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A collective bowling effort was backed up by a century from Kamran Akmal as Pakistan A clinched the second unofficial ODI against Afghanistan by seven wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Feb-2013
ScorecardGulbodin Naib celebrates his century•Hasrat Sadaat/Afghanistan Cricket Board

A collective bowling effort was backed up by an attacking century from wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal as Pakistan A clinched the second unofficial ODI against Afghanistan by seven wickets, and thereby the series 2-0.Afghanistan were behind for most of the game, after their top-order batsmen were dismissed cheaply. Seamers Imran Khan and Wahab Riaz, and spinner Adnan Rasool reduced them to 77 for 6, before 21-year old Gulbodin Naib put on a 93-run partnership with Mirwais Ashraf to help push their score beyond 200.Naib started slowly, but made up for it towards the end of the innings to bring up his hundred in the penultimate over, before falling to Wahab Riaz five balls later. He struck 13 fours and three sixes in his innings.Pakistan, unlike their opponents, were in control of their innings throughout. An opening stand of 94, dominated by Akmal, in 18.4 overs set the base for a comfortable victory. Akmal retired hurt after scoring 104, and by then he had seen his side through to a secure position at 177 for 3.Pakistan had won the first match comfortably as well, by eight wickets.

A round-up of the action from the Coca-Cola Pro50 Championship 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jan-2012Matabeleland Tuskers produced a performance not in keeping with their last-place ranking, thumping Southern Rocks by eight wickets with over 19 overs remaining in Bulawayo. The Tuskers justified their decision to field, rolling the Rocks for 123 in 39.2 overs. The bowlers shared the wickets around, with Gavin Ewing finishing with the best figures: 3 for 24. Ewing then came good with the bat, scoring a patient 49 not out, to take Tuskers home with Steven Trenchard for company.In the other match, a rain-marred top-of-the-table clash in Harare, the Mashonaland Eagles beat the Mid West Rhinos via the Duckworth-Lewis method. After being asked to bat, the Rhinos could managed only 189 for 9 in their 50. The only real contribution for them came from Roland Benade, who made 67. After rain interrupted the chase repeatedly, the recalculated score left Eagles a very undemanding 61 from 20, which they easily surpassed.

South Africa’s World Cup squad feels “more excitement than pressure,” as they go in search of the country’s first piece of ICC silverware in 13 years

Firdose Moonda02-Feb-2011South Africa’s World Cup squad feels “more excitement than pressure,” as they go in search of the country’s first piece of ICC silverware in 13 years. The team is widely regarded as the best never to have a won a World Cup, despite going into every tournament as one of the hot favourites.”In previous years, the squad had a lot of big name players and was even ranked number one in the ODI rankings so there was a lot of expectation,” Hashim Amla told ESPNcricinfo. “There is a little less hype around us this time.”Eleven of the 15 squad members that will travel to this month’s World Cup have never played in the global showpiece before and many of those players will form the core of South Africa’s team. Amla is one of them, and is already regarded as a stalwart in the side, though he has only played 42 ODIs. “I feel like a senior player,” he said. ‘”I haven’t played many matches compared to guys like Graeme [Smith] and Jacques [Kallis] so I still regard every match as a learning experience. I don’t claim as to know everything about one-day cricket but I do feel like senior player.”That feeling may stem from the fact that Amla has had a stunning last nine months in the game, in which he has scored six of his seven ODI centuries. Over that time, he has surged to the top of the ODI batting rankings and carved his own niche in the shorter form of the game, despite being initially painted as someone who could only play Test cricket.Amla said the improvements in his strike rate are not as a result of any major shift in mindset, but more a reflection of his growth as a cricketer. “It helped to play a few Test matches before making it into the one-day side because I got to know my own game. When I started off in the one-day side, it took me a while to find my rhythm.” When he found that groove, he found it perfectly and Amla now boasts an average of 59.88 and a strike rate of close to 94.The Amla that batted in last month’s ODI series against India was the Amla that had come full circle from those first stuttering days in coloured clothing. He scored, by his own admission, two “swashbuckling” fifties before stabilising to end the series with a century. That innings, at Centurion, was near perfect, timed exquisitely and played as though it was set to a script. Amla hopes he can continue in that vein in the World Cup. “I am going to try and strike a balance between being positive upfront by scoring as quickly as I can and making sure I stay at the crease for as long as possible.”Time at the wicket for the top order is vital because South Africa’s soft underbelly, the batting in the middle-to-lower order, was exposed against India. Kallis’ return to full fitness will solve some of the problem but there is still concern over the relative inexperience at number six and seven, and the lack of a big-hitting all-rounder in the mould of Lance Klusener. Amla, however, is certain that the likes of Faf du Plessis and Colin Ingram can do the job. “Someone in the top order should aim to bat through to at least the 40th over so that the lower can capitalise on that. Those guys might not be the same as Albie Morkel or Mark Boucher but they can hit the ball hard, they run well between the wickets and they are relatively unknown to the opposition.”South Africa are banking on the element of surprise with both bat and ball, having included uncapped legspinner Imran Tahir in the squad as well. Amla warned against loading too much pressure on the Pakistani-born player. “We shouldn’t put all our hopes on Imran. He is a quality player with a lot of first-class experience and he should be allowed to settle into the team at this level.”Tahir is one of five spinners that South Africa have at their disposal and although he is expected to make the biggest impact, Amla said that seasoned campaigner Johan Botha may the man who makes headlines. “He has done a great job for us over the years and is a very intelligent bowler. He may not be known as a wicket-taker but he controls the middle portion of an innings and if the runs need to be dried up, he is the go-to man.”Spin and the subcontinent go together like vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce and while South Africa are making sure they have enough players who can bowl spin, they are also preparing for many overs of facing spin. “We got a taste of what to expect against India when they rotated many bowlers against us during the one-day series. Spin will play a big role.”South Africa’s once-dodgy record of playing against spin has improved significantly in recent times and although they don’t look obvious favourites for the tournament this time, when Amla describes the players they have at their disposal, they have all the elements to be top contenders. That means that’s even though it’s understated, the pressure to be crowned World Champions does hang over them. It might be why Amla says he is “quite keen to get on the plane and get the tournament started.”

