Coach says Pope, Hameed, Moeen all in contention ahead of second Test against India

George Dobell09-Aug-2021Chris Silverwood has called on England’s top-order to “step up” and support Joe Root ahead of the second LV= Insurance Test at Lord’s.Root’s 21st Test century – and the rain – helped England escape from Trent Bridge with a draw. But while Root looked in supreme touch, nobody else in the England side could score more than 32.That left Silverwood admitting the team required more from its top-order batters, and contemplating several changes to the side with Ollie Pope, Haseeb Hameed and Moeen Ali all under consideration ahead of the Test that starts on Thursday.Related

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“Yes, I think we do need to step up,” Silverwood said. “Joe’s been phenomenal for the last six months, really. But what we need to do is make sure that the guys that are batting with him are coming to the party as well. We need the guys around Joe scoring some more runs to take the pressure off him.”It’s one thing which we’re talking about in the dressing room constantly. I’m encouraging conversations between the players and the coaches to try and find a solution for this to try and help them get better.”We have to address and accept we are not getting those runs so we have to look at why. It’s not through lack of effort. It’s not a lack of hard work. It’s just a case that we have to try and find a formula that works. That’s a work in progress at the moment.”We need to do something. Ideally, we get the guys scoring runs again and get the confidence back in them. But if that doesn’t happen obviously I have to have a look.”Does that mean there will be changes? It’s something we’ve got to consider constantly. We have to make sure we’ve got the right people on the park.”Ultimately, if it isn’t working I have to take a view on why and how do I change that. I have invested in these guys. I would rather be accused of giving somebody one too many chances than not enough. But at some point I will have to make a decision.”Pope would have played in the first Test had he been deemed fit. As things stand, he is considered highly likely to be fit for Lord’s and could well replace Dan Lawrence or Jonny Bairstow, though Silverwood’s praise of Bairstow’s first Test performance would suggest the former is more likely.”Jonny lined up very well,” Silverwood said. “It’s the happiest I’ve seen Jonny in a while. He was very content going about his business in training. He’s in a really good place at the moment and I was pleased with how he performed. Behind Joe, he looked [the most] reassured at the crease.”Ollie is making all the right noises with his fitness. He wasn’t quite ready for the first Test which is why I made that decision not to push him too hard. The next couple of days we’ll find out more. I want him to be 100 percent right when we chuck him into the arena again.”Zak Crawley would appear to be the batter in the top-three under most pressure. Since his double-century against Pakistan last year, Crawley has averaged just 11.14 in 14 Test innings and reached 30 only once. While Silverwood remains convinced Crawley is a “real talent,” he is also full of praise for Hameed, who scored a century against the tourists in a warm-up game in Durham a couple of weeks ago. Dom Sibley, meanwhile, was praised as he “helped out Joe massively” in a second-innings partnership that helped erase the first-innings deficit.Joe Root was England’s standout batter, but had little support•PA Images via Getty Images

“I think it’s clear we have got a real talent in Zak,” he said. “You don’t do what he did without having the talent. I think it’s a case of finding a way for him to get going. How does get himself in; how does he manage the ball around off stump? I think it’s an ongoing process but there’s no doubt in my mind there’s a heap of talent there capable of performing at this level.”Dom helped Joe get us out of a hole. He did his job, yes. He helped out Joe massively.”I’m confident Haseeb is as ready as he could be. He’s doing everything he possibly can to make sure he’s ready. He did put his best foot forward in Durham when he scored that hundred. What he did early season in the championship shows there’s a lot of class there as well, so I think he’s done everything he possibly can to be ready.”The one man from outside the current squad who is under consideration is Moeen. With England missing key allrounders in Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, Moeen’s presence would allow them to play a spinner without weakening the batting.”Moeen is certainly under consideration,” Silverwood said. “He’s always been part of our consideration. So that’s something that Joe and I are going to chat about at Lord’s. We know he is a fine cricketer and we know he is showing fine form in the Hundred at the moment, though I appreciate it’s a different format.”Allrounders such Ben Stokes or Chris Woakes usually give you options all-round. Unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves squeezed through circumstance recently and we haven’t been able to do that.”Could Mo play at Lord’s? All I’ll say is my mind’s not closed to anything. If it fits and works for the team then it’s something we have to consider.”

India’s coach also suggested that the team might continue to rest and rotate players over the coming 12 months

Sreshth Shah21-Nov-20211:46

Should Axar, Ashwin, Chahal and Harshal be in the squad for India’s next series?

