Category Uncategorized

The BCCI medical team has told him that the decision is in line with safeguarding his back and keeping the long-term in mind

Nagraj Gollapudi29-Jul-20251:31

What attack should India pick at The Oval?

Jasprit Bumrah will not play the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval starting Thursday. ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI medical team has told Bumrah that the decision is in line with safeguarding his back and keeping the long-term in mind.The development is not entirely a surprise, considering the medical team in coordination with Bumrah, the Indian team management, and the selectors had decided he would play only three of the five Tests during the England tour. Bumrah played in the first Test at Headingley, sat out in the second Test at Edgbaston, which India won, and played in the following two Tests at Lord’s and last week at Old Trafford.With Bumrah having not bowled since the fourth morning at Old Trafford, coupled with a three-day break between the final two Tests, India might have toyed with the idea of changing the original plan, especially with a possibility of levelling the series 2-2 with a win at The Oval.Related

• Injured Stokes out of fifth Test against India, Archer and Carse rested

• India gain an edge. England have the lead. What will happen next?

• Shubman Gill: Big achievement if we level the series

• Do India's bowlers have a leg-side problem?

• Bond on Bumrah: 'Wouldn't play him in more than two Tests in a row'

However, a combination of a slowish, flat surface and the workload had impacted Bumrah’s pace in the fourth Test. He picked two wickets in 33 overs, which was the most he has bowled in an innings, and for the first time, his runs column had breached 100. As the series progressed, the number of balls he bowled above 140kph in the first innings of each Test also reduced from 42.7% at Headingley to 22.3% at Lord’s to 0.5% at Old Trafford.Bumrah is currently the joint-second-highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in the series alongside Mohammed Siraj. After the draw in Manchester, India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir had said Bumrah was available for the final Test, but two days later, India have decided to rest him.Gautam Gambhir chats with Akash Deep during India’s practice session•PTI

Akash Deep likely to replace Bumrah

Who will replace Bumrah was evident at India’s optional training session on Tuesday. Akash Deep, who missed the fourth Test with a groin niggle, found his rhythm easily as he seamed the ball appreciably on the greenish practice pitches. In the second Test at Edgbaston, which was his first Test since Melbourne in December, Akash Deep picked up a ten-wicket match haul, including a career-best 6 for 99 in England’s second innings, extracting movement from a benign surface.In the following Test at Lord’s, though, Akash struggled for consistency, especially bowling down the slope from the Pavilion End. He picked up just one wicket in the Test, but the seamer-friendly conditions at The Oval could help Akash get back in the saddle quickly.Still, Gill and Gambhir will have to deal with finding the right balance in the bowling attack. That it is a challenge is primarily because of the below-par performances from three other fast bowlers who have featured so far in the series: Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj. Prasidh has not played since the win in the second Test, while Thakur and Kamboj barely got to bowl after their first spells at Old Trafford.In the absence of Bumrah, Siraj, the only fast bowler to play all the Tests, will once again lead the pace attack. Siraj has bowled the fourth-most overs among seamers this series – 139 – but hasn’t let his intensity down. India will be worried about his workload and fitness but they have little choice other than playing Siraj. Even then, India will have to make a call regarding the third seamer.1:20

Manjrekar: Kuldeep has to come in for the Oval Test

It is likely to be one of Prasidh and Arshdeep Singh, who bowled and batted without any discomfort, showing he had recovered completely from the freak injury he picked up on his bowling hand in the days leading to the fourth Test while trying to intercept a ball on follow-through.With Rishabh Pant ruled out of the Oval Test, Dhruv Jurel will keep wickets and bat in the middle order. Despite the boldness of his batting, which can turn eyes, Jurel’s inexperience, especially of playing in England, might tilt India to focus on retaining Thakur to provide the batting depth. That would mean there will be no room once again for Kuldeep Yadav.India might also believe Kuldeep could be surplus to the requirement, especially keeping in mind the pitch and the cloudy conditions that are likely to play a role during the Test. Two days ahead of the match, the pitch had enough greenish patches, so India could continue with the spin pair of Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar.Apart from that, the bowling numbers at The Oval this domestic season are predominantly favourable to the seamers: fast bowlers have picked up 131 of the 150 wickets in five matches. Surrey have won twice at home with three draws, including the last round against Durham, where the fourth-highest score in county cricket was registered. Surrey made 820 for 9 declared on the back of Dom Sibley’s triple-hundred, but that match was played with Kookaburra balls as part of the ECB’s drive since last year to upgrade the bowlers’ skills.

