In the absence of their star allrounder Kamau Leverock, Bermuda collapsed from a strong position and never recovered

The Report by Peter Della Penna29-Apr-2018Peter Della Penna

Freddie Klokker’s unbeaten 108, coming on the back of left-arm spinner Bashir Shah’s excellent spell, propelled Denmark to an eight-wicket win over Bermuda in their WCL Division Four clash at the Royal Selangor Club.However, perhaps the day’s bigger news came at the start, when Bermuda left out star allrounder Kamau Leverock. The move came less than 24 hours after his expletive-laden public tirade at the team’s final training session at Kinrara Oval, before the start of the tournament.Bermuda had a solid opening stand without Leverock, after being sent in at the toss, as Okera Bascome fired away to 63 off 41 balls in an 81-run partnership with captain Terryn Fray.But by the end of the day, Leverock’s absence was telling, as Bermuda collapsed from 134 for 1 to 155 for 7. Though the top three each made solid contributions, only one other batsman made double figures subsequently. Shah crippled Bermuda with 3 for 17 in 10 overs, whereafter Charles Trott tried to resuscitate the innings with 36 off 45 balls at No. 8. Bermuda were eventually bowled out for 209 in the 48th over.Klokker opened the chase and stayed till the end, striking eight fours and a six. He shared an 89-run opening partnership with Zameer Khan (38 off 56 balls) before an unbroken 115-run stand with the new captain Hamid Shah (48 not out off 59 balls) took Denmark across the line with 49 balls to spare.

Anti-corruption officers have sought clarification from the Pakistan team management after a couple of their players were seen wearing what appeared to be smart watches

George Dobell at Lord's24-May-20180:34

Watches won’t be worn again – Hasan

Anti-corruption officials have told Pakistan’s players not to wear smart watches on the field after a couple of their players were seen with them on the first day at Lord’s.As per the ICC’s Player and Match Officials Area Regulations, wearing smart watches is prohibited on the field and areas designated as player and match official area [PMOA]. An ICC release on Friday confirmed that such devices must be surrendered, along with mobile devices, upon arrival at the ground on match days.”The ACSU officer came to speak to us and told us it’s not allowed to wear them so we won’t be wearing them,” Hasan Ali said after the day’s play.In an effort to combat corruption in cricket over the last few years, players and officials have been obliged to hand over their phones (and any other transmitting devices) to anti-corruption officials ahead of the start of play. They are then locked away and returned to them shortly after stumps.ICC regulations state that: “Communication devices are prohibited within the PMOA, barring specific exceptions. Without exception, no player shall be in possession of, or use a communication device (such as a mobile phone or a device which is connected to the internet), while in the PMOA.”Asad Shafiq checks his watch•Getty Images

An ICC spokesman told ESPNcricinfo: “Apple watches in any way connected to a phone/WiFi or in any way capable of receiving comms such as messages, are not allowed. In effect, it is considered a phone unless ‘disabled’ and just a watch.”There are several legitimate reasons to continue to wear such a watch when disabled. It still tells the time, for example – though there is also a large clock overlooking the playing area at Lord’s – while fitness data can all be recorded and stored on a disabled device.Asad Shafiq, who wore the watch on Thursday, had said in a pre-series interview with the commentator Ramiz Raja that players use the watch to track their daily exertions, and that they burn “around 3000 calories” on a regular day of Test cricket.”We definitely get an idea [of fitness measures],” Shafiq said. “If you wear it the whole day you get an idea, you get the results of your workout in front of you, and you can calculate your targets for the next day.”ESPNcricinfo understands that the ICC’s anti-corruption officer at the match, Peter O’Shea, was surprised by photographs appearing to show the devices and approached the Pakistan team management at the end of play. The ICC has the power to confiscate the devices and download all material from them in order to monitor recent activity.While there is no allegation of wrongdoing, the ICC on Friday stated that it will caution players against wearing such devices in order to avoid such confusion in the future. Their own regulations may well be tightened to reflect that stance.May 25, GMT 0600 The article was amended to include Asad Shafiq’s quotes.May 25, GMT 0745 The article was amended to reflect ICC’s PMOA regulations.