Lancashire have confirmed they will not be able to retain Faf Du Plessis for the 2010 season after losing an appeal following changes in immigration criteria

Cricinfo staff01-Mar-2010Lancashire have confirmed they will not be able to retain Faf Du Plessis, their Kolpak player, for the 2010 season after losing an appeal following changes in immigration criteria.”This is a very disappointing outcome for not only Faf but the county,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket director, said. “We accept the change in the immigration criteria and support the long term objectives associated with this decision. However, it’s a shame that certain players of quality who have demonstrated genuine commitment to English cricket and add something to our game will be lost to county cricket. His contributions both as a player and clubman will by be missed by all associated with Lancashire and we wish him well with his cricketing career.”Lancashire coach Peter Moores also said the development was a “real disappointment”. “Not only is Faf a very talented cricketer, but during his two years at Lancashire was lauded by everyone in English cricket for his fielding brilliance. His positive energy and enthusiastic approach to the job at hand will be sorely missed and I speak on behalf of everyone in the dressing room when I thank Faf for his unwavering commitment and his contribution to the club and its supporters.”Moores said the club had prepared themselves for this scenario and had made arrangements to make up for du Plessis’ absence.

Along with 90s from Shan Masood and Ben Cox, Foxes dominate Kent attack

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay16-Sep-2025Kent 17 for 0 trail Leicestershire 459 for 7 dec (Patel 114, Cox 93, Masood 90, Hill 54) by 442 runsA fine century from Rishi Patel, along with 90s from Shan Masood and Ben Cox, saw Leicestershire secure maximum batting bonus points and left them the verge of securing the Division Two title as they dominated a callow Kent attack after being put into bat at the UptonSteel County Ground.Beginning the match 25 points clear of second-placed Glamorgan, the Foxes could not have hoped for a better second day of this Rothesay County Championship match after the first was entirely lost to the weather.It made for a chastening first-class debut for 19-year-old all-rounder Corey Flintoff – one of a remarkable five teenagers in the Kent side – who, with father Andrew watching, bowled 15 wicket-less overs for 91 runs, though he did take a catch.Kent openers Harry Finch and Ben Dawkins survived a difficult nine overs before the light closed in.After the loss of the entire first day to the strong winds that made handling the covers too dangerous to undertake, it was a relief to see the ground ready for play from the start.Flintoff, the second son of former England allrounder Andrew to be embarking on a career as a professional cricketer, following in the footsteps of brother Rocky, took his place in what must surely have been the youngest slip cordon ever formed in county cricket, all three slips and gully being in their teens.They were in the game early, when Jaydn Denly at second slip dropped a straightforward chance given by Sol Budinger off the bowling of Joey Evison. To make matters worse, Denly left the field with illness soon afterwards, while Evison’s feelings will not have improved when Budinger casually swung an in-swinger over the midwicket boundary for six. The Kent allrounder had his revenge soon afterwards however, when Budinger again edged to second slip and this time Flintoff held on.Patel, however, looked in good touch from the start. The 27-year-old has struggled for consistency this season after missing the early weeks with a thumb injury, but has recently shown signs of finding the form which saw him called into an England Lions training camp, and he took full toll on the regular loose deliveries from the visiting attack.There were plenty of testing balls too, and George Garrett produced a beauty to square up and bowl Ian Holland, but a score of 151 for 2 off 30 overs at lunch told its own story. Having hit ten