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India spinner talks about his recovery from a serious knee injury last August that eventually needed surgery

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2023Ravindra Jadeja “hadn’t felt the sun for about five months” during his long recovery from a knee injury and surgery that had sidelined him since August last year, a period that he said was “tough” and “frustrating”.Jadeja returned to action just in time for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia, which begins on February 9 in Nagpur, successfully testing his fitness in a Ranji Trophy game for Saurashtra. He bowled 41.1 overs against Tamil Nadu and took eight wickets, including a seven-for, and made scores of 15 and 25.”When I went to the ground on the first day, it felt weird,” Jadeja told BCCI.tv. “I hadn’t felt the sun for about five months because I was training indoors and in the gym. I wondered if my body would sustain 90 overs out in the sun on the first day.Related

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“The first day was very tough, especially in the Chennai heat. But my body got used to it eventually on day 2 and 3. Then I felt that I was fit, and I could play four-day or five-day cricket. That game went well, and I picked up wickets, too. A player needs such confidence ahead of a big series, and luckily I got that. I feel good about coming back after preparation, and touchwood, whatever happens hereon will be good.”Jadeja injured his right knee during the Asia Cup last August, and said he had to take a decision on when to have surgery.”I was struggling with my knees and had to get a surgery done. I had to take a decision whether I had to do it before the [T20] World Cup or after the World Cup,” he said. “The doctor suggested I get it done before the World Cup because even if I had not got it operated, chances of me playing in the World Cup was very less. So I made up my mind and went under the knife.”

Jadeja: ‘The two months after injury was very tough’

Jadeja had surgery in early September, and said his recovery period was “a bit up and down,” as he missed the T20 World Cup and all of India’s subsequent fixtures.”It is frustrating to be away from cricket for five months, and I was waiting eagerly to get fit and play for India,” he said. “The period after surgery was tough – I had to undergo a lengthy rehab and training. There were thoughts about when I will get fit.”When you watch matches on TV, I was imagining myself there and realising what I was missing and wished I was there. Those things, though, motivate you to get fit quicker by undergoing rehab and training, strengthen my knees and make a comeback.”Jadeja spent a lot of time at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where he underwent most of his rehab. “The physios and trainers at NCA worked a lot on my knees, and gave me enough time. NCA used to be shut on Sundays but they used to come down for me and especially help me out.”I used to shuttle between the NCA [Bengaluru] and home [Rajkot] every two-three weeks to keep my mind fresh and help me recover soon. But the two months after injury was very tough, because I was unable to walk and neither could go anywhere. My friends and family helped me in that critical phase.”In fact, the trainers at NCA also boosted my confidence. Whenever I used to complain about the pain and put it off, they used to tell me, ‘Do it for the country, not for you’. I felt good that they were very serious about my knee and wanted me to get back on the field soon.”Jadeja is now poised to made his comeback for India in the first Test against Australia, where he could line up alongside R Ashwin and Axar Patel if India choose to play three spinners in Nagpur.

The infrequency of India-Pakistan games, however, makes it a fascinating contest

Sidharth Monga27-Aug-20228:40

Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh Pant? Cheteshwar Pujara has his say

Big picture

Every time there is an Asia Cup around, its relevance is brought into question. Is it not enough that it brings together India and Pakistan for an actual game of cricket outside the World Cup and Champions Trophy? This edition has the potential of as many as three matches between them. It is not the case but even if the rest of the tournament is a facade to just find a way to have these teams play, it is worth it.

Watch live on ESPN+

If you are in the USA, you can watch the India-Pakistan game live on ESPN+, both in English and Hindi.

Since their last bilateral engagement in the first week of 2013, the two sides have faced each other only 12 times, four of them in the Asia Cup. Among Full Members, they have played only Afghanistan and Ireland less frequently in this period.To have them play frequently is important because the more India and Pakistan play each other, the less jingoistic the fans’ reaction becomes, the less the chances of a repeat of what Mohammed Shami had to face the last time these two teams played.Among the players themselves, distance has made their hearts grow fonder. Just look at the concern India’s players have for the fitness of Shaheen Shah Afridi, their wrecker the last time they played, in the video that has gone viral.Related

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Since that match, India have shed a lot of their inhibition with the bat. Pakistan have shed some ageing batters, but they are still anchor-heavy, which works only in great bowling units. And their bowling is not the same as the last time around. Apart from Afridi not being there, Imad Wasim is missing, and Hasan Ali is back at the last minute only because Mohammad Wasim got injured. That points to the ordinary form of Hasan.India, too, will be missing Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel, but they still look more settled coming into the Asia Cup. They are tactically much more switched on than they were earlier. However, come match day in T20 cricket, these things can all be blown out of the park. Especially when you play each other as infrequently as these teams do.

