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Yasir Shah’s rapid rise in Test cricket continued with a Man of the Series display against England

Umar Farooq06-Nov-2015Yasir Shah’s rapid rise in Test cricket continued with a Man of the Series display against England. Although Pakistan’s team management have concerns about his overambitious approach – and even Shane Warne suggested he slow things down at times – Yasir said being aggressive was his strength and integral to his game.Yasir is racing through the record books; already the fastest Pakistani to take 50 Test wickets, his tally has shot up to 76 in 12 matches, which is the best among spinners after 12 matches. He has spent nearly 13 years in first-class cricket, collecting almost 300 wickets before getting a Test chance, one of the many bowling prospects whose Pakistan career was held back by the success of Saeed Ajmal in the last five years.Yasir’s bowling action has sprinting stride with an attractive looking loop and a magical wrist that has spun the world with his talent. He doesn’t have the best googly but he has not let that be a limitation (neither did Warne). Though he wants to learn to impart drift like his childhood hero Warne, he said doesn’t have the temperament to bowl slower.”I am by nature aggressive and attacking in bowling,” Yasir said, when asked if he has patience. “I need rhythm and it comes with being aggressive in my stride. When I get slow, I lose the control and end up bowling short and loose. So I try to attack. I am trying hard to be patient but being attacking is my strength.”I am presently focusing on my strength and want to keep it simple. I just want to make sure that I keep my head up and hit my target bowling wicket to wicket. There are many things I have learnt from Warne but I need to take some time and practice. I will make sure that I won’t get distracted, and keep my naturalness.”Pakistan beat England 2-0 in the three-match series, with Yasir forced to miss the drawn opening Test in Abu Dhabi due to a back spasm. He returned in the second Test in Dubai and picked up eight important wickets to help Pakistan beat England by 178 run. He finished with 15 at 21.53, the leading wicket-taker on both sides – with Yasir available in all three Tests, another whitewash might not have been out of the question.”I still feel bad for missing the game because of unfortunate back injury,” he said. “The game was really important for me. I know everyone is expecting a lot from me and had I played it this scoreline could have been different.”Yasir said he understood the expectation levels were increasing with every match. “My team management expect a lot, in fact our planning centred on me from Abu Dhabi. I know sometimes I am not able to deliver accordingly but the kind of support team management provides actually drives me and keeps me motivated. I wanted to play the game and we did everything to make sure I was ready but I couldn’t make it.”Shah had a successful tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year, where he took 24 wickets at 19.33, with three five-wicket hauls – 7 for 76 in the first Test, 6 for 96 in the second and 5 for 78 in the third. He became the second bowler to take three or more five-wicket hauls during a Test series in Sri Lanka, after Warne.”The pitches in Sri Lanka were good, giving bounce, but here in UAE the pitches are slow and I wasn’t getting much kick off the surface, but still I tried to make the best of whatever I got. The only difference was that I missed the Abu Dhabi Test, so the wicket tally could have been more.”

As teams stand for ‘moment of unity’ in seamer’s debut Test, ECB commits to ‘full investigation’

George Dobell02-Jun-2021Ollie Robinson has “unreservedly apologised” after admitting posting “racist and sexist” comments on Twitter while a teenager.The tweets, sent between April 2012 and June 2013, included use of the ‘N’ word, comments suggesting Muslim people were linked with terrorism, and derogatory comments about women and people of Asian heritage. Robinson was aged 18 and 19 at the time, and representing either Leicestershire, Kent and Yorkshire in second-team cricket.”On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public,” Robinson said in a statement released shortly after stumps on the opening day of the two-Test series against New Zealand. “I want to make it clear that I’m not racist and I’m not sexist.”I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks. I would like to unreservedly apologise to anyone I have offended, my teammates and the game as a whole in what has been a day of action and awareness in combatting discrimination from our sport.”There was some irony in the timing of the discovery. Both England and New Zealand joined in a ‘moment of unity’ ahead of play in an attempted to show a collective stance against any form of discrimination in cricket. England also unveiled training t-shirts to be worn all summer which bear slogans declaring that ‘cricket is a game for everyone’ on the front and denouncing racism, sexism and religious intolerance among other things on the back.”I don’t want something that happened eight years ago to diminish the efforts of my teammates and the ECB as they continue to build meaningful action with their comprehensive initiatives and efforts, which I fully endorse and support,” Robinson continued.”I will continue to educate myself, look for advice and work with the support network that is available to me to learn more about getting better in this area. I am sorry, and I have certainly learned my lesson today.”Ollie Robinson has apologised for offensive tweets posted as a teenager•PA Images via Getty Images

