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This is the only change from the squad that lost 2-1 against India last month

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2020Jason Holder has been rested from West Indies’ squad for the first two ODIs against Ireland, to be played in Barbados on January 7 and 9. This is the only change from the most recent ODI squad that completed a tour of India last month, with its strength dropping from 15 to 14.”The decision was taken to rest Jason due to the heavy workload he has had over the last year,” chief selector Roger Harper said in a statement. “With an important year ahead for West Indies cricket, we saw this as the best opportunity to give him a break to recharge his batteries and refresh his mind so he could be ready to perform at his best as our Test captain throughout 2020, as the number one ranked all-rounder in Test cricket and an important member of the team in the white ball formats.”The lack of major changes in the squad reflects West Indies’ gains from their India tour. They lost both the ODI and T20I series against India by 2-1 margins, but pushed the hosts hard, with a number of the younger players showing promise for the future. Before that, the team played a full series against Afghanistan in India, completing a 3-0 ODI sweep and winning the solitary Test but losing 2-1 in the T20Is.”The Afghanistan and Indian series told me that the team is making very positive strides,” Harper said. “Winning the ODIs against Afghanistan, our first ODI series win for five years, followed by the very competitive performance in against India is testament to that. The team demonstrated a determination to compete and gave it every effort.”Against India the batting was consistent and while the bowling had its moments, it is clear that we have to improve our ‘death’ bowling. However, the fact that the team played in such an organised and competitive manner consistently augurs well going forward.”This series against Ireland offers us the opportunity to build on the performances in India, build confidence as a team and for individual players. Just like the series against Afghanistan, the Ireland series is an important one for us, one we must win.”The ODI series against Ireland, which concludes with the third match in Grenada on January 12, will be followed by three T20Is in Grenada (January 15) and St Kitts (January 18 and 19).West Indies ODI squad: Kieron Pollard (capt), Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh

The batting coach spoke about Pakistan batsmen’s shot selection, the pressure their captain is under and how the players need to adapt

Danyal Rasool30-Dec-2018Pakistan batting coach Grant Flower admits he has “seen happier dressing rooms” than the one he finds himself in with the team right now. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in the wake of Pakistan’s defeat inside three days at South Africa’s hands in Centurion, he also warned a lot of the players’ places would be under threat following a collapse that saw Pakistan cede a commanding position at tea on the second day to succumb to a tame six-wicket reverse.”The atmosphere isn’t the best at the moment,” Flower said. “Not many losing teams’ atmosphere will be the best. No one likes to lose. You don’t want to become happy losers. I’m not involved in selection, but there are quite a few guys with their places under threat. It’s not just one or two batsmen, you could point fingers at a few players.”Evidence of a breakdown in the morale of the camp further emerged following stumps on the second day, the one which oversaw a Pakistan collapse that all but put them out of the game, with a dressing room leak reporting coach Mickey Arthur had lost his temper with the players, in particular giving some of the batsmen an earful. Although the PCB later issued a statement denying Arthur so much as became angry, there is little doubt he did make his displeasure known, with Flower saying the real problem was the incident being leaked to the media.ALSO READ: Arthur gives Pakistan’s seniors dressing-room dressing down“We don’t know who it is [the leaker]. But they’ve got to look at themselves in the mirror. It should never happen. On tour it’s all about teamwork, you’re supposed to be a family and trust each other. But I’ve been with the team over four years and there have been constant leaks all the time. It’s nothing new for me, so it doesn’t really come as a surprise.”Mickey had some strong words with the players; there was quite a bit of honesty from him. I think the guys were a bit shell-shocked, but they’ve heard Mickey, everyone knows he can come down harshly on the boys at times. But sometimes that’s needed and the guys needed to be told a few home truths. Mickey won’t be the first or last coach to do that. If the guys do have strong character, they’ll bounce back from it and take that as a challenge.”Much of Arthur’s wrath, ESPNcricinfo understands, was directed at the more experienced middle-order batsmen in the camp. Despite Pakistan’s perceived batting weakness lying at the top of the order, Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood had manged to give their side a solid foundation by tea, with the score reading 100 for 1. And in a session where the middle order might have built on the start and given South Africa a daunting fourth innings target, a string of poor shots saw the visitors lose nine wickets in the session, bowled out by stumps.Arthur’s mood had not improved by the following morning, and when Dean Elgar seemed to be dismissed in the slips by Azhar Ali, the third umpire overturned the soft signal of out to give him a reprieve that saw him score a half-century and kill off any Pakistan hopes. Arthur went to the third umpire to remonstrate, earning him a demerit point in the process, but Flower found himself in agreement with the coach.ALSO READ: Azhar took a ‘clean’ catch, on-field decision should have stayed – Sarfraz“In my opinion, it was the wrong decision. And the on-field umpire gave that out. And there was no conclusive evidence otherwise, so he should have upheld that decision.”Pakistan players react after Dean Elgar is given not out•AFP

