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Shane Warne has been confirmed as the captain of the Melbourne Stars for this season’s Big Bash League, and he will be joined by Lasith Malinga in the line-up

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2012Shane Warne has been confirmed as the captain of the Melbourne Stars for this season’s Big Bash League, and he will be joined by Lasith Malinga in the line-up. The Stars unveiled their latest signings on Tuesday in Melbourne, which brings their list to 16 and leaves them with two more spaces to fill before the November 30 deadline.Warne, who turns 43 next month, was widely tipped to lead the Stars after Cameron White stepped down as captain in July. Warne no longer plays in the IPL and has not played a match since last summer’s BBL, in which he took seven wickets at an average of 26 and a strike-rate of 6.74.”I’ve always admired his attacking captaincy and in addition to his bowling guile we believe his leadership will have a positive influence on the team both now and in to the future,” the Stars chairman of selectors Ian Chappell said of Warne. “This is a strong addition to what was always a highly competitive squad.”The addition of Malinga also provides a major boost for the Stars, who reached the semi-finals of last year’s tournament but could not progress to the decider. Malinga, 28, did not take part in the BBL last season and his appearance for the Stars will help him move up the list of all-time Twenty20 wicket-takers – he currently sits fourth with 161 victims at 16.91.Malinga joins the England all-rounder Luke Wright as the two internationals on the Melbourne Stars list. Chappell said Malinga would be valuable for several reasons.”For quite a few years now Lasith Malinga has been one of the premier short-form bowlers,” Chappell said. “He fulfills two important roles – he takes wickets and there’s no better finishing bowler in the game.”Lasith has always been a popular player on tours of Australia and with a large Sri Lankan population in Victoria, his presence is sure to add to the atmosphere wherever he plays. Indicative of the confidence on both sides, the Stars were delighted when Lasith agreed to a multi-year contract.”

Uncapped players Nasir Hossain and Shuvagoto Hom have been selected in a 15-man Bangladesh squad for the tour of Zimbabwe that also has Mohammad Ashraful being preferred over Raqibul Hasan

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2011Nasir Hossain earned his first call-up to the Bangladesh side after the BCB announced a 15-member squad for the Zimbabwe tour late on Friday evening. Mohammad Ashraful has been preferred over Raqibul Hasan in the squad, which also includes another uncapped player Shuvagoto Hom.The announcement came two days after BCB chief Mustafa Kamal received the names of the selected players from chief selector Akram Khan, who had called for a change in the process which allows the board’s technical committee to discuss the selectors’ choices.Nasir, a 19-year-old from Rangpur, was highly rated after outperforming most allrounders in the country for the past few years. Since he graduated from the sports institute BKSP, Nasir has regularly attracted big-money moves to the top Premier League clubs.”It was my dream to play for Bangladesh,” Nasir told ESPNcricinfo. “I told my family and I think they are happier than I am.”Considered for the ODI series alongside Shuvagoto, Nasir is being propped up for a role in the lower middle-order, according to Akram, while Shuvagoto will be tested at the No. 4 position, a spot that has been Bangladesh’s scourge.”Nasir has a bright future and we have picked him and Shuvagoto for the ODI series,” Akram said. “I think he is far ahead of all the other good allrounders and we have considered him for his positive frame of mind.”Predictably, Ashraful and Junaid Siddique made comebacks, though both played Bangladesh’s previous Test match in England last year. Ashraful showed poor form during the 2011 World Cup and was dropped for the Australia ODIs in April. “We considered both Ashraful and Raqibul for the same position and I think Ashraful won the spot for his experience and some good knocks in South Africa (for Bangladesh A earlier this year),” Akram said.The squad will be led by Shakib Al Hasan, with Tamim Iqbal as vice-captain. Former captain and fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, who had another knee surgery in May, is undergoing rehabilitation and continues to miss out.Bangladesh are visiting Zimbabwe for one Test and five ODIs. The tour starts with a three-day game against a Zimbabwe XI from July 30.Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal (vc), Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Shafiul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Nazmul Hossain, Shahriar Nafees, Robiul Islam, Shuvagoto Hom, Nasir Hossain.Reserves: Naeem Islam, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Alok Kopali, Syed Rasel, Sahagir Hossain (wk).

