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Kent were level with Essex at the top of Division Two for a few heady hours before a thumping innings win for Essex against Worcestershire reasserted the superiority of the long-time leaders

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Chelmsford02-Sep-2016
ScorecardTom Westley picked up a couple of wickets after scoring a career-best 254•Getty Images

“I’d be lying if I said I weren’t checking the scores,” admitted Essex’s head coach Chris Silverwood.Every interval – virtually every moment of peace – at Chelmsford over the last three days had been broken by an update of scores from around the country, both in the stands and the players’ balcony.News of Kent’s emphatic victory over Sussex, taking them level on points with Essex at the top of Division Two, filtered through as the players were walking off the field for tea. Just over an hour later, Essex had completed their demolition job of Worcestershire. This victory by an innings and 161 runs will have registered down the road in Kent, too.A three-day finish was on the cards when Worcestershire were reduced to 64 for 5 by lunch, in their first innings on day one. That Essex were able to fulfil expectations was ultimately down to Graham Napier, who picked up his fourth five-wicket haul of the season, after Ryan ten Doeschate had brought up his third century of the season before declaring 371 runs ahead.It was not the cleanest morning’s work from Essex. They lost Tom Westley run out for 254: his innings ended at 506 minutes after ten Doeschate dropped the ball into the off side and ran instantly. Westley gave up the run about halfway down, as Brett D’Oliveira swooped from point to throw down the stumps.Still, the Essex skipper remained calm and brought up his century from 114 balls. His innings also took his season’s tally past 1,000 first-class runs for the first time in his career.Essex should have struck in the first over of Worcestershire’s second innings. Jamie Porter got his fourth delivery to lift off a length and take Daryl Mitchell’s edge, only for Nick Browne to put down a simple catch at third slip. Browne would make amends later with a stunning one-handed catch at point, off the bowling of Will Rhodes, to remove Tom Fell.Mitchell’s reprieve allowed him and D’Oliveira to survive until the last over before lunch. It was then that David Masters, in his first over from the Hayes Close end, where he nabbed all seven of his first innings wickets, sent Mitchell on his way with a delivery that kept low as it moved in, knocking into middle and off stump.With the fourth ball after lunch, D’Oliveira was accounted for – becoming the first of Napier’s three afternoon-session wickets when he edged through to James Foster. The second came when Joe Clarke played on, looking to continue on an enterprising innings that was cut short at 22.At this point, George Rhodes, the only bright spot for Worcestershire at Chelmsford, seemed to be on his way to a second half-century in the match.It was at this point that ten Doeschate decided to throw the ball to Westley. Despite the change in regulation, spin has played little part at Chelmsford. In fact, Westley’s first over, the 39th of the second innings, was the first sight of spin from the hosts. It took just four balls to come good, as Ross Whiteley was trapped in front from around the wicket. In Westley’s next over, he drew Rhodes out of his crease to give James Foster his first Championship stumping of the season. The wicket of Leach, bowled by a full Napier delivery that moved late into the right-hander, took the teams to tea.There was a carnival feel to the evening session, as the floodlights were superseded by the sun, which found a gap in the clouds as Essex pushed for a day off. Ed Barnard, caught by Westley at second slip off Napier and then Ben Cox, flicking Masters tamely to Jamie Porter at mid on, gave Napier four in the innings and Masters nine in the match (he had never taken 10). And so the game within a game began – who would get the final wicket? In the end, it went Napier’s way, as Jack Shantry, having stroked a couple of boundaries, offered a high leading edge that ten Doeschate caught brilliantly, sprinting in from mid off.Essex now have a round off, while Kent host a revitalised Northamptonshire at Beckenham. In the meantime, the Essex players will be given some time off before they return to Chelmsford on September 12 to play Glamorgan, before a potential winner-takes-all clash with Kent at Canterbury in the final round of the season.Essex will play their remaining two matches without Alastair Cook, hence the acquisition of Adam Wheater on loan. With Hampshire happy for the wicketkeeper batsman to court opportunities elsewhere ahead of next season, Essex are thought to be interested in bringing him back to the club he left in 2013 on a more permanent basis. Silverwood, though, was keen not to comment on the matter just yet.

