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Strong competition among seamers for first Test but balancing XI could be an issue

George Dobell17-May-2021

Top order

England are likely to pick four men who are seen as contenders for the top three: Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Rory Burns and James Bracey. While Sibley is just coming back from a broken finger – he is playing a 2nd XI match at present – the England management are confident he will be fine and he has enough credit in the bank to retain his place.Of the four, Burns is perhaps the least certain of a spot. Having been dropped in India, he is not “in possession” and with England wanting to take a look at Bracey, he could be squeezed. But he has been in consistent form in the Championship (only Kiran Carlson has reached 50 more often than his five occasions this season) and is seen as being relatively well equipped for the Ashes.The form of Haseeb Hameed (and, to a lesser extent, Adam Lyth) has been noted by the England management, but he will need to sustain it a while longer to win a Test recall. If a Lions squad was required tomorrow, however, he would have an excellent chance of involvement.

Middle order

With Joe Root and Ollie Pope assured of their places, England have to decide whether to play Bracey in the middle-order or stick with Dan Lawrence. Both will be in the squad.

Wicketkeeping

With Jos Buttler resting, Ben Foakes looks likely to keep the gloves and play his first home Tests. Bracey is also a more than competent keeper and provides back-up if required. Pope’s brief career as a Test keeper – remember the Hamilton Test of 2019? – would appear to be over.Related

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Spin

Jack Leach is now established as England’s first-choice spin bowler and is certain to be in the squad. With an even chance that he will not be required in the first Test, though – Middlesex have claimed one wicket with spin bowling at Lord’s this season, though Leach took four there in the first match of the season – it is likely Silverwood will feel that only one spinner is required. He is also keen to ensure fringe members of the squad play cricket rather than remain part of an enlarged squad.If they do feel the need for a second spinner, Dom Bess (who has nine wickets at 42.66 this season) could be included, while Matt Parkinson (who has taken 19 wickets at 19.21 so far this season) is also a contender. But it is expected that Leach will be the only specialist spinner.

Seam

Given the reaction when Stuart Broad was left out of the first Test of last summer, it will be interesting to see how the England management approach this series. They have made it apparent, however, that they want to take a look at Craig Overton (32 wickets at 13.96 this season) and Ollie Robinson (29 at 14.72), so it may be that Broad and Anderson are rotated as they were in the winter and play in one Test apiece. Olly Stone is understood to have recovered from a toe infection and, with Jofra Archer absent through injury, is also likely to rotate with Mark Wood to give England a genuine fast bowler in each Test.Craig Overton sits second behind Simon Harmer on the Championship wicket-taking charts•Getty Images

Balance

Injuries and the absence of the IPL players renders it tough to balance the side. It means all their viable all-round options (Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes) are unavailable and leaves them with the prospect of either batting Foakes at No. 6, and leaving a long tail but a five-man attack, or at No. 7 to allow six specialist batters and make do with four bowlers. The latter is the more likely scenario and would leave England with the option of either playing four seamers or three seamers and spinner. The four-seamer option again appears more likely.The toughest decision might be over where to bat Bracey. While he generally bats in the top order for Gloucestershire, he could also bat at No. 5 or No. 6 or even do that and keep wicket. He is seen as an unusually versatile player by the England management and may well allow them to only name a 15-man squad.Other options that might have been considered – picking Matt Critchley (averaging 51.20 with the bat and 36.18 with his legspin this season) as a spinning allrounder to bat at No. 6, for example – would appear to have been resisted.Likely squad: Joe Root (capt), James Anderson, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Dom Sibley, Olly Stone, Mark Wood

Defending champions knocked out as India set up semi-final clash against Australia