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWWW2:51

A brief history of India vs Pakistan at the Asia Cup

In the spotlight

Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. We don’t yet know if they are peas from the same pod but the spotlight is sure to follow them wherever they go. Kohli has bought into the team philosophy of taking more risks even though he has himself not been getting the runs. Forget the external noise, it can be silenced, but is the trust the team is putting in him despite an extended dry run now becoming a bit of pressure?Babar continues to be the run machine but does he trust the batters after him sufficiently to play a more enterprising game? It will be in sharp focus now that their bowling attack doesn’t look as strong as it did last year. Especially if Pakistan are sent in to bat first at a chase-friendly venue.

Team news

It is incredible that India could be going into the match with the same top seven as last year but still hold a completely different outlook and threat. It is not likely that they take a player of Kohli’s stature into the squad and then make him sit. That leaves Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik for one slot. Pant is a more all-round batter and is the only left-hand batter in the top six; Karthik is a specialist finisher. Tough choice.The bowling is not at full strength with only Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal as the certainties. Arshdeep Singh, the only left-arm quick in contention for the World Cup, should get in. The final spot will likely be decided between Avesh Khan and R Ashwin.India (probable): 1 KL Rahul 2 Rohit Sharma (capt) 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Hardik Pandya, 6 Rishabh Pant/Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 R Ashwin/Avesh Khan, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Arshdeep SinghPakistan’s top seven is more or less settled, leaving some debate over the bowlers. With Shadab Khan being the vice-captain, it is unlikely they will be going for two wristspinners, so Mohammad Nawaz is likely to pip Usman Qadir. With Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah providing high pace, they could pick the control of Shahnawaz Dahani over Mohammad Hasnain.Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Asif Ali, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Khushdil Shah, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz/Usman Qadir, 9 Shahnawaz Dahani/Mohammad Hasnain, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Naseem Shah

Pitch and conditions

The World Cup last year and all the IPLs in the UAE, where matches began at 6pm, are a clear indicator that Dubai tilts the scales heavily in favour of the chasing side. There is some tackiness early on, and there is dew to contend with for only one side, as opposed to both teams in case of late starts.Other than that, keep an eye out for the oppressive heat. Even during the night, the temperatures are expected to hover around 35°C.

Stats and trivia

• India lead Pakistan 8-5 on head-to-head in the Asia Cup, both formats put together. They are on a three-match winning streak.
• This will be Kohli’s 100th T20I, making him only the second player after Ross Taylor to play 100 international games in all three formats.

Quotes

“When there is an opportunity to try different combinations, we will try. Along the way, if we make mistakes or face difficulties, we’re okay with that. We have spoken about it as a group, and there is nothing to fear.”
“Honestly, that [last World Cup] game is a thing of the past now. It won’t have an impact on Sunday’s match. I am completely focused on tomorrow’s game. The teams are kind of different, the conditions are different. Although as a side we are confident, we won’t talk big ahead of the game. We wish to prove it on the field.”