The tweets may also expose the ECB to allegations of a failure to conduct due diligence. Robinson has been close to the England team for some time – he has toured with the Lions and spent months in the senior team’s bio-bubble in recent times – so it may raise eyebrows that nobody at the organisation had noticed such comments. Questions might also be raised of Yorkshire, who are currently facing an enquiry into their attitude towards race and inclusivity. Robinson made his first-team debut for the club in August 2013.While the comments were made several years ago, it is possible Robinson could still face disciplinary action from the ECB. A statement from ECB chief executive Tom Harrison made it clear that a “zero tolerance” attitude to such behaviour will be taken and committed to “a full investigation as part of our disciplinary process.””I do not have the words to express how disappointed I am that an England Men’s player has chosen to write tweets of this nature, however long ago that might have been,” Harrison said.”Any person reading those words, particularly a woman or person of colour, would take away an image of cricket and cricketers that is completely unacceptable. We are better than this.”We have a zero-tolerance stance to any form of discrimination and there are rules in place that handle conduct of this nature. We will initiate a full investigation as part of our disciplinary process.”Our England Men’s Team, alongside others from the ECB and our partners across the game, worked together today to create a moment of unity. Using today’s spotlight to reaffirm our commitment to driving forward an anti-discrimination agenda. Our commitment to that effort remains unwavering, and the emergence of these comments from Ollie’s past reiterates the need for ongoing education and engagement on this issue.”England players and staff stand for a Moment of Unity whilst wearing anti-discrimination T-shirts•Getty Images

Until the emergence of the tweets, Robinson had enjoyed a memorable day for almost entirely positive reasons. Having been presented with his Test cap by former Sussex colleague Jon Lewis, who is now the bowling coach with England, he impressed in taking two of the first three wickets on a flat pitch. Delivering an excellent probing length, he generated movement in both directions and looked to have the talent to forge a decent career at the top level.”Today should be about my efforts on the field and the pride of making my Test debut for England, but my thoughtless behaviour in the past has tarnished this,” Robinson’s statement continued.While Robinson made no attempt to excuse his behaviour, he did suggest he had “matured as a person” since the tweets were posted. In a subsequent media conference, he also suggested they had been sent in a period of turmoil after his release from Yorkshire. While the tweets came to prominence shortly after lunch, it is understood that the England management did not tell Robinson until the close of play.”I was thoughtless and irresponsible, and regardless of my state of mind at the time, my actions were inexcusable,” Robinson continued. “Since that period, I have matured as a person and fully regret the tweets.”Over the past few years, I have worked hard to turn my life around. I have considerably matured as an adult. The work and education I have gained personally from the PCA, my county Sussex and the England Cricket Team have helped me to come to terms and gain a deep understanding of being a responsible professional cricketer.”Related

