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In a new experiment, 20 youngsters across the country will undergo a
three-week training camp meant for “Over-19” cricketers at the National
Cricket Academy in Bangalore from July 9

Amol Karhadkar02-Jul-2013In a new experiment, 20 youngsters across the country will undergo a three-week training camp meant for “over-19″ cricketers at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore from July 9. The camp will be a grooming exercise for those who excelled during last year’s Cooch Behar Trophy, a domestic championship for Under-19 teams, but are not eligible to compete at the
junior level anymore.”It will be an attempt to help groom players who are promising but who may not break into the Ranji Trophy squads of their respective teams in the coming season,” said Ratnakar Shetty, BCCI’s general manager – game development. “The fact that they have been consistent all through the last season proves they have it in them to become very good cricketers and if the experiment succeeds, it may continue in the coming seasons.”The concept should be welcomed considering the change in age-group cricket structure last season. The BCCI redesigned the Under-22 tournament to an Under-25 event to give more players opportunities for a call-up to the first-class side rather than getting lost in transition.Besides helping youngsters, the BCCI will also continue with its recent decision to involve more former cricketers for coaching roles for their off-season camps at the NCA. Shetty said that Deep Dasgupta, Sunil Joshi and Sanjay Bangar – all former Test players – have been appointed coaches for the camp. Kiran More, Venkatesh Prasad, Mukund Parmar and Venkatapathy Raju were invited as coaches for the Under-25 players’ camp in Mysore last month, while Narendra Hirwani, Debasis Mohanty and WV Raman were roped in for the Under-19 camp in Bangalore.”We all are qualified coaches and the camp will present us with another opportunity to pass on our knowledge to so many youngsters,” said Dasgupta, adding that he was looking forward to being a part of an innovative concept.”If you look at last year’s World Cup winning Under-19 cricketers, they were stars when they came back from Australia but most of them couldn’t even make it to their state sides,” he said. “So it becomes tough for some players to deal with, especially at an age where they are supposed to decide whether they would want to pursue cricket as a career option. We should complement the board for deciding to help such players who are quality players but are in danger of getting lost in transition.”

Hampshire fought back with two wickets in the last hour after they had been dismissed for 206 by Sussex on the opening day of the Championship Division One clash at Hove

11-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Rana Naved picked up three wickets as Hampshire struggled•Getty Images

Hampshire fought back with two wickets in the last hour after they had been dismissed for 206 by Sussex on the opening day of the Championship Division One clash at Hove.A dry, two-paced pitch offered plenty of assistance to the bowlers throughout with Monty Panesar (four for 71) and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (three for 38) the pick of the Sussex attack as only Liam Dawson and Sean Ervine got past 30 for bottom-of-the-table Hampshire.But Sussex found things just as tough in the 15 overs they had to face before stumps as they were reduced to 27 for 2. Kabir Ali struck in his first over with a virtually unplayable lifter which Chris Nash gloved to wicketkeeper Adam Bates.It got worse in the next over when skipper Ed Joyce, who had not joined his team-mates until after lunch after becoming a first-time father on Sunday, mistimed a hook at Dominic Cork and Dawson ran back from short leg to hold a steepling catch. Murray Goodwin and Luke Wells made sure there were no further alarms for Sussex.There was little hint of what was to come in the first hour or so as openers Dawson and Jimmy Adams added 63 after Hampshire won the toss. Dawson then played across the line and was lbw to Jimmy Anyon before Sussex struck again in the 24th over when Michael Carberry fell for just 2 in his first Championship innings since blood clots were discovered on his lungs nine months ago.The left-hander became the first wicket for Panesar – settling into an unbroken spell of 33 overs from the Sea End – courtesy of a reflex catch at short leg by Nash. He was given good support at the other end by the Sussex seamers. Adams (29) played down the wrong line to Rana, James Vince was taken at second slip by substitute fielder Will Adkin off Amjad Khan and Bates was bowled by Anyon via an inside edge.The probing Panesar bowled Neil McKenzie when the South African shouldered arms and then picked up Ervine with a delivery which turned and left him.Naved-ul-Hasan returned after tea to pin Kabir Ali with a yorker and hold a return catch when Danny Briggs got a leading edge. He bowled last man Imran Tahir with the next ball but was called for over-stepping, allowing Tahir and Cork to add 17 for the last wicket and earn Hampshire a batting point.Tahir eventually padded up to give Panesar his fourth wicket but not before Cork had lofted him over long on and out of the ground for the second of two sixes in his unbeaten 25.

If Worcestershire had any doubts about how tough life would be in the top division of the County Championship, they were soon dispelled as Yorkshire completed a nine-wicket rout

George Dobell at New Road10-Apr-2011
Scorecard
Adil Rashid recorded match figures of 11 for 114 in Yorkshire’s nine-wicket win•PA Photos

If Worcestershire had any doubts about how tough life would be in the top division of the County Championship, they were soon dispelled as Yorkshire completed a nine-wicket rout in just three days at New Road.A game that had previously been well contested suddenly swung sharply in Yorkshire’s direction as Worcestershire somehow contrived to lose all ten second innings wickets in a 32-over spell. Yorkshire, and Adil Rashid in particular, bowled pretty well but, on a blameless pitch and under a cloudless sky, this was a desperately disappointing performance from Worcestershire’s batsmen. Their last six wickets succumbed for just 17 runs in 10 overs.There were two stand-out performances for Yorkshire. Rashid, who claimed ten wickets in a match for the first time, bowled with an encouraging mix of skill and consistency, while Gerard Brophy’s chanceless innings of 177 not out turned the match at a time when it had appeared the hosts had the upper hand.From an England perspective, Rashid’s was the more noteworthy performance. After demonstrating his new-found control in unhelpful conditions in the first innings, he showed his ability in more favourable conditions in the second. He gained substantial turn and claimed five wickets for ten runs in 40 balls at one stage, with the last three coming in just eight deliveries without addition. His googly and his slider proved particularly potent in this game, but it was the absence of four-balls that was equally pleasing. For a legspinner to have claimed 11 wickets by April 10 really is quite outstanding.”It’s the best I’ve seen him bowl,” his captain, Andrew Gale, said afterwards. “He’s always knocking on the door [of the England team], but he’s not the finished article just yet. His patience is a lot better and, in the first innings, when there wasn’t much help in the pitch, he built pressure really well. Then, in the second innings, when the pitch was offering some turn, he was able to take full advantage.”But they played some poor shots. This game was all about patience and we won that battle. Durham will offer a tougher test.”It would probably be wrong to read too much into this win from a Yorkshire perspective. Few other sides will roll over in quite such an obliging manner and the way in which their top-order batting struggled in the first innings must be a concern.However, they have Anthony McGrath and, perhaps, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad to come back into the side and appear to have the skill and strength in depth to compete with anyone. Sterner tests await, for sure, but they have cleared this first hurdle in convincing fashion.For Worcestershire, this was a deeply disappointing ending to a game that had promised so much more. They had played some admirable cricket on the first two days of this game but will have realised now, if they did not know before, that they can’t afford a single poor session in this division. They have now won just one of their last 38 games in this division.”We were, unfortunately, poor today,” Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, admitted. “We had too many guys not playing straight and we didn’t handle Rashid very well. It was disappointing. We should have done better. We’ve only had one guy in the whole match bat for two hours and that was [debutant] Matt Pardoe and you don’t win games unless you can bat for a long time. We want to do what Brophy did. We want to bat for six hours.”We’re well aware of the challenges ahead, but this was one which I fancied, if we played well enough, we could win. It’s disappointing.”The key passage came between lunch and tea. With the pitch offering little to the seamers, James Cameron missed one that may have swung a fraction before Daryl Mitchel played horribly across a straight one and Vikram Solanki was, perhaps, a little unlucky to be caught down the leg-side.There was a time, with Alexei Kervezee and Moeen Ali together, that batting looked a simple business. They took 27 from Rashid’s first three overs, with Moeen slog-sweeping a six over the short boundary to the cathedral side and Kervezee using his feet nicely to drive a straight six and a brace of fours.But, with the ball now spinning quite sharply, such tactics were always likely to prove high risk. And when Moeen, attempting an unnecessarily delicate sweep, spooned a simple catch to Adam Lyth, running around from slip to leg slip, and Kervezee attempted to play an outswinger through midwicket, the end came with alarming speed. Gareth Andrew hung his bat out at one angled across him, Pardoe, looking all at sea against Rashid, edged a googly to slip, Wright and Mason fell to successive deliveries, beaten by sharply-turning googlies, before Richardson was beaten in the flight. It left Rashid with his second five-wicket haul of the game and Yorkshire requiring just 56 to win.Earlier Brophy steered Yorkshire to a first innings lead of 82. Though Ryan Sidebottom fell in Mason’s first over of the morning, he’d already recorded a career-best score and helped Yorkshire add 149 for their eighth wicket. But Brophy wasn’t finished. He shepherded the tail so well that Moin Ashraf didn’t contribute a single run in a tenth-wicket stand of 43.Brophy’s method? He simply played very straight and waited for the poor ball. It may sound simple but, in a game where the next highest score was 63, his patience and his straight driving proved the difference between the sides. “It was his best knock for Yorkshire and the best I’ve seen him play,” Gale said.Though Yorkshire lost Joe Sayers early in the second innings, Lyth timed the ball sweetly and Joe Root, on championship debut, gave notice of his considerable talent with one pulled six and three crisply-struck fours that suggested a bright future.”There are areas we can improve, but I’m delighted with the way that we stuck to the task and delighted with the result,” Gale concluded. The game against Durham, starting at Leeds on Thursday, may offer a clearer indication of Yorkshire’s credentials as championship contenders.

New Zealand began day five at Basin Reserve needing to bowl Pakistan out to square the series but their attack lacked the penetration to dislodge the opposition batsmen

Andrew Fernando at Basin Reserve19-Jan-2011New Zealand began day five at Basin Reserve needing to bowl Pakistan out to square the series, but barring an early burst from the seamers, their attack lacked the penetration to dislodge the opposition batsmen, especially after they began to play defensively. Daniel Vettori, however, singled out the second-innings collapse in Hamilton as the reason for New Zealand’s 1-0 series loss against Pakistan.”The reason we lost the series was because of our third innings with the bat in Hamilton,” Vettori said. “I thought we played really well yesterday to give ourselves a chance. We wanted to get a 270 score because we knew that would always be difficult out here, so to set that to win was a good effort.”Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan effectively sealed the series with their second century stand of the game, batting out almost a session and a half to take Pakistan out of danger. Both men made valuable half-centuries: Younis opted to play his strokes for 81 with one eye on a win, and Misbah’s unbeaten 226-ball vigil ensured his side would not surrender the series lead on the last day.”Misbah and Younis was the key partnership,” Vettori said. “They’re obviously very experienced players and they know their game pretty well. The wicket was good and we just couldn’t get that breakthrough early enough. I think even when we got Younis before tea there was a sniff there, but we just needed to keep getting those breakthroughs and into their inexperienced middle and lower order, but we didn’t get them.”Vettori was expected to provide the impetus for New Zealand as they pushed for wickets in the fourth innings, but his inability to turn the ball significantly on a worn fifth-day pitch blunted New Zealand’s ambitions of a Test win. Vettori troubled Younis early with changes of pace and a hint of extra bounce, but the batsman had little trouble negotiating the spinner once he was settled at the crease.”The wicket was very good. It still had enough in it [for the bowlers], but if you didn’t want to play any shots it was certainly something you could defend on. Younis played really well – it was a great way to play in a fourth innings on a fifth day. He put a little bit of pressure back on us, but mainly he was content to defend and Misbah was very content to defend. When you’re 1-0 up you can play that way and they did exceptionally well, and did what their team needed.”Waqar Younis also praised the efforts of the experienced Pakistan batsmen. “They’ve been batting well since South Africa, which was another tough series,” Waqar said. “Full credit to Younis, he’s an experienced campaigner and he knows what to do and he did exactly what we needed.”Misbah-ul-Haq embellished his record as captain, adding 70 to take his series tally to 231 in three innings, and picked up the Man-of-the-Match and Man-of-the-Series awards. His average since taking over the leadership is 112.75 in four Tests. “For some [becoming Test captain] goes wrong and for some it brings a lot of luck,” Waqar said. “He’s been playing good, defensive but positive cricket.”Waqar said the plan had been to chase down the 274 set by New Zealand for victory, but early wickets caused his side to change tack. “270 odd is a par score nowadays in Test match cricket. But on the fifth day it sometimes gets a little tricky. We wanted to win this match but losing three early wickets didn’t really help the cause and it took a bit too long to recover from that and that’s why we didn’t manage it.”Hafeez was our trump card. If he had carried on for bit longer it might have been a different story, but it was tough after that. We always knew Vettori could be [dangerous] on this fifth day pitch, so we’re happy with the result.”Both sides now look forward to the six-match one-day series, which begins on Saturday. The series will be crucial as the teams look to settle their final combinations and build some momentum ahead of the World Cup. New Zealand, in particular, will attempt to turn their one-day form around, having lost an unprecedented 11 games on the trot since June last year.”Obviously we’re on a bad run of losses,” Vettori said. “We’re comfortable playing in New Zealand. It won’t mean much in terms of performance because the grounds and the pitches will be so different [in the World Cup]. But if the guys can walk away from this series with a series win and some form, they’ll go to the World Cup in a better space.”Pakistan, too, will aim to leave New Zealand with another victory. “A win always gives you a boost,” Waqar said. “We’ll go into the one-dayers with a lot more aggression and positivity. We’ve got a few players coming and a few going back. We know that New Zealand are always a tough team in their home conditions, so we’re not going to take it easy.”

Cricinfo previews the first semi-final between Mumbai and Bangalore at DY Patil Stadium

The Preview by Sidharth Monga20-Apr-2010

Match facts

Wednesday, April 21
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Both their league games were one-sided affairs. Will the semi-final promise an even contest?•Indian Premier League

Big Picture

Around last weekend, Royal Challengers Bangalore were a pleased side. Assured of a semi-final slot, they were looking forward to playing the knockout match on a pitch that suits their style of play, in front of a crowd that gets behind them vociferously. On Saturday, though, things changed. First they got a hammering from table leaders Mumbai Indians, which meant their net run rate fell, taking them to No. 4, setting up the semi-final against the same opponents. Before that thrashing started, there were two bomb explosions outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which meant the semis were moved to the DY Patil Stadium in the outskirts of Mumbai.Now Bangalore find themselves up against an imposing side at an intimidating venue: ask Adam Gilchrist, whose Deccan Chargers played a “home” match at DY Patil against Mumbai Indians. Yet Bangalore are one of the few sides this season that know that Mumbai can be beaten: they did so, convincingly, and in front of the Brabourne crowd. Mumbai would like to use their home advantage to make their first-ever appearance in an IPL final.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWLWL
Mumbai Indians LWWWL

Team talk

After having experimented in their last few matches, Mumbai should go back to full strength, barring injuries. Kieron Pollard and Lasith Malinga are the two clear choices for overseas players. Dwayne Bravo hasn’t been in great form, so they may give JP Duminy a look-in. Dilhara Fernando might have impressed them enough with his split-finger slower ball, but Ryan McLaren might get the nod because he is a decent batsman too.Mumbai Indians (probable) 1 Sachin Tendulkar (capt.), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Saurabh Tiwary, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 JP Duminy, 7 R Sathish/Ali Murtaza/Abhishek Nayar/Aditya Tare, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Ryan McLaren/Dilhara Fernando, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lasith MalingaBangalore are not likely to tinker too much with the XI that lost its last league match to Mumbai. Pankaj Singh v Praveen Kumar seems to be an interesting choice.Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Jacques Kallis, 2 Manish Pandey, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Ross Taylor/Cameron White, 5 Robin Uthappa (wk), 6 Rahul Dravid, 7 Virat Kolhi, 8 Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble (capt.), 10 R Vinay Kumar, 11 Praveen Kumar/Pankaj Singh

Previously…

Bangalore 3 Mumbai 3
Their first match this year encounter was one-way traffic, with R Vinay Kumar and Dale Steyn slicing open Mumbai’s batting, and Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey leading the chase. But Mumbai returned the favour through an even more one-sided match, a 57-run win.

In the spotlight

Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey have fizzled out after having given Bangalore some smashing starts in the first half of the tournament. Both have recently had question marks against their roles in the team, but it might be too late to replace them. They were as big a factor behind the success as they have been behind a lukewarm second half, and they will not want to be failures if they come second-best in the semi-final.Lasith Malinga was one of the most difficult men to score off, bowling yorkers at will and using the slower ones as well. But he was rested for the last three matches, so the question is if he will be able to hit his rhythm right away when comes back for a pressure match.

Prime numbers and trivia

• In the first half of the tournament, the opening stand of Kallis and Pandey averaged 72.6 per dismissal at a run-rate of 8.07 per over. In the second half, they have gone at 11.4 per dismissal and 5.34 an over.
• Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan have opened for Mumbai seven times, and their opening combination has averaged 46.43 at 8.55 per over. In the seven remaining games, Mumbai’s first wicket has averaged 24.43 at 7.6 an over.
• Of the six IPL matches played at the DY Patil, three have been won by sides batting first and three by the chasing sides. The average first-innings score has been 153, and second innings 140. Quicker bowlers have enjoyed the venue more, taking 56 wickets at an average of 22.05 and economy-rate of 7.48. The corresponding stats for spinners are 19 wickets at 26.74 and 7.82.
  