The third Investec Ashes Test will mark the end of an era for English cricket. For the first time since the fourth Test against West Indies in Antigua in 2004, 139 matches ago, England will take the field in a Test match without a player born in southern

Will Macpherson at Edgbaston28-Jul-2015The third Investec Ashes Test will mark the end of an era for English cricket. For the first time since the fourth Test against West Indies in Antigua in 2004, 139 matches ago, England will take the field in a Test match without a player born in southern Africa.When England returned from Antigua – the match in which Brian Lara broke the world record with his mammoth 400 not out – Johannesburg-born Andrew Strauss, who had been in the squad for the West Indies tour, was selected to open the batting against New Zealand at Lord’s. From there, the southern African lineage has run from Strauss, through Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Jonathan Trott, Nick Compton right up to Gary Ballance, who was born in Zimbabwe, unlike the others, who are all South Africa-born.In total, these six southern African-born players (all batsmen, interestingly) have won 359 caps in that period, scoring 66 centuries. Two of the coaches who capped these players – Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower – were both Zimbabwe internationals, although the latter was born in Cape Town. Strauss, Trott, Pietersen and Prior made up four of England’s top seven in 30 Tests between 2009 and Strauss’s retirement in 2012.Ballance has been replaced for the Edgbaston Test by Jonny Bairstow, leaving Ben Stokes as the only player born overseas in an England XI often criticised over the years for the far-flung birthplaces of its charges.Since Strauss debuted, England have also selected players born in Australia, Ireland, Barbados and even Denmark, while the likes of Michael Lumb, Craig Kieswetter, Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker and Jason Roy have all played white-ball cricket, having been born in South Africa. But the selection of English cricketers born in southern Africa is not just an 11-year-old phenomenon, with the likes of Basil D’Oliveira, Allan Lamb and Graeme Hick all born there.

Dane van Niekerk took two wickets and top-scored in South Africa Women’s successful run chase to and put the tourists 2-0 up in the five-match series

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2013
ScorecardDane van Niekerk took two wickets and top-scored in South Africa Women’s successful run chase to and put the tourists 2-0 up in the five-match series. Spinners van Niekerk and Sunette Loubser claimd six wickets between them as West Indies Women struggled to 128 all out and, despite falling to 0 for 2 and 58 for 5, South Africa recovered to wrap up a four-wicket win with two overs to spare.Defending a small target, West Indies needed early wickets and they got them through Shanel Daley and Stafanie Taylor. South Africa openers Shandre Fritz and Trisha Chetty fell for ducks before a 45-run partnership between captain, Mignon du Preez, and Marizanne Kapp steadied the innings. Three wickets then fell for 13 runs and when Cri-zelda Brits departed with the score on 90 there was still work to do but No. 8 Yolandi Potgieter joined van Niekerk to add the required 39 for victory.West Indies had got off to a far better start, having chosen to bat, but after Taylor’s 29 at opener, too many batsmen got in and then out. Six other players reached double figures but none got out of the teens as Loubser, whose eight overs went for just 11 runs, and van Niekerk applied the pressure. The dangerous Deandra Dottin made just 10 from 41 balls and after West Indies captain, Merissa Aguillera, departed at 102 the last five wickets mustered 26 between them.

Michael Hussey has no intention of calling time on his international career at the end of a triumphant series against India, and believes the next generation of batsmen are still to earn the chance to snatch the No. 6 berth from him at a time when Austral

