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Champions survive a Matthew Revis hat-trick at soggy Scarborough

ECB Reporters Network01-Aug-2023Superb centuries for Joey Evison and Ben Compton helped champions Kent recover from early strife and later survive a Matthew Revis hat-trick to get their Metro Bank One-Day Cup title defence off to a winning start against Yorkshire at soggy Scarborough.The Spitfires, having slipped to 49 for 4 after 15 overs after being inserted, posted 282 for 9 before a trio of rain delays revised the home target to 261 in 43 overs, 235 in 35 and finally 181 in 24.Kent only won this one by two runs on Duckworth Lewis Stern, owing to late drama. After the third delay, Yorkshire resumed on 53 for 2 after 11 overs and raced to 117 for four after 17, only for more rain to leave them three runs short of a winning target.Ben Coad struck three times with the new ball in helpful conditions for Yorkshire, bowling his 10 overs straight through for 3 for 16.But Evison and opener Compton played contrasting innings – 136 off 106 balls and 103 off 137 – to share Kent’s List A record 219 inside 33 overs for the fifth wicket. All-rounder Revis then claimed a hat-trick as five wickets fell in the last 15 balls of the visiting innings.Evison, 21, was the player of the match in last season’s final win over Lancashire at Trent Bridge with 97 and two wickets, and he counter-attacked here to push on from 84 for 4 after 25 overs.Having offered a tough chance to diving Dom Bess at midwicket on nought off Dom Leech, he hit three of seven sixes to leg, including one over wide long-leg off Ben Mike to reach his hundred.Excellent Coad had opener Marcus O’Riordan caught at first slip and former team-mate Jack Leaning and then Harry Finch both caught behind on a nibbling pitch. George Hill, who also bowled his 10 overs straight, claimed the other early wicket.Left-hander Compton clipped the only boundary which Coad conceded but was in rebuild mode.Evison then whipped a six off Coad to begin the counter-attack. And by the time they both reached fifties, Kent were 143 for 4 in the 34th over.Having regained a foothold in the innings, Compton then increased his tempo and was strong through the off-side en-route to his third career century off 135 balls.But Evison had overtaken him in the early eighties and raced through the nineties to reach his second career ton first – reached off 84 balls (216 for four in the 42nd over).But, with 300 on the cards, Revis limited the damage by getting James Bazley and Grant Stewart caught at deep square-leg and Hami Qadri bowled in the penultimate over.Five wickets fell in the last 15 balls, including Evison and Compton, as Yorkshire’s director of cricket Darren Gough watched on. He had taken two of the previous four List A hat-tricks for the county.After mid-innings rain, Gough saw Yorkshire lose Fin Bean to Australian debutant Bazley’s seam to the fifth ball of their chase, Qadri taking a smart catch at point.But the Vikings, after a further brief stoppage, were recovering through wicketkeeper opener Harry Duke and his captain Shan Masood, who put on 49 to take the score to 52 for one after 10 overs.Masood, back from Pakistan duty, was playing confidently for 31, however he was run out by an Evison direct hit at the non-striker’s end from mid-on with the first ball of the 11th over.More rain came almost immediately at 53 for 2, leaving Yorkshire needing 10 an over upon the resumption.With the threat of more rain to come, Hill crashed the lion’s share of 21 off a Matthew Parkinson over, only to fall caught behind for 35 off Bazley to leave Yorkshire narrowly short.

Pair smash 95 from 50 balls to take Falcons to fifth straight victory, Saif Zaib’s 92 not enough for Northants

ECB Reporters Network21-Jun-2022Brilliant batting from Wayne Madsen and Shan Masood kept Derbyshire Falcons on course for the Vitality Blast quarter-finals with a six-wicket victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Derby.The pair smashed 95 from 50 balls to take the Falcons to a fifth straight victory for the first time in T20 cricket as they chased down a 187 target with six balls to spare.Masood scored 57 from 43 balls and Madsen a destructive 73 with 10 fours and two sixes from only 37 balls as the Falcons cruised home on 192 for 4.Saif Zaib scored a T20 career-best 92 from 58 balls to take the Steelbacks to 186 for 7 but it was not enough as the Falcons moved to within one point of North Group leaders Lancashire Lightning who they play on Friday.Zaib revived the Steelbacks after two of their key batters fell in the first four overs of the powerplay.Chris Lynn skied a swing at Sam Conners and Madsen held a steepling catch at cover before Hayden Kerr removed Josh Cobb.The Steelbacks skipper drove and pulled Conners for four consecutive fours but then lost his off stump making room to cut Kerr.That followed Ben Curran’s miscued clip at Mark Watts into the hands of mid on and at the end of six overs, the Steelbacks were 58 for 3.Rob Keogh was caught off a George Scrimshaw no-ball but after hitting the free hit to the boundary, top edged a pull to third man.Related