Umar Gul, who suffered a stiff hamstring during the second Test at Edgbaston, has recovered completely from the injury and is likely to be available for selection for the final Test of the England series, which begins on Thursday at Lord’s

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's24-Aug-2010Umar Gul, who suffered a stiff hamstring during the second Test at Edgbaston, has recovered completely from the injury and is likely to be available for selection for the final Test of the England series, which begins on Thursday at Lord’s.”We can’t say anything for certain but we are hopeful,” Salman Butt, the Pakistan captain said. It was feared that Gul would take no further part in the Test series when he first picked up the injury but Gul, who is Pakistan’s most experience fast bowler, has been working hard with Dale Nyler, the team physio, and trainer David Dwyer, to bounce back.While his team-mates were scripting Pakistan’s remarkable victory in the third Test, Gul was on the sidelines where he bowled ‘no-effort’ balls which involved him charging in from a full run-up and going through the remainder of his action before finishing the sequence without delivering the ball. The exercise was essential to determine if the injury was healing fast.”So far his recovery has gone as desired,” Dwyer said. But both him and Nyler will have a final look on Wednesday morning before giving their final assessment on Gul’s fitness to the team management which will sit in the evening to pick the playing eleven.For the last two days Gul has progressed to bowling flat out without any cause for concern. At the indoor training centre at Lord’s he bowled marathon spells of nearly 90 minutes and was happily sharing tips with Wahab Riaz, the man who replaced him in the previous Test.Gul’s recovery is good news for Pakistan, who are spoilt with riches in the bowling department. At The Oval last week, Riaz, the left-handed quick, made a memorable debut by claiming 5 for 63 on the first day to help set up Pakistan’s four-wicket victory. Riaz earned further points on the second morning when he offered stubborn resistance with the bat. His 27 logged over a two hours, and he stitched a 34-run partnership with Mohammad Yousuf for the third wicket to rob England of the chance of putting pressure on the Pakistan middle-order.Gul won’t be worried about the competition. At Trent Bridge he top scored with 65 in addition to a match haul of 4 for 102. At Edgbaston he was forced off the field after bowling nine wicketless overs in the first innings but batted with a runner to bolster Pakistan’s lead with a 27-run stand with Mohammad Asif for the last wicket.Gul will have fond memories of playing at Lord’s, after performing well there against Australia earlier in the year. He was on the verge of a hat-trick during Australia’s second innings and finished the match with five wickets. Waqar Younis, Pakistan’s coach, was positive about Gul but remained non-committal about his availability for the final Test: “We will have to see tomorrow and then decide.”

Respected coach Greg Shipperd lauded the credentials of the WA wicketkeeper while also backing 19-year-old Sam Konstas

Alex Malcolm23-Oct-2024Australia white-ball wicketkeeper Josh Inglis should be in the conversation alongside 19-year-old prodigy Sam Konstas to be the Test opener against India, according to one of the country’s most respected mentors and judges in New South Wales coach Greg Shipperd.Shipperd suggested Inglis should be a legitimate candidate to open the batting against India in the first Test at Optus Stadium in Perth, even if it cost his young NSW opening batter Konstas the chance to make a Test debut.Inglis, 29, is Australia’s incumbent ODI and T20I keeper having played 49 internationals for Australia but has not yet featured in a Test match where he has long been the understudy to Alex Carey. Inglis is in a rich vein of form at Sheffield Shield level with scores of 122, 48, 101 and 26 not out in his first four Shield innings this season. But he is no chance to displace Carey as the keeper given Carey has made 90, 111 not out, 42 and 123 not out in his first four Shield innings after making 98 not out in his last Test innings back in March.Related

