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Russell Domingo, South Africa’s under-fire coach was in position as the team set off for their first assignment since the World T20, even as a review into his post is ongoing

Firdose Moonda25-May-2016Perhaps the only real news to came out of South Africa’s departure press conference ahead of their ODI triangular series in the Caribbean is that Russell Domingo still has a job. For now.The under-fire coach was in position as the team set off for their first assignment since the World T20, even as a review into his post is ongoing. Domingo’s job is likely to be the most scrutinised aspect of the national team’s underperformance in the 2015-16 summer but, with the panel appointed to investigate the reasons yet to reveal their findings and his contract in place until the end of April 2017, he has the chance to begin the recovery. And there is a lot of that to do.South Africa slipped from No.1 to No.6 on the Test rankings in less than six months and Domingo, with the help of his young son, is starting to see the opportunity that presents. “Chatting to my 11-year-old son, he reckons it’s a good thing we’ve dropped down because it takes a little bit of the pressure away from trying to hold on to that position and doing whatever you can to get into that position,” Domingo said.”It’s nice to be back in the pack and chasing the No.1 side. Things change so quickly. You beat one or two sides ahead of you and before you know it, you could be No.2 or No.1 again. We are playing some sides that are ranked above us in the next few months and that provides an opportunity to get back up there again. For me it’s a very exciting time, it’s an exciting time for the new captain and for one or two players who want to prove a point. Although it’s a disappointment that we’ve dropped down, it’s a blessing in disguise because we have to refocus.”One of those players with a point to prove will be Dale Steyn. South Africa’s pace spearhead sat out six of the last eight Tests injured and has only played five internationals this year. Despite the dearth of game time, the selectors decided to rest him for the upcoming ODIs but Steyn responded by signing a T20 deal with Glamorgan.By the time South Africa play Tests again, against New Zealand in August, both Steyn and Domingo will have had a few games to gauge where they are at, and Domingo expects Steyn will be back in a big way.”Dale is a champion bowler and with great bowlers like that, when people start questioning and writing them off, they produce the goods,” Domingo said. “We’ve got a lot of Test cricket ahead and we’ve got five ODIs in South Africa against Australia which I am confident he will be part of. He has got a lot of cricket to still offer South Africa. Dale is our No.1 go-to guy in Test cricket. He will lead this attack for a while still.”But not in West Indies next month, where it will be up to Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Kyle Abbott and freshly recalled Wayne Parnell to carry the quick bowling duties. Domingo is particularly excited about Parnell’s inclusion, which comes after an 11-month absence from the international stage and a solid season of domestic cricket.”I’ve always thought Wayne Parnell is a special cricketer with a lot of ability. I am just so pleased that he has gone into domestic cricket and done exactly what was required,” Domingo said. “We are pleased that he is developing. That was all it was. He needed to get some game time, and play week-in, week-out get some overs under his belt and get his confidence where it needs to be, because touring as a fringe player, you don’t get a lot of game time and it can easily set you back as a player.”This series will show whether Parnell has moved forward. It will also allow South Africa to move on from their summer of discontent, especially because it will be played in the one format that had been kind to them last season. They won ODI series over India and England but those were eclipsed by the slew of Test and T20 disappointments. Now, they have the chance to get back on track. “There’s an opportunity for us to improve on our one-day ranking by playing a side that’s ranked above us (Australia),” Domingo said.As for the other side, West Indies are languishing at No.8 and could be forced out of their own party if Australia and South Africa play to their potential. But Domingo believes there is something South Africa can learn from their hosts, not just because it will be his first time there.”As a youngster we grew up idolising the West Indian side of the 1980s. I played a lot of cricket with Eldine Baptiste and he told us a lot of stories about the West Indian culture and how they used to play their cricket and to experience all of that is very humbling and very exciting for someone like me,” Domingo said.”West Indies have always played the game in a free-spirited way. They’ve got a bit of swagger, a bit of x-factor and maybe we can learn a few lessons from that. Maybe at times we do get too tense and they go about their business in a light-hearted way and perform when it counts.”

