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Stevie Eskinazi’s career-best 157 patiently earned Middlesex a first innings lead over Yorkshire as he batted throughout most of the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Scarborough

ECB Reporters Network05-Jul-2016
ScorecardSteve Eskinazi drives during his career-best innings•Getty Images

Stevie Eskinazi patiently earned Middlesex a first innings lead over Yorkshire by batting throughout most of the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match at Scarborough.The 22-year-old South African hit a career-best 157 and although a flurry of wickets went down in the closing overs, Middlesex were still able to end on 470 for eight which put them 64 in front.Eskinazi said: “”To score my maiden century against Lancashire last week and now to score 157 today is really pleasing after serving my apprenticeship in the second team and learning the trade.”I nicked the four that brought me my century and the two other strokes that took me to 50 and 150 and on another day they could have gone to hand but I rode my luck a little. The pitch has been swinging and seaming all game and if we can hit a few more runs tomorrow I think we can put them under pressure.”Eskinazi’s circumstances were in complete contrast to when he made his debut for Middlesex against Yorkshire at Lord’s last September.On that occasion he came in at 0 for 3 after Ryan Sidebottom had struck three times in the game’s opening over and he contributed only four before becoming the left arm paceman’s fourth victim.His next appearance in the competition was not until last week when he scored his maiden century in Middlesex’s victory over Lancashire at Lord’s and yesterday he showed further relish for Roses opponents in his very next knock.The early wickets which Yorkshire wanted on the third morning never materialised as Eskinazi and George Bailey built steadily on their third wicket partnership, Middlesex having resumed on 130 for 2.Although Bailey survived a sharp return chance to Tim Bresnan on 36, the pair were in charge for most of the time and after Bailey had straight driven Azeem Rafiq over the sightscreen for six he completed his 50 from 83 balls with seven other boundaries.The partnership moved into three figures before Eskinazi arrived at his own half-century with his eighth boundary and the day’s play was 95 minutes old when Bailey was out for 62 with the stand worth 121. He aimed a cut at a ball from Rhodes which had more bounce than he expected and Bresnan took the catch at point. It was a well-merited wicket for Rhodes whose 11 over stint cost him only 36 runs.Bresnan was again in the action after lunch as he held on to John Simpson’s edge to third slip off Jack Brooks and he would have claimed a wicket himself in the next over if Eskinazi had not been dropped by Kane Williamson in the same spot while on 84.Franklin eased himself in gradually, taking 30 balls to get off the mark, but he then went from first gear into top by picking up Rhodes for a big six.Eskinazi also spent 30 balls marooned in the 90s before arriving at his century from 224 deliveries with 17 fours, an innings which was succeeding in blunting Yorkshire’s attack.Yorkshire experimented with the off-spin of Adam Lyth before tea but to no avail and after the interval Franklin pulled Bresnan savagely for six as he neared his first half-century of the season from 100 balls with five fours and two sixes.Middlesex were 342 for 4 at the 110-over stage, which meant they took five bonus points out of the game to Yorkshire’s four, and the fifth wicket stand went into three figures at 356 for 4.The partnership had ploughed on to 172 before Eskinazi finally succumbed at 5.26pm by pulling Brooks to Williamson on the mid-wicket boundary, having batted for six-and-a-half hours while facing 316 balls and stroking 23 fours.His departure brought a rash of wickets, most of them to Brooks who suddenly found himself with a five-wicket haul. He had Paul Stirling caught in the slips before Williamson dismissed Ollie Rayner without scoring, but Brooks’ biggest prize was the scalp of Franklin who fell for 99, top-edging a pull to cover. He had received 167 deliveries and hit ten fours and two sixes.Brooks finished the day with figures of five for 89 from his 33 overs, 12 of which were maidens.

Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the series after beating England by 75 runs at Lord’s, as Misbah-ul-Haq’s irrepressible side took the ten wickets they required for victory on the fourth day

The Report by Alan Gardner17-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan celebrate the key wicket of Jonny Bairstow•Getty Images

Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the series after beating England by 75 runs at Lord’s. That is the simple version but there were multitudes contained within as Misbah-ul-Haq’s irrepressible side took the ten wickets they required for victory on the fourth day, four of them going to the talismanic Yasir Shah on the way to match figures of 10 for 141 in his first Test match outside of Asia.Set 283 to win – a target only one side had previously achieved on the ground – after dismissing Pakistan inside the first ten minutes of the morning session, England’s batsmen struggled to build partnerships. Only when Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes were putting together a stand of 56 over 31.4 gruelling overs did Misbah have to seriously ponder where a wicket was coming from.The breakthrough came from Yasir, although there was little sleight of hand about a long hop that Bairstow simply missed attempting to swat through the leg side. His distraught reaction, head bowed over his bat as the Pakistan players celebrated around him, provided an illustration of England’s disappointment at losing a match in which they were always slightly behind but refused to abandon as beyond their powers of recovery.Yasir’s tenth wicket practically sparked a playground bundle as Woakes was taken at slip trying to hit out with the No. 10, Steven Finn, for company and 79 still required. Mohammad Amir rattled Jake Ball’s stumps an over later to put the final seal on an emotional comeback six years after his previous Test appearance.This was a gripping encounter, fought in excellent spirit and holding the attention of a packed crowd throughout. A sizeable contingent of Pakistan supporters cheered every wicket as their side pushed for a first Test triumph at Lord’s since Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed’s exploits in 1996. When the Pakistan team lined up afterwards to do a series of celebratory push-ups in front of the pavilion – a salute to the military fitness camp undergone by the players before the tour – the whole ground was in raptures.England may have been primed to the threat posed by Yasir and Amir but it was Rahat Ali who gave Pakistan the early advantage. England lost their top three in little more than an hour of batting and although the rejigged middle order that had been considered a weakness resisted admirably there was too much left for them to do against a constantly probing attack.Yet while Bairstow remained in the company of Woakes – a man with nine first-class centuries, not to mention 11 wickets in the match – England could imagine that the improbable was still possible. With the bowling tight and scoring opportunities scarce, the seventh-wicket pair resolved to soak up the pressure and fight for every inch.Nothing seemed to be happening in the middle, yet at the same time, everything was happening. Wahab Riaz threw himself into a five-over spell after tea that yielded 0 for 8 but saw the ball repeatedly swerve late past the outside edge. Both batsmen edged short of catchers in the cordon – Woakes a matter of millimetres in front of Asad Shafiq at third slip – and Wahab ended up lying in the dust as he strained for a breakthrough. He was also warned twice by the umpires for running on the pitch.At the other end, rewards were not as readily forthcoming for Yasir as had been expected after his first-innings six-for. There was turn – as Gary Ballance discovered when a delivery beat his front pad and attempted flick to end his dogged 43 – but the pitch was placid enough for Woakes and Bairstow to survive as long as they eschewed risk. When Yasir won an lbw decision from Joel Wilson against Woakes, the batsman confidently reviewed in the knowledge that his bat had intervened first.England had initially recovered through a 49-run partnership between Ballance and James Vince, who made his best Test score before being dismissed by Wahab, flinging his hands at a drive shortly after lunch. Wahab had begun to make the ball reverse away down the slope and a thick edge flew to Younis Khan at second slip, who this time held on to the catch at the second attempt, having unsuccessfully juggled a much tougher chance with Vince on 9.Ballance, in the second innings of his comeback Test, seemed to grow in confidence, totting up runs with nudges and nurdles. He was vulnerable to Wahab’s probing outside off stump but generally played the ball softly and late, other than when slashing a four over the slips. He and Bairstow added another 39 runs in 13 overs of careful batting when Yasir, having changed to bowling from the Nursery End, struck for the first time.The man identified as Pakistan’s likeliest match-winner had to wait until his 13th over but, for aficionados of legspin, it was undoubtedly worth it. Ballance had just pulled a sharply turning delivery through square leg for his sixth boundary; the next ball was a little fuller, spun a little harder down the slope and darted like a swallow past Ballance’s attempted flick to hit leg stump. If the shot was questionable, the overall effect was reminiscent Shane Warne’s dismissal of Andrew Strauss at Edgbaston in 2005.Moeen Ali did not last long, waltzing out of his ground and aiming a heave across the line at Yasir, only for the ball to spin between bat and pad to hit the top of middle. At 139 for 6, England were still less than halfway to their target; Pakistan were more than halfway to theirs.After the third day’s play, Pakistan’s coach Mickey Arthur was hoping his side could “sneak another 19-20” more runs. They managed just a single from Amir as England took the last two wickets in 13 balls, though that was enough to push the requirement up above the 282 achieved by Michael Vaughan’s side against New Zealand in 2004. Stuart Broad picked up both, Yasir and Amir caught behind, to become the third England bowler to pass 350 Test wickets.Adrenaline coursed through initial stages of England’s assault. Cook chopped the opening delivery for four through point as England raced to 19 for 0 from three overs before hitting their first speed bump: Rahat found his line and the tiniest contact with Cook’s outside edge, a kiss goodbye for the England captain who turned away ruefully as Kumar Dharmasena’s finger went up.Rahat bagged and tagged the next two as well. Alex Hales attempted to force a cut, a thick top edge flying quickly to be well held by Mohammad Hafeez at first slip; then a misbegotten pull from Joe Root sent a top edge out to the grateful Yasir, jogging to his right to take the catch some 20 yards in from the boundary at deep square leg. It was just one of a multitude of joyous individual and collective moments for Pakistan on a ground where they experienced such pain when the spot-fixing scandal erupted six years ago. They have fresh memories now.