Opener’s 136 single-handedly holds Notts together for first win of Blast

David Hopps13-Jun-2021If you are England, then you habitually look away now. But perhaps the time has come when you shouldn’t. Joe Clarke, who has been easy to ignore since his career went off the rails, played one of the finest T20 innings ever produced in England, an innings so mellow in its destruction that birds might have fallen from the sky, or traffic outside the Northampton ground come to a halt in supplication.Clarke’s 136 from 65 balls, with 11 sixes and six fours, was the eighth-highest T20 score in England and the best by a Notts batter. His 11 sixes have only been surpassed by three players – Graham Napier and Cameron Delport, both for Essex, and Chris Gayle for Somerset. Gayle might have possessed more awe, but surely none of them played with Clarke’s sweetness of touch. In this sort of form, very few do: he is the best England-qualified batter without an international cap in the country.He single-handedly took hold of Notts’ stuttering start to the Blast and guided it into winning territory at the third time of asking. Northants’ innings was the undercard, but they can feel good about getting within 14 runs.They retained slight hopes of chasing down Notts’ 214 for 7 with 87 needed off the last seven overs, and Josh Cobb on 55 from 24 balls, and going long at every opportunity, but then Cobb yanked a hamstring, the offspinner Matt Carter, who was excellent throughout, reasserted control, and from then on it was just a matter of how close they could get.It is worth reminding ourselves after Clarke’s gentle demolition of Northants’ attack that there is not one England batter who is but two. Alex Hales, he of the Johnny Ringo moustache, is the sharpshooter who will probably never escape those “Wanted: Alive or Dead” posters, and appeals for clemency are regularly lodged on his behalf. But Clarke, too, was once England’s golden child, only for his magical adventure to turn into the Golden Child, Eddie Murphy style, a mess of a film which ranks at 22% on Rotten Tomatoes.He does not make light of his mistakes, as he made clear in a revealing interview in ESPNcricinfo last year, and he saw a psychologist last summer to help him further understand that phase of his life and how to respond to it. More pertinent for his batting career, though, might have been a discussion with Peter Moores, Notts’ coach, who told him he was sort of a messed-up version of Marnus Labuschagne.By his own admission, he has missed out on a couple of Championship hundreds that were in the offing this summer, but If the ego of a talented youngster has finally given way to the substance that is found in true quality, then the runs may be about to flow. And England are not exactly drowning in that commodity, not in Test cricket at least. Forgiveness is given most readily to those who are most needed – that’s just the desperate way of the world.Cold statistics illustrate how much Clarke dominated Notts’ innings. His 136 came off 65 balls at a strike rate of 209. The rest of Notts’ batting line-up managed 67 off 57 at a strike rate of 117. Clarke hit 11 sixes; the rest mustered only two more. It was a supreme one-man show.From the second ball, it felt as if he meant business as the left-arm spinner Graeme White was treated to the gentlest of inside-out blows over extra cover, a shot played as if he was carrying out an MOT on his timing. Dropped on 29, he exacted mean punishment. White and the swing (non-existent on this occasion) of Ben Sanderson were most harshly dealt with, with Sanderson conceding three sixes in succession in the 16th over.The first of these blows left Sanderson with hands on hips, as he exchanged a few words of despair with the non-striker, Steven Mullaney. A shimmy across his stumps, followed by the laziest six over midwicket, left Sanderson with hands on knees. The next ball, with the bowler by then disorientated, was a full toss which was deposited over long-on. By then Sanderson didn’t know where to put his hands – or put the ball.Only the South African Wayne Parnell, the one bowler of international quality, escaped punishment – or sixes – and, suitably, he almost pulled off a return catch, on 125, although he was probably just grateful he escaped with his hand intact. He was also caught off Brandon Glover’s waist-high no-ball on 127, a second blemish which saw Glover removed from the attack. He fell in the last over, a nine iron down the ground against Tom Taylor.The rest of Notts’ much-vaunted batting line-up failed to fire, although Peter Trego, promoted up to No. 3 in the absence of Ben Duckett, who did not travel to Northampton as a Covid precaution, did share in an 82-run stand before he became one of a succession of batsman to slog to deep midwicket.Clarke marked his hundred with a beating of his chest – although he did not appear to follow up with some appropriate verses from St Luke about requesting God to be merciful because he was a sinner. It is time for England to be merciful though and to contact him to state, in the clearest terms, that runs are now all that matter.

His ban is related to the investigation into the corrupt approach to Graeme Cremer in October 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Mar-2019A former director of Zimbabwe Cricket, Enock Ikope, has been banned from all cricket for ten years by the ICC, for breaching three counts of the Anti-Corruption Code.Ikope’s ban is related to the Anti-Corruption Unit’s investigation into the corrupt approach made in October 2017 to former captain Graeme Cremer by Rajan Nayer, a domestic cricket official in Zimbabwe. The ACU had established information during the investigation, which gave them reasonable grounds to suspect Ikope may have engaged in corrupt conduct as described in the Code.Nayer, who was handed a 20-year ban from all cricket-related activities last year, had been the treasurer and marketing director of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA). Ikope, the ICC said, was bound by the Code and was required to fully cooperate with the investigations in his capacity as chairman of the HMCA and director of ZC.Ikope was charged with:

• Failure or refusal to cooperate with the ACU’s investigation by failing to provide accurately and completely the information and/or documentation requested by the ACU in January 2018. This included refusing to hand over his mobile phone and documents demanded by the ACU.
• Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code in January and February 2018. This included further failures and delays in handing over his mobile phone and documents demanded by the ACU, while the breach in February arose as a result of deletion of data from his mobile phone before handing it over to the ACU.

Ikope was banned by the Tribunal for five years in respect of each breach. The Tribunal ordered the first two of the five-year periods of ineligibility to run concurrently, with the penalty for the third breach of Article 2.4.7 to run consecutively, resulting in a total ban of 10 years.”We welcome this decision and the substantial sanction imposed on Mr Ikope which reflects the gravity of the offences,” Alex Marshall, the ICC General Manager ACU said. “Non-cooperation and obstruction of our investigations by participants to the Code are simply not acceptable and I hope this and other recent sanctions sends out a clear message to anyone involved in the sport.”Once again we must thank an international captain, Graeme Cremer, for his absolute professionalism in recognizing the initial approach by Mr Nayer, rejecting and then reporting it. We are thankful to him and to Zimbabwe Cricket for all the help during the investigations”.

