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Ninth-wicket stand of 169 followed by top-order strikes to give hosts a window of opportunity

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay01-Jul-2025Essex 368 and 33 for 3 trail Yorkshire 459 (Revis 150, Coad 89, Lyth 84) by 58 runsCenturion Matthew Revis and Ben Coad combined to a post a record-breaking ninth-wicket partnership of 169 and fashion a Yorkshire day-three turnaround to give themselves hope of a Rothesay County Championship victory against fellow strugglers Essex at York.Second-bottom Yorkshire and Essex, one place above them in the Division One table, were separated by 14 points ahead of a ninth-round fixture which had advanced to the White Rose county starting this day’s play on 143 for 3 in reply to a first-innings 368.Shane Snater’s seam helped reduce the hosts to 273 for 8 after lunch, claiming three more wickets to add to a solitary strike on day two. Yorkshire were 95 behind at that stage. However, things changed dramatically as allrounder Revis and new-ball seamer Coad scored runs at will against an increasingly ragged Essex attack. Both men posted career best scores, Revis with 150 off 187 balls and Coad 89 off 110 in a total of 459 all out.Essex started their second innings with 16 overs remaining in the day, trailing by 91, and closed on 33 for 3. Coad struck twice with the new ball.Revis and Coad united for the best part of 33 overs to amass the highest ever ninth-wicket partnership for any county against Essex in a first-class match.Essex struck three times during a morning which had started with Adam Lyth and captain Jonny Bairstow at the crease.Bairstow was involved in an engaging battle with Indian overseas left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed on a pitch which remains placid. The former cut two boundaries before falling caught behind for 29 when trying to uppercut another, leaving the hosts 169 for 4 after 61 overs – the seventh of the day.Lyth batted with a calf injury picked up during the latter stages of day two and edged behind a checked drive against Snater on 84, passing 14,000 career runs in the Championship in the process.That was the first of two wickets for the Dutch international in as many overs with the new ball as Yorkshire fell to 228 for 6 in the 84th over, with George Hill trapped lbw on the back pad pushing forwards.After lunch, Simon Harmer’s offspin ousted Will Sutherland lbw before Dom Bess was caught behind down the leg-side, handing Snater a fourth wicket and leaving Yorkshire eight down, 95 behind and in some trouble.Sandwiched in between the seventh and eighth wickets, Revis reached his fifty off 89 balls – his second in as many innings after 93 not out against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge last week.What came next, few would have predicted. Revis and Coad pinched a second batting point and denied Essex a third bowling point.Revis played confidently through the off side off front foot and back against seam and spin, later heaving two huge leg-side sixes off Noah Thain’s seam. Coad hoisted two sixes off spin over long-on and straight in reaching his fifty off 69 balls.Yorkshire had secured a lead of two by the time they reached tea at 370 for 8, with Revis unbeaten on 94 and Coad celebrating his second career fifty – and his second against Essex after 69 at Headingley in a 2022 defeat.Revis reached his ton, off 151 balls, inside the opening 10 minutes of the evening and later his maiden 150 off 185 as Essex struggled to finish off the tail – something they have grappled with all summer.Coad was understandably frustrated when bowled by Matt Critchley’s legspin, 11 runs short of what would have been a maiden century. And Revis then holed out to long-on against the same bowler.That left Yorkshire with an hour’s bowling against an Essex top order now under unexpected pressure.That pressure only mounted as Coad continued to influence proceedings. He removed Paul Walter and Tom Westley for ducks as Essex’s second innings slipped to 6 for 2, the former trapped lbw and the latter another batter to be caught behind down leg.And when Hill bowled Dean Elgar with a beauty late in the day, Essex were 28 for 3.

