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His unbeaten 140, plus 97 not out from Matt Critchley counter Durham’s efforts of the opening day

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay09-Sep-2025Dean Elgar, batting for more than five-and-a-half hours for a well-paced first century of the season, and Matt Critchley, smashing the ball to all corners of Chelmsford, took Essex within touching distance of a first-innings lead against fellow relegation candidates Durham with an unbeaten fourth-wicket stand of 154.The left-handed opener Elgar had not strapped on batting pads for five weeks, having spent August back in his native South Africa, but after a scratchy start that echoed his season’s form, he quickly rediscovered the fluency of old with 140 not out from 264 balls. Critchley, meanwhile, has been in decent nick for most of the summer and finished on 97 not out with Essex 312 for 3 at the close, a deficit of just 21.Under heavy cloud cover, the rate of Essex’s steady acceleration through the gears was illustrated by Elgar’s partnerships for the second wicket with Tom Westley (76 in 24 overs), with Charlie Allison for the third (75 in 17) and for the fourth with the freewheeling Critchley.Durham had been dismissed at the start of the day for 333 with Jamie Porter extending his season’s wickets tally to 39 with figures of 4 for 77. A punchy ninth-wicket stand of 41 between Graham Clark and Sam Conners took the visitors past 300 and what might prove a valuable second batting point in their fight to avoid dropping into Division Two of the Rothesay County Championship.When Essex batted, their determination to grind it out initially and establish a stable platform, trundling along at little more than two an over, highlighted by Elgar and Westley taking 17 overs to post their fifty partnership, it looked like becoming a battle of attrition and willpower.Indeed, the start was so cautious that Essex had just seven on the board by the seventh over when Paul Walter was the first to depart, hanging his bat out against Ben Raine and being snaffled by first slip falling backwards.Things perked up significantly straight after lunch with a flurry of boundaries to take the run-rate above two-and-a-half. But the pair were parted when Callum Parkinson found some hitherto unsuspected turn and rapped Westley on his back pad to win an lbw decision.Elgar reached only his third half-century of the season from 107 balls with a single off his legs and then drove Parkinson through the covers for his ninth four. Allison was even more aggressive against the spinner, taking 14 off one over, including a six over the bowler’s head.Elgar slowly but surely found his rhythm and lofted Parkinson over long leg for six as the third-wicket pair passed fifty inside 10 overs. By that point the run-rate had risen above three an over.The introduction of Colin Ackermann broke the blossoming partnership, though. The part-time off-spinner pushed one through lower and faster and bowled Allison for 33 from 51 balls. Matt Critchley dented the South African’s figures a couple of overs later with a lofted four and a straight six.Three balls before tea, Elgar drove Parkinson to the far reaches of extra cover for the three runs that took him to his 53rd first-class century from 169 balls.
Compared to the earlier obduracy, Critchley raced to fifty from just 56 balls with his eighth four, driven straight past Raine, and had scored 65 when the stand passed one hundred in just 25 overs. It continued in much the same vein to stumps.Doug Bracewell and Porter both added a wicket each to their respective overnight hauls in the 19 minutes it took Essex to wrap up Durham’s first innings in the morning. Conners got a leading edge to give Bracewell a return catch and figures of 3 for 70 before Porter sent Parkinson’s off-stump cartwheeling out of the ground for a fourth wicket.

CA would offer Australian venues if the BCCI and PCB show any desire to restart bilateral relations

Alex Malcolm27-Mar-20241:40

Paine: Perth a good place to start, but India have pace depth

Cricket Australia has reaffirmed its willingness to host a bilateral series between India and Pakistan if the BCCI and PCB agree to playing each other in the future.India and Pakistan’s men’s teams will be in Australia at the same time in November this year after CA announced the schedule for Australia’s next home summer with Pakistan playing three ODIs and T20Is before India start a five-Test series just four days later on November 22, although there was never a realistic chance of matches between the two nations as part of the visits.India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 and currently only meet at global ICC events.Related

• Australia-India five-Test blockbuster to start in Perth in late November

• India-Pakistan Test at the MCG – MCC and Victoria government show interest

• When Kohli soared, and 90,293 people roared – oh, there's never been anything like it at MCG