Wayne Madsen scored his 27th first-class hundred for Derbyshire but Northants made a good start to their pursuit of 314 to win

ECB Reporters Network24-Jul-2018
ScorecardNorthamptonshire skipper Alex Wakely revived his team’s chances of pulling off a record-breaking run chase after another Wayne Madsen century set up the prospect of a thrilling finish to the Division Two match against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.Madsen made 116 and allrounder Matt Critchley 51 as Derbyshire posted 342 to set Northants 314, which would be the highest fourth innings total at Queen’s Park. Dan Wheeldon dismissed England batsman Ben Duckett to claim his maiden first-class wicket but 68 from Luke Proctor and an unbeaten 48 from Wakely took the visitors to 174 for 3, 140 short of their target.The first session was always likely to be pivotal and Derbyshire were the team who went into lunch in a position of strength thanks to Madsen and Harvey Hosein. Both played patiently to deny Northants early wickets and although the bowlers maintained discipline on another stiflingly hot morning, there were few alarms for the batsmen.By the time Hosein was bowled sweeping at Seekkuge Prasanna for 38, Derbyshire’s lead was 180 and Critchley helped Madsen add another 40 to that by lunch. Madsen completed his 27th first-class hundred for Derbyshire from 170 balls and although he fell to a smart slip catch soon after, he had given his side the initiative.Critchley acknowledged his fourth Championship fifty of the season before he was unluckily run out but Hardus Viljoen hit Prassana for two big sixes to take Derbyshire’s lead past 300.Northants knew they would have to bat exceptionally well on a pitch taking increasing turn and the odds against them appeared to lengthen when they lost Duckett and Ricardo Vasconcelos in the first 14 overs.Duckett was hit on the back leg by a good ball from Wheeldon and when Vasconcelos edged offspinner Hamidullah Qadri to slip, the target looked a long way off. But Proctor and Wakely showed good judgement and Northants’s hopes were starting to climb when Critchley got one to pop to have Proctor caught at leg slip.Another wicket would have made Derbyshire favourites but Wakely and Richard Levi batted through the last 10 overs to tilt the match towards Northants although the outcome remains in the balance.

Allrounder hopes England’s performance has ‘shut a few mouths’ as he stars on eve of Bristol court case.

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2018An emotionally spent Ben Stokes admitted that “playing for England means so much” after his final-day heroics with the ball secured his team a thrilling 31-run victory over India at Edgbaston.Stokes’ participation in the second Test at Lord’s – and beyond – will depend on how his trial for affray develops, when the case gets underway at Bristol Crown Court on Monday.However, he managed to put his off-field worries to one side with a brilliant three-wicket intervention on Saturday – including the priceless scalp of Virat Kohli, lbw to an inswinger for 51.”It’s great to be a part of this game, but I don’t know … I don’t know what to be feeling right now,” Stokes told at the end of the match.”Throughout the whole innings … Kohli played a brilliant knock in the first innings, but with the ball swinging, he was trying to move across to play for that inswinger, but actually it was the one that I was trying to swing away [that set the wicket up], he maybe leant over and missed one for a change.”Moments like that change the game in these tight ones. I’m proud to be part of this group, playing for England means so much, and it’s a great start to this tough five-match series. Being 1-0 up we’re in the box seat at the moment.”Stokes followed that dismissal up by having Mohammed Shami caught behind for a duck in the same over, before wrapping up the contest when Hardik Pandya fenced another lifter to Alastair Cook at first slip.”We weren’t quite sure what to expect here,” Stokes said. “We knew we needed five wickets and we had all the confidence, These games are brilliant. We’ve copped a lot of stick as a team recently and beating a team like India there has closed a few mouths.”Winning those tight games, you can’t underestimate what it gives teams for confidence. We’ve got a five-Test match series here, so we’ll take all the confidence we can. There’s no better way to start it off than that.”Stokes’ all-round impact in a tight Edgbaston Test brought to mind the efforts of Ian Botham in 1981 and Andrew Flintoff in 2005, but he paid particular tribute to another allrounder whose four-wicket haul in the first innings and vital half-century in the second kept England afloat in the game.”I thought we are a bit behind with the lead but Sam Curran took them out of play,” he said. “The way that he played at such a young age, that was the big turning point of this Test match.”