India may have just swept the T20 World Cup runners-up 3-0 in his first series as full-time head coach, but Rahul Dravid wants to take a “realistic” view of where the team stands. He is mindful, in particular, of New Zealand’s hectic schedule: they began this T20I series just three days after their World Cup final defeat in Dubai, while missing their captain Kane Williamson.

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“We have to keep our feet on the ground and be realistic, especially with bigger things down the line in the next 12 months,” Dravid told host broadcaster Star Sports after the third T20I in Kolkata. “It’s not easy for New Zealand to play a World Cup final, turn up three days later, and play three games in six days. We knew it was never going to be easy on them.”While New Zealand were without Williamson through the series and rested stand-in captain Tim Southee for the last match, India, too, missed key personnel, with Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja rested. Dravid said the big positive from the series win was the performance of the players who got chances in the absence of the seniors.Harshal Patel was one of the finds of the series, taking four wickets in two games and contributing a lower-order cameo in Kolkata•Getty Images

Harshal Patel picked up four wickets in two games while returning an economy rate of 7.28, and also contributed a useful lower-order cameo in Kolkata. Axar Patel, standing in for Jadeja, played all three games and ended the series with a Player-of-the-Match-winning three-wicket haul in the final T20I. There were promising displays from the debutant allrounder Venkatesh Iyer and the back-up opener and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan as well.”It’s been great to see the younger guys come through, we’ve given opportunity to some of the guys who haven’t played too much cricket in the last few months with the seniors taking rest,” Dravid said. “The greatest takeaway for us is to see the skills available to us. We need to continue developing those skills.”Related

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Dravid said that with player workloads in focus over a packed upcoming 12 months, India are likely to continue resting key players across the year and giving new players regular game time. That thought process was in full view in Kolkata, where KL Rahul and R Ashwin – two players who are set to feature in the upcoming Test series – were rested after victory was secured in Ranchi.”It’s really nice that we have options,” Dravid said. “We can mix and match. Its going to be a long season, lots of games to be played till the next World Cup and we need to do that [rest and rotate] with some of our players and be realistic about how much cricket needs to be played.”

The squad met just once before flying to the Caribbean but the captain feels it has been coming together nicely

Andrew McGlashan13-Jan-2022Australia’s Under-19 squad only came together shortly before flying to the Caribbean, and despite a heavy defeat in their warm-up match against India, the confidence of captain Cooper Connolly has not been dented.Connolly is embarking on his second Under-19 World Cup, having played as a 16-year-old in South Africa two years ago. Just weeks after that tournament finished, the pandemic swept the world and, from a cricket point of view, age-group competitions were severely hit – Australia have not had any Under-19 fixtures since then. Ongoing border restrictions meant plans to have the squad all in one place before the tournament did not happen either.Related

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However, that hasn’t stopped Connolly from trying to establish himself among the most highly regarded young players in the country; he has found a place in the Perth Scorchers squad too. And although Australia were heavily beaten by India, Connolly stood out with 117 off 125 balls.”Yesterday was a reality check for us against one of the stronger sides and maybe the favourite,” he said. “But I feel like we are in good shape for the first game.”Two years ago, he played twice and ended on a good note with 64 off 53 balls against West Indies, the hosts of the 2022 edition and Australia’s first opponents. Connolly is taking his experiences of that event, which was captained by Mackenzie Harvey, into this tournament and hoping to lead from the front.”From that one I can take [the lesson of] not stressing out too much about playing and just trying to be myself in the nets,” he said. “I was getting really stressed out and agitated but I feel from that World Cup, from Macca [Harvey], I can take his coolness and his ability to win games by his captaincy.”Back then I was a little, small 16-year-old that everyone didn’t really know, and since then [with] my mindset and power I feel like I’ve developed a lot over the last couple years working with Clint Heron my batting coach just to improve every area.”From the last World Cup [my aim] was to just make this, I just looked forward to the opportunity I might get to play in two, then to get the captaincy and that’s unbelievable. I’m so proud of myself, mum and dad back home are really proud, I’m just ready to go and lead my country.”Meeting your new team-mates just before you fly to a global tournament is a strange experience, but Connolly believes the squad has been coming together. “Obviously it’s pretty tough, we don’t know what each other is like, but feel like over the past week we’ve grown and go to know each other,” he said.Connolly picked out Australia’s strengths as their batting and spin bowling, the latter including ambidextrous Nivethan Radhakrishnan, but also backed the quicks to make early inroads.