The Australia spinner did not contest the charge and is believed to have contacted AB de Villiers to apologise for his conduct

Daniel Brettig in Durban05-Mar-2018Nathan Lyon has been fined 15% of his match fee by the ICC for dropping the ball near AB de Villiers after the South Africa batsman was run out on day four of the Durban Test.After the incident was reviewed by the match referee Jeff Crowe, Lyon was charged with conduct contrary to the spirit of cricket, a level one offence.He was found to have breached Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”.In addition, Lyon has had one demerit point added to his disciplinary record, a first offence for the player since the introduction of the revised Code in September 2016. If a player accrues four demerit points within 24 months, he receives a one-Test or two-limited-over game ban.Lyon is believed to have contacted de Villiers overnight to apologise. He had also accepted the charge and no hearing was required.The ICC decided, however, that no action would be taken following a confrontation between David Warner and Quinton de Kock during the tea break on day four.Adam Gilchrist, the former Australian wicketkeeper and captain, said the team would need to reassess how they reacted to such incidents.”As an outside observer, I think you would find that a little bit off-putting at times, a little bit bad taste at times,” Gilchrist told . “And the question may even come over all those eras as a general statement. Australian teams have generally been at the top of the pile, not every minute of those times, but generally they’re a very competitive, world class team,and some would say they don’t need to do that.”Why do you need to present that somewhat ugly look if you’re playing such good cricket? And they’re not good images and it’s hard to know, to comment specificially about this incident overnight, and any other time, unless you’re there and know the ins and outs of what was said and what sparked it and the verbal volleys that would have been thrown around.”Very hard to comment on the detail of it but no denying that some of the parts of the celebration of the run-out of de Villiers and then obviously this incident that I’m sure you’re getting to, of this leaked dressing room footage, it’s not a very good look. I think it needs to be considered how to react in certain scenarios and learn from the scenarios.”Speaking about Warner, Gilchrist said the Australian vice-captain was not projecting the image of a leader. “I think with Davey…there is no one denying his capabilities with the bat in hand. It’s funny…he came into cricket and had his natural aggression mindset both with bat in hand and in the field,” Gilchrist said. “He used to pride himself being the guy that got into the verbal stoushes and was a leader of the aggressive mindset. But he then went the other way and he was very, very outright in saying ‘I’ve put that away, that’s not me any more’.”It was really extreme the opposite way, and now he’s come back again saying ‘old Davey’s back’ and all his team-mates are saying ‘the Reverend’s gone, Bull’s back’. It’s always a worry in any situation when someone is so extreme on one direction or the other. I think Davey’s got to find somewhere in between that. He does pride himself in being a leader of the team, he did that very well in the T20s [against New Zealand and England recently] as captain but what we’ve seen in the last 24 hours probably isn’t the images that you want your captain projecting.”

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has promised that his team will receive another “stern talking-to”, after confirming that Jonny Bairstow was involved in an altercation with Australia’s opening batsman, Cameron Bancroft

