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West Indies have called up Shawnisha Hector as her replacement

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2025Senior batter Stafanie Taylor has been ruled out of the T20I series against South Africa with a shoulder injury, with West Indies calling up fast bowler Shawnisha Hector as her replacement.Taylor sustained the injury during the third and final ODI against South Africa in Barbados, where she was declared absent hurt as West Indies folded for 121in the DLS-adjusted chase of 288. South Africa won the ODI series 2-1, with Taylor scoring 30* and 17 in the first two ODIs.Hector, meanwhile, made her ODI debut in 2019, becoming the first woman from Antigua to play for West Indies. She is yet to feature in T20Is.The rest of the squad is largely unchanged. Experienced allrounder Chinelle Henry, who replaced Cherry Ann-Fraser in the ODI squad, will be part of T20Is as well.The three-match T20I series will begin on June 20 at the 3Ws Oval in Barbados while the remaining matches will be played at the same venue on June 22 and June 24.West Indies T20I squad: Hayley Matthews (capt), Shemaine Campbelle, Aaliyah Alleyne, Jahzara Claxton, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Jannillea Glasgow, Realeanna Grimmond, Shawnisha Hector, Chinelle Henry, Zaida James, Qiana Joseph, Mandy Mangru, Ashmini Munisar, Karishma Ramharack

Tahmid said switching between formats quickly is something the pair worked on

Mohammad Isam28-Dec-2024On the night before the Boxing Day Test, Sam Konstas told his batting coach Tahmid Islam that he would only play the scoop against Jasprit Bumrah after he reached 150. But, after a number of early plays and misses against the champion fast bowler on debut at the MCG, Konstas brought forward his plans for the scoop. It hardly surprised Tahmid, Konstas’ 29-year-old batting coach.Tahmid said as much in a conversation with Bangladeshi journalists on Saturday, a chat arranged by Prime Bank Cricket Club, Tahmid’s team in a short stint in the Dhaka Premier League several years ago. The news of Tahmid being Konstas’ batting coach has made headlines in Bangladesh.Tahmid, speaking via Zoom, said Konstas’ instincts took over on Test debut. “We were having dinner the night before when he told me that the plan was to only scoop once he got to 150,” Tahmid said. “It wasn’t really part of the plan [to play the shot so early]. But he is someone that plays on instinct. He plays with a lot of freedom. He doesn’t really think of the consequences of what people are going to say if he gets it wrong. I think it is his biggest skill and asset. Whereas loads of players think about the consequences like ‘what if I fail doing it’ or ‘what if I get out playing it’ or ‘the media and coaching staff will have a go at me’.”Related

• Konstas arrives at the Test arena like a supernova

• Konstas on taking on Bumrah: 'Beauty of being young and naive'

“Sam is quite assured in his game. After playing and missing six times in his first ten or 12 balls, he thought that the best way to put pressure on Bumrah was to try to put him off his length. He threw a different challenge at Bumrah, which was really good for Sam. It really shell-shocked India. They weren’t expecting a 19-year-old to come out and play with that sort of freedom.”Tahmid, who works with Elevate Cricket Coaching, said that he was hardly surprised by Konstas’ choice of shots against a bowler of Bumrah’s class.”It isn’t a surprise. The reason Australia picked him was to throw India a different challenge. Sam took on the Indian bowling attack, minus Bumrah, during his century for the Prime Minister’s XI against India about three weeks ago. He played with a lot of freedom. He played the reverse-scoop. He ran down the wicket to play back over the bowler’s head.”Sam is someone who will play some shots and put people off their lengths, as opposed to the traditional approach. It was a bit of a gamble. It paid off for Australia. Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith were talking about how Sam’s innings gave them the opportunity to go out and express themselves as well. It was the freedom which they probably lacked in the first three games.”Debutant Sam Konstas obliges fans at the MCG•Getty Images

