Jamie Overton’s four wickets against Middlesex brought hope to Somerset supporters that their talented yet unfulfilled side will be replenished

David Hopps at Taunton15-May-2013
ScorecardNeil Dexter closed the day with an unbeaten half-century•Getty Images

Somerset supporters concerned that their talented yet unfulfilled team is growing old together can take heart from days like this: the young ‘uns are coming. Foremost among the new breed is Jamie Overton whose career-best 4 for 65 challenged Middlesex’s visions of supremacy at the Tractor Ground.It is not really the Tractor Ground, of course, but “County Ground” is always so unimaginative (its only saving grace is that it is not named after an airline) and it sounded like the Tractor Ground shortly after lunch when Tractor himself – arguably Somerset’s most famous fan and ill-advisedly unprotected against the unseasonable chill – was on full revs, bellowing for all he was worth for Alfonso Thomas to slow Middlesex’s progress.Thomas failed, largely because Joe Denly, whose first 10 scoring shots were boundaries, reached 40 by a mixture of good fortune, easy pickings and a decent shot or two. But what the Great Alfonso could not deliver, the Young Pretender did, finding the outside edge to take three of the first four Middlesex wickets to fall. Toby Roland-Jones made up the foursome with two for grabs on the morrow.The Middlesex wickets that matter are those of the openers, Sam Robson and Chris Rogers. Neither particularly catch the eye, but they have an adhesive quality which is at the heart of Middlesex’s championship challenge and which makes up for a flaky middle order. Overton removed then both, at which point five more wickets tumbled for 66 in 18 overs before Neil Dexter summoned a necessary response with an unbeaten 73. Rogers’s Australian late coming this summer might not set the Ashes alive but England will value his wicket as much as most. Like many squat batsmen he can look frustratingly immovable.Overton, still only 19, and still routinely confused by all but the most committed Somerset observer with his equally promising twin brother, Craig, bowled at a fair lick in his 21 overs. The first thing that strikes you about him is his robust appearance for one so young; he may need it at Taunton which is not exactly a fast bowler’s dream. Somerset’s skipper Marcus Trescothick put Middlesex in on a green pitch, but Rogers and Robson dealt with what limited threat there was.
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Somerset recovered in the afternoon session with three wickets in as many overs. Rogers, who had not been as solid as his young fellow Australian, Robson, nicked Overton to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler. The next over saw the left-arm spinner Jack Leach bowl Denly shouldering arms and then Overton struck again when Dawid Malan was snapped up by Trescothick in the slips off Overton.Leach, like Overton a promise of good things to come, bowled with good control and finished the day with three wickets as James Hildreth snapped up John Simpson at short-leg off Leach and Gareth Berg swept a catch to Peter Trego at mid wicket.”Nailed on draw and you don’t get many points for a draw,” muttered one Somerset sage soon after lunch as Middlesex prospered. He will doubtless return with a more optimistic slant on things for the second day. At Taunton, 293 for 8 at the end of the first day suggests that stalemate should be avoided and it is Somerset who have the edge.

PCB have hired a vigilance officer and a security officer to help tighten security and prevent players from unsolicited approaches

