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Test opener signed as replacement for Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan when he departs for international duty in early January

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Nov-2022Hobart Hurricanes have made a surprise signing recruiting England Test opener Zak Crawley as an overseas replacement player for the upcoming BBL season.Crawley, who will be in Pakistan with the England Test squad at the start of the BBL season, has been recruited as a replacement for Pakistan legspinning allrounder Shadab Khan who is set to miss some games in the second half of the BBL due to international commitments in a limited-overs series against New Zealand in January.Crawley has never played in the BBL but showed glimpses of his capabilities in Australian conditions during a tough Ashes tour last summer. Hurricanes head of strategy Ricky Ponting was impressed by his 77 in the Sydney Test which helped England save the game. Crawley also has a connection with Hurricanes assistant coach Darren Berry who he worked with at London Spirit in the Hundred.Crawley has a strong domestic T20 record averaging 29.86 and striking at 145.08. He also has a T20 century to his nam, but he has never played T20 cricket outside of England and has not played a T20I.”I’m really excited to take part in the Big Bash for the first time,” Crawley said. “From afar, the Hurricanes seem to be awash with talent both in terms of the list they have built for on-field success, but also the quality list of support stuff they have on it. I’m looking forward to taking part in what I hope will be a very successful summer.”Hobart Hurricanes squad: Asif Ali (Pakistan), Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan), Zak Crawley (England) Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Mac Wright

Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson among players to commit disciplinary breaches

Matt Roller18-Jun-2021Sussex have been handed a suspended points penalty after five of their players were charged with showing dissent at umpiring decisions within a 12-month period.Jack Carson, Ollie Robinson, Ravi Bopara, Delray Rawlins and Jofra Archer (playing for the club’s 2nd XI) have all committed Level One offences under the ECB’s disciplinary code since the start of last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy.Related

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A virtual hearing of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) took place on Tuesday and imposed a suspended points penalty, which will result in a deduction of 12 points in the County Championship and/or two points in the Royal London Cup and/or two points in the T20 Blast if Sussex players incur a further two fixed-penalty breaches in any competition within the next 12 months.Sussex admitted the charge and agreed with the CDC’s panel that the penalty should be no greater than that imposed on Nottinghamshire last year, when five of their players committed offences during a five-week period in the T20 Blast.The panel, chaired by Chris Tickle alongside Amrisha Parathalingam and Paul Joy, also noted that Sussex had taken “steps to address their problem”, including a meeting held in March in which “players and coaches discussed dissent and other behavioural issues with the very experienced umpire Ian Gould”.

Thailand’s openers alone made more than how much they managed in each of their three games earlier

The Report by Vishal Dikshit03-Mar-2020Match abandoned Thailand’s top order put on a blazing display of strokeplay to end their impressive maiden World Cup campaign. They posted their highest T20I score – 3 for 150 – against Pakistan at the Sydney Showground Stadium and then saw the rain come down as soon as their innings ended. It didn’t cease and both teams were forced to split a point each.That Pakistan had never scored more than 144 while batting second in T20Is had the odds heavily in favour of Thailand, given their strong show while bowling and fielding earlier in the tournament. But they were forced to bid goodbye with only one point from four games.The Thailand innings was all about their booming and fearless strokes, as Pakistan barely created chances. Diana Baig started strongly after Thailand opted to bat and dismissed Nattakan Chantam with a sharp return catch in her last over but the opener had scored 93 by then. Chantam’s was the team’s first half-century at the World Cup.Thailand openers punish PakistanIn their three previous outings, Thailand managed scores of 82, 78 and 80. It was evident their batting needed work. Against Pakistan, they raced to 0 for 70 after 10 overs and brought up the 100 in the 14th over. By the time they finished their innings, they had scored more fours against Pakistan (23) than they had in their three previous games combined: 17.The show-stoppers were openers Chantam and Nattaya Boochatham. Even though Pakistan stifled the openers with Baig’s swing and left-arm spinner Anam Amin’s angle from around the wicket, the batters suddenly switched gears after being 0 for 9 in three overs, of which only five came off the bat.Chantam targeted Amin with four fours in the fourth over that summed up her innings: two caressed beautifully through the covers along the ground and two to clear mid-off. Boochatham took on Baig, who conceded three runs in her first two overs, at the other end with a stylish pull and a loft over mid-off and the two openers didn’t look back from there.They focused on the ‘V’ down the ground, marked by flourishing drives that cashed in on the fuller lengths and the room the Pakistani bowlers offered. They collected another 14 runs off Aliya Riaz to end the powerplay on 0 for 49, as Javeria Khan was forced to make several bowling changes. By the halfway mark, the openers had scored 76% of their runs down the ground.Pakistan’s fielding helps Thailand furtherAs Thailand’s audacious shots continued in the second half, Pakistan’s fielding also came under pressure. After dropping Boochatham at first slip in the second over off Baig, they fumbled a few times both in the ring and in the deep to allow a few extra runs.To add to that, Boochatham also showed her deft batting against legspinner Syeda Aroob Shah by first driving her against the turn through the covers for four and then sweeping her with the spin next ball when a deep cover was put in place. Chantam, on the other hand, took tiny steps out of the crease to reach the pitch of the ball for her drives and even rocked on the back foot to punch short-of-length deliveries.Boochatham eventually holed out to long-on off Amin for 44 of 40 that ended the opening stand of 93, Thailand’s second-highest in T20Is. Chantam brought up her third T20I fifty in the next over by whipping a four off her hips behind square on the leg side for her 10th four.Thailand ensured they didn’t lose any momentum after Chantam’s wicket in the 16th over, for56 off 50. Chanida Sutthiruang and Nannapat Koncharoenkai put away full tosses, and Koncharoenkai’s consecutive fours in the penultimate over off Amin, the second one an unorthodox whip-sweep when she was almost yorked, showed Thailand’s batting approach was well-planned and not a flash in a pan.They finished on a fighting score but rain spoiled their plans of not being able to defend it against a side that had crossed 120 only once this tournament.