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It was not until July 2014 that Yorkshire terminated Robinson’s contract due to “unprofessional” conduct. The club’s coach at the time, Jason Gillespie, was quoted at the time as saying: “When a player consistently displays behaviour that isn’t professional, there has to be a point in time when you say, ‘look, this isn’t really working, you’re obviously not bothered about playing for the club’.”Robinson’s current club, Sussex, issued a statement saying they were “beyond disappointed to read these tweets when they were brought to our attention today” and that “their content was wholly unacceptable”.”We are pleased that Ollie has apologised unreservedly and taken responsibility for a significant mistake that he made as a teenager,” the statement said. “His age does not excuse the content of these tweets in any way and he will now suffer the consequences of his actions.”We know he recognises the severity of the situation and that he is devastated that what should have been a proud day has been overshadowed in this manner. We know also that Ollie will learn some very important lessons from this experience. We will be here to offer any support Ollie needs during that process.”There will be some who dismiss the tweets as the work of an immature young man and suggest Robinson should not be defined by them. Others will point out that we may all have once been young and foolish, but we have not all been young, foolish and racist. Either way, they will be an acute embarrassment to the individual as well as the ECB and do nothing to convince the doubters that the sport is inclusive and welcoming.In the longer term, though, Robinson’s tweets may serve to provide a reminder of where we are as a sport and a society on such issues. By doing so, they underline the importance of the England’s team’s current campaign in ensuring there is greater awareness and education in such areas.

The allrounder felt Pakistan may have been better served trying to squeeze the scoring rather than chase wickets on a slow pitch

Danyal Rasool24-Jul-2022Taking six wickets on the first day of a Test after losing the toss and bowling on a slow pitch might not be the worst day’s work. But with Sri Lanka having pushed past 300, scoring at 3.66 runs per over across the day, Pakistan were pushed onto the back foot by the time stumps were called in Galle on the first day of the second Test.Pakistan allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, who picked up two wickets on the day, indicated Pakistan might have got things strategically wrong by choosing to press ahead in search for wickets as opposed to trying to restrict the runs.”I think we let them score a little bit too much,” Nawaz said. “The pitch isn’t like the first Test; it wasn’t turning and the pitch was slow. I think we would have been better served by squeezing the score rather than attacking. Because the pitch was very slow and the wickets weren’t coming as easily, you needed to work especially hard for them. So if we’d restricted their score, perhaps the wickets would have come easier.”For much of the day, it was the home batters that dictated the tempo of the play, scoring at over four runs per over in the first and last sessions. In the morning, Sri Lanka’s positive intent was laid crystal clear in the way Oshada Fernando played, scoring 50 off 70 balls including three sixes off the spinners. In the final session, even when Naseem Shah threatened to burst through the lower order with a late new-ball wicket, Pakistan went searching, and Niroshan Dickwella’s unbeaten 43-ball 42 kept the scoring rate sprightly.Nawaz singled out Oshada for praise, but it wasn’t as if Pakistan had no chances. Late in the second and third sessions, two straightforward catches were put down, reprieving Angelo Mathews and Niroshan Dickwella respectively. Pakistan captain Babar Azam was responsible for shelling both chances, leaving Nawaz to rue what might have been.”In cricket, anyone can drop catches,” Nawaz said. “It’s very rare that it happens to Babar, but if those catches had been taken then we might have been able to restrict them to a lower score. Oshada attacked the spinners in the morning and the scoring happened quickly, and then when Chandimal and Mathews struck up a partnership, that was very effective for them.”I think it could still be a spinner’s game, because I expect the pitch behaviour to change on the third and fourth day. In the second innings, the spinners will be more effective.”

