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“I think Chandika’s principal reason for leaving was that he thought that he cannot add any more to the players at the moment. That’s a really good place for the players to be at,” Bangladesh’s assistant coach said

Mohammad Isam03-Jan-2018Chandika Hathurusingha’s absence will make the Bangladesh players more responsible, according to interim coach Richard Halsall. Halsall, who has been Bangladesh’s fielding and assistant coach since mid-2014, has been given the job after the BCB failed to appoint a new head coach before the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.”I think Chandika’s principal reason for leaving was that he thought that he cannot add any more to the players at the moment,” Halsall said. “So I think that’s a really good place for the players to be at, because Chandika not being here will give them more space to think and more responsibility.”But Bangladesh is very lucky as they have got some excellent senior players like Shakib, Mashrafe, the two captains, and Mushfiqur, Mahmudullah and Tamim. These players now can be more involved. I think when you get older you become more responsible. That’s exciting. I think it is another exciting step for that group of players.”There remains a lot of anticipation about Hathurusingha’s return to Bangladesh as Sri Lanka’s coach after his resignation in November.”It won’t be him we have to play against. It’s the Sri Lanka players,” Halsall said. “Talking of the strategies, how did it go in South Africa? Did the strategies work? Strategies are small part of players. Good players win you cricket matches. If you have good players playing well, you win cricket matches.”We have got lots of good players here but they did not play well in South Africa. They did play well in a couple of games in the Champions Trophy, specifically in the New Zealand game. So we have good players, we have to get them playing good cricket. That comes from your preparation and being back home always helps,” he said.Halsall said that Bangladesh is a more settled side compared to Sri Lanka. “We are playing Sri Lanka who had a tough time playing India just recently,” Halsall said. “They have had moments in the ODIs against India but have not come through. So Sri Lanka, we know are a good side and got very good players but we are playing here in Mirpur and I think apart form the English side no one has beaten us here in three years or so.”Bangladesh comparatively are a settled side. The head coach leaving is less significant than big players leaving. None of our big players left, none of our young players have left but the coach has left. It’s very different to Sri Lanka, who have lost some of their players… like Malinga not getting selected – those type things. We have not got those problems. So I think it’s a very settled group and I look forward to being in their team.”

The news follows an ESPNcricinfo report from August 2017 which indicated that the Tallawahs’ Florida-based owners planned to make more effort to establish roots in their home state and away from Jamaica