Batter relishing the ride as relentless touring lifestyle continues at pace

Cameron Ponsonby05-Dec-2023Harry Brook says that he agreed his three-year deal with England “as soon as they called”, with there being no temptation to keep his franchise options open with a shorter deal.Brook is one of just three England players, along with Mark Wood and Joe Root, who signed three-year central contracts with the ECB. Unlike Root and Wood, who are both in their 30s and would have appreciated the certainty that came with the length of the deal, Brook is 24 and highly sought after on the franchise circuit, becoming an IPL millionaire last year when he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 13.25 crore.Nevertheless, despite the riches on offer around the world, Brook said there wasn’t even a thought of a negotiation with England when Rob Key called him.”Straight away as soon as England called I was going to sign the contract,” Brook said, one day out from the second ODI against the West Indies. “I’ve wanted to play for England all my life.”Brook was one of six players who were offered three-year contracts, with himself, Wood and Root agreeing to the deal, while Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler opted for two years and Test captain Ben Stokes gambled on a one-year deal on the basis that the value of central contracts may increase when new terms are agreed next year.As arguably the most talented batter of his generation, Brook’s commitment to England is a boon to the national side as they are able to control the workload of one of their most prized assets, who himself admitted to having felt that he needed a break following a difficult World Cup campaign.Since his Test debut in September 2022, no one has played as many matches for England as Brook’s 45. And it isn’t until you get to Chris Woakes at No.7 in that list with 32 matches that you find another player who has played Test cricket. With such a high workload, there could have been consideration to rest Brook for the ODIs and have him join up with the squad for the T20Is.”Obviously England made that decision but I’m happy to be out here to be honest,” Brook said of the potential to have had an extended rest. “It’s a different lifestyle. I’ve been waking up at six o’clock every morning and jumping in the sea so it’s been an enjoyable tour so far.”For a cricket nuffy like Brook, the West Indies tour also represents an opportunity to work on a format of the game he has had next to no experience in. Following the World Cup, he returned to his school coach for a few work-up sessions, but still the challenge of finding the tempo of one-day cricket has proved challenging. A fact that made his 71 in the first ODI all the more satisfying.”I liked the way I went about my innings,” Brook said reflecting on his run-a-ball innings at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. “I’ve struggled a little bit in this format at the start of my career. I haven’t quite found the tempo of how I wanted to play.Related

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“Until the summer I hadn’t played anything. So yeah, I was just trying to figure out, find my feet in the format really and try to find a tempo with the way I wanted to bat. England have been renowned for being an aggressive side but there’s always so much time. The other day was a perfect example of that. It was about nine overs from the end that I got out and I felt like I was sat up on the balcony watching for about three hours.”Despite a relentless workload, Brook has put his name into the auction for the IPL which, coming off the back of England’s five-match Test tour there in January, will mean he’ll have spent the best part of six months from the start of October to the end of May in India.”In India you can end up sitting in your hotel room with not much stuff to do,” Brook said of the cricket-mad nation where the celebrity effect takes things up a notch and can make social media a particularly difficult place. “I’ve been off social media for a while now. So anything I stumble across, I delete it from the phone…I think that’s helped my game, helped my mental health and everything, to be off social media and seeing all the negativity that brings.”It marks a change for Brook, who after a run of low scores in IPL 2023 said in a post-match interview following his century against Kolkata Knight Riders that he was “glad he could shut them [his critics] up to be honest.””I was an idiot and I said a stupid thing in an interview which I regret a little bit,” Brook laughed when recalling the incident, adding that it wasn’t this incident alone that led him to quitting social media. “I’d find myself scrolling Instagram or whatever, and you just come across stuff you just don’t want to see, so I thought it was the right idea to get rid of it. I’ve obviously still got Instagram and Twitter but thankfully I’ve got someone running it for me.”