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide22-Jan-2012Michael Hussey has no intention of calling time on his international career at the end of a triumphant series against India, and believes the next generation of batsmen are still to earn the chance to snatch the No. 6 berth from him at a time when Australia’s resurgence is giving him plenty of reasons to stay on.The last Test of the home summer is commonly a time for ruminations on the future, and many had expected one of Hussey, Ricky Ponting or Brad Haddin to venture into life beyond the Australian dressing room at the end of the India series. However Hussey said neither he nor any of the other senior members of the team had given any indication of marking a finish line, and that Australia’s return to the winning habit had only added to their sense of vitality.”Throughout the whole summer I have just tried to set myself for this series but my body feels good, I still feel I’m playing well, and mentally I’m still keen to turn up to training and mentally keen for the battle out in the middle,” Hussey said. “From that point of view I am definitely thinking of continuing on. I’d love to go to the West Indies.”I just watch the guys and how they go about their training and you can still see the hunger is there, so I would be very surprised if the other guys wanted to move on. I certainly see them playing well enough, I still see them doing the work and I still see them wanting to part of the team. I haven’t picked up any hints that they’re going to leave the game.”Any enthusiasm among the national selectors to usher in another young batsman has been dampened this summer by a lack of stand-out performances from those who might have been considered contenders for middle order positions. Usman Khawaja has endured a difficult summer with the bat and needs to improve his fielding and broader team contributions, while Callum Ferguson seems likely to lose his Cricket Australia contract after a summer of meagre returns. Phillip Hughes’ technical problems, meanwhile, have been documented in detail.”The culture I was brought up in is that the next generation has to earn their right to play for Australia,” Hussey said. “It took me over ten years of first-class cricket to just get one game so I don’t feel the responsibility to pass the baton on.”I still feel I’ve got a big role to play in the team with experience to help some of the younger members of the team but I still feel I can contribute to Australia working their way back to where they want to be which is to be the No.1 team in the world. I still feel I have a role to play in that journey.”Hussey’s journey, should he choose to take it, will include a tour of the West Indies in March and April, ODIs in England in June, and the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September. Beyond that tournament are home Tests against South Africa and Sri Lanka, before the team embarks on the vexing task of touring India then England in 2013.”I will sit down and have a think about that after this series, I basically tried to set all my energies towards this Indian series, that’s what I really wanted to be a part of and part of a winning team, and probably re-assess after that,” Hussey said. “But certainly the Twenty20 World Cup there’s a bit of a carrot dangling there, and I’d love to be a part of the World Cup again, and there’s some big cricket still to come.”I didn’t perform as well as I’d have liked in the West Indies last time I toured there [in 2008] for a Test tour, so that’s something I’d really like to go on and play well at. One-day cricket in England is always a fantastic tour to be a part of. But I just really want to be part of Australia’s success, being part of helping Australia get back to being No.1.”I was lucky enough to come into the team when we were possibly the best team I’ve ever played for, to then go through some more turbulent and difficult times, and I’d love to be part of the team that can work our way back up, that’d be a fantastic international journey.”

After a wicket from the third ball in Brisbane and one from the fourth delivery in Adelaide, there was more opening-over excitement in Perth

Andrew Miller at the WACA16-Dec-2010A relatively slow start

After a wicket from the third ball in Brisbane and one from the fourth delivery in Adelaide, there was more opening-over excitement in Perth.
Shane Watson was given out caught behind from the sixth offering of the day, but he immediately appealed Billy Doctrove’s decision. The replay showed the ball hitting his hip and the game had to wait until the end of the second over for the first breakthrough, when Phillip Hughes was bowled.Hussey hustled

Until he returned to wrap up Australia’s innings, Graeme Swann’s reputation for first-over strikes had taken a bit of a nose-dive in this series. But he’s still the man to claim the key wicket in an innings. Since his beasting at the hands of Michael Hussey at the Gabba, he’s bounced back impressively with Hussey’s scalp in consecutive first innings, and today’s breakthrough was every bit as crucial as the nick to slip that he induced at Adelaide. Brad Haddin had belted him for four and six in his first over, but to the fourth ball after the drinks break, Hussey propped forward to a corker that straightened on off stump. Umpire Doctrove was unmoved, but Matt Prior – whose judgment with referrals has been iffy in this series – was already signalling for a referral as he rushed up to celebrate. This time the replay showed a clear nick, and Hussey was gone for an innings-breaking 61.Horizontal take-off

There’s plenty of distance yet to run in this match, but if England do go on to seal the Ashes at the WACA, it could well be that Paul Collingwood’s catch to dismiss Ricky Ponting will be recalled as the iconic image of the series. It was a sizzling dismissal that encapsulated Ponting’s struggles to impose himself on the campaign, as he fenced outside off to James Anderson and looked back in horror as Collingwood took off to his right, and clutched a lightning quick edge in his outstretched palm. It was reminiscent in many ways of Andrew Strauss’s one-handed pluck off Adam Gilchrist at Trent Bridge in 2005, not least because England’s success in silencing Gilchrist throughout that summer was arguably the single biggest factor in their triumph.
With a solitary score above 12 in five attempts, Ponting is running out of time to find his form.Hits among the misses