Umar Farooq13-May-2013Pakistan’s tour to England in 2010 was embroiled in controversy as the spot-fixing debacle created waves around the cricket world. To protect players from unsolicited approaches and avoid a repeat of the affair, the PCB has decided to deploy a security officer and a vigilance officer who will monitor player activities, with the intention of protecting them from unwanted social contact and media interviews.This will be Pakistan’s first visit to England since that ill-fated tour. They will depart on Monday night and stop briefly in Scotland and Ireland to play two ODIs against both countries, before heading to England for the Champions Trophy.”It’s a very sensitive tour,” Naveed Akram Cheema, the team manager, told reporters at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. “All the players realise the importance of it, and they should maintain strict discipline as we don’t want a repeat of events. Players [have been] told to restrict their off-field movements and focus on the game.”Security has been increased in light of the spot-fixing controversy, which erupted during the fourth Test against England at Lord’s in 2010. Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, who were involved in the incident, were sentenced in November 2011 at Southwark Crown Court for conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat.”They are all spirited players and over the last two-three years have played as a unit. The tour is sensitive in that there are lots of people who could have vested interests, and we have to counter that,” Cheema said. “Psychologically, they are motivated and united.”Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was “optimistic” about the side’s chances in the Champions Trophy, but was wary that the team would face a dual test, both on and off the field, during the tournament.Dav Whatmore, Pakistan’s head coach, also expressed high hopes for the team. “We begin every series with an intent to win,” Whatmore said. “We feel we’ve got the best fifteen that we can possibly have at the moment. ICC events are slightly different to bilateral series as there is a requirement to win and finish in the top two. Our objective in all cases is to win tournaments.”

Moeen Ali’s first century in the Championship for nearly two years steered Worcestershire into a strong position against Gloucestershire

23-May-2013
ScorecardFile photo: Moeen Ali progressed to his first hundred of the season•PA Photos

Moeen Ali’s first century in the Championship for nearly two years steered Worcestershire into a strong position in their Division Two clash with local rivals Gloucestershire at New Road. Having bowled out their neighbours for 234, Worcestershire powered into a lead of 68 as Moeen – badly dropped at mid-off on 99 by Liam Norwell – closed the second day with 122 not out in a total of 302 for 3.While Moeen was all flair and flicks, with 18 fours and three sixes, the diligent Matt Pardoe grafted for nearly five hours for 89, the highest of seven half-centuries so far in his Championship career. Their partnership of 173 in 52 overs built on the advantage secured by Alan Richardson’s first-day return of 8 for 37, the best Championship bowling for the county since Zaheer Khan took nine wickets against Essex in 2006.Worcestershire’s top order has rarely fired so consistently in recent times but after a sticky period following last year’s relegation from Division One, they have been given a shot in the arm by their two-day demolition of Kent last week. With a first win of the season secured at the fifth attempt, suddenly they are a team playing with authority.After rain in the morning had cost an hour’s play, Gloucestershire’s seamers were unable to match Richardson’s destructive performance when Daryl Mitchell and Pardoe resumed their overnight partnership of 65. The first pair moved on to 90 before Mitchell, having hit 10 fours, went for 63, carving a ball from Norwell to Benny Howell at point.If Gloucestershire hoped this would put them back in the game, they were quickly disappointed as the ever-entertaining Moeen revealed his full repertoire in reaching three figures from 130 balls.In a partnership of left-handed batsmen, Pardoe had a different role to play and he carried it through as Worcestershire would have wanted when pushing him up the order in place of last year’s overseas player, Phil Hughes. Tall and watchful but always quick to punish the bad ball, he hit seven fours in reaching 50 for the second match in a row at New Road and he added five further boundaries before the new ball gave Gloucestershire a lift late in the day.In the third over, James Fuller bowled Pardoe, before Thilan Samaraweera became a leg-before victim for Craig Miles from the ninth ball he faced. The final session was twice interrupted by rain and in all 27 overs were lost to the weather.

Munir Hussain, the legend of Urdu cricket commentary in Pakistan, has died aged 83 of a cardiac arrest in Karachi

Umar Farooq29-Jul-2013Munir Hussain, one of the pioneers of Urdu cricket commentary in Pakistan, has died aged 83 of a cardiac arrest in Karachi. A former right-arm seamer, he played a single first-class match for Kalat District in 1969-70, taking two wickets against Quetta in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy.Born in November 1929, Hussain had earned many accolades during his distinguished commentary career spanning several decades. He was presented the Best Urdu Commentator of the Decade Award (1985-95), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, and the PCB’s World Cup Legends Award presented on the 10th anniversary celebrations of Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 World Cup.He was also the founder of the first Urdu cricket magazine . He also wrote a popular weekly column in the Urdu daily for years, and had commentated on the game on television and radio in the 1970s.”Munir , a journalist and broadcaster of renown from the early 1970s, had a fan following of his own,” Najam Sethi, the PCB’s acting chairman, said. “He was an informed, easygoing and affable personality; his death will be widely mourned by the journalist and broadcast community as well as the cricketing fraternity across the country.”