Farhad Reza does the star turn with the ball against Khulna with his maiden T20 four-for

The Report by Mohammad Isam22-Jan-2019How the game played outRangpur Riders picked up the pace in their Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) campaign with a six-wicket win over Khulna Titans. Chasing 182 for victory, Rangpur had Alex Hales giving them a sound start with a quick 55, while his opening partner Chris Gayle ensured there was no wobble during the middle overs.Rilee Rossouw’s six over midwicket off Yasir Shah with three balls remaining completed Rangpur’s win.Najmul Hossain Shanto had earlier held the Khulna innings together with 48 off 35 balls, with three sixes, before David Wiese hammered an unbeaten 15-ball 35 towards the close. Farhad Reza, playing his 88th T20 game, finished with his first four-wicket haul in the format.

Turning points

• David Wiese smashed two sixes and three fours in the last two overs in which Khulna got 30 runs, lifting them from a modest 151 for 5 to 181 for 6.
• Hales and Gayle added 78 runs in 7.4 overs for the first wicket, giving Rangpur the perfect start in a steep chase.
• Khulna were still in the contest after 16 overs with Rangpur needing a further 42 runs, but Gayle settled his team’s nerves with three sixes in the 17th over.

Star of the day It was only a matter of time before Gayle got going in the tournament, and he chose a good time to shoulder the responsibility. He took a backseat as Hales and AB de Villiers swung it around, and only brought out his own big-hitting when things got tight.The big missWith six runs required off the last over, Mohammad Mithun went down the track to Yasir Shah but missed the delivery to put Rangpur in some bother. However, Rossouw got them across the line.Where the teams stand Rangpur moved up to third place after their fourth win in eight games; Khulna haven’t added to their solitary win in the competition.

After his comeback series against England, Roach has responded well to the need to alter his lines and lengths on the slower and drier pitches in Bulawayo