Despite the devastating bouts of destruction, the Australian batsmen remained keen to attack and Haddin, Hussey and Mitchell Johnson were successful in bursts. Haddin opened his shoulders to charge Graeme Swann, lofting him to long-off for a boundary, and two balls later picked up a six to long-on. Michael Hussey brought up his half-century with a slash over gully off Steven Finn and followed up with two pulled boundaries in the same over shortly before his dismissal. Johnson’s swipe to midwicket off Swann was initially ruled a six but downgraded to a four on replay, but he cleared the rope down the ground straight after tea.Daddy not-so-cool

Forty-eight hours in a plane have not wearied James Anderson, nor has he been mellowed by the arrival of his new daughter, Ruby. In the absence of Stuart Broad it was feared that England’s attack would have lost a key element of aggression, but Anderson ensured that there was plenty needle out in the middle, not least when Johnson entered the fray for his half-century. Throughout their duel the pair could be seen sniping at one another, and Anderson’s celebrations when he bowled Ryan Harris for 3 were pointed to say the least. He ran backwards down the pitch, arms outstretched as he gestured to the non-striker Johnson, before finishing with a silencing finger to the lips. Anderson secured the last laugh in the feud when he caught Johnson on the pull at square-leg, but before he could get too gleeful, he was struck down by cramp.Tail-end toughness

Australia’s last pair showed some muscle and spirit as they put on 35 to push the total to 268. Peter Siddle’s innings of 35 was boosted by some heavy hitting, including two hefty boundaries in an over from Finn. Ben Hilfenhaus (13) is not known as a big striker, but he cover-drove Tremlett for four and then rocked back next ball to pull him to the fence. It was a bright end to a dull day for the hosts.

South Africa have agreed to play two Tests, in addition to three ODIs, on their tour of India

Cricinfo staff03-Jan-2010India will host South Africa for a full tour, comprising two Tests and three ODIs. Though the dates for the tour, scheduled for early this year, are yet to be finalised, India’s request to play two Tests in what was originally planned as an ODI series has been accepted. Nagpur and the Eden Gardens, which is undergoing renovation for World Cup 2011, have been confirmed as the two Test venues.Kolkata, which will host its first Test since 2007, has had trouble with its floodlights over the last two seasons, the latest incident occurring in the one-dayer between India and Sri Lanka.Kanpur, Jaipur – which had missed out during the Australia series last year – and Ahmedabad have been decided as the three ODI venues.India were propelled to the No.1 position in Tests following their 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka and the prospect of playing just two Tests in the next ten months, as initially scheduled, had raised fears of them being unable to preserve that position. Gerald Majola, Cricket South Africa’s chief executive, had said the board would make space for the Tests, as requested by the BCCI, which would lengthen the tour by a week.”They [India] have requested we play two Tests and three ODIs and we are still considering it,” Majola had said. “We still have to consult with the South African Cricketers’ Association, the team management, our playing regulations and fixtures committees, as well as the board. It would extend the tour by another week, but we would like to accommodate them and I don’t foresee a problem with it.”

Gayle said Mulder’s decision to not got after Lara’s record was an “error” and “he didn’t know what to do in that situation”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025

Wiaan Mulder had 38 fours and three sixes when he got to 300•Zimbabwe Cricket

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has criticised South Africa’s stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder for not going after Brian Lara’s record of the highest individual Test score earlier this week, when he declared on 367 not out against Zimbabwe.Gayle, a former team-mate of Lara, said Mulder “maybe panicked” and made an “error” by not chasing the “once in a lifetime opportunity.””If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400,” Gayle told . “That doesn’t happen often. You don’t know when you’re going to get to a triple-century again. Any time you get a chance like that, you try and make the best out of it.”Related

• Mulder: Lara told me I should have gone for the record

• Mulder: 'Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be'