Lance Morris picked up a side strain against West Indies but would not have made the squad

Andrew McGlashan08-Feb-20242:14

Is Matt Renshaw still the next Test batter in line?

Michael Neser has been recalled to Australia’s Test squad for the tour of New Zealand with the selectors taking a horses-for-courses approach based on conditions they expect across the Tasman in what is otherwise a very settled group for the two-match series.Neser has often been around the Australia set-up in recent years and was part of the World Test Championship final squad last year. His two Tests have both come in Adelaide – against England in 2021-22 and West Indies the following season. His Sheffield Shield numbers are significantly down this season with nine wickets at 50.33 but he is viewed as an ideal bowler for New Zealand while his ever-improving batting adds another element.”It’s great to see Michael Neser get another opportunity in the squad following his ever-consistent performances over a long period of time and the conditions we expect,” national selector George Bailey said.Related

• Renshaw misses again as Bell six-for skittles Queensland

• Mitchell ruled out of second South Africa Test and Australia T20Is

Lance Morris picked up a side strain during the third ODI against West Indies in Canberra, but Bailey indicated he would not have made the trip as back up to Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. The expectation is that those three will play both Tests against New Zealand – along with Nathan Lyon making it seven Tests in a row for the frontline bowlers – but Neser and Scott Boland will provide the support.”We’d be looking at a different type of fast bowler,” Bailey said. “The luxury of this tour only being in New Zealand, it’s not a massive trip, so a number of players in specific roles that if we do need to get them across that it’s not too much of a challenge, so Lance would have been in that boat.”The new-look batting order that came together against West Indies, with Steven Smith opening and Cameron Green at No. 4, will be given at least two more matches to settle in. After the New Zealand tour Australia have a long gap in Test cricket before the arrival of India for next summer’s five-match home series.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Matt Renshaw has retained his spot as the reserve batter having been earmarked as the next in line amid the reshuffle that followed David Warner’s retirement.The overall squad is relatively small at 14 names with the short flight between the two countries meaning replacements could come in reasonably easily. However, it could leave Australia a little exposed if an injury occurred shortly before a match or in the event of a concussion during a game especially around the wicketkeeper or spin bowler with no direct cover for Alex Carey or Nathan Lyon.New Zealand are currently top of the World Test Championship following their opening victory over South Africa and will expect to consolidate that in Hamilton. The upcoming tour has grown in significance for Australia have they lost to West Indies at the Gabba.”As we know every Test match provides vital opportunities to obtain valuable WTC points and we expect this tour will be a tough challenge against a very strong side who have been so consistent at home for a long period of time,” Bailey said.The first Test begins in Wellington on February 29 followed by the second in Christchurch on March 8.

Pride and points to play for as Tammy Beaumont looks to end season with a better taste

Valkerie Baynes23-Sep-2022A Lord’s finale to mark the end of India’s tour of England on Saturday will serve up plenty of nostalgia with a big helping of the future thrown in.Jhulan Goswami’s international swansong, Tammy Beaumont’s 100th ODI and the first time either side has played at Lord’s since their memorable 2017 World Cup final have the history covered. But, considering the number of new faces in England’s squad in particular, there is a strong transitional flavour.”You’ve got to remember that the team is really young,” Beaumont said. “We always do a team photo and the front row is the people that have played the most caps and Charlie Dean [18 ODIs] is on the front row this year and she made her debut last year. That shows the youth of this squad.”I feel incredibly old at 31. But that, for me, is exciting. I believe a couple of years ago, before the Hundred, before the KSL really got going, that if you’d picked that many people that had less than 10, 15 caps between them, you wouldn’t necessarily compete with the opposition.”I know at times we’ve not played well. But at the same time, you look at the T20 squad, how they went about things, the amount that the young players are coming in and performing straight away. When I started it took us 20 games to actually put in a performance for England and really kind of announce yourself on the on the world stage.”Related