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Jimmy Neesham drove Conners over long off for the first six of the innings in the 10th over and Zaib added a second when he cut Scrimshaw over wide third man in the 12th.Zaib mixed improvisation with placement to reach 50 off 36 balls but the introduction of Matt McKiernanan in the 15th over removed the dangerous Neesham who was stumped charging the leg spinner.The Steelbacks plundered 22 from the 17th over when Zaib swept and drove McKiernan for two sixes but Scrimshaw and Watt conceded only 10 off the next two.Zaib pulled Kerr for his fourth six before he was run out but Lewis McManus drove the last ball for six to take his side to a competitive total.The Falcons lost Luis Reece in the first over when he chipped a return catch to Cobb but Kerr pulled Tom Taylor for six and repeated the shot against Ben Sanderson as 16 came from the last over of the powerplay.Kerr swung the first ball from Freddie Heidreich into the hands of deep midwicket but Masood took two boundaries from the wrist spinner’s next over to keep the Falcons on track.Madsen drove and pulled Neesham for two fours to leave the Falcons needing 97 off the last 10 overs and he reverse swept Graeme White for six as 14 came from the 11th over.The Steelbacks were struggling to contain the pair with Masood steering Sanderson to the third man boundary on his way to a 36 ball 50.Cobb returned but Madsen ramped him for two fours as the Falcons accelerated towards their target with 46 coming from three overs.A reverse-swept six took Madsen to a 24-ball 50 and although Masood holed out to long on, only 36 were needed off the last five overs.Madsen was caught behind off Neesham in the 19th over but the game was over as a contest and Leus du Plooy finished in style with a big six over deep midwicket.

Tamil Nadu remain unbeaten and will take on the winner of Baroda vs Punjab in the final

Varun Shetty29-Jan-2021Tamil Nadu beat Rajasthan in the semi-finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the second season in a row and continued to remain unbeaten this year. In a game of six dropped catches, the runners-up of last year’s edition differentiated themselves with their assured and clinical batting as their experience shone through in a chase of 155. Arun Karthik led the way with an expertly-crafted and unbeaten 89, and sealed the seven-wicket win in the company of captain Dinesh Karthik.Rajasthan start off strong

Rajasthan’s decision to bat against a TN side that has won each of their last six games chasing seemed like a decent one when the game began. Despite losing a wicket in the first over to R Sai Kishore’s left-arm spin, Rajasthan kept the scoring rate high in the powerplay as captain Ashok Menaria and opener Aditya Garhwal picked the right bowlers to target. Those happened to be seamer Aswin Crist, who replaced Sandeep Warrier after the fast bowler was called up to the national team’s nets, and offspinner B Aparajith who came on during the powerplay.But on a slow-ish pitch, Aparajith had the last laugh against Garhwal, who couldn’t get enough power on a slog sweep and holed out to long-on. At the other end, however, Menaria kept the attack going against Crist, whose jitteriness would translate to three fours and a six in four consecutive balls at the hands of Menaria to end the powerplay.No. 4 Arjit Gupta also kept the pressure on Aparajith as TN began to wither under pressure. Shahrukh Khan had dropped a catch in the second over, and there would be two more dropped at long-on by Crist. Rajasthan were 120 for 2 at the end of the 13th over, with Menaria past 50.The comeback
Sai Kishore didn’t come back on till the 12th over, having bowled the first one, and his return was the catalyst for a big comeback in the second half for TN. Having first dried up the boundary options from his end, Sai Kishore managed to get one to rise on Menaria’s pull. Arun Karthik ended a streak of dropped catches by plucking one low after running in from deep midwicket, and it was the signal for a squeeze.Medium-pacer M Mohammed had Mahipal Lomror pick out long-off in the next over, and the scoring rate collapsed from there as Sai Kishore got through his spell. Gupta had held one end up for his 45, but when he fell to M Ashwin in the 18th over, Rajasthan’s innings was already on a rapid decline. No one after No. 4 managed to score at more than run a ball and the innings sputtered and stopped at 154 for 9: a collapse of 7 for 34 in the last seven overs. Mohammed dug into the lower order and finished with 4 for 24.Tamil Nadu’s experts combine
Starting off wasn’t easy for TN as Rajasthan’s trio of left-arm seamers kept it tight. Tanveer Ul-Haq made the first breakthrough, getting C Hari Nishanth lbw with one slanted into him in the third over. Next over, Aniket Choudhary pushed one across after swinging a few in, and Aparajith was taken sharply at first slip by Rajesh Bishnoi with a lunge to his left. At the end of the powerplay, even the then chart-topping batsman N Jagadeesan seemed to be stuck, with the score 35 for 2.But Arun looked in control at the other end, as he looked to deflect and nudge on a sluggish and gripping track with the odd chip, and one stylish pull for six. That kept the score going until Jagadeesan swept Ravi Bishnoi to deep midwicket.At 70 for 3 at the halfway stage, TN still seemed in control with their two most experienced batsmen in the middle. Dinesh was his industrious self and the two started to chip away at the required run rate with expert manoeuvring and calculated boundaries.Arun banked on going inside-out, showed an ability to play the field with reverse-ramps and lap-sweeps, and added another sumptuous front-foot pull for six to his score. As their equation eased, so did Rajasthan’s concentration. By the time the target was breached, they would drop three catches – all off Khaleel Ahmed’s bowling – and miss a run-out chance as well as the two Karthiks saw TN home with an unbroken 89-run stand.