God Save The King played at a sporting event for first time since 1952

Vithushan Ehantharajah10-Sep-2022Day three of the third Test between England and South Africa began with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.In a moving 10 minutes before play got underway on Saturday, the Test match became the first sporting occasion in which God Save The King has been played since 1952, after rain had prevented the anthems being played on Thursday, prior to the accession of King Charles III.Both teams entered the field to silence as the capacity crowd stood in anticipation of the tributes. The players and officials passed through a military guard of honour before lining up facing the Pavilion, while the respective management teams stood at the edge of the boundary.A minute’s silence took place at 10:54am, followed by a one-bell chime by Senior NCO Robert Brockelsby Miller of the Irish Guards. The South African national anthem, Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika then rang out across the silent ground, with no musical accompaniment from the singer, Laura Wright, before the crowd joined in with the first rendition of the updated English national anthem. Both were given ground-wide applause.Despite the solemnity of the occasion, flags were at full mast at the start of play, due to this being the day of the Accession Council’s meeting at St James’ Palace – the occasion at which the new King was formally proclaimed. According to protocol, the Union Flag and all other official flags should be raised to full mast between the hours of 9am and 10:30am and remain at full mast until 1pm the following day, at which time the Union and official flags should return to being flown at half-mast.Speaking ahead of the start of play of what has now become a three-day Test, Ben Stokes, England’s captain, paid tribute to the Queen, and spoke of the importance of continuing with the match.”It’s been very sad news for not only the nation but the world with the Queen’s passing,” he said. “She was someone who dedicated her life to the nation, someone that we take incredible inspiration from and we are honoured to be able to walk out on the field in memory of the Queen.”We know how much the Queen loved this sport, and the show must go on. I’m sure she’ll be looking down on all the sport that’s still going ahead over this weekend and that we’re going out there in her honour. I’m very pleased and proud we can do that.”After day two was cancelled as a mark of respect following the Queen’s passing, the decision was made on Friday afternoon to play on, following consultation with officials from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Cricket South Africa. but without an extension into Tuesday, meaning there will only be three days of play.The first-day (Thursday) washout means there will be 98 overs scheduled each day, with play able to run until 7pm with the extra half-hour. The series is tied 1-1. England struck hard with the new ball, having chosen to bowl first on Thursday, claiming three wickets inside the first seven overs of play.

Marnus Labuschagne finally fell for 192 after an innings that lasted nine hours

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-2021Queensland were on the brink of claiming the Sheffield Shield after another dominant display left New South Wales struggling to avoid an innings defeat.Whereas in the first innings it was nine wickets between Michael Neser and Jack Wildermuth that dismantled the visitors, this time it was Xavier Bartlett and Brendan Doggett who shared the five wickets to fall – including four in the final session as it briefly looked as though Queensland could wrap things up on the third evening before bad light intervened.They had earlier extended their first innings to 246 with Marnus Labuschagne finally departing for 192 off 353 balls – eight short of his second double century. At 351 for 4, Queensland might have wanted an even greater advantage but New South Wales were finally able to get some reward for their toil as the last six wickets fell for 38. The next-highest score after Labuschagne was Bryce Street’s 46.New South Wales’ second innings started positively as Daniel Hughes and Matthew Gilkes added 64 in 16 overs before a brilliant catch by Usman Khawaja at the second of two gullies intercepted Hughes’ drive and provided Queensland their opening.Doggett struck in quick succession after tea when Kurtis Patterson’s poor season ended with a booming drive edged to first slip and Gilkes was squared up, the edge carrying to Joe Burns who was stationed close at second slip to counter the slowness of the pitch.Bartlett then made inroads in consecutive overs as he won lbw appeals against Jason Sangha and Jack Edwards who were both caught on the crease by full deliveries that shaped back in.At that point New South Wales were 121 for 5 with 20 overs remaining but Sean Abbott and Baxter Holt survived until the early close, although it was a close-run thing for Holt who was beaten by ripping leg-breaks from Mitchell Swepson.Queensland had resumed on 286 for 3 and Matt Renshaw departed relatively early when he inside-edged a drive into his stumps off Trent Copeland.Labuschagne, who had been 160 overnight, was the quiet partner in a fifth-wicket stand of 52 with Jimmy Peirson who struck eight boundaries in his 46.However, when Peirson edged Lyon to slip the innings rather lost its way – although all things are relative. Wildermuth nicked a good delivery from Abbott and Neser got an inside edge to short leg before Labuschagne’s nine-and-a-half hour marathon ended when he late cut into the hands of a wide slip. His career-best remained the 215 against New Zealand at the SCG last year.Abbott was reward for an extended spell with the last two wickets as he finished with four (and the biggest workload of the quicks) but while it stopped the lead being as hefty as it might have been the task of rescuing the game, beyond a miracle, was too much for New South Wales.