The Pakistan middle order found itself under severe scrutiny over the past few days, and Flower felt the dismissal of Asad Shafiq, in particular, showed what pressure could do to Pakistan.”He’s one of the strongest guys mentally, but when you’re under pressure, things can change. Technically, that ball that he hit in the second innings, his back foot didn’t go across at all. There’s no weight transfer towards the delivery. That’s what pressure does. He had a big call the ball before, and when you’re under pressure, your reactions aren’t as quick as they need to be against the best attack in the world at the moment. Whenever people seem to be writing off Asad he comes through with a big hundred. If he is given that chance again I’d back him. He’s definitely good enough and should be playing for Pakistan.”The issue of Sarfraz Ahmed’s declining fortunes had long simmered in the background as an itch to be scratched, but of late has emerged front and centre as a borderline crisis. With the Pakistan captain struggling badly for runs sporting a technique that looks unlikely to flourish in this part of the world – he appears to be crouching far too low on what are almost tennis ball bounce pitches – Pakistan have been left with a captain out of form and no obvious captaincy replacement.”Anyone would agree being a captain, batsman and wicketkeeper is probably the hardest job in cricket,” Flower said. “And probably too hard. I’m sure it would help his batting if he didn’t have the captaincy pressure, but that’s how it is at the moment. If that’s going to continue, then he has to find a way of coping with those pressures technically and mentally.”It’s a tough one. Saifi’s a really good bloke who’s having a bad run. Technically, just trying to work on being able to leave the ball and not defending outside off stump, getting underneath the short ball. I thought we were progressing, but obviously the results show otherwise. It’s a tough one, when you’re in a rut.”Flower also revealed Mohammad Rizwan had been looking very good in the nets, and came to the tour on the back of good form, with the caveat that these pitches were worlds apart from the ones where he had prospered recently. He also singled out Fakhar Zaman as a player who would have to adapt to conditions here in South Africa, and understand he couldn’t play the way he had been doing back home.”Mickey is quite a big Fakhar fan, and so am I. He’s got to realise, though, he can’t play the same way on these South African wickets as he does in the UAE because the bounce is totally different. He’s got to adapt and be mature enough to know that. Regarding that second innings dismissal, it’s a bit hit and miss. You can’t just tee off and hope it’ll land in no man’s land. In Test cricket you’ve got to be more circumspect than that. I told him, and he’s admitted to that. So hopefully he’ll improve.”Pakistan also may find themselves deprived of having all their players back, with Flower disclosing Haris Sohail was still struggling with the knee injury that plagued him in Centurion, and the Cape Town Test may come too soon for him. That would suggest an unchanged top three for the second Test, where pace hasn’t been quite as hard to combat as Pakistan found it in Centurion.”Quite a few of the guys struggled on these wickets. Even the South Africa players who know these conditions said this track was bloody hard. People can say whatever they want, but they’ve got to bear in mind these are tough conditions. But good players adapt, and our players have to adapt quickly before the Newlands Test.”The track isn’t quite as bouncy there, and we have got a good team. They’re used to fighting hard and coming out of the corner so we’ll see what happens at Newlands.”