Tahmid, who first took up coaching when he was playing in the Yorkshire Premier League in 2013, said that he first met Konstas when he was 14 years old, at Cranbrook School where Konstas was on a cricket scholarship. “Five years ago, I took up coaching at Cranbrook in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. That’s where Sam got a scholarship to go to school. That’s where we initially met. He was 14 years old. We had this really good connection from the first couple of sessions that we did in school.”Tahmid narrated the story of how he formulated a plan for his cricketing future with Konstas’ father. “I was having dinner with his dad one night. We had some Greek food, which is their heritage. I put together a bit of a programme for him to try to target for the next phase of his life, which was to play Under-16s cricket in the New South Wales (NSW) system. It was where it all started for him. It was about his technical, mental and tactical game.”As the journey evolved, we were lucky enough to have Shane Watson involved in the mindset side of things. I worked quite closely with Shane over the last few years. I worked with him in Major League Cricket (MLC) with the San Francisco Unicorns.”Konstas added power to his game in the last 18 months when, alongside Tahmid, he worked on his white-ball skills. “He was always a technically sound player growing up. He had the fundamentals of the game. He wasn’t a very powerful player though,” Tahmid said. “He didn’t score very quickly growing up, so he focused a lot on his white-ball cricket in the last 18 months.”He made his BBL debut two weeks ago. The focus was to make him a better T20 player. He was contracted last year but didn’t play any games. That’s where his white-ball game really started to develop and come along.”Tahmid said that his friendship with England batter Harry Brook helped him mould Konstas’ cricket. “Someone that we use [as a reference] is Harry Brook, with whom I was lucky enough to play in Sydney. He is the No. 1 [currently No. 2] Test batter in the world. He is a fantastic all-format player, with whom I am really good friends. I get a lot of information from him, which I relay on to Sam, on how to transition between formats.Sam Konstas debuted in the BBL earlier this month, and a baggy green followed quickly•Getty Images

“It can be quite challenging but nowadays, you have to switch between formats. Sam plays Big Bash five or six days before the Boxing Day Test. If you don’t have the ability to switch between formats, you will get left behind.”Of course Konstas also didn’t just come out with the scoops, reverse-hits and ramps overnight. He has worked hard at these shots in the nets. But, Tahmid said, to execute the same shots in a high-profile match at a packed MCG takes a lot of confidence, which remains a defining feature of Konstas. “He has been doing reverse-ramps for five or six years in the nets. It doesn’t happen by mistake. They need a lot of preparation to go out and execute in a game. And when you have clarity from your captain and organisation, it helps you to go out and express yourself. You don’t have the fear of getting dropped.”I think he was always a confident person. He always wanted to be the best player in the field. He used to tell me after training, ‘what celebrations do you want from me when I get a century tomorrow?’ That’s what he told me before the Boxing Day Test too.”

Friday’s clash with Warwickshire will be at Edgbaston, with New Road hosting a Sri Lanka tour match

ECB Reporters Network14-Aug-2024Worcestershire’s cricketers secured a home-quarter-final against Warwickshire – albeit at Edgbaston with New Road hosting England Lions versus Sri Lanka – in the Metro-Bank One-Day Cup despite losing to Lancashire by three runs in their last Group A game at Emirates Old Trafford.Although they restricted their hosts to 237, Worcestershire struggled on a pitch where run-scoring rarely looked easy and were indebted to skipper Jake Libby, whose innings of 83 ensured their overall run rate did not suffer.Tom Hinley’s 17-ball 24 had even looked to give them a chance of a dramatic victory but Venkatesh Iyer dismissed Hinley and Harry Darley with successive deliveries to grab a dramatic winFor Lancashire, this victory came as a boost after a miserable 50-over campaign. Josh Bohannon made a fine 87 and slow left-armer Charlie Barnard took three List A wickets for the first time in a disciplined bowling performance.But Worcestershire’s quicker bowlers had ensured that Lancashire made yet another indifferent start to a 50-over innings. Tom Taylor had Kesh Fonseka caught behind with the third ball of the innings and the next two wickets fell to the impressive Harry Darley, who bowled George Bell for seven and induced Rocky Flintoff to nick another catch to Gareth Roderick when the 16-year-old had made nine.That left Lancashire on 50 for 3 in the fourteenth over but Bohannon and Iyer repaired the innings with a stand of 63 before Iyer was caught behind off Ethan Brookes for 25. By then, though, Bohannon had reached his fifty off 74 balls with a six over midwicket off Tom Hinley’s left-arm wrist spin and the run-rate quickened when he and George Balderson put on 80 in 13 overs.But having been dropped twice off Hinley in the 80s, Bohannon was caught by Rob Jones off the same bowler for 87 and the spinner continued to frustrate Lancashire’s hopes of reaching 250 by having Balderson caught by Roderick for 50 and then accepting a return catch off Tom Bailey.Harry Singh tried to supply some acceleration in the latter stages of the innings with a 24-ball 21 but Lancashire were dismissed in exactly 50 overs for 237. Hinley recovered from his earlier mauling to take three for 58 but Taylor was the pick of the Worcestershire attack with 2 for 25 from ten overs.The start of Worcestershire’s innings was marginally less impressive than Lancashire’s had been. Having made 13, Ed Pollock hooked Josh Boyden to Charlie Barnard at long leg and two overs later the same bowler bowled Gareth Roderick for nine when the Worcestershire opener chopped the ball into his stumps.When Jones skied a pull off Barnard’s left-arm spin to Will Williams running round from mid-on, Worcestershire were 45 for 3 in the 13th over and in need of a recovery similar to Lancashire’s.Instead, though, Ethan Brookes was lbw when attempting to sweep Barnard for 19 and the same bowler took a comfortable catch at mid-off when Josh Cobb tried to drive Harry Singh.Cobb’s departure for eight left Worcestershire on 106 for five in the 28th over but Libby and Taylor mixed sensible strike rotation with a few big hits in an 89-run stand that left their side 43 runs short of victory.However, Libby’s dismissal, bowled by Barnard for 83, was crucial. Fateh Singh lasted only three balls and Libby was bowled by Wiliams for 41 to leave the Rapids needing 40 off 28 balls. It looked unlikely until Hinley took a hand but Iyer had the final word.