• Stats – Mulder breaks records and Zimbabwe with 367*

Mulder said he did this out of respect for Lara’s record and Gayle accepted that, to an extent: “But he was so generous and said he wanted the record to stay with Brian Lara. Maybe he panicked, he didn’t know what to do in that situation.”Come on, you’re on 367, automatically you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend… how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend.Mulder, 27, was playing only his 21st Test, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where South Africa were put in to bat. Mulder went out at No. 3 in the 10th over of the innings and Zimbabwe were unable to dismiss him in the 334 balls he faced, of which 49 were stuck for fours and four for sixes. He was unbeaten on 264 at the end of the first day and not far from Lara’s record on 367 when the teams took lunch, but South Africa never returned to bat as they had declared.”I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it,” Gayle said. “We don’t know if he would go on and get it or not. But he declared on 367 and he said what he had to say. But listen, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get 400 runs in a Test match. Come on, youngster, you’ve blown it big time.”Gayle further said the quality of the opposition did not matter in such records.”It’s the same cricket, Test cricket,” Gayle said. “Sometimes you can’t even get one run against a team like Zimbabwe, if you want to put it that way. It doesn’t matter, the opponent, if you get a hundred against any team, that’s a Test century. If you get a double or triple, 400, that’s Test cricket. That’s the ultimate game.”Like I said, he panicked and he blundered, straight up.”Much of the cricket world has been debating the event, and a question was even put to England’s Ben Stokes at the press conference ahead of the Lord’s Test. Would he have declared on a batter so close to the record?”As captain, you’d rather do it to yourself than the captain pulling out on a groundbreaking day,” Stokes said. “I think he said something about how it should stay with Brian. He’s not going to get that opportunity again. They got the win, which obviously is the big thing that counts.”

Zimbabwe captain and allrounder available for entirety of tournament’s group stage

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jan-2024Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe’s captain and premier allrounder, has agreed to join Northamptonshire for the 2024 Vitality Blast.Raza, 37, is currently ranked as the fifth-best allrounder in T20I cricket, and recently became the first player in the format’s history to score five consecutive half-centuries. He has been nominated as the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.Raza has made more than 200 T20 appearances in his professional career, including appearances in the IPL, Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League and Lanka Premier League. This, however, will be his first appearance in England’s T20 competition.”I’m delighted to be coming to Northamptonshire.” Raza said. “This will be a different challenge for me but I’ve loved playing cricket in England in the past. It’s always been a wish to play in the Vitality Blast so I’m looking forward to fulfilling that.”John Sadler, Northamptonshire’s head coach, said: “We’re delighted with the signing of Sikandar for the Blast. He’s a very experienced, high performer on a global scale. He’s a three-dimensional cricketer who always has an impact in every game he plays, we know he’s also a fierce competitor which will be fantastic for us.”Raza will join the squad ahead of the tournament and is available for all 14 matches of the group stage.”I would like to entertain the fans and put a smile on their face with as many wins as possible,” he said.”Our first task is to secure a quarter-final spot and then take that momentum and belief into the latter stages and hopefully lift the trophy.”Looking at the side we have a decent squad and a lot of good players, I’m looking forward to using my experience to help us win as many games as possible and help the younger players as well.”

The former Australia captain is set to play a first-class game after a gap of more than 18 months

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2022Tim Paine is in line to play his first first-class match for more than 18 months after being named in Tasmania’s Sheffield Shield squad to face Queensland this week.Paine last played for Tasmania in early 2021 but returned to club cricket at the weekend where he took the keeping gloves and made an unbeaten 20.”Was nice to blow off some cobwebs,” he told reporters at Hobart airport. “Been training for five or six weeks. Ready to go. Excited, a bit nervous, but looking forward to it.”Paine did not find a place on the Tasmania contract list earlier this year but approached the state’s coaching staff about being keen to return.”It was nice for him to get out there and play a game of cricket again,” Tasmania’s coach Jeff Vaughan told reporters on Tuesday. “He was quite nervous before that match.””He has been training with us the last couple of months. And it wasn’t until we selected over the last week or two, firstly his name was on the table for one-day cricket and then he was on the table last week when we selected [the Shield]. And it was quite unanimous that everyone wanted one of the world’s best wicketkeepers into our side.”We have absolute faith and trust in Tim and his preparation. Physically he is probably in the greatest spot of his physical career, emotionally he is sound. He has been training really well with us the last two months. We have got full faith in his wicketkeeping skillset so he has ticked all of the boxes.”Paine resigned the Test captaincy amid a text-message scandal last November and a short while after that said he was taking a break from the game for his mental health.Tasmania squad Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Caleb Jewell, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk (c), Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster