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“I feel I still have 3-4 years of cricket left in me, but I wanted to go out on a high, when I was at peak fitness and performing well”

Shashank Kishore28-Nov-2024Nearly six years after he last played for India, fast bowler Siddarth Kaul has announced his retirement from Indian cricket. He is, however, still open to the possibility of playing overseas. The 34-year-old ends his international career with six caps, three apiece in T20Is and ODIs between June 2018 and February 2019.In the 2023-24 season, Kaul helped Punjab win their maiden T20 crown, finishing as their highest wicket-taker with 16 in 10 games as they lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was also their highest wicket-taker (19 wickets in six games) in the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy.Related

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Kaul most-recently represented Punjab in the first half of the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, where he went wicketless across two matches. He finishes with 297 first-class wickets in 88 matches, at an average of 26.77, over a career that spanned 17 years. He also picked up 199 List A wickets at 24.30 and 182 in T20s at 22.04, with an economy rate of 7.67.Kaul broke through for Punjab in first-class cricket as a 17-year-old, and first hit the headlines a year later when he was part of Virat Kohli’s victorious India side at the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia. However, multiple back injuries set him back for over five years.Between December 2007 and February 2012, Kaul played just six domestic matches across formats. When he returned, he was part of an emerging crop of fast bowlers in Punjab alongside Manpreet Gony, Sandeep Sharma and Barinder Sran.Kaul played three County Championship matches for Northamptonshire earlier this year•Getty Images

Over the years, Kaul’s wicket-taking ability and death-bowling skills made him a key member of Punjab’s white-ball setup. He finishes as the all-time highest wicket-taker (155 wickets) in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (120).The highest point of Kaul’s career came in 2018 when he earned a T20I cap on the tour of Ireland after being a consistent performer in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad for two seasons. In 2017, he picked up 16 wickets in 10 games, while in 2018 he was SRH’s joint-highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps in a season where they finished runners-up to Chennai Super Kings.Apart from Sunrisers, Kaul also represented Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.Kaul is open to the idea of playing overseas, “wherever opportunities arise.””I feel I still have 3-4 years of cricket left in me, but I wanted to go out on a high, when I was at peak fitness and performing well rather than being asked to go due to fitness or non-performance at some other point,” he told ESPNcricinfo.”If you see my graph over the past 9-10 years, I’ve been performing really well across formats. So I felt this was a good time to go. Hopefully going forward, whatever opportunities arise, like in county cricket [he represented Northamptonshire in three Division 2 Championship games this summer, picking up 13 wickets at 29.84], or Legends League, MLC etc, I’d like to explore them if I get the chance.”

The Afghanistan coach believes getting Gurbaz to understand every game isn’t a T20 is the key to his ODI evolution

Mohammad Isam08-Jul-2023Rahmanullah Gurbaz staying still and smacking the ball gives Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott a lot of pleasure. Gurbaz’s career-best 145 consigned Bangladesh to a 142-run defeat as the visitors clinched the three-match ODI series with one game still remaining. Afghanistan put up a formidable 331 for 9 in their 50 overs, banking on record 256-run opening stand between Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, who also made a century.Gurbaz struck 13 fours and eight sixes in his 125-ball stay, and was particularly destructive in his final 25 balls off which he smacked 45 runs. Afghanistan raised the tempo during that portion of their innings, scoring 69 runs in six overs leading up to Gurbaz’s dismissal in the 37th over.Trott said Gurbaz and Ibrahim complemented each other very well.”He [Gurbaz] can score everywhere around the ground,” Trott said. “He sometimes rushes it and thinks that every game is a T20. The longer Gurbaz bats for us, the more chance we have of winning. I was obviously very happy with how [the opening partnership] was going, especially the shots that they played. It was certainly on a wicket where if you bowl well, you can create some pressure. It had a little variable bounce.”We were going to bat first if we won the toss, having looked at the weather. There was no rain. There wasn’t as much grass as the previous match. I think the way that Gurbaz played in his natural attacking style, while Ibrahim was a nice foil at the other side. Gurbaz didn’t have to worry about another new batsman at the other end. It was a good sort of dovetailing if you like. I was happy with the first 35 overs.”Gurbaz doesn’t need to worry too much about his technique, Trott believes. All he needs is to stand tall and let his instincts do the rest. “I think it was about Gurbaz being as still as possible at release,” Trott said. “Sometimes he is moving. Sometimes a player as talented as Gurbaz can get wrapped up in technique instead of just watching the ball.”It is about making the game as simple as possible with the hand-eye coordination that Gurbaz has. It is about just being simple in the mind, technically as well. He has worked hard, so hopefully he can back it up in the third ODI.”Afghanistan players have a chat with coach Jonathan Trott at training•Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images