The legspinner picked up 4 for 28 before Taylor anchored the chase with an unbeaten 28 off 26 balls

Madushka Balasuriya26-Jun-2024Stafanie Taylor scored an unbeaten 28 off 26 balls after Afy Fletcher’s four-for had kept Sri Lanka under check, as West Indies secured a six-wicket win in a rain-affected game in Hambantota to level the three-match T20I series 1-1. This was also West Indies’ first win of the tour.Chasing a DLS-adjusted target of 99 in 15 overs, Taylor and captain Hayley Matthews provided the visitors with an ideal start of 44 runs in 6.5 overs, and in the process ensured West Indies were always ahead of the DLS-par score.After Matthews fell to a Sachini Nisansala arm ball, Taylor then ensured she was around to anchor the chase.In an 18-ball 24-run second-wicket partnership with Shemaine Campbelle, she took a backseat choosing to give strike to her more aggressive partner, who contributed 16 off 13. The subsequent dismissals of Campbelle, Qiana Joseph and Chedean Nation came about as a result of West Indies’ positive approach, but the required rate was always below run a ball.Aaliyah Alleyne then finished off any lingering hopes Sri Lanka might have harboured with a trio of boundaries off Kavisha Dilhari in the penultimate over of the innings.At no point though had West Indies let the game get out of hand. While Vishmi Gunaratne and Chamari Athapaththu were going strong in their 44-run opening partnership, that had still come at a touch under run a ball. And once Fletcher spun one past Athapaththu to disturb her stumps, none of the other batters could up the scoring rate on a sluggish surface.Gunaratne hung around for a laboured 24 off 35, but was trapped lbw in the 14th over by a Fletcher googly. Earlier, the legspinner, who had utilised the strong cross breeze to good effect, snuck one under Imesha Dulani’s attempted sweep and then had Harshitha Samarawickrama top-edging on the way to figures of 4 for 23.Dilhari had briefly shown some promise of a late counterattack scoring 14 not out off just six balls that included two boundaries when rain brought the first innings to an abrupt end after 15.2 overs.

Grace Scrivens anchors chase with unbeaten 63 as Sunrisers start campaign with victory