India’s vice-captain looks back on his county stint and the mindset change that helped him get back to form

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Sep-2019Ajinkya Rahane is a relieved man, having broken a sequence of 17 Tests without a Test hundred. On the tour of the Caribbean, Rahane made 81 and 102 in the first Test in Antigua to mark his return to form.

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This shut down all talk of his Test berth being under the scanner, something Virat Kohli firmly brushed aside prior to the series when he labelled Rahane as the “most sorted guy.”Between his 132 against Sri Lanka in August 2017 and the series in the West Indies in August, Rahane had averaged below nine other Indian batsmen who have played at least ten innings in that period.”The question of when I’m going to get that hundred is now over. I’m feeling relieved,” Rahane said at a press conference in Visakhapatnam ahead of the first Test against South Africa. “I believe that each and every match and series teaches you so much.”When I was first selected for the Indian team, I had to wait for almost two years and 17 Test matches before making my debut. And here again, had to wait for 17 Test matches to score a hundred.”Prior to the series, Rahane had a mixed county season with Hampshire, scoring 307 runs in 13 innings, stats that were fueled by one century – 119 – and one half-century.”When I was playing for Hampshire, I was thinking about my debut, how my mindset was positive and I was enjoying cricket,” Rahane said. :During these 17 Test matches [when] I was batting well but not getting hundreds, I was thinking about the century and it was going away from me.”So when I went in to bat in the West Indies, I told myself that I’m not going to think about the three-figure mark, and I’m going to enjoy batting. Batting according to the team’s demand was my priority. And yes, I batted when the team needed it, and that elusive hundred also came through.”

Cricket Australia has confirmed the allegations relate to “historical matches from 2011”