Zadran’s improvement also impressed the coach, who reckons the openrr is showing maturity beyond his age. His two hundreds and two fifties against Sri Lanka caught the eye, and he made 100 off 119 balls against Bangladesh, batting until the 46th over to ensure his side got close to the 300-run mark.”He [Zadran] is very good,” Trott said. “He will improve as he gets older. He showed maturity in the knock realising that Gurbaz was attacking. Sometimes for a young player, you try to copy that, and maybe get out of your little bubble. It was important that he stayed there till the end. Otherwise we may have lost our way if he got out as well. Credit to him for a fantastic innings.”Afghanistan’s ODI series win also comes off the back of a massive Test defeat to Bangladesh last month. They lost by 546 runs, lasting only 39 and 36 overs respectively in the two innings.”I arrived in Bangladesh disappointed with the way the Test went,” Trott said. “We learned as a side. We realised how much progress Bangladesh has made in all areas of the game. We needed to be at the top of our game to come here and compete.”It is important that we focus on the next game as well. We can’t get too wound up or hyped up. We can’t rest on our laurels if we want to improve as a side looking ahead to the Asia Cup and World Cup. When you go to competitions and Cups, you need to keep winning.”Afghanistan also bowled well to defend their total. Bangladesh lost wickets in clusters of three each; the first three for 25 runs, the second three for seven runs and the last three wickets for 30 runs. Trott felt that Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman gave Afghanistan the perfect start with the ball.”Fazal started the first over with a maiden. You want to start well with the ball defending 330,” Trott said. “Sometimes you can let the opposition get a good start. The way that he [Farooqi] and Mujeeb bowled were fantastic. I think we learned how to bowl on this wicket. Hopefully we can apply that in the third game.”