England fast bowler Stuart Broad has signed with the Hobart Hurricanes for the 2016-17 Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Aug-2016England fast bowler Stuart Broad has signed with Hobart Hurricanes for the 2016-17 Big Bash League.Broad could be available for the entire tournament after completing his duties on England’s Test series in India – the Hurricanes’ first match is on December 23, three days after the scheduled end of the fifth Test in Chennai.

Hobart Hurricanes squad

George Bailey, Cameron Boyce, Stuart Broad (overseas player), Dan Christian, Ben Dunk, Ben McDermott, Dominic Michael, Simon Milenko, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Jake Reed, Clive Rose, Kumar Sangakkara (overseas player), Shaun Tait, Jonathan Wells

ESPNcricinfo had reported last week that the bowler was close to signing with a BBL franchise in an attempt to compete for a spot in England’s ODI squad ahead of the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup.”It has been really good to have Hurricanes team-mate Dan Christian playing with me at Notts who has been really positive about the Hobart Hurricanes and also the city of Hobart which I’m looking forward to embracing,” Broad saidBroad, currently ranked no. 4 in the ICC rankings for Test bowlers, has played only two ODIs since the 2015 World Cup. After being dropped from the ODI squad for the home series against Sri Lanka this summer, he had said that he had not given up on playing white-ball cricket for the country again. Overall, he has taken 178 wickets in 121 ODIs at an average of 30.13 and an economy rate of 5.26. Broad’s last T20 international appearance for England came against Netherlands during the 2014 World T20. Overall, he has taken 65 wickets in 56 T20Is.”It’s tricky because I haven’t played any white-ball cricket,” Broad said in June, after his omission from the group to play Sri Lanka. “I think I saw a quote saying this squad had been picked on merit and I can’t argue with that at all because it’s not as if I’ve gone out there and taken a certain amount of white-ball wickets. I’m going to have to find a way to do that.”I’m going to look at scheduling, whether it’s home or abroad, to try to play some white-ball cricket and there might be a decent opportunity after Christmas this year because there’s not a lot of Test cricket then until I think July. The only way I’ll get back is by playing white-ball cricket and that’s the only way my skills will improve, too.”Broad is the second overseas signing in the Hurricanes squad, along with former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara. Damien Wright, the Hurricanes coach, hoped Broad’s presence would help the franchise, which finished seventh in 2015-16 edition.”Stuart Broad has an incredible record in all three formats and his knowledge of the game overall will be a huge asset for our bowling group going forward,” Wright said. “He will give us great firepower with the ball and will be a fantastic inclusion into our pace attack joining Shaun Tait, Jake Reed and Sam Rainbird. We now have two of the biggest names in our game playing for the Hobart Hurricanes and our members and fans should be extremely excited for BBL 06.”

In the larger context, there may not be any good reason for Ireland to visit South Africa for two one-off ODIs but it will serve as an invaluable experience for the Associate side

The Preview by Firdose Moonda24-Sep-2016

Match facts

September 25, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)Temba Bavuma, who is set to make his ODI debut, may well be asked to open•Gallo Images