Peter Della Penna01-Feb-2018Caribbean Premier League franchise Jamaica Tallawahs is expected to host three of its five designated home matches during the 2018 CPL season in Florida, according to an ESPNcricinfo source with knowledge of the situation. It follows an ESPNcricinfo report from August 2017 which indicated that the Tallawahs’ Florida-based ownership group planned to make more of an effort to establish roots in their home state and away from the official Tallawahs base in Jamaica.Worldwide Sports Management Group, who bought the Tallawahs from Texas-based businessmen Ron Parikh and Manish Patel, signed an agreement with Lauderhill’s Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) for exclusive rights to stage international cricket at the facility in 2017. As part of the agreement, they have guaranteed three international events per year.Having three separate match dates for the Tallawahs would satisfy that and a source has told ESPNcricinfo that three dates have been blocked off at the CBRP in August for the Tallawahs to host matches. The CPL announced on Wednesday that the tournament for 2018 would be held between August 8 and September 16.While it is not confirmed that the three Tallawahs matches would be the only games in Florida, that is likely to be the case after CPL 2017 organisers operated games in Florida at a financial loss for the second year in a row, according to multiple sources. In 2016 the CPL organised six games over four days in the USA, but cut the two weeknight matches in the 2017 return, opting to play four games scheduled as a pair of double-headers on Saturday and Sunday after both days sold out in 2016. In comparison, there were sparse crowds for the Thursday and Fright night matches, as well as the elevated cost of hiring temporary floodlights to support the permanent floodlight structures which were deemed inadequate.However, organisers raised ticket prices by 50% for 2017 and attendance dropped sharply for the Saturday and Sunday double-headers. The official attendance for the first double header was 5200 – though the actual number was far less than that at its peak, with most ticket holders opting to attend only one of the two games – at the 10,000 capacity venue.On Sunday, the attendance was estimated to be less than 2000 – the CPL did not provide an official number to ESPNcricinfo despite multiple requests – and the sight of a mostly empty stadium cast doubt on CPL matches as a financially viable proposition in the future. This was exacerbated by Trinbago Knight Riders’ absence from the 2017 slate of games in Florida, with the franchise drawing by far the largest support for the games played in 2016 at the same venue due to the influx of Trinidadian expats travelling in from New York and Toronto.Sources said that the CPL actually lost less money on the event in 2017 than in 2016, though. This was due in part to lower operational expenses by only renting out the stadium for two match days instead of four as was the case in 2016, and by also having earlier starting times to eliminate the need for using lights. The trade-off was that the matches were played at the height of the daily heat and humidity in south Florida, with many fans staying away due to lack of comfort accommodations at the stadium.According to a source, the stadium also has reserved July 21 and 22 as dates for a possible series of T20Is between West Indies and Pakistan. However, that has not been confirmed pending an agreement between the two boards. They would be the first T20Is at the venue since a two-match series between India and West Indies in August 2016. A return T20I series between India and West Indies was being discussed for July 2017 but the lone T20I wound up being played in Jamaica instead, with sources telling ESPNcricinfo that not enough notice had been given to CBRP’s ground officials in order to prepare a pitch in time.

Eoin Morgan is fit to return for England as they look to take advantage of New Zealand’s record-breaking defeat in Auckland and steal a place in the final

The Preview by Alan Gardner17-Feb-2018

Big Picture

What just happened? That was the overriding sentiment, you imagine, in the New Zealand dressing room after Friday night’s pongo-fest. At the halfway stage of the game at Eden Park, Martin Guptill’s hundred looked to have put the hosts on the way to sealing their spot in the tri-series final; when Aaron Finch hit the 32nd and final six an hour and a half later to complete Australia’s extraordinary chase, New Zealand were out on their feet and left to groggily contemplate a group decider in two days’ time.Jaws, and morale, must be picked off the floor if they are to ensure England don’t take advantage in Hamilton. Somehow, despite having lost all three games in the series so far, Eoin Morgan’s team can still claim the trophy. Their cause will be boosted by the return of Morgan, who has recovered from a groin strain, though they will resist the temptation to throw Ben Stokes straight into the fray – he has trained with his team-mates after arriving in New Zealand but is likely to be saved for the one-dayers.England have to do more than just beat New Zealand to reach the final – given their inferior net run rate, they must do so by a clear margin. Should they bat first and score 180, for example, they would need to keep New Zealand to 160 or below; if New Zealand were to make the same score, England’s requirement would be to chase it down in 18 overs or fewer.There has been some grumbling about the state of T20 cricket after the Auckland run-glut but, while the scores were always likely to be bigger on New Zealand’s grounds, that match was an outlier in every sense. With the exception of Dawid Malan, England’s batting has misfired but they remain in with a shot of salvaging something from this experimental tri-series and won’t mind another high-scoring shootout. The same goes, most likely, for those hoping to grab another catch or two in the crowd.Eoin Morgan batted in the nets after recovering from a groin strain•Getty Images

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWLLL
England LLLLW

In the spotlight

Amid the flurry of records and numbers in Auckland, Martin Guptill‘s achievements were somewhat overlooked. His second T20I century was a masterclass in controlled top-order aggression and along the way it saw him pass Brendon McCullum as the leading run-scorer in the format (and reach the brink of 100 sixes). England know what he can do after his 65 from 40 balls helped set up New Zealand’s one win so far in Wellington.Sam Billings seems forever in need of an opportunity to nail down his England place – but, in fact, he has played in nine of their last ten T20s. Although that run encompasses three innings as opener, deputising for Alex Hales, before dropping back down to No. 6, his highest score is the 29 made in Melbourne a week ago. Despite being an electric fielder, he does not offer a bowling option and, with Stokes hovering, needs to produce.