Weighty opening stand between Lewis and Paul paves way for rare Irish success

Firdose Moonda03-Jun-2022Ireland, led by the youngest captain in their history, Gaby Lewis, beat South Africa for only the second time in 11 T20I meetings to stun the fifth-ranked side and take a lead in the three-match series. Ireland are ranked 12th in T20s and their only previous victory over South Africa came in August 2016.Five South Africa and three Ireland players from that match were involved in this one, including Lewis. Together with Leah Paul, she broke her own record for Ireland’s highest opening partnership against South Africa, set Ireland up for a famous win and claimed a slice of history herself. Lewis is the first daughter of a former Ireland captain to lead the national side, after her father Alan Lewis captained the men’s team.Starting strong
Lewis and Paul took advantage of a lacklustre South African effort in the first half of their innings and raced to 83 without loss in the first 10 overs. In doing so, they also posted the highest first-wicket partnership for Ireland against South Africa, beating the 78 shared between Lewis and Clare Shillington in Ireland’s previous 2016 victory. None of the six bowlers South Africa used up to that point threatened at all, as they struggled to adjust to the slow pace of the pitch. They offered many deliveries that were too short and both Lewis and Paul were strong on the pull in response. The pair went on to share in a stand of 98, 16 short of Ireland’s highest opening stand against any team.South Africa claw back
None of South Africa’s bowlers could remove Lewis, who notched up her sixth T20I half-century, but some commitment in the field did. She was run-out at the non-striker’s end to bring an authoritative knock to a close. But it was only in the next over, when Shabnim Ismail was brought back on and used the slower ball to have Paul caught at mid-on, that South Africa were able to properly apply the brakes.Ireland were 107 for 2 after 14 overs and could only manage 36 runs off the next six overs, while also losing five wickets. Tumi Sekhukhune, whose first three overs cost 27 runs, came back well to take three wickets in her final over and ensure no one outside Ireland’s top four got into double-figures. Still, Ireland achieved their highest total against South Africa in T20Is, three runs more than their previous highest of 140 for 4 in a losing cause in 2016. Ireland strike immediately
South Africa opted to experiment with a new opening pair – Lara Goodall and Tazmin Brits – and it backfired. Offspinner Rachel Delaney was asked to open the bowling against the left-handed Goodall and had her caught behind off the first ball of South Africa’s reply, in the course of delivering a maiden first over.And then get the big wicket
South Africa held Laura Wolvaardt back to No. 4 and she provided some stability, but her attempt to add impetus to the innings in the ninth over failed. She tried to cut Cara Murray but Celeste Raack took a good catch, low at backward point, to send the Ireland players into wild celebrations.Cat-and-mouse to the end
With 48 runs needed off the last five overs, Chloe Tryon had the ideal opportunity to show off her finishing skills. She took 15 runs off the 16th over, bowled by Murray, including a casual-as-you-like six over midwicket to ease the pressure on her captain Sune Luus. But Lewis had a trump card up her sleeve. She tasked Paul, whose first two overs went for 16 runs, with bowling the 18th over. Tryon was well outside her crease when she went for a slog, missed and was bowled. Luus was South Africa’s last real chance but she was bowled by debutant Arlene Kelly in the penultimate over. South Africa needed 18 runs to win off the last over and neither Nadine de Klerk nor Ismail could get them there.

Essex batsman says he will stick to his own game if his chance comes this week

George Dobell11-Jan-2021It sometimes feels as if the opposition bowling is the least of the worries facing England’s new Test batsmen.As if taking a step up in level is not daunting enough, there is also a vast step up in scrutiny. From playing in front of county audiences – which, while bigger than sometimes credited, really don’t compare to a packed Gabba – and one or two generally benevolent reporters, players are thrust in front of dozens of TV cameras.Suddenly, their every move is dissected, scrutinised and debated. Their dismissals are replayed; their faults magnified. Their usual TV channel of choice might feature their childhood heroes expressing doubts over their ability to survive at the top level. Social media can be even more blunt.Related