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2018Rajneesh Gurbani’s 7 for 81 ensured three points for India Red in a drawn opening match against India Green in the Duleep Trophy 2018-19. Green ended up 28 runs short of Red’s first-innings total, ending with one point as the match petered out into a draw on Monday, the fourth and final day.Abhinav Mukund had won the toss for Red and chose to bat at the NPR College Ground in Dindigul, and the team was bowled out for 337. Gurbani, who made 22 from No.8, was part of a lower-order resistance led by Mihir Hirwani’s career-best 61 that pushed Red past 300.All batsmen in the top six had got starts, but only Ashutosh Singh made a substantial score, holding much of the innings together with a patient 80.The extra runs proved crucial, as Green were bowled out for 309 despite B Indrajith’s 109 and Sudip Chatterjee’s 82. Green looked on course to take the first-innings lead when Indrajith and Chatterjee were putting together a 123-run stand for the third wicket. But Chatterjee was run out by Hirwani with the score at 158, and Green’s innings faltered after that.They would have still entertained hopes of grabbing the lead at 301 for 6, but Gurbani took out K Vignesh, Jalaj Saxena and Ashok Dinda in seven balls as Green slid to 302 for 9. Shahbaz Nadeem had Ankit Rajput caught shortly after as Green fell short of Red’s first-innings tally.With only academic interest left in the match, Sanjay Ramaswamy hit an unbeaten 123, while B Aparajith matched his twin brother’s feat with an unconquered 101 as Red piled up 262 for 1 before declaring, at which point both teams shook hands to end the four-day contest.All the matches in the Duleep Trophy will be held at the same venue, and are day-night affairs played with the pink ball. The next game will pit Red against India Blue from August 23.

Alastair Cook addressed a variety of issues, from mental strength to Kevin Pietersen to his future with Essex, after announcing his impending retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2018Alastair Cook addressed a variety of issues, from mental strength to Kevin Pietersen to his future with Essex, in the wake of his announcement that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of the Oval TestWhat do you make of the reaction to your retirement news over the last couple of days?

It’s been a bit surreal. One of my friends rang me to check I was still alive because everyone was talking as if I’d died. It is nice when you hear so many nice words said about you. The last couple of days I’ve been back at home so I hadn’t seen what has been said or written until last night. I allowed myself a look last night. It means a lot. For example, someone stopped me when I was driving in and made me wind down the window and said ‘thank you very much’. That was a nice moment. Hopefully this week will go well, I can score some runs and then go home.When did you decide that this would be your last series?

It’s hard to put into words but there have been signs in my mind over the last six months that this was going to happen. I told Rooty before the game and then Trevor during the game.Why do it before the last Test?

In this day and age it’s very hard to keep anything quiet. If it were 2-2 I’d have had to keep my mouth shut. When you do media you get asked questions so it’s hard to constantly lie, though I’ve been pretty good at it! But there’s certain questions you’re asked and you know you’re not being true to yourself. If it were 2-2 I’d have kept my mouth shut but, once you’ve made a decision like that, it’s always in the back of your mind. As soon as I told Rooty I felt more of a release.What have your personal highlights been?

You can’t really look past those two away series where I was man of the series and we won, in Australia and India. That was the best I could play and probably, in my career as a whole, I can look back and say I probably became the best player I could become. That actually means quite a lot to me. Yes, I’ve never been the most talented cricketer, and I don’t pretend I was, but I definitely think I got everything out of my ability.Anything you’d do differently?

Of course there are decisions in hindsight that you question. Clearly the KP affair was a tough year, there’s no doubt about that. The fall-out of that wasn’t great for English cricket and wasn’t great for me. I was involved in that decision without being the bloke who actually made the final decision.What would it mean to you to finish on a high here?

That would be fantastic but it would be great for England to win, most importantly – 4-1 sounds better than 3-2. But if I could play a really good innings that would be fantastic.Can you tell us about the moment you told your team-mates?