A round-up of the matches in the Under-19 World Cup on January 30

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Jan-2016

Group D

Legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane’s 5 for 27, which included a hat-trick, set up Nepal Under-19s‘ eight-wicket win over Ireland Under-19s, taking the side into the quarter-finals.Ireland opted to bat first and found their openers back in the pavilion by the 18th over with the score at 42 for 2. Lamichhane then stepped up to carve out the middle order. He dismissed Gary McClintock in his first spell before returning to take a hat-trick in the 32nd over. Lorcan Tucker was caught out at midwicket off the fourth ball of the over; Lamichhane then had Adam Dennison caught behind and bowled Fiachra Tucker for a duck to complete his hat-trick. He took the wicket of William McClintock in his next over to complete his five-for reducing Ireland to a hapless 83 for 7. Harry Tector’s unbeaten 30 pushed the Ireland score past 100 to a total of 131 for 9. Lamichhane’s feat was the 12th instance of a hat-trick in Under-19 ODIs and fifth in the Under-19 World Cup.Nepal needed 25.3 overs to wrap up the chase. They lost opener Sandeep Sunar off the first ball of the innings. Yogendra Singh Karki’s unbeaten 61 and his unbroken, 77-run partnership for the third wicket with Aarif Sheikh sealed the win.India Under-19s joined Nepal in the quarter-finals after a comprehensive 120-run win over New Zealand Under-19s in Mirpur. Fast bowler Avesh Khan made the key strikes for India, picking up the first four wickets to leave New Zealand 16 for 4 chasing 259. There was no way back for New Zealand, and they were eventually bowled out as early as the 32nd over, with left-arm spinner Mahipal Lomror grabbing a five-wicket haul. Lomror also contributed a handy 45 with the bat.Sent in to bat, India slipped to 19 for 2 before Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan put them back on track with an 89-run stand for the third wicket. Pant made 57 off 83 balls, and Sarfaraz was beginning to look dangerous with a series of boundaries all around the ground when he fell for 74 (80b, 9×4) in the 34th over, leaving India 156 for 4. It was 165 for 5 soon after, but sensible batting from Armaan Jaffer (46) and Lomror steered India to a total of 258 for 8.

Group B

Captain Charith Asalanka’s fine all-round display led Sri Lanka Under-19s to a closely-fought 33-run win against Afghanistan Under-19s in Sylhet to book their place in the quarter-finals.After opting to bat, Sri Lanka were given a solid 48-run opening stand by their openers before wickets fell in clumps, and were soon reduced to 96 for 5. Asalanka then combined with Wanidu Hasaranga to form a crucial 62-run partnership. However, another bunch of wickets fell soon after and they were bowled out for 184 in the 49th over. Offspinner Shamsurrahman was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 10-3-19-3.Afghanistan lost Naveed Obaid early in the chase but Karim Janat (40) and captain Ihsanullah (23) brought the innings back on course. At 66 for 2, Afghanistan were firmly in the contest. Thereafter, Sri Lanka regularly chipped away at the wickets, and suddenly Afghanistan were tottering at 91 for 6, only to be ultimately bowled out for 151 in the 45th over. Waheedullah Shafaq top-scored with a run-a-ball 47. All bowlers picked up at least one wicket, with Kamindu Mendis claiming three.Three wickets from Hasan Khan and an unbeaten 89 from Zeeshan Malik helped Pakistan Under-19s to a seven-wicket win over Canada Under-19s and a place in the quarter-finals. Zeeshan opened the batting and saw Pakistan home as they chased down a target of 179 with 9.1 overs remaining. Zeeshan faced 122 balls, hit nine fours and a six, and shared partnerships of 51 with Gauhar Hafeez (20) for the first wicket and 108 with Saif Badar (44) for the third.Choosing to bat first, Canada had a couple of promising top-order stands, with Bhavindu Adhihetty (51 off 82) adding 60 for the second wicket with Amish Taploo (28) and 49 with captain Abraash Khan for the fourth wicket. But the wickets fell steadily thereafter, even as Abraash hung on at one end, and he was ninth out for a 65-ball 44 as Canada were bowled out for 178, with left-arm spinner Hasan finishing with figures of 3 for 36.

