All posts by n8rngtd.top

Stand-in Superchargers captain Matthew Short expects “a lot of energy” from new head coach

Matt Roller25-Jul-2024Andrew Flintoff is “raring to go” for his first head coach role and will be “at his happiest” when his Northern Superchargers play Trent Rockets on Friday night. That is according to Kyle Hogg, Flintoff’s assistant at the Superchargers and his right-hand man ever since they met as teenagers making their way at Lancashire.”I was around Lancs as a 16-year-old playing in the second team, and he’d have been 19 or 20,” Hogg told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t want to say he took me under his wing – but he probably did, really. He looked after me in the dressing room and we’ve been close friends for about 25 years, which is scary. He’s never changed one bit from the first day I met him to today.”Related

• IPL franchises eye controlling stakes in Hundred teams

• The Hundred: Why 2024 season is ECB's 'shop window' for investment

• Flintoff on Hundred fast track but return raises awkward questions

• Stokes to link up with Flintoff in Superchargers comeback

• Can Flintoff stop English cricket's slow march to irrelevance?

Hogg, who has worked as a pathway coach at Lancashire and is an assistant coach at the Thunder women’s team, was asked late last year if he would be interested in working with Flintoff in the Hundred. They have recently worked together on the BBC series and Hogg did not need much convincing: “Any time he comes calling, you’ve never turning him down.”Flintoff has been working in England’s white-ball set-up as an assistant coach and has been mentioned as a potential successor to Matthew Mott. But Hogg played those links down, saying: “He’s been in TV for the last 15 years. This is his first time in cricket, so I guess it’s, see how he finds it. What happens in the future, who knows?”But at the moment, he loves being part of cricket again… He went from being a cricketer to, every time you switch a TV on, he was doing something different. But he’s never changed once. He’s got his core group of friends who have always been there, forever. He’s had a tough few years, and it’s great to see him back in a cricket environment.”Matthew Short will deputise as Superchargers captain•PA Images via Getty Images

The Superchargers are light on players, so much so that their strength and conditioning coach took part in Wednesday’s practice match against the South Asian Cricket Academy. Harry Brook and Ben Stokes are with England’s Test squad, Mitchell Santner is at Major League Cricket and Reece Topley will miss at least a week with a finger injury. Matthew Potts will, at least, be made available by England.*Brook is due to captain but Matthew Short, the Australian opener, will deputise for two games after leaving MLC early. “The Superchargers showed some faith in me, retaining me for this year, and I thought, ‘al lright, I’ll commit to these guys 100 percent,” Short told ESPNcricinfo on Thursday, barely 24 hours after flying into the UK from Dallas. “It’s a bloody fun tournament.”Short had sorted his retention for 2024 before Flintoff’s appointment but said he is excited to work with him. “He’s been great: he’s probably even more excited than the players at the moment. He loves to be on this side of the fence here at Headingley. I’m sure everyone is going to get around Freddie and help him out. We love having him around.”At the T20 World Cup, where he was a travelling reserve, Short asked England’s players about Flintoff’s characteristics. “From what I’ve heard, he’s a bit of the modern-day coach now, especially in white-ball cricket. It feels like he’s got a lot of fun and a lot of energy to bring. He’s going to be nice and relaxed, and I’m sure it’s going to be a really nice environment.”Their main discussions so far have been “around the whereabouts of all the players,” Short said, laughing. “How we want to play as a team is pretty hard to work out in a couple of days, so we’re going to have to learn on the go in that regard. The guys have played enough cricket to know what to do and know what they’re doing personally.”Flintoff and Hogg were long-time Lancashire team-mates•Getty Images

Hogg spent 14 seasons playing for Lancashire’s first team and admitted it felt strange to be in the home dressing at Headingley, the home ground of their fierce rivals Yorkshire. “It is probably hard to get your head around it,” he said. “But we’ve come in and felt like this is our home, which is really good. We want this to be our fortress.”[Flintoff] would have played here a lot more than I have over the years. He said even playing for England, sometimes you’d get a bit of grief being a Lancastrian which is part and parcel of it. But as everybody knows with Fred, anything he does, he does it 110%. He’s more excited than probably anybody: he is raring to go.”Cricket is what he loves, that’s the bottom line. He loves the preparation and everything that goes with it, and tomorrow night, when we get going, he’ll be at his happiest… he’ll be the same as he is in all walks of life. He’ll want the lads to give it everything, [just like] how he played his cricket. He’ll be there for all the players, and he’ll want them to enjoy it.”July 26, 1600 GMT – This story was updated to reflect Nicholas Pooran’s arrival in Leeds