Wet patches on the pitch caused the umpires to call off the game shortly before 10pm

Andrew Fidel Fernando05-Jan-2020India won the toss and chose to bowl first, but that’s as far as the weather allowed the first T20I to progress in Guwahati. Rain had fallen through much of the afternoon, and arrived again soon after the toss to delay the start. Although the showers lasted less than an hour, they caused too much damage to the ground – only the square and the bowlers’ run-ups were protected by covers.Once the rain stopped, groundstaff worked for almost two hours on the field. Super Soppers worked non-stop, and even steam irons and hairdryers were used on the pitch. The umpires also made repeated inspections, but all this eventually came to nothing. The match was abandoned shortly before 10pm.

Mohammad Amir picked up a five-wicket haul for SSGC, while Iftikhar Ahmed scored more in one innings for SNGPL than Lahore Blues managed in either of theirs

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Nov-2018Lahore Blues outgunned by SNGPLIt doesn’t say much about a team that loses by an innings to a side that only managed 258, but such was Lahore Blues’ performance in this crunch Super Eight match. It was a nine-wicket match haul by Imran Khalid that beset Lahore most, playing a large part in ensuring they were bowled out for 122 and 108 either side of SNGPL’s innings. Iftikhar Ahmed was primarily responsible for getting SNGPL to 258, scoring 125, a number the entire Lahore side failed to manage in either of their innings. It leaves Lahore at the bottom of the table after two losses from two, while a perfect record for SNGPL sees them take top spot.Zahid Mansoor spins WAPDA to innings winKhan Research Laboratories met a similarly ignominious fate, unable to total up to the 296 WAPDA scored in their one innings. KRL stumbled to 12 for 5 in the first innings, setting the tone for the match. Their 110 was answered by 296 from WAPDA thanks to a number of middle-order contributions, notably half-centuries from Abubakar Khan and Kamran Akmal. The 186-run lead they established was too much to overhaul for KRL, with Zahid Mansoortaking another four wickets to go with his four in the first innings, while Waqas Maqsood, recently called up to the Pakistan T20I side, took another three as KRL were wrapped up for 162.Heavyweights SSGC, HBL play out stalemateTwo of the heavyweights on the domestic circuit, SSGC and HBL, couldn’t be separated over four days, a grinding battle ending with the points shared. After Aamer Yamin’s 80 had taken SSGC to 211, after Khurram Shehzad had wiped out five of the top six, HBL responded with 274, with eight of the top nine getting into double figures. Zohaib Khan scored 65 as captain Imran Farhat chipped in with 44, while the national selectors will have been pleased to see Mohammad Amir take a five-wicket haul.In the second innings, SSGC were far more impressive, declaring at 380 for five, with Fawad Alam the top-scorer, unbeaten on 85. The target of 318 was never on for HBL, but they were able to avoid being bowled out, batting nearly 90 overs, with Farhat scoring 77, before the two sides shook hands with four HBL players till undismissed.

Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis set the agenda as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback, to seal victory by 21 runs at Chester-le-Street

The Report by Andrew Miller16-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle set the agenda with a traditionally six-laden cameo, while his heir apparent, Evin Lewis, lived up to his lofty billing with 51 from 28 balls, as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback with the ball, to seal victory by 21 runs in the one-off T20 at Chester-le-Street.On a night that could not have been further removed from the balmy, barmy circumstances of their previous T20 encounter, in the World T20 final in Kolkata 18 months ago, West Indies choked England’s ambitions, first through the spin twins of Sunil Narine and Ashley Nurse, and then through a canny spell of pace-off-the-ball from Kieron Pollard, Kesrick Williams and Carlos Brathwaite, at precisely the moment when it seemed their own resolve was about to crack in the inhospitable conditions.After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, West Indies served up the definitive innings of two halves. At the halfway mark they had rampaged to 106 for 1, with Gayle and Lewis crunching seven sixes between them in a freewheeling partnership, but they were restricted to 70 for 8 thereafter, as Liam Plunkett’s deck-hitting aggression, allied to another wily spell of legspin from Adil Rashid, looked to have kept their target well within manageable proportions.With the weather beginning to deteriorate as quickly as the temperature, the contest seemed to have swung decisively in England’s favour – the first-ball dismissal of Jason Roy notwithstanding – when Alex Hales smashed 43 from 17 balls to launch their pursuit in a fusillade of boundaries. But when, in the sixth over, Hales missed a loose drive to be bowled by a gleeful Brathwaite, England’s usually power-packed middle order could produce no adequate substitute for his sublime ball-striking.Joe Root, often so adept at working the gaps to allow his team-mates to clear the ropes, this time turned in a stodgy innings of 17 from 19 balls that came to an end with a low catch at short cover as Nurse struck with his third delivery. And spin continued to apply a tourniquet to England’s run-rate, as Eoin Morgan ducked and dived against Narine to no avail. After three consecutive dot-balls, Morgan reversed his hands for flick through backward point, but picked out the fielder to depart for 2 – his seventh consecutive single-figure score in all T20 innings.Eoin Morgan picked up another low score•Getty Images