After the success of the 2022 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan at the MCG, when 90,293 witnessed a last-ball thriller, CA, the Melbourne Cricket Club (operators of the MCG) and the Victorian government expressed an interest in hosting the two teams in bilateral matches at the MCG.CA chief executive Nick Hockley reiterated that desire when he announced Australia’s home schedule at the MCG on Wednesday.”I think anyone that was here for the India-Pakistan game at the MCG, it will go down as one of the most memorable occasions, not just sporting occasions, that I’ve ever been to,” he said. “So people want to see that contest. We would love to host that if the opportunity arose. If we can play a role, we’d love to play a role.India and Pakistan line up for the national anthems at a packed MCG•Getty Images

“We’re so excited to host Pakistan. We’re so excited to host India. If we can help, that’s great. But I think in many ways, that’s a bilateral series. It’s really for others to make that happen.”CA’s head of scheduling Peter Roach acknowledged on Tuesday that there would also be some interest in hosting a tri-series, which last happened involving India and Pakistan during the 1999-2000 season, rather than just a neutral bilateral series if that were possible but he noted there was no room in the current FTP.”We haven’t got a tri-series in the FTP,” Roach said. “Going forward we’re always interested in opportunities for matches and contests that will engage our fans. It’s fair to say every country in the world would love to see India and Pakistan compete in their country.”We’re on record as saying we’re one of those countries that has asked the question. There’s no room in the schedules to do that at the moment. We’ll keep talking to them in any other opportunities that arise, but in this specific example there are not going to be any changes to the schedule.”

Faf du Plessis, Trent Boult and James Vince are among those leaving for other leagues

Tristan Lavalette07-Jan-2023As a rejuvenated BBL heads towards the pointy end of the season, teams will look markedly different with a number of high-profile players heading to new cashed-up leagues in the UAE and South Africa. But several Australia Test stars will return before heading to India to whip up plenty of interest ahead of the finals.

Adelaide Strikers

Departing Chris Lynn, Rashid Khan
Returning Alex Carey, Travis HeadIt’s mixed news for Adelaide Strikers. They lose Chris Lynn, who recently wound back the clock with his big-hitting exploits after a slow start with his new team. Lynn’s last game will be his second against former side Brisbane Heat on January 14 before his contentious move to the ILT20 in the UAE.His exit is softened by the returns of Test players Travis Head and Alex Carey. Head will assume the captaincy and has been in belligerent form as a No. 6 for Australia while wicketkeeper-batter Carey notched his first Test century during the Boxing Day Test.Strikers’ big loss is star spinner Rashid Khan, who played his last game of the season on January 5 against Hobart Hurricanes before heading to South Africa’s T20 league. Strikers’ talisman took six wickets in seven innings at an economy of 6.43 and his match-winning skill along with his passion – which manifested during several feisty confrontations with batters – will be sorely missed.Related

• Jewell stars as Hurricanes get over the line despite late meltdown

• Drama at MCG as Adam Zampa's run-out attempt against Tom Rogers is turned down

• Vince 91* guides Sixers to thrilling last-over win

• SA20 aims to bring light to dark times

Brisbane Heat

Departing Sam Billings, Colin Munro
Returning Usman Khawaja, Marnus LabuschagneIt is almost a straight swap for struggling Heat, who need a strong backend to reach the finals. Star overseas signings Sam Billings and Colin Munro have been hot and cold but shown occasional brilliance with the bat.They head to the UAE, where Munro will captain Desert Vipers, but are effectively replaced by Test stars Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. After being a foundation player with Sydney Thunder, where he scored 1818 runs in 59 innings, Queensland captain Khawaja will take the reins as skipper and set to replace Munro at the top of the order alongside explosive Josh Brown.Labuschagne, who only played one BBL game last season, could slot in at No.4 in place of Billings.