Daniel Brettig28-Aug-20183:05

Watch – Alleged spot-fixing in the India-Australia Ranchi Test

Fresh allegations of spot-fixing against “current and former Australian players” are set to be aired by the television news network Al Jazeera in a follow-up to the investigative documentary aired earlier this year.Cricket Australia has confirmed the allegations relate to “historical matches from 2011″, a year in which the national team concluded an Ashes series, then took part in the 50-over World Cup, bilateral tours of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and South Africa, then home matches against New Zealand and India. The chief executive James Sutherland said a CA integrity unit investigation had been conducted into the claims.Acknowledgement of the allegations arrived on the same day the ICC requested information from the public about the identity of an individual filmed in the original documentary, named as Aneel Munawar and claiming to be the organiser of spot-fixing for illegal Indian betting syndicates. According to the ICC, the follow-up programme is set to air recorded conversations involving Munawar and illegal bookmakers about spot-fixing arrangements.”We are aware of the new investigative documentary by Al Jazeera into alleged corruption in cricket,” Sutherland said. “Since the broadcast of Al Jazeera’s first documentary, the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit has been conducting a thorough investigation into the claims made, however this has been hampered by a lack of cooperation from Al Jazeera.”Although not having been provided an opportunity to review any raw audio or footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims should be treated very seriously, and investigated. Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit have conducted a review of the latest claims by Al Jazeera, from a known criminal source, and, from the limited information provided by Al Jazeera, our team have not identified any issues of corruption relating to current or former Australian players.”We have handed all material over to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit to enable them to fully investigate and we will continue to cooperate with the ICC.”Alex Marshall, head of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, said that attempts to properly identify Munawar had so far been unsuccessful. “We have identified every other person in the original documentary and have spoken to a number of them in connection with match fixing, including those who are not deemed to be participants under our Anti-Corruption Code,” Marshall said.”However the true identity of Aneel Munawar remains a mystery. He plays a significant role in the programme, yet enquiries with law enforcement and immigration sources have not identified or located him. As such we are appealing to the public or anyone from within the cricket family to contact us with any information that will lead us to identify and locate him. Police investigations often use such an appeal to locate people of interest and we are exercising the same approach.”The absence of any cooperation from the broadcaster has slowed the investigation, but to date we have made good progress in identifying people of significant interest including people already of interest to the ACU. We have been able to discount a number of claims made in the programme and continue to pursue other aspects. We will provide a full update at the conclusion of the investigation.”The ICC and Al Jazeera remain at odds over the network’s refusal to hand over to the governing body all raw footage recorded during their own investigations. One of the sticking points has been the fact that among Munawar’s allegations was the suggestion that the ICC’s anti-corruption unit itself had been compromised by financial links to illegal bookmakers and Indian crime figures.”We are aware that there is a second documentary in the offing, this time based on historical recordings between a fixer, suspected to be Munawar and bookies in India,” Marshall said. “As with the first programme, we will investigate any claims made in a full and thorough manner and we take any allegations of corruption, historical or contemporary, extremely seriously.”Based on what we already know, we have engaged the services of an independent betting analysis company to examine the claims made about particular matches. As with the first programme we have, and will continue to ask for the cooperation of the broadcaster. Access to the raw, unedited footage enables us to build a complete picture around the claims in the documentary and ensure our investigation is as fair and thorough as possible.”Sutherland outlined the significant education programmes undertaken by all players regarding their obligations to avoid corruption. “It is important to reiterate that Cricket Australia and the ICC take a zero-tolerance approach against anyone trying to compromise the integrity of the game,” he said. “We urge Al Jazeera to provide all un-edited materials and any other evidence to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit.”Australian cricket is proactive with its sports integrity management and Cricket Australia’s Integrity Unit oversees and maintains all domestic cricket in Australia, including BBL and WBBL matches. In addition to this, prior to the start of each Australian season, all professional cricketers are required to participate in thorough anti-corruption education sessions before being eligible to compete in CA’s domestic competitions.”The Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson, meanwhile, called for full information sharing from the news network to help bring the matter to a conclusion. “The players have zero tolerance for any behaviour that may impact upon the integrity of the game,” he said.”However, enough is enough when it comes to people making unsupported accusations that have the ability to unfairly tarnish players’ reputations. Whoever is making these allegations should provide all the information they purport to have to the ICC to allow them to assess it.”

With Glamorgan still trailing by 42 runs, and five wickets down in their second innings, Notts will be confident of completing their fourth successive championship win of the season

ECB Reporters Network21-May-2017
ScorecardColin Ingram took the match into a final day•Getty Images