Bangladesh allrounder says he is rethinking his Test future, and wants to skip ODIs that aren’t part of the Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2021Shakib Al Hasan has cast doubts over his future in Test cricket, as he feels it is “close to impossible” to play all three formats, especially during the pandemic. Shakib also said that he wants to pick and choose ODIs, and avoid playing those matches that are not part of the Super League.Shakib has already skipped Bangladesh’s upcoming Test series against New Zealand that begins on January 1. He cited family reasons, and although it created a bit of controversy, ultimately the BCB granted him the leave. Shakib has been skipping many series since the 2017 South Africa tour, although he was also served a one-year suspension from October 2019 to October 2020 by the ICC.”I know which format to give importance or preference,” Shakib told the Dhaka-based TV channel . “The time has come for me to think about Test cricket. This is the fact: whether I will play Tests or not. And even if I do, how I will play the format. I also need to consider if I need to participate in ODIs where no points are at stake. I don’t have any other option.”I am not saying I will retire from Tests. It might even happen that I stop playing T20Is after the 2022 T20 World Cup. I can play Tests and ODIs. But playing three formats is almost close to impossible. Playing two Tests in 40-42 days is not fruitful. It encourages one to play selectively. I will definitely plan well with BCB, and then go forward. It will be the smart thing to do. If it happens in January, I will know what I am doing for the rest of the year.”Bangladesh are currently vying for an automatic entry into the 2023 ODI World Cup through the Super League. They will play the Super 12s in the 2022 T20 World Cup, while also taking part in the World Test Championship. In the Test tournament, Shakib has played very little cricket.Tamim Iqbal, too, has skipped plenty of T20Is this year including the T20 World Cup, although he hasn’t declared his retirement from the format.The 34-year-old Shakib suggested that the pandemic, and the bio-bubble environment that has come with it, has played a part in this thinking process. He said that spending so much time away from his family isn’t healthy.”It was like life in a jail. It is not like the players roam around a lot during a series. But when you will know it mentally that you can’t go out even if you want to, that’s where the problem lies. New Zealand didn’t even send their U-19 team to the World Cup, thinking about mental health. Coronavirus isn’t going away easily. We have to find out a new way to survive this. I don’t think bio-bubble and quarantine is the best way.”When you can’t meet your three little kids regularly, it becomes an unhealthy situation. It affects their growing up.”

Solid fifties from both openers, and Siddle’s four-for, paved the way for Hurricanes’ exit as they fell well short of a 189 chase