Big Picture

As cricket ventures towards expansion, these are the kinds of games it needs. In the larger context, there may not be any good reason for Ireland to visit South Africa for two one-off ODIs but, as an isolated event, to play the No. 1 and No. 4 ranked sides in the format will be a good, albeit rare, experience for the Associate side.Ireland have played against each of Australia and South Africa only four times before and have not won a match. They have not been to South Africa since Eoin Morgan was still in their side, seven years ago for qualifiers of the 2011 World Cup. Then, too, they played in Benoni. William Porterfield and the O’Brien brothers remain from that trip while the rest will all be first-timers in the country, trying to get Ireland back to the consistency they had a few years ago. Recent results have seen a dip in Ireland’s form; they are now ranked 12th in ODIs, below Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. They don’t have many opportunities to climb, but this will be one.For South Africa, the match marks the real start of a season that began with two winter Tests against New Zealand last month. Their packed home season includes 28 matches across formats until March next year. Limited-overs cricket will likely remain a low priority as they chase Test redemption, but with the Champions Trophy less than nine months away, they will want to begin planning, which for them usually also means climbing the rankings. Victory against Ireland won’t do much for that cause but it will set them up for the five-match series against Australia that follows. A series win for South Africa in that contest will see them rise to No. 2.Perhaps, more importantly, the focus will be on how South Africa will enter a new era marked by transformation targets which stipulate that they field a minimum average of six players of colour, including two black Africans, over the course of a season. Essentially that means that at the end of the summer, an audit will be done of every match played to check that the target has been met. Administrators have already said that the fact that the calculation will be done as an average will allow the selectors flexibility, which throws up the possibility of loading teams with players of colour in seemingly meaningless matches, so that there are fewer constraints in selection for bigger games. In this ODI, as many as four black Africans may take the field for South Africa.This will also be the first match in which the new DRS laws will be applied.

Form guide

South Africa LWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Ireland LWLWL

In the spotlight

Temba Bavuma has only opened the batting twice in List A cricket – once in 2010 and more recently in February for Lions against Knights – but it is a role he may have to get accustomed to. Russell Domingo believes Bavuma could become a long-term opener, given his tight technique and ability to build an innings, and has hinted that Bavuma will be asked to bat in that position at franchise level this season.Kevin O’Brien will be the man South Africa want to stop, not just because of his reputation. O’Brien was one of only two players to score more than 25 the last time South Africa and Ireland met. The other one, Andy Balbirnie, is not in this squad. O’Brien also took the all-important wicket of Faf du Plessis, who will captain South Africa in this match.

Teams news

All three of South Africa’s new caps could make their debuts in a new-look XI that is without AB de Villiers (injured), Hashim Amla (awaiting the birth of his third child), Dale Steyn (rested) and Imran Tahir (rested). Bavuma will probably open the batting with Quinton de Kock, and David Miller will return after being left out of the triangular tournament in the Caribbean. Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo and Wayne Parnell will form a trio of allrounders. Aaron Phangiso is the only specialist spinner in the side.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Temba Bavuma, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 JP Duminy, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Dwaine Pretorius, 9 Andile Phehlukwayo, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Aaron PhangisoNeither Ed Joyce nor Boyd Rankin have traveled with the Ireland squad for these matches which, in the words of Adrian Birrell, South Africa’s assistant coach who used to be in charge of Ireland, robs them of their best batsman and best bowler. Sean Terry will fill in for Joyce while Ireland will have to decide if Tim Murtagh, who will arrive straight from playing in the county season finale for Middlesex against Yorkshire, should be thrown into the mix immediately or given an extra day’s rest.Ireland (possible): 1 William Porterfield, 2 Sean Terry, 3 Niall O’Brien, 4 Gary Wilson, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Paul Stirling, 7 Stuart Poynter (wk), 8 Andy McBrine, 9 George Dockerell , 10 Barry McCarthy/Tim Murtagh, 11 Peter Chase

Pitch and conditions

From an ODI total of 399 by South Africa against Zimbabwe in 2010 to scores of 91 and 104 by Netherlands and Scotland respectively, Willowmoore Park’s pitch is capable of anything. In what is still early season, it is likely to be slow and low and perhaps take some turn, favouring a more old-fashioned style of play. While the surface readies for summer, the weather is already there. A beautiful day is expected with temperatures hitting 28 degrees and clear skies.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa have played four ODIs against Ireland – three at World Cups – and have won all of them. They have never played Ireland at home.
• Willowmoore Park has not hosted an international match since 2013, when South Africa played Pakistan.
• Niall O’Brien needs 36 runs to become the fourth Irish player, and second in his family, to reach 2000 ODI runs.

Quotes

“They are a team that cannot be taken lightly. Every now and again, they create a huge upset. I wouldn’t look at their recent losses independently. I’d look at them in their last five years and they’ve had some big wins.”

