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Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has been promoted to the role of head coach for the national Twenty20 side

Firdose Moonda07-Dec-2012Russell Domingo, South Africa’s assistant coach, has been promoted to the role of head coach for the national Twenty20 side. In a managerial split similar to England’s, Gary Kirsten will retain overall accountability of all squads but Domingo will take some of the burden off him in the shortest format.His rein begins in little over two weeks when South Africa host New Zealand for three T20s, starting on December 21. The three-match series also includes the Boxing Day T20, which replaced the traditional Test this year. South Africa will also play two T20s against Pakistan in March 2013.”I believe this decision is a positive move to creating a more sustainable and balanced coaching approach,” Kirsten said. “It’s common best-practice around the world, and we feel it will give us the platform to spread our coaching resources efficiently.”Domingo was appointed at the same time as Kirsten and bowling coach Allan Donald in June last year. At the time, Kirsten had made his intention clear to delegate responsibility, especially because his wife was expecting their third child and he wanted to spend sufficient time with his young family.Before any drastic changes could take place though, Kirsten’s immediate priorities were to oversee South Africa’s rise to No.1 in the Test rankings and aim for ICC T20 glory. He only managed one of those goals as South Africa claimed and retained the mace in England and Australia but faltered at the World T20 in Sri Lanka, where they did not make it out of the second round.Now, there is a suggestion that South Africa will look to completely overhaul the T20 set-up, starting by putting Domingo in charge. “He fully understands the team culture and will be able to build that culture with the new crop of T20 players we will be blooding this season,” Kirsten said of Domingo.South Africa threw all the resources into capturing the ICC silverware, even recalling stalwart allrounder Jacques Kallis for the tournament in Sri Lanka. But having failed in that quest again, they are planning ahead for the 2014 edition of the tournament.A significant number of promising players could expect to be injected into the T20 side this summer as a new-look squad is created. These may include allrounder Chris Morris, left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso and Titans captain and opening batsman Henry Davids.Domingo, who managed the Warriors franchise before his national appointment, has intricate knowledge of players on the South African domestic circuit from that experience. Notably, he was also in charge when Warriors won their first trophies of the franchise system: T20 and one-day cups in the 2009-10 season.Warriors qualified for the Champions League T20 in 2010 and under Domingo reached the final at home. While Kirsten already knew of Domingo’s coaching calibre from back when Domingo employed Kirsten as a consultant, those results also influenced Domingo’s ascendance to the international stage.”Coaching at the highest level has always been a goal of mine and I’m looking forward to building on the foundation we have set for this format,” Domingo said.Kirsten will remain involved in selection and strategic planning of the T20 squad but Domingo will be involved in the day-to-day activities. This will also give Kirsten more time off to accommodate his family responsibilities. Kirsten remains in charge of the one-day squad though, with an eye on the 2015 World Cup.

It took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth

The Report by Alex Malcolm08-Jan-2013
ScorecardChris Gayle hit the fastest fifty of the BBL, off 25 balls•Getty Images