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Nov-20171:01

Bancroft incident is blown out of proportion – Bairstow

Trevor Bayliss, England’s head coach, has promised that his team will receive another “stern talking-to”, following the incident where Jonny Bairstow headbutted Australia’s opening batsman, Cameron Bancroft, on the first night of England’s Ashes tour.Speaking in the wake of England’s ten-wicket defeat in the first Test at Brisbane, Bayliss admitted his disappointment that another England player had become involved in an off-field issue so soon after Ben Stokes’ arrest in Bristol, but reiterated the team’s stance that there had been ‘no malice’ involved in the incident and that it had been ‘blown out of all proportion’.Bayliss confirmed that the incident had occurred on the first night of England’s tour back in October, when the team touched in Perth. There were no curfews imposed that night, and though Bairstow was one of the England players who received a fine for their part in the events leading up to the Bristol incident, Bayliss insisted that no disciplinary action was anticipated on this occasion.”It doesn’t reflect well on the image of the team, that’s for sure,” Bayliss told BBC’s Test Match Special. “It’s something we are working towards, but to say there’s a drinking culture and a big problem, that’s far off the mark.”These guys don’t drink any more or less than any cricket team I’ve ever been involved with or seen. And they are adults as well; a lot of it has got to stem back to them, how they react and hold themselves. When they are on the drink, or after the game, that’s up to them.”Speaking after the first Test had finished, England captain Joe Root said too much had been made of the situation. “The story over Jonny – I think a mountain’s been made out of a molehill as far as that’s concerned, we’ve just got to move on and concentrate on our cricket as a squad.”Bairstow addressed the media with a brief statement after play, not taking any questions. “Personally I think it’s been blown completely out of proportion. That night we were allowed out, there weren’t any curfews, and I caught up with one of my friends and some of the Western Australian guys after they’d beaten Tasmania at the WACA.”We were just in the bar having a good laugh, it was very enjoyable, Cameron and I enjoyed the evening and continued to do so. There was no intent, no malice about anything during the evening. As you could see today there was no animosity between myself, Cameron or any of the other Australian players. Hopefully we can wipe this under the table and continue what will be an exciting series.”The incident is understood to have picked up via the stump microphones when Bairstow came out to bat during the Brisbane Test, with Bancroft now a member of Australia’s Test team having been playing for Western Australia at the time.”It’s been the way of the world for the last number of years and that’s not going to change,” Bayliss said of the tendency for on-field comments to be overheard by the stump mics. “We’ve just got to make better decisions.”It was a chance for the Australian team to get stuck in and make people feel uncomfortable and that’s their prerogative,” he added. “That’s Ashes cricket and it’s what we’ve got to deal with, which is why these types of small instances we can’t put up with.”It’s disappointing that something like this comes up a few weeks after Bristol. Will be another stern talking to tonight. We’ve got to be very careful not to get ourselves in those situations.”

Will Gidman was left stranded on 99 not out but he and Matt Coles ensured Kent picked up the fifth batting bonus point they desperately wanted

David Hopps at Hove01-Sep-2016
ScorecardWill Gidman was left stranded on 99 not out (file photo)•PA Photos

This was a bonus point that mattered. There really are such things. Will Gidman knew it. It had been his sole objective for five hours. On the dressing room balcony, Kent’s players could think of little else. While some spectators gazed upon a Hove ground clad in sunshine, and indulged in the bittersweet regret of the first day of September, the professionals were doing sums. Essex were too far ahead at the top of Division Two already. Not a point could be wasted.A lap of the Hove ground on a gorgeous afternoon. Kent’s prospects of achieving 400 had looked meagre when they closed the first day at 211 for 5, 15 wickets lost in all, seam bowlers in command. But Gidman and Darren Stevens had batted through the morning unscathed and, although Stevens’ poles had gone walkabout to the first delivery with the second new ball from Steve Magoffin, Sussex’s angular metronome, Kent were 38 short with 10 overs left and seven down.From the darkest recesses of a dark bar, a barman with no view of the game waved to attract attention. Just hoping he might sell a lager. He would not see Matt Coles, a muscular smiter, nodding anxiously at Gidman and promising that Conscientious was his middle name.Only four runs added from two overs. Fielders repeatedly hit. On the balcony, Daniel Bell-Drummond fiddled with his sunglasses and looked unperturbed. The hotchpotch of stands were well populated. Kent had drawn the biggest Championship crowd of the season. They watched patiently, mixing cricket talk with family worries. “Good stop… Nell’s out of hospital.” An elderly man dropped his scorecard and winced slightly as he picked it up. A snatch of an REM song – “Will you live to 83, will you ever welcome me?” – briefly came to mind.

I should have had a whack – Gidman

Will Gidman: “It was a bit unfortunate not to get to a hundred. Mitch Claydon did his best and I should probably have had a whack earlier on to be honest, but I was pleased with the innings. It would have been nice to get over the line but it wasn’t to be.