With Glamorgan still trailing by 42 runs, and five wickets down in their second innings, Notts will be confident of ending their resistance sometime on the final day, so completing their fourth successive championship win of the season.They were held up on the third day by Colin Ingram, who batted for 77.3 overs, showing the application and concentration that had been missing in Glamorgan’s first innings. He was supported by the middle order, notably Aneurin Donald and David Lloyd, and during his undefeated 72, Ingram has already faced 209 balls.After dismissing Glamorgan for 187 in 62.3 overs, Notts had no hesitation in enforcing the follow on, and Luke Fletcher responded with his first ball – the seventh of the innings- when he knocked back Nick Selman’s off stump as the opener shouldered arms.Despite a partnership of 51 for the second wicket between Jacques Rudolph and Will Bragg, both departed in successive overs as Glamorgan went to lunch 71 for 3. Bragg shuffled across his stumps and was out leg before to Harry Gurney for 30, before Rudolph, who faced 57 balls, hitting just the one four, nicked an outswinger from Brett Hutton to the stand in wicketkeeper Riki Wessels for 14.Ingram and Aneurin Donald, who are both attacking batsmen, then got their heads down to deny Notts’ bowlers any further success for the next 24.1 overs.Donald did strike Stuart Broad for six over long leg, but then undid all his good work by getting out to a reckless shot. Two balls before his dismissal, Donald attempted to slog sweep Samit Patel as the ball narrowly missed the off stump, but two balls later he attempted the same stroke and was bowled.The new ball became due with 16 overs remaining, but not before Ingram had reached a patient half century from 153 balls with seven fours. The South African left hander, who struck 29 sixes in the recent Royal London One Day competition, played every ball on its merit, and unlike his first innings dismissal, when he flashed at a ball outside the off stump and was caught at second slip, not once did he attempt to play at anything remotely wide of the stumps.David Lloyd then gave Ingram solid support for the next 42.2 overs, scoring 37 from 153 balls, and was at the crease for 2 hours and 40 minutes, before getting a ball from Fletcher that lifted from a length and carried to second slip. Much now depends on Ingram if Glamorgan are to deny Notts victory on the final day.

Gujarat Lions, coming off three successive defeats, run into Kolkata Knight Riders in a top-of-the-table clash at Eden Gardens on Sunday night

The Preview by Deivarayan Muthu07-May-2016

Match facts

Sunday, May 8, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:39

Cullinan: Gambhir looks hungry for runs

Big Picture

It’s a top-of-the-table clash at Eden Gardens. Kolkata Knight Riders are at No. 1 with six wins in nine matches. Gujarat Lions have an equal number of wins, but have played an extra game and are smarting from three successive defeats.Lions’ struggles are best exemplified by their last three Powerplay scores – 26 for 3, 35 for 3 and 36 for 2. Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum’s failures have added more pressure on a middle order that has yet to fire. And if they were thinking of slotting Aaron Finch back at the top, there is doubt over his fitness again. Finch struck his fourth fifty in six matches in Hyderabad, but did not take the field for the chase.While Lions have a few key batsmen out of form – Suresh Raina has only one fifty in 10 innings and Dwayne Bravo has barely been striking at a run a ball – Knight Riders’ depth has served them well.Gautam Gambhir, who has opened up his stance, and Robin Uthappa have strung five fifty-plus partnerships this season. When they tripped up, against Royal Challengers Bangalore for example, Andre Russell and Yusuf Pathan bashed 96 off 44 balls to secure an unlikely victory.Russell topped that with a breathtaking spell against Kings XI Punjab and with Morne Morkel’s pace and bounce from the other end, Knight Riders have the Powerplay covered.Piyush Chawla has been tidy in the middle overs, with eight wickets in eight games at 23.75. The only worry for the hosts is Sunil Narine’s form and fitness. So far, Narine has been predictable; the ball isn’t spinning both ways anymore. He’s also nursing a finger injury.

Form guide

Kolkata Knight Riders WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Lions LLLWW

In the spotlight

Bravo and Chawla are currently tied with 117 IPL wickets. Returning from injury on Friday, Bravo impressed with his slower balls again, but managed only 18 off 20 balls with the bat. Lions will want more from Bravo with the bat.Chawla, meanwhile, has mixed his legbreaks and googlies well, and will relish bowling at Eden Gardens. He has 13 wickets in 11 matches for Knight Riders at this venue.

Team news

If Sunil Narine needs more time to regain fitness, Knight Riders are likely to persist with left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir(capt), 2 Robin Uthappa(wk), 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Yusuf Pathan, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Brad Hogg/Sunil Narine, 10 Morne Morkel, Umesh YadavLions may consider including James Faulkner if Finch has aggravated a hamstring injury he suffered last month. Left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan, who leaked 28 runs in two overs on Friday, is likely to make way for batsman Ishan Kishan or left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati.Gujarat Lions (probable): 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Suresh Raina(capt), 4 Dinesh Karthik(wk), 5 Aaron Finch/James Faulkner, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Pradeep Sangwan/Ishan Kishan/Shadab Jakati, 9 Praveen Kumar 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Shivil Kaushik

Pitch and conditions

The Eden Gardens surface has traditionally been slow and favours spin. Sunday is expected to be a warm day, with chances of showers in the afternoon.