boundaries in going to his half-century, Patel hit another ten in going to three figures, his second Championship century of the season, shortly after lunch.Kent were already looking down the barrel, but Patel played too soon at an Ekansh Singh delivery and got a leading edge that looped to mid-on, a maiden first-class wicket for the 19-year-old, and Lewis Hill, having registered his seventh half-century of the season, slashed a wide short ball from Michael Cohen straight to point.When Steve Eskinazi, who never settled, went leg before to Evison, Leicestershire were in danger of wasting their flying start, but the elegant Masood was calmness personified, and he found lively support from Cox. Together they added 161 for the sixth wicket and both seemed certain to reach three figures, but Garrett, bowling with the new ball, pushed one across Masood to find an edge which carried to slip before Grant Stewart took a fine leaping catch at mid-on to dismiss Cox off the bowling of Evison.

Runs on board could be critical as home side opt for two spinners on same surface as Essex loss

ECB Reporters Network12-Apr-2024Choosing to start a second game on the same pitch they used for their opening match at Trent Bridge last week, Nottinghamshire included two spinners in their line-up and unsurprisingly batted when winning the toss on the first day of their Vitality County Championship meeting with Worcestershire.With Joe Clarke going towards a second hundred in three innings, an increasingly rampant third-wicket stand of 133 included an onslaught of 41 from the first six overs after lunch that seized the afternoon initiative.Ben Slater, however, fell for 70 before Clarke, one of three home players appearing against his old club, advanced to 105 until caught behind 25 minutes after tea but Worcestershire could not quite regain the balance by a close with Nottinghamshire at 305 for six.New Zealander Nathan Smith returned three for 62 overall whilst fellow overseas signing, Barbadian Jason Holder, proved tight if wicketless. Pleasingly it was 20-year old Josh Baker’s left-arm spin that finally removed Clarke, who had so savaged him earlier.It had been an anxious start for the home side on the surface that had seen them bowled out for 80 and lose to Essex just four days earlier. Both openers were gone by the eighth over as Nathan Smith, Worcestershire’s new import this year, struck twice in his opening 19 balls.The Kiwi hit Haseeb Hameed’s middle and leg stumps with a full one when the home captain, beaten on the outside edge but losing balance aiming to leg, fell for eleven and Ben Duckett, out for nine, soon touched a defensive edge to the wicket keeper. Just before lunch, Slater, on 40, survived a sharp low chance to short leg off Baker.During the onrush of fours and sixes that followed on resumption, Slater edged a drive at the same bowler on 53 that flashed between keeper and slip, neither of them moving. Though four men were latterly placed on the boundary for Clarke, he accelerated from 16 to 68 in just 48 balls before throttling back.Slater, caught behind, fell flicking at a ball down the legside from Adam Finch and Smith returned for a second spell in which the South African, Matt Montgomery, driving, was taken at first slip for eleven. But tea found Nottinghamshire at 223 for four, Clarke on a tantalising 98 not out.His century, with three sixes, came up from the second delivery of the evening off 168 balls but first Jack Haynes, another former Worcester man, for 15 and then Clarke himself, top-edging his cut behind for 105, fell in four overs. The new ball was taken as soon as it became available, 35 minutes later, without breaking through as the seventh-wicket reached an unbroken 67.Lyndon James was 39 at the close with Calvin Harrison, South African born but New Zealand raised, on a resolute 25 from fully 82 balls at the other end. His leg spin gained appreciable turn in the previous game against Essex and, on what will be a six-day old pitch on Saturday, could yet prove influential with the left-arm spin in tandem of Liam Patterson-White, selected for the first time since last May.