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But after NSW lost to Victoria in a closely-watched Shield clash at the MCG, where Konstas made scores of 2 and 43 and fellow Test contender Marcus Harris made 26 and 16, Shipperd offered Inglis’ name as a genuine candidate without being prompted.”Let’s not forget Josh Inglis as well, who I think is probably a smokey in terms of the opening batting spot,” Shipperd said. “I’d have Inglis and Konstas in the conversation as one-two, two-one, and let the Australian selectors mull over those two.”His performances for Australia have been first-class, and I think they’re looking for a style of player at the top of the order, and Inglis may fit that brief.”He’s a right-handed version of David Warner, in terms of someone who wants to get on with the play and he’s got strokes all around the wicket. He’s played at the level internationally, and I think he’s a well-respected player.”Shipperd’s opinion is highly valued within Australian cricket and he has been a coaching mentor to current coach and selector Andrew McDonald.However, Inglis has never opened in first-class cricket. He has batted at No. 3 six times and averaged 12.66, at No.4 once and No. 5 six times but has only passed 50 in one of those seven innings. All of his seven first-class centuries, including his two this season, have come at No. 6 or below. He has opened for Australia in six limited-overs internationals for one half-century. His two T20I centuries, including one against India in India, have come at No.3.Sam Konstas worked hard in the second innings at the MCG for his 43•Getty Images

Inglis’ state captain, Sam Whiteman, endorsed him being in the selection mix. “I think if you’re looking to pick guys off form…absolutely [should be considered],” he said. “He’s seeing the ball as [well] anyone in the country. He’s so versatile with his game, the way he transfers from white ball to red ball. He just looks in great nick. I’m all for him playing for Australia in some capacity, absolutely.”Shipperd still believes Konstas deserves to be in the frame after an indifferent match at the MCG where he copped a rough lbw in the first innings and made a patchy 43 in the second that included a life and a loose dismissal trying to launch offspinner Todd Murphy into the Shane Warne stand.”I thought he was a bit stiff in the first innings and in the second innings, I think he started to show everybody again what he’s got,” Shipperd said. “He was really poised and balanced. Anytime you get through the first 25 overs of a Victorian attack with a new ball that shows you’ve got something and, but for a sad error in terms of judgment in that particular ball, I think he showed that he should be in a conversation at least.”Shipperd added Konstas is not letting the intense sudden media and public interest get to him.”He’s really relaxed and just focused on learning and focused on what his game is all about, in terms of what is working, and where the challenges may be,” Shipperd said.”And he had a couple of them in this innings where he did a couple of strange things in terms of his choices, but he’s reflecting on those as he is and we’re really confident that he’s got the game, if picked.”The next couple of matches for the Australian A team I reckon will tell the story in terms of what the Australian selectors will do.”Shipperd is in a unique position to comment on Konstas. He has compared him to a young Ricky Ponting already and Shipperd was Ponting’s coach at Tasmania back in 1993 when he made twin centuries in a Shield game as an 18-year-old. Konstas became the third youngest behind Ponting to achieve the feat against South Australia two weeks ago.Marcus Harris twice made starts against New South Wales•Getty Images

Ponting was made to wait two-and-a-half years between achieving the feat and making his Test debut. Shipperd was asked whether Ponting had benefitted from spending extra time in Shield cricket before being elevated, and whether Konstas should be handled in a similar manner.”I’m not sure. That’s a very good question, though,” Shipperd said. “Yes, he was made to wait. So whether that made him or he was already made anyway, because he was scoring multiple hundreds across the course of that journey between him not being selected and then finally selected, I think at around 21.”But Sam, I do see a lot of that skill level and that poise at the crease, shots on both sides of the wicket, in front of the wicket, behind the wicket. I think he’s got what it takes. And again, Ricky was trying to break into a super Australian side at that moment with probably no gaps. But there is a gap in the Australian team in the position Sam bats in at the moment. So he’s worth being heavily in the conversation.”Meanwhile, Victoria coach Chris Rogers said Harris would be frustrated with his returns against NSW. But the former Test opener believes Harris is still batting well enough to be in the frame.”I think he’d be disappointed he didn’t get the results,” Rogers said. “I think facing Mitch Starc, there’s always a chance you can get out. He’s a world-class bowler obviously. He got caught down the leg side twice. It can happen. He’ll be disappointed. But he still fought hard, he still moved well, he just didn’t have a lot of luck.”