The casualty list among Australia’s fast bowlers has grown with Jackson Bird set to fly home from England with pain in his lower back

Brydon Coverdale22-Aug-2013The casualty list among Australia’s fast bowlers has grown with Jackson Bird set to fly home from England with pain in his lower back. Although the seriousness of Bird’s injury is not yet known, worryingly for the Australians this is the second overseas tour this year that has ended early for Bird due to a back problem, after he flew home from India during the first Test in Chennai in February.”Jackson has had low back pain over the past week of the Ashes tour and will return to Australia today to begin the process of investigating the source of the pain and rehabilitation,” the team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said on Thursday.Bird played the fourth Investec Test at Chester-le-Street and bowled well at times, collecting 2 for 58 in the first innings but also struggled for penetration in other spells and did not claim a wicket in the second innings. Bird, 26, has been highly effective for Tasmania at almost every venue in Australia and he could be an important bowler in the home Ashes if fit.Bird is the second Australia fast bowler to suffer a back problem on this tour after James Pattinson was diagnosed with a stress fracture early in the series. Australia’s fast-bowling stocks were also hit this week by the news that Pat Cummins would almost certainly miss a third consecutive domestic summer due to a back injury.

The women’s Ashes will retain the points-based format used in the current series when England travel to Australia in early 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2013The women’s Ashes will retain the points-based format used in the current series when England travel to Australia in early 2014. There will be six points on offer for the winners of the sole Test match (or two for the draw), with two points for victory in each of the limited-overs matches.The schedule and venues have also been announced, with the series beginning in Perth on January 10 with a four-day Test. That will be followed by three one-day internationals and three T20s, which will be played as double-headers with the England and Australia men.The team with the most points from the seven matches will be awarded the Ashes. In the current series, England are 6-4 up, with three T20s still to play. The Test match was drawn and England won the ODI leg 2-1, thanks to a five-wicket victory on Sunday.Schedule for 2014 women’s AshesJanuary 10-13, only Test – WACA, Perth
January 19, 1st ODI – MCG, Melbourne
January 23, 2nd ODI – MCG, Melbourne
January 26, 3rd ODI – Bellerive Oval, Hobart
January 29, 1st T20 – Bellerive Oval, Hobart
January 31, 2nd T20 – MCG, Melbourne
February 2, 3rd T20 – Stadium Australia, Sydney

The Rajasthan Royals, on their CLT20 debut, will play all their league matches in Jaipur and their captain Rahul Dravid, in his last appearance on a cricket field, will hope for a good sign-off after their troubled IPL 2013 season