USA opener Fahad Babar was named Best Batsman and Tournament MVP as USA collected all of the hardware handed out to individual players at the ICC Americas Division One T20 awards

Peter Della Penna in Indianapolis10-May-2015USA opening batsman Fahad Babar was named Best Batsman and Tournament MVP as USA collected all of the hardware handed out to individual players at the ICC Americas Division One T20 post-tournament awards presentation in Indianapolis.Babar, 23, was the tournament’s leading scorer with 242 runs in six games at an average of 121. The only two times he was dismissed were against Canada, for 31 and 33, and he made a high score of 78 not out leading USA to a tense five-wicket win on the first day of the tournament chasing Bermuda’s 123.”I think the key to my success was the team,” Babar said. “The management, the staff, the captain, the coach, they have faith in me. They always give me confidence and all the guys were supporting me throughout, which was nice to see. That really helped me and really motivated me.”Legspinner Timil Patel received the tournament’s Best Bowler award after finishing with 15 wickets at an average of 7.66, both the best marks for any bowler in the tournament. His best haul came in Friday’s win over Suriname with 4 for 13. Most batsmen had trouble picking him as evidenced by four of his dismissals effected through stumpings.Steven Taylor rounded off the honors list after being named the Best Wicketkeeper at the tournament. Taylor finished third overall in runs with 167 at an average of 27.83. His best score was 60 off 39 balls against Bermuda on Thursday. Behind the stumps, Taylor took two catches and completed three stumpings.Canada’s Hamza Tariq actually had the most total dismissals of any keeper with three catches and four stumpings for the undefeated tournament champions. However, he managed just 44 runs at 11.00 with the bat. Taylor was rewarded for both his batting and glovework while playing for the 4-2 runner-up squad.

Jodie Fields, Australia’s captain, savoured her team’s back-to-back Twenty20 titles after they beat England by four runs

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2012Two years ago Jodie Fields was watching her team-mates win the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean from her living room as she recovered from a serious hamstring injury so she had extra cause for celebration after leading Australia’s successful defence of their title in Sri Lanka with a four-run victory over England.It was no normal hamstring tweak that Fields suffered, instead she ripped the muscle off the bone and the extent of the damage was so severe there was even doubts as to whether she would play again. However, her own motivation for a comeback was never lacking after seeing the celebrations in Barbados and now she has been able to savour them for herself.”Watching the girls win that back at home was just awesome. I was just really determined to get back playing cricket and be part of this with 15 other awesome girls. I don’t know what more to say,” she said. “Watching them play another tight match against New Zealand in the 2010 final, the celebrations that they had and the feelings they came home with, it was something I knew I wanted to be part of. I worked really hard to get back, and leading this side was something I really wanted to do.”As in 2010, this final was not without its nervy moments for Australia. After setting England a demanding 143 it did not appear as though it would be hugely challenged as Australia’s bowlers chipped away against the pressure of an ever-rising asking rate. However, England are not the No. 1 side without reason and refused to lie down with Jenny Gunn striking crucial boundaries to keep her team in the match.It came down to England needing 16 off the final over and the nerves were clear from Australia as Erin Osborne delivered a huge full toss that was called no-ball and then Jess Jonassen spilled a catch at cover. Eventually, though, six from the last ball proved too tough an ask as Danielle Hazell could only club another nervous delivery to deep midwicket.”It was quite stressful, but the belief was there and we were all behind Erin Osborne bowling the final over,” Fields admitted. “She came through. I needed the team to do it. We spoke a lot about having composure in the tough stages. We knew they’d come hard at us and they did. Sometimes, you drop some. You just have to get back up and play the next ball. We did that.”Australia had come into the final has distinct underdogs – England had not lost a game in the tournament while winning 31 out of their last 33 – but claimed vital early wickets with England’s powerful top three of Charlotte Edwards, Laura Marsh and Sarah Taylor gone by the tenth over. However, for Edwards it was their slow start in the field that disappointed her the most.”We were below par with the ball and had to pay for that today,” she said. “The first six overs of their innings was probably the difference between the two teams. We got 30-odd runs and those 10 to 15 runs was the difference. Our lack of discipline up front really cost us.”Edwards, though, was delighted at the quality of the match the two teams produced as an advertisement for the women’s game. “I’m disappointed we lost but to need six runs off the last ball and see some of the shots that we saw, it was just a great spectacle for the women’s game. So I’m very proud of that. I’m bitterly disappointed to not win and lift the trophy, but Australia thoroughly deserved their victory.”