Tristan Lavalette21-Jan-2022Alex Carey starred with a half-century in his BBL return as in-form Adelaide Strikers ended Hobart Hurricanes’ season to start the finals with a 22-run victory at a barren MCG.In the Eliminator, a must-win match between the fourth- and fifth-ranked teams, Carey smashed 67 off 45 balls in his comeback from Ashes duties and combined brilliantly with opening partner Matthew Short, who made 89 of Strikers’ 6 for 188.Their strong attack then nullified Hurricanes, whose inconsistent season finished on a sour note.Strikers have stormed into unlikely title contention after their fifth straight win to book a clash with third-placed Sydney Thunder in the Knockout on Sunday.Carey and Short destroy HurricanesAshes heroes Carey and Travis Head returned for their first BBL matches of the season to significantly bolster Strikers’ batting order. Carey stole the show early with a calculated assault on the smaller boundaries down the ground.He showed his intent with a powerful straight blow off Test team-mate Scott Boland and stormed to 20 runs off his first 10 balls in an impressive switching of gears after playing in the long format.Carey’s fast start eased the pressure on Short, who, for most of a breakout season, had provided the fireworks during the four-over powerplay. He had a back seat to Carey before notching his half-century with a huge six off speedster Riley Meredith in the 12th over during the Power Surge.He then put his foot down just as a bogged-down Carey holed out in the 15th over to end the 145-run partnership. Short smashed spinner Wil Parker for consecutive sixes in the next over but his dismissal snuffed Strikers’ momentum at the death.Boland returns but Hurricanes struggleBoland was back in the BBL after playing his sole game this season in mid-December just before he became an Ashes cult hero. But this MCG deck was nothing like the green top he decimated England on during the Boxing-Day Test, with Boland suffering against a red-hot Carey.Hurricanes mostly struggled and badly missed frontline spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has left the BBL due to national commitments with Nepal. Parker, his replacement, was on a hiding to nothing and promptly smashed for 42 runs off four overs although picked up Short with his final ball.Hurricanes weren’t helped by ragged fielding marked by several dropped catches, with Tom Rogers’ sitter to reprieve Short on 15 particularly costly. Their sloppiness seemed to suggest the wheels were falling off but Hurricanes fought back late to give them some hope.Peter Siddle celebrates after sending back Tim David•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Strikers impress with ball and in the fieldShort’s terrific game continued with the key wicket of Ben McDermott as he bowled four overs of his handy offspin on the trot. Peter Siddle, who took the most wickets in the BBL’s regular season, then claimed opposite number Matthew Wade to tighten Strikers’ stranglehold and he finished with four wickets to lead from the front.Strikers have not missed a beat since losing talisman Rashid Khan late in the season with veteran spinner Fawad Ahmed proving a more than useful replacement.They’ve also been rejuvenated by the inclusion of quicks Harry Conway and Henry Thornton, whose fast and straight bowling has been a revelation after playing just one BBL game before this season for Sydney Sixers five years ago.The duo claimed four wickets between them with Thornton holding his nerve against a rampaging D’Arcy Short, who briefly rattled Strikers.In a major contrast to Hurricanes, Strikers were sharp in the field to underline their remarkable resurrection, having spent most of the season in the bottom two.Short fires in vainHurricanes’ batting oozes with firepower on paper but hasn’t quite clicked all season. They’ve been reliant on McDermott, whose terrific tournament ended when he fell in the first over. A failure from Wade made their chase particularly grim and they needed Short to recapture his belligerent best from his heyday.He responded with his best knock of a sluggish season to give Hurricanes a flicker of hope. He smashed 22 runs in the Power Surge but his wicket in the 15th over triggered a collapse.Big-hitter Tim David, who has been their designated finisher all season, showed off his prowess but it was too late. Perhaps Hurricanes’ brains trust will rue once again not allowing the Singapore national player more time at the crease.There was much hype over Hurricanes heading into the season but their early finals demise should be considered a disappointment.

Usman Khawaja scored another hundred before Pat Cummins made a positive declaration to leave a target of 351

Tristan Lavalette24-Mar-2022Openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique made a confident start in Pakistan’s daunting chase of 351 to leave Australia anxious and the series deciding third Test tantalisingly poised ahead of the final day.The historic three-Test series is headed for a gripping finish after Pakistan reached stumps on day four at 73 for 0 with Imam 42 not out and Shafique unbeaten on 27. They survived 27 overs as Pakistan requires another 278 runs for victory with a minimum of 121 overs to be bowled in the innings.Shafique had a major scare on the second last day when he edged legspinner Marnus Labuschagne only for a wrong footed Steve Smith at first slip to desperately snatch his left hand out in vain. It continued a torrid time for Smith at slip and heightened Australia’s nerves in the series finale after draws in Rawalpindi and Karachi.Captain Pat Cummins had ended Australia’s second innings at 227 for 3 shortly after tea in a bid to ensure plenty of time for his bowlers on a pitch playing tricks but is not a minefield. The declaration dangled a carrot to Pakistan, who defied the odds during their remarkable chase of 506 in Karachi when they finished at 443 for 7 from 171.4 overs.This looms as another formidable challenge on a slow Lahore surface marked by low bounce with reverse swing and occasional sharp turn evident. History is against Pakistan with 208 runs being the highest successful fourth innings chase in Lahore while no team has survived more than 110 overs.But Pakistan made a strong start after surviving a couple of close calls. Nathan Lyon, targeting the rough patches, had a huge shout for lbw turned down against Imam in the eighth over and reviews confirmed there was an inside edge. The offspinner then had Shafique caught behind in the 16th over only for Pakistan to successfully overturn the decision with replays showing the opener had missed a delivery that skidded on.Lyon, who has traditionally struggled bowling Australia to victory on the final day, looms as a key figure particularly with legspinner Mitchell Swepson, in his second Test, looking ineffective so far this match.Australia, however, should remain confident with the knowledge that batting has been harder in this match against the old ball, which Cummins and Mitchell Starc memorably reverse swung in Pakistan’s first innings.Another day, another hundred: Usman Khawaja celebrates again•AFP/Getty Images