The conditions were never easy for West Indies’ fielders – the cold and damp combined to create a funereal over-rate as well as regular protests about the slippery out-field. But with the umpires adamant that the show must go on – and the hardy Durham crowd certainly never lost the faith in that regard – West Indies found a second wind as England’s innings dribbled through the middle overs.If anyone was going to reignite the run-chase, it was Jos Buttler, whose mere presence was a reminder that nothing could be taken for granted. But with little pace to work with, he was unable to risk his habitual dinks over the keeper’s head for fear of holing out behind square, and he had been limited to two boundaries in a 27-ball stay when a Williams short ball induced a spliced pull to Rovman Powell at deep midwicket.Williams – who had borne the brunt of Hales’ earlier onslaught, when pace on the ball had equalled pace off the bat – then made it two in the over as a skittish Rashid gloved an attempted ramp to the keeper. Narine returned for his final over, that included the stumping off David Willey for 1, before Jonny Bairstow – England’s final, final hope – capped a collapse of 4 for 11 in 14 balls when he shovelled a Brathwaite slower ball to backward square leg.Fittingly, it was the captain Brathwaite – remember that name? – who put the seal on the victory as Plunkett missed a slog across the line with three balls of the innings remaining. England were all out for 155, done in by some canny bowling and a classy outfit who proved, as if it needed reiterating, that their World T20 triumph was no fluke.In the final analysis, however, it was West Indies’ flying start with the bat that proved the decisive difference between the sides. And fittingly, given that what little hype in the build-up to this contest had centred around the master and the apprentice at the top of West Indies’ order, it was Gayle and Lewis who shared top billing.Gayle, who got off the mark first-ball with an edged four through third man, soaked up a handful of sighters with that exaggerated caution that has so often been a feature of his game, before crunching from first gear to overdrive in the waft of a bat. His seventh ball, from Willey, was spanked over midwicket to bring up the 100th six of his T20 international career, and he celebrated that landmark in emphatic style one ball later, an arcing flog down the ground and over the sightscreen as Willey was once again punished for feeding Gayle’s strengths on a full length outside off.At the other end, Lewis – whose last act in West Indies’ colours had been a matchwinning 125 not out from 62 balls against India – slipstreamed his senior partner with poise and maturity. He avoided falling for the ego-trap that had done for Gayle (and his predecessor as opener, Johnson Charles) in the World T20 final, when Root was tossed the ball for the second over of the Powerplay for tidy over of darting offbreaks, and instead saved his change-up for the introduction of Tom Curran, whom he cracked for four, six, four, six from the first four balls he faced.West Indies finished the Powerplay on a daunting 72 for 0, but England – to their credit – found a means to claw back into the contest. The catalyst came with the introduction of Plunkett in the seventh over, as Gayle was pushed onto the back foot by a lifter outside off, and was slow to set off as Roy’s shy from backward point was sharply gathered by the bowler to pull off a tight run-out.Lewis’s half-century then came to an end as he smashed a Plunkett slower ball into the midriff of Root at mid-off, and when Plunkett followed up with two more major scalps – Marlon Samuels, caught at midwicket off a cramped pull for 10, and Pollard – expertly plucked at fine leg by a stretching Curran – England had found a means to restore their foothold in the game.Rashid, who’d been teasing out a tidy line and length in his mid-innings holding role, then dragged one down for Chadwick Walton to flog a top-edged pull out to Willey at deep midwicket, then did for Brathwaite and Narine in quick succession as an untimely rain interruption – with seven balls remaining – further disrupted West Indies’ flow. But, just as had been the case on that famous night in Kolkata, West Indies would not be denied. The prize on this occasion was rather more low-key, but with their big names back on parade after a low-key Test leg of their tour, it was a notable return to the colours nonetheless.