Pakistan strolled to victory after being untroubled, chasing a below-par score on a batsmen friendly pitch in Harare

Firdose Moonda11-Sep-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMohammad Hafeez, with Imran Farhat, put on Pakistan’s best opening partnership in ODIs•Associated Press

Pakistan strolled to victory with no trouble at all, chasing a below-par score on a batsman-friendly pitch in Harare. They won the three-match series in comprehensive style as Mohammad Hafeez scored his third ODI century and Imran Farhat came good as well, in the second match after making his comeback. The pair put on 228, Pakistan’s highest opening partnership, to ensure an emphatic win.It was a tough day for Zimbabwe’s bowlers, who failed to threaten and were unable to stem the run-flow. By contrast, Pakistan’s attack restricted Zimbabwe after Brendan Taylor mistakenly put his side in to bat. Taylor actually wanted to bowl, but asked to bat instead, and when he asked if he could reverse his decision, he was denied permission to do so.With some assistance on offer for the seamers, Pakistan’s left-arm pair of Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan gave little away. Tanvir extracted movement early on and both bowled around the off stump to deny Zimbabwe easy runs. Their opening pair, Chamu Chibhabha and Vusi Sibanda, gave in to frustration. Chibhabha was caught at mid-off while trying to go over the top and Sibanda perished, for the sixth time in 11 innings this summer, to the pull.Junaid continued to impress as his spell went on and caused problems with the short ball. After seven overs, he injured his ankle while racing to square leg to field off his own bowling and had to go off, but returned to complete his spell.

Smart stats

• The 228-run partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat is the highest opening stand for Pakistan in ODIs and their fourth-highest overall.

• The 253 balls faced during the opening partnership is the highest ever for Pakistan in ODIs, surpassing the previous best of 243 balls between Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti against New Zealand in 1999.

• The double-hundred partnership is the 14th for Pakistan in ODIs, bringing them level second with Australia on the list of teams with the most 200-plus stands. India are on top with 17.

• The victory is Pakistan’s fourth ten-wicket win in ODIs. Their previous such win came against West Indies in the World Cup game in Dhaka.

• Hafeez’s 139 is the second-highest score by a Pakistan batsman against Zimbabwe in ODIs behind Mohammad Yousuf’s 141 in 2002. Hafeez has now scored two centuries and two fifties in his last six ODI innings.

• The 47 balls remaining at the end of the win is the second-highest for Pakistan against Zimbabwe in ODIs, in games in which they have successfully chased 200-plus targets.

• The 104-run stand between Hamilton Masakadza and Brendan Taylor is the third-highest third-wicket stand for Zimbabwe against Pakistan in ODIs.

Spin was introduced from both ends after 20 overs and Zimbabwe eased into single scoring mode, with Hamilton Masakadza and Taylor putting on the team’s best performance against Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal. Zimbabwe scored 52 runs in 10 overs with the bulk of them coming in singles. Masakadza played responsibly, spotting the gaps and doing most of the calling.Cheema returned to try and break what was becoming a sizeable partnership but he did not succeed, though he kept the runs down. Masakadza brought up his half- century with a small nudge to fine leg and Taylor reached the milestone with a quick couple in the same area. They had crafted the platform to launch from, but neither were able to.Taylor was caught at third man after upper-cutting a short and wide delivery, and Masakadza was run out by a direct throw from Misbah-ul-Haq, after he had started the acceleration with Tatenda Taibu at the other end. With the energy Taibu brought to the crease, Masakadza was encouraged to take on the bowling and smashed the biggest shot of the match, a six that landed in the rugby field.Taibu swept confidently and was the most at ease with the attack, but could not provide the required impetus. Tanvir bowled him and it was up to Elton Chigumbura to finish strongly but it was a tough ask. Only at the end did Chigumbura launch and Zimbabwe finished with a 14-run over.Zimbabwe’s bowlers were always going to struggle to defend 225. Chris Mpofu and Brian Vitori were able to keep Pakistan to 36 in the first ten overs. The change bowlers, however, were ineffective and expensive, and Pakistan were running away with the chase at 70 without loss after 15 overs.Ray Price tried his best to contain, but had no support from the other end. Hafeez played aggressively, the pull shot serving him well, while Farhat accumulated. The pair had to take few risks as they were rarely put under any sort of pressure.Hafeez’s century came with a slog-sweep for six. He then tore into Vitori, smacking him for three fours in his eighth over. Hafeez, fittingly, finished the match off with a trademark pull behind square to win the series for Pakistan.