• Harmanpreet: 'Victory sets up fitting farewell for Jhulan Goswami at Lord's'

• Farewell Jhulan Goswami, the link between two ages of Indian women's cricket

• 'It has hurt feelings and that is one regret' – Goswami on not winning a World Cup

Beaumont found herself on the wrong end of England’s youth policy this summer when she was overlooked for the T20 squads to contest series against South Africa, India and the Commonwealth Games, leaving her stranded on 99 T20I appearances – for now. England’s abandonment of their planned tour to Pakistan and a rain-hit leg of the Ashes series didn’t help.”I think it’s one of those things that just doesn’t seem like it’s meant to happen at the moment,” Beaumont said. “I haven’t retired from T20 cricket or anything like that and hopefully I’ll come back and maybe play one more game but the girls did really well this summer. They played really good cricket. So there’s not a lot you can do about it.”England won the T20 leg of India’s tour 2-1 but are 2-0 down heading into the final ODI, meaning they have only ICC Women’s Championship points and pride to play for.But there is also a huge sense of occasion returning to Lord’s for the first time in five years – too lengthy an absence in Beaumont’s opinion. With her 2017 team-mates Heather Knight (hip injury), Nat Sciver (mental health break) and Katherine Brunt (rested) all out, Beaumont is one of only two players in England’s squad, alongside Danni Wyatt (in 2011 and 2012), to have played an international game at the ground.”I think it’s far too long,” Beaumont said. “For some of the girls that were involved in that [World Cup final] game to have never got to come back in the last few years it’s been a real shame.”I’ve got a lot of nostalgia coming here. I’ve been coming to Lord’s, training here, since I was about 13 years old. I have a lot of memories walking in the place, a real good feel about it.”Even at the beginning of my career, we used to get at least one game a year here… so I think it is a sign of the times that we’re getting a bigger crowd here. But I think it’s something that potentially should have happened a bit sooner and it is somewhere that we should be able to come and play more often. It’s great to see that it’s starting to happen and hopefully it will keep happening more regularly.”The balance will be redressed further next year when Lord’s hosts the third T20 of a Women’s Ashes series that will see matches played at Test venues around the country, including a five-day Test at Trent Bridge, giving Beaumont plenty to look forward to.”It’s been a tough year and I don’t think there’s probably that many highlights, to be honest,” she said. “The World Cup was very difficult after a very tough Ashes. Being part of that Test match in Canberra is a highlight for me, even though it ended in a draw.”It showed that women’s Test match cricket is very much alive and kicking. I think you when you play a Test match you always kind of doubt whether people will ever want to see another one with women’s Test cricket but that one in particular to me shows that my value in Test match cricket is warranted and is worth continuing.”The ODI series against South Africa was obviously another good one, but other than that, it’s been really very tough for me, missing out on the T20s and also not performing to the way that I would have wanted for most of the year.”Victory over India on Saturday, however, has the potential to end the season with, as Beaumont put it, “a better taste”. But they will be up against it with their opponents determined to send Goswami out on a high.”It’s not just what she does on the pitch,” Beaumont said. “She’s an absolutely lovely human. She’s been great for the game and she’ll be a very big loss but I think it’s great that she gets to have a good send off at Lord’s and hopefully something special, but not too special,” she added with a laugh.

It’s not on the FTP, it’s not part of the WTC, and it won’t feature any of England’s IPL players (bar one)

George Dobell31-May-2021This series between England and New Zealand isn’t on the Future Tours Programme (FTP), is it?
It is not.And it’s not part of the World Test Championship?
It is not. It was added on as an extra series.Related

• New Zealand take aim at depleted England on Lord's return

• Ross Taylor banks on county experience to counter England bowlers

• Wagner: 'I pride myself in playing a role when things are tough'