Yorkshire may learn between now and the end of the season how much they have missed Ryan Sidebottom during the seven matches he has been forced to miss because of an ankle injury

Jon Culley at Headingley05-Aug-2016
ScorecardRyan Sidebottom is back in the wickets after a seven-match lay-off•Getty Images

Yorkshire may learn between now and the end of the season how much they have missed Ryan Sidebottom during the seven matches he has been forced to miss because of an ankle injury. In that time they have won only twice and while there have been other factors at play, not least the weather, it is not unreasonable to speculate that, had he been steaming in, business as usual, they might have created a few more opportunities at the very least.The veteran left-armer will be 39 in January, far too old, you would say, to be doing what he does, yet there has been no evidence during the last couple of years that his powers are waning. Last year he finished top of Yorkshire’s averages with 41 wickets at a stingy 17.9 runs each; in 2014 it was 48 at 18.35.His longevity as a bowler is a wonder, given that he hardly lopes in off a few gentle strides. It would not be Ryan Sidebottom if he were not thundering in, nostrils flaring, that familiar leonine mane adding to the sense of speed and menace. It is a testament to how well he looks after himself, and how well Yorkshire have managed his workload.It was doubtless a little embarrassing, then, that the hairline fracture that has kept him out of action since April had to be put down not to what he did to himself in that match against Warwickshire, but to a mishap incurred subsequently, when he managed to do further damage to the same ankle playing a football game in the dressing room.It goes without saying that the consequences of this could have been pretty depressing. Happily, though, all looks well. Reassuming his customary role as the leader of the Yorkshire attack, he bowled 15 overs, taking the second Warwickshire wicket and the last, either side of the one that happened to be the 400th first-class wicket of his Yorkshire career.”It is a relief to be okay, a huge relief,” he admitted afterwards.”It was one of those stupid accidents that can happen and at this stage of my career, of course there is always that worry in the back of you mind. You wonder what’s going to happen, am I going to be back next year?”But Yorkshire have looked after me well, I’ve played the last three weeks in the seconds to get some bowling under my belt and it is great to be back and to contribute.”We’ve got seven games left and if I can contribute to the team winning a couple we are going to be there or thereabouts again at the end of the season.”There was pride, too, that he had been able to add another milestone, having passed 700 career first-class wickets last season. “Dizzy (Jason Gillespie) congratulated me and announced it to all the lads in the dressing room and that was really nice of him,” he said.The bigger proportion of those Yorkshire wickets – 238 out of 401 now – have come since he returned to his home county from Nottinghamshire in 2011, when the Trent Bridge club decided the three-year contract he wanted was too big a risk. Even he thought it would be the last one he signed. In the event, he has extended it twice, to six years. Moreover, those 238 wickets have come at 20.99 runs each, compared with an overall career average of 23.99. He genuinely has improved with age.The 400th, fittingly, was an important one, prising out Sam Hain on 48 when it seemed the talented 21-year-old right-hander could be set to compensate for the failures of Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell by bookending a string of good performances in white-ball cricket with back-to-back Championship hundreds, following on from his one against Hampshire in early July.Trott, miscueing a pull, gave a return catch to Jack Brooks, another whose return from injury may have come at a timely moment, while Bell, on the drive, sliced a ball from Steve Patterson straight to backward point. With Hain’s demise, Warwickshire were in trouble at 112 for 6.That they managed to scrape their way from there to 179 all out was almost entirely down to Rikki Clarke, another who would argue that age is just a number. At 34 he’s just a young ‘un next to Sidebottom but there are a few miles on the clock. Yet as an all-rounder – batsman, bowler and brilliant slip fielder – he still stands above the rest in the county game.He proved it here, first with the unbeaten 50 that kept Warwickshire in the game and then, in a superb evening’s work, with four wickets, reducing Yorkshire to 68 for 5. He had Adam Lyth and Travis Head caught by Varun Chopra at first slip and later, in consecutive deliveries, bowled Jack Leaning with a swinging full-length ball and had nightwatchman Patterson leg before.”To score an unbeaten 50 and then take four wickets in 15 overs made it an outstanding day for him,” Warwickshire’s director of cricket, Dougie Brown, said. “We needed someone to step forward and do something and that is exactly what Rikki did. He has brought us back into the game and far closer than before Yorkshire started their second innings.”Yorkshire closed on 78 for 5, their lead just 156. The pitch is dry, there is turn and bounce and what Jeetan Patel does on day three could be as important as Clarke’s contribution on day two.