Stats and trivia

• Russell has picked up six Man-of-the-Match awards for Knight Riders since IPL 2015.
• Dhawal Kulkarni has bowled three wicket maidens this season. No other bowler has bowled more than one wicket maiden.

Former England bowler Simon Jones admits Glamorgan will be underdogs in the YB40 final but says the team will be up for the challenge against favourites Notts

Alan Gardner19-Sep-2013When it comes to sport, the Welsh tend to sing whether they are winning or not. Glamorgan supporters have not had too much to fill their lungs about in recent times but, on Saturday, they will make their first trip to Lord’s for a domestic one-day final in more than a decade. The home of cricket may need soundproofing.Nottinghamshire are favourites to win the Yorkshire Bank 40, having cruised through the group stage and thrashed perennial nearly men Somerset in their semi-final, but Glamorgan are quite happy to be overlooked by the . In truth, this is unfamiliar territory for both sides – it will be the third Lord’s final appearance in Glamorgan’s history and only Nottinghamshire’s fifth, their most recent coming in 1989 – but while Notts have a surfeit of England internationals to call upon, their opponents are largely unsung outside of Cardiff.There will surely be an ode or two composed to Michael Hogan – the tournament’s leading wicket-taker – or Jim Allenby if Glamorgan manage an upset. The starting XI may be a little light on homegrown players (Allenby and Hogan are Australian) but Simon Jones will always be a household name in Wales. It is eight years since he last played for England, eight years since he became an Ashes winner, yet there are still those who whisper reverentially about his piston right shoulder and powers of reverse swing.Jones could be about to pull on a Glamorgan shirt for the final time – he announced his retirement from first-class and List A cricket last week, though hopes to maintain the club as part of a T20 portfolio – and he says they are happy to accept the underdog tag. “That’s just the way it is but we relish that, we love a challenge and hopefully we’ll surprise a few people,” he said.”It’s a bit of a Welsh trait, isn’t it – we’re tigers, as a nation. Welsh sport is really looking up, with the rugby, with the football and now we’re in a Lord’s final. We’re obviously the only Welsh team in the County Championship and it’s something we’re very proud of, once you put on a Glamorgan shirt it’s something that you treasure. We play cricket with passion and I think that’s a big key for us.”The focus at Glamorgan over the last few years has been on making their ground a credible international venue but while the faithful require their churches, it is silver rather than glass and steel that they worship. Beaten finalists in the Benson & Hedges Cup in 2000, Glamorgan won the National League in 2002 and 2004 before a lean spell, pock-marked by upheaval on and off the pitch. The YB40 campaign, building on some encouraging form in the Friends Life t20, hints at the green (and yellow) shoots of making the county competitive again.”It’s been a tough time,” Jones said. “We had a lot of success in the early 2000s, the last time we won a major cup was in 2004, so it’s been a long time coming. We’ve had to rebuild, we lost a lot of senior players in the early 2000s – Matt Maynard, Steve James, Adrian Dale, Steve Watkin, Robert Croft, Tony Cottey. These guys are huge for Glamorgan, so we were in the process of rebuilding and it is flourishing now. It has taken that time to find a settled team and have the squad of players that play the brand of cricket that we like playing.”A recognition that a successful Glamorgan, incorporating local talent, was needed to maintain public interest in the sport in Wales has driven the current strategy, which involves balancing experienced signings like Allenby, Hogan and Murray Goodwin with promising young players such as Ben Wright, Mike Reed and Andrew Salter. Jones, who counts himself among the “old buggers”, believes that the team in one-day cricket has just “clicked”, but they won’t be getting ahead of themselves, despite an impressive semi-final victory over the holders, Hampshire.”We’ve got the blend of youth and experience right in the team. We’re not going to get giddy and go to Lord’s with our heads swelling because that’s the wrong way to approach a final. We’re going to go in there level-headed, prepare like we have and see where that takes us. We’ve got a lot of self-belief but we have the utmost respect for Nottinghamshire.”Should he make the starting XI as expected, this will be Jones first Lord’s final appearance. To achieve that with Glamorgan, the county that made him and where he returned two years ago after spells with Worcestershire and Hampshire, is a “special, special feeling”. He says of the current team: “We’re a great bunch of lads, we’ve worked hard for each other all year and it’s nice to get a bit of credibility back. Hopefully we can go there and express ourselves and keep on playing the way we have.”Would victory be a new career high? Jones isn’t ruling it out. “The Ashes is history, but the feeling I think I’d have if we can win will be up there with the Ashes, maybe bigger. Because when you play with England you’ve got the cream of the crop from around the county circuit and are expected to win. Glamorgan have put out a Welsh team who fight hard and work hard and, yes, we have a lot of talent but people have always doubted us and I think that’s the key for us. We’ve proved a lot of people wrong and that’s why I’m so happy.”Simon Jones was speaking ahead of the Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord’s on Saturday, September 21. Tickets are available from tickets.lords.org