  Chatter

  “I don’t think any team has an advantage anywhere. You have to go out and do well. Every team has been beaten by every other team at some stage. Every team has the ability to beat any other team.”

Miller, Klaasen, Maharaj have been included while Rabada has been rested

Firdose Moonda31-Oct-2024Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will make their returns to international cricket in next month’s T20I series against India at home after a conditioning break. Both players have been part of the CSA domestic T20 Challenge, after Jansen last featured at the T20 World Cup in June and Coetzee at the preceding T20I series against West Indies in May.The pair have worked on a shoulder and hip niggle respectively and were the first two bowlers to be given an extended period of time off as Cricket South Africa (CSA) introduced structured breaks in play to work on conditioning. Lungi Ngidi, who is part of the Test squad in Bangladesh but has not played a game since an ODI in October, will have his turn to work over the next six weeks, as he prepares for the home Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He is not part of the T20I squad for the India series while Kagiso Rabada has been rested with the Tests in mind.Fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who opted out of a national contract, has also not been named in the squad. “I wanted to prioritise other fast bowlers in the group. Anrich is a quality player, he plays in leagues around the world and we know what we get from him. We need to give some of our other bowlers an opportunity to play quality opposition,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach said at a press conference.Related

• 'Worth the hours, worth the sacrifice' – SA savour subcontinent high after a decade's wait

• Rabada on 300th Test wicket: 'Everyone plays for milestones, it was a relief'

• Rabada back at No.1 in Test bowling rankings; Ravindra, Shakeel break into top 10

South Africa still have several big names in the squad. Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Keshav Maharaj, who were not part of South Africa’s white-ball squads in the UAE, have all been included.The squad will be captained by regular leader Aiden Markram and will have Reeza Hendricks and Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order.There are two uncapped players, allrounders Mihlali Mpongwana and Andile Simelane, who were the joint second-leading wicket-takers in the recently completed T20 Challenge. They were among four players who took 12 wickets at averages of 14.08 and 14.25 respectively. Both have been part of South African squads in the recent past and add to a strong all-round contingent. Donovan Ferreira, who was the third-highest run-scorer in the T20 Challenge, and Patrick Kruger have also been included.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Notably, there is no room for Tabraiz Shamsi after he also opted out of a national contract last month. He remains available for international cricket but South Africa have opted for Maharaj and legspinner, Nqabayomzi Peter.”Shammo’s situation is similar to Anrich Nortje,” Walter said. “They are both available and wanting to play. For me, giving Nqaba Peter an opportunity to play was a priority. Shammo has played a lot for South Africa and in leagues around the world. We know what we get from Shammo.”He is a fierce competitor and loves playing for South Africa. It’s important we get the balance right between experience and inexperience.”South Africa’s seam-bowling contingent will be bolstered with the addition of Lutho Sipamla for the third and fourth matches on the Highveld. Sipamla last played for South Africa in 2022 in a Test match and has not played a white-ball international since April 2021 but his career-best 4 for 12 at the Wanderers in the T20 Challenge final forced him into the squad. Sipamla will not be in the squad for the coastal games in Durban and Gqeberha, which kick off the series, which starts on November 8.There has been no movement on Quinton de Kock’s availability, despite him not announcing his T20I retirement. Walter had previously said he has not had any discussion with de Kock about his future and that remains the case.”Quinny’s status is as it has been for the last couple of months. I continue to leave the ball in his court. I have allowed him to have his space and not play international cricket. If he wants to play for South Africa, we will have that conversation. For now, he is not part of our selection conversation,” Walter said.

South Africa Squad for T20Is against India

Aiden Markram, Ottneil Baartman, Gerald Coetzee, Donovan Ferreira, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Patrick Kruger, Keshav Maharaj, David Miller, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nqaba Peter, Ryan Rickelton, Andile Simelane, Lutho Sipamla (only for third and fourth T20I), Tristan Stubbs

Netherlands tripped up South Africa in the previous two men’s World Cups. They will be targeting a hat-trick, in conditions that might suit their style of batting better

Firdose Moonda07-Jun-20243:21

Morkel: South Africa cannot expect to roll Netherlands over

Match details

Netherlands vs Nepal
New York, 10.30am local

Big picture: Third time lucky for South Africa?

