“Everyone backs everyone, it doesn’t matter which XI is playing”

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jun-2021On a high after their emphatic series win at Edgbaston on Sunday, New Zealand will now have plenty of selection headaches to deal with for the World Test Championship final against India starting June 18 in Southampton. With a combination of injuries and their decision to rest a few players, New Zealand made six changes to their playing XI for the second Test, and still showed enough depth in both batting and bowling to beat England by eight wickets.If most or all of their injured players recover, New Zealand will have numerous options for only a few spots available. How are some of their players on the fringe of a permanent spot in the playing XI coping with that competition?”I try not to put any pressure on myself,” spinner Ajaz Patel, one of the six inclusions for the second Test, said. “Faith is a big factor for me, which allows me to stay grounded and be comfortable with whatever is thrown at me. I make sure I’m still working hard, developing my game and continuing to grow so when the opportunity does come, I make the most of it.Related

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“There is no added pressure, whenever I put the cap on, I look at it as a privilege. [I] try and have fun because that’s why we play cricket. It’s still reliving a childhood dream, representing New Zealand and putting that black baggy on. We take a lot of pride and privilege in that. Every time I get the opportunity, I try to put out there what I’ve been working on while I’ve been away. Sometimes you have to take a back seat, and sometimes you’re thrust in the front.”New Zealand’s incredible discipline on the field, and subsequent success, has roots in the culture that the team has bought into over the last few years.”It was probably six or seven years ago, the leadership group sat down and thought we want to play a brand of cricket that was true to us as Kiwis,” New Zealand’s stand-in captain Tom Latham said. “Something that we could hold our head on. The change came around that World Cup time in 2015. To try and enjoy cricket, enjoy each other’s company. That’s something we hold true to this group.”Patel also alluded to that culture as an influential reason in New Zealand’s recent success. “The culture around this team is very good. Everyone is quite positive, there is no negativity, and that breeds so much success we have. Everyone backs everyone, it doesn’t matter which XI is playing. Everyone has been putting in a 100% and it was from the guys that weren’t playing to the guys that were in the playing XI.”I was carrying drinks last week, there was a different group carrying drinks this week. We had a lot of seniors players carrying drinks and they still did the job for the team and I think that shows our team culture and how we go about our cricket, and what it really means to be a part of this team for everyone. There’s no ranks in here and everyone does what they need to which is a great environment to be in.”Even though the Ageas Bowl in Southampton favours spin as the match progresses, New Zealand will probably have to choose between Mitchell Santner and Patel for the WTC final. “We have some good conversations about spin, a lot of in-depth analysis and tactics that we can use while we’re out there. We have a good healthy competition but at the same time, we work well together as well. Competition is always good, we’re growing together,” he said.”I’ve done my part, my preparation. Now it’s up to the selectors. My foundation of faith allows me to be at peace with whatever happens. For me, it’s about preparing and whatever happens from there, happens from there. I wouldn’t want to be a selector right now because there are some pretty tough decisions. It has been highlighted in the last couple of games how much depth we really have.”Patel took four wickets at Edgbaston, while also performing the role of a holding spinner. He bowled eight maidens in 23 overs with an economy rate of well under three in both innings, and chipped in with the bat as well in the first innings with 20 useful runs at No. 10 which helped New Zealand in taking an 85-run lead.”I tried to make use of whatever was out there. Being able to bat, that was fun. Mark Wood bowling some serious pace, trying to take your block off isn’t the most amusing. It’s something I’ve been working on, it was nice to showcase that. But also doing a job in the second innings where conditions start favouring you a bit more.”