Up until Pakistan’s response, Australia had dominated day four after taking a first innings lead of 123.Usman Khawaja capped a series for the ages in his country of birth with an unbeaten 104 to notch his 12th Test century and second in the series. The remade opener has now scored fourth tons in nine innings since being recalled in January and has been the dominant batter in this series with 496 runs at 165.33. He was the only Australia batter to score a century in this series, the first between the teams in Pakistan since 1998.Just before tea, in more celebrations for Australia, Smith smoked a boundary to become the quickest to 8000 Test runs in his 151th innings – one faster than Sri Lanka great Kumar Sangakkara.Khawaja was earlier well supported by an aggressive David Warner, as the openers batted almost through the first session albeit aided by a sloppy Pakistan who appeared to be going through the motions.Pakistan finally received a spark just before lunch when Shaheen Shah Afridi unleashed a spectacular delivery to uproot Warner’s off stump in an unplayable ball leaving the opener to shake the bowler’s hand on his way off.Leading by 220 runs at lunch with nine wickets in hand, there was an expectation Australia would put the foot down in a bid to force an early declaration. As has been the case throughout the series, runs were hard to muster against the older ball although Australia didn’t particularly look in any great hurry.With wickets hard to come by for Pakistan, dashing their hopes of a fightback, a stalemate ensued for much of the second session with attention turning to when Cummins would declare.Labuschagne, who had made two ducks twice in his last three innings, avoided a pair and made 36 before holing out attempting to lift the rate. It finished a relatively lean series for the No.1 Test ranked batter Labuschagne, who averaged 34 and remained without a Test century away from Australia.The acceleration was left to Khawaja who memorably reached his ton just before tea to trigger jubilant celebrations.After a disastrous final hour on day three, where they collapsed to lose 7 for 20, Pakistan were relatively toothless with the ball and in the field but there might be one last twist left in this long-awaited series.Aided by a sporting declaration, Imam and Shafique have made the first steps in Pakistan’s bid to conjure their second heroic fourth innings performance in just over a week.

Australia may be riding an 11-match unbeaten streak, but England believe that won’t count for much in a World Cup final

Vishal Dikshit02-Apr-2022Despite the whitewash in the recent Ashes, despite the loss in the league stage against Australia, and despite their contrasting runs to the World Cup final, England captain Heather Knight believes Sunday afternoon in Christchurch will be a “fresh slate, fresh day and a fresh game,” where both teams “go in as equals” to try and lift the trophy.As opposed to Australia’s domineering and unmatched march to the final with eight wins in the World Cup and 11 unbeaten ODIs this year, England have had to turn their fortunes around – big time – after starting 2022 with a winless tour of Australia across formats where they could not score 180 in any of the three ODIs. Their rut stretched into the World Cup too, where they lost three in a row.Since then, knowing they were facing a virtual knockout every single time, England won five in a row, including a 137-run victory over South Africa in the semi-final. Knight said there was no single moment where things just clicked into gear but it did help when the team realised that a lot of the stuff that was going wrong was within their control. Stuff like “fielding, bowling extras, poor shot selections”. So they could all be fixed, quickly.”The stage is set a little bit for us to write a remarkable story but like I’ve said previously, I think it’s a completely fresh slate,” Knight said a day before the final. “A fresh day, fresh game where both us and Australia will go in as equals and its who performs the most on the day, who deals with the pressure of a World Cup final and knowing what’s at stake. So yeah, it would be a great story [if we win] but we’re going to have to bring our best cricket to beat Australia who obviously are a very good side.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“Yes, it’s obviously brilliant. To be in this position knowing where we were just a couple of weeks ago is remarkable. And it shows how things can change so quickly in sport. And just says a lot about the character in this group that we managed to obviously put ourselves in a position to be in a World Cup final and give us a chance to actually win that trophy. Remarkably proud of the group, proud of the staff that have been in the shift as well. So yeah, hopefully we can pay off all that hard work and all the lows I guess we’ve had over this trip and make winning if we do that even better.”Recalling the league stage loss to Australia, in which England very nearly chased down 311, Knight admitted they had to get better at finishing games off. She was, however, very pleased that her bowling attack has been picking up steam throughout the tournament, helped in part by adopting a “knockout mentality”.”I think, knowing the fact that we push them so close, I think is a really good sign,” Knight said of their rivalry with Australia. “I think in that first group game we pushed really hard, batted remarkably and actually I think our bowling’s starting to peak towards the back-end of the competition. I don’t think our bowling was quite on in that game, and the bowlers as a unit are working much better as a group now. So I don’t think it’s motivation [to do better]. I think it’s just remembering that we’re really not that far away from them. We obviously haven’t got the results against them recently. But on the day we definitely believe that we can beat them.”We’ve had that knockout mentality for a long time. It almost feels a little bit like another game. I’m sure there’d be nerves and dealing with that but the fact that we’ve been able to do that when we’ve been under pressure, it’s been very pleasing and hopefully we can do it against for one more win.”There is one variable in England’s favour on Sunday. Hagley Oval. The last time Australia played an ODI at the venue which is hosting the final, it was the year 2000. England, on the other hand, beat Pakistan here towards the end of the round-robin stage and knocked out South Africa here in the semi-final. They would have fond memories of another ODI victory in Christchurch last year as well, when Knight herself led the chase with an unbeaten 67.”Definitely, I think is a slight advantage, potentially,” Knight said. “We obviously know the conditions, we’ve played a few games here last year as well. We managed to play here before the World Cup. So yeah, we would definitely use that to our advantage, hopefully, it’s obviously going to be a fresh wicket, though. So both team have to assess quite quickly how it’s playing.”