Sreshth Shah29-Jan-2022Bangladesh’s hopes of defending their U-19 World Cup title ended in the quarter-final stage as India’s bowlers rolled them over for 111.Left-arm seamer Ravi Kumar took three wickets in his first spell. Left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal then took two. Two Bangladesh batters were run out, and if it wasn’t for SM Meherob’s 30, India could’ve been chasing even lesser.Although India had a brief hiccup in the chase, they eventually got home with five wickets in hand.The returning Yash Dhull opted to field on a surface where the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka quarter-final had produced only 264 runs across both innings, and Ravi found swing and rattled Bangladesh with his 3 for 14 up top. He first broke through Mahfijul Islam’s defense before Iftakher Hossain cut a wide ball to backward point. Then, soon enough, Prantik Nawrose Nabil was walking back after edging an attempted drive that was going across him.From the other end, Rajvardhan Hangargekar troubled Bangladesh with his pace, his yorkers, and a mean short ball. Together, Ravi and Hangargekar strangled the run flow, aided by sharp fielding inside the circle.Left-arm spinner Ostwal then found grip off the surface and was rewarded when he had Ariful Islam nicking. Then he clean bowled Md Fahim as he attempted a reverse sweep. Aich Mollah, the No. 4, batted patiently for 47 balls to make 13 before he was run out. At this point, Bangladesh were tottering at 56 for 7.Meherob, the No. 8, offered a brief resistance by putting on a 50-run partnership with Ashiqur Zaman (16) to drag Bangladesh’s score into triple digits. But both fell in one over and Hangargekar then finished off the innings with a short ball.India lost Harnoor Singh for a duck, but Angkrish Raghuvanshi (44) and No. 3 Shaik Rasheed (26) consolidated by reining in their shots early on with Mondol and Zaman bowling full to induce them to drive.The longer they batted, the more Bangladesh erred, with boundaries a common fixture in the second half of their 70-run partnership. Raghuvanshi whipped boundaries off his hips, Rasheed played in the ‘V’, and both put away half-trackers offered by the spinners.Their stand effectively quashed whatever little hope Bangladesh had despite both falling in quick succession. Mondol returned to take three more wickets to finish with 4 for 31, but it was too little too late for the defending champions.Dhull, back into the XI after a Covid-enforced break (along with vice-captain Rasheed), remained unbeaten on 26 along with Kaushal Tambe (11*) as they he saw off what could’ve been a tricky final period of play. The match was sealed when Tambe hit a six over long-on.India now face Australia in the second semi-final on February 2. The first semi-final is on February 1 between England and Afghanistan.

Sussex produced their best bowling performance of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast but are out of the competition after rain robbed them of victory against Glamorgan at Hove

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2016
ScorecardGeorge Garton (centre) impressed with four wickets in county colours•Getty Images

Sussex produced their best bowling performance of this season’s NatWest T20 Blast but are out of the competition after rain robbed them of victory against Glamorgan at Hove.Having dismissed Glamorgan for 101 in 13.2 overs, Sussex were 30 for 1 when the rain, which had reduced the contest to 14 overs a side, returned after four overs of their reply.The teams got back out for one more ball before it started to rain again and they were unable to return to bowl the five more deliveries which would have constituted a game. Umpires Peter Hartley and Steve Gale abandoned the game at 9.50pm with both sides taking one point each.As it was Essex’s win over Middlesex at Lord’s knocked Sussex out of contention for the knockout stages anyway.Chris Nash drove to cover in the second over of the reply but Sussex were ahead on Duckworth/Lewis when the rain returned.They will rue the fact that they might have had time to face the five more balls needed to constitute a match had they not had to bowl five extra deliveries because of no-balls in the Glamorgan innings.Star of the show for Sussex was 19-year-old left-armer George Garton who bowled superbly to take career-best figures of 4 for 16. Glamorgan only got as many as they did thanks to 26 extras and a last-wicket stand of 24 between Michael Hogan and Shaun Tait.A crowd of 6,500 were rewarded for their patience when the game started at 7.30pm as the Sussex quick bowlers relished a pitch with bounce and carry while too many Glamorgan batsmen gave their wickets away with loose shots.Garton came on in the fifth over with Glamorgan already in trouble. Tymal Mills first over consisted of ten deliveries and included seven no-balls and a wide but he finished it by inducing Mark Wallace to drive his slower delivery to extra cover and give Matt Machan the first of five catches, a new county record in the competition.Colin Ingram fell in identical fashion in Mills’ next over and David Lloyd was caught at cover having been squared up by Jofra Archer.Garton has Aneurin Donald brilliantly caught by Machan running around the deep mid-wicket boundary and in his next over Garton held an easy return catch when Graham Wagg mis-timed a pull. The 19-year-old then claimed two wickets in his final over as Andrew Salter was bowled heaving across the line and Timm van der Gugten caught at short fine leg.Skipper Jacques Rudolph joined the procession when he mis-timed a pull off leg-spinner Will Beer. At 62 for 8 Glamorgan were in a sorry state but their last two wickets did manage to add 39 runs before Chris Jordan had Craig Meschede and Tait both caught at mid-off by safe hands Machan.