• Edgbaston Test: Spectators to be allowed at up to 70% capacity

• Anderson targets milestones as 1000 first-class wickets loom

Wasn’t the schedule already pretty hectic?
It sure was. Particularly given that players (and support staff) have been obliged to live in biosecure bubbles for much of the last year. There really wasn’t a huge clamour for more cricket.So why is it happening?
Well, the 2020 summer was heavily disrupted and the ECB incurred significant financial losses. So the board wanted to give host venues and broadcasters an opportunity to host or show more cricket. One of these Tests is being played at Edgbaston, for example, which doesn’t have a Test during the India series which follows. So the aim was to boost the cricketing economy and give spectators an extra match to enjoy. The hope was it would be something of a celebration. It may well still feel that way, especially by the time they arrive at Edgbaston with 18,000 spectators in the ground.Didn’t England fulfil their entire home international schedule last summer?
They did. And by doing so, albeit in a shortened window, without crowds and at vast expense, they were able to satisfy most of the requirements of their various broadcast deals. But they were not able to play the Hundred, which was a key part of the broadcast deal, and were reliant upon their broadcast partners’ understanding when it proved impossible to stage any cricket before July.So does the ECB gain extra money from broadcast revenue for putting on these games?
No. These games have effectively been put on to reward broadcasters – and Sky in particular – for their goodwill last year. And with capacity for the first Test limited to 25% of capacity, the scope for boosting the coffers is limited, too. You can see what the intention was, though. And much of the other revenues are insured to mitigate for the losses around Covid. So this will bring a boost to the English game and ensure the relationship between the ECB and its key broadcast partner remains very good.What’s in it for New Zealand?
As things stand, they will be able to use the series to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. And while their place in that final was not assured at the time the tour was arranged, it was always a possibility. So, they will have time to acclimatise to the pitches and, in particular, the Dukes ball which they don’t use at home. At the same time, they are keen to support the ECB and repay them for their visit to New Zealand at the end of 2019. That tour wasn’t part of the FTP or the WTC, either. But if the last year or so has shown us anything, it is that all international teams need one another. They are all, to a greater or lesser extent, in the same boat.Why aren’t England’s IPL players involved?
By the time the Test series was arranged, the ECB had already agreed to allow its top players to appear in the IPL: contracts had been signed and no-objection certificates agreed. At the same time, the ECB has been keen to ensure players exposed to sustained times in bio-bubbles would be given time to refresh and see friends and family. It was accepted they would not be involved in this series. And remember: there are no WTC points available here. This is a chance to take a look at some fringe players and plan for the future.Wasn’t Sam Billings at the IPL?
He was. But he didn’t play. And while he was in England’s limited-overs squads over the winter, he didn’t spend as much time in bio-bubbles as many others. He was also the only one of the England players at the IPL to return to county action in the round of games starting on May 20 and, in Ashley Giles’ words, put forward a “strong case” for inclusion.Would this series have taken place even if England had reached the WTC final?
Yes. The ECB is adamant that, even if both England and New Zealand had reached that final, this series would still have taken place.