India vice-captain not feeling the pressure over his batting stats in England or India’s Test record in Southampton

Varun Shetty16-Jun-2021India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has said ahead of the WTC final that he’s not fazed by the criticism around his batting returns. Rahane is India’s highest scorer in this WTC cycle, with 1095 runs at 43.80, and has had the unwavering support of the team management.As recently as February this year, captain Virat Kohli said that Rahane, alongside Cheteshwar Pujara, was India’s “most important batter” in response to questions about his form and place in the team. In his last 18 innings, Rahane has made one hundred and one fifty, but he said that he’s not living in the past ahead of the WTC final.”It feels special [to be the leading run-scorer]. I’m happy to take criticism. I feel because of the criticism, I’m here,” Rahane said. “I always want to give my best, whether people criticise me or not. For me what is important is to give my best for my team, my country and contribute, each and every time. Be it as a batter or as a fielder. I don’t really think about criticism. If people criticise me, that’s their thing and that’s their job. I cannot control these things. I always focus on the controllables, putting my best foot forward and following my process. And the result follows.”Rahane has been one of India’s leading overseas batters during his decade-long career, but England remains the country where he’s had least success; in ten Tests in England, Rahane averages 29.26 with four fifties and a hundred. However, three of those fifties have come during two Tests in Southampton, where the final will be held.”I like to be in the present,” Rahane said. “I’ve been at this venue many times now, played for Hampshire also. Yes I know the conditions but what is important is to be in the moment, be in the present and adjust to the conditions on that particular day. Being the highest run-scorer doesn’t matter now. Whatever happened, that was past.”Related

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“I’ll be playing my natural game. Doesn’t bother me much, what my record is in England as long as I’m contributing to my team. For me, winning is more important – whether I score 100 or score less … Even if I score 30-40 runs, if those 30-40 runs are valuable, I’m happy. It’s all about the team, it’s all about contribution, so I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself.”India themselves haven’t had the best of times on their last two visits to Southampton. While Rahane was able to find his best at a challenging venue, they lost by 266 runs in 2014 and by 60 runs on their last visit, in 2018. A change of opposition and context – it will be a one-off match, after all – will make for a fresh approach though, Rahane said.”Opposition is different [so] our planning and strategy will be completely different. Playing against England here in Southampton, the plan was different. We just want to take this as just another game, we don’t want to put ourselves under pressure. Especially because we’re playing a Test after a long time now. I think what is important in this Test is playing with freedom, playing as a team and backing each other. That will really help us rather than thinking about the outcome after this Test match.”

Young Yorkshire bowler lost footing on damp ground while fielding, slid into concrete base of Western Terrace

Paul Edwards13-Jul-2021
Nobody who has lived through the past 18 months needs to be reminded that there are times when cricket doesn’t matter a damn. All the same, anyone at Headingley on the third afternoon of this Roses Match were reminded of that truth in the most brutal fashion when Yorkshire’s Dominic Leech suffered a horrific injury to his left leg when he lost his footing on damp ground and slid into the concrete base of the Western Terrace.Leech had been chasing round the boundary from long-on to deep midwicket to stop a four and had slapped the ball back into play when the accident occurred. The 20-year-old was immediately in agony and was attended by medical staff from both Lancashire and Yorkshire for 15 minutes before being taken from the stadium on a stretcher by paramedics and thence to hospital in the car of Yorkshire’s physio, Kunwar Bansil. At 2.35 the players left the ground to take an early tea and shortly afterwards a statement was issued saying areas of the playing surface had been deemed unfit and unsafe.As it turned out the umpires, Ian Gould and Nigel Llong, made two inspections before play was eventually abandoned at 4.25. During the time between Leech’s injury and the abandonment questions were raised as to why the umpires had deemed the ground fit for play to start at noon and why an injury beyond the boundary had prompted the decision that the playing area was unfit two hours after precisely the opposite judgement had been reached.But in a month when simplicity will become a dull watchword this was an example of one of cricket’s unavoidable complexities. Although rain had fallen for twelve hours with barely a break on Monday, Headingley was ready for a twelve o’clock start, only for the seam bowlers’ boots landing on the same spots in their run-ups to bring up water, especially in the area that lies in the shadow of Emerald Stand. To link Leech’s injury to the decision to come off the field is a good illustration of the problems encountered when one applies the principle of “post hoc, ergo propter hoc” too rigidly. Apparently Llong had already raised the issue of the footmarks with his colleague and the situation was being carefully monitored when the injury occurred.It was also significant that the judgement of the umpires was firmly supported by the both counties’ head coaches. Although delighted that his team are dominating this match – visiting teams do not get to 411 for 2 too frequently at Headingley – Lancashire’s Glen Chapple endorsed Gould and Llong’s judgement.”We had a lot of rain yesterday and we got here this morning and the ground was still wet,” he said. “The best I can give you is that maybe the heat has brought more moisture up and it’s gone from being just playable to not playable. It’s disappointing for the players and supporters but unfortunately the ground’s not fit at the moment.”The umpires are doing their job and it’s their call to make. None of us have been down the end that’s causing the problem and I fully trust the umpires to make the right call. The players and our supporters will be very disappointed but the main thing from all this is that you don’t want to see someone injured badly and we all hope he recovers quickly.”Related