ECB Reporters Network20-Apr-2024Jodi Grewcock and Nicola Hancock claimed three wickets apiece as Sunrisers launched their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy campaign with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Western Storm at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens.Seamer Hancock took 3 for 15 in 5.4 overs and teenager Grewcock bowled unchanged for 10 overs to return impressive figures of 3 for 28 with her legbreaks as Storm were dismissed for a wholly inadequate 114 in 30.4 overs.Offspinner Mady Villiers weighed in with 2 for 36, while Esmae MacGregor took a wicket and contributed a run out as Sunrisers produced a disciplined performance in the field after winning the toss. Only Nat Wraith offered meaningful resistance with the bat, top-scoring with 42 as Storm opened this campaign as they finished the last, by suffering heavy defeat.Sunrisers skipper Grace Scrivens then led by example, compiling a composed innings of 63 and sharing in a reassuring partnership of 59 with Cordelia Griffith for the second wicket as the visitors comfortably overhauled their target with 16.2 overs to spare.Victorious in their final four matches of last season, Sunrisers have picked up where they left off and will go into their next match against Thunder at Sale in confident mood. For their part, Storm have now been beaten in their last five outings in the 50-over competition and will need to find improvement ahead of their trip to play Northern Diamonds at Headingley on Wednesday.Put into bat, Storm were unable to recover from the loss of early wickets and were shot out inside 31 overs, only three batters managing double-figures in an innings which the home side will no doubt want to forget in a hurry.Hancock produced a probing new-ball spell to remove Alex Griffiths for 2, but fellow opener Sophia Smale responded in positive fashion, helping herself to three leg-side boundaries to advance her score to 16. Calamity then struck, Smale clipping Villiers behind point and setting off for a quick single, only to collide with partner Sophie Luff halfway down the track and be run out by MacGregor while getting back to her feet.That unfortunate mishap sparked a dramatic collapse which saw five wickets fall in just 8.1 overs as Storm subsided to 64 for 6, their top and middle-order batting undermined by spin. Luff played and missed at a delivery from Grewcock that nipped back and was adjudged lbw for 7, while Dani Gibson was also undone by the England Under-19 legspinner, playing back to a ball that struck her on the pad and departing for 3.Plying her offbreaks at the other end, Villiers trapped Katie Jones in the crease and then struck a telling blow, inducing former England international Fran Wilson to drive straight to Jo Gardner at mid-on. Wilson had made 18 and with her went Storm’s best chance of posting a competitive total.Fearing she might run out of partners before she was able to do anything to remedy a parlous situation, Wraith adopted a forthright approach and dominated stands of 24 and 26 with Niamh Holland and Amanda-Jade Wellington for the seventh and eighth wickets respectively. But Holland eventually offered a return catch to MacGregor and Wellington miscued a drive to extra cover as Grewcock continued to deploy clever variation in flight to strike again in her final over.Attempting to take matters into her own hands, Wraith plundered half a dozen boundaries in carrying the fight to the Sunrisers bowlers, her luck finally running out when she hoisted a ball from the returning Hancock to deep midwicket. Her combative innings of 42 spanned 52 balls and at least enabled embattled Storm to realise three figures.Hancock required just four deliveries to wrap-up the innings, having Chloe Skelton caught at the wicket, the seventh Storm player to perish either in single figures or without scoring.Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Storm’s bowlers did their utmost to build pressure and new overseas recruit Wellington provided a silver lining when gaining an lbw decision to remove Ariana Dowse with the score on 21 in the eighth over. Making a good first impression on her debut, the Australian international spinner finished with 1 for 24 from nine overs and discomfited the top-order batters sufficiently to suggest she is going to make a positive impact in Storm colours this season.But the implacable Scrivens overcame all attempts to unseat her, playing a captain’s innings to ensure her team reached their target without enduring any undue dramas. She found the perfect partner in Griffith, who adopted the role of chief support in an innings of 28 that spanned 48 balls and included a quartet of fours before she holed out to Holland in the deep off the bowling of Skelton.Unperturbed by that setback, Scrivens went to 50 via 65 balls with her ninth four, a fluent cover drive plundered at the expense of Griffiths. Perhaps fittingly given her performance with the ball earlier, Grewcock hit the winning runs as she finished unbeaten on 15.

South African seamer will be available for the majority of the county season

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Apr-2024Derbyshire have signed Daryn Dupavillon, the South African seamer, as an overseas player for the majority of the 2024 season. Dupavillon effectively replaces Mohammad Amir, whose international recall will limit him to six appearances for the county in the T20 Blast.Dupavillon is expected to join Derbyshire in time for their County Championship fixture against Sussex, which starts on May 3, following his commitments with the Dolphins franchise in South African domestic cricket. The club say he will be available across formats until the penultimate Championship fixture of the season in mid-September.He joins Blair Tickner, the New Zealand international, as one of two overseas fast bowlers in the Derbyshire squad for the first three months of the season. Tickner will feature in the Championship and the first eight Blast group games, before Amir replaces him after the T20 World Cup.Amir blindsided Derbyshire last month when he reversed his international retirement, three-and-a-half years after his most recent appearance for Pakistan. He was initially due to play for Derbyshire as an overseas player but had been exploring the possibility of becoming a local player through his marriage.Related