It took eight rounds across 31 days for Chris Gayle to deliver and yet, incredibly, Sydney Thunder lost again to gift the Melbourne Stars a semi-final berth. The Stars’ tournament chances had seemingly slipped after setting what appeared an underwhelming target of 146 for Thunder to chase.When Gayle lit up the MCG with the fastest fifty of the BBL, off just 25 balls, Thunder’s 12-match losing streak looked to be dead and buried along with the Stars’ season. The Sydney franchise had not won since Gayle was last the Man of the Match, for a 54-ball century in December 2011 against Adelaide Strikers at the ANZ Stadium.Gayle hurtled towards three figures here as he displayed his brutal power. He thumped Jackson Bird over the sightscreen in the second over, showing utter disdain for Bird’s Test match form.
Gayle then clubbed 19 runs from John Hastings’ first over, including a flat-bat down the ground, a ramp over third man, a conventional cut to point, and a contemptuous slap that cleared the longest boundary on the ground at midwicket.He had some luck, with Cameron White failing to lay a hand on a towering sky ball, and it seemed then that the prize scalp of Gayle and a semi-final berth might have escaped the Stars’ grasp. Gayle scored 50 of the 59 runs that came in the Powerplay, with Simon Keen the only wicket to fall.Matt Prior played a slow hand by comparison to Gayle. His 16-ball 7 ended when he holed out to a superb running catch at long-on by Bird. But it brought the in-form Usman Khawaja to the crease and the chase seemed a fait accompli. Thunder needed 55 from 48 balls with Gayle and Khawaja in complete command before Gayle tried to clear the rope for a fifth time, only to be caught by Glenn Maxwell for 65.Khawaja inexplicably sliced Bird to Brad Hodge at deep point the following over and what seemed impossible at the start of the 13th over suddenly appeared inevitable.Thunder conspired to lose their last eight wickets for just 41 runs to be bowled out 13 short of their target and consign themselves to a winless season and a 13th straight loss as a franchise. All the Stars bowlers were gifted at least a wicket each. James Faulkner bagged three and Dimitri Mascarenhas picked up two in his first game for the Stars as a replacement for Lasith Malinga.Earlier, Stars looked to have blown a golden chance to make the semi-finals when they compiled only 8 for 145 having elected to bat.Luke Wright ran himself out early. Rob Quiney appeared to have found some much needed touch only for his promising innings of 22 to end when he hit Sean Abbott straight up in the air and was caught by Khawaja.Brad Hodge and David Hussey were left to mount a rescue mission, as they have done so often on this ground together. Hodge again showed his class making 39 from just 26 balls before he played around a full delivery from Dirk Nannes. Hussey did as a Hussey so often does, compiling a busy 32 that featured only one boundary.But the innings fell away badly from there. The Stars managed just 18 runs from the last 25 balls, and lost four wickets in the process. Fortunately for the Stars, Thunder’s finish was even more calamitous and Shane Warne will get another chance to captain his side having been forced to watch tonight from the confines of the change rooms due to his suspension.

South Africa expect to have to put in more work with the bat than they have done in the home season so far in the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town12-Feb-2013South Africa expect to have to put in more work with the bat than they have done in the home season so far in the second Test against Pakistan in Cape Town. Hot weather in the build-up to the match has left the surface dry and set up what Allan Donald called a “grafting wicket,” for what could turn out to be the bowlers’ first challenge of the summer.None of the three Tests played so far have gone the distance largely because South Africa’s attack has cleaned up opposition cheaply. This time though, they may not have conditions to facilitate that.”It’s not quite a 49 all out pitch,” Alviro Petersen, South Africa’s opening batsman said after examining the Newlands strip. Although there was rain in the city over the weekend and some is expected on Wednesday, neither Donald nor Petersen thinks the nature of the pitch will change too much and both expect a “good Test wicket,” that will provide a more balanced contest.Pakistan will benefit from that. “If there is one ground where they can bounce back its Newlands,” Petersen said. Not only will it be gentler in terms of pace and bounce, it is the surface most likely to provide something for the spinners although South Africa are mindful to keep that to a minimum. “We don’t want to bring their spinners into it at all,” Donald said.What it means for South Africa is that more responsibility will fall on the batting line-up than at any other time in the home season. They showed they were ready to front up in the first Test when Graeme Smith chose to bat in tricky circumstances at the Wanderers with a lot of swing on offer.Their total of 253 appeared below-par and probably was until the bowlers inflated it by dismissing Pakistan 49. “Our bowlers deserve all the praise they are getting because they have often got us of tight situations,” Petersen said. “So often, we have a second innings lead and then we can approach batting differently.” More aggressively, in other words.South Africa’s recent Test victories have been achieved that way. Because their bowling gives them an advantage, they have been able to bat sides out of the match. At Newlands, Petersen believes they may have to rein that in and he is confident they will be able to. “We’ve learnt to defend at the right time and attack at the right times. But you have to be able to adjust game plans,” Petersen said.To prepare, Petersen played for Lions in their final first-class match of the summer against Warriors in Port Elizabeth. He had the dual purpose of helping the franchise contend for the title and getting match time against an attack similar to Pakistan’s.Like the tourists, Warriors have a left-armer in Wayne Parnell, and a wicket-taking offspinner. Simon Harmer is no Saeed Ajmal but he is the spinner who has claimed the most scalps this season. Andrew Birch, the Warriors medium-pacer, is also among the leading bowlers in the first-class competition so Petersen feels he got in valuable practice.Petersen was the only Test batsman to feature in the final round of first-class matches but said the rest had been preparing in their own ways. “We don’t want to get into a casual mode,” Petersen explained.While the batsmen prepare for a sterner examination of technique, the bowlers, with the knowledge that harder work awaits them, are being monitored by Donald to ensure they are at their peak. “It’s important to keep in check with their attitude every day and that’s what we do,” he said. “They’ve got their feet on the ground, they are humble and they know their games inside out.”Donald maintained that the current crop is “without a doubt the best I have seen,” but did not get carried away with that admission. He acknowledged their habit of taking wickets off no-balls – which happened twice in the first Test – is “unacceptable,” and stressed that they will aim to “stick to the high standards we set for ourselves,” at Newlands. With or without assistance, the quicks are guaranteeing they will not let up.