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Like his Lancastrian counterpart Andrew Gale’s first thought was for Leech, who had received his second-team Yorkshire cap before yesterday’s play and whose bowling was being watched by his father and girlfriend. However he also understood the nuanced judgement that the umpires had had to make”You have to feel for the lad,” he said. “It’s the first game he’s played in the first team this year. But Dom’s a tough cookie – he’s from Middlesbrough – and he was in a lot of pain. It was sad to see. Hopefully he’ll be ok.”You have two of the most experienced umpires in the country, so whatever decision they make is what’s right by the game. They felt that as the day went on and there was more traffic on that side of the pitch and the run-ups, it was bringing water up. Umpires with their experience probably didn’t want a situation where someone like a Jimmy Anderson runs in and rolls his ankle. They didn’t think it was fit for play and fair play to Lancashire because they’re bossing the game and they seemed okay about it.”Yorkshire have encountered problems at the Emerald Stand End of Headingley before, most notably in April 2018 when the game against Essex was abandoned without a ball being bowled, and yesterday’s events will clearly stiffen the intention to get the problem solved. Shortly after the abandonment the Club issued a further statement which ended as follows:”Analysis of the outfield at that end has previously taken place and has identified issues with a layer of thatch that can cause a build-up of water on the surface following heavy rain-fall. The Club had originally planned to get the outfield re-laid prior to the 2021 season but unfortunately difficulties arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in this being delayed. The Club intend on completing this work at the end of this season.”All of which leaves us with the Roses Match, the details of which are rightly overshadowed on days such as this. But it should perhaps be noted that Luke Wells and Josh Bohannon extended their third-wicket partnership to 156 in the 23.2 overs we were allowed and that both batsmen looked in almost complete command. True, Bohannon was dropped on 11 by Harry Brook at first slip off Leech but he later slapped Jordan Thompson over cover for six and pulled the same bowler for four a few balls later, shots which not only took the Boltonian to his half-century but also raised the remote chance that Lancashire might pick up a fourth bonus point.As it was Lancashire had to settle for a score of 342 for 2 after 110 overs. It is the first time since the game in 2011 at Hove that Yorkshire have gained no bowling points from a match in which they had inserted the opposition and bowled their full ration of overs. If this gave Steve Patterson something to ponder, he soon had something else on his mind when Gould warned him for running on the pitch. By the end of the day, though, such cautions were as nothing when set against the health of a fine young cricketer.

Rotation in prospect as England seek to fine-tune squad options before ICC deadline