Hobart Hurricanes

Departing Shadab Khan
Allrounder Shadab Khan has returned to international duties with Pakistan although a broken finger saw him miss several games before he left. Shadab took seven wickets in five games at an economy of 7.58, but he was unsuccessfully used at No. 4 before moving down the order.Allrounder Jimmy Neesham left last month and will head to South Africa after an underwhelming stint. He batted mostly at No. 6 or No. 7 but his best effort came with a 19-ball 28 in Hurricanes’ tense win over Renegades. He was also expensive with the ball and claimed just one wicket.They don’t have any incumbent Test players although batter Zak Crawley and allrounder Faheem Ashraf have both recently joined Hurricanes after playing in the England-Pakistan Test series.Trent Boult is one of big-name overseas players leaving•Getty Images

Melbourne Renegades

Departing Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Akeal Hosein
Returning Marcus HarrisRenegades have lost spin duo Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Akeal Hosein, who both headed to the ILT20 in the UAE. They formed an effective spin duo with 20 wickets between them.Left-armer Hosein was eye-catching in his first BBL season and proved particularly menacing on the slower surface in Geelong. He also unleashed his big-hitting capabilities in the death overs on several occasions.With skipper Nic Maddinson ruled out for the remainder of the season with a long-term knee injury, the return of Marcus Harris from Australia’s Test squad is welcome.

Melbourne Stars

Departing Trent BoultWhile his compatriots have been toiling in Pakistan, long-time New Zealand spearhead Trent Boult has had a taste of the BBL. In his first season, it’s been tough going for Boult who had mixed success with the ball for struggling Stars. Although he provided unexpected entertainment with the bat marked by a T20 career best of 23 not out against Scorchers at Optus Stadium.

Perth Scorchers

Departing Faf du Plessis, Adam Lyth
Returning Lance Morris, Ashton AgarScorchers have had to remake their top order after the departures of opening pair Faf du Plessis and Adam Lyth.Former Test captain du Plessis returned home to be part of South Africa’s inaugural T20 league. There was much excitement in the west over the late signing of du Plessis, who was embraced by locals after being an antagonist for Australian fans over the years.He smashed a rapid half-century in Perth Scorchers’ record 7 for 229 against Stars but made single digits in three of his last four games. Lyth had a BBL to forget but will hope for better success in UAE with Desert Vipers, where he is set to open alongside compatriot Alex Hales.Scorchers have regained tearaway Lance Morris in a timely addition after Jhye Richardson’s recent hamstring injury. Having moved up the pecking order in Australia’s crowded Test pace stocks, Morris is hoping for a breakout BBL season after modest success previously.Spinning allrounder Ashton Agar returns after playing in the third Test at the SCG but Cameron Green has been ruled out of his stint with a broken finger. They also have Middlesex’s Stephen Eskinazi on their books

Sydney Sixers

Departed Chris Jordan, James Vince, Naveen-ul-Haq
Returning Steven Smith, Nathan LyonSixers lose veterans Chris Jordan and James Vince, who both head to the UAE. T20 World Cup winner Jordan arrived late to the BBL and only had limited availability although his athletic fielding was a standout.Vince, a star for Sixers over the years, frustratingly couldn’t kick on from several solid platforms until a devastating 91 not out in a successful chase against Stars. He will captain Gulf Giants in the ILT20. Afghanistan quick Naveen-ul-Haq is also UAE bound.But they will be boosted by the inclusion of stars Steven Smith and Nathan Lyon. There will be much anticipation for the return of Smith, who farcically missed last season’s finals series despite being available.Smith famously captained Sixers to the title in the first edition of the BBL in 2012 but his four games in BBL09 were his only appearances in the competition since 2013-14. Smith might replace Vince at No. 3, while Lyon will provide much needed experience for Sixers who have been reliant on young spinners Izharulhaq Naveed and Todd Murphy.

Sydney Thunder

Departing Alex Hales, Rilee Rossouw
Returning David WarnerAfter their embarrassing capitulation for 15 against Strikers, Alex Hales helped revive Thunder with three half-centuries in four games before departing to the UAE.They lose more batting firepower with Rilee Rossouw heading home to play in South Africa’s T20 league although he generally struggled to get going.But Warner is set to soften the blow and his return to the BBL is set to be one of the most anticipated moments in the competition’s history. He has only played three BBL matches previously with the last being in December 2013.