The memories of two previous heartaches are now serving as fuel for inspiration at the World Twenty20 Qualifier for Papua New Guinea

Peter Della Penna in Bready11-Jul-20152:14

‘PNG a more mature side now’ – Vare

In their first two trips to the World T20 Qualifier, Papua New Guinea experienced more than their fair share of heartache.In 2012, it was the Americas representatives who tormented them. Canada held off a late charge from Geraint Jones and Mahuru Dai in defense of 167 to win by six runs. Five days later against Bermuda, captain Rarua Dikana had the ball in his hand tasked with protecting 15 runs off the final over with Bermuda five down but he gave up three straight sixes to Janeiro Tucker. It meant PNG finished in fourth place in Group A, one spot out of the playoff positions.In 2013, PNG made it to the playoffs and defeated Namibia in their first knockout game to come within one more win of a berth at the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh. In their way stood Hong Kong, a team they had defeated in the previous year’s qualifier by six wickets chasing down a total of 131 with a ball to spare. Hong Kong was pinned down in the rematch at 19 for 4 and only managed 139, but with a ticket to Bangladesh in their grasp, PNG stumbled to 108.The memories of those heartaches are now serving as fuel for inspiration at the qualifier for the pacific island nation. PNG captain Jack Vare says that this time around he’s hoping the team’s fortunes will change to get them over the hump and into next year’s World Twenty20 in India.”We have missed out in the last two tournaments in Dubai,” Vare told ESPNcricinfo ahead of PNG’s first match of the tournament on Sunday against Jersey. “Everyone is growing arms and legs. There’s a lot of experience in this time. Third time lucky I guess but everyone is confident that we will do well in this competition.”PNG’s build-up to this tournament included a magnificent four-day win over the Netherlands on their Intercontinental Cup debut, with Assad Vala and Dai spearheading the pursuit of a fourth innings target of 305. Though they lost the subsequent WCL Championship fixtures against the Dutch, PNG eased into T20 mode with four games against a pair of County second XIs. In one match, PNG racked up 268 for 3 versus Gloucestershire’s 2nds, a reminder of their potent top order featuring Lega Siaka and Tony Ura.”I think the biggest challenge we go through is from playing longer forms to shorter formats,” Vare said. “Most people know we play a lot of shorter formats but we are trying our best to develop all forms of the game. Playing in our first four-day game and to win that was a big experience for us and a special day.”PNG leaves no stone unturned in preparation as Coach Dipak Patel observes sliding practice during training at Bready CC•Peter Della Penna

PNG’s players have also accumulated experience playing in the Australian Country Cricket Championships as well as the South Australia Premier League. Getting access to better facilities and opponents within the Australasia region has helped lift up their skills and their confidence levels.”Playing in the competition in the South Australian Premier League gives us more experience and more exposed to the outside cricket world what’s happening,” Vare said. “Everyone has been doing well. We’ve been on the road for 18 months in preparation for this tournament. I’m more confident. I’ve got a good side, more mature side coming into this tournament.”PNG is the final team to play their first match of the tournament and on tap for them on Sunday at Bready is Jersey. Coach Dipak Patel and other members of the PNG squad were in attendance to see Jersey’s triumph by nine-wickets over Hong Kong on Saturday, a fresh reminder not to underestimate any opposition. Vare says the team is well-prepared and not about to be caught off guard whoever stands in front of them.”There’s no doubt teams will come and compete hard but we’ll focus on the job at hand,” Vare said. “We won’t look ahead too much. We’ll take every game as it comes and concentrate on our roles as individuals and as a group. That’s our major important thing to do playing top teams. We won’t take any team lightly.”