• Amir comes out of retirement for T20 World Cup

• Tickner joins Derbyshire for first part of 2024 season

“We felt we needed one more fast bowler to be part of our attack, particularly in red-ball cricket, and Daryn is an experienced option who will bring real pace and skill into the fold,” Mickey Arthur, Derbyshire’s head of cricket, said. “I’m delighted to welcome a player of Daryn’s quality, he is highly regarded in the South African game and has experience in international and franchise cricket. He will be a real asset for us in all forms of the game.”We have a very strong squad for the coming season, with Blair Tickner being here for the first half of the campaign, Daryn coming in from May and we’re keen to have Mohammad Amir for the second half of the Vitality Blast, after the T20 World Cup.”This will be Dupavillon’s first stint in county cricket. He said: “I’m really excited to be joining Derbyshire, I’m not sure there’s a cricketer around who would not want to work with a coach like Mickey Arthur, and the opportunity to play in England is one I want to make the most of.”Mickey has spoken to me about the ambition he has for the club and there’s some real quality in the squad, so I’m looking forward to getting started and helping to put some positive results on the board.”Derbyshire’s season had a false start last week, with a four-day wash-out at home to Gloucestershire. They will hope the weather allows them to get on the pitch in the second round of games from Friday, when they play Glamorgan in Cardiff.

Australia international scores third ton of the season as Sussex bowlers continue to be repelled

ECB Reporters Network29-May-2019Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne scored his third hundred of the season as Glamorgan continued their impressive fightback on a rain-shortened day of their Specsavers County Championship division two match against Sussex.Just 21 overs were possible on the third day at Hove before rain arrived with Glamorgan 218 for 1 in their second innings – still 16 behind – with Labuschagne 131 not out.Labuschagne, who made his Test debut for Australia last October, has already made 121 against Northamptonshire and 137 against Gloucestershire during his stint as Glamorgan’s overseas player and the 24-year-old hasn’t offered a chance here on a pitch which has flattened out since 15 wickets fell on the first day.Opener Nick Selman, who carried his bat in the first innings, has so far helped Labuschagne add 218 with the Glamorgan record for the second wicket against Sussex of 238, set in 1962 by Alan Jones and Tony Lewis at Hastings, now in their sights.They resumed on 137 for 1 with Labuschagne quickly adding the 23 runs needed to lodge his seventh first-class hundred, which he reached with a leg glance to the boundary off Chris Jordan. Labuschagne hit two boundaries in an over off four different bowlers and always looked to play positively.Sussex skipper Ben Brown rung the changes, using six bowlers in the 80 minutes of play before the rain arrived but neither batsman looked troubled by either the four seamers or two spinners he employed.While Labuschagne played with more freedom, Selman was happy to accumulate patiently as the partnership grew. When they came off he had faced 174 balls for his 64 with eight fours while Labuschagne has hit 22 boundaries from 190 deliveries so far. They added 81 runs in 21 overs before going off.The rain intensified during the afternoon and after two inspections umpires Paul Baldwin and David Millns abandoned play for the day at 5pm. Glamorgan still trail by 16 runs but will fancy their chances of avoiding defeat now with a day to go and maintaining their unbeaten start to the Championship campaign.

Sanctions handed out for the abuse directed at Australian players during the Lord’s Ashes Test

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2023One MCC member has been expelled from the club, and two further individuals have been handed lengthy suspensions, following the confrontations in the Long Room at Lord’s in the wake of Jonny Bairstow’s controversial stumping in this summer’s Ashes Test.The sanctions were handed out more than three months after the incidents on the final day of the second Test, on July 2, which Australia eventually won by 43 runs to take a 2-0 series lead. The flashpoint occurred as the players left the field for lunch, shortly after Bairstow had been dismissed by Alex Carey as he walked out of his crease at the end of an over, having allowed the delivery to pass through to the keeper.Footage emerged of several MCC members heckling Australian players as they walked through the Long Room at the lunch interval, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner caught in heated exchanges on their way to the away dressing room. At the time, sources told AAP that at least one person attempted to trip up Warner and Steve Smith as they walked up the stairs.Related