Tom Fell was cruelly run out for 83 as Worcestershire took the attritional approach in reaching 223 for 4 from 83 overs on the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Durham

PA/ECB14-Sep-2015
ScorecardTom Fell fell 17 runs short of a century•Getty Images

Tom Fell was cruelly run out for 83 as Worcestershire took the attritional approach in reaching 223 for 4 from 83 overs on the first day of their LV= County Championship match against Durham at Chester-le-Street.Fell had helped add 93 for the fourth wicket when his partner, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, played the ball to long leg, where Graham Onions fielded it in a sufficiently fumbling manner to create fatal indecision.Fell called for a third run, to which his partner initially responded before changing his mind when they were almost together in mid-pitch. Fell’s dive back into his crease was to no avail, ending a high-class innings, while Kohler-Cadmore was unbeaten on 46 when bad light ended play.”It was a very disappointing way to get out because I felt I was on for a hundred,” said Fell. “It was the sort of freak incident you have to laugh about, otherwise you would cry. The way Graham Onions reacted we thought it had gone for four, but suddenly the ball was flying in as we were stopping and starting. It was a big misjudgement and I hope it will never happen again.”It’s the first time I’ve batted here and the pitch wasn’t as tough to bat on as I’d been led to believe. It’s a bit slow and tacky and we would have fielded if we’d won the toss. So after losing it we feel we are in a good position.”Needing to win the last two games to have any hope of survival in Division One, Worcestershire skipper Daryl Mitchell set out to blunt Onions and Chris Rushworth after being put in when play began 30 minutes late.But after mounting a painstaking vigil all morning to reach 17 off 92 balls, Mitchell fell to the third ball after lunch. He played back to a ball from off-spinner Ryan Pringle which turned just enough to gain an lbw decision.Compared with his captain, Brett D’Oliveira had been positively fluent in making 36 out of an opening stand of 50 before falling lbw to Barry McCarthy.But with Fell playing himself in cautiously the score had advanced to only 67 off 33 overs at lunch.Joe Clarke helped Fell put on 42 before he edged Onions low to third slip’s right, where Gordon Muchall held a brilliant catch.An early tea was taken after rain arrived with Fell on 32 and Kohler-Cadmore on 6, leaving what would have been a 40-over final session had bad light not intervened.A rare false stroke from Fell saw him edge Jamie Harrison for four, but the drive through extra cover off the same bowler, which took him to 50 off 119 balls, was a shot of pure elegance.A hook in front of square off McCarthy was another text-book stroke and his third championship hundred of the season looked a certainty until his unfortunate dismissal.Ross Whiteley had moved comfortably to 16 at the close.

England performance coach takes first head coach role in the Hundred

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jul-2022Gareth Breese, the former Durham allrounder and current England Women performance coach, has been appointed Welsh Fire coach for the second season of the women’s Hundred.Breese officially replaces Matthew Mott, the new England men’s white-ball coach, who was unable to link up with the team in the competition’s first season due to international travel restrictions. Mark O’Leary, the ex-Western Storm coach, deputised last summer.”It’s a great opportunity and I am looking forward to being part of the Hundred and the Welsh Fire set-up,” Breese said. “It is a hugely exciting competition, and the team will be looking to make an impact. This is going to be my first head coach role and I’m excited about the experiences this will bring. I can’t wait to meet everyone and get started.”We’ve been able to put together a very strong coaching set-up and it’s a squad with a healthy mix of world-class cricketers and exciting potential. I’m sure all the players will be aiming to display their skills and in doing so thrill the Cardiff crowd and bring the Hundred trophy back to Wales.”Related

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• Fire appoint Alleyne as men's assistant coach

• Lanning set for English domestic debut in the Hundred

• Ellis signs for London Spirit in bid for T20 World Cup spot

• Kapp ruled out of Commonwealth Games

David Hemp, the Pakistan women’s coach, will work as one of Breese’s assistants after the Commonwealth Games, along with Aimee Rees and Dan Helesfay.Mark Wallace, Welsh Fire’s general manager, said: “We’re really excited with the coaching team we’ve been able to put together for the Welsh Fire women’s team. Gareth has a fantastic reputation in the game and has been part of a very successful England set-up for a while now.”All the coaches we have added have lots of experience coaching at the top of the women’s game with some of the best players in the world and will be huge assets for Welsh Fire.”Fire finished bottom of the table in the first season of the women’s competition but have strengthened significantly for 2022, bringing in Tammy Beaumont, Fran Wilson and Alex Hartley as domestic players and Nicola Carey, Annabel Sutherland and Rachael Haynes as internationals.The women’s Hundred starts on August 11, after the T20 competition at the Commonwealth Games.