I was a couple of beers in, which I needed to be otherwise I would have cried more than I actually did. I managed to hold it together. At the end of the game I just said ‘this might be good news for some and sad for others but it’s time. I’ve done my bit and if picked the next game it will be my last one.’ That’s kind of all I said. There was a bit of silence, then Mo said something, we all laughed and everyone got on with it. We had a nice evening in the changing room.You mentioned there had been signs in the last six months; what were those signs?

I’ve always had that mental edge. I’ve always been mentally incredibly tough and had that edge to everything I’ve done. But that edge had kind of gone. The stuff I’d found easy before wasn’t quite there. That to me that was the biggest thing.Alastair Cook brought up his fifth Test double century•Getty Images

Did you consider asking for six months off and then taking another look at this decision?

It did cross my mind briefly as the decision became clearer in my mind but, if you’re looking at the last two or three years, I haven’t played huge amounts of games. I’ve never struggled with getting on another plane or ever thought ‘here’s another game of cricket’. I’ve never struggled with that. When I’ve been talking about that little mental edge I’ve lost, if you have six months off and then come back, I don’t think it would have been there. Once the decision is in your mind, you ask people about it along the way and they say ‘when you know, you know’ and I honestly think that’s so true. For me, anyway.What do you think of the theory that, as an old-school batsman, you’re the last of a dying breed?

Naturally kids are going to be attracted by the razzmatazz of Twenty20 cricket. I’ve seen it when youngsters have come into the Essex team. Their attacking game is better than their defensive game. That’s fact, I believe. I’m not sure I’m the last of a dying breed, but there will certainly be less cricketers of my ilk who are naturally suited to red-ball cricket rather than white-ball cricket. The kids will have a diet of T20. We had it when I was younger but we still built any innings for the first five. We didn’t think ‘I’ll whack it over the keeper’s head third ball.’ I don’t think we should be scared of that. We have to embrace it and we are embracing it. If we play less Test cricket, which might happen, we might place more importance on it.Was the fall-out from KP situation your lowest point?

It could have been handled differently. The moment Andrew Strauss came on board and said he was making the decision, personally for me that was the best thing that could have happened. I have a regret over it, it wasn’t great for English cricket. The end of the Sri Lanka series and the second Test against India at Lord’s – that period – that was the lowest point.You’re happy you had the stubbornness to carry on?

Absolutely. That was when it was real tough and I didn’t throw the towel in. I still thought I was the best man for the job and the right man to be captain at that time. It wasn’t easy. I could have taken the easy option but I didn’t. And I got the – that sounds selfish – the team got the reward winning the 2015 Ashes, which was just brilliant.Who was the toughest opponent you faced?

I think I must regret getting Ishant Sharma out as my wicket, because he’s kind of got his revenge since getting me out constantly over the last couple of series. The ball going away from me from around the wicket I found the hardest to conquer. But in general, a bowler who maybe is not the quickest but constantly hits line and lengths – it goes back to when I played as an 11-year-old and a 60-year-old dropped it on a length. I never had the power or the shots to knock bowlers off their lengths. So a bowler who hangs it there and doesn’t give me the pace to work with, that I found the hardest.Have you had a chance to think about what comes next? Essex would like you to stay in the game.

It’s nice of them to say that. I’m still going to play for Essex and I am really looking forward to that. It would be a big step going from all I have ever lived for is playing cricket and chasing my dreams to suddenly not having that, that would be a big thing, so it’s great Essex still want me. I am determined after a break to score some runs for them and help them win some trophies. There’s some great people. If mentally I don’t have that buzz I won’t hang around. I have never done media or coaching, just focussed on scoring runs for Essex and England. Whenever this day came I will cross that bridge. I imagine I will be changing nappies after what happened with Isobel – there will be some payback for that – but we’ll see what happens in the new year. It’s exciting.Did you have to sacrifice a lot to pursue this career in cricket?