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s one-day captain, says his team is looking forward to getting back to cricket after four days of being in the headlines for the wrong reasons

Cricinfo staff01-Sep-2010Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s one-day captain, says his team is looking forward to getting back to cricket after four days of being in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Pakistan play Somerset in Taunton on Thursday in their first game since the spot-fixing controversy broke.”We had a very good practice session yesterday [Tuesday],” he said at Somerset’s County Ground. “What has happened has gone. We are here to play good cricket. It’s a big challenge for me personally, playing in English conditions is always difficult.”Myself and the coach [Waqar Younis] are trying to keep morale high. It’s always very difficult in these conditions against a good team but they are all really focused.”Three members of the squad – Test captain Salman Butt, and fast bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif – have left for London, where they are due to meet top administrative and diplomatic officials on Thursday.Afridi, who resigned the Test captaincy after Pakistan’s 150-run loss against Australia in July, joined the squad after the Lord’s Test, which ended in controversy a day after the broke its spot-fixing story.
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The rest of the tour – a mix of Twenty20s and ODIs – is in some doubt but Afridi insisted his players would be able to put the furore to one side and concentrate on the task at hand when they faced Somerset. “We are all looking forward to it. It has been really difficult but we can forget everything, get out, play the cricket and entertain the people.”There were protests outside Pakistan’s hotel in London but there were none at their Taunton hotel and the Somerset chief executive Richard Gould was confident Thursday’s match would pass off without spectator unrest.”We are not anticipating anything of that order,” Gould told reporters. “We’ve got a really good family atmosphere generally in the ground and I think that’s going to be all-pervading tomorrow (Thursday).”I suspect there might be a little bit of humour thrown in, with a few comments, but we won’t let anything go beyond light-hearted banter.”

Records tumble at Headingley as Yorkshire opt for batting onslaught on final day of season

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2024James Wharton completed a mammoth 285, posting the fifth highest individual first-class score ever at Headingley and the joint-eighth highest in Yorkshire history as their Vitality County Championship clash with Northamptonshire drifted to a final day draw.England’s Jonny Bairstow also added an aggressive 78 as promoted Yorkshire, who started the day on 371 for two in reply to a first-innings 147, decided to bat on instead of chasing a season-ending sixth victory in seven games.They declared at tea on 726 for seven, a lead of 579. When the players shook hands at 4.20pm, Northamptonshire were 71 for two in their second innings. Yorkshire claimed 16 points from the draw to Northamptonshire’s nine.Considering Yorkshire, who posted their second highest first-class total ever and the highest by any team on this ground, had clinched promotion late on day three behind champions Sussex, it was no shock that they opted against exerting their bowlers during the final day of 2024.That opened the door for Bairstow to post his third 50 plus score in five late-season Division Two appearances, including one century, and for 23-year-old Wharton to write his name into the record books.Wharton’s 319-ball innings, including 32 fours and 10 sixes, marked a career best score, usurping the 188 he scored in the mid-summer win over Derbyshire at Chesterfield.Darren Lehmann’s 339 against Durham in 2006 remains the highest first-class score at Headingley, while Don Bradman twice and John Edrich both posted triple centuries in Test Matches from 1930 to 1965. Wharton now sits as the best of the rest.He started the day unbeaten on 162 and completed a third-wicket partnership of 117 with Will Luxton, who was bowled by Jack White’s seam for 49 – 392 for three in the 89th over, the day’s sixth.He then added 194 with fourth-wicket partner Bairstow – 84 balls, 10 fours and two sixes, through to early afternoon, the pair uniting for just less than 25 overs.Although fourth-placed Northamptonshire, quite understandably, were not at full tilt with nothing at stake, Wharton and Bairstow royally entertained the spectators who had braved the late September chill.Visiting captain Luke Procter was off the field managing a back injury.Much of the morning took place under the Headingley floodlights, and Wharton and Bairstow became increasingly brutal.At one stage late in the morning, Wharton hit 44 of 45 runs to come off successive overs of seam from James Sales and Gus Miller as Yorkshire moved to 503 for three after 99 overs, a lead of 356.In that two-over period, Wharton hit six fours and three leg-side sixes. Two of them were pulled. He reached his double hundred in that period, off 272 balls, and went to 250 in only another 17 deliveries.Some of Bairstow’s striking was particularly fearsome, hitting well on the up through and over the cover region.A 15-minute delay to the afternoon preceded Wharton’s departure as he holed out at long-on off Fateh Singh’s left-arm spin before Bairstow was bowled by Saif Zaib – also bowling left-arm spin – as Yorkshire fell to 600-5, a lead of 453. Zaib also bowled Jonny Tattersall.It was harsh on on-loan Nottinghamshire spinner Singh – he plugged away encouragingly in the face of adversity through his first debut – that his haul of three for 193 from 40 overs was the most runs conceded in an English first-class cricket.His third wicket was that of Dom Bess lbw – 646 for seven – before George Hill and Jordan Thompson took the hosts beyond 700 with 54 and 56 not out respectively.This was the highest first-class total Northamptonshire have conceded.Matthew Fisher, on his final day as a Yorkshire player, then claimed two new ball wickets after tea, getting Gus Miller brilliantly caught by a diving Bess at deep midwicket and the other opener Krish Patel caught behind.