Matt Roller15-Jul-2021England are prepared to give opportunities to fringe players and tweak their usual plans in this week’s T20I series against Pakistan, which Eoin Morgan has said they are treating as their “last chance” to look at options ahead of October’s T20 World Cup.The ICC requires teams to submit a provisional squad for world events a month before the start of each tournament, which means this is England’s last T20I series before that deadline in mid-September. While they will have the chance to fine-tune in Bangladesh and Pakistan before the World Cup starts in the UAE in October, this is their final opportunity to test fringe players.England are without a handful of first-choice players in the series: Ben Stokes was rushed back from his finger injury to captain the makeshift ODI squad last week and has been given a short break ahead of the India Test series, and while Jofra Archer is due to travel to the Ageas Bowl with the Sussex squad on Friday, he is not expected to make his return from elbow surgery this week as things stand. Reece Topley remains injured, while seven of the group who entered self-isolation after the third Sri Lanka ODI are either recovering from the virus, rested, or not selected.”Not knowing what is ahead of ourselves, we need to look more into a little bit more into strength in depth,” Morgan said. “You’ll see us giving opportunities and going through various little options in the next three games for possible injury replacements for certain players within the group.”100 percent [there will be more rotation]. The priority throughout the series will be to give guys opportunities and treating it as though it is our last chance to look at guys in various positions. I still think the roles will be the same, but there will rotation throughout the squad.”That could mean opportunities for Saqib Mahmood with the new ball, and for Lewis Gregory as a specialist finisher or a seam-bowling allrounder, following their impressive showings in the ODI leg of Pakistan’s tour. Morgan was forced to watch that series on TV while in self-isolation but said that both players had furthered their chances for inclusion in the T20I side, and described England’s approach to the series as a “compliment” to the group that had won the 2019 World Cup.”They’ve done themselves the world of good, to be honest,” Morgan said. “The one thing you look at when guys come in and out is a marked improvement from the time they [first] get the opportunity to the time the next opportunity arrives. The two guys mentioned and [James Vince] were outstanding.Related

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“I think everybody within the group was extremely proud to watch them play like they did, simply because it’s the biggest compliment you can pay to anybody who played in the World Cup group, and the way we’ve played in the last five years has had such an impact on the game. Guys recognise that opportunities are few and far between but when they do come, the method that the team plays is starting to resonate with people around the country, which is great.”Over the last six years, with the amount of cricket we play, you don’t get to enjoy the cricket as much as you’d like. But sitting back and watching the guys [and] the way the guys played was hugely satisfying. They played an exciting brand of cricket, they really enjoyed themselves, and the result came with that. It was all-round hugely beneficial.”Morgan highlighted death bowling as an area for improvement last month, after admitting England had not been tested at the end of the innings during their 3-0 clean sweep against Sri Lanka, and that means there will be pressure on both Chris Jordan and Tom Curran to perform, not least after Morgan name-checked Tymal Mills as an alternative option for the World Cup last month.”I think everybody is going to get an opportunity to bowl at the death – probably not the spinners, but certainly the seamers,” Morgan said. “When you look at an area of improvement, you don’t always look at your best guys to do it when you’re trying to plan ahead. Everybody will have a chance… it’s an opportunity in these three games to look at guys under pressure.”As for Stokes, Morgan admitted that his injured finger “hasn’t come along as he and the medical team would have liked” and that he was missing the T20I series as a precaution.”He dug us out of a huge hole coming back early from his injury and I think leading the way he did is a huge compliment to the leader he is within our side, how mature he has been as a leader and now a captain,” he said. “We gave him every chance to be fit. He hasn’t played a lot of cricket and he’s had some R and R [rest and relaxation] at home and feels quite fresh. The finger hasn’t come along as he and the medical team would have liked, so it’s important it’s as good as it can be for the Test matches against India.”

After a poor start to the chase, Fakhar and Khushdil consolidated and Shadab and Nawaz provided the fireworks to take Pakistan home

Danyal Rasool19-Nov-2021Pakistan made it unnecessarily complicated for themselves, but their bowlers had done enough in the first half to ensure they held on for an exciting four-wicket win in the first T20I against Bangladesh in Dhaka. In a gritty, and sometimes ugly, contest where ball didn’t come on to bat much, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr and Shadab Khan stifled the Bangladesh batters, especially in the first ten overs, to keep them to a below-par 127. Bangladesh managed just three boundaries and seven sixes all innings, with Nurul Hasan and Mahedi Hasan providing a late boost to the innings.

Hasan reprimanded, Bangladesh fined

Hasan Ali has earned himself a reprimand and a demerit point – his first one – for his send-off to Nurul Hasan in the first T20I, while the Bangladesh players were fined 20% of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate (one short of the target) in the game.