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The “worms of doubt” – as Jonathan Trott memorably phrased it – start to wriggle into the brain. And once the self-confidence is eroded, once thoughts are focused as much on what the doubters are thinking as the ball heading their way, nervous feet become rooted and confidence-free hands start to look for the ball.The likes of Dawid Malan, Mark Stoneman, Sam Robson and Gary Ballance have all walked this path. All were good players. All had decent claims on a sustained run in the side. With few exceptions, they left the set-up shell-shocked as much by the media onslaught as the high standard of cricket to which they were introduced. The combination is desperately tough to deal with. You could argue that the only specialist England batsman to indisputably nail Test cricket in the age of social media is Joe Root.Dan Lawrence is, no doubt, about to discover all this. Barring late injury, he looks set to be the beneficiary of the absence of Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope and Rory Burns and make his Test debut at Galle on Thursday. Aged just 23 but having already played more first-class games than the likes of Babar Azam and Shai Hope, he has earned this opportunity. He is not obviously more talented than Ben Duckett, James Vince or Tom Westley – just a selection of those who have worked this road before him – but he might just be better mentally prepared.He has a few other things to his advantage. For one, he has benefited from an England development system that has invested in sending him on Under-19 tours to various places – including Sri Lanka – and allowed him to spend several weeks focused on playing spin in India. For another, he is likely to bat at No. 5, which is about as good a place to start as can be expected, even in conditions where spin might be expected to dominate. The absence of spectators and most media might do him no harm, either.Most of all, though, he seems – albeit at this early stage – to have the character to thrive in this environment. In particular, it is comforting to hear not just Lawrence but some of those who know him best insisting that he will do things his own way. That doesn’t mean stubbornly refusing to learn. But it does mean retaining faith in himself when all men doubt him. It bodes well.”I think confidence in my own game is quite a big strength of mine,” Lawrence said after England training on Monday. “I am a big one for trying to do things in my own unique way.”I don’t want to come into an England environment and completely change everything because that wouldn’t be true to myself. The big thing for me is having the confidence in my own game and believing I can be really successful at this level. It’s about trying to stick to my guns and what’s made me successful so far.”Hopefully I can really stay true to myself and go out there and really express myself; not sit in a hole or let the situation get too much for me. It’s just a matter of actually going and doing it now.”In truth, there’s nothing so outrageously different about Lawrence these days. He went through a period of taking an elaborate step back and across his stumps as part of his trigger movement. But when he reasoned this was disproportionately limiting him to leg side strokes, he reverted to something more conventional. There’s still a bit of a Dhoni-style helicopter flourish to his follow-through; still a bit of KP-style flamingo about his back leg. But the trigger is much less exaggerated. Compared to Dom Sibley or Rory Burns – who may share similar determination to do things their own way – he really is quite orthodox.It’s been an emotional year for Lawrence. Joy at being called into the England squad during the summer of 2020 was eclipsed by the death of his mother in August. He had, he said, been “mentally prepared for the worst”, as she had been ill for some time. Things were “quite tough for a couple of months” but, eventually, he added, “it was lovely to go back and play some cricket for Essex around my really good mates, who I needed at that time. They were all fantastic.”Dan Lawrence is one of England’s brightest young batting talents•Getty Images

It’s a shame his dad, Mark, won’t be able to watch his debut in person, either. Mark remains head groundsman at Chingford CC where Dan grew-up in a home overlooking the ground and has clearly done more than anyone to groom England’s newest Test hope.”He always wanted me to be a cricketer,” Lawrence said. “He has been very good for me. He used to feed me so many balls. I would always pester him to hit balls in the indoor nets, every day. Probably much to his annoyance. He has been brilliant.”He played for Chingford as a wicketkeeper and from the war stories he told me, he seemed decent with the gloves. But I reckon he is a bit of a taxman; he always adds an extra 10-20% to every story.”I have been brought up around cricket and haven’t really played any other sports growing up. Me and my Dad would have conversation after conversation around cricket. I am sure he will be very excited come Thursday.”I would love to have him out here, as well as my brothers. But it is nice to know there will be a lot of people at home egging me on to do well.”Indeed, there will. But it’s Lawrence’s ability to block out such thoughts – the supporters and the detractors watching from afar – that suggest this could be his first Test of many.

Allrounder hit below the left ear as he’s hit by a skiddy bouncer while attempting to play the hook shot

Sreshth Shah13-Sep-2019Andre Russell was stretchered off the ground by medical staff after a blow to his helmet in the first innings of Jamaica Tallawahs’ clash against St Lucia Zouks at Sabina Park on Thursday.Following the incident, he was taken to hospital for a CT scan. A medical update from the franchise confirmed that Russell was later cleared of serious injury. Having been advised rest, he returned to the hotel and didn’t play further part in the game.The incident took place in the 14th over, after Russell, batting on zero, failed to connect with a pull. Zouks pacer Hardus Viljoen had bowled it short and at the body, and the ball struck Russell’s helmet near the right ear.Russell had backed away before Viljoen had delivered the ball, and so the bowler followed the batsman, cramping him for space. Russell immediately dropped to the ground and the Zouks fielders then removed his helmet. When the medical team rushed in to check on Russell, the batsman looked dazed but stood up on his feet.Russell was beginning to walk off, retired hurt, when he was made to stop. A stretcher was brought in, and Russell – with a neck brace on – was taken off. At first look, it appeared that Russell’s helmet did not have a neck guard.Three overs after the incident, Tallawahs head coach Donovan Miller told the broadcasters that “there was no update on Russell just yet”, but at the innings break, the commentators informed that Russell had been taken to the hospital for further checks.Tallawahs finished their innings on 170 for 5, adding only 38 runs in the last six overs. They eventually lost by five wickets, suffering their third straight loss of the campaign.