Teams news

New Zealand will hope to have Mitchell Santner available, having missed the Eden Park carnage with a knee issue. Ben Wheeler was taken out of the attack for bowling two high full-tosses on Friday and, after conceding 64 runs from 3.1 overs, could well be taken out of the firing line in Hamilton.New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Colin de Grandhomme, 7 Tim Seifert (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner/Anaru Kitchen, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent BoultMorgan has declared himself fit to return after missing the last two games, with James Vince likely to make way. The recurrence of Liam Plunkett’s hamstring problem means a change to the attack, Tom Curran the obvious replacement.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Dawid Malan, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Sam Billings, 7 David Willey, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Tom Curran, 11 Mark Wood

Pitch and conditions

Unlike Auckland’s multi-purpose stadium, Seddon Park is a cricket-specific venue with more traditional boundary dimensions. That said, runs come pretty freely on a true batting surface – in 2012, it was the venue for Richard Levi to score what was then the fastest T20 hundred, off 45 balls. While Cyclone Gita is set to bring more wet weather to New Zealand over the coming days, the forecast is clear for Sunday.

Stats and trivia

• England are set to play their 100th T20 international. They will be the fifth team to do so after South Africa (100), Sri Lanka (103), New Zealand (109) and Pakistan (123).
• New Zealand have won six out of seven T20Is at Seddon Park, including beating England by 55 runs in 2013.
• Defeat for England would be their fifth in a row, equaling their worst run in T20I from back in 2014.
• Malan has made three fifties from his first four T20 internationals innings, a feat only achieved previously by Sanath Jayasuriya.

Quotes

“To put 240 on the board and to lose the game, it’s a little bit disheartening, but we haven’t really got a lot of time to dwell on it.”
“I came through today well, so I’m fit and ready for tomorrow unless something ridiculous happens. I’m feeling good and looking forward to getting back in the side.”

Aiden Markram, the South Africa opener, has signed for Durham, with the New Zealand batsman Tom Latham returning to the club as 50-over captain

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2018Aiden Markram, the South Africa opener, has signed for Durham for the first four games of the County Championship, with the New Zealand batsman Tom Latham taking on the 50-over captaincy when he arrives to fill the overseas spot until August.Markram, 23, captained South Africa to victory in the Under-19 World Cup in 2014, and was drafted into South Africa’s Test squad during last summer’s tour of England. He went on to make his debut against Bangladesh in September, scoring 97 in his first innings.He then added back-to-back centuries in his second and third Tests, against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, and a further score of 94 during the series win over India. After six Tests, he averages 52.00, and recently captained South Africa’s ODI side in the absence of Faf du Plessis.Markram will arrive at Chester-le-Street in time for Durham’s opening home Championship fixture against Kent in April, and will stay until the start of the Royal London One Day Cup in the middle of May.Latham, who made a strong impression in his maiden season at Chester-le-Street, produced an unbeaten matchwinning century in an ODI against India in Mumbai in October, and earlier this week was instrumental in New Zealand’s series-opening victory over England at Hamilton, with 79 from 84 balls. He is expected to play all three formats for Durham.”We’re delighted to have both Aiden and Tom at Emirates Riverside this season,” said Ian Botham, Durham’s chairman, “and I am confident they will both contribute to what we hope will be a successful season.”Aiden offers confidence and maturity at the top of the batting order and despite being just 23 years old, he has already been recognised by South Africa as a leader in the dressing room.”It’s great news that we will have Aiden at the beginning of our Championship campaign, especially with Tom Latham, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood all missing due to their international and IPL commitments.”We’re delighted to welcome Tom back to Chester-le-Street and I’m excited to see him captain the RL50; he has a wealth of international experience and brings exceptional batting, fielding and leadership skills into the dressing room.”Durham hope to make further signings for this season’s T20 Blast campaign.