Liam Brickhill in Bulawayo30-Oct-2017Kemar Roach is enjoying his return to West Indies’ Test side. After 11 wickets at 29.81 in his comeback series against England, Roach has responded well to the need to alter his lines and lengths on the slower and drier pitches in Bulawayo as West Indies’ senior seamer. His control with the ball was vital to their success in the first Test, and he was equally disciplined in picking up 3 for 44 in the first innings of the second match.”England obviously has much easier conditions for fast bowling,” Roach said. “Coming here is much harder. You have to be patient and hope the batsman makes a mistake. It’s pretty tough on the mind to be running in for a couple of overs and not beat the bat or cause any problems for the batsmen.”The road back to Test cricket was a long one for Roach. Sidelined by an ankle injury during the Centurion Test in December 2014, he lost pace and penetration and was left out of the home Tests against India last year. His 23 wickets in the 2016-17 edition of West Indies’ domestic four-day competition prompted a recall, and now Roach is making up for lost time.”I’ve been working hard in the nets with Roddy Estwick, I think I’m in some good form now and I’m trying to realise that form as much as possible,” Roach said. “I’m not getting any younger now so I’m trying to get as many wickets as I can while I’m in form.”We had Curtly Ambrose as one of our bowling coaches a few months ago, and he always emphasises a good length and line. I’ve lost some pace, yes, but it’s about using more skill. I’ve been trying to adjust to become better at that.”Without the pace of old, Roach has been putting some of his newfound skills to good use in Zimbabwe. His use of the crease, delivering the ball from unlikely angles, presentation of the seam and a canny slower ball have all brought success. So has his consistency. “The pitch is very slow and there isn’t much carry, so it’s about being consistent and bowling in the right areas with some variations,” Roach explained.West Indies trailed Zimbabwe by 248 runs after the second day of the second Test in Bulawayo, but Roach backed his team’s batsmen to solidify their strong position. “There are a lot of runs in that wicket,” he said. “The new ball hasn’t been doing much, no major bounce or seam movement. I think once the guys settle and put their heads down to bat, I think we’ll be fine.”

Rob Keogh’s 9 for 52 – one of the best performances in Northants history – and Ben Duckett’s 185 from 159 balls put Northamptonshire in complete control after day two against Glamorgan at Wantage Road

ECB Reporters Network01-Sep-2016
ScorecardRob Keogh will be signing more autographs after his eye-catching feat•Getty Images

Rob Keogh’s 9 for 52 and Ben Duckett’s 185 from 159 balls put Northamptonshire in complete control after day two against Glamorgan at Wantage Road. The home side declared their second innings 305 for 7 leaving Glamorgan 451 to win and they survived three overs to the close without score.The day turned remarkably after Rob Keogh’s morning spell – his 9 for 52 was the sixth-best return in Northamptonshire’s history – helped bowl Glamorgan out for just 124 in the morning session.”Three-for was my best before so it wasn’t expected but it’s spinning, we saw their young bowler spin a couple and we were saying if he can get wickets, we must have a chance too,” Keogh said. “It’s been coming out really nicely this year, I’ve been bowling pretty well but I haven’t had much luck but together it came together.”With the ball spitting out of rough outside the right handers’ off stump from the Wilson End, it appeared the game would move on very quickly after Glamorgan lasted only one session on the second day. But Duckett was seemingly playing on a different wicket as Northants looked to build on a first-innings lead of 145.He slapped seven fours and two sixes – the second a graceful lofted drive off Owen Morgan – to race to fifty in just 30 balls. His second fifty was more sedate but a glorious extra-cover drive off Michael Hogan and a steered pull against Tim van der Gugten, raised a century in 81 balls and then past a thousand Championship runs for the summer for the first time – the first Northants batsman to achieve the feat since Stephen Peters in 2010.Duckett went on to post his third best first-class score. Taking three consecutive boundaries from Graham Wagg – bowling his left-arm spin – with sweeps either side of deep midwicket. But trying to loft van der Gugten down the ground, he found Michael Hogan at mid-on. His season strike-rate (from all the cricket he has played) stands at 99.42It ended the second fabulous performance of the day after Keogh’s exploits in the first session. His return was the seventh instance of a nine-wicket innings haul for Northants and the best figures for the county against Glamorgan.Finding significant help outside the right-handers’ off stump from the Wilson End – from where Kiran Carlson took four of his 5 for 28 on day one – Keogh floated Glamorgan to destruction. Genuine dismissals were mixed in with poor strokes as the visitors found no way to overcome the off spinner.Keogh struck in the fourth over of the morning with Nick Selman sharply held at short leg by Saif Zaib. Will Bragg followed lbw to Keogh’s arm ball. David Lloyd tried to be positive and use his feet but found a sharply turning ball beat his off drive.Then followed two naive sweeps from out of the rough by Anuerin Donald and Carlson – both caught by Chad Barrett at backward square-leg. Graham Wagg advanced to both his deliveries – the second of which he wasn’t to the pitch off and gloved a catch to short leg.At that stage, Keogh had 6 for 25. But any dreams of just the second 10-wicket haul for Northamptonshire were dashed as Graeme White found turn into the left-handed Jacques Rudolph, whose composed innings of 37 came to an end with a catch at leg slip. But Keogh cleaned up the tail to complete a nine-for and put Northants firmly in control of the match.

