betterment of cricket.”

The three-time men’s Ashes winner bows out with 570 first-class wickets, including 125 in Tests, following a knee injury that hampered him in 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Aug-2023England fast bowler Steven Finn has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. He suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for most of 2023 and led to him calling time on his 18-year career.”I have been fighting a battle with my body for the last 12 months and have admitted defeat to it,” Finn, 34, said in a statement shared by Sussex, his county. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to play cricket as my vocation since I made my debut for Middlesex in 2005. The journey hasn’t always been smooth, but I have loved it, nonetheless.”Finn played 36 Tests, 69 ODIs and 21 T20Is after making his international debut in 2010 against Bangladesh. He showed his wares early in his career, returning 14 wickets in England’s win in the men’s Ashes of 2010-11. He also picked up 12 wickets – the second-most for England – in the 2015 Ashes that they won. Overall, he finished with 125 wickets in Tests, 102 in ODIs and 27 in T20Is.Related

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Having played most of his domestic cricket for Middlesex, Finn moved to Sussex in 2022 and picked up 21 wickets in 20 appearances for them across formats. He bows out with 570 wickets in first-class cricket.”To have played 125 games for England, including 36 Tests, far surpassed what I dreamed of,” Finn said. “I want to thank Sussex Cricket for their support over the last 12 months especially and for welcoming me wholeheartedly into the club at the beginning of last season. It really is a great place to play cricket and I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to play more of a part on the field since joining the club.””Cricket has given me a lot and I hope to give back to the game in some capacity in the future. But, for now, I’ll enjoy watching on without wondering whether my body will be able to make it through another day’s cricket.”Paul Farbrace, Sussex head coach, paid tribute to Finn and said, “Steven has been a fantastic bowler for Middlesex, Sussex and England. I have had the real pleasure of watching him develop from a young bowler in the pathway to being three times Ashes winner.”In our short time together here at Hove, Steven has been an outstanding role model, a top professional and above all a fantastic person.”Finn has already launched a second career as a pundit on radio and television, and has worked with several major broadcasters in the UK in recent years.