Batsman Mominul Haque has been picked in Bangladesh’s Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam24-Feb-2013Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr has returned to the Bangladesh Test squad after more than three years following his selection in the 15-man squad to tour Sri Lanka next month. Seamer Robiul Islam and batsman Jahurul Islam have also been recalled, while Mominul Haque has made it to the Test squad for the first time.The major name that is missing is Shakib Al Hasan, out injured and about to undergo surgery to correct a shin injury. Elias Sunny was not included while Junaid Siddique and Nazimuddin were not in the 25-man preliminary squad, which was announced on February 18.Enamul and Mominul have been taken to replace Shakib, according to chief selector Akram Khan who opted for prior international experience when replacing the allrounder.Enamul has taken 105 first-class wickets in the last two seasons, the highest in the National Cricket League this season. His last Test appearance was in a Bangladesh win, and where he took six wickets. But he made way for a three-man pace attack against India thereafter, though he was in the Test squad, and indifferent ODI form had him excluded for the next three years. This time he was picked ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib, left-arm spinners who have also done well this season.In the case of Mominul, it was his recent ODI experience against West Indies which won him a place for a possible middle-order spot. He pushed aside Marshall Ayub, the season’s most prolific batsman in first-class cricket, Akram saying it was a “50-50 call”.”This was a tough selection, because we had to pick two players to replace Shakib,” Akram said. “Enamul won the left-arm spinner’s position ahead of Mosharraf Hossain and Saqlain Sajib. He is in form and has Test experience. Mominul was also a tough call but we need a left-hander in the middle order, so Marshall Ayub, despite his two double-hundreds, misses out.””I have spoken to Marshall on the phone, told him why he wasn’t taken this time. But the door is still open for him, he should continue to perform as he has been. It is unfortunate that we had to leave him out.”Jahurul returns to the squad after playing three Tests in 2010, but he has played ODI cricket recently. Both he and Robiul have been kept as additional options, although the former has a good chance for a place in the top order, said Akram. “He [Jahurul] could be one of the top three with Tamim [Iqbal] and [Shahriar] Nafees.”Robiul has trained in the National Cricket Academy during the BPL and he has played in the BCL. But we are not sure about Shafiul Islam, and in general we are facing a challenge to form a pace attack,” he said.The two-Test series in Sri Lanka will be Mushfiqur Rahim’s first away Tests as captain after he took over in October, 2011. He will lead the middle order, which will include Naeem Islam, Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain while it is now likely that Anamul and Jahurul will battle for the position of the other opener with Tamim Iqbal. Shahriar Nafees’ BPL performance saved him a place in the squad after an indifferent showing in the Tests against West Indies.Offspinner Sohag Gazi is also going to be a part of the first overseas Test series, and will be an automatic choice after an impressive start to his career late last year, but the pace attack will have to be assembled in Sri Lanka as only Rubel Hossain looks like a first-choice.Bangladesh will begin the series with a three-day match against Sri Lanka Development Emerging Team at Matara from March 3 to 5, before the Test series, which begins in Galle on March 8. The second Test will be played in Colombo from March 16.Squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Mahmudullah (vice-capt), Tamim Iqbal, Shahriar Nafees, Anamul Haque, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Abul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Enamul Haque, Jahurul Islam, Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, Robiul Islam.