India captain also says Gill will be given “a chance to have a fair run” in the ODI side

Hemant Brar09-Jan-20231:31

Rohit on Suryakumar’s selection in ODIs: ‘Great headache to have’

There has been a debate going around if Hardik Pandya should replace Rohit Sharma as India’s T20I captain but Rohit said he has no plans to give up T20Is as things stand.After the 2022 T20 World Cup, both Rohit and Virat Kohli missed India’s next two T20I series, away against New Zealand and at home against Sri Lanka. Rohit said it was more to manage the workload, and they might miss the upcoming home T20I series against New Zealand as well.Related

• Gill to open instead of Kishan in series opener

• Can Suryakumar crack ODIs ahead of the home World Cup?

• Bumrah to miss Sri Lanka ODIs, doubtful for Test series against Australia

• How India's contenders are shaping up ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup

“It was made clear in the past that it’s a 50-over World Cup year, and for some of the guys, it’s not possible to play all formats,” Rohit said on the eve of the first ODI against Sri Lanka. “If you look at the schedule, the matches are back to back. So looking at some of the players’ workloads, we wanted to give them a break. And I also fall into that category.”We have only six T20Is, three [against Sri Lanka] are over and we have three against New Zealand. So we will look after those boys till we get to the IPL, and see what happens after that. But certainly, I have not decided to give up the format.”Shubman Gill remains ahead of Ishan Kishan in the pecking order, according to Rohit Sharma•BCCI

Rohit also revealed that Shubman Gill remains ahead of Ishan Kishan in the pecking order. In India’s last ODI, Kishan had scored the fastest double-hundred in the format, but in the other eight innings in his career, he has only 267 runs at an average of 33.37.Gill, on the other hand, has been India’s highest run-getter since his comeback last year, scoring 638 runs at an average of 70.88 at a strike rate of 102.57.”Both openers have done really well, but looking at how both have gone through, it’s fair we give Gill a chance to have a fair run, because he has got a lot of runs in the last few games,” Rohit said. “So has Ishan, I am not taking anything away from him. He has been wonderful for us. He got a double-hundred and I know what it takes to get a double-hundred; it’s a great achievement.

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“But to be honest and just to be fair to the guys who have done really well before that, we need to give those guys enough chances before we make that call.”It’s unfortunate we won’t be able to play Ishan but looking at how things have panned out for us in the last eight-nine months, and looking at how ODIs have gone for us, it’s fair to give Gill that run. He has done extremely well in that position. It’s very unfortunate for Ishan but that doesn’t rule him out. We are going to try to keep everyone in the mix and see how it pans out for us as we play more games.”For the same reason, Suryakumar Yadav, despite his sparkling T20I form, will also have to wait for a longer run in ODIs. Meanwhile, in Kishan’s absence, KL Rahul will keep wickets on Tuesday.