• The Test documentary reveals Cummins' role in controversial Bairstow stumping

• Jonny Bairstow reignites Ashes stumping row

• Stokes: 'I wouldn't want to win a game in that manner'

• Usman Khawaja condemns 'disrespectful' behaviour from MCC members

• Ashes finds its flashpoint as Bairstow stumping ignites England

Such was the febrile atmosphere within the pavilion, MCC chief executive Guy Lavender was forced to address the members at the interval to remind them to respect the visiting team. An official “unreserved apology” was issued to Cricket Australia, who subsequently requested MCC to launch their own investigation, stating their players and staff had been “verbally abused, with some being physically contacted”.While details of the disciplinary process are to remain “confidential”, Thursday’s update from MCC revealed sanctions for life, four-and-a-half years and 30 months, respectively.”The actions of the three individuals in the Pavilion on the day in question fell well below the behaviour expected from our Members,” read the statement. “The penalties set out above are the consequences of breaching the Club’s Code of Conduct.”An appeal process has already been concluded.

The department has stars such as Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed and Khurram Shehzad on its books

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Dec-2023Departmental cricket returned to Pakistan after five seasons with the start of the President’s Trophy earlier this week, and the resumption has not gone without incident.Days before the tournament was supposed to start, Sui Southern Gas Pipelines (SSGC), one of the major department sides, pulled out, arguing that running a cricket team was not a top priority at the moment. SSGC had stars such as Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed and Khurram Shahzad on their books, though these players weren’t likely to be involved given they are playing international cricket.”As you know the SSGC is a public-sector utility company listed on the country’s stock exchange,” an SSCG spokesperson told , which broke the story. “So, with the inception of the winter season, the utility’s top priority is to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to its over three million customers. The management is focused on serving its customers while combating tough challenges in the backdrop of widening demand-and-supply gap.”That has left the tournament with seven sides, including traditional department giants such as SNGPL (Sui Northern Gas Pipelines), WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority) and KRL (Khan Research Laboratories). The tournament was brought back into the calendar after the return to the PCB last year of Najam Sethi, who replace Ramiz Raja as chairman. Sethi headed an interim administration in which one of the main objectives was to bring back the PCB constitution from 2014, as well as bring departments back into the game.Departments such as PIA (Pakistan International Airlines, the state carrier) and HBL (Habib Bank) were an integral part of the domestic set-up for nearly 50 years, providing first-class cricketers with a regular, stable income and the prospect of an employed future post their playing days. In 2018 Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain, became the country’s Prime Minister, and, as patron of the PCB, had domestic cricket substantially restructured along the lines he had been advocating for years: a Sheffield-Shield-style set-up with six province-based sides playing the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Department cricket, to some criticism, was disbanded with players – hitherto employed by them and earning regular salaries – affected the most. A number of first-class cricketers stopped playing the game because there were drastically fewer sides to play for.Sethi has since been replaced by Zaka Ashraf in another interim set-up that is due to run until February. Ashraf’s administration does not have the power to change the domestic set-up and has gone ahead with the President’s Trophy. But interest in participation in the tournament has been lukewarm, with a few departments who had traditionally fielded teams opting to not do so again.The tournament is also being played under new regulations that have not yet been announced publicly but limit the first innings of games to 80 overs. That stipulation is said to have been made to encourage more positive cricket though it has had its critics. Bazid Khan, the former Pakistan batter, called it “utter nonsense” and said it was “devaluing” the first-class game.

While measuring up-and-coming Australian spinners against Shane Warne effectively sets them up for failure, Nathan Lyon has shown himself to be an example worth looking up to