CSA officals’ meetings with the Global T20 owners in Dubai and Mumbai haven’t produced concrete results, with the owners saying their statuses have still not been clarified

Firdose Moonda13-Aug-2018Cricket South Africa’s board will be asked to reconsider its equity deal with SuperSport for a new T20 league after meetings between officials and T20 Global League franchise owners last week. The owners collectively reserved their rights to teams and want the 49% share SuperSport currently holds to be handed over to them. The four CSA representatives who met with the owners – CEO Thabang Moroe, acting COO Naasei Appiah and board members Louis von Zeuner and Iqbal Khan – told owners they will revert to them in 10 days, after consulting with the board.This follows four days of heated meetings in Dubai and Mumbai in which CSA was asked to clarify the owners’ statuses, something one owner told ESPNcricinfo CSA failed to do. “They did not have any answers for us,” Hiren Bhanu, owner of the Pretoria Mavericks said. “But they did tell us that the deal with SuperSport is not finalised, has not been signed and no terms are agreed.”Bhanu intends to seek an interdict against CSA to stop any new league from going ahead, while other owners are also considering legal action. In June, three other owners – the Durban Qalandars, the Bloemfontein City Blazers and the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars – said they would take CSA to court but haven’t followed up on that threat yet. The owners do not merely want CSA to return their deposits of USD 250,000 and for CSA to cover expenses they incurred in setting up the league, some of which amount to millions of dollars, but are demanding a stake in the league, even though CSA has changed the competition’s format and ownership model.Later on Monday evening, Kausar Rana Resources, the owners of the Qalandars franchise, sent out a statement claiming that they had neither asked for nor received any refund of their deposit.”We wish to reiterate and clarify our position that KRR has not requested, at any stage, for our deposit to be refunded. Since no request was made by us for the refund, none was received,” the statement said, quoting Qalandars CEO Sameen Rana. “As a primary stakeholder and owner of a franchise that has made a huge investment in the South African league, we are totally committed towards participating in CSA’s T20 event.”(I)n view of this commitment, our deposit is still with CSA and we expect them to respect and acknowledge all our rights, but should CSA renege on the signed agreements, then we will reserve all our rights.”Qalandars met with the CSA delegation in Dubai and we, once again, impressed upon them our position in the most clearest of terms. We are unequivocal that in any future event, our rights must be respected and that Qalandars must be a participating team in the T20 league.”In June, nine months after the postponement of the inaugural edition of the GLT20, CSA announced it had entered into a deal with private broadcaster SuperSport for a new T20 league, to replace the GLT20. SuperSport also holds the broadcast rights for all cricket played in South Africa and all South Africa’s series abroad. The owners of the GLT20 teams have separately said they regarded CSA’s actions with SuperSport as going behind the owners’ backs to sell a property which the owners already have a claim on.The only detail of that new league was revealed at the end of last month when Moroe announced the board had approved a six-team format, two fewer than the original GLT20, and that venues would have to bid for a team. The original GLT20 owners were not part of the new league, though CSA obliquely mentioned they may consider their involvement at a later stage.That explanation has never placated the owners , who consider themselves to have a stake in a T20 league – of any name – played in South Africa, which is what they are willing to fight CSA over. Seven of the eight owners – all except the Cape Town Knight Riders who excused themselves from the meetings last week – want first option to buy into a new league, given their involvement in the previous one.A ninth party, Osman Osman, the minority-shareholder owner of the Mavericks, has brought separate legal action against CSA demanding an explanation of why it offered him R 400,000 (USD 28,128) as a “gesture of goodwill”. Effectively, Osman Osman wants to force CSA into a position from which it will have to disclose its legal obligations to all owners involved in the botched GLT20.When asked for comment, a CSA spokesperson said the organisation would not make any media statements until the CEO meets with the board. “Unfortunately there will be no comment from CSA regarding these matters as the Chief Executive has not met with the board. Once he has, CSA will assess what the feedback is from them and communicate through our media channels.”GMT 1740 The story was updated to include the Durban Qalandars statement.