A blistering 85-run opening stand between Imran Nazir and Ahmed Shehzad and a cool finish from Angelo Mathews helped Nagenahira Nagas overhaul Kandurata Warriors’ 159 for 7 in the final over

Andrew Fernando at the R Premadasa Stadium13-Aug-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThisara Perera clobbered 72 off 33 balls and yet ended up on the losing side•Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

A blistering 85-run opening stand between Imran Nazir and Ahmed Shehzad and a cool finish from Angelo Mathews trumped perhaps the innings of the tournament so far, from Thisara Perera, as Nagenahira Nagas overhauled Kandurata Warriors’ 159 for 7 in the final over. Nazir blasted five sixes and four fours in his half-century, and left his side needing just 75 from 68 at his dismissal – a task Mathews ensured never got out of hand.Fleet of foot was the key to Nazir’s success, as he routinely skipped down the track to change the lengths of both the spinners and the quick men, as well as backing away in his crease on occasion to line up the extra cover fence. Sohail Tanvir’s second over cost 20, as both Nazir and Shehzad took full toll of some hittable lengths, before the next over, from Perera, disappeared for 15 to get Nagenahira well ahead of the required rate.Kaushal Lokuarachchi beat Nazir in the flight in consecutive deliveries when the batsman was on 41, only for the wicketkeeper Kaushal Silva to fluff both straightforward stumping attempts, losing sight of the ball as it passed between bat and pad. Shehzad had been dropped on the boundary earlier too, and the mistakes continued to stack up for Kandurata, who bled at least 15 more runs through misfields alone, leaving aside the runs they might have saved had those chances been taken. When Mathews arrived at 110 for 2 from 12.3 overs, he showed off his improving knack for finishing innings by calmly taking his side over the line to make it two wins from two.In the Kandurata innings, Perera arrived at the crease with his side stagnating at 61 for 4 from 10.5 overs, and though he took seven balls to get going in earnest, when the explosion came, it was dramatic and effective. A towering six over midwicket, followed by a scorching boundary to the same area set the tone for his assault; the Nagenahira bowlers would continue to offer him length throughout the innings, and he rarely missed an opportunity to pepper his favourite midwicket boundary. Amid the heaves to cow corner there were clobbered fours down the ground and to third man as well, but few balls cramped him for space or posed a genuine threat to his technique. When he fell at 149 for 6, he had contributed 72 of the 88 runs scored during his stay. In the end, Kandurata’s total wasn’t enough to challenge their opponents.

Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29

Nagraj Gollapudi at Lord's22-Jul-2011Zaheer Khan is likely to sit out the remainder of Lord’s Test and could even be a doubtful starter for second Test starting at Trent Bridge on July 29. Though the Indian team management sent out a brief indicating that Zaheer could still play a part during the second innings of the Lord’s Test, it is understood that the bowler has expressed reservations in private with the team’s think tank.On Friday Zaheer remained positive after an hour-long strengthening session late afternoon on Friday. “I am feeling better. Let’s see how it goes,” Zaheer said as he walked back to the dressing room from the Nursery grounds, a fair distance, without any visible cramping.However, according to a team source, Zaheer does not want to risk and exacerbate the hamstring strain as it could be dodgy and force him to miss out on the entire series. Zaheer pulled out of the play midway into his second over of the third spell on the overcast Thursday afternoon, limping back to the dressing room holding his right hamstring. Till then Zaheer had dominated the England batsmen for the better part of the rain-affected first day, accounting for the English opening pair of Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.Immediately Zaheer rushed to a nearby hospital to undergo an MRI scan and though no big damage was detected the bowler felt it was only better to play safe rather than rush back to the field. “It is a slight strain at the moment but if he played any further there is a real fear of it becoming a tear,” the source said.