R Ashwin has said that India’s previous tour of Australia in 2014-15 was a “coming of age” series for him as a spinner

Gaurav Kalra and Arun Venugopal16-Jul-20154:56

I will soon start winning games abroad – Ashwin

R Ashwin has said that India’s previous tour of Australia in 2014-15 was a “coming of age” series for him as a spinner. Although Ashwin’s 12 wickets in the three Tests he played in the four-match series cost him 48.66 runs apiece, he told ESPNcricinfo in Chennai that he was satisifed with how he bowled in conditions that provided little assistance to spinners.”To say it [performance overseas] will get better by the time I’m done, is not how I look at this game,” Ashwin said. “I think I came of age when I played in Australia this time. More than anything else, I think I created a lot of wicket-taking opportunities and put a lot of pressure on the batsman.”To bowl 30 overs in a day in Australia is a really commendable effort for a spinner in my knowledge. Over the last year, my bowling has come a long way. If you asked me, would you take 25 wickets more or how you are bowling right now, I would say I will take how I am bowling right now because I know the wickets are round the corner.”Since his Test debut in 2011, Ashwin’s record in the sub-continent has been far superior to his performances overseas. While he has 100 wickets from 16 Tests in Asia at an average of 23.87, his returns of 24 wickets in nine games outside Asia at 56.58 is considerably less impressive. Ashwin isn’t too perturbed by the numbers, insisting that consistently good bowling on foreign surfaces will translate into better figures eventually.”I might end up getting six wickets in Australia one day and I might say that is where I wanted to be,” he said. “I played a Test match in South Africa and played a couple in England. If I play a test in India, I might end up picking five wickets immediately but it might happen in the third or fourth test in England or South Africa. It hasn’t happened but might happen soon.”Ashwin said he wanted to take more responsibility for the team’s performance overseas. He spoke of the period after the Wanderers Test in 2013 where he went wicketless in South Africa’s second innings as one that was necessary for his development.”Maybe that is what was needed for me to become a better bowler. I firmly believe that was fate because until then I had played 18 Test matches without a lot of bad games.”I hadn’t gone wicketless in any game before that except once in Sydney [in 2012]. Immediately after that, I got dropped for a Test match. So when these things happen, I don’t look back at it and say I was unlucky. I keep telling everybody, including my wife, that take the harder option because you never have to question yourself later on.”When you go abroad, if everybody plays [their] role to perfection, the role of a spinner is much easier. Having said that, I should take greater responsibility on myself. I want to emulate a lot of things that the past greats have done. I’d be happier if I had won more games for India.”Ashwin was described as “priceless” by India’s new Test captain Virat Kohli after the recent Test in Bangladesh where he claimed 5 for 87 in the first-innings of a rain-affected game. Ashwin was equally appreciative of Kohli, saying there were parallels in their approach to the game.”Whichever team I’ve turned up for, I’ve always wanted to contribute and be the prime performer. To a degree, Virat is very similar and I love that character of his because we both go about our business in a very different manner.”He is very aggressive, upfront and on the face. I don’t quite do that but I still want to take the centrestage. If he is the batsman doing it for India, I want to be the bowler that does it for India. The one driving factor that is common to us is that we want to keep improving and we don’t want to sit on laurels. I really admire that aspect of his which I don’t think is very common.”Ashwin was philosophical, and even fatalistic, while speaking of his flair for leadership. Asked if he would like to captain the national side in the future he said, “If you would have asked me two or three years ago, I would have said yes like any vibrant youngster. There are a lot of occupational hazards. I wouldn’t say that’s a priority because it is not in my hands. Somebody has to identify something in me to hand over such a big responsibility. I led Tamil Nadu when I was 20. That really put me on the map when it came to playing for India.”I was really confident of myself as a leader but I think that leadership is something that needs to be identified and I need to be entrusted with it. As of now, I’m only getting better as a player and a person every day. If it has to happen, it will happen. I think it is a matter of fate.”Ashwin’s next assignment will be India’s forthcoming series in Sri Lanka in August. He doesn’t expect the pitches to be as spin-friendly as many do but on the back of encouraging recent form, he isn’t too concerned.”The wickets are much truer and have something for the fast bowlers. It is not easy but we have to go there and acclimatise and play some good cricket as Sri Lanka is going to be a very tricky destination.”The way I bowled in Bangladesh is where I would like to be all through my career, however long I continue to play. If I can replicate what I did in Bangladesh, it should not matter a great deal.”