Batsman had been told to force his way back into selection contention through “weight of runs”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2020Temba Bavuma pitched his case for Test selection with a career-best first-class score of 180 on Thursday, before suggesting that he had grabbed his opportunity to spend time in the middle “with both hands”.Faced with an improbable fourth-innings target of 430, Bavuma resumed his innings on 41 after Lions were reduced to 98 for 4 overnight in their four-day game against Dolphins. He reached a fluent 50 soon before lunch, and celebrated with a punch of the air after bringing up his 15th first-class hundred from 153 balls.Wickets continued to fall around him, and he was eventually the last man out, miscuing Senuran Muthusamy’s left-arm spin to Andile Phehlukwayo at cover, who took a sharp catch. His 180 was the second-highest score in the fourth innings of a franchise match in South Africa, beaten only by Dean Elgar’s 189 not out in 2009.ALSO READ: Absent Bavuma highlights SA’s ever-present transformation issues“From a personal point of view, it’s always awesome to contribute to the team,” Bavuma told . “I have been someone who has been trying to rack up those big scores, fortunately today was that opportunity and I was able to grab it with both hands.”It was massive [to get time in the middle]. It feels like I hadn’t played cricket for ages to be honest, the last game I played was last week, but before that it was a T20 game [on December 1].”It was nice to be out in the middle, in the middle is where you can practice and practice and practice. You can set your goals and that stuff, but what matters is what you do in the middle, where you’re able to get your mind in the right space.Bavuma suggested that he had felt in good form even in the first innings, when he was caught at silly mid-on via the inside edge.”Not to be arrogant or anything, but I felt good even in the first innings,” he said. “It was a good wicket – yes the wicket deteriorated quite quickly, but I felt it was a good wicket. You had to have good plans against the spinners, and they were lucky in that they had guys that turn in away and guys that turn it in, that always kept you on your toes as a batter.”If you had your plans, stuck to your plans, there were definitely runs out there. I felt good from the first innings – soft dismissal from me, getting out to the right-arm offie [Prenelan Subrayen] – second innings, I tried to make things right.”Bavuma’s timing could hardly have been better, having been told publicly by Faf du Plessis that the only way to force his way back into the Test team was through “weight of runs”. It comes at the end of a long lean run with the bat: while he made two first-class hundreds for Northamptonshire in the County Championship last summer, his most recent ton on home soil came in the Cape Town Test of 2016, more than four years ago.Bavuma’s absence from the ongoing series against England has been a major talking point, with South Africa again missing their transformation targets in the Port Elizabeth Test. Du Plessis said on the eve of the game that he was “not getting in a battle with myself and Temba over who plays and who doesn’t”, while assistant coach Enoch Nkwe described him as a possible replacement for du Plessis as captain in the long term.

Both teams had got off to strong starts with the bat, but New Zealand’s spinners were the difference in a 54-run win

The Report by Varun Shetty15-Nov-2018World No. 3 New Zealand took their first step towards sealing third place in Group B with a comprehensive win over Pakistan. With India’s result against Ireland earlier on Thursday ruling both these teams out of the semi-final race before the match began, the tempo of the game was fast and free-flowing. But New Zealand’s batting might was backed up by their spinners in the middle overs, and after enduring a nervous start courtesy Javeria Khan in their defence of 144, New Zealand folded Pakistan rapidly to seal the 54-run win. Offspinner Jess Watkin took 3 for 9 in her four overs and was chiefly responsible for Pakistan’s slow combustion. Legspinner Amelia Kerr played support with 3 for 21.

Javeria Khan on how women’s cricket in Pakistan can improve

On what the PCB can do: “Our grass-roots level is not that good, PCB are working on it. They are opening academies, and with the [development of the] grass-roots level we’ll get talent, we’ll get bench strength.
“And of course [playing] more matches [will help]. Because, as I said, if we play these kind of matches, we’ll get to know how we have to react in those situations. We are, every time, making the same mistakes. When we get these kind of matches more, then we’ll be able to cut these mistakes down.”
On domestic leagues: “I’m not sure about this. We’ll see how it goes. If it happens, it’s good for the girls. We always say that the leagues which countries have, like Australia, England and even Bangladesh, [that’s good for development].
“So if our girls get exposure from these kind of leagues, go there and play and we have our own league, it will help us. I would urge every country that they should consider Pakistan players, so that we grow at a better pace.”

Both teams were aggressive during the batting Powerplays, but New Zealand found more in their top order than Pakistan would in chase. They reverted to their traditional opening pair of Suzie Bates and Sophie Devine and it was rewarded instantly when the pair put on 59. Importantly, New Zealand didn’t let the rate fall even after Bates was dismissed, with No. 3 Amy Satterthwaite dropping anchor and allowing the more settled Devine to take on the attack. This was followed by another productive partnership between Satterthwaite and Katie Martin that kept the run rate hovering about 6.5 till the 18th over.Pakistan bowled tightly in pockets, but sloppy ground fielding and a dropped catches seemed to regularly make their way in and break any passage where they created pressure. Any success they would have with the ball was delayed, with four wickets falling in the last two overs, but even there, it was bittersweet. Martin and Maddy Green combined to make 18 runs off boundaries as New Zealand pushed to finish on 144.Pakistan’s response was energetic and almost mirrored those final overs from New Zealand’s innings; and they managed to do it without losing any wickets for three overs. Javeria and Ayesha Zafar stunned New Zealand with seven boundaries in the first three overs, and at 31 in three overs, Pakistan had brought the asking rate down dramatically. Javeria hit five of those fours, cashing on short balls from Devine and putting pressure on 18-year-old Kerr, manipulating the leg-side field, and even riding her luck with an inside edge to get three boundaries off the teenager’s first over.Javeria Khan hit six fours in her 36•IDI/Getty Images