A century from Jonathan Trott helped Warwickshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup with a 70-run victory over Essex

George Dobell at Edgbaston17-Aug-2016
ScorecardJonathan Trott played an innings suited to a used pitch•Getty Images

A century from Jonathan Trott helped Warwickshire into the semi-finals of the Royal London One-Day Cup with a 70-run victory over Essex. They will play Somerset at Edgbaston over the Bank Holiday weekend with a Lord’s final the reward for the winner.Trott, with his third century in five innings in the competition this season (one of the other innings was 66 against Lancashire), laid the platform for a competitive total on a used pitch – this match was played on the surface used in the Test between England and Pakistan – before Laurie Evans provided some late impetus and Warwickshire’s three spinners strangled the Essex reply.It was the fourth time in the last three seasons that Warwickshire had defeated Essex in a limited-overs knock-out match and the second time in little more than a week that Essex had been knocked out in a quarter-final following their T20 loss against Nottinghamshire. Their dressing room door remained closed for some time after the result, though their season is not over. Promotion in the County Championship is still within their reach.This was, in many ways, an old-fashioned one-day match suiting Warwickshire’s old-fashioned template. While Warwickshire, and Trott in particular, may not be the best on the sort of pitches where 350 might be considered par, on these surfaces, where a total of 270 is decent, they are almost ideal.Plan A for Warwickshire involves Trott – it could be any of the top three, but realistically it is Trott – batting for the first 40 overs or so and providing the foundation of a competitive score before Evans – it could be any of the middle-order, but realistically it is Evans – thrashing the late runs required to take the total to the required level. Get either of them early and Warwickshire have to fall back on Plan B. It is far from certain that they have one.If it sounds familiar, it is because it is how England used to play their ODI cricket. It may be unfashionable now, but it is not so long since it took England to No. 1 in the world and the brink (on this very ground) of their first global ODI title.For a while, it seemed Warwickshire may struggle to set a competitive total. After settling in against the new balls – the easiest time to bat on this wicket – Warwickshire were forced to regroup once Sam Hain was beaten by a quicker one from Graham Napier (playing the final List A match of an outstanding career that really should have earned some T20I caps) and Ian Bell fell for a duck. Three successive overs brought just one run from the bat.Gradually, though, Tim Ambrose and Trott grew more comfortable. With Essex having only one full-time spinner in Ashar Zaidi and the offspin of Tom Westley in support, they were obliged to persist with their seamers on a surface offering them little and Warwickshire’s third-wicket pair added 136 in 26.4 overs. Trott, driving fluently, running quickly and reverse-sweeping well, completed his 13th List A century – a chanceless affair – for Warwickshire from 122 balls. Only Nick Knight, with 23, has scored more List A centuries for the club.The value of Trott’s contribution was highlighted after his dismissal from a leg-side wide. Just as they needed to accelerate, they were forced to rebuild, scoring just 14 runs from the start of the 43rd over to the end of the 46th.But Evans remained. Whatever his frustrations in red-ball cricket – he has requested his release from his Warwickshire contract due to his lack of first team opportunities in the Championship side – his remains an essential part of the club’s white-ball teams. Here he thrashed an unbeaten 70 from 53 balls, striking powerfully over midwicket and taking 14 in three balls (two fours and a six) from the penultimate over of the innings bowled by the unfortunate Napier.When Essex raced to 69 without loss in 12 overs, it looked as if they might coast to victory. Nick Browne, driving sweetly, hit the usually tight Rikki Clarke out of the attack, while Westley used Chris Woakes’ pace to his advantage with some lovely drives and late cuts.But the introduction of spin was always going to be crucial. And, after Browne was stumped off another leg-side wide, Warwickshire’s spinners utilised the conditions perfectly.If the highlight was a leg-break bowled out of the front of the hand by Jeetan Patel – it was the first time Trott had seen the offspinner bowl the delivery in a match and it certainly surprised Ravi Bopara, who sliced it to backward point – Warwickshire will have been equally pleased by the contribution of their two younger spinners.Josh Poysden claimed three wickets with his leg-breaks – “I bowled 60 leg-breaks today,” he said, “with some of them turning and some of them skidding on” – while Ateeq Javid provided two more with his waspish off-breaks: one with a leg-side wide; the other with a filthy full-toss that must have been perilously close to be called for no-ball on height.In all, Warwickshire’s trio of spinners claimed 8 for 108 in 24.1 overs. Poysden bowled just the one poor delivery in his entire spell – a long-hop that was pulled for six by the impressive Ryan ten Doeschate – and, while he doesn’t turn the ball a great deal, nor did Eric Hollies. And they named a stand after him.Bell deserves credit, too. While he failed with the bat, drawn into an edge as he attempted to guide one down to third man, he juggled his bowlers masterfully and challenged the Essex batsmen to attack his spinners by keeping fielders close to the bat. The crucial wicket of Jesse Ryder, who had scored two centuries and three half-centuries in the competition this season, was claimed when Bell urged Poysden to go round the wicket and bowl into the rough. The resulting leg-break turned through the gate as Ryder advanced down the pitch.This was a much-needed result for Warwickshire. Having failed to qualify from their T20 group and seem their Championship hopes gradually descend into a relegation battle, this competition provides the final chance to salvage some success from a disappointing season. Rumblings from around the club suggest change is in the air. Perhaps a Lord’s final might provoke a re-think.