Hove is a wonderful ground to watch square of the wicket even for those who prefer to sit behind the arm. There are beaches which shelve less fiercely than the rush of the ground towards the sea end. The tilt of the ground adds an extra dimension, especially when the pitch is near the edge of the square. A fast bowler dashing down the slope can be a terrifying prospect. Ajmal Shahzad is not terrifying but Gidman ignored his bouncer all the same with two men back. Coles stole a boundary off Ollie Robinson, a bowler with an air of breeding, but forced to do the hard yards uphill.A light plane passed overheard, glinting in cloudless skies, drowning the distant clamour of the gulls. Henry Hawk, a kite brought from Devon, to try to keep the seagulls at bay, swayed gently by the side of the south-west stand. The scorecard showed the balls gradually being whittled away. A man in the Players Club rose from his seat, in search of a coffee or a comfort break. Another suddenly grabbed his binoculars and looked on intently – the focus of his interest hard to know.Still 28 needed from six. Wickets now could scotch the plan. “Danny Briggs,” announced the Sussex scorer, Mike Charman, sitting in for the regular PA announcer with aplomb. Few spinners possess such gentle rhythms, but Briggs’ switch from Hampshire has been a challenging one. The pitches rarely turn, certainly not for Briggs, and the boundaries are short. His bowling in four-day cricket is the epitome of niceness, with all the negatives the word can convey. Coles missed a sweep and settled for a maiden. Briggs knew he was not going to settle for another one.From a marquee at the Sea End, Martin Corry, a former back row forward for Leicester and England, gathered pace in a speech for the Wooden Spoon charity. Kent sought to gather pace with him. Laughter burst from the marquee: the speech was going well. Gidman edged Shahzad at catchable height wide of first slip. Kent, 22 needed from four, were not quite as confident.In the Life Members stand above the media box, a man in a Joyce replica shirt fiddled with his shoelaces. Across the ground, spectators had set their deckchairs upright. It was here, about 25 years ago, where I had hoped to introduce myself to the ‘s football correspondent, David Lacey, only for him to doze, deckchair on the lowest setting, through the entire afternoon session with that morning’s paper on his lap.Briggs bowling to Coles might have been a mix-up of Olympic sports: the grace of a gymnast met by the primal threat of a wrestler. Coles finally opened his shoulders and heaved him to long-on, where he was caught to cheers – but only by a spectator 10 rows back. A four followed, slogged flatter this time.All this tension for a point. A point that might prove not to matter if Essex scoot the division by 40 points. Or which might prove to be priceless on the last afternoon of the season when the sides are locked at Canterbury and Kent are scenting a table-turning victory.Six from three overs; a woman in a flowery sunhat returned to her crossword, confident the job was as good as done. Gidman had the luxury of digging in and playing out a maiden. “Come on Briggsy,” Sussex exhorted, but Coles now looked twice the size. He reverse-swept the first ball for four and stole a single into the leg side off a glove. On 399, Briggs clamoured for lbw as another reverse from Gidman this time went awry, but the appeal was lost, the leg bye taken.”Come on Sussex, show some fight,” came a cry from the crowd. The game was lost; the pressure released, Kent’s lead would soon be rushing past 300. In the marquee, Corry’s speech done, the audience was laughing and applauding. Kent’s captain, Sam Northeast walked down the steps from the dressing room and hollered congratulations. Kent were now laughing and applauding, too.Gidman would be left stranded on 99 not out, missing his sixth first-class century in frustrating fashion, Magoffin claiming a five-for as Mitch Claydon drove a slower ball to mid-off. Sheepish apologies followed.For five-and-three-quarter hours, Gidman had steeled Kent’s ambitions. Few will gush over their evening meals about what they had witnessed, especially in Sussex. His wagon wheel suggested he struck only two off side boundaries, one of those the edge past slip, one authentic stroke against Robinson – but some insisted they had seen more, and anyway he had achieved his objective. September is upon us and Kent are not giving up without a fight.

Glamorgan continued their remarkable form in the NatWest T20 Blast against Sussex with a win that extended their undefeated run in the competition to seven matches

ECB Reporters Network07-Jul-2016
ScorecardTim van der Gugten’s early wickets made the difference•Getty Images

Glamorgan continued their remarkable form in the NatWest T20 Blast against Sussex with a win that extended their undefeated run in the competition to seven matches.A 55-ball 81 from David Lloyd set up a total that was about par on a slow Cardiff pitch but it was made to look a lot more valuable than that when Glamorgan’s Dutch bowler Timm van der Gugten ripped apart the Sussex top order at the start of the Sussex chase and finished with 4 for 17.The story of Glamorgan’s season has been the coming of age of Lloyd. He made his third first-class hundred of the season against these same opponents on Wednesday and tonight he continued that fine run of form. He looked all set to pass his career best T20 score of 97 not out made against Kent this season but he fell in the 17th over when He mistimed a pull shot off Chris Jordan.Lloyd shared decent partnerships with Colin Ingram and Jacques Rudolph, but he was the most impressive Glamorgan batsman by a distance. The next highest score was Rudolph with 24 who had dropped himself down to No. 4 as he searches for a return to form.Rudolph had looked very well set in this innings, at one point hitting a massive six off Chris Nash that is now residing at the bottom of the River Taff. Just when it appeared that he might make his first truly significant T20 contribution of 2016 he drilled a ball from Nuwan Kulasekara to Luke Wright in the covers.A four-over spell from England bowler’s Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills in the final overs prevented Glamorgan from getting a truly daunting total. Mills was particularly impressive as he took two wickets for five runs in his two overs at the death. He bowled with pace and with accuracy showing why he made his England bow this week.Glamorgan stumbled to a total of 159 for 8, but it ended up being more than enough as the ever more impressive van der Gugten took three wickets in three overs at the start of the Sussex innings to leave them 22 for 3 in the seventh over.With the Sussex top order gone the run rate just kept going up, but a partnership between Ross Taylor and Matt Machan that was worth 37 gave Sussex some hope. When both of those men fell within seven balls of each other any feint hopes of an away win were gone.With that partnership broken it became a procession of Sussex wickets as they finished on 113 all out. Michael Hogan, Craig Meschede and Graham Wagg picked up two wickets.Shaun Tait bowled very fast on his return to Glamorgan after his brief spell with the club in 2010 but he was the only seamer to go wicketless.