The Test squad, which contains as many as six uncapped players, will be culled from 15 to 13 after next month’s three-day clash with an ACT XI

Darren Arthur10-Oct-2017

Australia squads for the 2017-18 Ashes

ODI squad: Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes (capt), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington
Test squad: Kristen Beams, Alex Blackwell, Nicole Bolton, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Rachael Haynes (capt), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani, Amanda-Jade Wellington

Australia have named near-identical squads for the ODI and Test legs of the 2017-18 Ashes, with Lauren Cheatle and Tahlia McGrath recalled to the 50-overs team after missing out on World Cup selection. Cheatle and McGrath are among six uncapped players in the Test squad, the others being Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Beth Mooney and Ashleigh Gardner.”I’m really excited about the final squad that has come together,” captain Rachael Haynes said on Tuesday. “I think it is really well-balanced and it’s going to be pretty hard to pick the final XI on the day… I think we’re coming into the Ashes series in some really good form.”Haynes is not overawed by the task of leading Australia in the absence of superstar and regular captain Meg Lanning.”I feel very confident in my ability to lead the team and it’s great that there are so many good senior players around the group as well, who can contribute in that environment,” Haynes said.”The likes of Ellyse Perry and Alex Blackwell who will be vice-captain, Alyssa Healy, Elyse Villani who is captain for WA, I think there is a really great balance in the team and I will draw on that experience as well.”Fresh from scores of 103* and 83 for New South Wales, Haynes is confident the Australians can step up to replace the Lanning-shaped hole in the batting order.”Meg is obviously a world-class player, she is the best batter in the world, so she’d be a loss to any team she was part of… but I feel very confident that we have the depth in our team,” Haynes said. “It’s a great strength of Australian cricket and we’ll be really well-placed heading into the series.”England have shown that they are really going to bring an aggressive brand of cricket and we’re very much prepared for that, but we have very different conditions over here and we’re looking forward to using that to our advantage.”The 15-strong Test squad will be reduced to 13 players at the conclusion of next month’s three-day clash with an ACT XI. National selector Shawn Flegler believes the game in Canberra will provide vital pink-ball experience to the players.”There is always a couple of positions up for grabs,” Flegler said. “We have to have a look at the conditions for the Test match in North Sydney. It’s a pink ball as well, a day-night Test match, the girls haven’t played that before, so it’s a good opportunity during that three-day practice match in Canberra to see how the girls perform with the pink ball and under lights.”The Women’s Ashes is decided through a multi-format points system. Following the ODIs and day-night Test, Australia will announce another squad for the three T20Is which could decide who takes the trophy home.The three ODIs will be played on October 22, 26 and 29. They will be followed by the day-night Test from November 9 to 12, and three T20Is on November 17, 19 and 21.

Kent collapsed to 15 for 4 after Ben Duckett’s double-hundred gave Northamptonshire a healthy first-innings lead

Tim Wigmore at Beckenham07-Sep-2016
ScorecardBen Duckett’s outstanding form continued at Beckenham•Getty Images