Duo share unbroken sixth-wicket stand worth 91 after wobbly start for tourists on day two

Matt Roller17-Jun-2023Usman Khawaja walked up the dressing-room stairs unbeaten for the second straight evening at Edgbaston, 122 runs better off than he had been the night before. England hoped four overs would be enough to dislodge Khawaja on Friday, declaring in time for a crack at him with the new ball; 24 hours later, he had proved himself immovable.Khawaja was the nearly man of Australian cricket for much of his career, playing 93 times for his country before his 34th birthday without ever feeling like a permanent fixture in the side. His technique and temperament were called into question, and after three years out of international cricket, it seemed he had served his time.But in the Birmingham sunshine, Khawaja cut Ben Stokes for four and raced down the pitch to celebrate his seventh Test hundred since his recall 18 months ago. Since the start of 2023, he has scored hundreds in Australia, India and now, for the first time in his career, England.On a slow, dry pitch, Khawaja and Australia scored at a different tempo to the one England had set on the first day. They scored at barely two-thirds of the rate of England’s first innings, yet with Khawaja’s innings – littered with crisp pulls and handsome drives – ensured that they trailed by only 82 at stumps.It took Australia 24 balls to add to their overnight 14 for 0, absorbing more maidens in the first three overs of the day than England had done in their entire first innings. Khawaja pulled and flicked Stuart Broad and James Anderson for boundaries – he pulled and flicked his way through the day – but it was Broad who brought the morning to life.The first ball of his sixth over was a wide inswinger dangled outside off stump, but David Warner took the bait. He threw his hands at the ball, then his head back: his back leg collapsed as he shaped to thump Broad through the covers, and a thick inside edge deflected the ball into the top of his leg stump.It was the 15th time that Broad had dismissed Warner, but he celebrated as though it was the first, racing away towards the Hollies Stand with his fists clenched so hard that the veins in his neck throbbed. As Marnus Labuschagne asked a policeman to move from his perch next to the sightscreen, Broad sensed something was brewing.Raising his hand and whirling his finger, he geed up the crowd at the top of his mark. Coming from wide on the crease, he angled an outswinger into him, and Labuschagne could not resist driving away from his body. Jonny Bairstow tumbled low to his right, taking the catch one-handed, and Australia were 29 for 2.The hat-trick ball flew harmlessly past Steven Smith’s thigh pad as he shouldered arms with a flourish, and Smith dug in resolutely against whatever Ben Stokes threw at him – including an over of gentle medium pace from Harry Brook inside the first hour. And so, Stokes took matters into his own hands, bringing himself on for only his second over in a match since mid-February, and his first since early April.His first delivery was a front-foot no-ball, perhaps striving to prove his fitness despite a chronic knee issue, but the last ball of his second over skidded into Smith’s pad. Marais Erasmus eventually gave Smith out after Stokes pleaded for the decision, and the DRS could not save him: ball-tracking predicted the ball would have hit the top of the stumps.Travis Head joined Khawaja and counter-punched either side of lunch in characteristic manner. He survived a short-ball barrage after the interval and both left-handers took on Moeen Ali, who bowled as well as could be hoped for a man who came out of Test retirement last week. Moeen started to leak runs, but Stokes stubbornly refused to take him off, or to push the field back.Khawaja took 106 balls to reach his half-century, while Head got there in 60, cutting an out-of-sorts Ollie Robinson away behind square. He didn’t score another run, skipping down the pitch and miscuing Moeen to short midwicket; Moeen pointed to Stokes at mid-off as he turned away in celebration.Moeen should have had two wickets in three balls, beating Cameron Green as he charged out of his crease. Instead, an unsighted Bairstow missed the stumping chance and Green added 72 with Khawaja for the fifth wicket in a stand that spanned the tea interval.The best ball of the day accounted for Green on 38, as Moeen flighted an offbreak wide outside off. It drifted away a touch, then spun back sharply from a good length to beat Green – lunging forwards as though stepping on an insect – on the inside edge and peg back his leg stump.Yet England failed to take another wicket, Khawaja and Alex Carey adding an unbroken 91 for the sixth wicket. Carey had a life on 26, prodding forwards to Joe Root only for Bairstow to put the chance down, an edge past Root at slip off Moeen brought him to 50. Khawaja, too, enjoyed a reprieve. Broad took the second new ball and found some nip off the seam to knock off stump back.But the third umpire noticed that Broad had overstepped, and he survived until the close once again. The crowd had started to filter out by the time he walked off with a beaming smile, at the end of a day that will be remembered as Usman Khawaja’s.