Related

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Once is coincidence, twice is a clue, and three times is proof.To paraphrase Agatha Christie, that is the narrative around South Africa’s meeting with Netherlands at this T20 World Cup.The Dutch beat South Africa at the 2022 tournament and ended their semi-final hopes in a match where South Africa appeared to be sleep walking, and then beat them again at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they exposed South Africa’s vulnerability in the chase. If they to do the treble, not only will Netherlands take the lead in Group D, but they will offer conclusive evidence of the threat they pose to Full Members, especially South Africa.Of course, it will take doing after South Africa’s opening performance against Sri Lanka, where they reduced their opposition to their lowest T20I total and chased it down in fairly straightforward fashion thanks to the most stable middle-order of their white-ball era. In Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, South Africa have bankers and big-hitters and, for this match, they also have the advantage of experience. They’ve already played at Eisenhower Park, and have first-hand knowledge that run-scoring doesn’t come easily; Klaasen said they are prepared to use their “cricket brains” and play “smarter cricket”.But the conditions could be good news for Netherlands, who are not naturally a line-up of big hitters and build their innings on a foundation of turning ones into twos. In other words, they tend to take a slightly more conservative approach to batting, which may work well here, but they’ll be wary of the uneven bounce of the surface and will have to come up with plans to counterattack especially against South Africa’s seamers. Their own bowlers were exemplary in Dallas and will look to build on that performance against a line-up that will likely be more proactive than Nepal’s, but who they have managed to keep quiet not once, but twice in the past. Third time’s the charm, they say.Paul van Meekeren with Sybrand Engelbrecht after Netherlands’ win over South Africa in the 2023 ODI World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Form guide

South Africa: WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Netherlands: WLLLW

In the spotlight: Reeza Hendricks and Vivian Kingma

After not getting a game at the 2022 T20 World Cup, Reeza Hendricks is the first-choice opener at this event and, as the batter with the lowest strike-rate in T20Is in South Africa’s top six, will be desperate to show what he is capable of. He had limited opportunity in the Sri Lanka match – he only faced two balls before being dismissed Test-match style by Nuwan Thushara, whom he edged to slip. Now he has had time to come to terms with how to play in New York and must combine his shots with the patience he must have, after waiting so long for an opportunity this high-profile.Vivian Kingma went wicketless against Nepal but that is no reflection of the threat he posed. He got movement upfront, swung the ball away from the right-hand batters, beat the bat on several occasions and found the edge in a spell that set the tone for the Dutch. On a surface that could have considerably more assistance for him, South Africa’s top order will want to be at their most watchful while also finding a way to target the bowlers around him.

Team news: Do Netherlands play an extra seamer?

Anrich Nortje’s stunning return to form against Sri Lanka means South Africa may not have to tinker with the bowling combination, and Gerald Coetzee and Tabraiz Shamsi may have to wait their turns to get a game. The batting line-up should be unchanged, with no space for Ryan Rickelton yet.South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markam, 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Ottneil Baartman, 11 Anrich NortjeConditions in New York may tempt Netherlands to include an extra seamer and they have Kyle Klein in their squad. But it could come at the expense of a shortened batting line-up and they may not want to risk that.Netherlands: 1 Michael Levitt, 2 Max O’Dowd, 3 Vikramjit Singh, 4 Sybrand Engelbrecht, 5 Scott Edwards (capt, wk), 6 Bas de Leede, 7 Teja Nidamanuru, 8 Logan van Beek, 9 Tim Pringle, 10 Paul van Meekeren, 11 Vivian Kingma2:42

Which Netherlands bowlers will South Africa look to take down?

Pitch and conditions

We’re going to see a “new” surface at the venue tomorrow with one of the middle pitches set to make their first tournament appearance, and there will be many eyes on it. The same surface will be used for the India-Pakistan match, so this fixture is something of a test run. From what we’ve seen so far, both pitches 1 and 4 have been tricky for batters because of inconsistent bounce. The ICC has acknowledged the quality has not been up to the standard expected and that it is working on a “remedy.” So far, it has been observed that grass has been shaved off one of the surfaces, which could reduce some of the bounce.At least, everyone can fully focus on the strip and not overhead because the weather is set fine, with highs in the mid-20s.

Stats and trivia

• Netherlands have beaten South Africa in their previous two World Cup meetings, but have not won any matches against them outside of those two.
• Ottneil Baartman is the leading South African wicket-taker in T20s this year and the sixth-highest overall. His 34 wickets have come at an average of 15.17, the best among the top ten wicket-takers.
• At 121.13, Max O’Dowd has the highest career strike rate in the Dutch squad. Five South Africans – Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Aiden Markram – have higher numbers than that.