“Women’s cricket is very much on the map. People want to invest in it and I hope it continues.”

Firdose Moonda01-Jun-2022Women’s domestic cricket in India has already benefited from franchise T20 cricket to the point that Indian “domestic players can walk into the South African side any day,” according to South Africa’s captain Sune Luus, who played for the Supernovas.Luus, who has featured in both the FairBreak Invitational tournament and Women’s T20 Challenge last month, said while the overall standard of women’s cricket has improved across nations, India have fast become among the leading nations in the shortest format and have a steady supply for players and strong support for the game to thank for their progress.Related

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“Being at FairBreak and being in India for the IPL was a massive opportunity and an awesome learning curve. Both are T20 cricket – the changes are in the conditions and the opposition you are playing against,” Luus said, on arrival in Ireland, where South Africa’s winter tour begins.”The IPL was a bit of a better standard. With FairBreak there are a lot of girls from the Associates, some girls who used spikes for the first time, who played on a turf wicket for the first time so it was a whole different experience. The most surprising thing for FairBreak was the standard of cricket. You don’t really know about Austrians playing cricket or countries like that. But to see the standard they are at and the love of the game, it was exceptional to see. You can’t compare it to India. They are fanatics of cricket. They absolutely love it. And even the domestic players can walk into the South African side any day. The standards were a bit different but overall it was good cricket.”Luus was part of the winning team in both competitions and had ample opportunity to test herself against the best. She hit the winning runs for the Tornadoes in the inaugural FairBreak tournament in Dubai, in what was a fairly one-sided final, and made a crucial decision in the field for the Supernovas in a tight final against Velocity in India. Chasing 166, Velocity needed seven runs to win off the last two balls and Laura Wolvaardt, unbeaten on 64, was facing strike. Given that Luus captains Wolvaardt at international level, Supernovas captain Harmanpreet Kaur had a question for Luus.Sune Luus, Alana King, Sophie Ecclestone, and Pooja Vastrakar ahead of the Women’s T20 Challenge final•BCCI

“She ran to me and she was like, ‘Do we bring square leg up and keep deep extra out or do we take square leg out and bring deep extra in?’ It was a very short conversation.”Knowing Wolvaardt’s strength on the cover drive, Luus, who was stationed on the boundary, told Kaur, “You cannot bring deep extra cover in. You are going to have to keep me out and we are going to have to gamble with square leg being in the circle.”England international Sophie Ecclestone, the left-arm spinner, was bowling and delivered a flatter, faster ball that Wolvaardt could not get under and inside-edged to long-off for a single. Luus was more relieved than excited at first, as she helped mastermind a title-winning fielding strategy.”Luckily Sophie, the competitor that she is, executed her ball perfectly and the game plan worked,” she said. “If it had been the other way around, she (Kaur) would have probably been on my case for that one.”It’s instances like that, where national team-mates are pitted against each other and international competitors are made to combine, that has underpinned the success of various franchise men’s T20 leagues around the world and Luus hopes it can do the same for women’s cricket.”It’s an opportunity for some of the domestic players within countries to play with international players from around the world and obviously gain experience and learn from them,” she said. “It’s important to have T20 leagues across the world to get to know different players and play in different conditions.”Just like the men’s game, as franchise tournaments grow and the calendar is squeezed, Luus recognises that international cricket may suffer. “It’s just a case of finding the balance with international cricket and finding the time to get enough international cricket in the calendar,” she said.Already, the likes of Luus, Wolvaardt and Ayabonga Khaka have only had a couple of weeks between the Women’s ODI World Cup, which ended in April, and the FairBreak and Women’s T20 Challenge. The trio have now traveled to the UK, where South Africa will be on tour until mid-August, playing in six T20Is against Ireland and England. Also on the calendar are the ICC Women’s Championship ODIs against Ireland, a one-off Test against England (South Africa’s first since 2014), ODIs against England and the Commonwealth Games. Luus said they would have to be smart with switching between formats and keeping players in form as the weeks roll on.”It’s a very difficult thing because we have ICC points up for grabs, we have a Test match coming up which is quite new for a lot of the players and in-between that we have to focus on T20 cricket for the Commonwealth Games,” she said.But, Luus agrees that it’s better than the alternative, especially as women’s cricket continues to make big strides.”Women’s cricket is becoming big in a lot of the countries and we are making our case for it to become professional in many of the countries and some of the Associate countries as well,” she said. “Women’s cricket is very much on the map. People want to invest in women’s cricket. I hope it continues. Women’s cricket deserves that.”