It wasn’t hard sacrificing. I was stubborn enough and knew what I wanted to do. Missing a stag trip or a lad’s party, it was because it was the right thing to do. It wasn’t a sacrifice. But you rely on other people, with the family, farming … that wouldn’t be there to come back to if it wasn’t for people like Alice’s mum and dad, their family, the friends who help Alice. So they have probably put more of a sacrifice in than I have to make sure that, when I do go home, things are still running smoothly. It’s not just my effort, yes I have put stuff in on my game but to have that to come back to is very special. They have sacrificed more than I have.What made you fall in love with the game in the first place?

The battle between bat and ball. It’s a one-on-one thing. I love that stuff, but you play it in a team. I love the individual sport stuff but the experiences I’ve had with some great people over 12 or 15 years … if you’re on your own in an individual sport I don’t think you get that. That individual thing: me versus the bowler, but you get that team as well, and that’s why it suits me so well.How have you changed as a person since your debut and do you think people might appreciate more now how tough opening the batting is?

I’m sure I’ve changed as a person. I’ve become more confident in certain situations. The one thing about captaincy is that it gives you a chance to grow. It throws you into so many different situations that you can only grow as a person. I hope I’m still the same person as when I started. I think those who know me best would say that. They’ll still same I’m stubborn; they’ll still say I’m single-minded and hopefully still okay to be around. And I think everyone knows opening is the toughest job in the team. I’m still going to say that now I’ve finished.What’s your assessment of where the team is now and where it’s going? Is this a chance for Joe to put his stamp on the team?

I think he is putting his stamp on the team. He’s growing every day into the role. As I found, I was a very different captain in the first couple of years to the second couple. I see that with Rooty. I think the team is in a really good space in home series. I think we’re an incredibly good side at home. So the challenge is, can we be more successful abroad? And be a bit more consistent. This team now is more talented than any I’ve played in. They can do special things on their day. It’s just a question of whether they can be more consistent and more adept away from home.

Officials expect the three-member panel, which finished proceedings on Wednesday, to deliver a verdict with an impact that goes beyond cricket

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin04-Oct-2018The ICC panel hearing a dispute between the PCB and BCCI could potentially deliver a “landmark” judgment with reverberations for all intersections between sports and politics.A three-person dispute panel, set up to arbitrate the PCB’s claims for monetary compensation for two bilateral tours the BCCI didn’t honour, finished proceedings in Dubai on Wednesday.There is no indication when the panel, headed by Michael Beloff QC and including legal heavyweights Jan Paulsson and Dr Annabelle Bennett, will return a verdict though it is not unusual in such cases for it to take anywhere between four and six weeks.Lawyers from both sides presented their cases over three days that began in what was described as a “tense” and “formal” atmosphere and which remained “intense” throughout. A couple of officials likened it to the tension of an India-Pakistan limited-overs encounter.The dispute centers around an agreement the two boards signed in 2014 to play six series over eight years between 2015 and 2023. That agreement was the price the BCCI paid for the PCB’s approval of the Big Three governance changes; those changes were first voted in before being reversed.The PCB is claiming compensation of USD 63 million for two series it was supposed to host in November 2014 and December 2015 as per the agreement, but which eventually did not take place.The primary reason for the BCCI’s refusal to tour is political. Ties between the two countries have been strained since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and BCCI officials have made it clear that the decision to tour ultimately hinges on the Indian Prime Minister’s office.To that end, the appearance of the most high-profile witness at the arbitration, Salman Khurshid, India’s foreign minister at the time the agreement was signed.Officials and witnesses are under strict instructions to not talk publicly about the proceedings but Khurshid explained to the panel that it was “beyond the control” of cricket boards to organise a bilateral series in the troublesome prism of India-Pakistan relations.”I gave my expert evidence to the ICC panel and explained how the Indian government reacts to situations where security of people are under threat,” Khurshid told the . “Fortunately, when I was minister we didn’t have to deal with such (crisis) issues but irrespective of governments, I could express how one would react to fulfilling obligations that’s beyond the control of cricket boards.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The BCCI also argued that the agreement was a letter of intent that would only become a binding agreement once government permission had been granted. The PCB’s counter was that under English law it suffices as an agreement.Khurshid was one of five witnesses the BCCI called up. Among the others were Sanjay Patel, the board secretary and signatory to the agreement, Sundar Raman, a key figure in the ICC revamp, and Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI administrative head who was a conduit between the board and government.Also appearing was Shashank Manohar, the ICC chairman who was BCCI president in 2015 when one of the series was scheduled (Manohar, in fact, had shown an inclination to play the series subject to government approval). His appearance as a BCCI witness while ICC chairman raised eyebrows – the PCB was unhappy with his role as a mediator in one of the good-faith meetings the boards had before this panel was set up. Conspicuous by their absence, however, were N Srinivasan, the BCCI president at the time of the agreement, and the then secretary Anurag Thakur. None of the witnesses were current BCCI officials.The PCB, in contrast, called upon just Najam Sethi, their board chairman at the time, and Subhan Ahmed, the chief operating officer. At least to PCB eyes that witness count is illustrative of the two approaches to the case: the PCB simplifying and focusing on what it believes matters most – the agreement letter – and the BCCI going beyond that and into the circumstances in which it was created and under which it could operate.Only two outcomes are now possible – that the PCB wins its claim or it doesn’t. The panel cannot force the lost series to be rescheduled. But as much as the money, both boards – and the ICC – will be relieved to receive some long overdue clarity on cricket’s most compelling but presently moribund rivalry.The pair are not going to meet in Test cricket’s new showpiece event, the two-year Test Championship starting next year. They are not scheduled to meet in the following two-year cycle either, or in the concurrent ODI league. That confines the rivalry to ICC limited-overs events and other multilateral tournaments such as the Asia Cup for the foreseeable future.Written closing arguments now have to be submitted to the panel within a week, into which new arguments could be introduced based on the evidence presented over the last three days.Officials expect the decision to have an impact beyond cricket. The issues at play – of government involvement, of the sport being used as a tool for diplomacy but also being held hostage to politics – resonates in several other sports. Any decision here – reached by a heavyweight panel with accomplished legal minds – could be used hereon as a precedent in other sports where geopolitics cannot help but get entangled.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 46, the lowest total in a Women’s World T20 game