It might seem as though we are at the start of the Haseeb Hameed story. We are not

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford16-Sep-2016It might seem as though we are at the start of the Haseeb Hameed story. We are not. Even journalists who have been covering Lancashire cricket over the last two years were not present when it began.That occurred, as far as it can be precisely dated, in the living room of a family home in Bolton some 15 years ago, with a four- or five-year-old boy nagging his Dad to bowl at him. Soon he discovered that this bat-and-ball business was all he wanted to do with his life.It might also seem that Hameed’s career has been one of unblemished success. No, that would be wrong, too. There have been lows in Hameed’s career and one of the many impressive things about the round of interviews he did in the aftermath of his England selection was his willingness to talk about them.Anyone who has been left out of a side or turned down for a job could learn from this 19-year-old who is willing to share his life experiences and lessons with anyone interested enough to ask. For example, after progressing through Lancashire and England’s junior ranks, he was informed nine months ago that he was not selected for the Under-19 World Cup.”That was probably the lowest point,” he said “I was expected to go and had put my mind to it, so to be told I wasn’t going was pretty heartbreaking. I remember how low we all felt, me and my family. Breaking the news to them was especially tough.”But it motivated me and there was a desire in myself to achieve great things because of that. To go to the place where the World Cup was held nine months on with the main England side is incredible. It is pretty surreal.”I am not going to say I didn’t think about proving people wrong, or making a point, and to go out there and do just that is really pleasing. I had played through all the England age groups, all that was left was for me to play in the Under-19 World Cup, so to not get the nod at the final hurdle hurt a lot. But it motivated me to work harder.”Even this most articulate of 19-year-olds might accept that “even harder” would be more accurate. Already Hameed had been playing or practising more or less seven days a week in his relentless search for improvement.”The one thing I remember from the practice sessions with my dad even at the age of 16, he was challenging me to a level where I couldn’t always cope. He told me then that he wasn’t preparing me for Under-19 level, or even first-class level, he was preparing me for Test cricket.”Because of that, I have wanted to play Test cricket at a young age, because he was preparing me at a young age. I didn’t want to be someone that has an average England career, I want to achieve great things in the game, do things like Cook and Root have done.”And at a time when so many critics are rightly lauding Hameed’s ability, it is illuminating to hear him talk about the importance of adversity in his career. He succeeds partly because he has failed.”It is important to taste that adversity because you appreciate the good times more,” he said. “It also helps you realise what it takes to get to a certain level. I had another moment when I was 14 when I suffered my first major dip in form. It showed me that I needed to keep working hard to get better and better.”It all gets tougher, and to combat that you can’t just be content with what you have achieved in the past. You have to push yourself further and further. You look at Ronaldo and Messi, they have already achieved everything in the game, but they are hungry for more. And for young lads like me, it is good to look at role models like them.”You are never really satisfied with what you have achieved, you are always looking at ways of getting the best out of yourself. Then there are no limits to what you can achieve.”No limits, perhaps, as long as you retain your focus on what matters, which, in Hameed’s case, is scoring runs. As the hullabaloo continues over his selection for England’s tours of Bangladesh, he knows that will be important, too.”Ashley Giles told me it was a case of putting performances in and recognition will come with that, but if you start thinking about the recognition, your performances could be hindered.”The important thing is to think about your performances and being in the right frame of mind to perform. I’m glad I’ve been able to do that recently for Lancashire as well. It’s amazing how quickly things happen, there’s no barrier to you achieving your goals as long as you put the work in.”My emotions haven’t allowed me to think too far ahead and I think that’s a good thing because we have a massive game at Edgbaston next week. The thing that’s got me here is taking small steps and looking at the next game, the next bowler and I’ll continue to do that.”Ash and the coaches here have never tried to alter my technique too much but they’ve told me when there were little changes to be made. They put things forward and it’s then been whether I liked the idea.”I am confident in my ability to play the longer format now. I know I’ve only played 19 first-class games, which doesn’t sound a lot, but I like to think I learn quite quickly when thrown into difficult situations, that has been another key in me getting the call at such a young age. So I am confident that if I can continue doing what I do hopefully that will stand me in good stead.”There is no reason why what has worked for me so far will not work at the highest level. If there are any changes to be made – and I am always looking to get better – and I feel it is the right move, of course I will be happy to do that. But at the moment I feel my game is in a good enough place to hold me in good stead against Bangladesh.”