Daniel Brettig27-Aug-2017Upon winning the lbw verdict that pulled him into the 250-wicket zone, Nathan Lyon paused briefly on his haunches before arising as Australia’s second most prolific spin bowler after Shane Warne.If he looked only mildly pleased at the milestone, it said more for a day of hard work and perseverance than anything else. A brief, unsuccessful stay as nightwatchman would follow for Lyon, a man who has always stated his willingness to do any job for the team that anointed him custodian of its celebratory chant. Though by no means as freakish as Warne nor an all-round talent in the class of Richie Benaud, the bowler-batsman-captain whose 248-wicket tally he passed on day one in Dhaka, Lyon never gives anything less than his most unsparing effort. In the cooler light of the post-play review, Lyon was rightly proud.”I’ll tell you here right now, I’m never taking over Shane Warne,” Lyon said. “I’ve always said that I’m not about personal success but I woke up to a message from my mum and dad. They said go out and do us proud. You get those types of messages and you reflect on your career and where you stand in the game – it’s pretty special.”Richie Benaud was an unbelievable legend of Australian cricket and cricket in general. To overtake him in the wickets column is something pretty special. I hold it pretty close to my heart. I’ve got some very good mates in this change room that I think are great, and no doubt when I get back home after this series, I’ll sit down with my family and have a drink and celebrate that personal goal but let’s just see how this Test match goes first.”On a used, dry and occasionally spiteful surface, Lyon had been bowling in the seventh over of the match. But any thoughts of a quick run through Bangladesh’s middle order were assuaged when Tamim Iqbal sallied forth to hammer Lyon inside out over the cover boundary – an audacious shot to play at 18 for 3. From there, Lyon was frustrated for much of the afternoon by Tamim’s boldness and Shakib-al-Hasan’s more considered approach to spin.That the captain Steve Smith was required to call upon Glenn Maxwell for the delivery that broke the stand will not have sat well with Lyon. Not because he dislikes Maxwell or his bowling, but because Lyon has long since his 2011 debut regarded himself as a bowler capable of taking the key wicket to change a day’s flow. Having done so numerous times in India earlier this year in what was perhaps the best series of his career to date, Lyon would have expected to break the stand.Shakib Al Hasan walks off after being dismissed by Nathan Lyon•Getty Images

“I think the two guys batted very brave,” Lyon said. “They took the game on, which you have to do in these type of conditions. I think on this wicket if you bat well in partnerships and bat together, you can score runs. I’m not going to sit here and deny them credit. They’re two good players, they played some incredible shots out there and took the game on. Hats off to them. It’s now our opportunity to take the game on
in our first innings and see where we get to.”Your spinners have to bowl well and bowl well in partnerships and be consistent. That’s what myself and Ashton and Glenn Maxwell are trying to do, be as consistent as possible and challenge Bangladesh’s defence, and that’s going to be a big thing. Personally I felt that they were uncomfortably trying to defend me and they took the game on, and hats off to them, they were playing some brave and decent cricket.”Instead Lyon returned to find Tamim already defeated by a Maxwell ball that stopped and bounced, and by the time he reached the sixth ball of his 18th over, he was nursing the unflattering figures of 0 for 59. It was here that Lyon’s day turned, with a prancing delivery that Shakib could only manage to guide airily into Smith’s safe hands at slip. Next an artful change of pace and a little extra bounce had Mehidy Hasan given out caught at short leg, though replays showed the ball had not in fact touched the glove.Lyon, though, was not fussed about this modicum of fortune, much as he has uncomplainingly forged on through spells out of the Test team, a long-time absence from the limited overs set-up and wide variations in the quality of Australian wicketkeeping at the other end of the pitch. Through it all, he has steadily learned and added to his repertoire, most pointedly developing after a poor tour of Sri Lanka in 2016 to excel in India and so set the scene for his Dhaka milestone. The 250th wicket, a skidder that trapped Taijul Islam, demonstrated one of the ways in which Lyon has grown.All those episodes have, in turn, served as lessons for Ashton Agar, playing his third Test match and first alongside Lyon, after briefly deposing him in 2013 as a mussy-haired teenager. With four years of first-class cricket now behind him, Agar has returned at 23, the same age Lyon was when he made his debut, and the older man was happy to talk in terms of guidance.”I think we can learn as a partnership from our first innings going forward,” Lyon said. “To be honest, I’m pretty happy, that’s a personal best for Ashton Agar, taking three wickets. I thought when he bowled – I’m sure he wanted to bowl more overs as well – when he bowled, he bowled with nice rhythm. Sitting with him and having a chat before, he’s pretty happy with where he’s sitting. I’m pretty happy with bowling in a partnership with him.”For a considerable time it seemed difficult to know what to expect of an Australian spin bowler following after Warne, other than the impossible. Now the way ahead is far clearer, for Lyon has shown what can be done.