But Zafar was caught off the glove first ball of the fourth over against Leigh Kasperek, and from there it became evident that any fight they showed would be a lone battle from Javeria. No. 3 Umaima Sohail looked out of sorts every ball of her five-ball innings till Lea Tahuhu burst through her defence in the next over, and Bismah Maroof fell to Watkin shortly after the Powerplay had ended. Pakistan were 52 for 3 in the seventh over, still a decent rate, but the new batsmen coming in took time to settle.This forced Javeria’s hand and Pakistan’s captain fell in the ninth over for a 23-ball 36 – caught off the glove, trying to reverse-sweep Watkin. Pakistan had made only five between her wicket and that of Maroof’s, in the span of two overs. And they made only one more over the next six balls when the fifth wicket fell for 58. This was the period where New Zealand’s spinners combined to squeeze the middle order who, to their credit, were still looking to score boundaries. It was just a case of being outdone by a quality spin attack on a highly conducive pitch. Very soon Pakistan realised they had no answers and the end parts of the innings became exhibitions in swinging across the line. Medium-pacer Hannah Rowe tucked in a nice little spell during that period and Kerr returned to take two wickets in the 18th over to bowl Pakistan out for 90 in their final group game.

Ganguly insisted the pink-ball concept, used in India’s Duleep Trophy, needed to be trialled continuously so that India could be ready at some stage to host day-night Tests

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-20172:10

Three things we can learn from pink-ball cricket

Sourav Ganguly, the head of BCCI’s technical committee, sees a future for pink-ball day-night Tests in India despite the board not having made any headway into hosting one in the near future. The Cricket Association of Bengal, of which Ganguly is president, first trialled the concept in June last year when Eden Gardens hosted the Super League final, a local tournament, between two prominent Kolkata clubs.The concept, introduced by the BCCI during the Duleep Trophy in August-September last year, was initially shelved from the 2017-18 domestic season, only to be reinstated. The former India captain, who has been backer of the pink-ball format, intervened by taking the matter up with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.”As far as Duleep Trophy is concerned, my view is very clear: How can you kill a tournament? It has to be discussed either in the working committee or the special AGM,” he was quoted as saying by “You can’t chuck away a tournament one fine morning. I do understand the packed calendar, but somehow we have found a window for this and we have to keep on trying to keep it significant.”Ganguly insisted the pink-ball concept, even if not embraced wholeheartedly by the board, needed to be trialled continuously so that India could be ready at some stage to host day-night Tests. He cited the importance of having healthy crowds, which has not always been the case in India for Tests in recent years, as the major reason to continue with the concept.”It’s not about me being a fan of the pink ball,” he said. “The idea is to bring back crowds to Test cricket and that’s the reason the Duleep Trophy is being played under lights and with the pink ball. The first pink-ball Test in 2015 between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide was house full. The recent Birmingham Test contested by England and West Indies drew big crowds too. So as an administrator, I would like to see packed houses for Test cricket.”

An unbeaten 108 from Ajinkya Rahane pushed India’s lead to 304 on the third day of the second Test in Kingston, but rain made sure India didn’t have a go at the West Indies batsmen on day three

The Report by Alagappan Muthu01-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:21