Tamim Iqbal has said Bangladesh have to shake off any satisfaction of having been competitive in Chittagong against England in order to focus on the second Test in Mirpur

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur26-Oct-2016Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal has said the team has to shake off any satisfaction of having been competitive in the Chittagong Test against England in order to focus on the second Test in Mirpur. The buzz from the 22-run defeat was still present, however, as the team trained on Wednesday.”Everyone is saying that we played well but we have discussed as a team that we cannot be so happy with so little,” Tamim said. “We won’t be able to improve if we have that mentality. I know we were competitive but we should have won the game. We can take positives from the first Test, like we competed for five days. It would have been a different story had we won the game.”I know our Test record isn’t great but we will try our best in every way to win the next game, which is a belief that is held by every cricketer who plays for Bangladesh. We will try to do our job properly from the first to last ball.”The Chittagong Test was Bangladesh’s narrowest loss in terms of runs, the previous being the 77-run defeat to West Indies in 2012. Tamim, who made 78 in the first innings, said being competitive wasn’t enough anymore; Bangladesh have won only seven out of 94 Tests.Tamim said the team was less focused on the toss, the pitch, or DRS ahead of the second Test, and more on improving the batting and bowling.”I think the less I talk about the last game, the better,” he said. “It was a good Test match, but we lost in the end. Five years from now, it will read that we lost the game. We should stick to the processes and planning that we have. We are discussing more on what we can do with bat and ball, not on the wicket or the toss.”It is not easy to return to cricket after 14 months but I think the players adapted very well. The batsmen moved from T20s to ODIs to Test cricket. We have a number of Tests in the next six months, so we want to use the rhythm from the Chittagong Test for the future.”Tamim said Bangladesh should do better in favourable conditions and batsmen should look to score more runs after they were set. “The wicket in Chittagong was in our favour but we still lost the game. We have to reduce our mistakes and bowl according to the wicket.”Batting wasn’t easy on that wicket but we had our moments. I think we should have stretched those moments a bit. If the wicket remains the same in Dhaka, the batsman should score 20-25 runs more after they are settled.”The second Test against England begins in Mirpur on October 28.

More than eight years after his previous Test match, and four years after his last international, wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has earned a recall to India’s Test team

Arun Venugopal23-Nov-20160:49

Quick Facts: Parthiv Patel

More than eight years after his previous Test match, and four years after his last international, wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has earned a recall to India’s Test team. At 17 years and 153 days, he became Test cricket’s youngest wicketkeeper in 2002; now he will be the second-oldest member in the XI if no other change is made to the side that took field in Visakhapatnam.Parthiv came in because of an injury to first-choice keeper Wriddhiman Saha, who strained his left thigh during the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam. He will not play the third Test to avoid aggravating the injury.

Updated India squad

Virat Kohli (capt), Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, M Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karun Nair, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya

The announcement came about 15 hours after the India squad had been announced with only one change. Gautam Gambhir had been dropped with Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return bolstering the pace department.In a release, the BCCI said: “As a precautionary measure, Saha has been advised rest and will not play in the next Test match of the series. Parthiv Patel will replace Saha in the Indian team for the third Test.” The match is set to be played from November 26 in Mohali.ESPNcricinfo understands that Parthiv, 31, was ahead of other candidates to fill Saha’s role because he offers the option of a left-hand batsman. Also, it is understood that the selectors felt it was too early to hand a debut to the 19-year-old Rishabh Pant, who has hit a triple-hundred for Delhi this Ranji Trophy season and smashed a 48-ball ton in a game in which he scored twin centuries.The other big contender was Madhya Pradesh’s Naman Ojha, who played the last Test that Saha missed. Ojha missed the start of the Ranji Trophy with injury. However, he did play MP’s last match.Tamil Nadu’s Dinesh Karthik, who has also had a good recent run with the bat, is believed to have lost to Parthiv because of the latter’s better glove work and the left-hand batting variation.Parthiv, who last played Test cricket in August 2008, also had a fine start to the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy with the bat for Gujarat. He scored 415 runs in his first eight innings at 59.28, with three fifties and a hundred. The century came in the previous round of games, in Gujarat’s second innings against MP. It was a brisk, unbeaten knock: 139 not out off 170 balls.”Parthiv was considered going by form and also the wicketkeeping aspect. More importantly, being a left-hand bat – England have a legspinner and a left-arm spinner in Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari. So, a left-hander will add more to the team,” a BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.”Naman had some injuries; he didn’t play in the first three-four matches of the Ranji Trophy this year. As far as keeping is concerned as well, Parthiv stands ahead of Dinesh Karthik. Overall, as a package, he fits the team’s requirements. There is no doubt that Parthiv’s glove work has improved considerably in the last few years. Not sure which position he will bat in; it is up to the team now.”Parthiv debuted in England in 2002, and has played 20 Tests till date for 41 catches, eight stumpings and 683 runs at 29.69 with a best of 69.