Warwickshire wrapped up an innings victory on the first session in Abu Dhabi, with Rikki Clarke taking three of the remaining six MCC wickets to fall

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2013
ScorecardWarwickshire wrapped up an innings victory during Wednesday’s first session in Abu Dhabi, with Rikki Clarke taking three of the remaining six MCC wickets to fall.Joe Denly, who had recorded a century on the third day, and Peter Trego took the MCC score on to 350 before Oliver Hannon-Dalby broke through. Trego departed for 87 from 76 balls but, with 81 still needed to make Warwickshire bat again, the MCC innings rapidly subsided.Clarke and Chris Wright claimed the wickets, with Denly the eighth man out for 146. The last six wickets fell for 52 runs in 16 overs, Clarke finishing with 4 for 33 and Wright 8 for 110 in the match.”The way the MCC guys played in the second innings showed what good players they are,” MCC head of cricket, John Stephenson, said. “On paper this team is extremely strong, but after losing the toss and being asked to field first on a pitch like that, was always going to be a bit of a struggle.”With respect to the day-night format, the match went really well on the whole. All the pink balls stood up fantastically well, they were very durable, had good visibility throughout, and there were no complaints from any of the players. I’m really pleased with how things went from that perspective – I just wish we could have got a few more runs in our first innings.”