Manjrekar: Rahane will be proud of his workman-like innings

A Test match can be a bit like a pup: great players can lead it wherever they want. This West Indian XI does not have great players. They have great triers. Captain Jason Holder and coach Phil Simmons put the men on defence – understandable considering the opposition had a fat lead. Their best efforts have taken the Test to a point where the weather can threaten what once looked a certain victory for India. A tropical storm has been forecast to hit the region on the fourth day with India declaring 304 runs ahead and West Indies yet to bat in the second innings.Ajinkya Rahane found himself part of a pattern, one that has been central to India’s success on this tour of the Caribbean. They have batted eleven-and-a-half sessions in this series. And a set batsman had been out there most of the time. Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin began the trend in Antigua. It continued with KL Rahul on day two and Rahane on day three, who went on to score his seventh Test hundred. This is the eighth straight series that he has scored a score of at least 90 in.India were not panicking about the weather. The mountains on the horizon were obscured by heavy cloud. The rain break came 10 overs after lunch and spirited 52 minutes out of the game. Offspinning allrounder Roston Chase took two wickets in two balls and had them eight down soon after play resumed. The run-scoring stayed sedate.Virat Kohli, sipping a hot beverage in the dressing room, was still in his training gear. He was clearly not thinking about the declaration. Perhaps Rahane approaching a Test century away from home had something to do with that. And with only Nos. 10 and 11 for company, he began to farm the strike. This was where West Indies’ discipline paid off. They had given away only 142 runs in 46.1 overs. They made India bat long for a lead they liked.Rahane squirted an outside edge between slip and the wicketkeeper in the 170th over to reach his third hundred in four innings, captured on camera by the coach Anil Kumble and celebrated vigorously by his team-mates. The locals at Sabina Park had something to cheer too when Chase induced a top edge from Umesh Yadav to wrap up his first five-for in his second Test. With a high-arm action resembling Nathan Lyon, he got the ball to dip and bounce. Earlier, Amit Mishra failed to get to the pitch of one and was caught at short leg. Seconds later Mohammed Shami was bowled playing down the wrong line. Chase wore a sheepish grin on day two when he conceded he hadn’t liked going without a wicket on debut. Now he was leading his team off.While it will be debated if India needed to bat on after the first rain break, or if they batted on to let Rahane reach his hundred – he was 83 when the rain came down – the fact remains that India had now batted West Indies out of the match. It remained to be seen if India would give enough time to register their first set of consecutive wins outside Asia since 2006, but they were assured they were not going to lose this one.

Mid-June is arguably too soon to write off a team’s prospects for the season. Nevertheless, the final morning of Somerset’s tussle with Nottinghamshire at Taunton looks set to be a seminal one for the county.

Andrew Miller at Taunton16-Jun-2015
ScorecardTom Abell helped Somerset begin their big chase strongly•Getty Images