Quotes

“We definitely want to get back a couple of games against Netherlands. They just do the basics extremely well. The moment they get on top of you, they become a difficult beast. When they do the basics right, they do it so well that they keep squeezing you. They have unbelievable outfielding, so it’s not easy just to shift that momentum against them. For us, it’s a big game.”
“We’re lucky in the sense that we play on a lot of different wickets. Back in the Netherlands, we play on artificials, we play on spicy wickets, we play on spinning wickets. So, for us it’s about adapting to whatever the wicket brings to us.”

Unbeaten centuries in hefty fifth-wicket stand thwart Derbyshire’s bid for control

ECB Reporters Network26-May-2024Gloucestershire’s James Bracey and Graeme van Buuren blasted their side out of trouble with swashbuckling centuries before rain took a hand on the third day of the Vitality County Championship Division Two match with Derbyshire at Bristol.The fifth-wicket pair launched a savage attack on the second new ball, producing a boundary blitz and adding 156 runs to their team’s overnight first innings total of 243 for four in just 21 overs before the heavens opened, with Bracey unbeaten on 137 and van Buuren having raced to 156 not out.No play was possible after lunch. At 399 for four, Gloucestershire were still 127 short of Derbyshire’s first innings total of 526, but on the most benign of batting surfaces, with two players in top form, they can feel optimistic of avoiding defeat on the final day.Bracey was on 87 and van Buuren 61 when play began, with 14 overs to bat before Derbyshire could take a second new ball both sides knew could be central to the outcome. Bracey moved comfortably to his second hundred of the season, reaching the milestone with his 15th four, a cut off Luis Reece, having faced 151 balls.Gloucestershire had just claimed a second batting bonus point when van Buuren elected to cut loose, moving from 88 to his 15th first class century with three fours off successive deliveries from off-spinner Alex Thomson in the over before the new ball became due.Derbyshire took it immediately, but suffered as a result when both Daryn Dupavillon and Sam Connors strayed in line and length, producing a plethora of short deliveries, while others were overpitched. The first five overs with the harder ball went for 65 runs.Bracey and van Buuren attacked at every opportunity, the latter pulling Connors over mid-wicket for six and clearing the ropes again off the same bowler with a sweetly-timed flick over fine leg. The diminutive Gloucestershire skipper needed only 28 deliveries to move from 100 to 150, sending the ball to all parts of the Seat Unique Stadium.From 318 for four when the new ball was taken, Gloucestershire had posted 383 for four by the end of the 85th over. Derbyshire captain David Lloyd had little option but to remove Dupavillon and Connors from the attack, bringing on Anuj Dal and Reece.Play had already been interrupted by a short shower when heavier rain arrived and lunch was taken. Bracey had faced 175 balls, striking 19 fours and a six, while the inspired van Buuren had clocked up 22 fours and 2 sixes in facing 172 deliveries.The partnership was worth 268 in 48.3 overs when the weather set in. Umpires Paul Pollard and Naeem Ashraf made a 3pm pitch inspection, ordered tea to be taken at 3.10pm, and looked again at 4pm, by which time more rain had fallen. They abandoned play for the day at 4.15pm.

Ethan Bamber five-for, Ryan Higgins fifty help visitors take grip in tricky conditions