Visitors recover from sticky start to post 282 after Blackpool weather relents

Paul Edwards11-Jul-2023
English fiction is replete with characters who repair to the seaside to help them recover from illness or other misfortunes. In Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot has “the bloom and freshness of youth” restored by the fine wind on the coast and even modern novelists such as John Banville and Ian McEwan use littoral settings for literary effect. At first glance, though, the comparisons between the gentle Elliot and Lancashire’s head coach, Glen Chapple, are not obvious. (At second glance, they disappear completely.) But Chapple’s players also appear to be using trips to their coastal outgrounds to restore their summer.In June, having drawn their first five Championship matches and sitting a miserable seventh in Division One, Lancashire went to Southport and defeated Hampshire by six wickets. This week, still bruised by their failure to qualify for T20 Finals Day, Keaton Jennings and his players are in Blackpool, attempting to assuage their disappointment by beating Essex, who will be travelling to Edgbaston for English cricket’s annual hogfeast on Saturday.On Monday, both sides were defeated by the omega block, a meteorological feature that brought fearsome downpours whistling in from the west and restricted the teams to just 28 balls, the final three of which were bowled over six hours after the preceding 25. Indeed, had not Stanley Park’s outfield been relaid at a cost of £180,000 over three years ago, the 100th first-class match to take place on this famous ground might have been abandoned soon after it started.Around three o’clock Chapple might have been wishing it had been given up as a bad job. For rather than build on their removal of three top-order batters on the sweating wicket in the first hour or so of the day, Lancashire’s bowlers had been punished by Tom Westley, who had reached his third century of the season with a cut off Colin de Grandhomme, and Paul Walter, who had clouted Tom Hartley for two leg-side sixes in the over before lunch and meted out the same indignity to Jack Blatherwick when the players returned. The pair had also set a new fifth-wicket record for Essex against Lancashire, beating the 147 stand shared by Sonny Avery and Tom Pearce, also at Blackpool, in 1948. What made things worse was that Hartley had dropped Westley on 78 when he grassed a low chance at midwicket off de Grandhomme. Rather than rebalance Chapple’s delicate humours, it was enough to cause a relapse.Medicine, though, was at hand, specifically the right hand of Blatherwick who clutched a firmly hit clip by Walter off de Grandhomme when the tall Essex left-hander had made 76 off 119 balls and extended his partnership with Westley to 155. That dismissal left Essex on 210 for 5, neither prosperous nor poor one might think on what looks a fine outground pitch. Simon Harmer, whose wicket is rarely donated to his opponents, then joined Westley and the pair added a watchful 65 in 24 overs before Lancashire took the second new ball and the game was changed by Tom Bailey, one of the circuit’s least lauded yet most skilful bowlers.The first breakthrough was made by Will Williams, who had Westley caught at slip by Rob Jones for 135 when the Essex skipper seemed disconcerted by a little extra bounce. The last four Essex batters, however, were removed by Bailey, who bowled Harmer with one that nipped away off a good length and then induced Doug Bracewell to sky a pull to midwicket, where Dane Vilas waited under the catch. Both Sam Cook and Will Buttleman fell leg before to the Lancashire seamer, who had by then taken four wickets in 20 balls to complete an innings return of 6 for 59.So much, so very satisfactory for most of the home supporters, some of whom had watched the rain thunder down 24 hours earlier and might have wondered whether the county match they had worked so hard to stage would be worth remembering. And any misgivings they still harboured can hardly have been eased by the sight of Jamie Porter and Sam Cook warming up on the outfield. Essex’s new-ball pair are skilled in making totals of 282 look mountainous, especially so when left with an evening hour in which they can expend their full efforts.And the prospect of an early tumble of wickets assumed a grim reality when Luke Wells attempted to leave Porter’s fourth ball of the innings but only inside edged it onto his stumps. That success merely spurred the bowlers to greater efforts; perhaps they even expected them. Certainly there was no shortage of appeals or near things as Jennings and Josh Bohannon played out the final 13 overs and home spectators postponed their plans for an early departure in favour of watching some of the day’s most gripping cricket. Three hours earlier, they had enjoyed Westley’s leg-side repertoire and his occasional cover-drive; now success was to be measured in forward defensive strokes and balls survived. The final over was bowled by Bracewell, whose penultimate delivery was leg glanced for four by Bohannon. A minute or so later he was punching gloves with Jennings and the players were leaving the long-shadowed field; the sight was far removed from the floods of the previous 48 hours and it offers a rich prospect for the remaining two days of this game.