Devashish Fuloria19-Sep-2013Overview
Rajasthan Royals have been in the news for all the wrong reasons over the last few months but the Champions League offers them a chance to bring the spotlight back to their cricket. The corruption scandal that came to the fore towards the end of this year’s IPL took much of the gloss away from what had been an excellent season for the Rahul Dravid-led side. Royals were one of two teams this year to remain unbeaten at home and despite lacking in star value when compared to other IPL teams, players like Brad Hodge, Stuart Binny, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Ajinkya Rahane and the captain himself made their performances count.Royals have always been a personality driven team. From the days of Shane Warne to the current arrangement under a vocal version of Dravid, the team’s captain has remained the most visible part of it on the field. And understandably so – the biggest domestic player in the team Rahane is an introvert, so someone has to compensate to keep the young team buoyant.It will be the last time Dravid will be seen on the cricket field and after the sadness that came with the realisation he was sailing a ship with numerous holes, he would be looking forward to a good sign-off. Despite the heavy losses the team has incurred in terms of personnel, it still remains an efficient battery, with a cannon the size of Shane Watson. What’s more, they are playing all their league matches at their fortress.Key players
This IPL season, Shane Watson was intimidating with the bat, top-scoring for the team with 543 runs at a strike rate of 142.89, the highlight not being his century, but his 34-ball assault on Chennai Super Kings’ bowlers in seaming conditions. He also picked up 13 wickets, bowling for the first time after a gap of a few months. In the absence of Siddharth Trivedi he would assume a bigger role in the team’s bowling plans. Batting-wise, he is always a threat at this level, and his recent century against England will be a major boost to the team.Then there is Brad Hodge, the second-highest run-scorer in T20 cricket behind Chris Gayle, who brings that 196-match experience to lend stability to the batting line-up in the lower half. Add Rahane, the silent accumulator at the top, to the list and the batting has a sense of depth to it. The bowling will be led by Faulkner, who was second in the list of leading wicket-takers in IPL 6.Surprise package
Ashok Menaria featured in only one game in the IPL earlier this year, but he has struck rich form ahead of the tournament. Playing against New Zealand A, he picked up 10 wickets in three matches with his left-arm spin and scored a match-winning half-century as well. Along with Stuart Binny, he could form the backbone of the middle order.Weakness

In the IPL this year, Royals enjoyed the extra pace and bounce afforded by the Jaipur pitch and they will get the same home advantage in the Champions League. However, the teams they are going to play against include Perth Scorchers, Otago Volts and Lions, who would also prefer those conditions. In such a scenario, the absence of a quality spinner could hurt Royals. Pravin Tambe is the lone specialist spinner, but at 42 and with no first-class experience, his inclusion would always be a gamble.

New Zealand took just over 90 minutes to get their tour underway with a 66-run victory at Taunton and their coach, Mike Hesson, delivered a calm message of confidence

Alex Winter in Taunton11-May-2015
Scorecard1:18

New Zealand get tour underway with victory

New Zealand took just over 90 minutes to get their tour underway with a 66-run victory at Taunton and their coach, Mike Hesson, delivered a calm message of confidence to the gathered press leaned up against a white picket fence. The contrast with the England set-up could not have been more stark.The umpires here, Neil Bainton and Steve O’Shaughnessy, were the latest to express their praise for New Zealand’s attitude and professionalism, qualities that have endeared them to the world over the past 18 months. They made an efficient job of taking the remaining four wickets on the final morning and the temperature even jumped several degrees to leave the tourists happy with their opening fixture.”It was a little scratchy at times but there were enough good things,” Hesson said. “The tempo with bat was good and some of the guys got runs. But I thought with the ball we were a bit inconsistent.”That was a fair reflection for a final-day session that began with a wicket from the second ball but saw James Hildreth go through to a third century of the summer and Tim Groenewald smash his way to by far his best first-class score for Somerset.Mark Craig took three wickets to finish with 5 for 34. “The ball didn’t really spin until he bowled,” Hesson said. “He was the only one to turn it off the straight and got good turn and bounce, generally out of the footholes, and always looked a likely threat.Mark Craig picked up six wickets in the match (file photo)•Getty Images