A round-up of the matches on the second day of the Faysal Bank Super Eight T-20 Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Mar-2013
ScorecardCaptain Mohammad Hafeez led from the front to hit his second Twenty hundred that helped Lahore Lions humble Multan Tigers by 47 runs at the Gaddafi Stadium. With a daunting total in sight, Tigers never looked in control during their chase. They lost their captain Shoaib Maqsood in the first over, caught brilliantly by Aizaz Cheema after he had fumbled it on the first go. Tigers started stuttering early as their top three batsmen departed with only 24 runs on the board.Rameez Alam (45) and Saeed Anwar jnr (11) resisted for a while with a 51-run stand for the fourth wicket, but both got bogged down against the spinners. Despite some late fireworks by Kashif Naved, Tigers kept on losing wickets at regular intervals and were bowled out in the 20th over for 127.Lions, after choosing to bat, lost opener Ahmed Shahzad (2) in the first over as he flicked Rahat Ali straight to Zulfiqar Babar at midwicket. Thereafter, Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed dominated Tigers and added 66 runs for the second wicket before Jamshed was trapped lbw for 26. Akmal brothers, Umar (4) and Kamran (0), were out of successive deliverers – Umar edged one from Rizwan Haider to the keeper, while a mix-up for a single with Hafeez resulted in Kamran’s wicket.Hafeez, however, continued to consolidate. He was dropped three times, twice by the wicketkeeper. Along with Ali Azmat (29), he added 83 for the fifth wicket to take Lions to a formidable total of 175. He reached 102 off 64 balls with 18 boundaries, including two sixes off the last two balls of the innings.
ScorecardShoaib Malik led Sialkot Stallions to a five-wicket victory over Abbottabad Falcons in Gaddafi Stadium. Falcons batted first, but were reduced to 39 for 3 through some incisive bowling from Raza Hasan. Yasir Hameed (43) and Hammad Ali (30) were the only meaningful contributions, as the rest of the batting folded quickly, to leave them 135 for 9 at the end of their 20 overs. Hasan had best figures of 3 for 35.Shakeel Ansar was dismissed for a duck, and Faisal Naved and Shahid Yousuf didn’t last long either as Stallions were at a precarious 18 for 3. An 89-run stand between Shoaib Malik and Adeel Malik categorically took the game away from Falcons. Shoaib Malik top-scored with 68, and Adeel Malik with 36. The chase was finished off by Ali Khan and Mansoor Amjad, as Stallions won with four balls to spare. Falcons have lost two straight now, after losing to Multan Tigers yesterday.
ScorecardYasir Arafat’s four-wicket haul helped Rawalpindi Rams to overwhelm powerful Twenty20 side Karachi Dolphins by eight runs in the final match of the day in Lahore. Dolphins lost their way chasing 158, but bounced back through No.9 batsman Mohammad Sami who smacked a breathtaking 38 off 18 balls. But Rams held their nerves to complete a dramatic victory.Dolphins lost their top order to Arafat earlier who accounted for Khalid Latif (0), Shahzaib Hasan (11) and Asad Shafiq (0) in his first spell of two overs. Fawad Alam (29) along with Sarfaraz Ahmed (26) resisted the tidy bowling in a 40-run stand, but both were out in quick succession. Sami then launched a late attack that included three sixes to revive hopes, but Arafat returned to pick his wicket. Dolphins eventually were bowled out for 149, eight runs short.Rams opted to bat with openers Awais Zia (34) and Naved Malik (12) off to a positive start. But they lost seven wickets for 16 runs towards the end to finish with 157. Anwar Ali was the most successful bowler with four wickets.

Preview of the match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Jaipur

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya26-Apr-2013

Match facts

Saturday, April 27, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)James Faulkner has something to offer with the bat as well•BCCI

Big Picture

As this season’s IPL approaches its half-way stage, the points table will, increasingly, come to dominate the attention of teams and players. Not much separates two team which were widely predicted to struggle, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals – Royals have played one game less and are two points behind – and both look good to remain strong contenders for a place in the top four as the competition for points intensifies. Both played their respective previous games against Chennai Super Kings, and lost in an almost identical fashion with the games decided in the final over of Super Kings’ chase.There was another striking commonality: allrounders who played a crucial role in helping their team post a competitive score slipped up in the final over – Ashish Reddy and Shane Watson. The teams are playing each other for the first time this season, on a Jaipur track on which seamers have had considerable success. Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma will be aware, so will Shaun Tait – it remains to be seen if he plays – and Sreesanth. Shikhar Dhawan and Watson are fresh from impressive knocks at the top of the order, and there is plenty of spunk in the middle to surge in the death overs. Though Royals may sense a slight edge playing at home, these two teams seem fairly evenly matched with the way things have panned out this season.

Form guide

Rajasthan Royals: LLWWL
Sunrisers Hyderabad: LWWLW

Players to watch

Cameron White has quietened down with the bat after his match-winning innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore more than two weeks ago. He’s batted in the top four over the last three games but hasn’t really got going.James Faulkner has been a valuable addition to the Royals XI, has been picked for the Ashes where he could have to play a greater role with the bat at No.7. His bowling skills have impressed many this IPL; he also has a decent record with the bat in the longer formats.

Stats and trivia

• Unheralded Sunrisers legspinner Karan Sharma has the best economy rate this season – 4.41 (min. 10 overs)
• Faulkner has the best average (9.45), best strike-rate 10.4 and third best economy-rate 5.42 this season (min. 10 overs)

Quotes

“We showed characteristics of a side that can fight till the last minute of the game and I’m very proud of each of the players.”

