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Hampshire built on a superb bowling display with a brutal last two sessions on day two with the bat to lead Essex by 429. In Kyle Abbott and James Vince, they boast two exceptional players of international class.

Vithushan Ehantharajah at the Ageas Bowl16-Jun-2014
ScorecardKyle Abbott destroyed the Essex top order•PA PhotosLast week, after securing a draw against Worcestershire by batting out the final day against a rampant Saeed Ajmal, Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams felt that it was those moments – “with your backs against the wall” – that teaches you the most about your team. Today, as Hampshire built on a superb bowling display with a brutal last two sessions with the bat to lead Essex by 429 by the end of day, we learned just how talented and ruthless they can be.In Kyle Abbott and James Vince, they boast two exceptional players of international class. They were the difference between the two sides as one produced an opening blitz and the other saw out the day on an equally explosive unbeaten 154.”If you told us this morning we’d be batting again by lunch, we would have laughed,” Abbott said. Fresh and changed into his Hampshire tracksuit, his smile was wide and brow far less furrowed having registered a season’s best return of 5 for 44 earlier in the day.Essex were skittled out inside 29 overs of the first session thanks to a brilliant opening spell from Abbott. His first stint, six overs long, saw him take 3 for 15, before returning to comprehensively bowl Reece Topley to secure his five-for.His morning three came in just seven balls, without a run conceded, and accounted for a valuable middle order of James Foster, Jesse Ryder and Ben Foakes. Hampshire’s decision to rest Abbott for last weeks’ match proved a masterstroke. Not only did his replacement Glenn Maxwell play his part in saving the game at New Road with a second innings 85, but Abbott was also afforded some much needed down-time and a couple of rounds of golf.”It was more on the mental side of things and the travelling,” Abbott revealed. “My body is used to bowling 20 overs a day – that’s my job – and I’m used to it after six years. But the mental break from the game and not having to sit on a bus for four hours or into another hotel room is quite nice. I feel like I’ve come back fresh.”It would easy to put Essex’s calamitous collapse down to basic batting error. In truth, of the four batsmen that were dismissed today, it was only the dismissal of Foster that you felt could have been avoided.With Abbott and James Tomlinson offering little room for expansion, Foster’s eyed lit up at a shorter, wider ball and thrashed his hands through the ball. Perhaps he could have kept it down, but it required a very good catch from Matt Coles, diving to his left at backward point, to take the catch.For the most part, Abbott and Coles deserve credit for finding chinks in the armour of talented batsmen, some with a wealth of international cricket behind them. Indeed, any one of Abbott’s three could have elevated the visitors to an acceptable score, much closer than the 165-run deficit they took into the second innings.For a moment, it looked like Essex were clawing their way back into it, when both Hampshire openers fell to loose shots – Michael Carberry finding midwicket and Adams playing onto his own stumps. But in came Vince and away went faint hope.Three figures came up in just 99 balls, featuring thumping shots square of the wicket, the odd nicely timed drive, smart guides to third man and pushes into exposed gaps in the field as his assault went on. It took him just 119 balls to match Essex’s entire first effort. He was ably supported by Will Smith, whose half-century centered mostly on ticking over and giving his partner the strike.The scorecard has this as a typical Vince knock; one littered with boundaries, good running and excellent placement. It might have been very different.Having taken 17 balls to get off the mark, Vince, on 9 off 20 at the time, was subject to a vociferous appeal from Reece Topley. The left-armer, getting good swing into the right-hander, went up with those behind the bat, only to be turned down by the standing umpire. His reaction – left-hooking the air in front of him, before his arms slumped to his sides – spoke volumes of Essex’s toil. They are 429 runs behind.

Stuart Broad has expressed his confidence that he will be fit for the first Test of the Investec Ashes series which starts in front of his home crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

George Dobell04-Jul-2013Stuart Broad has expressed his confidence that he will be fit for the first Test of the Investec Ashes series which starts in front of his home crowd at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.Broad was forced to miss England’s warm-up game against Essex at Chelmsford after sustaining an injury to his right shoulder while diving to regain his ground while batting in the final of the ICCChampions Trophy.He subsequently had a cortisone injection on Monday in an aim to ease the inflammation and pain and returned to some gentle bowling on Wednesday.”I couldn’t be more confident that I will be 100% right,” Broad said. “If the series started today I’d be ready to go. It only really hurt when I got to the top of my bowling action and that was where the swelling was. So I had an anti-inflammatory injection to get rid of the swelling.”How it pulled up two days after the injection was the major part and that was yesterday. I managed to bat and bowl and do some running without any pain, so I am very confident I’ll be fine for TrentBridge.”Broad missed three Tests of the victorious 2010-11 Ashes series after sustaining a side injury and the second half of the successful Test series in India before Christmas due to a heel injury. If fit, he is almost certain to share the new ball for England with James Anderson.