Newcomers Brits and Mlaba are among the 15 to get a deal for the 2022-23 season

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2022Mignon du Preez was left out of the 15 women who were awarded central contracts for the 2022-23 season by Cricket South Africa on Monday. The 32-year old former captain played a crucial role in taking her team to the semi-finals of the 2022 Women’s World Cup, but has since retired from Test-match and ODI cricket and remains available only for T20s. Also missing is Nadine de Klerk, who was part of the contracted 15 in 2021-22.The space they left behind was filled up by top-order batter Tazmin Brits and left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba. Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s chief executive officer, heaped praise on the two newcomers for their “dedication and work on and off the field” over the last 12 months.”After a remarkable year for the Momentum Proteas that saw the team climb to and maintain second spot in the ODI world rankings, it is with immense pleasure to announce next season’s squad of contracted players as they embark on their next challenge in world cricket.”Just like the previous 12 months, the next year brings forth a hugely-anticipated calendar of international cricket for the Proteas Women and we strongly believe in the set-up in place at the top of our women’s game to continue breaking boundaries and make their mark in the game,” he said.”On behalf of CSA, congratulations to Tazmin Brits and Nonkululeko Mlaba on their newly-awarded contracts. Their dedication and work on and off the field has not gone unnoticed and these contracts are a reward for their contributions.The upcoming season will begin with South Africa Women touring Ireland for three T20Is and three ODIs from June 3 before a multi-format tour of England between June 25 and July 27. Then there are the Commonwealth Games T20s in August followed by the T20 World Cup in February 2023, with South Africa hosting the global event for the first time. CSA will play host to the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup next year too.Women’s contracts: Tazmin Brits, Trisha Chetty, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Lizelle Lee, Suné Luus, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Chloé Tryon, Dané van Niekerk, Laura Wolvaardt.

“He was a legend of the game…he lit up the room,” said Darren Lehmann

AAP16-May-20222:52

‘When times were tough, Roy made it easier on his team-mates’

Tributes continued to flow for Andrew Symonds, with a ‘Fishing Rods for Roy’ campaign launched to honour the former Australia star.Cricket fans have been encouraged to leave fishing rods and cricket balls outside the front of their house as part of a nation-wide tribute for the 46-year-old.Symonds died on Saturday night when his car left the road and rolled in Hervey Range, about 50km from Townsville.His love of fishing was the stuff of folklore, with Symonds even sent home from an ODI series against Bangladesh in 2008 after missing a team meeting in Darwin so he could hit the water.Related

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Symonds had even been willing to accept a 20 percent pay cut from his Cricket Australia contract if it meant he would be granted more free time to go fishing.Symonds was travelling with his two dogs, and they reportedly didn’t want to leave his side after the crash.Former team-mates and rivals alike paid tribute to Symonds once the news of his death was made public.Adam Gilchrist choked back tears when paying tribute to Symonds on Monday morning during his SEN radio show. Justin Langer, who played alongside Symonds in the Test team, joined Gilchrist and former coach Darren Lehmann to reminisce about their good friend.”When I was 25, I went back to the Cricket Academy with Rod Marsh as a scholarship coach, and he [Symonds] was one of the guys I coached,” Langer said. “On every Wednesday night, there was some nightclub or some bar the boys would go to, and Rod Marsh would say, ‘righto boys, who went out last night?'”And every single Thursday morning two blokes put their hands up, Andrew Symonds and Ian Harvey. And Rod Marsh would say, ‘Righto, you’re over there with Alfie’. And I had to take them…so they could sweat out these Bundies from the night before.Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds with the World Cup in 2003•Getty Images