It was the sort of target Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam tend to knock off with ease, but on these surfaces in front of a raucous home crowd, Bangladesh weren’t going to let go easily. Mustafizur Rahman found movement with the new ball and castled Rizwan with a beauty early, while an off-colour Babar chopped on to Taskin Ahmed. Haider Ali and Shoaib Malik, too, fell cheaply to put Bangladesh on top. So it was left to Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah to grind their way to keep Pakistan in touch with the asking rate, and for Shadab and Mohammad Nawaz to provide the fireworks at the end.Bangladesh off the boil
Coming off a World Cup where they disappointed, this was Bangladesh’s chance of a reset. But, instead of batting with abandon after winning the toss, they appeared to be playing within themselves, preferring caution to bravery as Pakistan’s bowlers applied the squeeze. It wasn’t until the sixth over that the first boundary was struck, and by the halfway stage, they had hobbled to 40 for 4. The lower-middle order led an impressive recovery and 87 off the final ten meant Pakistan had a chase on their hands.Taskin Ahmed sets off on a celebratory run after sending back Babar Azam•AFP/Getty Images

A poor finish for Pakistan
An odd statistical quirk of Pakistan’s generally spotless bowling performance was how each of the five bowlers had their figures spoilt somewhat by expensive final overs. The final overs of Nawaz, Shadab, Wasim, Hasan and Haris Rauf went for 15, 13, 12, 11 and 15 respectively. It meant five bowlers who had allowed just 61 in their first three overs collectively had leaked 66 in their fourths.Bowlers give Bangladesh a chance
All the good work the bowlers had done looked to have unravelled in a frenetic first ten overs of the Pakistan chase. The two-paced nature of the pitch had Babar checking many of his shots, while Mustafizur sent Rizwan packing early with a classical inswinger. Babar was fortunate not to fall a few balls earlier than he did, when a nick through to the keeper wasn’t reviewed. An untidy hoick by Haider saw him fall for a duck, but Shoaib Malik’s dismissal was the most unforgivable of all.One of the most experienced men in the game, Malik made the schoolboy error of strolling out of his crease while the ball was alive, and in the hands of Bangladesh keeper Nurul Hasan. He spotted Malik’s brainfade and had a shy at the stumps, catching the veteran out of his crease and reducing Pakistan to 24 for 4 in the powerplay.Fakhar, Khushdil heroics
When you think of Fakhar and Khushdil performing heroics for their side, you probably imagine them teeing off, blasting big runs. Instead, the two men who hit 34 each, got their runs at less than a run-a-ball, their combined 68 coming in 71 balls. The middle order had dug in after the early losses, ensuring the asking rate was within touch. They were aware Pakistan had the firepower to catch up at the death, so even when the two fell within three overs of each other, Shadab and Nawaz had an equation they could work with. The two allrounders will grab the headlines, but without the toil of Fakhar and Khushdil, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity.

According to Islamabad police, his name was removed from the FIR after the alleged victim retracted her earlier statement

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2022All charges against Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah, who was named in a case concerning the alleged rape of an underage girl, have been dropped. According to Islamabad police, Yasir’s name was removed from the First Information Report (FIR) after the alleged victim retracted her earlier statement.”The victim admitted that Yasir Shah’s name was included in the FIR due to misrepresentation,” a supplementary report from the Islamabad Shalimar police station, where the FIR was first lodged, said. “Yasir Shah has nothing to do with the alleged rape case.”The case against Yasir was registered by the girl’s aunt, who alleged that Yasir’s friend Farhanuddin had raped her niece at gunpoint, and that Yasir had threatened the girl’s aunt when she attempted to register a complaint against Farhanuddin. The case against the pair was registered on December 19 under Sections 292-B (child pornography) and 292-C (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code.Earlier this week Farhanuddin fled from the courthouse after his pre-arrest bail application was rejected by a district and sessions court.Shah, 35, has not made any public comment on the situation, while the PCB earlier said: “We have noted that some allegations have been levelled against one of our centrally contracted players. The PCB is presently gathering information at its end and will only offer a comment when in possession of complete facts.”