Following his record-breaking opening stand with David Warner, Travis Head is hoping to get more chances up the order

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2017Travis Head, who hit his maiden ODI century against Pakistan in the fifth ODI in Adelaide after being pushed up to open, hopes to get more chances at the top of the order.”As a batter I would love to bat as high as I possibly can, if there’s that opportunity as there was in this series,” Head, who put on 284 with David Warner, said after Australia’s 57-run win. This was the second time Head has opened in his young ODI career of 20 games. The first of those chances to open came in the first ODI of the series, in Brisbane, where he was out for a run-a-ball 39.”I got the opportunity at the Gabba and felt like I was in good form, but I wasn’t able to get a massive score,” he said. “I was very disappointed after that, then going back down the order, that I wasn’t able to capitalise.”So it was nice to get out there today, get first crack at it and get runs. But I’m happy to do the job wherever is needed in the side. I’m happy to go game by game and just be in the side. The preparation for the Champions Trophy, I think we’re playing the right brand at the end of this series. So wherever I fit, it’s fantastic.”With David Warner guaranteed to open, barring injuries, the search is on for a second opener for Australia leading up to the Champions Trophy in England in June. Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch have been tried there. Khawaja opened in the middle three ODIs of the Pakistan series. Finch, who was dropped for the series against Pakistan, has been recalled for the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand.Head too is part of the squad, and hopes to find himself among the runs to merit automatic selection. “I felt like I’ve been in good form in the series but I just haven’t been able to get a big score, and it’s probably been like that since I debuted,” he said. “It’s nice and satisfying to get runs, but the head moves quickly to New Zealand and try and back up the good form and keep the ball rolling.”Head said batting with Warner, who now has six tons in 11 ODIs and was battling a cold and later on fatigue in this game, made his job much easier. The pair set a new Australian ODI partnership record – beating the 260-run second-wicket stand between Warner and Steven Smith against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup. They missed the all-time ODI opening partnership record by two runs.”He [Warner] told me he was going for 200, so I don’t think his mind was set on coming off [due to health issues],” Head said. “He was pretty fatigued, we did a fair bit of running. But I don’t think that hindered him in any way, he just got on with the job. He was struggling a little bit but he was definitely focused on getting a few more runs. It’s easy at the other end – he makes it easy for me. He does it consistently, backing up massive scores and it’s another match-winning effort from him.”