The Australia captain said an ICC trophy will be a useful bargaining chip for the players’ cause in ongoing pay dispute with the board

Nagraj Gollapudi24-May-2017Australia captain Steven Smith has said a victorious Champions Trophy campaign will be the ideal bargaining chip for the players in their ongoing pay dispute with Cricket Australia. He was also confident this summer’s Ashes will go ahead despite his deputy David Warner suggesting the players might miss the marquee series if CA did not retain the existing revenue distribution model, which is at the heart of the disagreements.Smith’s optimism comes amid talks that CA is reconsidering its stance on independent mediation. The Australian Cricketers’ Association had offered the option to the board last week but it had been rejected. The ACA chief executive Alastair Nicholson will be in London later this week, and is expected to meet with CA chief executive James Sutherland and team performance manager Pat Howard to try and find a solution.In any case, Australia’s players feel they have an additional incentive ahead of the Champions Trophy. “If we win it will certainly be really good for the playing group,” Smith said at Lord’s where Australia conducted their first training camp. “We are sticking really strong together. We are backing what the ACA is doing back home. But as I said before it is about focussing on this tournament and making sure we are entirely switched on.”Smith admitted that he was unaware that CA were mulling over third-party mediation to break the deadlock that has flared up in the past month. “Okay, that is news to me,” he said. “I am not sure. It is great that they [CA] are trying to sort things out. And as I said we are supporting the ACA and what they are doing. They are working really hard to get what the player group wants. I am sure everything will be resolved soon.”Doubts persist over what CA’s next step would be. Sutherland had earlier sent a blunt missive to the players threatening their employment once their existing contracts expire on June 30. If the players did not accede to CA’s pay proposal, which the ACA had rejected, Sutherland warned that they would not be paid under any new alternative model.To safeguard the players’ future, the ACA has set up the Cricketers’ Brand, a company that will manage the players’ intellectual property rights moving forward. Smith said the new venture had all the players’ support. “Yeah, I think everyone’s signed up to that. We are supportive of the ACA in what they are doing back home. They are working really hard with CA to get the deal right. And I am sure in time they will get that and everything will be okay for everyone involved.”Smith was hopeful that the impasse between the players and the board would be solved in time for the Ashes in November. “I saw the comments [Warner’s on missing the Ashes]. I certainly don’t think…Of course, we want to play in the Ashes. Of course, we want everything to go really well there. It is just about making sure the guys finalise a deal and get the MoU sorted and then everything will be fine. Certainly nothing from us that we don’t want to play, we certainly want to be playing in the Ashes. Hopefully they will get things resolved soon and everything will be back to normal.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly agreed to a proposal from the England & Wales Cricket Board to implement a points system for their tour of England later this summer

Andrew Miller29-Apr-20163:44

Can a multi-format points system work?

