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 Bangladesh allrounder has had issues with head positioning since an eye condition surfaced last year

Mohammad Isam23-Sep-2024Shakib Al Hasan was seen biting down on a black strap, which was wrapped around his neck, while batting in the Chennai Test. Why? Well it’s all part of his bid to have the correct head position while batting.According to his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin and BCB’s chief physician Dr Debashish Chowdhury, Shakib devised this mechanism himself in order to keep his head from falling over when playing the ball. He had previously worn a neck brace to correct his head position while batting.The head-positioning problems were triggered by an eye condition, which surfaced last year. Ophthalmologists in Chennai, London, Dhaka and Singapore concluded that Shakib has Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSC), a condition in which fluid builds up under the retina, which can distort vision. Subsequently, he needed to work on positioning his head in a way that ensured optimal sighting of the ball, but without his head falling over so much that it hampered his technique. He has put in many hours of work on this since then.”He has come up with this strap. It is completely his idea. It has not come from us. He is working on a way to hold his head position while batting,” Dr Chowdhury told ESPNcricinfo. “He was trying to manage this with a neck brace previously, so this strap thing is also in a trial-and-error phase. He has tried it in the nets. He has done a lot of shadows [shadow batting practice] with it too.”Bangladesh batting coach David Hemp concurred, saying he has seen Shakib work with the strap in the nets. “It is something that Shakib has been using during practice at various times over the last few months,” Hemp said. “He is very comfortable using the strap and feels that it assists his head position.”Related

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During an interview shoot in May this year, Shakib was seen constantly doing shadow practice in his stance. That was an effort to find out exactly which head position works best for him with the prevailing eye condition. ESPNcricinfo understands that Shakib has seen his eye specialist this past week in Chennai, who told him that his eye is improving.”We all have one dominant eye, so when that is giving him trouble viewing the ball, then it can be problematic,” Salahuddin, whom Shakib speaks to frequently about his cricketing skills, said.When Salahuddin saw Shakib biting down on the rubber strap, he was pleased that he was trying a new method to correct his head position.”I think it is good for him. I didn’t tell him to do this. He came up with the idea, he was telling me last night on the phone. He ties it up around his neck, and biting down on it allows him to keep his neck and head steady. When the head and neck move, the eyes also move, which is not ideal for a batter.”Shakib Al Hasan has previously used a neck brace to work on his head position•ICC/Getty Images

Dr Chowdhury said that Shakib is the only one who can tell if this latest experiment is working for him. “It is personal thing from him. He will understand if it is working for him or not. I think as long as it doesn’t cause a health hazard, it’s fine.”Shakib’s eye condition forced him to miss some matches during this year’s BPL, as well as Bangladesh’s white-ball matches against Sri Lanka. He returned to international cricket in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Chattogram this year, after which he played in the T20Is against Zimbabwe and USA and the 2024 T20 World Cup. He was pivotal in Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series win against Pakistan earlier this month. He also played in a County Championship match for Surrey against Somerset.During the Chennai Test however, Shakib didn’t have a huge impact with the bat and conceded over six an over in the 21 overs he bowled, with questions particularly floating around about a finger issue. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said that he felt he didn’t need to use Shakib in the first innings “seeing how the three pace bowlers were doing”, but backed the veteran allrounder when a question was asked at the post-match press conference about Shakib’s spot in the team.”I look at how much hard work a player is putting into his game,” Shanto said. “Whether he is struggling enough to make a comeback. What is their intention towards their team. How much he is willing to give to the team.”Some people might think that I am saying it because the question is about Shakib . I try to look at everyone in the same way, whether it is Nahid Rana to Mushfiq[ur] . More than whether he is scoring runs or not, I look at how is his preparation. What is his thinking about the team. I am happy with the way that every member of this Test squad has prepared and has been willing to give to the team.”On Monday, Bangladesh selector Hannan Sarkar said Shakib’s finger trouble only cropped up “after he started to bowl” in Chennai, but admitted they will have to wait and watch to see if he’s fit for Kanpur.”We still have time to think about Shakib ahead of our next game. We will observe him. He was 100% fit before the Chennai Test,” Sarkar said. “We have heard lots of discussions about Shakib’s finger [and why he did not bowl a lot in Chennai]. You can’t call it an injury straightaway. He didn’t feel the problem before the match. He felt it after he started to bowl. He also got hit in the same place later in the game. That has caused some pain.”We have time to think about it. Shakib could even play as a batter [in Kanpur]. If he feels it is affecting both his batting and bowling though, it will be a different scenario.”

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.”