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Nov-2018by 60 runs
A spell-binding display of fast bowling from Deandra Dottin rescued West Indies after their batting faltered in unfriendly conditions for strokeplay in Guyana. She finished with the third-best figures ever recorded in women’s T20Is – 3.4-0-5-5 – as Bangladesh crumbled to 46 all out chasing a mere 107.It was pace that caused all the problems. Pace on a pitch that discouraged it. But Dottin didn’t care. She was the fourth bowler used, in the ninth over of the game, and made her threat quite plain. A bouncer fetched her first wicket – caught and bowled. An inswinger veering into the stumps brought her more success. A new batsman walked out without a helmet and a short ball coming for her throat made her reassess. Quickly.Bangladesh were unprepared for such fury. Their feet wouldn’t move. Their bats didn’t work. And their presence barely mattered. Dottin only saw the wickets behind Fargana Hoque, Nigar Sultana, Rumana Ahmed, Lata Mondal and Salma Khatun. She broke them four times in 22 deliveries to pick up the best haul by a West Indian in women’s T20Is.It makes sense to have the hosts play in the prime-time spot on a triple-header day, and to keep the early one for India games considering the time zones. But that meant they had to deal with a pitch that was very slow and low. Bangladesh had prepared for that, packing their XI with spinners, with Rumana’s legbreaks particularly hard to get away. The 27-year old who learnt part of her craft from Australia’s Stuart MacGill finished with 2 for 16, using the crease well and putting so much work on the ball that it drifted, dipped and turned too.Her job was made a touch easier thanks to Jahanara Alam. The former captain took two wickets in the third over of the game to set West Indies back. Hayley Matthews – the player of the match in the final of the 2016 edition – was caught superbly by Lata Mondal at mid-off. Dottin fell the very next ball, victim of another fine fielding effort, at point by Fahima Khatun. West Indies had lost a hefty chunk of their fire power with more than three-fourths of the innings left.The energy Bangladesh showed while fielding and the confidence they had while bowling, dissipated as soon as they returned to the dressing room. Jahanara, who picked up three wickets, including a ridiculous return catch, where she over-ran the ball, but stuck her left hand behind her only for it to stick, spoke rather nervously during the mid-game interview. “We’ll try,” she said.On the other hand, West Indies began their night dancing. They had to get serious, double-time, when their top order vanished, leaving the captain Stafanie Taylor to not only hold things together but also cobble up a meaningful total. She made 29 off 44 balls, her natural attacking intent curbed by the conditions and the lack of support. Eventually, she found help from wicketkeeper Kycia Knight, who managed 32 from 24, even as her team-mates yelled and cheered at the boundary edge. The coach Hendy Springer, meanwhile, was seen performing a literal face palm after his team slipped to 50 for 5.Those last few runs – 28 came in the final three overs – had geed West Indies up. They walked out for the second innings after a much more solemn huddle but were back to higher spirits in no time. Shakera Selman picked up a wicket with her sixth delivery. Then she made the ball ghost Jahanara for several torturous minutes before putting her out of her misery – the outswinger that kept beating her bat finally pinging off it only to be caught at mid-off. The crowd, by this time, had sensed a fightback was on. And if they didn’t, the insanely cool secret handshake that Selman and Matthews exchanged right there on the pitch left room for little doubt. The defending champions had found a foothold and they weren’t letting go.