Mid-June is arguably too soon to write off a team’s prospects for the season. Nevertheless, the final morning of Somerset’s tussle with Nottinghamshire at Taunton looks set to be a seminal one for the county.Pick off the remaining 127 runs required for victory, having been set a daunting fourth-innings chase of 401 against Nottinghamshire, and the confidence of such an achievement could course through the veins of a beleaguered team. But trip up, having at one stage been cruising on 197 for 1, and it would surely count as the most crushing of their five defeats in seven games this season.Somerset’s fightback was set in motion by their bowlers who, since shipping 300 runs in claiming their first three wickets of the match fought back with spirit to claim 17 wickets for 300 more in 65 subsequent overs. But at 274 for 5, with Jim Allenby and Peter Trego already at the crease, it will be down to those bowlers plus Michael Bates, the wicketkeeper, to haul them over the line.”It’s been an intriguing day’s cricket,” Matthew Maynard, Somerset’s director of cricket, said. “I think we played some excellent cricket today. The old bowling attack have done themselves proud. We did brilliantly to get ourselves into this position and, at the end of the day, we are still in a position where if we can get a couple of partnerships together and see off the new ball, it’s going to be a very tight finish tomorrow.”But a late collapse of 4 for 46 runs in 13 overs left Maynard conceding that Nottinghamshire had reclaimed the initiative going into the final day. “We’ve lost clusters of two or three wickets, where in the past we would have lost four or five,” he said. “I always try and look at the positive side of it. It would have been nice to have lost one fewer wicket in the evening session. That extra wicket just puts us behind in the game.”For all the spirit they showed on a testing day, however, Somerset’s composure proved about as robust as the surface tension on a millpond. For as long as Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell were in harness, adding 129 for the first wicket with their contrasting but complimentary styles, the size of their chase caused barely a ripple of alarm.Even Trescothick’s departure, caught and bowled by a diving Samit Patel for 65, failed to create the sort of splash it might have done in his pomp five years ago. But the loss of Abell, 17 overs later was another thing entirely. For 307 deliveries, spanning two innings, 148 runs and scarcely a false stroke in six and a half hours of crease occupation, Abell had been a model of technical excellence and restraint, with confident footwork, a composure way beyond his 21 years, and with a sniper’s eye for a scoring opportunity.”He’s got a fantastic temperament and a natural ability, and that’s what distinguishes a lot of real, top players,” Maynard said. “He’s got that in abundance. To bat all the way through one innings and go out there again, for an hour short of three full days on the pitch, it’s a terrific achievement.” But, on 72, Abell succumbed to virtually his first false stroke of the match, a loose drive at Will Gidman to be caught at a very precisely positioned Steven Mullaney at straight mid-off, and the effect was like plunging a tombstone into Somerset’s troubled waters.One over later, James Hildreth, who became the first man to 1000 first-class runs this season in the first innings, chased a wide half-volley to hole out to the same combination for 4, and Somerset lost their third wicket in the space of five overs when Tom Cooper swung wildly to Patel at mid-on to hand a first wicket of the innings – and eighth of the match – to the debutant offspinner, Matthew Carter.Somerset’s reaction to their sudden predicament was not dissimilar to England’s new-found attitude to one-day cricket. Swing hard, swing fast, and slurp up the target before before drowning in the sheer weight of runs.Johann Myburgh proved a qualified success in this approach, thumping eight fours and a six in making 56 from 89 balls before he too fell to Carter via a brilliant, instinctive grab from Mullaney at slip after Wessels had parried the initial edge. But Tom Cooper was less successful. He completed a miserable match with a slogged duck to mid-on.By the close, Allenby and Trego had restored their team’s fragile hopes with a hard-earned 31-run stand for the sixth wicket, although Trego was lucky to receive a life on 9 when Brendan Taylor at slip missed a sharp edge off Ben Hilfenhaus.”Once you’re in it’s a nice wicket to bat on but it’s hard to get in at times,” Maynard said. “We’ve had some good partnerships with the bat, which is key, we need to try and build a couple more tomorrow.” Somerset’s season may depend on it.

Gloucestershire’s chief executive Tom Richardson, the driving force behind the development of their Bristol headquarters, will leave the club at the beginning of September

David Hopps25-Jan-2013Gloucestershire’s chief executive Tom Richardson, the driving force behind the development of their Bristol headquarters, will leave the club at the beginning of September after 12 years in the post.Richardson has presided over good times and bad, including a period at the turn of the century when they were renowned as the best one-day side in the countrry. But it is the development of Nevil Road,in the face of considerable opposition, which will be his legacy.”It is a logical break point as we aim to have completed the development of the pavilion and media centre at the end of July, ” Richardson said. “I have hugely enjoyed my time here and feel privileged to have been involved for so long.Clearly, getting started on the development has been a major lift for the club and I am really pleased to have played a full part in that. There is a real buzz about the place at the moment and whilst in some ways it will be sad not to be involved next year it is time for me to move on.”It remains to be seen whether Gloucestershire’s investment will satisfy their ambition of attracting more international cricket to Bristol. England already has nine international grounds, all scrambling for their share of England cricket and any further expansion of the international calendar is impossible to contemplate.But at a time when the counties remain hopeful that Twenty20 cricket will prove a long-term attraction, especially after a general switch to Friday nights from 2014, Nevil Road’s expansion will give Gloucestershire the opportunity to rediscover their strength in one-day cricket, especially if they can stir Bristol’s sometimes apathetic following into greater support.The expansion of Nevil Road, approved by Bristol City Council in March, included the demolition of the Mound and Jessop stands, provision of 7,500 permanent seats and a 147-room apartment with basement car parking. There will also be a business and conference centre in a new pavilion and a new media centre which will replace the primitive or temporary accommodation in the past.Rex Body, Gloucestershire’s chairman, said: “Tom’s value to Gloucestershire cannot be overestimated, particularly the work he has done on our ground development programme, in at times extremely difficult circumstances.Richardson will retain a link with Gloucestershire by becoming involved in their Youth Trust activities whern he stands down from the chief executive post.