Legends of Rupganj captain Mosharraf Hossain and Mohammad Mithun have been handed one-match bans each for their misconduct with the umpires during their DPL match against Kalabagan Krira Chakra

Mohammad Isam03-Jun-2016Legends of Rupganj captain Mosharraf Hossain and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Mithun have been suspended for one match each on account of their misconduct with the umpires during their Dhaka Premier League match against Kalabagan Krira Chakra in Fatullah on May 30.The incident in question occurred when Alauddin Babu, Rupganj’s No. 8, had completed two runs before Mashrafe Mortaza’s throw escaped for four overthrows. However, the umpires, Asadur Rahman and Rafiqul Islam John, awarded Babu only five runs and asked his partner at the time, Taijul Islam, to take strike.Coach Khaled Mashud, who was seen arguing with umpires at the end of the match, was fined Tk 20,000. So were Mosharraf and Mithun, and a Rupganj team official, Ahmed Rubel. The penalties were handed by Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis.Match referee Samiur Rahman told Bengali daily on Thursday that, “I had given Rupganj the four letters of suspension on the day of the match. But they didn’t receive them. So yesterday, I informed the umpires’ committee, which later asked the CCDM to take necessary action.”Mashud, however, claimed, “We were not given any letter about the suspensions or fines at the end of the game. They sent the letter to our office on Thursday evening. We haven’t been able to communicate with the CCDM today since it is the weekly holiday.”At the end of the game, I showed the match referee the footage of the overthrow after we had disputed the call at the end of the Rupganj innings. There was also a contentious leg-before decision during our innings.”

Jack Winslade marked his first-class debut with a four-wicket haul to put Essex on course for victory after Derbyshire collapsed spectacularly on the second day at Derby

ECB/PA10-Sep-2015
ScorecardMark Pettini continued his fine form since his Essex recall•Getty Images

Jack Winslade marked his first-class debut with a four-wicket haul to put Essex on course for victory after Derbyshire collapsed spectacularly on the second day of the LV County Championship match at Derby.The 20-year-old medium pacer took four wickets in 19 balls as the home side were skittled for 94 in 33 overs with Tom Moore doing the early damage with 3 for 12.Derbyshire lost nine wickets for 56 and although they showed more fight in the follow-on, were 102 for 3 at the close, still 268 behind Essex who declared on 464 for 7 with Mark Pettini top scoring with an unbeaten 117.The hosts had been up against it before a ball was bowled on day two with the attack already reduced to two seamers by injuries to Tony Palladino and Shiv Thakor which forced skipper Wayne Madsen to employ his occasional medium-pace after seven overs.Madsen did take the only wicket to fall in the morning but, by then, Pettini and James Foster had taken their stand to 120 to pave the way for the mayhem that followed in the afternoon.Pettini’s form since his recall to championship cricket after a year’s absence begs the question why he was ignored for so long; his second century in five innings was a major factor in Essex seizing control of a game they should win in three days barring a remarkable turnaround.Foster passed 11,000 championship runs before he scooped Madsen into the hands of Mark Footitt at deep fine leg and although Derbyshire looked untroubled at the start of their reply, the introduction of Moore sparked a startling collapse.Ben Slater’s flick off his hip to a diving square leg was the first of three wickets to fall without a run scored in 19 balls with both former Essex batsman Billy Godleman and Chesney Hughes falling to reckless shots.When Madsen also departed to a loose stroke, the innings was beyond repair with doubts over whether Palladino or Thakor would be able to bat. Thakor did hobble out at the fall of the eighth wicket but looked in considerable discomfort before he became Winslade’s fourth victim.There was never any question that Essex would enforce the follow-on and the pattern of the first innings was repeated with Derbyshire starting confidently in bright sunshine before Godleman cut hard at Jesse Ryder and was caught at first slip.Slater and Hughes restored some order but the former was caught behind off Ravi Bopara who then yorked Hughes to leave Derbyshire staring at a heavy defeat inside three days.