Ian Bell and Mitchell Johnson were the stars for Perth Scorchers as they brushed aside the Adelaide Strikers for a comfortable 48-run win in their first match of the season

Geoff Lemon23-Dec-2016
Scorecard
Mitchell Johnson took three wickets to rip through the Strikers’ middle order•Getty Images

Perth Scorchers opened their Big Bash season with a 48-run win at the WACA, racking up 197 for 7 before holding the Adelaide Strikers to 149 for 9 in reply. Ian Bell and Mitchell Marsh drove the innings past the halfway mark before Ashton Turner finished it off with an unbeaten 44 off 19 balls.Ben Dunk and Jay Weatherald had put on a partnership of 133 in Adelaide’s so-nearly run chase against Brisbane Heat two days earlier, but they contributed one run between them against Perth. David Willey got them both after opening the bowling, and after three overs of the chase Adelaide were 2 for 7. That slipped to 3 for 15 in the last ball of the fourth when Travis Head nicked Jhye Richardson behind off an extravagant cut.Brad Hodge played a gem in resistance, including four consecutive fours off Richardson after the fall of Head, a cover slash for four to welcome Mitchell Johnson back to competitive cricket, and a top-edged flick for six off Andrew Tye. But Johnson got Kieron Pollard that same over, and Hodge’s eventual 56 off 33 balls wasn’t enough.Bell tolled you soIan Bell was in ordinary form when he was squeezed out of the England Test team, but that middle order hasn’t had a convincing replacement since. It may seem far-fetched to suggest that a good BBL could vault him back into the reckoning, but it wouldn’t hurt his cause.Bell’s first ball in the BBL was dropped by Weatherald at midwicket from a top-edged pull, but thereafter the new signing was a picture of composure and class. English batsmen are supposed to struggle with the bounce of Australian pitches, but Bell’s cross-bat shots were a feature of his innings. The highlight, though, was his cover drive for six off one-time England teammate Chris Jordan. Bell was out in the 16th over, and his 61 off 42 balls had set up the match.The engine room deliversWith Bell steaming along like a well-tended bain marie, Marsh came out to join him at 2 for 64 in the eighth. Another player recently dumped from his country’s Test team, Marsh came good with a couple of massive sixes in his 31 from 19 balls.By the time he fell it was 3 for 121 in the 13th over, a platform was set. Turner hit four sixes and two fours to build it skywards, and the resultant scoreboard pressure undid the Strikers from the first over of their chase.If you can’t win tough, win funnyPerth crowds have quickly become accustomed to success during the Big Bash, and didn’t smile much at missing out last year.They managed a good laugh during the end of their batting innings, though, as Ashton Agar slapped a single towards cover and tried to come back for a second. There was not even half a run there and the allrounder should have been run out by yards. Instead, as he watched helplessly, wicketkeeper Dunk couldn’t handle the throw. It went through his gloves to backward point where it was kicked even further away on the slide, and a single plus a wicket had instead become three runs and no dismissal. Commentators called for the Benny Hill music, and the orange-clad throng in the crowd lapped up every second.Strikers teeter early, Scorchers solidify Two adverse results, and the Strikers are in early trouble. They haven’t managed to chase successfully from two attempts this season and now they have to wait for New Year’s Eve for their next chance at home against Sydney Sixers.A good start for Perth though, with all the confidence that will flow from an early win in which all departments excelled – Johnson with three wickets, new boy Bell with runs, and Marsh showing that he isn’t downcast after his Australian troubles. A trip to Sydney two days after Christmas to tackle the Sixers is next.