“I fully went for the bluff,” England quick says of his hat-trick ball to Tim Southee, trapping him lbw

Vithushan Ehantharajah07-Dec-2024Gus Atkinson says he is “greedy” for more milestones after taking England’s 15th Test hat-trick to leave New Zealand reeling on day two of the second Test at the Basin Reserve.Atkinson became the 14th Englishman to take a Test hat-trick – Stuart Broad has two – and the first since Moeen Ali against South Africa in 2017. He is also the 50th man or woman to achieve the feat.Nathan Smith was bowled off the bat while trying to leave, Matt Henry was caught at gully fending a bouncer before Tim Southee was trapped plumb in front, which finished New Zealand’s innings on 125, 155 behind England’s 280. That lead is now a mammoth 533, with the tourists closing day two in Wellington on 378 for 5 in their first innings.Related

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Saturday’s exploits, which has England in the driving seat for a series-clinching win, joins a growing list of remarkable achievements Atkinson has ticked off in his short Test career to date.Gus Atkinson spreads his arms after pinning Tim Southee for his hat-trick•Getty Images

He took 12 wickets on debut at Lord’s against West Indies in July, in James Anderson’s final Test, with 7 for 45 and 5 for 61. He then returned to the Home of Cricket to take another 5 for 62 and score a maiden Test century against Sri Lanka.Atkinson, whose only other hat-trick came at school in 2016 while playing for Bradfield College against Radley College, was buoyed by the achievement but says he is hungry for more memorable moments in an England shirt.”You always want to get more and be greedy,” said Atkinson at the close of play. “You want to take as many as you can and that’s something I want to try and do in the future.”It was great. It’s not something as a bowler you think about. you think about five-fors and ten-fors, those sort of things.”Obviously it’s been a great year for me personally and hopefully I can get a few more milestone and help the team.”Atkinson had a chance for a hat-trick on debut when he removed Alick Athanaze and Jason Holder in successive deliveries in the first innings. Joshua Da Silva kept out the hat-trick ball, before the West Indies’ keeper-batter was snared the very next delivery via an inside edge.This time, Atkinson’s third delivery in the set was carefully planned. With Southee on strike, England set a field for the short-ball, a nod to the his penchant for a big shot, regardless of the occasion. Atkinson, however, went full, striking the pad and wheeling away celebrating as the umpire raised his finger.”I fully went for the bluff,” said Atkinson. “He [Southee] is someone who, even on a hat-trick ball, he might take it on. That was the feeling: even though it’s a hat-trick ball he might take this on.”I was thinking about bowling a yorker, getting it full and straight. I missed a bit but thankfully it still ended up straight and relatively full when it hit him on the pad.”Atkinson currently boasts 47 wickets at an average of 21.31 in the format, with an innings remaining in his 10th Test. Though he had played 12 while-ball internationals ahead of his Test bow, he credits Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum for giving him room to thrive, and for taking a punt on him in the first place. At the time of his selection, he had played just 19 first-class matches for Surrey, taking 59 wickets at 27.38.Both Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett missed their hundreds•Getty Images

The 26-year-old is one of a number of such punts selectors have made in the last nine months, the latest being Jacob Bethell, who fell four runs short of what would have been his first century in professional cricket. Bethell’s 96 – a new first-class best – follows his maiden 50 from 37 deliveries that took England over the line against New Zealand last week at Hagley Oval. Atkinson credits the environment curated that has allowed the Warwickshire batter to thrive at the age of 21.”It was great viewing,” said Atkinson of Bethell’s innings, which came in a 187-run stand with Ben Duckett, who also fell short of a century with 92.”Both played exceptionally well and it’s a shame neither of them got to a hundred but I’m sure Beth will take a lot of confidence from that. He’ll have more chances in the future.”There’s no pressure on any of us. It’s just to go out and play our natural game. I probably didn’t have the stats for Test cricket before I played. I know Beth hasn’t scored a first-class hundred or anything, but the way he bats and the way he’s played in the ODI and T20 series as well just shows how much of a quality player he is. The way he plays fast bowling and spin also, he’s just a class player all-round.”I just think the environment of no pressure and go and play your own game, and don’t worry too much about the outcome, has helped myself and I’m sure it’s helped the others as well.”

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

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“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.”

Konstas later brushed the incident aside, but Ricky Ponting said on commentary that Kohli “instigated that confrontation”

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Dec-2024Virat Kohli has been fined 20% of his match fees and awarded one demerit point for his altercation with Australia’s 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas during the fourth Test at the MCG. The incident occurred after the tenth over of the morning session, when Kohli and Konstas bumped shoulders while moving across the pitch between overs.Both players exchanged words after the contact before Konstas’ opening partner Usman Khawaja and umpire Michael Gough interrupted to cut the altercation short.Kohli was sanctioned for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct that relates to “inappropriate physical contact with a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other person (including a spectator during an International Match”. No formal hearing was required as Kohli accepted the sanctions.Replays that emerged later in the session showed Konstas had turned around from the crease after the last ball of the tenth over, and was walking towards the other end while looking at his gloves, whereas Kohli – while tossing the ball in his hand – was looking ahead and went from outside the pitch towards Konstas and bumped into him.”I think the emotions got to both of us,” Konstas later told in the second session. “I didn’t quite realise; I was doing my gloves, then [there was] a little shoulder charge. But it happens in cricket.”