Cricket South Africa took the decision anticipating protests targeting Teeger for his pro-Israel comments last year

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2024David Teeger has been relieved of the South Africa Under-19 captaincy a week before the World Cup over concerns for his safety following his comments in support of Israeli soldiers in the ongoing conflict with Palestine.Cricket South Africa are bracing for protests at the tournament, which begins on January 19, and said there was a risk that they could “result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors”.The decision to remove Teeger as captain, CSA said, was taken “in the best interests of all the players, the SA U-19 team and David himself.” He will continue to remain with the squad as a player and a new captain will be named “in due course”.South Africa’s campaign begins next Friday in Potchefstroom, where they will play West Indies, followed by matches against England and Scotland. The tournament, which was moved from Sri Lanka last November, will also be played in Benoni, which will host the semi-finals and final, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and East London and CSA expects protests at all of them.”As is the case with all such events, CSA has been receiving regular security and risk updates regarding the World Cup. We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament,” CSA said in a statement. “We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors.”CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators.”In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself.”Spectators showed their support for Palestine during the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India at Newlands•AFP/Getty Images

There has already been at least one incident in relation to Teeger’s appointment as South Africa’s U-19 captain at a cricket match in the country. A group of pro-Palestinian supporters picketed outside the main gate at Newlands during the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India. They were then escorted by police to a specifically designated spot from where they continued to question Teeger’s selection. Another group of fans sat in the North Stand with Palestinian flags during the game. CSA expects the numbers of protestors to escalate in light of Teeger’s dedicating an award to the soldiers of Israel last year.On October 22, 2023, Teeger was named the Rising Star at the ABSA Jewish Achiever Awards ceremony and in his acceptance speech, said the following: “But more importantly, yes, I’ve been awarded this award, and yes, I am now the rising star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel… So I’d like to dedicate this award to the South African family that married off one son whilst the other is still missing. And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and to every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora.”Teeger’s comments were reported in the South African Jewish Report on October 26 and have since been widely published across South African media. In response, the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA) lodged an official complaint with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee. Subsequently, CSA, Lions (the domestic union where Teeger plays), four Johannesburg-based cricket clubs, one concerned cricket supporter, the Abu Asvat Institute of National Building (a civil society group), and a director of a company that sponsors Lions all issued statements of grievance. CSA referred the complaints to advocate Wim Trengrove, who conducted an independent adjudication. Trengrove found that Teeger had acted in accordance with his constitutional right to freedom of expression and did not engage in any unbecoming or detrimental conduct. CSA has accepted the report.However, the PSA said Teeger’s comments caused a “significant rift within the cricket community,” and they continue to question whether he is “fit to represent a diverse South African team and more so, whether he has the necessary capacity to lead any such team.” The PSA called for Teeger’s suspension from the U-19 World Cup squad and vowed to protest during the tournament. Pro-Palestinian sentiment is surging through South Africa after the country took Israel to the International Court of Justice this week.

As Stokes himself acknowledged, “3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1”, so another high-octane contest ought to be in prospect

Andrew Miller06-Mar-20242:39

Manjrekar: India should play two seamers, three spinners if it’s a typical pitch

Big picture: Bowing out on a high

One way or another, England will be ending their tour of India on a high, as they head to the foothills of the Himalayas for the fifth and final Test in Dharamsala – the first of the Bazball era in which Ben Stokes’ men are not in the running for at least a share of the series.It’s been a curiously fallow few days ahead of what, after two days in Ranchi, had looked like being the sharp end of this campaign. With their squad split between two bases in Bengaluru and Chandigarh, England have licked their wounds after their untimely unravelling in the fourth Test, where their tightest grip on any of the contests to date – including astonishing win in Hyderabad – was unpicked finger by finger in India’s most stirring display of supremacy yet.From Akash Deep’s first-day fireworks to Dhruv Jurel’s twin displays of big-match cojones, via the inevitable onset of India’s spin supremacy in the decisive third innings, England’s fabled self-belief endured its most relentless examination of the tour. In his post-match remarks, Stokes even conceded that competing on equal terms had been nigh on “impossible” – perhaps the most defeatist sentiment to have passed his lips in his captaincy tenure.Related

• England's hands-off ethos braces for challenge of dead-rubber syndrome

• 'I don't know much' – Rohit unsure if Dharamsala pitch will require three seamers or two