Centuries from Aditya Tare and Ajit Agarkar helped Mumbai take a large, confident step towards a sizeable first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Services.

Sharda Ugra in Delhi17-Jan-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Ajit Agarkar scored his first Ranji century in three years•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Centuries from Aditya Tare and Ajit Agarkar helped Mumbai take a large, confident step towards a sizeable first-innings total in their Ranji Trophy semi-final against Services. On a slow, sluggish day of cricket, interrupted by bad light and a spot of rain, Mumbai had reached 380 for 6 when play was suspended as the light worsened.Tare was batting on 108, his second century for Mumbai this season, while Agarkar’s 113 not out was his first Ranji century since the 2009-2010 season against Himachal Pradesh.The unbroken 211-run seventh-wicket partnership between Tare and Agarkar has given Mumbai an iron-fisted control of the semi-final and Services all the grief they would not have wanted after a promising first day. They lost their strike bowler and leading wicket-taker of the season, Suraj Yadav, who had to go off the field due to a twisted ankle after bowling four overs in the morning just shortly after the introduction of the new ball. Off the 65 overs of play that happened today, Mumbai scored 181 runs without losing a wicket.Tare’s was the slower of the two centuries, uncharacteristic when it comes to his batting, but typical of his performances for Mumbai this season. He has opened the batting in five matches, batted at No. 3 and 4, and No. 7 once, before being slotted into the conventional No. 6 slot meant for the wicketkeeper. The value of his contributions, said Agarkar, is what has enabled Mumbai to play five bowlers. Tare is better known for flamboyant shot-making but on Thursday, collected the runs with a quality well-known in the old Mumbai school of batting – accumulate when available, don’t throw your wicket away and don’t get ahead of yourself. Tare showed patience to wear down the bowlers, and did not try to force pace with dazzling but dangerous improvisation.Agarkar thinks Tare’s batting has been exceptional this season, and the performance in Palam, was a sign that he had “adapted to a demanding situation.” In keeping with his better-known side, he pulled out a reverse sweep against left-arm spinner Avishek Sinha to take Mumbai past 300, and got to his century by guiding a yorker-length ball from Nakul Verma to third man for four.At the other end Agarkar moved at a quicker clip, but played without risk, offering occasional entertainment with attractive strokes around the ground. Shadab Nazar was punched off the backfoot through covers, Nishan Singh was driven straight down the ground and the spinner Sinha punished similarly. This was his fourth first-class century and his second Ranji century for Mumbai. His first two first-class centuries have come in unusual surroundings – in Peshawar for India A on a 1997-98 tour and the second at a Lord’s Test for India in 2002 – before he scored two more for Mumbai. He was asked to name his favourite shot of the day among his fourteen boundaries at Palam and Agarkar said, dead-pan, “the single to get to a hundred.”Despite their sturdy performance in the field on day one, Services found the second line in their bowling attack significantly weaker from the discipline of their three medium-pacers. When they began to resort to part-time options as the long second session dragged on, Mumbai accelerated, scoring 23 in the last five overs before tea. In the final 15-over second session curtailed by bad light, Mumbai scored 59. Start of play was delayed by 45 minutes due to bad light, then truncated after 9.5 overs due to the combination of bad light and a light drizzle. The very long second session produced 97 off 40.1 overs.Mumbai now have the collective gleam in their eye: the wicket, Agarkar said, had required the batsmen to grind, slow but holding steady. “We’ve got enough batting to survive on a difficult wicket and surviving today was important. It’s a six day match and we want as many runs as we can get.”The Services camp will be nursing hurting calves and some pride this evening, but said they could only do the one thing they knew best: fight. “We’ve got this chance after so long, we won’t let it go.” While the weather and the wicket promise many a slow session of cricket, a tussle underneath the surface will always be on. It is what Ranji Trophy semi-finals should ideally be about.