“He’s a wicket taker but occasionally leaks runs. He’ll be better off for this, having not bowled for at least two months. Mark will be playing for us in the Test no doubt so it’s a matter of him getting into good rhythm and being confident.”Doug Bracewell will also hope to play in the first Test, which starts in ten days’ time. He got the morning off to a perfect start, trapping Josh Davey lbw, but he was outbowled by debutants Jacob Duffy and Ben Wheeler in the match, both of whom impressed Hesson.”I was delighted with them,” Hesson said. “Jacob swung the ball from straight which is a good skill. He was nervous but he will be pleased to get through that first game. Ben was outstanding. He didn’t bowl a bad ball in his first spell and created a lot of opportunities. He even came back and went well with the old ball so it’s a good start for him.”Hesson confirmed that Duffy and Wheeler would not remain with the squad beyond Thursday’s second warm up at Worcester but Mitchell Santner, who made a second-innings 94, is part of the one-day squad. “Mitchell played at a great tempo in tough conditions and we also saw what a powerful striker he is so hopefully we’ll see some of that in the one-day series.”Martin Guptill is on course to return from injury at New Road but the arrival of New Zealand’s six IPL players remains unclear. Fast bowler Matt Henry has been released by his franchise but Brendon McCullum, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson may not be granted early release, with their franchises in position to quality for the semi-finals. They could arrive just two days before the first Test.But there are no such worries for Craig’s preparation. He is on course for Lord’s with a fine second innings return here where he gained turn and bounce. He forced a misjudgement from Craig Overton who trod on his stumps trying to pull, turned one past the inside edge of Groenewald’s drive after his entertaining 37-ball 47, where he struck five sixes, and finally ended Hildreth’s stay when he edged a cut to the keeper.Hildreth at least provided some positivity for the hosts, who slipped to their fourth successive defeat. This, his third first-class century of the summer, left him 222 runs shy of 1000 before the end of May. He has two more Championship matches to reach the landmark.He delayed Somerset’s defeat with a stand of 72 for the eighth wicket with Overton. He essayed a cover drive that didn’t require a moment’s thought of running and then hooked Neil Wagner for six over square leg. Another hook of Bracewell was not as well controlled but still found the fine leg boundary. His next four, a very well timed tuck through square leg, brought up a 117-ball century and at least something for the locals to smile about.

The PCB has nominated former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas for the ICC presidency, a day after Najam Sethi, the head of the board executive committee, withdrew his candidature for the post

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2015The PCB has nominated former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas for the ICC presidency, a day after Najam Sethi, the head of the board executive committee, withdrew his candidature for the post. Abbas was principal advisor to Sethi when he was the PCB chairman.The ICC had asked the PCB to nominate an ex-cricketer last year in September but Pakistan had came up with Sethi’s name. Sethi was slated to take over from Mustafa Kamal as the ICC president for a period of 12 months from July 1. In April, he had offered himself as the interim president after Kamal resigned and was willing to fill in for two months before taking a full-fledged role from July.Sethi’s decision to withdraw came after the ICC in its previous board meeting, it is understood, discussed encouraging former cricketers for the post from 2016 after what would have been Sethi’s one-year term.The post of the ICC president is merely a ceremonial and ambassadorial one and there was a sense prevailing after Kamal’s fall out that this post should be held by an iconic cricketer for the image and popularity of the game.

On days such as these are Yorkshire’s Championship credentials rubber-stamped. With Ryan Sidebottom turning in one of his habitually irresistible spells of swing and stamina Warwickshire’s batsmen were routed

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston06-Jul-2015Yorkshire 213 and 125 for 1 (Rhodes 53*) lead Warwickshire 69 (Sidebottom 6-34, Brooks 3-14) by 269 runs
ScorecardJack Brooks’ 3 for 14 helped tear Warwickshire apart•Getty Images