• Robinson makes way for Wood as England retain two spinners

• Just sit back and get ready to marvel at R Ashwin, for the 100th time

• Bairstow at 100 caps: A century of spirit and resilience

And so, it’s back to Base Camp for the Bazball philosophy, whatever that may entail. In some ways, the circumstances of the fifth Test should suit England’s no-consequences approach – a shot to nothing in a match that truly does count for little more than pride, against an India team that might conceivably lack some of its intensity now that their stupendous home record has been preserved for another series.That said, between the occasion of R Ashwin’s 100th Test, and the return to their ranks of the lethal Jasprit Bumrah, whose absence in Ranchi was arguably a major factor in England’s first-innings recovery, India will have all the weapons and incentive necessary to gun for a 4-1 series scoreline, the sort of margin witnessed on numerous past England tours, and which the visitors’ new approach had been designed to do away with.As Stokes himself acknowledged, “3-2 sounds better than 3-1 or 4-1″, so another high-octane contest ought to be in prospect – notwithstanding the stirrings of a stomach bug within the England camp that caused both Shoaib Bashir and Ollie Robinson to be quarantined in their hotel rather than risk them mingling with the rest of the team during their final practice session.No such concerns for India, who have grown into this series with poise and purpose, making light of the loss of Virat Kohli and latterly KL Rahul to forge an enviable spirit, studded with stars who look ready to carry the side into the coming years. The occasion of Ashwin’s 100th Test serves as a reminder of the enduring class that has underpinned their challenge, while Rohit Sharma’s authority as captain has arguably grown in the absence of his senior colleagues, not least in his gentle handling of the one anomaly in India’s otherwise settled line-up, Rajat Patidar.”I like to call him a talent player,” Rohit said of Patidar on the eve of the match. “He’s lost some opportunities here, but that happens when you’re in the early stage of your career, you’re nervous, you’re trying to think about so many things. That is where the team has to back the individual and make sure there’s no pressure internally on him.” Had they not already been warned off from taking credit for India’s success, England might even suggest there’s an element of their own continuity of selection at play there too.The series’ most thrilling subplot, however, has been the emergence of Yashasvi Jaiswal as India’s newest batting star. For all the confidence they carried into this series, England have not yet found an adequate response to the challenge he has thrown towards their emboldened style of play. His runs, and the manner in which he has made them, has truly been the difference between the teams. Another score of note for Jaiswal this week, and it will truly take something special to mitigate the gulf between the sides.2:03

Harmison: ‘Jonny has always had England’s best interests at heart’

Form guide

India WWWLW (last five Tests, most recent first)
England LLLWW

In the spotlight: Rajat Patidar and Jonny Bairstow

Is this the last-chance saloon for the most precarious selection in India’s ranks? Previous regimes might have seen enough of Rajat Patidar already, after six innings of increasingly diminishing returns – 32 runs in a passable maiden knock in Visakhapatnam, then 31 all told in the remainder, including a brace of second-innings ducks in Rajkot and Ranchi. His arrival at the crease has consistently offered England hope of exerting a hold on India’s innings. And yet, it wasn’t so long ago that Patidar was looking a class apart for India A against a strong England Lions XI, including with an astonishing 151 out of 227 in their unofficial Test in Ahmedabad, having rescued his team from a scoreline of 50 for 6. On that evidence, it’s a case of big-match nerves rather than any lack of Test class that has held him back so far, but he’ll need to reward the management’s faith soon.For the second time this winter, Jonny Bairstow is due to bring up a century in Dharamsala, though not of the strictly batting variety. As with his 100th ODI cap during the World Cup, Bairstow’s Test caps milestone will be a source of immense pride for one of the more emotionally-driven players of recent vintage, but it comes also with the nagging sense that he’s nearing the end of his England journey. For all the unfathomable determination he has shown to get back to fitness after his horrific leg injury in September 2022, Bairstow’s returns on this trip have been awkwardly unfulfilled – five scores between 25 and 38, and an overall average of 21.25 in eight innings, speak of a player whose fires still burn bright but whose physicality is letting him down. And while it’s reductive to suggest that he always saves his best for when the doubters are lined up against him, it’s a seductive notion too. With Harry Brook waiting in the wings for the English summer, can Bairstow find one last burst of furious brilliance to ensure his 100th Test won’t be his last? The beauty of his career is that you wouldn’t ever bet against it.3:07