Covid disruption and points deduction conspire against eternal bridesmaids

Matt Roller02-Apr-2021When Somerset’s two captains and their brightest young talent flew to Pakistan in February, their ambitions for the PSL season were clear: to rub shoulders with some of the world’s top players, to experience high-pressure situations in a major competition, and to earn a few rupees while they were at it.Things did not go to plan. Lewis Gregory won the match award in his first game but then suffered a minor injury; Tom Banton was unceremoniously dropped by Quetta Gladiators after two single-digit scores; and Tom Abell couldn’t force his way into a strong Lahore Qalandars’ line-up. And then, as the tournament’s biosecure bubble burst, all three tested positive for Covid-19.”I guess we are all pretty fortunate,” Abell, the club’s red-ball captain, reflected at Somerset’s pre-season media day. “Lewis had a bit of a fever, but very mild, and I didn’t suffer any symptoms. We were all aware of the risks of going abroad and playing in these competitions but it was too good an opportunity to pass up.”We had 10 days [of self-isolation] in the hotel in Pakistan – which wasn’t ideal – then tested negative, and then had another 10 days back at home. It’s obviously a big relief to get back into pre-season here. There will certainly be no excuses – it’s just a question of getting the miles in our legs, but we’ll all have had plenty of preparation leading up to that first game.”It is just as well that they have recovered: if any side in the country can afford to start slowly in the County Championship, it is not Somerset. The pitch prepared for their title decider against Essex in 2019 earned them a points deduction, which has rolled over to the start of this season and been adjusted to fit the rejigged structure – heading into their game against Middlesex at Lord’s next week, their points tally stands at minus eight.Not that the deduction has dampened the enthusiasm around the club ahead of the new season. “We’re a very driven group of players,” Abell said. “We want to achieve, and we want to win. We feel like we’ve been very competitive over the last couple of years but we’re certainly not content with that. The energy around the club is as good as I’ve experienced and the competition within the squad is extreme.”In fact, that competition for places has been sufficiently fierce that three players have left the club in the last 12 months in search of more first-team opportunities: Dom Bess moved to Yorkshire, Jamie Overton to Surrey, and Nathan Gilchrist, a highly-rated young seamer, joined Kent. Marchant de Lange, signed as an overseas player for the full season, is a like-for-like Overton replacement, but the club will promote youngsters to plug any other gaps.”We want to ensure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to retain our players and keep them at the club,” Andy Hurry, the director of cricket, said. “I think we do become victims of our own success: it is a challenge for us because we’ve got significant competition for places. We’re competing for silverware and it’s important that we’re selecting sides that give us the best possible chance of winning games. As a consequence, we can’t always keep everybody happy.”Tom Banton endured a difficult time at the Pakistan Super League•AFP via Getty Images

As for other recruits, Babar Azam looks unlikely to return given the overlap between the T20 Blast and the window for the rescheduled PSL, but Hurry said that the club will “continue to explore” the possibility of bringing someone in for the competition.There has been a significant change off the field, too. Marcus Trescothick, the assistant coach last summer, has ended his long association with the club to take up a full-time role as England’s batting coach, with Jim Troughton – sacked by Warwickshire over the winter – filling the vacancy. Steve Kirby is also back as bowling coach after Stuart Barnes took up a role with Ireland.There are several young players hoping to make an impression. Tom Lammonby was the breakout star of last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy, making three hundreds as an opener, and is sure to be discussed as an England contender before long, while Lewis Goldsworthy and Will Smeed impressed in the Blast. In pre-season, 18-year-old Sonny Baker has caught the eye with some hooping inswingers, but will have to wait his turn given the number of seamers ahead of him in the queue.Banton’s early-season involvement is noteworthy. He made only two Somerset appearances last summer on account of his international commitments, but opted to play the early rounds of the Championship rather than entering the IPL auction and facing the prospect of more time on the bench. After his eye-catching 2019 season, Banton’s stock has fallen in the last 12 months as he has got to grips with life in bio-secure bubbles and failed to nail down an England place.Related

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“When you have a player of his quality coming back, that’s only going to give you a boost,” Abell said. “Bants is a big character in the dressing room and I know he’s excited to be back. He’s a phenomenal talent but he’s human as well and his attitude towards coming back to play red-ball cricket for us has been fantastic. I’m very confident we’ll see the best of him this year.”The biggest question still remains: how can a team that has finished second in the last three seasons go one better this time around? “We’re always looking to make small improvements but we have to trust what we’ve been doing as a group,” Abell said. “We’ve been there and thereabouts for a reason and we don’t want to change too much to chase that elusive Championship. The best thing we can do is start well and our full focus is on doing just that.”