Kent conceded 492 but had the ambition to pull off a pulsating win at Derby, routing them for 94 in their second innings and finishing a chase organised by Daniel Bell-Drummond with a fusillade of sixes

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2016
ScorecardJames Tredwell wrecked Derbyshire’s top order•Getty Images

Derbyshire folded dramatically to a combination of spin and seam as Kent cruised to a seven wicket victory in the Division Two match at Derby.James Tredwell and Calum Haggett took four wickets each, the latter a career-best 4 for 15, as Derbyshire lost seven for 45 in 93 balls to be skittled for 94 leaving Kent with a target of 175.Daniel Bell-Drummond made a composed unbeaten 80 from 99 balls before Alex Blake sealed Kent’s second win of the season in style with three consecutive sixes off leg-spinner Matt Critchley.There had been no sign that Kent would win so convincingly as Wayne Madsen and Neil Broom cruised along at five an over but the wheels came flying off once Tredwell had broken through.Broom edged a quicker ball to first slip where Adam Ball took a sharp one-handed catch and the decision to bring on Haggett was rewarded immediately as Wayne Madsen misread the length and was lbw for 37.Billy Godleman had recovered from the blow on his left forearm which forced him to retire hurt the previous evening but made only three before he was lbw pushing at Tredwell who ended Derbyshire’s hopes of setting a more demanding target when he bowled Shiv Thakor for 10.The end came five overs later as both Critchley and Ben Cotton played back instead of forward to Haggett and were lbw leaving Kent with 71 overs to win the game.On an overcast, drizzly day with the floodlights on, it was never going to be entirely straightforward, particularly as Joe Denly was back in Kent with his wife and new-born baby, but Derbyshire needed early wickets to have any chance.Bell-Drummond and Sean Dickson denied them until the 12th over when Dickson tried to run Tom Taylor to third man and edged into his stumps but Derbyshire could not build up any pressure.A wet ball did not help and Bell-Drummond cut and drove Taylor for three consecutive fours on his way to a 68 ball 50 and Ball helped him take Kent to 100 before he was caught on the crease by Tony Palladino.Bell-Drummond paced his innings expertly, setting the platform for the violent assault that carried Kent to victory on a tide of sixes, first from skipper Sam Northeast and then by Blake who dispatched the only three balls he faced from Critchley over the ropes to take his side home with a minimum of 38.3 overs to spare.It was an impressive performance and Haggett thought the seeds of victory were sown on the third evening. “To get three wickets last night was a big factor, it put us in a good place and we managed to keep things going.”We bowled pretty well as a group and we got the rewards and I thought we bowled a bit straighter than in the first inninngs.”It started to keep a bit low and the odd one popped and thankfully it was my day. Treddy was getting some spin as well and we hit our areas better.”It’s a good confidence-booster and we are in a good place at the moment but we know we need to keep putting in the work.”Madsen said: “James Tredwell mixed his pace up well and bowled well into the rough and when Haggett came on he bowled at the stumps and was getting it to jag back and made it difficult.”Possibly we were caught on the back foot and maybe have to get out of our crease a bit more but to be fair he bowled really well and unfortunately we weren’t up to it.”We thought 200 was going to be a good score and we would be able to bowl them out but they came out and played positively. We weren’t helped that we had to change the ball a few times with the wet outfield but it was disappointing not to get enough in the right areas to trouble them.”I think we have to be better than that, especially on a wicket which has deteriorated, but I do think for us a team there are positives to take from this. Shiv [Thakor] with his hundred and five-for, he’s really played well for us this year.”I look back at the way we bowled for the first 100 overs, our disciplines and plans were spot on , but the game got away from us at the crucial times on day three and going into day four.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the first World T20 semi-final between England and New Zealand

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando in Delhi29-Mar-2016

Match facts

March 30, 2016
Start time 1900 local (1330 GMT)3:15

‘Both teams will be going in with confidence’