New Zealand opener Tom Latham has said his team will “certainly” be looking to go after whatever target Bangladesh set, if they can bowl them out quickly enough on day five

Mohammad Isam at Basin Reserve15-Jan-2017New Zealand opener Tom Latham has said his team will “certainly” be looking to go after whatever target Bangladesh set, if they can bowl them out quickly enough on day five. The key to bowling them out, he said, would be to sow “doubt” in their batsmen’s minds.That the hosts could even think of chasing a win was down to Bangladesh’s late collapse on day four at Basin Reserve. The visitors ended 122 ahead with seven wickets in hand, but, in addition to some carelessness in the final half hour, they also had injury issues: Imrul Kayes was stretchered off with a thigh injury, while Mushfiqur Rahim will have to bat with hurt fingers should he be needed. Among the wickets were Tamim Iqbal – bowled by left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner after misjudging the length on an attempted cut – Mahmudullah – caught down the leg side – and nightwatchman Mehedi Hasan run out looking for a second off what turned out to be the last ball of the day. Bangladesh slipped from 46 for no loss to 66 for 3.”I wouldn’t say you sense the panic [in the Bangladesh batsmen], but we’ve got three world-class seamers and a very good spinner. If we can put the ball in good areas for long enough then hopefully we can create that doubt,” Latham, who registered his highest Test score of 177 in getting New Zealand to 539, said. “If we can keep taking wickets in clumps and if they don’t build any partnerships, that’s the key for us.”Possibly it might start going up and down and might start turning a little bit more. I still think it’s a very good batting surface though, and if we are chasing a score partnerships will be a key to winning. We like to play a winning brand of cricket and whatever the score is, hopefully it’s a reasonable chase and we’ll certainly be having a go at it. It’s a massive day tomorrow and that first hour is going to set the tone.”Latham said that fast bowler Neil Wagner was fine despite being struck three times during his 31-ball innings. Wagner was first hit on the helmet by a Kamrul Islam Rabbi bouncer before the same pacer struck him twice more off consecutive balls, one of which left him with a cut on his chin.”It’s never nice to see a team-mate get hit,” Latham said. “The medical team were out there and they were assessing him, and we’ve got to leave it in their hands. He was fine, he’s a pretty tough character.”

AB de Villiers has made a “wise decision” in the “best interests of South African cricket,” by sitting out of Test cricket for most of the rest of 2017

Firdose Moonda18-Jan-20173:27

‘I needed time away, I need more’ – de Villiers

AB de Villiers has made a “wise decision” in the “best interests of South African cricket,” by sitting out of Test cricket for most of the rest of 2017, according to Ali Bacher, the former South Africa captain and veteran administrator.Bacher met with de Villiers on Tuesday, shortly after de Villiers had ruled himself out of the New Zealand Tests in March, and told ESPNcricinfo he thought de Villiers had done the right thing.”AB is an extraordinary individual and the amount of cricket he has played has taken its toll on his body. If he had to play all formats, his body will break down,” Bacher said. “He has made a wise decision to go about things cautiously and get his body ready to take on the world again.”De Villiers has spent the last six months on the sidelines as he recovered from an elbow injury that required surgery. He is due to make a comeback in a T20 against Sri Lanka on January 25, with a view to playing in the five-match ODI series that follows, and hopes to lead South Africa to the Champions Trophy and ultimately the 2019 World Cup.Fifty-over cricket is his focus and Bacher believes de Villiers will not rest until he has his hands on an ICC trophy. “He is extremely passionate about South African cricket and about winning that World Cup,” Bacher said.Bacher also brushed aside concerns that de Villiers’ extended time out of the Test arena will see the team move on without him.”He is one of the greats and I would think that, when he is fit and ready, he will be an automatic pick.” He asked the South African public to be patient with de Villiers because “he has given 100%”, and has served them “non-stop”.De Villiers had played international cricket for 12 years, including 98 Tests in succession from his debut to July 2015. He missed South Africa’s series in Bangladesh on that occasion, because of paternity commitments.”It is vigorous. The practice schedule and the playing. And he has been going like this since 2004. He has done so much and if he is not wise he will break down again. I have seen no difference in the way he feels about playing for South Africa.”Bacher was interviewing de Villiers for his television series at de Villiers’ old school, Affies, where Bacher also read out a message from Sachin Tendulkar in praise of AB.”I got hold of Sachin Tendulkar, who was my first interviewee for the show in 2010, and I asked him to send me a few words about AB. He holds AB in such regard for the way he has changed the context of the modern game. AB is a special person and a special cricketer. South Africa must not forget that.”