The Australian batsman admitted his cool facade was broken by his dismissal late on day three in Port Elizabeth, but that is a sign of his growing responsibility in the team

Daniel Brettig15-Mar-2018Australian batsman Usman Khawaja admits his usually cool facade was broken by his damaging dismissal late on day three of the Port Elizabeth Test, as he continues his struggle to reach the heights of his contemporaries Steven Smith and David Warner, in a team where he no longer feels like a junior member.After a quiet start to the series, Khawaja had got into rhythm early with a volley of boundaries through the cover point region at St George’s Park, and seemed the man most likely to help Australia set South Africa a testing target on a deteriorating pitch. But in the shadows of stumps, he was pinned lbw by a Kagiso Rabada reverse swinger, and said he had seldom been more frustrated when walking off the field.”I don’t really get angry at myself if I make a mistake or things happen, but if I feel that I am in a position to win games for my team or to make a difference in the game, that’s probably when it annoys me the most and gets me to the most,” Khawaja told . “So it did trigger a little response.”It is a pretty bad feeling getting out right at the end. But, in my mind, I was making sure it was going to be a decent ball that was going to get me out. I wasn’t trying to go out there and do something extravagant. I was going to grind as long as I could, whether that could be for another half a day. Unfortunately, Rabada bowled a good ball and got me.”The frustration of the dismissal provided insight into how Khawaja has evolved as a cricketer. He admits that it took him time both to feel comfortable in the Australian dressing room and also to invest fully in team success. “Over the last couple of years I’ve really enjoyed playing cricket and found ways to enjoy it – and one of the ways I’ve found it is really enjoying team success when we win.”I probably feel a bit more comfortable now in this team than I did when I first came back a few years ago. I’ve been around for three years now so I don’t go out of my way and try to speak up for any reason, but if I think there needs to be something said I say it. I’ve got a pretty good relationship with Smudge (Smith) and with Davey (Warner) too, which always makes it better.”We have all grown up playing together so there is no sort of older player/younger player at the moment. There are no egos going around. Smudge is an excellent leader but there are always people coming around and saying what about this and what about that, and he’s good at thinking about that, which is nice.”As Smith and Warner have taken flight as international batsmen and leaders, Khawaja has remained a subject of some conjecture – brilliant in home conditions but less so abroad. The 75 in Port Elizabeth was Khawaja’s highest score in an overseas Test apart from New Zealand in 2016, and while prickly about addressing his away record, he said the familiarity of conditions in South Africa was useful in terms of starting an innings.”I felt that first wicket in Durban was very SCG-ish. There wasn’t too much swing, it reversed, it spun a little,” Khawaja said. “So, I think South African wickets are very similar to back home. This PE wicket was a little bit different because it played tricks the whole way through. But that’s the beauty of going outside Australia in different conditions. As batsmen, if the wicket is hard it is hard for everyone. If the wicket is easy, or is is a nice wicket, it is nice for everyone.One measure of Khawaja’s level of comfort with himself as an Australian cricketer is how late last year he penned a column about his experiences dealing with discrimination as a young player of an Asian background. In sticking his head above the parapet, in contrast to his earlier years when advised by his management to simply stick to the cricket, he faced criticism. But for all the barbs there was the knowledge that telling his story would also inspire others.”It’s probably not something I would have said or talked about a few years ago,” Khawaja said. “I think it’s important. It’s one of those things where Australia is growing – both in a sense of the cricketing country but who is playing. And where cricketers are coming from. And Australia as a whole. So for me it was important just to get my story out there, so people can relate and understand that if you want to achieve something, play for Australia or have goals – there’s always going to be things that hamper you.”I felt like if I wrote that story and it helped even one person to relate to where I came from, or where they are right now – to help them achieve what they want then it was a good enough reason to do it. I got a lot of good feedback, some negative feedback too. I’m fine with that, it doesn’t really bother me too much. The good far outweighs the bad.”