Glamorgan into semis as Surrey and Yorkshire take quarter-final spots

ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2021Glamorgan fell to a four-run defeat in their final Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Yorkshire Vikings, but still managed to top Group 1 and bag a home semi-final on Monday.They were able to stay on top of the table despite their loss thanks to a superior net run rate over the eight pool matches. That put them ahead of Surrey and Yorkshire, who took the two quarter-final spots, with Surrey gaining a home tie.The Vikings posted 230, with an eighth wicket partnership of 84 between Jonathan Tattersall and Matthew Waite crucial in their total, while Glamorgan got off to a solid start with a stand of 121 for their first wicket between Hamish Rutherford (58) and Nick Selman.Selman eventually went on to make 92 and the home side were left with 11 to win off the final over. Matthew Waite restricted them to six runs and two more wickets fell to leave the Welsh country stranded on 226 for 8.Having won the toss Glamorgan did what they did to the Notts Outlaws at the weekend and put the Vikings in to bat. The visitors got off to a solid start and Will Fraine hit four boundaries on his way to a quickfire 25 before falling to a catch at the wicket by Tom Cullen off the ever-reliable Michael Hogan in the seventh over.The 50 came up in the 11th over before another paceman, James Weighill removed Will Luxton, who spooned a thick edge to Steve Reingold in the covers three overs later. The introduction of the off-spinner at the river end put a brake on scoring and when he bowled opener Harry Duke for 20 the Vikings were 70-3.It was another spinner, Steve Reingold, who made the next breakthrough in his first over. His first ball was swept to the boundary by Vikings skipper Gary Balance, but four balls later he got his revenge when he forced the left-hander onto his back foot and bowled him to make it 88 for 4 in the 20th over.The 100 came up with a four through mid-wicket by Hill in the first ball of the 26th over, only the third boundary in a very neat 11 over spell from the home bowling attack. Then James Cooke clean bowled George Hill with a ball that stayed low and had Matthew Revis caught behind with the next ball.Dom Bess foiled the hat-trick, but the Vikings were rocking a little at 121 for 6. The England spinner was then lucky to survive a steepling catch at deep mid on which Selman couldn’t quite deal with as Salter ended his quota of 10 overs with 1 for 34.Bess wasn’t able to make much of his reprieve as in the very next over he was trapped lbw by the returning Weighill. Jonathan Tattersall and Mattew Waite steadied the ship and took the score to 178 for 7 at the 40 over mark, Waite clearing the boundary rope with one shot back over the head of Reingold as their highly productive partnership went through the half-century mark.The pair steered their side through the 200 barrier in the 44th over before Billy Root took a brilliant catch on the boundary to remove Waite for 44 off Cooke and end a partnership that yielded 84 runs for the eighth wicket.Cooke ended his 10 over spell with 3 for 40, while Tattersall’s 50 came up off 58 balls and contained two boundaries. He succumbed to a catch by home skipper Kiran Carlson off the bowling of Hogan in the 47th over for 53.The Vikings closed their innings on 230 when Josh Sullivan holed out to Hogan off the bowling of Weighill eight ball short of their full allocation of 50 overs. There were 25 extras.Glamorgan’s slow, but solid start was finally ended when Ben Coad bowled Rutherford with the score on 121. The patient approach continued and with 10 overs to go Glamorgan still needed 58 runs to win. Hill then struck twice in the same over to send back Reingold and Carlson and the Vikings’ noose began to tighten.Selman then became Hill’s third victim when he was caught by Gary Balance for an excellent 92 and the home side were 187 for 4 still needing 44 runs off 41 balls to win. As wickets tumbled, and the run rate rose, so Glamorgan paid the price for their slow start.Hill ended as the most successful bowler for the Vikings, taking 3 for 49 in his 10 overs.

Captain says selections driven by need to have “experienced guys making good decisions under pressure” for coming World Cups

Alan Gardner29-Jul-2020England will play their first ODI on home soil since last summer’s successful World Cup campaign when they take on Ireland in a three-match series from Thursday, with captain Eoin Morgan hailing the “unbelievably talented” group of players at his disposal.Despite six members of the World Cup final XI being unavailable while on Test duty (plus the absence of the discarded Liam Plunkett), Morgan said that selecting the first white-ball squad of the reshaped English summer was “particularly difficult”, with a number of young batsmen pushing for inclusion during the intra-squad encounters.Players such as Phil Salt, who scored a 58-ball hundred for England Lions against Ireland on Sunday, and Sam Hain, who averages 59.78 in List A cricket, were left on the sidelines, as England chose to give further opportunities to a clutch of candidates who were in and around the World Cup group last year, such as James Vince, Joe Denly and Sam Billings.ALSO READ: Topley wins recall, Billings and Willey return to face IrelandMorgan said that England’s depth in white-ball cricket was “definitely” greater than at any previous time during his involvement.”Being able to see more and more of the Lions players or the guys outside of the Lions over the last couple of weeks has been exceptional,” he said. “There is such a big pool of players who are unbelievably talented. Yes we don’t know whether they will succeed in international cricket but you are comfortable selecting them in the squad for if you need them at any stage.”Selection was particularly difficult. Over the last four-and-a-bit years we’ve always had tough decisions to make and I think everybody who was left out was a tough call. The standard and skill level that has been produced since guys have come together has been exceptional. It’s been way above the standard that I expected given the time we had off. Certainly [Salt and Hain] were unlucky to miss out along with others.”I think we’re blessed with a high-calibre group of top-order batters, not only in the first XI but also sitting in the wings. Even the guys that will play this series and the guys that are left out will probably need some injuries to get call-ups. It’s a product of having a consistently strong team over the last period of time, it’s allowed players to spend more time at county cricket so your highly-talented players aren’t playing a handful of county games and then automatically being called up to the national team… It’s a huge positive even though it’s bad news for the guys who have missed out.”Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow head to the nets•Getty Images