Shorey’s ton and Nishant’s unbeaten fifty helped North end the day on top while Murasingh’s five-for skittled Central for 182

Himanshu Agrawal28-Jun-2023

Murasingh gets five for East; Avesh hits back for Central

Tripura’s right-arm pace bowler Manisankar Murasingh led the way for East Zone with 5 for 42 to help them bundle Central Zone out for 182 on the first evening of their Duleep Trophy quarter-final game in Alur. Central lost 6 for 35 in a middle and lower-order collapse, four wickets out of which went to Murasingh. The fall for Central started when Murasingh had wicketkeeper-batter Upendra Yadav caught for 25 in the 59th over, before removing Saransh Jain without scoring two balls later.All of Central’s top-six batters threw away settled starts with none scoring more than 38. At 86 for 4, Rinku Singh and Upendra got down for some repair work by adding 61. But before the pair could put up anything massive, Murasingh got Upendra to disrupt the opposition’s momentum. Before that, left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed had struck twice to get Rinku, for 38, and Shubham Sharma for 13.However, Avesh Khan ensured that East didn’t walk away without any damage despite Central’s meagre total. Avesh trapped East’s captain Abhimanyu Easwaran lbw with the first ball he bowled, before going on to have Shantanu Mishra lbw for 6 in the tenth over. He bowled six out of the 12 overs and finished with 2 for 13. East, who ended the day at 32 for 2, had sent in Shahbaz Nadeem as nightwatcher after Mishra’s dismissal. Sudeep Kumar Gharami was unbeaten at the other end with three boundaries in his knock.Dhruv Shorey struck 135 on the opening day of North Zone’s Duleep Trophy clash•PTI

Shorey and Sindhu power North

Delhi opening batter Dhruv Shorey hit 135 and held North Zone’s middle order together, as North ended day one of their game against North East Zone at a comfortable 306 for 6 after being at a dicey 162 for 4 at one stage. North were also propelled by Haryana’s teenaged allrounder Nishant Sindhu, who ended unbeaten on 76, as they made an inexperienced North East attack work hard in Bengaluru.Shorey, whose innings came off 211 balls and included 22 fours, was involved in crucial partnerships during his stay. He first added 80 with fellow opening partner Prashant Chopra, before Chopra and No. 3 Ankit Kalsi fell to Pheiroijam Jotin off successive balls. Shorey then added 59 with Prabhsimran Singh for the third wicket and eventually another 80 with Sindhu for the fifth wicket.Kishan Sangha then nipped out Shorey and North captain Jayant Yadav in the space of three deliveries. But Sindhu ensured that his side ended the day without further hiccups, stitching a 64-run unbeaten stand in a little over 20 overs with Pulkit Narang.

Former India head coach says that if need be, Super Kings should wait for the 2023 mini auction to identify their next captain

Shashank Kishore10-May-2022Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, believes Ravindra Jadeja isn’t a “natural captain” and looked like a “fish out of water” during his stint at the helm with Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2022. Shastri is also of the opinion that MS Dhoni, who stepped down from the leadership role at the start of the season but was handed back the job after eight games, should lead next year too if he’s fit and ready to play.Related

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“He [Jadeja] is not a natural captain. He hasn’t captained at any level. So, to give him the responsibility I thought was a little hard on Jadeja,” Shastri said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out. “People might want to judge Jaddu, but it’s not his fault. He hasn’t captained anywhere. He looked a fish out of water, totally out of place and he’s far better off playing as a player. Because he’s one of the best around in the business, when it comes to allrounders.”So let him just focus on his cricket. That [decision to give him the captaincy] cost CSK a few games early on. If you see the form they’re in now, if they had this going early on, they’ll be right up there in the mix.”Two out of Super Kings’ four wins so far this season have come since Dhoni took back the reins, in just three games. They currently placed ninth and need to win all their three remaining games to stand a chance to force a playoff possibility.Shastri also said that Super Kings should take their time before identifying their next captain, even if it means they wait till next year’s mini auction to sign someone from outside the group, like Royal Challengers Bangalore did in acquiring Faf du Plessis, a former Super Kings player.Responding to a question on whether Super Kings could consider Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has only had limited captaincy experience at the domestic level for Maharashtra, Shastri said he wasn’t in favour.