“To this moment the perfume of Bundaberg Rum makes me gag, because I used to have to take these guys and I smelt Bundy every Thursday morning for about seven months.”Lehmann said he was struggling to process the loss of Shane Warne, Rod Marsh, and Symonds in such a short space of time.”It’s been a tough time,” Lehmann said. “He [Symonds] was one of the first guys I coached. To lose a larger than life character is quite distressing for everyone, none more so than for his family. He was a legend of the game, we loved him very much, he lit up the room, and loved life to the fullest.”Another former Australia coach – John Buchanan – said he saw Symonds as a leader despite his larrikin behaviour.”Roy was never perfect, that was for sure, and he never admitted that he was,” Buchanan told the ABC. “You know, he made poor decisions, like all of us do, at different stages of his life and different stages in his cricket career.”But the one thing about Roy — and one of the things that I think endeared him to most people — was that even though he made a mistake, he would openly admit that and try to rectify that and take full accountability for that.”And so when he saw other people that were probably treading the same path, he was certainly one of the first people to come forward and try to put them on the right direction. I always saw him as a leader in our team without a title.”

Hard-hitting century proves too much in spite of Scott Steel’s doughty 64 in reply

ECB Reporters Network01-Jun-2022Northamptonshire 227 for 1 (Lynn 106*, Neesham 75*) beat Leicestershire 185 for 9 (Steel 64) by 42 runsChris Lynn played another destructive, big-hitting innings for Northamptonshire Steelbacks, posting the third T20 century of his career as he put Leicestershire Foxes bowlers to the sword in this Vitality Blast clash.Amid an onslaught of boundaries at Wantage Road, Lynn bludgeoned 106 from just 66 balls with 12 fours and three huge sixes as Northamptonshire closed on 227 for one.Lynn picked up where he left off against Durham on this ground last Friday, sharing another century opening stand with Ben Curran (31). He was then joined by New Zealand international Jimmy Neesham who made a blistering 75 off just 30 deliveries featuring six enormous maximums on Steelbacks debut. The pair put on 118 in just 53 balls of mayhem in front of a near-capacity crowd who gave both batters a standing ovation.In reply, Foxes opener Scott Steel hit 64 from 45 deliveries. His stand of 65 in seven overs with skipper Colin Ackerman offered a glimpse of hope, before young left-arm wrist spinner Freddie Helreich came back from an early mauling to take three wickets for the second time in a week.The Steelbacks’ total was all the more notable given some sharp Foxes bowling and fielding restricted them to 48 in the powerplay. Naveen-ul-Haq was particularly impressive, beating the bat on several occasions.But Lynn soon found his stride targeting all the Foxes bowlers, clubbing them straight down the ground and over deep midwicket. He also found plenty of runs through the covers and past backward point.Not to be outdone, Neesham, fresh from a stint in the IPL, was soon into the fun, adding five fours to go with his six-hitting.The Steelbacks struck early when Ben Sanderson removed Hamish Rutherford. The bowler followed that by taking a running catch off Tom Taylor when Arron Lilley could not quite clear the infield.It left the Foxes in real trouble at 8 for two, but Ackerman led a fightback, cutting Neesham for successive boundaries and then swinging Sanderson over midwicket for another. He took four boundaries off Heldreich’s first over to take the Foxes to 50 for two at the end of the powerplay.Heldreich finally got his man when Ackerman hit straight to Graeme White on the long-leg boundary. Rishi Patel then fell to a stunning one-handed leaping catch by Rob Keogh on the deep midwicket boundary to give Heldreich his second scalp and leave the Foxes at 87 for four.Steel was joined by Ben Mike who struck some lusty blows off the slower bowlers but despite that, the Foxes were left needing 94 off the final five overs. When Mike offered a tame catch in the ring and departed for 30, the end was nigh.Steel continued his aggression, surviving one dropped catch off Heldreich before falling to an excellent catch from Curran at point off Neesham who finished with two wickets.The Foxes went down in a flurry of wickets, Sanderson also collecting three scalps in the process as the visitors closed on 185 for nine.