On days such as these are Yorkshire’s Championship credentials rubber-stamped. With Ryan Sidebottom turning in one of his habitually irresistible spells of swing and stamina, and threatening briefly to claim all ten wickets in the innings, Warwickshire’s batsmen were routed in the gloaming at Edgbaston.Bowled out for 69, their lowest first-class total for 29 years and their lowest at Edgbaston since 1982, they avoided the follow-on by the skin of their tenth wicket – no mean feat when you have already reduced your opponents to 213 in their first innings – then watched Yorkshire’s batsmen plough off into the distance in a less dramatically one-sided evening session.By the close of a day in which Edgbaston’s bespoke “e”-shaped floodlights had been a near-constant companion, Will Rhodes had calmly notched up his maiden Championship half-century with Jack Leaning alongside him on 28. At 125 for 1, the lead was already an imposing 259 with nine wickets standing, and with two days remaining, there is plenty time for Yorkshire to turn the screw further, even with a dour forecast in prospect.Yorkshire’s day began with a sniff of an opening, courtesy of Sidebottom’s two-wicket burst on Sunday night, but plenty of work still required to restore parity after a slipshod display with the bat in which Jonny Bairstow’s century had shown up the shortcomings of the rest of the order.After a rain-wrecked morning session had been reduced to nine balls, the mere fact that play was possible after lunch came as something of a surprise. Either way, Warwickshire’s batsmen did not appear remotely ready to repel the threat posed by the oldest swinger in town.”Taking a few early wickets last night helped the confidence,” said Sidebottom. “I suppose it happens like that, you get in a bit of rhythm, you put it in the right area with a little bit of seam and swing, you get the edge, got a few bowleds, it was really nice.”In the team meeting this morning, Dizzy [Jason Gillespie] actually put in onto me to say a few words and I said we’ve got to bowl full and straight, so I had to do what I’d said!”Sidebottom required nine deliveries in the afternoon session to send shockwaves through Warwickshire’s innings. Having been standing at the far end on Sunday evening when Varun Chopra shouldered arms to Sidebottom’s first ball of the innings, Ian Westwood might have realised the folly of leaving the good-length deliveries. Instead he too had his stumps flattened by a wicked late curler, and at 29 for 3, Warwickshire’s innings swung out of control.Laurie Evans needed ten balls to get off the mark and was then cut down by his 11th, another Sidebottom special that curled around his half-formed defences to flatten his off stump, as Warwickshire contrived to lose their next five wickets for no runs in the space of 30 balls.Sam Hain bagged a nine-ball duck as he handed Sidebottom his fifth wicket of the innings, courtesy of a smart take by Jack Leaning at third slip, whereupon, two balls later, Peter McKay was pinned so palpably lbw that Sidebottom didn’t bother turning to the umpire to appeal as he charged off in celebration. At that stage, Sidebottom had claimed all six wickets in the innings but before he could start a new over, Warwickshire lost their seventh, and their third in four balls, when Jonathan Trott, their only remaining hope, was outstandingly plucked by Leaning, scooped at full stretch in the slips to give Jack Brooks his first scalp of the day.Jeetan Patel registered the fifth duck of the innings when he fenced limply outside off to be caught behind in Brooks’ next over, and Boyd Rankin the sixth, though not before he had raised ironic cheers in the crowd for scoring Warwickshire’s first run in six-and-a-half overs, a deflection off the helmet that required a break for some running repairs.At 37 for 9, the ludicrous prospect of the follow-on now loomed into view – Yorkshire’s bowlers could hardly have been fresher, with Sidebottom and Brooks running on adrenaline and the change seamers, Tim Bresnan and Steve Patterson, yet to be called upon, and Andrew Gale signalled Yorkshire’s desire to stick their opponents back in with one of the more improbable 37-for-9 fields you’ll ever witness – two slips and four men out on the boundary.But Rikki Clarke found the gumption to resist. He flicked Sidebottom over square leg for six and added three more fours en route to 28 from 42 balls which, at that stage, was the joint-second-highest score of the match. His resistance was ended when Patterson bowled him through the gate, leaving Oliver Hannon-Dalby unbeaten on 5.Yorkshire’s second innings was a model of uncomplicated restraint. The conditions remained trying but the fizz was understandably absent from their attack. Rhodes capitalised with 53 not out from 125 balls, an innings of understated class that showed why, at 20 years old, he is a batsman whose progress is being so closely monitored.With Leaning no less resolute, the only man to fall was Alex Lees, who was smartly taken at first slip by Chopra to end an opening stand of 58. But Warwickshire’s problems were compounded soon afterwards when McKay, the wicketkeeper who had been conspicuous by his failure to go for that catch, had to leave the field with a suspected broken finger. His role was temporarily filled by Andy Umeed, a 19-year-old batsman whose maiden first-class match came for Scotland against Afghanistan at Stirling last month.