Preview of the Champions Trophy Group B match between South Africa and West Indies

The Preview by Firdose Moonda at Cardiff13-Jun-2013

Match Facts

Friday, June 14, 2013, Cardiff

Start time 10.30am (9.30 GMT)Dale Steyn has been declared fit and is available for the match•ICC

Big Picture

A glance at Cardiff’s pregnant skies is enough to set the tone for the knockout clash between South Africa and West Indies and it is not a positive one. What should be a fascinating clash between a team that dominates outside of major tournaments and a team trying to recreate their glory days may not even happen. If it does, it is likely to be interrupted by rain.Should the wet weather have the final say, South Africa will progress by virtue of a better net run-rate but they will not want to go into the real knockouts in such fortunate circumstances. Neither will West Indies want to exit the tournament in a drizzle of disappointment, although they have two poor batting performances to blame for their current standing in the group.While South Africa showed improvement, particularly in the bowling department, in their second game, West Indies remained static. As a result, they have not managed a total of even 240 so far and against South Africa, it would be safe to assume, they may need many more to win.But this is not a normal occasion for South Africa; this is a pressure game and that alone could scramble their minds. Even if Dale Steyn is fit and firing, their main battle will be with themselves as they try to rewrite their reputations as big-game bloopers.West Indies will fancy themselves more than usual, especially because they have been the team that have put South Africa out of tournaments the most. On three occasions, they have been responsible for South Africa taking the next flight home and their cavalier confidence has often given them the edge over a team paranoid of failure.

Form guide

(Most recent first)South Africa: WLWWL
West Indies: LWWWW

In the Spotlight

There hasn’t been much opportunity for a finisher like David Miller to show what he is capable of. The “in the arc, out of the park” hitter has had mixed results in a tournament where run-scoring has tapered as innings go on, but team management remains confident Miller will be able to make an impact at some point. Given a firm foundation and licence to thrill, it may be his big day.Sunil Narine has encountered South Africans at the IPL but has never played against South Africa and he may well be relishing the opportunity. Despite reams of video evidence, Narine remains difficult to pick – with both his offbreak and doosra bowled out of the front of the hand and made trickier by his pace. Although the stereotype about South Africa’s batsmen being spun into submission doesn’t apply anymore, he could still cause ample problems for a team under pressure.

Team news

With Dale Steyn declared fit and available, South Africa will likely go in with four seamers, one specialist spinner in Robin Peterson and JP Duminy as an allrounder. That will mean only one change for them with Colin Ingram occupying the top spot ahead of specialist opener Alviro Petersen and Farhaan Behardien missing out again.South Africa: (probable) 1 Colin Ingram, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren 8 Robin Peterson 9 Chris Morris, 10 Dale Steyn/Aaron Phangiso, 11 Lonwabo TsotsobeAn unchanged XI is expected and with Denesh Ramdin still suspended, Johnson Charles will keep wickets again.West Indies: (probable) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Johnson Charles (wk), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 6 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach

Pitch and conditions

Rain fell consistently throughout Wednesday and Thursday and more showers are forecast for match day with a window of clear weather predicted only between 2pm and 5pm. That could be enough to squeeze in a 20-over shootout, but both teams will want more than that. Should play take place, the moisture is likely to make conditions conducive for the pacers.The ground has seen one run-fest between India and South Africa and one low-scoring scuffle between Sri Lanka and New Zealand, but both took place before the rains. So fairly fresh conditions can be expected for this match.

Stats and Trivia

• Chris Gayle has scored three hundreds against South Africa, two of them in losing causes.
• Three of the 12 ODIs played at Sophia Gardens have been washed out – 25%. South Africa have been involved in two of those.

Quotes

“They know if they lose, they are going back home. They have a tag of being chokers that do well in big tournaments, so that would be added pressure on them.”

“They always say batting second is easier when there is a bit of weather around. I’m not too fussed about that. Whether we play a shortened game or a normal game, it’s all about focus and team intensity off the field.”