Ryan Harris, the Australia fast bowler, admits bowlers can’t be left to determine own fitness

Daniel Brettig15-Jan-2013Man of the match in Barbados last year, Ryan Harris was the most furious man in the Caribbean when in Trinidad he became the first of three Australian pacemen to be omitted for preventative reasons over the past 12 months.A few days later, the anger had cooled. Now, in the final stages of his recovery from shoulder surgery with the Ashes in mind, Harris admits that the current environment of insane schedules and diverse formats means players cannot be left to decide their own readiness: the instinctive desire to play as much as possible will invariably overrule common sense.If the issue of rested cricketers regaining their places ahead of others who have performed in the interim sits heavily with Harris, he has agreed that for the moment there is unlikely to be a better way to preserve Australia’s fast bowlers for the battles to be fought in India and England later in 2013. Like the national selector John Inverarity, Harris pointed that the lack of pre-season training is affecting the longevity of pacemen, who he stresses are otherwise as fit as they could possibly be.”The scheduling is very difficult as it is, the amount of cricket we’re playing, and guys have to rest,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “What the bowlers are not getting is time to build up their strength, no pre-season. With the amount of bowling they do they don’t have time for that. They do what we call priming sessions, light sessions. But they don’t have enough time to get in and build up strength, because they’re bowling and bowling and bowling, losing weight, losing strength. It’s tough to get those sessions done, and that’s why I think guys are falling over at times.”With the rotation, we’ve got guys who can come in and do the job. If you rest the guys now, when we come to India and the Ashes when we really need our frontline bowlers, they pick the best four or five to go through those series and they do really well and they’re rested and strong, that’s when people are going to realise the system’s warranted. If it means getting the Ashes back, people are going to understand.”Recalling the circumstances around his omission from the Trinidad Test XI, Harris demonstrated the range of factors that do not always make it into public view. Not only was Harris’ speckled injury history a part of considerations, there was also the fact he had fought a stomach bug while notching a match-turning half-century and nipping out five wickets to help Australia prevail on a dead pitch at Kensington Oval.”I had bowled a lot of overs, as we all did. I batted a bit as well and I actually was crook during that Test. So I barely ate anything and I’d lost four or five kilograms during that Test match, and was out there the majority of the time,” Harris said. “We went to Trinidad and I was hurting, I was really sore and fatigued, and Mickey [Arthur] came to me and said ‘how you feeling?’

I said to Mickey later ‘I wasn’t happy when you rested me but I understand now, because of the way I’m feeling’. If I’d gone into that Test match, I would’ve potentially done a lot of damage. In that situation it was out of my hands and needed to be.Ryan Harris, on being left-out of the second Test in the West Indies

“I said ‘I’m okay, in two or three days I should be okay and I’ll be ready to go’. That’s when he said ‘we’re thinking about resting you’ and I said ‘I’m not keen on that’ because I’d missed a bit of cricket. It got to the day before and he came to me and he said ‘we’re going to rest you’. I wasn’t that happy, but the fact is if I’d have played that Test I would’ve struggled.”Even though I was thinking I could’ve bowled the first day, the later overs in the second, third, fourth or fifth day would’ve really tested me. So that was a decision where I sat back and said to Mickey later ‘I wasn’t happy when you rested me but I understand now, because of the way I’m feeling’. If I’d gone into that Test match, I would’ve potentially done a lot of damage. In that situation it was out of my hands and needed to be.”Having been through that episode, Harris understood Mitchell Starc’s anger and confusion when he was left out of the Boxing Day Test, a long-standing ankle problem this week revealed to have been a factor. But he conceded that the alternative would be to let fast bowlers dictate their own readiness, which would likely lead to longer-term injuries as enthusiastic cricketers kept going until worn joints and limbs snapped completely.”It was the same thing as me in the West Indies, where he was saying ‘no I’m right to play’, but he’s been sore, and they’ve taken it out of his hands,” Harris said. “That’s the tough thing about it, you come up to a Boxing Day Test, a childhood dream to play for Australia let alone on Boxing Day so it is a big decision to leave him out. The players don’t want to be rested, but it’s got to be taken out of our hands, because if you could help it, you’d play every Test. There’s just times when if they’re going to do it, they’ve got all the data, so it has to be taken out of our hands.”As for the question of appropriate training and sufficient fitness, a popular topic for agitation by numerous former Australia fast bowlers during the current times of heavy injuries, Harris spoke compellingly of the standards maintained in 2013. “Our bowlers are that fit it’s not funny,” he said. “Pete Siddle and James Pattinson are unbelievably fit, Pat Cummins is fit. When I’m at my peak I’m fit. You can’t knock guys for not being fit, and not bowling enough.”Everyone keeps bringing up ‘the boys are told to bowl only a certain amount of balls’. If I want to bowl 15 overs in a net session I will bowl them. If I want to bowl six balls, I’ll bowl six balls. They give us a guide on what to bowl, but if I’m not feeling good or need to bowl more to get things right, I’ll bowl as many as I want. It’s not all about sports science running the game, it’s individuals as well, individuals choosing what they do leading into games and into training.”