Pakistani opener scores 201* from 271 balls, shares unbroken third-wicket stand of 236 with Wayne Madsen

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2022A career-best unbeaten double century from Derbyshire’s Shan Masood dominated the opening day of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Sussex at Derby.The Pakistani opener scored a brilliant 201 from 271 balls and shared a third-wicket stand of 236 with Wayne Madsen, who was 88 not out at the close.An injury-weakened Sussex attack failed to take a wicket after lunch as Derbyshire closed on an imposing 327 for 2.Masood had already impressed with two half centuries in the opening match at Lord’s last week when he narrowly missed out on a hundred in the first innings.He made no mistake this time against a largely inexperienced attack after Derbyshire won the toss and batted first on what looks to be a benign pitch.Related

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With the exception of Steve Finn, the bowling lacked the consistency to apply any sustained pressure and Mahmood took advantage to reach 50 from only 60 balls.Sussex stuck to their task but the only wickets to fall in the first two sessions were down to batting errors with Billy Godleman tickling a leg-glance to Mohammad Rizwan and Brooke Guest bottom-edging a pull.But the wicket Sussex dearly wanted was Masood and, a couple of false strokes against the left-arm spin of James Coles apart, he gave them little encouragement.At lunch he was 74 from 88 balls and after the interval he moved to his century with a succession of imperious, at times dismissive, strokes on both sides of the wicket.Sussex probably realised it was not going to be their day when Tom Haines struck Masood on the back pad but his impassioned appeal left umpire Paul Baldwin unmoved.There were few other alarms as Masood and Madsen cruised to a 100 stand in 28 overs and by tea Derbyshire had scored at a quicker rate than any other team in the country.Madsen has now shared century stands with 29 different batsmen, breaking the Derbyshire record of 28 held by Kim Barnett, and he reached another milestone when he completed his 100th first-class score of 50 or more.Although he was content to play the supporting role, he was also largely untroubled apart from when a throw struck him a painful blow on the back of the right knee.Sussex switched Finn to the Racecourse End at the start of the final session but the runs kept flowing with Masood reaching 150 from 191 balls.The elegant left-hander will face more challenging attacks in the weeks to come but even at this early stage, head of cricket Mickey Arthur looks to have completed a very shrewd piece of business in bringing him to the club.The visitors at least applied the brake towards the close of a long, hard day in the field but could not prevent Masood and Madsen passing Derbyshire’s previous highest third-wicket stand against Sussex of 215 set by Les Townsend and Albert Alderman at Eastbourne in 1938.

South African quick’s blistering new-ball burst set tone for Thunder’s dominance in final

Andrew McGlashan28-Nov-2020Sydney Thunder quick Shabnim Ismail went to bed on Saturday night plotting how she would dismiss Australia captain Meg Lanning in the WBBL final. For a brief moment it looked like it could become a nightmare, but very soon the dream came true.Overall, Ismail produced a blistering four-over spell off the reel to spearhead the Thunder’s title victory, but it was her seven-ball contest with Lanning that was utterly compelling.At the end of her opening over, she had Lanning dropped at point by Tammy Beaumont. “I just dropped it. I should have taken it. Oh well,” was Beaumont’s matter-of-fact response as the player on the TV mic, perhaps a window into the Thunder’s calmness. But revenge came a short while later when, given her fourth and final over by Rachael Haynes, Ismail found Lanning’s outside edge and with put one hand on the trophy.”We said how we wanted to take wickets in the Powerplay and last night I was lying in bed thinking how I would get Meg Lanning out,” she said. “It’s a very key wicket for the Stars and I thought if I come out there and just bowl heat, change a few things, I could take wickets.”You don’t want to be dropping big players like that, they can haunt you, but I thought just stick to my guns and still bowl what I think will keep us in the game.”HIGHLIGHTS: Thunder limit Stars to lowest-ever WBBL final score (US only)In combination with Sammy-Jo Johnson, whose darting away movement was equally impressive as she had Elyse Villani poking at fresh air, they put in one of the most complete Powerplay performances of the tournament.”You could see that we had it under control all the way, when the first three wickets [fell] we had the game in hand,” Ismail said.Johnson, who joined from two-time champions Brisbane Heat in pre-season, has been key to the Thunder’s performances at both ends of the innings – forming a powerful death combination with Hannah Darlington – and was delighted to be able to bowl first. “We were quite surprised they wanted to bat first so we were really happy. The wicket was seaming around a fair bit: myself, Shabs and [Sam] Bates up front we set the tone,” she said. “We spoke about it during the last few games that if we could work in a partnership and put the top batters under pressure that hopefully we’d come out with the result.”Like the Thunder, Ismail saved her best for the competition run-in to finish with 14 wickets at 20.28 and an economy rate of 5.56 which also included 3 for 10 in the final group match against Hobart Hurricanes that booked a spot in the semi-final.”Today we saw Shabhim at her best, some real pace, the areas she was hitting,” Thunder coach Trevor Griffin said. “I think we also need to remember for her it’s been a different year: she’s not played any cricket since the World Cup, so it took time to get back into playing and she’s certainly peaked at the right time.”We’ve been looking at the impact charts and areas the girls have been hitting. We talk about hitting the stumps consistently and when we looked at the detail today, they were [all] hitting those areas consistently and creating chances. That’s certainly some of best bowling I’ve seen us do.”