Without the likes of Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, England could have been tempted to include a few more faces from their up-and-coming generation – Tom Banton is the only batsman under the age of 29 in the squad – but Morgan gave an indication of the value he places on experience when asked about the retention of Vince and Billings.”I think a lot of the perception is that they’ve almost had their chance and their time has gone – whereas we see it as, going into the next World Cup, we need experienced guys making good decisions under pressure, that’s exactly what we’re after, and experience lends itself to that. We’ll continue to give opportunities but it’s to those guys we feel might have an impact in selection on the next two T20 World Cups or the next 50-over World Cup.”Morgan also talked about the “framework” of England’s ODI batting, and the importance of selecting players to fill certain roles. “We have an abundance of top-order batters and possibly an area that we need to fill is in the lower and middle order where we need a bit more strength in depth,” he said.To that end, England look set to continue with 34-year-old Denly at No. 5, where he made scores of 87 and 66 in South Africa back in February, and Banton a place lower down – despite his regular role as an opener for Somerset – with Morgan encouraging both to stake claims for further involvement.”Joe played really well in South Africa, a long time ago but he’s still a high-quality player,” Morgan said. “Creating opportunities for him is important to us. With Joe, age is not something we talk about – he’s fit and agile as anybody. It’s just his desire and hunger to play and succeed. I think the opportunities that both of those guys might get will determine how they long they might go or what direction we go in.”While the greater part of England’s white-ball focus has recently been on T20, the postponement of this year’s World Cup allows for some breathing space, and perhaps a celebration of the format that Morgan and his team finally cracked in 2019. As World Cup holders, Morgan admitted “it creates a level of expectation everywhere we go” – particularly against an opposition like Ireland, hungry to take advantage of their limited opportunities on the biggest stage.Tom Banton plays a cut shot•Getty Images

“That sits well with some of our guys but for a lot of our guys, they haven’t experienced that, so it’s important to recognise what is expected of us moving forward,” Morgan said. “Because we want to win more trophies.”Following the ECB’s successful implementation of bio-security protocols to enable the Test series against West Indies to go ahead, Morgan said the one-day team were happy to be back playing, even behind closed doors, and thanked Ireland for bringing forward their tour amid uncertainty about whether planned series against Australia will go ahead.”I think given the context of everything that’s gone on over the last five months or so, we are extremely happy to be playing,” he said. “Things are moving quite quickly outside of the bubble, I know Middlesex and Surrey over the weekend did have spectators and things like that, so potentially down the line that might progress. But given the context and the serious nature of the virus, we’re just delighted both to be back playing but also to have cricket back on TV. I think there’s a huge and monumental effort gone into everything to make it happen so we’re extremely grateful for that and also grateful for Ireland coming over.”

The picture features Moises Henriques leaping to take a catch at the SCG and came out on top from over 700 entries

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Apr-2019A picture from the Big Bash of Moises Henriques leaping for a catch at the SCG has been named the Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year.The photo taken by Phil Hillyard of New Corp was captured on December 27 when Henriques plucked the ball out of the air to remove Melbourne Stars’ Nick Larkin.Wisden-MCC Cricket Photograph of the Year: Moises Henriques leaps to catch Nick Larkin•Phil Hillyard/News Corp

Hillyard took the top prize of GBP2000 from over 700 entries from professional and amateur photographers.Hillyard said: “It’s such an honour to win the Wisden-MCC Photo of the Year for a sport I am so passionate about and have spent much of my career covering.”I love the game of cricket, its people and the challenge of photographing it. I feel very privileged that my image will be on display at Lord’s, the Home of Cricket.”A big thank you from me goes to Moises Henriques for taking such a great catch at the wonderful Sydney Cricket Ground.”The competition was judged by a panel chaired by Chris Smith, the former Chief Sports Photographer of The Sunday Times>, and this year he was joined, for the first time, by Diana Keen, Senior Production Manager at Sunset+Vine.The rest of the panel comprised acclaimed cricket photographers Patrick Eagar and Adrian Murrell, music photographer Kevin Cummins and former art director of The Cricketer, Nigel Davies.