England and Afghanistan took huge personal strides towards their stated ambitions for the World T20, and now in a tasty afternoon tussle in Delhi, the pair go head to head in a match that promises to be fraught with danger for the favourites

The Preview by Andrew Miller in Delhi22-Mar-20161:35

Agakar: No walk in the park for England

Match factsWednesday, March 23, 2016
Start time 1500 local (0930 GMT)Big PictureIn their respective contests against South Africa in Mumbai, England and Afghanistan took huge personal strides towards their stated ambitions for the World T20 – progression to the knock-outs on the one hand, and the scalp of a major Test nation on the other. Now, in a tasty afternoon tussle at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the pair go head to head in a match that promises to be fraught with danger for the favourites.It is not simply that Afghanistan ran both Sri Lanka and South Africa unfeasibly close in their first two games of the Super 10s. It is also the prospect of new and uncertain conditions in Delhi – a venue for the first time in the men’s World T20 – that may alarm Eoin Morgan’s team.As they showed in their opening-round defeat to West Indies at Wankhede, England found it tough to gauge their pace when batting first in unfamiliar territory and fell some 30 runs shy of par; as Afghanistan showed in pursuing the unobtainable on Sunday, they won’t care what anyone thinks they can achieve, they’ll go out and give it some humpty anyway.Asghar Stanikzai, Afghanistan’s captain, claimed that his side’s form was “scaring” the major nations, none of whom fancy being the first to come up short. England, of course, are no strangers to doing just that at the World T20, with memorable defeats to the Netherlands in 2009 and 2014. But Morgan was adamant that the mentality among the class of 2016 is light years removed from that most recent defeat in particular, which came in the wake of England’s elimination from the tournament.”The disappointment of being knocked out of a World Cup is horrific really, so coming into this game, we’re really refreshed,” he said. “Tomorrow’s going to be about focussing on what we do and adapting to the conditions that are in front of us. If we do that, hopefully we’ll perform well.”Spin has so far played an undervalued but vital part in the challenge that both sides have put together. England’s duo, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, kept their heads amid the onslaught against South Africa, prising key wickets and finding a means to tourniquet the bleeding in spite of the barrage of boundaries they were being subjected to. The same has been true of Afghanistan’s slow-bowling contingent, who proved particularly tricky to dominate when they ran Sri Lanka close in Nagpur.In a fast-paced tournament, slow and steady might yet carry the day. But it’s fair to assume, given the riotous challenges we witnessed from both teams last week, that the side that wins the toss will be quite happy to ask their opponents to front up first.Form guide (last five completed games most recent first)
England WLLLW
Afghanistan LLWWWIn the spotlight He’s been quiet so far in the tournament to date, with only a low-key role in the chase at Wankhede, but Morgan’s experience has been a valuable factor in England’s progress, and tomorrow his knowhow will come in a slightly different form. As a former Ireland batsman, Morgan knows better than anyone how driven their opponents will be in this contest, and his cool head might prove particularly vital – with the bat, and in the field – as and when Afghanistan’s sluggers and spinners come into their own.Afghanistan’s super-slugger, Mohammad Shahzad, is so exuberantly in the spotlight right now that he might as well come out to bat with a top hat and cane, and tap-dancing shoes. But the man who might yet have an even more vital role to play on Wednesday is the 17-year-old legspinner, Rashid Khan. At Mumbai on Sunday, he was hit by the Churchgate Express, AB de Villiers, who carted his final over for 29 match-changing runs. But up until that point, his first three overs had cost 22 and had been instrumental in clogging up South Africa’s increasingly frustrated middle-order. He’ll be older and wiser for the experience.Team news Morgan dropped a not-so-subtle hint about the likely casualty should England opt for Liam Dawson in a three-spin attack, when he stated that his team bats down to 10 … “and sometimes 11, given the circumstances”. Given that Reece Topley, for all his promise as a left-arm seamer, is a disciple of the Devon Malcolm school of rearguards, his place is clearly on the line, and not simply because he looked all at sea during the Wankhede beanfests. Liam Plunkett could also challenge for his first start of the tournament. Alex Hales emerged as a late doubt after sitting out nets with back pain meaning James Vince is on standby.England (probable) 1 Jason Roy, 2 Alex Hales/James Vince, 3 Joe Root, 4 Jos Buttler (wk), 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Liam Dawson, 10 Chris Jordan, 11 David Willey.After the formidable fighting spirit shown against South Africa, there seems little need for Afghanistan to shuffle the pack. The retention of the slow left-armer, Amir Hamza, would be prudent in support Rashid and Mohammad Nabi, given the reputation of the pitch.Afghanistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Noor Ali Zadran, 3 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 4 Mohammad Nabi, 5 Gulbadin Naib, 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Dawlat Zadran, 10 Amir Hamza, 11 Shapoor Zadran.Pitch and conditions The Wankhede, England’s home for the first two matches of the World T20, has been the outlier so far as the tournament’s conditions are concerned. Delhi’s surface seems far more likely to offer turn from the outset – there’s been plenty on display in the nets so far. Morgan, citing his IPL experience, also reckons it will reward bowlers who hit the deck hard and seek natural variation, which again suggests that Plunkett might be useful – not to mention Shapoor Zadran.Stats and Trivia England have played Afghanistan on two previous occasions at an ICC global event. Their first encounter came at Colombo in October 2012, during the World T20. England won by 116 runs, thanks to 99 not out from 55 balls from the long-forgotten Luke Wright. Their most recent clash was at Sydney in March 2015, in England’s final contest of their miserable World Cup campaign. In a soggy, downbeat affair, Ian Bell signed off from ODI cricket with 52 not out from 56 balls in a nine-wicket win. England lost their most recent encounter with an Associate nation at the World T20, when the Netherlands crushed them by 45 runs in Chittagong.Quotes “It’s a bit like a pump-action shotgun. You can keep loading as long as you like. If you keep missing, it’s fine. But the opportunity along the way will come. And if you have your day, you might win a game.””Definitely there will be big pressure on England looking to the last two games, so we are eager to win at least one of the next two, and that is our main ambition in the next two matches.”