England fast bowler to undergo rehabilitation on calf muscle that he first hurt during a County Championship game in early July

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Aug-2019England pace spearhead James Anderson has been ruled out of the Lord’s Test against Australia which starts on August 14, after having suffered calf trouble in the first match at Edgbaston. Anderson left the field on day one after sending down four overs and he did not bowl again in the match although he did bat – with obvious discomfort – in both England’s innings.Anderson has since had an MRI scan, which confirmed an injury which needs addressing. He will now undergo rehabilitation, working with the medical teams of England and his county Lancashire.Also read: Joe Root defends James Anderson selection after injury undermines England attackAnderson’s problems were with the same muscle that he had torn while bowling for Lancashire in the County Championship in early July. He had passed a number of fitness tests in the lead-up to the Edgbaston game, but then found tightness in his calf during the match and went off. His absence was felt by England, who went down by 251 runs to Australia, despite having them at 122 for 8 in their first innings.After Lord’s, there are three more Tests to be played in the Ashes. England will hope he will be fit in time for the Leeds Test, which begins on August 22, although a more realistic return might be for the fourth Test, at Old Trafford in early September. He will be assessed on an ongoing basis for the same.Jofra Archer is the leading contender to replace Anderson, although he has had injury issues himself and will play a three-day 2nd XI game for Sussex this week to try and prove his fitness after carrying a side injury through the World Cup.Speaking after defeat at Edgbaston, Joe Root described Anderson’s injury as a “freak thing” and defended his inclusion in the XI. “It was a group decision in terms of the selection of him,” Root said. “He passed all the fitness tests. and it’s just one of those freak things that can happen in in cricket. It’s disappointing, but we’ve got to try and respond to that and make sure that we get things exactly how we want them at Lord’s.”

Derbyshire have known some dismal days in East Midlands derbies and this ranked among one of the worst as they succumbed long before the A52 rush hour had cleared