An injury concern to Graeme Swann overshadowed an encouraging performance by the England bowlers and Tim Bresnan’s century

The Report by George Dobell in Chelmsford01-Jul-2013
ScorecardGraeme Swann was struck a painful blow on his right forearm by Tymal Mills•Getty Images

It says much for England’s lacklustre performance in their Ashes warm-up match against Essex that it has, at times, been hard to distinguish which was the Test team tipped to win the Ashes and which the mid-table Division Two team.While England’s top-order struggled for runs and their bowlers struggled for potency, Essex have had the fastest bowler of the match, a legspinner with a five-wicket haul and the only man in the top seven of either side to register a half-century. England also spurned three distinctly catchable chances. Few will recall performances in this match if England go on to retain the Ashes but, on the evidence of this game, they are some way short of their best heading into the series.There are some mitigating factors. England are lacking their two first choice seam bowlers – Stuart Broad and James Anderson – from this game and came into it having played several weeks of white-ball cricket. Much the same could be said for Essex, too.Perhaps more pertinently, England were without Graeme Swann throughout Essex’s first innings on the second day after he sustained a blow to his right forearm while batting. Swann was struck by a delivery from Tymal Mills, by some distance the quickest bowler on either side, and while he batted for another nine overs in recording his highest first-class* score since he made 97 here six years ago, he was then taken to hospital for an X-ray. That showed no fracture, however, and while Swann will continue to receive treatment for bruising, he is expected to play a role with the ball later in the game.That will be a huge relief for England. While James Tredwell, probably the second choice spinner bearing in mind Australia’s preponderance of left-handers, fared pretty well in the Champions Trophy, he has yet to take a first-class wicket this season while Monty Panesar was recently dropped by Sussex and has taken only 16 wickets in eight first-class games at an average of 43.37. Swann may have missed Champions Trophy games due to back and calf injuries, but he remains very much the first-choice option for Tests.Swann was not the only England batsman to sustain a nasty blow from Mills. Tim Bresnan was struck in the same over, failing to duck out of the way of a bouncer and taking the ball on the grill of his helmet, but shrugged off the blow to reach the fourth first-class century of his career and his first since 2007.It was a timely contribution. Not only did his stand of 187 for England’s eighth-wicket with Swann rebuild the innings from a precarious position, but it provided a reminder of his all-round qualities. With a decision yet to be made over who will fill the third seamer’s spot, Bresnan’s lower-order runs might yet prove crucial. He batted very well, too. He brought up his chanceless and increasingly dominant century with a pull for six and England declared immediately.Still, this was an impressive performance from Mills. England requested that both he and Reece Topley play in this match in order to gain practice against left-arm bowling but, with Topley rested after several tough weeks of cricket, it was left to Mills to fill the role.He only took up cricket in his mid-teens and currently cannot generate the in-swing that he will require to sustain a career at this level but, blessed with raw pace and a wonderfully uncomplicated attitude, he could develop into a significant player. He has a reputation, probably a fair reputation, for over-doing the short ball but on this evidence that is not such a fault. Few batsmen could enjoy facing him.”It was the time to let them have a few,” Mills said afterwards. “The bowlers union went out of the window for a while there; you have to do what you have to do to get some wickets. It was a good opportunity for me to impress people at Essex and England. Hopefully this game will have earned me a chance to get back into the Essex side.”Tom Craddock also impressed. The legspinner, who had not claimed a first-class wicket this season before this game, completed the second five-wicket haul of his career in the morning session as Swann, caught at mid-on as he tried to clear the infield, fell six runs short of what would have be his first first-class century since 2002 and Steven Finn missed the next delivery, a standard legbreak. Craddock does not currently have a huge amount of variation but maintained a consistent line and length and, albeit on a helpful surface, turned his legbreak appreciably.In Swann’s absence, Kevin Pietersen and Joe Root were both called upon to bowl offspin. Pietersen was tidy initially but was then hit for three successive boundaries by the impressive Jaik Mickleburgh, while Root claimed career-best figures to underline his improvement as a bowler.Root claimed only one first-class wicket in the 2012 season but here demonstrated his growing control and just enough spin to encourage the occasional mistake. He remains very much a support bowler and would be the first to admit he was somewhat flattered by his figures that included a slogged catch from Saj Mahmood and a cut shot that hit the back of Owais Shah’s bat and looped to the keeper.England’s seamers, in effect competing for one place, enjoyed less happy days. Graham Onions, the pick of them, saw two chances go down off his bowling; one to Pietersen at mid-on offered by Hamish Rutherford on 10 and another when Matt Prior put down an outside edge when Ravi Bopara had 7. Later Pietersen put down another relatively simple chance at gully off the bowling of Finn to reprieve David Masters on 12.Mickleburgh has a career average of just 25.99 and, before this game, had managed only 217 runs in 11 first-class innings this season but looked compact and patient in registering his highest score of the season. He may well have been unlucky with the umpire’s decision that denied him the fifth first-class century of his career.Mickleburgh rated Onions the toughest of the bowlers to face. “He showed great skill levels,” he said. “He was getting the ball to reverse and made me play 95% of the deliveries I faced from him. Finn ran in hard and bowled some good balls in decent areas.”The pitch, slowing all the time, offered little to England’s seamers but Onions and Finn were probably the more impressive of the trio. Bresnan’s only wicket came when Rutherford drove to mid-off, while Finn had Bopara caught behind by a beauty that demanded a stroke and then left the batsman; Tom Westley feeling for one outside off; and Masters, who will not bowl again the game after suffering what may turn out to be an Achilles strain, leg before playing across one.Onions, meanwhile, bowled Mark Pettini with one that reverse swung through the gate leading Bresnan to admit that, while the runs could do his chances no harm, it is bowling form that will define selection.”Lower-order runs could play a big part in winning Test matches so it’s nice to get some time in the middle,” Bresnan said. “But the bowlers will be picked on form. If I’m not bowling well enough, it doesn’t matter how many runs I’ve scored, the batting comes as a bonus. If it’s a straight shoot out it may help may cause but if I’m not bowling well enough it won’t matter at all. We’re backing the batters to get the runs.”*This match had first-class status removed on the third day