Sri Lanka’s board president Jayantha Dharmadasa has followed up SLC’s publicly stated objection to resolutions for vast changes to cricket’s global revenue sharing and governance by openly questioning the legality of the proposal and the manner of its cre

Daniel Brettig06-Feb-2014Sri Lanka’s board president Jayantha Dharmadasa has followed up SLC’s publicly stated objection to resolutions for vast changes to cricket’s global revenue sharing and governance by openly questioning the legality of the proposal and the manner of its creation in a letter to the ICC.The correspondence, obtained by ESPNcricinfo, was sent to the ICC’s head of legal affairs Iain Higgins on February 5, after a special meeting of the Sri Lanka board’s stakeholders voted unanimously against the revised proposals presented to the ICC directors. It outlines numerous serious queries about the manner in which the resolutions have been brought to the board table. They are due to be voted on at a meeting of all Full Members in Singapore on Saturday.Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa have each raised formal objections to the proposals, with CSA previously describing them as “fundamentally flawed”. Dharmadasa has taken a similar tack in his letter, outlining how the draft proposal and subsequent resolutions had contravened the ICC’s own constitution.Specific targets include the notion of a “contribution cost” running contrary to the provision for equal revenue stipulated by the ICC’s constitution. More than once, Dharmadasa asks whether the ICC is comfortable and confident that the process by which the many changes have arisen is in line with the governing body’s regulations, while raising the matter of whether board members had been granted sufficient time to review the sweeping changes that will result from the proposal.”Sri Lanka Cricket has received legal advice from its Legal Advisory Committee to the effect that these purported ‘Resolutions’ are in fact not valid resolutions in law,” Dharmadasa wrote. “Pursuant to your invitation for us to contact you in the event of us having issue with the same, we write to seek clarification from you, as Head of Legal of the ICC.”In any event, as Head of Legal of the ICC, you are duty bound to ensure that any Purported Resolutions that are placed before the Members are done in accord with the constitutional documents of the ICC, and we would in that context request that you furnish us with the clarifications requested below as a matter of extreme urgency.”A major strand of the letter raises the matter of whether or not the new revenue model, based upon a “contribution” calculation defies the ICC constitution’s expectation of equal sharing of revenue from ICC events. This element of the proposal was critical to India’s agreement to it, after the BCCI repeatedly refused to sign the existing Members Participation Agreement (MPA) for the next television rights period on the basis that it was entitled to a greater share.The letter states that the ICC’s Memorandum of Association features “entrenched provisions” around the distribution of funds to members. These declare that 75% of surplus revenue must be distributed equally among the Full Members, and “the costs payable by the Council out of its revenues shall be allocated as to 75% thereof equally among the Full Members”.Under the proposal, this distribution model would be replaced by a “contribution costs” model in which each nation is granted a percentage of revenue based upon numerous factors including on-field results, historical contribution to the game and off-field revenue-raising power. This calculation happens to place India, England and Australia, the three countries who devised the proposal, in the top three positions of entitlement.Dharmadasa’s objection is based upon the fact that this model is in contravention of the ICC’s own constitution. He also noted that the proposed “Test Cricket Fund” designed to help the other seven nations to stage Test matches in circumstances when they might be expected to lose money was similarly flawed.Other matters covered by the letter include the implementation of the ExCo board with three permanent members from India, England and Australia, and the matter of a new FTP agreed upon by a series of bilateral arrangements, rather than the overarching ICC blueprint that currently exists. Dharmadasa raised the question of what was to become of existing deals struck between member nations under the terms of the FTP.”The purported Resolutions seek to impose wide changes to the FTP, essentially by doing away with the current FTP Scheme and permitting the individual Boards to contract with each other,” Dharmadasa wrote. “You would be aware that contracts that have already been entered into by individual Members on the basis of the existing ICC Executive Board approved FTP, including Sponsorship Contracts and Broadcasting Contracts for which such Members have committed and already received monies.”We seek confirmation that you have considered the legality of this, and have advised the ICC of its potential liability to indemnify any Members that may be caused loss and damage in this regard.”N Srinivasan, the president of the BCCI, and Wally Edwards, the chairman of Cricket Australia, have both defended the proposals, stating that they are designed to end an era of considerable dysfunction at ICC level while also providing better incentives for each cricket-playing nation to improve themselves, rather than relying on the ICC’s distributions to stay afloat.

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have turned down a proposed bail-out from the ICC but confirmed it will restructure its organisation with a view to reducing expenses as it attempts to climb out of debt

Firdose Moonda23-Apr-2014Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) have turned down a proposed bail-out from the ICC but confirmed it will restructure its organisation with a view to reducing expenses as it attempts to climb out of debt. This follows several months of discussions between the ZC and the ICC over ZC’s finances, during which a primary application for a loan was first turned down in January, which was followed by an ICC visit and a bail out offer made with conditions of cost cutting and key administrative changes.ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC, which did not comment on the matter, was willing to provide ZC with a conditional loan of up to US$16 million, including an immediate US$10.8 million to write off amounts owed to two banks; n return it sought an agreement from ZC to restructure radically, trim down its organisation and operate under an administrator.Zimbabwe Cricket did not deny the existence of a bail-out or give reasons as to why it had been turned down. “This is a matter of strict confidentiality between ZC and the ICC,” Lovemore Banda, ZC’s media and communication manager, speaking on behalf of chairman Peter Chingoka, said. “We have a business plan that is driven by restructuring and whose key dynamic is to cut down on costs.”It is believed an introduction of an ICC-appointed and backed administrator is thought to have been the major reason for ZC’s reluctance and ultimate refusal to agree to the deal, although ZC would not confirm that.Estimates have put ZC’s debts in the region of US$18 million and mounting. That was the primary reason ZC approached the ICC for financial assistance in January. Then, ZC applied for a loan of US$19 million, which the ICC board failed to approve. Instead, they supplied ZC with US$3 million to end a player strike that had dragged on from December, restart domestic cricket in the country and adequately prepare the national side for the World T20.ICC CEO Dave Richardson and chief financial officer Faisal Hasnain were also directed to visit Zimbabwe to assess the situation in the country. Their trip, which took place in March, made several recommendations to reduce ZC’s expenses. According to the newspaper those included substantial job cuts.The newspaper said that the ICC report into Zimbabwe cricket’s finances, following the visit by Richardson and Hasnain, suggested that the number of contracted players across the board would be reduced from 99 to 56 – 14 per franchise. Information has since surfaced that the number could be as low as 10 per franchise. Those contracts, which come up for renewal at the end of this month, would only run for the duration of the cricket season. The franchise adminstration would also be cut, with one source indicating there would no longer be franchise CEOs, but one overall franchise administrator.Only 15 players would be on year-round national contracts with the also quoting the ICC’s report as warning players of the fragile economic climate around them. “The players need to better understand the harsh realities of the state of the Zimbabwe economy and the current financial position of ZC,” the report read.The newspaper indicated player payments were a major contributor to ZC’s costs, with members of the squad earning a total of US$412,000 for the three matches they played in the preliminary round of the World T20. That promoted a response from the Zimbabwean Professional Cricketers’ Association (ZPCA) in which they revealed they are yet to receive the funds. “Players are yet to be paid that much by ZC. We challenge ZC to produce proof of payment to that effect so that the world can see. We agreed to the $412,000 figure to include appearance and match fees for both the participating players and the other 15 remaining. ZC are signatory to this agreement,” the statement said.The ZPCA also said the players had “lost trust in the administration,” and “were and are still underpaid.” They vowed to continue demanding a quarter of the proceeds ZC earn from World Cup events – which the ZPCA had previously wanted as a guarantee for player salaries for a year – and urged ZC to “adopt the ICC bailout plan immediately.”While ZC have not made public whether they will re-engage the ICC, they have already implemented some cost-cutting measures. They scrapped rest days between domestic List A and first-class fixtures for the remainder of the current season. It has also been reported that the Southern Rocks, the franchise based in Masvingo, will be culled ahead of next season, which could also see the first-class competition became a three-day instead of a four-day tournament.These measures are believed to be part of an effort to renegotiate a loan at the ICC’s next board meeting in June. The major sticking point is thought to be that of the administrator. A senior South African official was one of the people sounded out for the role of overseer, although talks did not move past initial discussions, and former ZC managing director David Ellman-Brown was named as another possibility.