David Hopps07-Jun-2018
ScorecardAs East Midlands derbies go, this one will go down as one of the great mismatches. Derbyshire’s players will hope to file it along with other brain fades such as telephone banking passwords and where their car keys are. A calamitous batting display saw them wafted aside for 110 on a sunny afternoon, leaving Nottinghamshire, the holders, to scamper to a place in the play-offs with an eight-wicket victory.That win came with disparaging haste as Notts endeavoured to lift their net run rate and thereby claim a home tie in the play-offs by finishing second in the group – it later transpired, successfully. Riki Wessels set the tone by striking the first four balls of Hamidullah Qadri’s second over straight for six – the over went for 28 – and to ribald cheers the game was settled within 11.5 overs. Wessels made 63 from 34 balls and Tom Moores caught the mood, batsmen with the licence to have a bit of fun.Derbyshire have had worse derby disasters. They were once bowled out for 16 on this ground, still their lowest total, as Fred Morley took 7 for 7 in 1879. Morley was regarded as the fastest bowler in the land and, had he not died of dropsy five years later, he might have fancied picking up a couple of wickets here, such was the ineptitude of Derbyshire’s display.”It’s unacceptable to be bowled out for just over 100,” said Billy Godleman, Derbyshire’s captain. “The surface was an interesting one and posed challenges, particularly when the seamers were bowling.”At least Derbyshire brought some cheer for England. Jake Ball, Nottinghamshire’s tall, languid pace bowler, has replaced Chris Woakes in England’s ODI squad for the Australia series and he loosened up with four wickets. There was an uplifting sight, too, for Peter Such, the ECB’s lead spin bowling coach, who was delighted to see Matthew Carter’s stately offspin reap three wickets too.Carter is one of England’s forgotten spinners, his progress hindered by the Championship’s banishment, by and large, to the start and end of the season. But he came into this match with two Royal London Cup four-fors this season and looked in good order. He is a tall man who just walks up the wicket with deliberation, but his rhythm was excellent and he drew turn from a used surface. He should get a Championship outing at Taunton this weekend and can still have a fine career ahead.Godleman was the Derbyshire wicket most sought, his tournament record standing at 505 runs at 84.16, but the captain only added four more, Carter drifting the ball into the left-hander then finding bite to have him caught at slip. Alex Hughes obligingly hacked a ball turning down the leg side to midwicket and Carter returned later to defeat Hardus Viljoen’s rustic heave.With Ball having Ben Slater caught at the wicket, Derbyshire were three down within 4.5 overs, their two batsmen who have dominated their 50-over season both gone and hopes of sneaking a top-three spot already retreating. Matt Critchley played brightly for 33 before chopping at Luke Fletcher’s wideish outswinger and the most surprising shot of all came from Wayne Madsen, who was his usual reliable self in making 37 only to heave Ball to long on in suicidal fashion.There were other giveaways too: a sweep down deep square leg’s throat by Gary Wilson, a leave alone against Ball by Darren Smit, although as Ball himself remarked after a second look, that one did come back a bit. Derbyshire didn’t even make it last until the rush hour had departed, leaving their supporters to queue up the A52, adding their own fumes of dismay to the evening pollution.

Cheteshwar Pujara, the India Test batsman, has signed for a four-match Championship stint with Nottinghamshire

ESPNcricinfo staff04-May-2017Cheteshwar Pujara, the India Test batsman, has signed for a four-match Championship stint with Nottinghamshire. He comes in as a replacement for Nottinghamshire’s main overseas signing, James Pattinson, who has been called up by Australia for the Champions Trophy.Pujara, who has previously played county cricket with Derbyshire and Yorkshire, will arrive in the UK later this month for the resumption of Championship cricket following the Royal London Cup group stage. He will be available for Notts’ trip to play Glamorgan starting on May 19, as well as home and away fixtures against Gloucestershire and the visit of Derbyshire to Trent Bridge.Nottinghamshire have made an excellent start to life in Division Two, with three wins from three putting them top. Pattinson has been a particular success, with 20 wickets at 11.15; although, less encouragingly, he was also the second-leading run-scorer, with Riki Wessels the only Notts batsman to reach three figures so far this season.”We have looked around the world to find the right player,” Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, Mick Newell, said. “The most important thing was to sign someone with the quality to make us better, rather than limiting our options by saying it had to be a bowler.”We have depth in our squad with regards bowling and – particularly as we’ll be without Alex Hales during that period – we’re more than happy to welcome a world-class batsman to the club.”Pujara finished India’s domestic season with 1316 runs at 62.66, which included two centuries against England on their November-December tour, but was not picked up for the IPL and spent April either practising in the nets or working on his fitness.One of the few India players to take part in the Championship in recent years, Pujara has averaged more than 50 on both of his previous stints, in 2014 and 2015. He has twice played at Trent Bridge – on India’s 2014 tour and while with Yorkshire.”I’m ready for it. I’m already working on my skills and preparing for competitive cricket,” Pujara said. “I love playing county cricket and Trent Bridge is a great venue. I’m really looking forward to my first experience there as a home player. The aim is to win as many games as possible so the team stays on top of the points table.”