Harmison: No surprise that Robinson is out

Team news: England make solitary change

Jasprit Bumrah will be welcomed back to lead India’s attack alongside Mohammad Siraj, and with Rohit Sharma dropping a sizeable hint that India would field three seamers for this contest, the big decision comes down to a call between Akash Deep and the extra spinner Kuldeep Yadav. Deep proved himself worthy of further honours with his three-wicket burst on the first morning of his debut in Ranchi, but Kuldeep’s wristspin was instrumental in unpicking England’s resistance when the surface was at its flattest in the back-end of the contest.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Shubman Gill, 4 Rajat Patidar, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 Sarfaraz Khan, 7 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kuldeep Yadav / Akash Deep, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.Despite speculation that England would opt for three quicks on a more seam-friendly surface in Dharamsala, both Bashir and Tom Hartley have been retained for the fifth Test, in Bashir’s case despite nursing a Moeen Ali-style cut on his spinning finger, which is hardly surprising given his 70-over workload across the two innings in Ranchi comprised more than a fifth of his previous first-class career. Robinson endured a bleak time with the ball in the same Test, apparently after tweaking his back during his spirited half-century, and makes way for the return of England’s point-of-difference paceman Mark Wood. James Anderson, two wickets shy of 700 in Tests, will play his fourth match in a row at the age of 41.England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Ben Foakes (wk), 8 Tom Hartley, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Shoaib Bashir, 11 James Anderson

Pitch and conditions: Home far from home for England?

There’s a distinct chill in the air at 5000ft altitude, which would count as handy preparation for the opening rounds of the County Championship, if any of England’s incumbents were likely to be made available. Either way, Dharamsala is a long way removed from the heat and dust of Ranchi or Rajkot – in the last fixture at this venue, some three weeks ago, all 36 wickets fell to seam as Delhi beat Himachal Pradesh by 76 runs in the Ranji Trophy. Nevertheless, Stokes expects the surface to be full of runs, but some barer patches on a full length have persuaded England to retain their frontline spin options.2:58

Manjrekar: ‘Other than cricket, Ashwin knows far beyond what’s outside his own sport’

Stats and trivia: Milestones galore in prospect

• Both R Ashwin and Jonny Bairstow are in line for their 100th Test appearances. Ashwin, who passed 500 Test wickets earlier in the series, is set to be the 14th Indian caps centurion, and Bairstow the 17th for England.
• Bairstow needs 26 runs to reach 6,000 in Tests, a mark also reached by 16 previous England players.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal is on course to set a new record for most runs by an Indian batter in a series against England. He begins the match on 655, level with Virat Kohli’s tally from the 2016-17 campaign.
• James Anderson is two wickets away from 700 Test wickets. Only Muthiah Muralidaran (800) and Shane Warne (708) have taken more.
• Stokes remains three short of 200 Test wickets, and on the cusp of being only the third allrounder after Garry Sobers and Jacques Kallis to complete the double of 6000 runs and 200 wickets. Though he has not bowled in any of his previous seven Test appearances, he is close to a return after knee surgery.
• Ravindra Jadeja is eight wickets away from becoming the seventh Indian to reach 300 Test wickets.

Quotes

“I just don’t know what Bazball means. I haven’t seen wild swinging from anyone. England have played better cricket than they were here last time. But I still don’t know what Bazball means.”

Rohit Sharma takes one last dig at England’s perceived style of play“I’ll be going out there, chewing my gum, puffing my chest out and trying to have a good time with the other ten blokes out there. Whatever the situation is, we’ll be going out there with smiles on our faces, like we have done in the whole series.”

The good news for New South Wales was Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Phil Jaques and Usman Khawaja all made solid starts, but the situation wasn’t as cheery for Phillip Hughes, who failed in his last hit-out before the first Test team is named

Cricinfo staff17-Nov-2009
ScorecardMichael Clarke found some form after his long lay-off with an unbeaten 92 at the SCG•Getty Images

The good news for New South Wales was Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Phil Jaques and Usman Khawaja all made solid starts, but the situation wasn’t as cheery for Phillip Hughes, who failed in his last hit-out before the first Test team is named. Tasmania kept running into the Blues on the opening day at the SCG and were rewarded in the first two sessions before Clarke and Khawaja took the hosts to 3 for 290 at stumps.With the squad to face West Indies being announced on Thursday, Clarke and Katich both had useful stays but Hughes’ final chance to increase his chances of being at the Gabba went when he played-on to Luke Butterworth on 12. How Clarke pulls up after the innings will also be important for the national team as he trials his back following a two-month lay-off.Clarke, the Test vice-captain, nearly ran-out Katich early in his innings but recovered his poise to post a valuable half-century and lift his side through a delicate period. He finished with an unbeaten 92, a much better return than his 8 in the one-dayer on Sunday, while Khawaja was not out on 51. Khawaja is rated so highly by his state that he is playing ahead of David Warner, who breezed to 92 off 79 balls for New South Wales’ 2nd XI in Perth.Like Hughes, Jaques (66) is also hoping for a return to Australian colours in the future and he had a couple of chances before falling to a top edge off Butterworth, which was taken by a juggling Jon Wells at square leg. Katich, the Test opener, was back at No. 3 for his state and chipped in with 62 before falling to a catch behind off Jason Krejza to the final ball before tea.