A five-wicket haul from veteran spinner Dean Cosker helped Glamorgan remain in touch with Gloucestershire after day two of their Division Two clash in Cardiff

Press Association 21-Apr-2014
ScorecardDean Cosker worked his way through Gloucestershire’s top order (file photo)•PA PhotosA five-wicket haul from veteran spinner Dean Cosker helped Glamorgan remain in touch with Gloucestershire after day two of their Division Two clash in Cardiff.Gloucestershire looked on course to rack up an imposing first-innings lead, even after being frustrated by a battling 54 from Graham Wagg which took the hosts to 145.Chris Dent made 52 and William Tavare 42 as the visitors’ reply started well, but they came unstuck against a 36-year-old slow left armer. Cosker completed his 10th first-class five wicket haul, recording figures of 5 for 46 as Glamorgan limited their opponents to 230 for 9, a lead of 85.There looked little way back for Glamorgan as they slumped from 47 for 6 at the start of the day to 72 for 9, but a final stand of 73 between Wagg and No. 10 Michael Hogan helped them rebuild their innings. Wagg hit five fours and a six in his unbeaten 65-ball knock, with Hogan providing vital support at the other end for his 23.The stand was finally ended by Matt Taylor, while Will Payne and Will Gidman finished the innings with figures of three for 29 and three for 34 respectively.With an easy-paced pitch becoming ideal for batting, Gloucestershire would have fancied their chances of building a commanding lead and looked set to do just that as Dent and Tavare took their score into three figures for the loss of just one wicket, that of Michael Klinger for 2.But Cosker arrived with a vengeance to halt their progress. He had Dent caught behind by Mark Wallace, ending his 72-ball stay, and then removed Tavare, who paid the price for a daft shot, sending an attempted clip over Hogan at mid-on straight to the fielder.Cosker was making full use of his experience, varying his deliveries intelligently, and had his third victim when he trapped Alex Gidman lbw for 12. The dismissals of Will Gidman and Hamish Marshall gave Cosker his five-for, although the latter’s 32, which included two sixes, helped the visitors recover from 144 for 6.Hamish shared a partnership of 42 for the seventh wicket with Tom Smith, who finished the day unbeaten on 38.

Former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusingha says he enjoying his new role as the acting head coach of the Australian state side New South Wales

Sa'adi Thawfeeq24-Dec-2012Former Sri Lanka batsman Chandika Hathurusingha, who played 26 Tests and 35 ODIs, is pleased to be fulfilling his new role as the acting head coach of the Australian state side New South Wales (NSW).”It came as a surprise, but it was recognition of my contribution to the NSW team since I became their assistant coach in September last year,” Hathurusingha said. He took over for the rest of the current Australian season following the sacking of Anthony Stuart, who had been coach of the state since May 2011.”It was not the ideal situation for me because I cannot do things my way as it is in the middle of the season, but nevertheless I am honoured,” he said.NSW is the among the most successful domestic cricket teams in Australia, with a rich history of many players having represented the national team. The present side includes Australia captain Michael Clarke, his deputy Shane Watson, David Warner, Mitchell Starc, Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Moises Henriques, Steve Smith and state captain Stephen O’Keefe – all of whom have represented Australia at some point in their careers.”It is a matter of prestige for a Sri Lankan to be coaching such a side. I enjoy working with them,” Hathurusingha said.Hathurusingha, whose CV includes being coach of Canada and the UAE, had at one point been thought of as a replacement for former head coach Trevor Bayliss, but he doesn’t mind his current position.”I was technical advisor to the NSW team (Sydney Sixes) during the Champions League in South Africa and when Trevor Bayliss went over to Kolkata Knight Riders, I more or less took over his position and we went on to become champions,” Hathurusingha said. “Even if I don’t get the job as head coach I am not worried. I am quite happy with my current position as assistant coach.”He said his chances of becoming the permanent head coach of NSW depended on the team’s performances this season. They are already out of the Ryobi one-day competition and are currently lying fourth in the Sheffield Shield table.”Many of our players are called up to play for Australia and this has affected our team performances,” he said. “My job is to help them achieve their goal of playing for Australia and also to develop players from the state to go and represent the country. I am not only helping the [batsmen] but even the bowlers. The feedback from them has been very encouraging. All of them are aspiring to play for Australia and I am delighted to be of help.”These players know how to take care of themselves individually. They are independent and once they are told something they go ahead and do it. That comes from their culture. In Sri Lanka, some of the players need to be pushed.”Hathurusingha was sacked by the previous Sri Lanka Cricket administration under DS de Silva as he had not obeyed the chairman’s orders not to return early from a tour of Zimbabwe to follow a coaching course in Australia in 2011. He left for Australia with his family and took on the job as assistant coach of NSW.”My sacking turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was disappointed the way I was asked to go. I would have loved to have coached my country but unfortunately the administrators at that time did not see it that way.”

The U.S. is limping into the knockouts, having had their weaknesses exposed all through the first three games of this tournament.

Early in the second half of the United States women's national team's World Cup group-stage finale against Portugal, the fire alarm at Eden Park went off. It rang and rang, with no one quite sure how to react or address the situation as it unfolded. Those in attendance surely knew it was a problem, but none were quite willing or able to fix it or respond to it.

The soccer gods don't often give us such perfect metaphors. As the alarm bells literally went off around the stadium, the metaphorical ones sounded all throughout a historically bad USWNT performance in the team's 0-0 draw. And, much like the fans in the stadium, USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski was left sitting there seemingly helpless, content to continue watching on despite all of the obvious noise going on around him.

Andonovski's USWNT is struggling, to say the least. There's no coherent identity to this team and, while talent will be enough to lift them to a draw against an overmatched Portugal, it won't be enough in the knockout stages.

So far, we haven't seen a team capable of doing that. It's been a tournament with few standout performers and even fewer standout moments. Still, the U.S. advanced from the group, so well done there. For only the second time, though, they failed to finish atop their group and, with just five points to their name, they've done so with their worst group-stage performance in program history.

The alarm bells are ringing all over for the USWNT and, from what we've seen, they may not be capable of shutting them off before being forced into an early exit.

(C)Getty ImagesWINNER: The Netherlands

How bad does the USNWT's 3-0 win over Vietnam look in hindsight? The Netherlands showed no mercy in their own group-stage closer against Vietnam, scoring early and often in a lopsided 7-0 victory. They had two goals inside 11 minutes, four goals inside 25 and five by half-time. If the USWNT were paying attention to the other game at all, they would have known pretty quickly that their hopes of finishing atop the group had gone up in flames.

That top spot, deservedly, went to the Dutch, who were certainly the best team in Group E. They'll now, theoretically, have an easier road to the final as they should avoid Sweden, depending on Wednesday's results.

They fell short against the U.S. in 2019 and couldn't quite exact revenge in their own head-to-head, but the Dutch did get the last laugh in this group as they look the more likely of the two teams to reach the final once again.

AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Rose Lavelle & the USWNT midfield

It's a shame, really, that we may never really get to see Lavelle do what Lavelle does in this tournament. After being limited to substitute appearances in the USNWT's first two matches, Lavelle was named to the starting XI for this one in a triumphant return for one of the team's biggest stars. However, before you knew it, Lavelle ensured that she'll return to the sidelines for the next game, having earned a suspension for a second yellow card in as many matches.

The card itself was a bit harsh, as Lavelle was punished despite trying to pull out of a tackle. That doesn't matter now, though. She's out for the USWNT's last-16 match, which might just mean her tournament is over.

That's a huge blow for the U.S., especially given the state of the midfield. Lindsey Horan was wasteful against Portugal, struggling to connect passes at even an acceptable rate. Andi Sullivan, meanwhile, was once again a non-factor, totally unwilling to receive the ball and frequently out of position to win it back, which is not very helpful from a No.6.

The USWNT midfield without Lavelle may not be good enough to survive one more match.

Getty ImagesLOSER: Vlatko Andonovski

There was no way he'd get it all wrong again, right? Right?!? After all of the criticism that came his way after botching both his starting XI and substitutes against the Netherlands, Andonovski had to have learned something…

Or maybe not. The USWNT coach saw his team put in an even worse performance as he, once again, couldn't figure out a way to get his players to work together as any sort of unit.

The starting XI was better, with Lynn Williams and Lavelle coming into the XI. Lavelle was obvious, Williams was a decision, and probably the right one. Still, Andonovski, for some reason, persisted with Sullivan as the No.6 and Julie Ertz as the center-back despite all of the evidence proving that he should do just about anything other than that.

And the subs, once again, were an issue. Even with Portugal in control of the game, he didn't make a change at half-time, waiting until the 61st minute to introduce Megan Rapinoe. Another new addition didn't come until the 84th, with Andonovski seemingly looking to meet a quota by making a whole bunch of last-gasp changes as the U.S. tried to kill the game.

The USWNT shouldn't have been in that spot to begin with. The U.S. does not settle for group-stage draws. It's against everything this team has ever been. Andonovski, however, can't get this team to play like any of their predecessors. There's no identity, no tactics, no vision. It's one big jumbled mess of individuals that, on a good day, can bail this team out.

They couldn't in this one, unfortunately for Andonovski, and it's not a good bet to rely on that idea the rest of the way as the margins become even finer.

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Getty ImagesWINNER: USWNT critics

Leading up to the World Cup, the discussion has been about how the rest of the world has caught up with the USWNT. It's been, somewhat quietly, discussed for years, as a program that was once the unquestioned favorite is now simply just among the favorites when major tournaments roll around.

Netherlands boss Andries Jonker put it on record ahead of his side's clash with the USWNT. "The intensity in European football really has grown the last couple of years, as well as the fitness," he told. "In the past, the American women were a lot fitter than the rest of the world, but I really think those days are over. If you look at the Champions League nowadays, you see the same level of intensity. So the big question is now, what is left of their superiority? Let's see about that."

What's left? Well, not much. Jonker is right: the USWNT don't look like a team that can simply outhustle and outmuscle other teams. The intensity has clearly dipped, and the rest of the world is good enough to take advantage.

USWNT legend Carli Lloyd took aim at her now-former teammates after the match, saying that they lacked the attitude that prior teams have. And she may just be right. No USWNT of years past would have drawn Portugal at a World Cup.

This one did, though, and it appears they're ripe for a humbling knockout loss once that part of the tournament gets underway.

Michael Clarke will make his BBL debut as captain of the Melbourne Stars next summer after signing with the team for the next two years

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Apr-20153:22

Michael Clarke targets BBL title for Stars

Michael Clarke will make his BBL debut as captain of the Melbourne Stars next summer after signing with the team for the next two years. Clarke has not played a Twenty20 match since the 2012 IPL and has never played a domestic T20 game in Australia, in large part because of his international commitments over December-January.However, his decision to retire from ODI cricket at the end of the World Cup last month should mean space is cleared in his schedule from next season. Clarke, who grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, has previously been part of the Sydney Thunder squad but he said he was now looking forward to helping the Melbourne Stars in the search for their first title.”I’ve been fortunate throughout my career to have success in the Test format and in the most recent one-day World Cup,” Clarke said. “There’s a goal I haven’t achieved yet and that’s trying to help a team win the BBL and I look forward over the challenge over the next couple of years trying to help the Melbourne Stars.”I’m really confident. We have a fantastic team and have done for a few years now. I’m hopeful I can help contribute and bring a title to the Melbourne Stars.”Clarke will succeed Cameron White as captain of the Stars – White has switched to cross-town rivals Melbourne Renegades – and David Hussey will lead the Stars when Clarke is unavailable. Clarke has played only 46 Twenty20 matches since his debut in the format more than a decade ago, and he retired from T20 internationals in 2011.His record in the shortest format pales in comparison to his work in 50-over and first-class cricket: he averages 21.05 a strike-rate of 108.22 with one half-century. He said he was keen to improve his record in the T20 game.”I don’t think it’s a point to prove … obviously I would have liked to have scored more runs than I have,” he said. “My leadership’s had success in the Twenty20 format. [Runs are] a goal for me and I look forward to that challenge.”Clarke’s move will make him a team-mate of Kevin Pietersen, who was second on the BBL run tally last season with 293 runs for the Stars. Pietersen has returned to cricket in England this month, scoring 170 for Surrey in a three-day game in Oxford, and Clarke said he would not be surprised to come up against Pietersen during this year’s Ashes.”He’s certainly showing enough runs,” Clarke said. “He’s made it clear he wants to play … at the moment from the Australian perspective I’m happy he’s not playing because he’s a wonderful player.”