South Asian communities make up more than 30% of the recreational cricketers in England and Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2018The ECB has announced it will be implementing the Rooney Rule for all of its future coaching vacancies, meaning that candidates from black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds will have to be interviewed for any roles, including that of the England head coach.The measure is one of 11 actions recommended by the South Asian Communities Action Plan, the board’s ambitious initiative to tackle the disconnect between mainstream English cricket and the South Asian communities that make up more than 30% of the recreational cricketers in the country.The plan has been born of a recognition that, for the average British Asian cricket fan, the game as it stands is not sufficiently tailored to their needs or interests.At a recreational level, a lack of facilities has long hampered development among South Asian communities, particularly in urban areas, while the relative lack of Asian cricketers at first-class level points to a scouting and talent pathway system that has consistently failed to bring through the best players to elite competition. ECB research showed that only 4% of professional domestic cricketers have South Asian heritage and the community accounts for only 3% of ticket sales, although that figure rose to 40% for last year’s Champions Trophy.As a consequence, the few Asian players who have broken through to England recognition, including Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid in recent years, have done so in spite of the system, not because of it. The new message from the ECB, however, is that that needs to change for the greater well-being of the sport.”Cricket is a force for good in society and our job is to ensure that it makes a positive impact on as many people’s lives as possible,” said Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive.”Whilst we’ve long acknowledged the passion for the game in South Asian communities in the UK and had the best intentions, we have never fully understood how to engage with South Asian communities. This report gives us a road map to change that.”The plan was drawn up with the help of an advisory group including notable figures such as Wasim Khan, the Leicestershire chief executive who in 1992 became the first British Asian to play county cricket; Isa Guha, the former England women’s cricketer, and the writer and broadcaster, Mark Nicholas.In addition to the Rooney Rule, the recommended measures include the development of 20 cricket centres, as well as 1,000 non-turf and 100 turf pitches by 2024, the proliferation of talent scouts throughout Asian communities, and bursaries to enable talented youngsters to cope with the escalating costs of equipment as they rise through the ranks.These initiatives will be focussed on ten “core cities” – Birmingham, Bradford, Kirklees, Leeds, Leicester, London, Luton, Manchester, Sandwell and Slough – where 61% of the country’s South Asian communities live.”Growing up in inner-city Birmingham, I fully understand some of the challenges and barriers for young South Asian cricketers,” said Moeen. “Many parents are still struggling to afford kit for their kids and the new bursaries will give emerging players the opportunity to continue to improve and develop in the game.”In the next six months, England’s men play against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka and as well as hoping to play my part on the pitch, I’m looking forward to seeing a new generation of players, fans and coaches coming into the game.”Lord Patel of Bradford, the ECB Senior Independent Director, who has driven the development of the Action Plan, added:”As a British Asian who grew up playing cricket in the streets and on the pitches of Bradford in the 1960s, I have first-hand experience of the enormous benefits of our sport. Cricket gave me the confidence, connections and opportunities to meet new people outside my community, as well as develop life-long friendships.”The passion South Asian communities in the UK have for cricket remains high but, over 50 years later, there is still so much untapped potential. This plan will help to change that – starting today.”

Surrey still have a chance of qualification, but Royal London Cup hopes have been extinguished north of the Thames

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2018
ScorecardTom Curran celebrated his latest England call-up by keeping alive Surrey’s Royal London One-Day Cup hopes at the expense of Middlesex at Lord’s.While his younger sibling Sam enjoyed being part of an England Test win at Headingley, Curran was named in the national squad for the upcoming ODI series against Australia.And the 23-year-old underlined his potential in the white-ball format with a match-winning 4-33 as the men from south of the river restricted the hosts to 234 all out – a target they made with some comfort thanks to Ben Foakes’ 86.Alec Stewart’s men will still need to beat Glamorgan in the last round of games and rely on favours from elsewhere if they are to make the knockout stages.For Middlesex those hopes are already over, a third successive defeat meaning their promising start to the competition ultimately came to nothing.Middlesex skipper Steven Finn opted to bat under cloudless skies at Lord’s, only to see Nick Gubbins bowled off the inside edge by Morne Morkel with only eight runs on the board.Stevie Eskinazi played more freely than in previous games, hoisting a big six over mid-wicket, but departed in Rikki Clarke’s first over courtesy of a thin edge through to Foakes.Curran then took centre stage, striking twice in an over when first Eoin Morgan and then Hilton Cartwright gave Foakes two more victims behind the timbers, leaving Middlesex 78-4.Paul Stirling raised his 50 amid the slump and found an ally in the shape of wicketkeeper John Simpson in a stand of 45, but the mini-revival was snuffed out when the latter drove Gareth Batty (1-33) into the hands of Clarke at backward point.And hopes of a sizeable target all but vanished when Stirling (67) chipped Will Jacks to mid-off.The fact the hosts saw out their overs was down to cameos from Nathan Sowter and Tom Helm, the latter bowled by Curran off the final ball of the innings.With a total short of par Middlesex needed early wickets and Finn obliged, trapping England man Jason Roy lbw in the first over.England discard Mark Stoneman and Jacks progressed with few alarms until an almighty mix-up saw the former comfortably run out.And the incident seemed to be playing on Jacks’ mind when he sent an ugly swipe off Finn into the hands of James Franklin at mid-off seven balls later.At 44-3 the game was in the balance, but Rory Burns and Foakes, who’d shared an unbeaten century partnership to beat Middlesex 12 months ago, pieced together a stand of 89 with increasing confidence.Such was their control it was a surprise when Burns was bowled by Ravi Patel attempting an ill-advised scoop, but with no scoreboard pressure Foakes and Ollie Pope (57 not out) produced a 98 stand.And although Foakes perished with four needed, the visitors eased home with 11 balls to spare.

England assistant handed reins for T20 series to gain experience before coach role becomes vacant in 2019

George Dobell25-Jun-2018Paul Farbrace appears to have emerged as favourite to succeed Trevor Bayliss as England coach after it emerged his appointment as interim was made to provide him with more experience in the role.Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has taken charge of the side for the IT20 matches against Australia and India over the next couple of weeks. While the ECB originally explained the appointment by stating it would allow the head coach, Bayliss, to assess some up-and-coming players in the county game, Bayliss has now suggested it has more to do with succession planning. Bayliss’s contract with the ECB ends in September 2019 and he has already made it clear he will not seek an extension.But while Bayliss believes Farbrace would be an ideal replacement, he has warned it may prove beneficial to split the coaching position into two roles – a coach for the Test team and a coach for the limited-overs teams – to avoid burn-out.”Andrew Strauss [the director of England cricket] spoke to me six months ago about giving Farby some exposure with the top team,” Bayliss explained. “Everyone knows I won’t be here in September 2019 so what plan Strauss has in mind for that, I don’t know. But I was happy to give Farby the opportunity when he asked me if I’d have any problem with it.”It’s a good opportunity for him and allows me to watch some county matches.”He could definitely do the job. He’s had success doing it before but, like anything, it’s about experience. The more you do, the more you work out what works and doesn’t work. This is an opportunity to get that experience with the top team. If that’s what he wants to do, then I’m all for it.”Farbrace has had previous spells as interim head coach. After Peter Moores was sacked, in May 2015, Farbrace led the team against New Zealand, overseeing the start of their limited-overs resurgence in the process. They passed 400 for the first time in their ODI history in that series and also achieved their highest ODI run-chase of 350. Farbrace has also coached Sri Lanka with some success, winning the World T20 and Asia Cup in 2014. This latest development suggests that, if he really wants the job – and that can’t be guaranteed, he has been on the road with England since 2014 and may be a little weary – he may well be favourite for it.”My thought on it would be, yes, let’s split the coaching,” Bayliss said. “It’s close to two [different] teams, anyway. We are constantly having to keep an eye on the players, but there’s burn-out with coaches, too. And, with the coaches being a bit older, maybe it doesn’t take quite so much. We might not be running around out there, but sitting on the balcony you play every shot and bowl every ball.”I think it will go that way. I don’t know what Straussy has in mind but I wouldn’t be surprised if, in years to come, it did go that way.”While Bayliss will watch some county cricket in the coming days, it is unlikely he will see any County Championship action. Instead he is planning to see some T20 cricket and the culmination of the Lions’ tri-series tournament.”Unfortunately, I won’t get to see any of the four-day cricket,” he said. “I’m going to go down and watch the one-day final and a few T20 matches. I went to Derby a couple of days ago to watch the Lions’ match and I’ll watch the third and fourth match there, as well, to get a bit of a handle on those young blokes I haven’t seen a lot of.”Meanwhile he suggested Jack Leach will “obviously come back into calculations” for the Test squad if he is “fit and raring to go” and expressed optimism that Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes will be fit to return for that series, too. Stokes is expected to feature in T20 cricket for Durham in the coming days and will make an England return almost immediately afterwards.

Middlesex have not played a Vitality Blast for nearly a fortnight and Corey Anderson ensured things went no better after they picked up their season

ECB Reporters Network19-Jul-2018
ScorecardPowerful New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson bludgeoned Somerset to a convincing four-wicket win over Middlesex at Lord’s. Anderson’s 39 off 24 balls proved decisive, Middlesex left to rue dropping him when he was on two.The drop was one of two caught and bowled chances missed by Middlesex as for the third game running their bowling and fielding wasn’t able to defend the score they had put on the board. Out of action for not far short of a fortnight, they remain marooned near the foot of the table with one win in four games.The result was harsh on youngster Max Holden, whose 84 was the backbone of their 175 for 5. Dwayne Bravo also featured strongly for Middlesex with a sparkling cameo and two wickets in as many balls.Dan Vettori, Middlesex’s coach, said: “”I don’t think we misread the wicket – we probably misread what we thought was a good total. We obviously struggled through those middle stages, but coming off the field we thought 175 was a pretty good score at Lord’s. But Somerset really came at us so aggressively, they took the game to us and won it comfortably in the end.”With Dawid Malan away, Max had an opportunity to bat and to show a style of play we’re really happy with. Middlesex have high hopes for him in all formats and the nature of his innings today in front of a big crowd is a real positive.”In the scheme of things, you need seven or eight wins to make the quarter-final. That affords you six or seven losses but you don’t want to put them away so early. The key is to remain positive because if you don’t those losses will keep mounting up. Hampshire tomorrow’s probably the most important game of the season for us and it can see us back on track.”

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Eoin Morgan opted to bat on winning the toss and openers Paul Stirling and Holden produced a bright start with 27 in three overs. But Stirling perished at the hands of Roelof van der Merwe when his paddle to the final ball of the fourth over failed to clear short backward square.Former England U19s captain Holden continued to attack, hitting successive fours off Craig Overton as Middlesex reached 52 for 1 at the end of the Powerplay.The boundaries though dried up and Stevie Eskinazi holed out in the deep off Max Waller in search of much-needed acceleration.Holden completed 50 from 36 balls and eventually found the fence hoisting Waller (2-23) over deep mid-on. However, the spinner gained ample compensation in the same over when castling Morgan.Holden (84) responded by hitting Craig Overton for the first six of the game and another followed before one swing too many saw him bowled by the excellent Van der Merwe (2-26).But overseas aces Bravo and debutant Ashton Agar supplied late impetus, the former hitting three sixes in succession as he raced to 32 off just 12 balls.Agar struck early in the visitors’ reply having Steven Davies superbly caught by Stirling, but South African Johann Myburgh took heavy toll of a fit again Steven Finn, hitting him for a six and successive fours.Agar too was smashed over long on for a maximum, Myburgh drilling the next ball back to the Australian who shelled the difficult chance of a return catch – a huge moment in the game.Peter Trego, so often the scourge of Middlesex, rubbed salt in the wounds by plundering another maximum from the last delivery of the spinner’s over.Tom Helm brought no respite as he too was pulled into the Allen stand as 50 came up inside five overs.Bravo’s introduction into the attack brought a new twist to the drama as he first uprooted Myburgh’s middle stump to end a belligerent innings of 46 from 27 balls, before trapping James Hildreth lbw with his next delivery, leaving Somerset 59 for 3.Despite the double blow Somerset refused to be becalmed, Trego (32) again sending Agar beyond the ropes, but they were pegged back once more when he missed a short one from Nathan Sowter to be leg before.The biggest moment came when Sowter dropped a ball driven straight back at him by Anderson, the Kiwi celebrating the second chance by hitting Bravo back over his head for six in the next over and following it with three more off Sowter.He eventually holed out in the deep off Helm (2-29) who then bowled Tom Abell, but the damage was done and Somerset skipper Lewis Gregory hit the winning boundary with 12 balls to spare.