The wicketkeeper-batter was brought down from Diamond to Gold, and finally picked in Silver, following a PCB rejig of the player categories

Umar Farooq13-Dec-2021Kamran Akmal, the most-capped player in the history of the PSL as well as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer, has refused to take part in the next edition of the league after being picked in the draft in the lowest category of players by his old team Peshawar Zalmi. Calling it a “humiliation”, Akmal told ESPNcricinfo, “If it has to end like this, so be it, but I am not going to play”.The PCB had tweaked the player categories before the draft, and Akmal had been moved down from the Diamond category to the Gold category but was eventually picked up by Zalmi as their last pick, from the Silver category. Zalmi head coach Mohammad Akram is expected to meet Akmal today, but as far as the player is concerned, his decision won’t change.”If it has to end like this, so be it, but I am not going to play with such humiliation,” he said. “This is an embarrassment. You don’t treat a player like this. With all the runs I have scored in the league, I deserve better.”I agree that rejigging the categories wasn’t the franchises’ prerogative, it was Ramiz Raja [PCB chairman] who reworked the categories. But being picked in Silver was a further demotion.”After the draft on Sunday evening, Akram told mediapersons that he had spoken to Akmal and offered him the same remuneration as a Gold-category player would expect to be paid. “Kamran has always been the closest to our heart. He has not only served Pakistan well, but has entertained PSL fans for last six years,” Akram said. “I had spoken with him earlier, and informed him that if we pick him in the Silver category, we will still pay him same money as he would earn in the Gold category by making him the team’s mentor.”We have also announced a benefit year for him and a certain amount from our earning will go back into that. With age [Akmal is 39], things change and we have to be realistic. But on paper, he is still with the team and that is why we picked him.Related

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“He has been our key player and I hope I will be able to persuade him to play the season. But, at the end of the day, it’s their [the players’] choice, they are professionals and can play wherever they want.”The six franchises met in Lahore last evening to pick their squads for the seventh edition of the PSL, which will kick off on January 27 in Karachi. Each franchise had a chance to retain up to eight players, and Zalmi chose not to retain Akmal, the plan being to pick him from the draft instead. Wahab Riaz, the captain of the team, was retained, while Shoaib Malik was acquired from the Diamond category. The team has also brought in Mohammad Harris as an additional wicketkeeper.Akmal’s PSL record is impressive. He has 1820 runs from 69 games, the run tally second only to Babar Azam’s 2070 from 58 games. Akmal has scored his runs at a strike rate of 136.84 and is the only one to have scored three hundreds; Sharjeel Khan has two. A Zalmi player from the start of the competition in 2016, Akmal is also the leading wicketkeeper in the PSL with 60 dismissals to his name.

Titans beat Knights by an innings and 153 runs and North West lost to Boland by an innings and 20 runs in Division One fixtures

Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2022Some of South Africa’s Test-squad members had the opportunity to fine-tune their skills in the most recent round of four-day matches. Duanne Olivier, Lutho Sipamla, Wiaan Mulder, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Glenton Stuurman, Sarel Erwee and Simon Harmer all featured, while the other nine players, all regulars, were given the week off. South Africa will depart for a two-Test series in New Zealand, which was preceded by a ten-day quarantine, on Wednesday.The fixture with the largest number of internationals took place in Cape Town, where the table-topping Lions held on to their lead, and for a draw against Western Province. Olivier went wicketless in the first innings and Sipamla took 1 for 47, but Malusi Siboto’s 4 for 31 helped dismiss Western Province for 315. Rickelton held the Lions together after they had stumbled at 27 for 2, with 90, but the Lions conceded a deficit of 28 after being bowled out for 287. Left-arm spinner Kyle Simmonds took 6 for 109.Western Province went on to set the Lions a challenging target of 366 thanks largely to Jonathan Bird’s 152*. At one stage, their bowlers looked set to secure the Cape Town-based team their first win of the season, and Simmonds finished the match with ten wickets, but Rickelton’s unbeaten 102 kept Western Province at bay.With Aiden Markram given the week off, Rickelton, who is second on the overall run-scorers’ chart, may think he has done enough to at least make the national selectors reconsider their Test opening pair, but he faces competition from Erwee, who scored 93 for the Dolphins in their draw with the Warriors where Stuurman took 5 for 97. The Warriors are second on the log, less than half a point (0.48) behind the Lions, with one round of fixtures to be played in the first week of March.Then, the Warriors take on the Knights, who lost by an innings and 153 runs to the Titans.Heinrich Klaasen’s 84 and Sibonelo Makhanya’s 111 as well as four half-centuries in the Titans’ line-up saw them post 515 for 9 declared in Bloemfontein. The Knights were shot out for 197, with Harmer claiming 4 for 70, and then asked to follow-on, where they were bowled for 165. Harmer took eight wickets in the match and is now the leading bowler in the competition, with 35 wickets, seven ahead of Olivier.The final Division One clash was played between the two newcomers to the top tier, Boland and North West, and Boland won their first match of the competition to move to fifth place. Stiaan van Zyl’s 127 was sandwiched between the Malan brothers’ half-centuries and helped Boland declare on 485 for 7.North West were no match and were dismissed for 170 with left-arm spinner Siyabonga Mahima taking 6 for 54. They followed on and were bowled out for 295 in the second dig while Mahima finished with nine wickets. Pieter Malan and Janneman Malan have identical figures for the competition, having each scored 382 runs, with one century and two fifties. They average 76.40 but neither is in the Test squad.Division Two results

• Northern Cape lead the pack after an innings-and-271-run victory over Boland, who were dismissed for 86 and 168 respectively. Hundreds from Ernest Kemm and Aubrey Swanepoel allowed Northern Cape to declare on 525 for 5.
• South Western Districts are in the top half of the table after beating Limpopo by eight wickets. The match was finely poised when Limpopo scored 227 and South Western Districts responded with 245, to lead by 18 runs. But Limpopo fell away and were dismissed for 69 in their second innings, leaving South Western Districts 52 to win.
• Easterns dominated Mpumalanga and won by ten wickets in White River. Mpumalanga posted 224 before Grant Thomson’s 145 helped Easterns to 393. They bowled Mpumalanga out for 198 and needed just 30 for victory.

The visitors had slipped to 4 for 52 after Queensland had made quick runs

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff04-Mar-2022South Australia’s Jake Lehmann hit a defiant half century to put the brakes on Queensland’s hopes of an unlikely Sheffield Shield win at the Gabba.With one day’s play remaining in the rain-marred contest, South Australia were 5 for 185 in reply to the home side’s 8 for 305.With four sessions lost to Brisbane’s big wet, a result for either side seemed unlikely at the start of the day. However, Queensland hit the accelerator to be able to declare before lunch having resumed at 4 for 158.In reply, South Australia then faced the danger of being forced to follow-on when struggling at 4 for 52 only for Lehmann to launch a counter-attack and end the day unbeaten on 76.With the new ball losing its shine, Lehmann played his shots wherever possible, hitting eight boundaries in a 143-ball innings. Lehmann enjoyed strong support from Daniel Drew (37) as the pair shared a 103-run stand for the fifth wicket.Queensland’s seam attack enjoyed success, making the perfect start with new captain Henry Hunt caught in the slips first ball off the bowling of Gurinder Sandhu.Opener Jake Weatherald and No. 3 Jake Carder briefly revived the visitors’ hopes only for the Redbacks to lose 3 for 6. Carder was brilliantly caught in the gully, one-handed above the head by Street.Earlier in the day, Queensland skipper Jimmy Peirson cracked a hard-hitting 65 off just 45 deliveries to allow the declaration and take the game away from South AustraliaRookie Jack Clayton looked on track to repeat his century on debut a fortnight ago only to be sharply caught and bowled by Nathan McSweeney as he looked for quick runs.

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.