Opener Lendl Simmons scored an unbeaten 67 off just 44 balls to guide Guyana Amazon Warriors to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Jamaica Tallawahs at the Providence Stadium

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLendl Simmons guided the chase•Getty Images

Opener Lendl Simmons scored an unbeaten 67 off just 44 balls to guide Guyana Amazon Warriors to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Jamaica Tallawahs at the Providence Stadium. The win was Guyana’s second in as many games, and took them to the top of the table ahead of the Barbados Tridents on net run-rate.Simmons, the Man of the Match, struck five fours and four sixes, and put up an unbeaten 60-run stand for the third wicket with Ramnaresh Sarwan, to chase down a modest 118 inside 15 overs.Jamaica, put in to bat, got off to a slow start as Ahmed Shehzad was caught at long-off by Chris Barnwell off seamer Krishmar Santokie off the last ball of the fourth over, and off the very next delivery, Chris Gayle fell short of his crease trying to sneak an unlikely second run.James Franklin had an expensive night and conceded 38 runs in his four overs, but all other bowlers were economical, and bowled out Jamaica for just 117. Santokie stood out with figures of 3 for 20, including the wicket of Carlton Baugh, who top scored for the visitors with 32.Guyana, needing less than six an over, were comfortable throughout the run-chase as Simmons and Martin Guptill added 48 for the opening wicket. Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed Guptill and Mohammad Hafeez in quick succession, but Sarwan, coming in at No. 4, steadied the innings with a 19-ball 24 to take Guyana home with 33 balls remaining.