The Pakistan Cricket Board has joined Sri Lanka Cricket in agreeing in principle to a proposal from the England & Wales Cricket Board to implement a points system for their tours of England later this summer.The PCB have given their blessing to the same suggestion that was put to SLC earlier this month, ahead of their own tour of England in May and June. The idea comes in the wake of the successful implementation of a similar system for the last three Women’s Ashes contests.Pakistan are due to play four Tests, five ODIs and a one-off T20I on their two-month tour from July to September, with the suggestion being that four points should be available for each Test victory and two points for the limited-overs contests.That would tally with the weighting given in last summer’s Women’s Ashes, which Australia won by 10 points to six.Initially six points had been on offer for the one-off Test match in the Women’s Ashes, but that figure was reduced to four after the 2013-14 series in Australia, in which England retained the Ashes after winning the Perth Test despite losing both of the limited-overs series 2-1.With a possible 28 points to be made available over the course of the ten fixtures in Pakistan’s tour, but with the Tests due to be played first, a 4-0 clean sweep for either team would be enough to secure 16 points and, with it, the series.The proposal has met with a mixed response from England’s cricketers, particularly those who might expect to play a part in all three formats.”Whatever it is, it’s going to make it extremely competitive and it might bring all three formats together a little bit more,” said Joe Root during an Investec golf day last week.However, his team-mate Ben Stokes was less enamoured, particularly by the suggestion that the idea might eventually be rolled out to the men’s Ashes.”I think it would be rubbish,” he said. “They’ve changed a lot of things, but Ashes is Ashes, it’s a massive series for England and Australia and I don’t see why it should get changed.”People who watch the game and follow the game, especially in the Ashes, would get a little bit like ‘why are we doing this?’ and I’d probably be in the same boat.”An ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the prospect of a points system was taking shape.”We have received an agreement in principle from the boards of both Sri Lanka and Pakistan and will release further details of the proposal in due course.”4.30pm BST: This article was updated with a response from the ECB

Michael Carberry, who is again interesting England with the bat, provided a turn up by starring with the ball as Hampshire booked a YB40 home semi-final

26-Aug-2013Hampshire 219 for 7 (Adams 64) beat Derbyshire 178 (Hughes 74, Wood 3-23, Carberry 3-37) by 41 runs
ScorecardMichael Carberry took three wickets as Hampshire reached the last four•Getty Images

Michael Carberry, who is again interesting England with the bat, provided a turn up by starring with the ball as Hampshire booked a home semi-final by beating Derbyshire by 41 runs in the Yorkshire Bank 40 match at Derby.Carberry took 3 for 37 with his occasional off-breaks to send Derbyshire crashing to 178 all out in the 36th over in reply to Hampshire’s 219 for 7 which was built around 64 runs from skipper Jimmy Adams.Chesney Hughes put Derbyshire on track with 74 off 80 balls but his dismissal sparked a collapse which saw the home side lose eight wickets for 56 in 13 overs.Batting was never straightforward and, although most of Hampshire’s players got in, only Adams got past 50 against a weakened Derbyshire side that was missing several key men including skipper Wayne Madsen.A slow pitch made fast scoring difficult and the only six in the innings came in the penultimate over when Dimitri Mascarenhas cleared the pavilion with a pull off left-arm spinner Tom Knight.Carberry looked in the mood to inflict serious damage until he pulled Ally Evans low to short mid-wicket in the seventh over and James Vince hit six fours in his 40 before he drove David Wainwright to long off. Wainwright bowled Neil McKenzie and when Sean Ervine was beaten by Wes Durston, Hampshire were 157 for 4 after 30 overs.When Adams was lbw to Alex Hughes two overs later, the visitors were in danger of falling short of a competitive total until Liam Dawson provided some momentum with three fours in five balls.Dawson skied Hughes to mid off going for another boundary but Mascarenhas picked up the pace with 24 off 17 balls until he holed out to mid off in the last over.Derbyshire had been well beaten by Essex on Sunday but Hughes launched the chase with some big shots in his last innings for two weeks before he flies to America to be with his partner for the birth of their first child.Hughes drove Mascarenhas back over his head for six and top-edged Chris Wood over the fine leg boundary after Durston had been caught behind for four in the fifth over.Hughes and Paul Borrington added 60 in 11 overs before Borrington was bowled stepping away to cut Danny Briggs but at the halfway point, the Falcons were well placed needing 112 from 20 overs.But the game changed when Hughes drove back a return catch to Dawson which was the first of three wickets to fall for six runs in 14 balls.Carberry bowled Billy Godleman, Richard Johnson was run out by a direct hit from Mascarenhas at backward point and the innings disintegrated against the spinners.Alex Hughes drove Carberry to mid off, Scott Elstone top edged a sweep and Wood completed the rout with two wickets in four balls to finish with 3 for 23.