ECB Reporters Network 25-Jul-2023Middlesex took ruthless advantage of winning a valuable toss by bowling Warwickshire out for 60 on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.Warwickshire were skittled for their lowest championship total since 1982 – when they made 43 versus Sussex at Edgbaston – as Ethan Bamber took 5 for 20 and skipper Toby Roland-Jones 3 for 27. The seamers skilfully exploited helpful conditions but were abetted by some flawed defensive shots.Middlesex then replied with 199, with Ryan Higgins making 53 from 72 balls, for a first innings lead of 139 – and there was still time on a chaotic day for the home side to lose two wickets second time round, reaching 53 for 2 by the close.When Roland-Jones won the toss, he hoped his seam attack would make early inroads – to have the home side 17 for 5 after 23 minutes did that job.It all started swimmingly for Warwickshire as both openers struck their first ball for four, but Roland-Jones launched the clatter with a lifter which Alex Davies gloved to the wicketkeeper. Two balls later, the skipper sent a full-length ball into Will Rhodes’ stumps.Bamber then found Sam Hain’s edge and Sam Robson took a slick catch at second slip. A simpler chance, offered by Rob Yates off Roland-Jones, was also accepted by Robson before Bamber bowled the entire middle order in 44 balls. Dan Mousley and Jake Bethell were bowled through the gate, Michael Burgess was castled by one that kept low and Ed Barnard’s off stump was clipped by a peach of an outswinger.When Henry Brookes edged Higgins to third slip, No. 11 Mir Hamza found himself striding in at 12.20pm. He was soon making the return journey after nicking a pull at Higgins.In ten minutes’ batting before lunch, Middlesex lost Robson who edged Olly Hannon-Dalby to first slip. Soon after the interval, Steve Eskinazi edged Hannon-Dalby behind and Mark Stoneman fell lbw to Hamza who then bowled Max Holden through another open gate.After diligent innings of 18 from Jack Davies and Jon Simpson were ended by fatal edges, Higgins and Josh de Caires counterattacked. For the first time the pressure was turned on the bowlers as the seventh-wicket pair added 71 in 18 overs.Higgins has damaged Warwickshire in the past with the ball, notably with 11 for 96 for Gloucestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy at Bristol in 2020. This time he biffed seven fours and a six on his way to his 18th first-class fifty before becoming the first of three wickets for Barnard. Higgins was bowled, de Caires skied a slog and Roland-Jones struck the ball into the crowd at long-on but clipped off a bail with his after-stroke and departed hit wicket.When Bamber fell lbw to Hannon-Dalby, Middlesex had a chunky lead of 139 and, remarkably, Warwickshire were in again for 13 overs. Their traumas continued as Davies sliced Bamber into the cordon to add a first-baller to his morning second-baller and Rhodes nicked an indiscrete waft at Tom Helm. That was careless from the captain but it was Warwickshire’s morning of mayhem that has left them in a cavernous hole.

England head into their home summer with five spin bowlers pitching their case for a spot in the Test side

Matt Roller02-Jul-2020It is hard to remember an occasion when England have gone into their first Test of the home summer with five different spinners all pitching a case for inclusion in the side, but these are unprecedented times.England’s spin cadre have worked closely with Richard Dawson in the nets over the past week, and all have had the opportunity to bowl in this week’s intra-squad warm-up match.Amar Virdi looks the least likely to play at the Ageas Bowl next week, having been parachuted into Team Buttler at the last minute when Sam Curran went down with a suspected diarrhoea and vomiting bug, while Matt Parkinson’s relative inexperience may count against him, despite him luring Ben Stokes into a false shot on the stroke of tea on Thursday to have him stumped.That leaves Moeen Ali, Dom Bess and Jack Leach: all three of them fingerspinners, with similar batting returns in recent years despite Moeen’s greater pedigree. All three have strong claims to the role, but it appeared instructive that it took 68 overs for Moeen to be brought into the attack on the first afternoon. When he did come on, newcomer Dan Lawrence found it easy to knock him about, and a 27-ball 5 on the second day did little to further his case.Seemingly, then, England have a choice next week between Leach and Bess, the Somerset team-mates: the former was first-choice going into the winter before his various illnesses, while the latter took his unlikely opportunity with both hands in South Africa.In this warm-up match, it has been Bess who has impressed more. Leach went wicketless across 15 first-innings overs while Bess took two in his 20 on Thursday; Leach also conceded 3.8 runs per over compared to Bess’ 3.0, and bowled one maiden compared to Bess’ six.Bess and Leach: Somerset team-mates, England rivals•Getty Images

But the make-up of the West Indies batting line-up poses an interesting conundrum, given that there are 13 right-handers and only two left-handers in their 15-man squad. One of those lefties, Raymon Reifer, looks unlikely to play the first Test, while John Campbell is an opening batsman, whom England will hope to dismiss before the spinners come on.It may be a simplification to look at fingerspinners only through the lens of whether they turn the ball into or away from a batsman, but raw statistics help illustrate the point. Across the last five English Test summers, offspinners average significantly more bowling to right-handers (37.58) than left (28.38), while the disparity is only slightly smaller among slow left-armers (36.42 to left-handers, 30.87 to right-handers).What’s more, the players in West Indies’ middle order that a spinner may well be relied upon to dismiss have substantially better records against offspinners than slow left-armers, in particular the engine room of Jason Holder, Shai Hope and Shane Dowrich.