The result was much needed for Birmingham who were close to the bottom of the table

ECB Reporters Network02-Aug-2018Birmingham 146 for 2 (Hose 66*) beatLeicestershire 143 (Dexter 56, Stone 3-22) by eight wickets

ScorecardBirmingham Bears notched a first win in five matches as they beat Leicestershire Foxed by eight wickets.Grant Elliott’s team won two of their opening three matches but the first half of their season was otherwise a disappointment and they went into this fixture next to bottom of the table.But after Olly Stone had shown his quality and potential with a fine display of pace bowling, the Bears dismissed the Foxes for 143 in 19.3 overs.Adam Hose then took advantage of a dropped catch on 16 to go on to make a 34-ball unbeaten 66.After Ian Bell – top scorer in the competition so far with 363 runs – had been freakishly run out for 34, Hose and Sam Hain eased the Bears to a win that could hardly have been more comfortable, their 95-run partnership getting the job done with 34 deliveries to spare.Stone finished with 3 for 22, taking the key wicket of Mark Cosgrove and came back to stifle the home side’s bid to push up the total in the final overs by dismissing Ned Eckersley and Mohammad Nabi in the space of three deliveries.The Foxes, who won the toss and chose to bat, struggled to build any momentum after losing Cameron Delport to the second ball of the night.They had some joy against Aaron Thomason’s seamers and found Jeetan Patel in a more generous mood than usual but found Elliott and Chris Woakes a much more difficult proposition as both returned figures of 2 for 18 from their four overs.Neil Dexter played well for his 56 but the former Middlesex batsman was pinned down after reaching 51 off 29 balls with a huge six over midwicket off Patel in the 10th over, who had his revenge when he pushed one through to bowl the opener in the 14th.Bell, whose T20 form has been outstanding in what has been a productive season all round for the former England batsman, had his eye in from the start, running up half a dozen boundaries in the Powerplay as his side raced to 50 for 1.The only casualty to that point had been Ed Pollock, who was unfortunate to be bowled by a ball from Nabi that kept very low, although Pollock’s footwork was not the best.Bell looked in commanding form and it was a bonus for Leicestershire that he was the victim of a freakish dismissal as Callum Parkinson ran him out at the non-striker’s end for 34, although the bowler deserves credit for diving in follow-through to get a hand to Adam Hose’s firm drive.By contrast, Zak Chappell deserved no credit at all for letting Hose off the hook in Parkinson’s next over, when the batsman, on 16, gave the Foxes pace bowler what should have been a routine catch on the long-on boundary and was relieved to see the ball bounce out of the fielder’s hands.It was a costly miss as Hose went on to take full advantage as the Bears maintained their record of never having lost a T20 match at Grace Road, setting themselves up nicely for a busy weekend that involves trips to Derby on Friday night and Northampton on Sunday.