England coach Andy Flower has admitted South Africa were the better side during the three-Test series, says England hadn’t “grasped the opportunities that came our way”

George Dobell22-Aug-2012Just as few recall the somewhat controversial catch that sealed the 2005 Ashes Test at Edgbaston and turned the series England’s way, so history may not record the key moments that allowed South Africa to take control of the 2012 Test series against England.Few dispute that they deserved to win the series and few dispute that England, with six losses in 11 Test in 2012 and one series win in four, have no place on top of the Test rankings. As England coach, Andy Flower, put it: “We have been beaten by a slightly better side in this series. I think that’s fair to say.”The disappointment from an England perspective was that they failed to do themselves justice. They dropped nine catches, gave wickets away cheaply and failed to trouble South Africa’s batsmen with medium-paced fare.The failure of England’s bowling attack is most worrying. The bowlers have impressed in all conditions in Tests since the Ashes of 2009 – even in the UAE last winter, they performed well only to be let down by poor batting from their colleagues. The series against South Africa – and the drubbing at The Oval in particular – was an abrupt departure from the norm.While South Africa batted with impressive skill and dedication, England also failed to take chances that might have altered the series. Hashim Amla was dropped before he reached 50 on the way to his triple-hundred at The Oval and before he had reached 10 at Lord’s; Alviro Petersen was dropped before he had reached 30 in his 182 at Leeds. Had such chances been taken, England’s ugly bowling averages may be a good deal prettier.”We had our chances,” Flower said. “At Lord’s we dropped two crucial catches. They’ve caught well in the slip area but I think their bowling attack was a little bit more incisive than ours. I don’t think that’s unfair on our bowlers to say that.”Their batsmen cashed in and got the big, match-turning innings. Yes, with the assistance of a dropped catch here and there from us. But in the main they deserved to win. We haven’t grasped the opportunities that came our way. And, against a good, hardened, experienced side like South Africa, you’ll suffer the consequences of that.”England are taking steps to improve the bowling. Stuart Broad has been omitted from the ODI series against South Africa not just for rest but to undergo some strength and conditioning work, which England hope will enable him to recover his nip. “We don’t often get windows with the guys that play all three forms of the game to do conditioning work,” Flower said. “Broad, we believe, needs a rest; or a combination of rest and strength work.”Tim Bresnan, James Anderson and, at Leeds anyway, Steven Finn also appeared somewhat jaded. In the longer term, it may be that England need to accept that the burden they have placed on their players – an international schedule that offers little time for mental or physical recovery – is the biggest obstacle to consistently performing at their best.Flower also suggested a decision on Andrew Strauss’ future as England captain will be left to the man himself.”Andrew is a bit drained,” Flower said. “It’s been a hard series for him. Obviously he’s been a superb leader for us, but he would have wanted to score more runs and that has a wearing effect. And then these peripheral issues have taken a lot of his energy and his enjoyment out of the last few weeks.”I think he’s done the right thing to get away for a few days with his family so he can recuperate. He’s a strong bloke and he’ll come back feeling very strong.”England’s attempt to regain the No. 1 ranking will begin with a four-Test series in India, where their record is not promising. The team is set to be weakened not only by the absence of Kevin Pietersen but also by the departure of players at various parts of the tour on paternity leave. Flower hopes, however, that the lessons learned in the UAE and the emergence of several promising young players can help England recover lost ground.”We will definitely be plotting our challenge,” Flower said. “We want to get back there. We’ve got a tough outing first up in India, but that’ll be exciting. It’ll be exciting to see if we’ve actually embedded some of the lessons we’ve learned in the UAE, because no doubt we’ll be playing on spinning pitches.”Jonny Bairstow handled the situation well. The skill, timing and courage he showed was outstanding. James Taylor has handled himself calmly as well. We’ll make our decisions based on what is best for the England side and not be scared to do so.”