JP Duminy wasn’t too worried by the performance of the South African bowling attack though they only picked up two wickets during their loss to India A on Tuesday

Firdose Moonda29-Sep-20151:49

‘A good test run for us’ – Duminy

Quinton de Kock’s form remained in focus as the South Africans had their first competitive cricket on their tour of India. De Kock was run out for 2 in a match the tourists lost by eight wickets, to put the spotlight on both him and the seamers ahead of Friday’s T20 series opener.The warm-up was de Kock’s first appearance for the senior side since he was dropped during the Bangladesh series in July and sent with the A side to prepare for the series. De Kock reeled off three centuries in succession but there was no repeat of that at the Palam ground.
JP Duminy, who top-scored with an unbeaten 68, explained time in the middle was an important part of preparation, which can only underline how the absence of it may affect de Kock.”It’s going to be a similar wicket in Dharamsala, maybe with a slightly smaller field so it was good prep – a lot of guys got some batting time which is key in these conditions,” Duminy said.The senior batsmen fared better with AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis each facing 27 balls for scores of 37 and 42 respectively. Du Plessis retired hurt as a precaution, which CSA called a “means to manage his knee post-injury,” to ensure he does not do “too much too soon.” Prior to this series du Plessis had been out of action for more than a month.Before the South Africans look to their bowing, there may also be some lingering concerns over David Miller, who has not scored an international half-century in 15 innings. Miller made just 10 and is beginning to look like the weak link in the middle order, which may open the door for Khaya Zondo to debut.Then there is the bowling. Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada, the two frontline seamers in the absence of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, conceded heavily upfront. Although Marchant de Lange and Chris Morris pulled it back, they were far from economical and struggled to make inroads as the South Africans failed to defend 190 and picked up only two wickets in the process.Duminy said their performance was not a cause for panic, but a vital learning experience, especially for Rabada, who has not played in India before. “I have full confidence in the ability of our bowlers.. I believe they have what it takes to stop the Indian batting line-up,” he said. “Today was one day where it was about figuring out and assessing what will work for us in these conditions. Kyle, Marchant and Chris have bowled here before but it was a new experience for Kagiso. He would have been able to understand what works for him.”South Africa will hope Rabada will do so quickly, as he has thus far, especially as they begin to rely on the reserve bowlers more heavily. On arrival in India, coach Russell Domingo explained that Steyn and Morkel could not be expected to be part of “every practice and every match” across a 72-day tour of India so the second tier would have to step up. Domingo was confident the seamers would be up to the task, even if conditions did not suit them but will want to see them make more incisions than they did in the warm-up match.South Africa have two more practice sessions before their first match, which will be used to “work on our skills,” and to wait for the arrival of more experience in the form of Hashim Amla and Albie Morkel. Amla did not travel with the main group on Saturday and will join the squad on Wednesday, and will be available for Friday’s match while Morkel, who was late inclusion after replacing David Wiese, who picked up a hand injury, is still waiting for documentation to clear before he can travel.