While in Harare, a rain-hit contest between Tuskers and Eagles yielded no result

Liam Brickhill06-Dec-2018Results SummaryZimbabwe’s domestic season is underway after the first round of Logan Cup matches in Harare and Kwekwe.Fast bowler Carl Mumba burst back onto the Zimbabwean domestic scene with a match haul of 8 for 24 to demolish the reigning Logan Cup champions Mountaineers at Kwekwe Sports Club. Building on captain Tarisai Musakanda’s maiden first-class hundred, Rhinos reached 232 in their first innings, the highest score of the match.Peter Moor’s second-innings fifty helped Rhinos set Mountaineers 245 to win despite Donald Tiripano’s 5 for 42. That total was well beyond them when Michael Chinouya’s incisions rocked the top order, and Mumba then tore through the tail to pick up the remarkable career-best figures of 6 for 7 in the second innings, Moutaineers crumbling to 140 all out. There is not much room for error in the six-match Logan Cup competition this season, and the pressure is on Mountaineers not to slip up again if they are to retain the trophy.At Harare Sports Club, persistent rain had the final say in a closely-fought contest between Mashonaland Eagles and Matabeleland Tuskers. Having been put in by Eagles captain Tino Mutombodzi, Tuskers were carried by Craig Ervine’s 141 in their first innings, reaching 313. An all-round effort from the bowlers then restricted Eagles to 284, Chris Mpofu playing a vital hand by dismissing Cephas Zhuwao when the big-hitting left-hander had raced to a 45-ball 60.Cunningham Ncube’s battling 77 held Tuskers together in their second innings in overcast conditions well suited to swing bowling, with no other batsman making more than 14 in the innings. Eagles bowled Tuskers out early on the final morning, and their pursuit of 211 to win fired in fits and starts but was still on track when rain stopped play.Eagles were 155 for 4 when the weather intervened, the captains eventually shaking hands for a draw when it became apparent no further play would be possible.On the national radarWith a couple of the established names in Zimbabwean cricket away playing T20 (and even T10) franchise cricket elsewhere, the first round of Logan Cup matches was an opportunity for those on the fringe to start staking a claim. Mumba’s dramatic return will not have gone unnoticed, while in the same game Musakanda’s maiden first-class ton showed positive signs for his continued development, with Musakanda having made the runs batting out of position as an opener. Tiripano also recorded his fourth five-wicket haul in First Class cricket during the game in Kwekwe, while in Harare Ervine’s 10th first-class hundred (as well as some summer rain), helped Tuskers secure a draw.Top performerMumba had not played any professional cricket since seriously injuring his knee in Hambantota during Zimbabwe’s tour of Sri Lanka last year. The injury required reconstructive surgery on his knee, as well as nine months of rehabilitation work, but his performance against Mountaineers suggests that Mumba has lost none of his zip, and he could well find himself back in the national set-up, especially with the pace cupboards a little barer since Blessing Muzarabani’s departure for Northamptonshire.Admittedly, Mumba was also aided by a slightly spongy patch on the Kwekwe Sports Club pitch, but no bowler from either side was able to exploit the conditions as effectively as he was. His analysis is the best in Zimbabwean first-class cricket for any bowler taking six wickets in an innings, beating that of the great bowler Joe Partridge who took 6 for 13 for this country against North-Eastern Transvaal in Pretoria back in 1955-56. However, it does fall short of the amazing feat of left-arm spinner Keith Dabengwa, who in 2006-07 took seven wickets for just one run for Westerns against Northerns in the Logan Cup at Harare Sports Club.