As Northamptonshire ended the day at Beckenham dancing, revelling in how their end of season buoyancy has extended to the County Championship, they had trampled on Kent’s promotion hopes. Kent now face requiring something wondrous from the returning Sam Billings to extend their hopes of a return to Division One beyond tomorrow.In the evening Kent’s destroyer was Rory Kleinveldt, swinging the ball late to eviscerate Kent’s top order, and locating a perfect yorker to uproot Joe Denly’s middle stump. In a half hour of bedlam, he claimed four wickets and only accentuated the brilliance of what had come earlier: 208 magnificent runs from Ben Duckett, born six miles from Beckenham and making Kent rue his family for moving away in his youth.A little after four o’clock, Kent summoned Hardus Viljoen, their overseas quick and a man who played Test cricket earlier this year, back into the attack. He might have assumed that his pedigree would command respect. Instead, he saw his first delivery scythed through midwicket for four, pulled with contempt off the front foot. The same result met Viljoen’s second ball though, to add to the ignominy, this was hit gun-barrel straight, a little to mid-on’s right.In these two balls was the distillation of a singular and rare talent. Duckett is only 21, and yet has spent the summer mocking the notion that the harum-scarum county schedule should act as an impediment to all-format excellence. He now has 2619 runs in all formats this summer, the highest tally in the land.It is the mark of Duckett’s summer that, in the pantheon of his most spectacular innings this year – 220* for England Lions in a 50-over game for England Lions against Sri Lanka A, an unbeaten 163 to lift England Lions to their target of 248 against Pakistan A, a brazen 84 in the semi-finals of the T20 Blast, 282 in the County Championship against Sussex and 180 on a pitch turning viciously against Glamorgan – this double century would not even sneak into the top five.For vast swathes of this innings, there were little sign of the pyrotechnics that are the hallmark of Duckett in T20, but rather copious impeccably-judged leaves against Kent’s seamers, married with scurrying between the wickets and skilful working the ball into gaps. Duckett possesses copious power and 360-degree hitting, yet his greatest quality might just be the dexterity of his wrists, enabling him to manipulate deliveries past fielders placed for the exact shot. While there were a sprinkling of sublime extra cover drives, the most striking thing about Duckett’s 149-ball century was the sense of a man playing within himself, of there being more to unleash.And then it happened: an absurd reverse-pull off James Tredwell, hit with such nonchalance that Kent’s fielders could only laugh, followed by a conventional pull the next delivery: same ball, same result, very different means to that end. It was a sign of a man bent on raising hell, and raise hell he did, pummelling Kent with insouciance and inevitability in taking 91 balls over his second century. The only thing that was lacking was a six: perhaps just as well for Mathieu Flamini, who spent the day having a medical at Crystal Palace’s training ground, adjacent to the straight boundaries.This outrageous skill is matched by an awareness of the vicissitudes inherent in batsmanship. Duckett knows that the life of the opening batsman is often nasty, brutish and short – after play, he said that he’d been dismissed for single figures 16 times this year. So he has resolved to strain for every when he is set. Four Championship centuries this season have brought a lowest score of 185. “I’m desperate to score big runs. I could have ended up with four double hundreds this year which would have been unbelievable,” he said.As Duckett’s star has soared so, inevitably, have whispers developed that he could leave Wantage Road, just as David Willey did a year ago, despite having a year left of his contract. Yet Northants are confident that Duckett will stay in 2017, which he is already contracted for, and long beyond. They envisage in Duckett not another David Willey, a player who is developed and then effectively sold, football-style, at a profit, but rather a Moeen Ali: a cricketer who rises from an unfashionable county to win England recognition, at which point there is no need for them to leave at all.”I’m very happy at this club,” he said after play. “You can see from all the boys now how happy we are playing with each other. We’ll have a beer tonight [he was already nursing one] – we do celebrate very well together and get on well.”As the carnage from Duckett’s bat ensued, it would have been easy for Kent to rue their misfortune: not just at coming up against a man in such transcendent form, but also for playing their best County Championship cricket since 2009 in a year in which only one team will be promoted. “In any other season we’d have gone up,” chuntered one disgruntled supporter.Yet, rather than be demoralised by Duckett’s assault, Kent displayed fortitude that would make them worthy of a cherished return to the top flight. Chicanery from Viljoen and Darren Stevens with the second new ball accounted for Northants’ last six wickets for just 37 runs in 12.1 overs, but this foreshadowed the destruction Kleinveldt would unleash when it was Northants’ turn with a new ball.

Samit Patel and James Taylor guided Nottinghamshire to a seven-wicket victory over Essex in the Royal London Cup contest at a sold-out Chelmsford following an unbroken 215-run stand

ECB/PA02-Aug-2015
ScorecardSamit Patel’s unbeaten hundred took Nottinghamshire to a comfortable win•Getty Images

Samit Patel and James Taylor guided Nottinghamshire to a seven-wicket victory over Essex in the Royal London Cup contest at a sold-out Chelmsford following an unbroken 215-run stand. The fourth-wicket partnership, Patel contributing 124 off 112 balls and Taylor 94 off the same amount of deliveries, enabled the visitors to chase down a 269 victory target with eight balls to spare.New Zealand allrounder Jesse Ryder had earlier compiled an unbeaten 81 in Essex’s 268 for 8, which looked like being enough when Notts slipped to 56 for 3 in the 14th over.Riki Wessels and Alex Hales put on 42 for the opening wicket but the former upper-cut David Masters to Graham Napier on the third man boundary for 21 in the 10th over. Dangerman Hales was bowled by Graham Napier after making 28, while Brendan Taylor was out for a golden duck after edging Masters behind to leave Essex well placed.However, Patel and Taylor were able to eschew any risks while keeping the scoreboard ticking over smoothly to thwart the hosts. This was due to their prowess of being able to push the ball confidently into the gaps and wait for the wayward delivery before opening their shoulders to find the boundary.Essex captain Ryan ten Doeschate continually juggled his bowlers in a bid to halt their progress – but it was to no avail. Patel was the first to his half-century off 54 balls while Taylor reached the landmark off 67 deliveries. Patel brought up his third List A hundred in the 44th over off 96 balls, with 10 fours, and it was fitting he confirmed victory with his first six in the scheduled penultimate over.Essex had been put into bat and the innings had been placed on a solid foundation by Mark Pettini and Tom Westley. They shared in an opening stand of 80 in 16 overs before Westley, having made 38, was trapped lbw by Patel.Pettini, who excelled with some fine square drives, went on to make 61 from 77 deliveries but was eventually undone by an Imran Tahir googly as he attempted to cut the legspinner – who then removed Ravi Bopara for 28 with a similar delivery.Ryder and Ryan ten Doeschate shared a fourth-wicket stand of 61, while Napier struck two sixes in a breezy 27 from 18 balls before he was caught in the deep off Jake Ball. Tahir, easily the pick of the Outlaws attack with his teasing flight and variation, finished with 2 for 45 from his 10 overs while Ball and Steven Mullaney picked up two wickets each.Speaking afterwards about the match-winning innings from Taylor and Patel, Nottinghamshire coaching consultant Peter Moores said: “They are batsmen who can adapt to all forms of cricket and they confirmed just what good players they are. They didn’t panic after we lost those three early wickets and displayed a range of strokes to go with their ability.”Ten Doeschate paid credit to Taylor and Patel, adding: “We did all we could to find a way to end their partnership but they batted superbly and showed their class. We’ve now lost two matches in succession and need to get back to winning ways soon if we are to reach the quarter-finals.”

Paul Stirling and Mominul Haque helped Sylhet Royals to a competitive score of 175 for 7 before their bowlers put in a spirited effort to secure a 33-run win against Barisal Burners in their first game.

Mohammad Isam18-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPaul Stirling’s rapid fifty gave Sylhet Royals the start they needed•BCB

Paul Stirling and Mominul Haque helped Sylhet Royals to a competitive score of 175 for 7 before their bowlers put in a spirited effort to secure a 33-run win against Barisal Burners in their first game. It was an impressive start for the franchise that won just two games in the first edition of BPL.Put in to bat first, Sylhet began at a good pace but lost Hamilton Masakadza in the fourth over when left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam had him trapped lbw for 19. Thereafter, Stirling and Mominul added 51 quickly, using the pace of the ball on most occasions to find boundaries. Stirling cracked eight fours and a six in his 29-ball half-century, backing away whenever he sought a boundary, while Mominul showcased strength in hitting three fours and a six and supported the big-hitters at the other end well.But after the team had reached the hundred-run mark in the tenth over, the Sylhet batsmen lost their way. Kabir Ali and Alok Kapali took two wickets each, as Barisal restricted them to 175 but that total was still going to be a challenge for a team that has lost players like Kamran Akmal and Umar Gul in the mass Pakistani pull-out.Mohammad Nabi, the Afghanistan allrounder who was acquired by Sylhet after they lost two West Indies players (Andre Russell and Tino Best), took two early wickets with his flighty offspin before the rest of the slow bowlers took over. Sohag Gazi didn’t pick up a wicket but created enough pressure for the likes of Elton Chigumbura, Suhrawadi Shuvo and Bishawnath Halder to pick up cheap wickets. Ali was the only man to make some runs, hammering 50 off 21 balls with four huge sixes, before being stumped the off Shuvo. None of the other Barisal batsmen stayed at the crease long enough to have a serious go at the target.

After the innings and 301-run defeat in the one-off Test against New Zealand, Zimbabwe are preparing skill-wise and mentally to compete in the limited-overs leg of the tour, Regis Chakabva has said

Firdose Moonda31-Jan-2012Zimbabwe’s innings and 301-run defeat in their one-off Test against New Zealand represents, in numerical terms, the massive gulf between them and the next tier of the Test playing world. In more literal ones, it symbolises a significant stride backward for a nation that made a respectable comeback to Test cricket last year.Having seemingly built up the ability to compete and even sometimes win, their progress was smashed to smithereens on a single day. But, take into account that it was their maiden voyage from home since their return to the Test fold and the hard edges of how badly they performed are somewhat softened. “For most of us, it’s our first tour in New Zealand but as professionals we are expected to adapt,” Regis Chakabva told ESPNcricinfo. “It would have been disappointing to lose like that, no matter what conditions we played in.”Chakabva is the only Zimbabwe batsmen who could walk away from the match claiming to understand New Zealand’s pitches. His 63 in the second innings was the highest score and most accomplished performance in an otherwise abysmal Zimbabwe showing. In his typically unassuming style, Chakabva has not read too much into the effort and given the result, he probably can’t.”All our batsmen are good players, it just didn’t happen for them on the day,” he said. “I didn’t do too much differently or make too many adjustments; I just tried to stick around as long as possible. Once the ball got older it was easier, it was a good batting pitch.”If there was an area Chakabva led the way in, it was mindset. Instead of panic, even though he walked in to bat with the score on 12 for 5, he showed rare grit, something Alan Butcher has tried to develop in his players since he took over as coach. Butcher has long lamented that Zimbabwe are quick to get spooked. Tell them the pitch will be difficult to bat on and they will struggle with shot selection, tell them someone is a good bowler and they will crumble at the sight of him, tell them they have to put in a respectable performance away from home and the pressure will cause them to melt.It seemed to be the case in Napier but Chakabva said the squad were not affected by outside influences. Even though they were aware of what was expected of them, they tried to create an environment of calm in the lead up to the match. “We weren’t under that much pressure to do well, we knew it wouldn’t be easy but we were aware of the situation and what we needed to,” he said, following it up with a simple enough explanation for what went wrong. “We just didn’t do well.”With Chris Martin doing most of the demolition job, it would appear that Zimbabwe were equally outdone by a quality fast bowler as they were by conditions that suited him. Chakabva said that was not the case.Four seamers, he said, were not the problem. “I wouldn’t say they have a fearsome attack, they are very good but not fearsome.” Neither was the strip. “The wicket had more grass than usual but we have a ground at Harare, the country club, which is also bowler friendly, with more bounce. We have seen pitches like this before.”Zimbabwe have had five days to prepare for the limited-overs leg of the series, instead of three, and Chakabva said they have worked on everything from “one-day cricketing skills” to “getting our minds ready”.Far from sulking, Chakabva said they are “enjoying” the trip. While taking in the sights and sounds of a place most of them have never been to before, they have also been reminded that they still have a job to do and Chakabva said they will do it properly. “We will be more competitive, we are working hard and we want to represent our country well. Like Brendan Taylor said, we want to show the world we can play.”