Big Picture

Where other teams have looked upon surfaces and made vague guesses at how they might play, New Zealand have read pitches like a soothsayer would tea leaves. Empowered by this clairvoyance they have picked boldly: three spinners to embarrass the hosts in turning Nagpur, Mitchell McClenaghan to rattle Australia in Dharamsala, Adam Milne proving handy in relatively quicker Mohali, before the trio of spinners were reunited for slow-and-low Kolkata.New Zealand had not played in Asia since late 2014, but they are here at the semi-finals now; the only undefeated side. They have not just been clever with the ball. Batting first in each group match, competitive scores have been worked out and achieved. Kane Williamson has been described by team-mates as a “great captain”. Behind the scenes, Mike Hesson’s wit has sharpened New Zealand.England, meanwhile, have been tempered in three scrapes, since losing their first match to West Indies. The chase of 230 against South Africa was a triumph of the batsmen’s making. Then the bowlers held their nerve as Afghanistan made a late charge at England’s low total at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Finally, just as Sri Lanka appeared to be stealing away the must-win match, Joe Root completed an outstanding take at mid-off to turn the match his team’s way. England haven’t been pretty or dominant, but they have found ways to win. There is a spine to this campaign that hasn’t always been the case with England’s limited-overs teams.They have also played two matches at the Kotla already, and have a batting order that goes deeper than a Barry White “oh yeah”. England only lost four wickets in the victory against Sri Lanka, but the men at the top of the order appear to be more likely to take risks while so many hitters sit in the dugout. Their bowling appears to be the weaker discipline. But then, New Zealand don’t have daunting batting form coming into this game either – Martin Guptill has struck their only fifty in the tournament – and they have not yet been tested chasing.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)


England WWWLL
New Zealand WWWWW

In the spotlight

With New Zealand sure to shake up their XI, and their strategy to suit the tournament, Eoin Morgan has the job of driving his side to adapt to the opposition’s adaptations. What if New Zealand have decided 140 is a good total and are pushing the singles to get themselves there? Does Morgan bring in the field, and hope to force a mistake? And does he shake up his own top order to spoil New Zealand’s bowling plans? Also, as the most experienced man in that middle order, Morgan must also assess the pitch himself if England are batting first. His form has been moderate through the tournament, having produced two duds, as well as two decent finishes.Mitchell Santner has a front arm like a T-Rex when he bowls, but in this tournament he has also been taking tyrannosaurus-sized bites out of the opposition top order with his left-arm spin. Of players who have only bowled in the Super 10s, he has the equal highest-wickets (nine), as well as an economy rate of 5.73. He might have floated into the tournament a little incognito, but he can be assured now that England will have spent time analysing videos of his bowling and working out a plan to him. Will he be able to adapt to England adapting to his own excellent adaptations to Indian surfaces?

Teams news

England may think about switching one of their spinners for a seamer, but will likely abandon the thought. The XI that defeated Sri Lanka is likely to take the field again.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 David Willey, 11 Liam Plunkett.Almost no one would have expected New Zealand to leave both Trent Boult and Tim Southee out for the entire group stage, yet it has seemed, at times, that the only way they would get a game is if the Delhi matches were moved to Wellington or Christchurch. Hesson and Williamson were seen taking a close look at the Kotla surface on the eve of the match, and as the pitch has not been particularly conducive to seam bowling, they may be out of the XI again.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Kane Williamson (capt), 3 Colin Munro, 4 Corey Anderson, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Grant Elliott, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Adam Milne, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

Pitch and conditions

The pitch prepared for this match appears to have a little grass, but given the venue’s history that does not mean it will be quick, nor does it suggest the ball will seam around. The two previous games on this square have been played on slowish surfaces, but these have not offered much turn. The weather is not expected to impede play. Temperatures are forecast to hover around the 30 degrees Celsius mark.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have won 10 of their 13 T20 matches in the past year.
• England had beaten New Zealand in six consecutive T20Is between February 2008 and February 2013.
• Root is the second-highest run-scorer of batsmen who have only played the Super 10s stage of the tournament, with 168 runs at a strike rate of 150.
• New Zealand and England have each been to the World T20 semi-finals on one previous occasion – New Zealand in 2007, and England in 2010. England went on to win the 2010 tournament, while New Zealand were defeated by Pakistan in their semi-final.

Quotes

“I can’t quite believe how far we’ve come overall in our white-ball cricket. The guys that we’ve selected have done outstandingly well and shown a great amount of attitude in learning. It’s not always easy to come up against very strong sides who knock you back on a day-to-day basis, but every question that’s been asked of us we’ve come back with either a counter-answer or a more aggressive option.”
“In terms of Mike Hesson’s and my perspective, we will pick horses for courses against the opposition. That philosophy won’t change.”