The team’s plan for their main threat is from out of the box: an article that suggested Kohli is susceptible to deliveries pitched on a full length and seaming into him

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide03-Dec-20182:31

How can Australia tackle the Kohli threat?

Australia are exploring a data-driven, high-risk, high-reward tactic to negate Virat Kohli in the upcoming four-Test series that begins in Adelaide on Thursday.The India captain’s peerless form heading into the series and the challenge of breaking through his formidable defence makes him the most valuable scalp in the visiting side and data produced by Cricviz may have unearthed the most likely method for capturing his wicket.A recent article by Cricviz writer Ben Jones, which analysed Kohli’s batting, caught the eye of some members of the Australian camp, including Justin Langer. The head coach distributed the article among his players before they arrived in Adelaide and ESPNcricinfo understands it has been discussed in a team meeting to establish bowling plans to each Indian batsman.Teams and coaching staff typically use a range of analytics resources and video along with personal experiences and observations to formulate their plans and, while Australia’s final plans for Kohli will ultimately be decided over the next few days – and adapted as the Test and series unfolds – the fact that such an article has even been thrown into the mix shows they are willing to search far and wide while considering ideas from outside the established brains trust.The basic premise of the theory put forward by Jones is that Kohli is most vulnerable to fuller deliveries that deviate in towards the right-hander off the seam. In the eight Tests Kohli has played away from home this year, in South Africa and England, he has been dismissed significantly more often when bowlers have pitched the ball up. Cricviz figures show Kohli averages 46.28 against full deliveries compared to 66.33 against good length balls and 69.33 when facing short-pitched bowling.Virat Kohli strikes a pose during a photo session before the Test series against Australia•Getty Images

The caveat to the approach of bowling full – and it is a significant one – is that it leaves Australia’s bowlers open to the risk of leaking runs; Kohli is brutal in punishing balls that stray a fraction onto his pads.A theory is, of course, only as good as its execution and if Australia do adopt this tactic to the India captain it may be a question of the bowlers holding their collective nerve, particularly if he starts scoring freely. Speaking in Adelaide, Josh Hazlewood acknowledged there was a balancing act in containing Kohli while trying to remove him.”It’s a good point,” said Hazlewood. “He’s one of those guys who can score pretty freely, a number of the guys can in this Indian side, but sometimes those risks bring the most rewards as well. It’s just about weighing that up and assessing how long we stay at each plan for. We
might stay at it for 20 balls or 80 balls, depending on how we feel, and it’s about adapting once we’re on the field.”Kohli’s wicket also falls more often to deliveries that deviate more due to seam rather than swing. This factor could play to the strengths of Australia’s fast bowlers using the Kookaburra ball more than it did to England’s bowlers, who tend to exploit the more swing-friendly elements of the Dukes ball.Kohli has often countered the threat of the moving ball by batting outside his crease, even against those as quick as Mitchell Starc. In the 2014-15 series, when he made 692 runs in eight innings, including four centuries, ESPNcricinfo data logged him facing 142 deliveries that were of a full length. He was dismissed only twice.Bounce is a key factor in Australia as well, although former Australia players Ian Chappell and Jason Gillespie have warned the current set not to overdo the short-ball tactic.So, if Australia’s seamers do find success using full-length in-nippers to arguably the world’s most dangerous Test batsmen, it could go some way to swinging (or seaming) the series in their favour.