The tournament starts on October 17; Super 12s begin on October 23 with Australia vs South Africa and England vs West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2021The India vs Pakistan Super 12s Group 2 game at the men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will be played on October 24 in Dubai. The date was confirmed as the ICC announced the tournament schedule on Tuesday. The tournament’s first round kicks off on October 17 in Oman, with Oman taking on Papua New Guinea and Bangladesh playing Scotland. The final will be played in Dubai on November 14, with November 15 marked as a reserve day.The Super 12s – round two of the tournament, with two groups – will begin on October 23, with Australia facing South Africa in Abu Dhabi and England up against West Indies in Dubai. India vs Pakistan aside, another big-ticket encounter in this round includes England and Australia playing in Dubai on October 30. England and Australia are part of Group 1 in the Super 12s, along with South Africa, West Indies and two qualifiers from the first round of games. India and Pakistan are in Group 2, along with New Zealand, Afghanistan and two qualifiers.The top-two teams from the two Super 12 groups will play the semi-finals. The first on November 10 in Abu Dhabi and the second on November 11 in Dubai. Like the final, both the semi-finals will have reserve days.The tournament’s first round features Sri Lanka, Ireland, Netherlands and Namibia in Group A, and Bangladesh, Scotland, PNG and Oman in Group B. Oman and UAE are co-hosts for the tournament, with the first round being played in Oman, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. The second round is spread around the three UAE venues of Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Dubai.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

This will be the first time in over two years that India and Pakistan will play each other, their last meeting being at the 50-over World Cup in England in 2019. As has been the case often in the past many years, bilateral ties between the two countries are on hold because of political tensions, meaning they only face each other only in multi-team tournaments, like the World Cups.This edition of the World Cup was initially scheduled to be held in Australia in 2020, but it was postponed because of the pandemic. Then, it was slated to be played in India this October but, again, complications triggered by the pandemic forced a venue change. Incidentally, 2021 was also due to feature a T20 World Cup as per previous ICC schedules, and that second tournament will now to be played in Australia late next year.Sammy tags West Indies favourites
Daren Sammy, the two-time T20 World Cup-winning West Indies captain who unveiled the schedule in a virtual function on Tuesday along with Dinesh Karthik and Isa Guha, told that he expected West Indies to grab the most attention at the tournament.”When you look at West Indies – and I might sound a bit biased – in the last [three] tournaments we have managed to get to the final four, win in two out of that [2012 and 2016],” Sammy said. “Our players, the calibre of players we have – when you look at captain [Kieron] Pollard, the universe boss Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Evin Lewis – I could go on… it’s a long list of guys who can take the attack to you.”But, in this stage, every team looking at the group stages would be thinking, ‘Wow, you got to start well’. And I expect England and West Indies to come out of that group [Group 1 in the Super 12s]. [I predict that the team] that tops this group gets to the final.”Karthik said he expected Group 2 in the Super 12s to be highly competitive as well: “If five Asian teams come through and you have New Zealand there… that’s a tougher group; I am looking forward to some high-octane action.”It’s going to be close call for me between Pakistan and New Zealand [with India being the other team to get through from Group 2 to the semis]. My heart says I would love to see a Pakistan there, but New Zealand find ways to always punch above their weight. They are a pretty well-rounded team with a great leader in Kane Williamson.”

He has admitted to charges relating to fixing matches in the Afghanistan Premier League

ESPNcricinfo staff10-May-2020After admitting to the charges of corruption issued against him by the Afghanistan Cricket Board, including one that said he was trying to fix a match in the 2019-20 Bangladesh Premier League, wicketkeeper-batsman Shafiqullah has been banned from all cricket-related activities for six years. An ACB release on Sunday mentioned that the charges against the 30-year-old also relate to his conduct during the Afghanistan Premier League in 2018.In total, Shafiqullah had allegedly broken four articles of the ACB’s anti-corruption code: trying to fix the outcome of a domestic match, seeking or offering bribes to fix the outcome of a domestic match, inducing a team-mate to fix a domestic match, and failing to report a corrupt approach.Shafiqullah was part of the team that led Afghanistan to ODI status and a member of two World T20 campaigns. But he has not played an international game since September last year. A wicketkeeper-batsman by trade, he represented his country in 24 ODIs and 46 T20Is between 2009 and 2019.”This is a very serious offence where a senior national player is involved in the corruption of a high-profile domestic game in APL T20 2018,” said the ACB’s senior anti-corruption manager, Sayed Anwar Shah Quraishi. “The player had also attempted but failed to get one of his team-mates to engage in corruption in another high-profile game during the BPL 2019.”Quraishi pointed out that without his admission of guilt and full cooperation during the ACB’s investigation, Shafiqullah’s ban could have been significantly longer. He also said the player was willing to contribute to the ACB’s education programs to help younger players learn from his mistakes.

Royals will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat to stall Mumbai in the first day-night game at the Wankhede this season

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh12-Apr-20195:21

Tait: I’d bring Ashton Turner in, leave Steven Smith out

Big picture

Heading into their first face-off in IPL 2019, Mumbai Indians’ 10 wins to Rajasthan Royals’ eight in tournament head-to-heads speak little of the two sides’ contrasting runs this season. A faithful picture of their fortunes, though, reflects in their edge-of-the-seat final-ball finishes – both at home – in their most-recent outings. With an equanimous approach to a steep chase, Mumbai snared their third straight win, whereas Royals, consistently inconsistent across disciplines and clutch phases in all of their five defeats in six games, couldn’t defend 18 off the last over a contentious overturning of a no-ball.Royals had made three changes to their playing XI on Thursday against Chennai Super Kings in a bid to lift themselves from the seventh spot. Jaydev Unadkat picked Faf du Plessis to help stifle the visiting team 24 for 4 in the Powerplay and 19-year-old wristspinner Riyan Parag struck an enterprising 14-ball 16 to go with his wicketless three overs on IPL debut. A fit-again Sanju Samson, meanwhile, struck an elegant four off the first ball he faced only to be dismissed for a second straight single-digit score after that sizzling century in the opening week.Jofra Archer and Ajinkya Rahane celebrate a wicket•BCCI

Royals’ woes, however, run deeper than Samson’s underwhelming comeback. Form and fluency – and captaincy – appear to be at odds with Ajinkya Rahane; Steven Smith’s odd, underarm throws in the field bear the same touch of uncertainty as his batting form. And Ben Stokes’ oddity as a superlative allrounder and a deliverer of unforgettable last overs have swayed between scratchy middle-order runs, a jaw-dropping stunner at point and… wait for it… failing to defend a sizeable number of runs in deciding over of the game. If Royals could take heart from anything, though, it should be the all-round returns of Jofra Archer and legspinner Shreyas Gopal.Mumbai’s comeback from their eight-wicket thrashing at the hands of Kings XI Punjab, meanwhile, has been as emphatic as their game-changer Kieron Pollard’s debut as IPL captain. Standing in for the injured Rohit Sharma, Pollard stood out with his astute calls on the field on Thursday as he did with his blistering 83 that muted Kings XI’s 197 defence. With a chase as resounding as that under Mumbai’s belt, Royals will need to pull a rabbit out of their hat to stall Mumbai in the first day-night game at the Wankhede this season.

In the news

Rohit batted at the Wankhede nets on Friday and is set to return to captaining the side, after sitting out his first IPL game since 2008, with a muscle spasm in his right leg on Wednesday. This would necessitate Siddesh Lad make his way out two nights after his IPL debut. Expect Pollard to bat at No. 4 for a second straight match.
Giving Ashton Turner a game in favour of an out-of-sorts Steven Smith or a misfiring Ben Stokes could be that much warranted – albeit somewhat belated – throw of the dice that could help Royals get their campaign back on track.

Form Guide (most recent match first)

Mumbai Indians: beat KXIP by three wickets, beat SRH by 40 runs, beat CSK by 37 runs
Rajasthan Royals: lost to CSK by four wickets, lost to KKR by eight wickets, beat RCB by seven wickets

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock, 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Kieron Pollard, 5 Ishan Kishan, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Jason BehrendorffRajasthan Royals: 1 Ajinkya Rahane (capt), 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Sanju Samson, 4 Steven Smith/ Ashton Turner, 5 Rahul Tripathi, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jofra Archer, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Riyan Parag, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Dhawal KulkarniHardik Pandya made crucial breakthroughs•BCCI

Strategy punt

• Mumbai’s top three – Rohit, Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav – have been dismissed a whopping 15 times while attempting to play the pull shot since IPL 2018. Take note, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Jaydev Unadkat.
• Archer could well be the answer to keeping in check the in-form troika of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav. In a combined seven innings, Archer has dismissed them once each, just for just 21 runs off 29 balls.
• At 30.3, Hardik Pandya currently boasts a personal-best average in an IPL season. But finding an alternative to the 25-year-old as a death-bowling option could hold Mumbai in good stead given his economy of 15.2 in the last five overs as compared to 9.6 and 6.3 in the Powerplay and the middle phase.

Stats that matter

• With Saturday’s match, Mumbai are set to become the first team in T20 cricket to play 200 matches.
• Records galore await Rohit, who is set to captain Mumbai for the 100th time. He is also one hit shy of 100 sixes for Mumbai as captain, and is 59 and 87 runs short of reaching 3500 runs in IPL for Mumbai and 8000 runs overall in T20s respectively.
• In the Royals’ camp, one strike will take Unadkat to the milestone of 150 T20 wickets, while Stokes needs two sixes to round out 100 in the format.
• Royals have the worst death-overs economy this season, conceding 11.5 runs per and for a meagre 1.6 wickets – the least among all teams.

Moeen Ali was a walking wicket against Nathan Lyon this Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jan-2018Brisbane TestFirst innings: lbw b Lyon 38, double breakthrough! Moeen is given lbw. He’s called for the review but this looks pretty good. Pitches around middle, straightens a fraction. Hits him low on the front pad. No bat involved. It’s hitting the top of middle! (Umpire’s call, so review retained) 249/6Second innings: st Paine b Lyon 40, massive turn, and Paine whips off the bails! This one is going upstairs for the stumping…Moeen’s toe is on the line, but is there anything behind it? I don’t think there is. … this is a big call. The stump cam implies there might be a millimetre in it, but I think there’ll be a riot if this isn’t given. The decision is OUT! 155/6Adelaide TestFirst innings: c & b Lyon 25, flight and dip, it’s chipped back in the air, waaaaaaaaayyyy to the left of the bowler… only for Lyon to pluck a one-handed screamer! Holy smokes! That’s not nice, Garry, it’s sensational! Slightly loose from Moeen, done by the ball dropping on him, but the connection was firm and it brought out the Superman in Lyon as he soared to his left and grabbed it with the surety that characterises everything Australia do right now 132/6Second innings: lbw b Lyon 2, tossed up, Moeen goes to sweep and is hit on the front pad… Up goes the finger! Australia are cock-a-hoop but Moeen delays their gratification by reviewing; this is going to be close but the margins are in Lyon’s favour here. Sure enough, it’s just in line (umpire’s call) and just clipping the top of off (umpire’s call) – and England are truly in the soup! 188/7Perth TestSecond innings: lbw b Lyon 11, does him second time around! This looks a smidge quicker than the last ball, but everything else is the same. Pitches on a good length just outside off and slides on with the arm. Moeen plays for turn, gets beaten on the inside edge, struck in line with all three and walks off knowing not to review. 172/6Melbourne TestFirst innings: c SE Marsh b Lyon 20, super catch! Another wicket for not a great delivery. Short outside off, Moeen rocks back and doesn’t try to keep the ball down, drives in the air and it’s grabbed out of the air at short cover by Shaun Marsh 307/6Sydney TestSecond innings: lbw b Lyon 13, sliding on, raps the front pad – and given! Moeen doesn’t hang around, he’s not even interested in spinning the DRS wheel, Lyon has bagged him for one last time in the series! Looked pretty Tweedle Dum on first glance, Australia have their first of the day 121/5

Dale Steyn has been ruled out of South Africa’s Test series in Australia with a fractured right shoulder

Firdose Moonda at the WACA04-Nov-2016Dale Steyn has been ruled out of South Africa’s Test series in Australia and could face up to six months out of the game with a fractured right shoulder. He did damage to the shoulder, which he had broken last season, while bowling on the second morning of the first Test in Perth.”I felt this pop or like a thud in my shoulder. There was a lot of pain,” Steyn told Channel Nine. “I had to go off the field and have an MRI. I did something very similar against England in December in a similar area but it wasn’t as bad. That was a stress reaction, which is like a very hairline little crack. This time it’s more like a fracture. It’s kind of broken the whole bone. I will probably have surgery and a plate in there. So we’re probably looking at a minimum of six months before I’m up and going again.”The last time took about three months and I was up and running and ready to play. As the scheduling goes, there’s a lot of cricket to be played and people want you to play. I didn’t have the full time to recover. I have been dealing with this for quite some time and I was wanting to rush and get to the Twenty20 World Cup, I wanted to go to the IPL. I wanted to play. This time I have to take the time to let it heal properly.”Steyn will return to South Africa after the WACA Test to see a shoulder specialist and it is “highly likely” according to South African team manager Mohammed Moosajee, who is also a medical doctor, that he will require surgery. Steyn is five wickets away from overtaking Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading Test wicket-taker.”He is extremely disappointed at the moment but knowing Dale, he will come back stronger,” Moosajee said. “We need to to give him the best opportunity to recover because South Africa and the world wants to see Dale Steyn play again.”Steyn complained of discomfort in the first session and went down after delivering the fourth ball in his 13th over – his seventh of the day – after picking up the first wicket of the morning. “He heard something thud or pop when it happened,” Moosajee said.Steyn remained on his haunches in his followthrough and held his right shoulder while grimacing in pain. Keshav Maharaj and Hashim Amla were the first of his team-mates to arrive at his side before physiotherapist Brandon Jackson walked him off the field, 42 minutes before lunch. He was taken to the hospital where scans revealed the fracture. He returned to the ground and watched his team-mates bowl Australia out but will not take the field at all and will only bat if “absolutely necessary” depending on the state of the game.The cause of Steyn’s injury is not entirely known except that it may have stemmed from trauma, such as a motor-vehicle accident, and was not caused by action on a cricket field. Injuries of his nature are so rare that Moosajee said there was only one documented case of it affecting a cricketer in the literature. The bowler, a 27-year-old from Staffordshire, was not named in a report Moosajee had with him but required the lengthy recovery time.Steyn has already spent several months tending to this injury. He broke the shoulder late last year and broke down in the Boxing Day Test against England and was ruled out of the rest of that series, including the limited-overs’ matches.Steyn had returned from the injury at the World T20 in March, when he played in two of South Africa’s four matches. He was then left out of the Caribbean triangular series in June – officially rested but unofficially dropped – and allowed to play in the NatWest T20 Blast to regain form. He returned for South Africa’s Tests against New Zealand and seemed back to his best with eight wickets in the Centurion win. He also played in four of the five ODIs against Australia and was occasionally seen holding the shoulder but did not need treatment at any stage.Before this series against Australia, Faf du Plessis stressed the importance of Steyn staying fit for the thee Tests because of his role in leading South Africa’s attack. Now, that responsibility will fall to someone else, most likely Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, but South Africa may consider flying in a replacement.Morkel is not playing this Test after concerns over his match readiness following two months on the sidelines with a back injury. He has only played one first-class match since making his return but has also bowled in the warm-up matches on this tour. “Morne is progressing quite nicely since he injured his back. During the build up to this week he looked pretty good. It looks like he will be available for selection for the second Test,” Moosajee said.Should Morkel not be 100% ready, South Africa have a fifth specialist seamer in Kyle Abbott. Others who could come into contention are Hardus Viljoen, who debuted against England last summer and is currently second on the first-class competition wicket chart with 21 scalps at 23.04, or Marchant de Lange, who has not played a Test since 2012 and is fourth on the list. Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell are also both injured.

An on-field brawl between two Bermuda club cricketers during the country’s Champion of Champions final on September 12 has resulted in one of them being banned for life and the other slapped with a lengthy suspension by the Bermuda Cricket Board

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-20151:05

On-field brawl between Cleveland County Cricket Club and Willow Cuts Cricket Club players

An on-field brawl between two Bermuda club cricketers during the country’s Champion of Champions final on September 12 has resulted in one of them being banned for life and the other slapped with a lengthy suspension by the Bermuda Cricket Board.At the end of an over during the game, Cleveland County Cricket Club’s wicketkeeper Jason Anderson, while changing ends, smacked the Willow Cuts Cricket Club’s batsman George O’Brien on the head to spark off a massive fight. O’Brien swung his bat at Anderson, who – after a moment of calm – then rushed the batsman and pushed him to the ground. Anderson then appeared to aim at kick at O’Brien’s body too, and the pair had to be separated by a large number of players and officials as play was stopped.Anderson was given “a life ban from all cricket, and any involvement in the game of cricket in Bermuda in any capacity” by the BCB, while O’Brien was suspended for a length of time that will include six 50-over matches at the start of the next season.The Cleveland Club imposed more sanctions on Anderson, banning him from representing the club “in all sporting activities for life.” Cleveland coach Clay Smith wrote in his column for that the incident was a new low in Bermuda cricket.
“Our standards of discipline have slipped tremendously, and what is deemed acceptable on the field of play is completely unacceptable,” Smith wrote. “Too few players are being written up for what some may deem minor infractions.”There is a solution to this madness, it just requires the Bermuda Cricket Board to implement the code of conduct that players are expected toplay under at the ICC international level.”The incident was criticised in Bermuda’s parliament. “What was to be a family and community event, has instead been marred by a repugnant incident of violence, lawlessness and unsportsmanlike conduct,” Shadow Sports Minister Michael Weeks said.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has been surprised at how flat the Galle track has been, but still expects spin to play a major part in the last two days

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle10-Mar-2013Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford believes his side is still capable of securing victory in Galle, despite a day of toil for his bowlers on a placid track. Bangladesh made 303 runs on the third day, for the fall of two wickets, with Mohammad Ashraful and Mushfiqur Rahim remaining unbeaten at stumps with 189 and 152 respectively. The visitors trail by 132.”We’re certainly not in the position tonight, where we thought we had to be in,” Ford said. “When we came to the ground this morning, we were hoping for a better day. All credit to Bangladesh and those two batsmen (Ashraful and Mushfiqur). They batted superbly and played Bangladesh into [a] pretty strong position. It’s up to us to break this partnership early in the morning, and if we can get a couple of wickets, the game can change quite quickly.”The Galle pitch has traditionally taken considerable turn from the third day on, but apart from the occasional delivery from Rangana Herath that spat off the surface, the spinners have largely found it as unhelpful as the fast bowlers did.Though the spinners have not been as threatening as usual, Ford expected Herath to become more difficult to play on the final two days. Herath has prospered in Galle in recent years, picking up two ten wicket-hauls at the venue in three matches last year. He had taken 46 wickets at an average of 20.30 at the venue, before this Test.”Herath could factor into the game more, and history here at Galle has shown that with a harder newer ball, he is a lot more effective, and [has] taken a lot of wickets in the last three Tests. Looking at the way they played Herath, he turned the ball today, but the turn was slow and it didn’t help him.”One or two balls went past the outside edge from the spinners, but we didn’t really create a great deal of chances, partly because they batted well, and partly because the surface was very true.”Only eight wickets have fallen in the Test in 271 overs, with five batsmen making hundreds. Ford said this pitch was unlike any other he had seen at the venue. Galle Tests are generally not drawn – 16 of the 21 Tests played here ended in results.”In the Test matches that I have been involved with as coach of Sri Lanka, there’s always been something in it for the spinners. Even with the new ball, the seamers have got a little bit out of it. We expected some bounce in the wicket, which we didn’t really get. The extra dead grass has held the surface together and kept the bounce pretty true.”I came here once as the coach of the South Africa team, and it seemed very flat for the Sri Lankan batsmen, but not so flat for the South African batsmen. Muttiah Muralitharan played a big part in making it difficult for our batsmen on that occasion.”Ford also called for more application from his attack, which was wayward at times, especially towards the end of the day. “We have to take it one session at a time, and we can’t get ahead of ourselves and start dreaming about fancy positions which we can get ourselves into. We got to bowl with a lot of discipline, frustrate and create pressure. If we get those processes in place, things will work out for us.”