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Jeet Raval, the lone new face in New Zealand’s 16-man squad for the tour of Africa, hopes to treat the opportunity as a learning ground to pitch for higher honours

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jul-2016Batsman Jeet Raval, the lone new face in New Zealand’s 16-man squad for the tour of Africa, hopes to treat the opportunity as a learning ground to pitch for higher honours.Raval, a 27-year old left-hander, was picked ahead of Hamish Rutherford as the back-up opener for Tom Latham and Martin Guptill, after scoring 780 runs at 55.71 in the 2015-16 Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s first-class competition. He made 202 not out, 139, 90 and 147 in his last five matches.”For me it’s about learning as much as I can and just be myself,” he said after New Zealand’s first training session in Pretoria, where the team will be based for a week before flying to Zimbabwe for the first Test starting on July 28. “The coaches have told me that I’m here only because I love the game and that there’s no need to change anything. So when I get the opportunity, I’ll be ready to go.”Raval, who admitted to being surprised at the call-up, said his induction into the national team had been enjoyable so far. He said it was very different to the culture shock he had to overcome when he migrated from India to New Zealand with his family as a 16-year old in 2004.”It’s a nice and relaxed environment. All the boys have been welcoming, so I’m really enjoying my time so far,” he said. “We moved to New Zealand with the family when I was 16 with mum and dad deciding we wanted a lifestyle change. At the start I completely hated it. It was a massive cultural change.”I couldn’t understand a word of what the teacher said on my first day of school at Avondale College because I couldn’t speak English. I went home and started crying to my mum and said, ‘Mum let’s got back to India because I don’t know what’s going on here.'”But now, I’ve found a new home here in Auckland for the last few years. I’ve scored a few runs, and got a call from Gavin Larsen when I was playing club cricket in UK. I told my wife first, and then called my dad back home in New Zealand. He was over the moon. So I want to just enjoy this opportunity and be myself.”New Zealand start their tour of Zimbabwe with a three-day warm-up fixture in Harare from July 22, before they move to Bulawayo for two Tests. They will then return to South Africa for two Tests.

Steven Croft’s career best, backed up by a blitz from James Faulkner, was too much at Old Trafford for Derbyshire, who have now won only one of their first six matches

ECB/PA12-Jun-2015
ScorecardSteven Croft’s career best sustained Lancashire•Getty Images

Steven Croft hit a spectacular career best 94 not out as Lancashire secured a comprehensive 67-run NatWest T20 Blast win over Derbyshire Falcons at Emirates Old Trafford, leaving Derbyshire with just one win to show for their six matches.The Lightning’s captain smashed nine fours and two sixes in a 51-ball assault to underpin 201 for 3 after they had been in bother at 62 for 3 after ten overs.Croft shared a county record fourth-wicket partnership of 151 unbroken off 80 balls with Australian James Faulkner, who finished 47 not out off 30 with three sixes and two fours.The Lightning then bowled the Falcons out for 134 to complete a third win from five North Division matches and a second on the spin after last week’s victory over Yorkshire at Headingley, which was inspired by Jos Buttler.Croft and Faulkner struck once apiece with the ball, but left-arm spinner Stephen Parry finished with 4 for 16 from his three overs.

Insights

It was difficult to fancy Derbyshire going into this game. They had lost 11 consecutive away T20s and seven of eight against Lancashire. They lost this one – among other reasons – because they were undisciplined at the death. Eighteen in the extras column – a penultimate over including two wides and the six no balls courtesy of Rimmington’s full toss to Faulkner and the five wides White served up in the last – is criminal. – Will Macpherson

This was a Buttleresque display of power hitting from Croft, especially, after the visitors had elected to bowl, although minus Buttler’s trademark reverse sweeps and scoops.Ashwell Prince, Karl Brown and Liam Livingstone all fell inside the first eight overs to Wayne White, Tony Palladino and Wes Durston, leaving the score at 50 for 3.Lancashire went 37 balls without a boundary from the end of the sixth over to the start of the 13th, but Croft and Faulkner hit eleven fours and five sixes in the last eight overs.Twenty one runs came off Palladino in the 13th over before 29 came off Nathan Rimmington in the 19th, including two sixes and six no balls courtesy of a head high full toss at Faulkner which went for four.White then conceded 20 off the last of his former county’s inningsThe Faulkner and Croft alliance continued as Derbyshire made a forgettable start to their reply as Durston edged the Australian left-armer’s second ball of the innings to Croft at slip to leave the score at 1 for 1.Tillakaratne Dilshan top-edged Tom Bailey behind for a brisk 21 – 44 for two in the seventh.The Falcons reached halfway at 79 for 2 with Chesney Hughes unbeaten on 39, but he miscued Aaron Lilley’s off-spin to long-on with the first ball of the eleventh.Bailey bowled Billy Godleman with 99 on the board in the 13th and although the visitors were still ahead on runs in comparison to the first innings, their chances were disappearing.Croft picked up his wicket when Wayne Madsen reverse swept his off-spinners to backward point in the next, leaving the score at 105 for 5.Parry struck to get Scott Elstone and Tom Poynton caught at long-on in the 16th – 117 for 7 – before trapping Shiv Thakor lbw and getting White caught at point in his next.Debutant quick Saqib Mahmood wrapped up the win by getting Palladino caught behind with ten balls unused.

Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2012Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s regular limited-overs captain, is part of the squad but won’t captain because his workload will be managed over the summer.The T20 squad has four new players, including a new wicketkeeper to relieve de Villiers of his burden. Quinton de Kock, who turns 20 on Monday and was part of South Africa’s most recent under-19 World Cup squad, will don the gloves.De Kock is seen as one of the options for a permanent wicketkeeper to replace Mark Boucher in all formats. “We need to find a long-term solution because ultimately we [want] to find a top-six batter in the mould of an Adam Gilchirst to do the job in Tests,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, told ESPNCricinfo.”AB may eventually end up batting No.4 in Tests, when Jacques Kallis is not around, and if he has to take on a more senior batting role, we will need someone else to keep. It will be nice to try Quinton out – he has shown glimpses of talent and we are going to have a look at him in the shorter versions. But, that’s not to say to the other keepers in the country that we have passed them by, the door is still very much open.”But it seems to have closed on Thami Tsolekile. Lions’ gloveman was nationally contracted in February and touted as Boucher’s replacement, but has not played since then. A source close to team management said Tsolekile would be given a run against New Zealand, but the selectors have decided otherwise. He travelled to England and Australia but was left out of the Test squad, which was also named today.Despite all indications to the contrary, Hudson said Tsolekile remains in the plans. “He has not fallen out of favour. If anything were to happen to AB, he will play.” De Villiers has had a history of lower-back problems which recurred after the England series in August, but he has declared himself fully fit.

South Africa squads

Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn.

He played for Titans in their one-day cup playoff match on Sunday, and although he admitted to being “a bit stiff,” he maintained that he experienced no pain. In fact, he said being in the field in that match (Heino Kuhn had the gloves) was harder on his body than wicketkeeping.He will have to embrace fielding in the shorter formats though, with de Kock set to take over that role as part of a more youthful T20 squad. Richard Levi has been retained in the squad but with Hashim Amla rested, could open the batting with du Plessis or new-comer Henry Davids. The Titans limited-overs captain made a name for himself during the Champions League T20 as an aggressive batsman and is second on the one-day cup batting charts.The CLT20 also shone a spotlight on left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. He finished as the joint second highest wicket-taker and bowled miserly spells for the Lions. Phangiso has been picked as an additional slow-bowling option to Robin Peterson. Johan Botha, who has relocated to Australia, was not considered for selection.The Lions reached the final of the Champions League Twenty20, and will also play in the final of the one-day cup, so it’s no surprise that their players are getting recognition. Allrounder Chris Morris, who travelled with the South African squad for the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in June, is also part of the national squad. Morris, also a big hitter, has bowled consistently in the mid-140kph this season and is the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the squad.Wayne Parnell, who has been working on his batting, is also in the squad along with fellow left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe. There has been a recall for middle-order batsman David Miller in the absence of the injured JP Duminy.Hudson said South Africa will use the series against New Zealand to concentrate on their combinations, with an eye on the 2014 World Twenty20. “The mix is going to be key. There will be some of the older players that maybe we will move on from. Going into the tournament in two years’ time, we want to have a mix of core and some youngsters. We need some flair and we need to bring something different to the party as opposed to just a regular side,” he said.The Test squad, though, is focused on consistency, with the same squad that defeated Australia in Perth retained for the two fixtures against New Zealand. Jacques Rudolph, who was dropped for the final match, has been picked but is unlikely to play. “We will probably look to play Dean [Elgar] and Jacques is the reserve batsman,” Hudson said.The only casualty besides Tsolekile is legspinner Imran Tahir, whose performance in Adelaide has left him needing to do some soul searching. Tahir finished with figures of 0 for 260, the most expensive figures without a wicket in Test history and was replaced with Robin Peterson, who took six wickets in Perth. “Robbie has just gone ahead of Imran, but he remains part of our plans in future,” Hudson said.South Africa have two injury concerns. Jacques Kallis is recovering from a hamstring strain, but is expected to be fit to play in the Tests as an allrounder, and Graeme Smith has bruising on his elbow. Smith was hit in the nets in the lead-up to the one-day cup playoff and will not be fit to play in the final for the Cobras, but the team management is confident he will be ready for the New Year’s Test.

Hampshire has awarded development contracts to three players for 2012, including Sean Terry, Adam Rouse and Tim Ravenscroft

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2011Hampshire has awarded development contracts to three players for 2012, including Sean Terry, son of Hampshire stalwart Paul Terry. The other two are Adam Rouse and Tim Ravenscroft, who’ve had their contracts renewed from last summer.Terry, an opening batsman, had represented MCC Young Cricketers, scoring 313 runs in nine matches in the 2011 Second XI Championship. He also had a stint with the Hampshire Second XI. He was brought up in Perth, Australia, where he played for Western Australia junior teams. His father played two Tests for England, in 1984. He served Hampshire from 1978-1996, scoring over 16,000 runs and also coached the county.”Hampshire has been a big part of my life, particularly because my Dad had such a long career here, and to be given the chance to start my professional career at Hampshire means a lot,” Terry said. “I can’t wait to get started next season and be part of a young squad pushing to be back in the first division.”Ravenscroft, a batsman and occasional seamer, has also come through the Second XI ranks. He scored over 500 runs in the Second XI across all competitions.Rouse, the wicketkeeper, has an aggregate of 489 runs in the Second XI. He also took a catch as a substitute during the Rose Bowl Test between England and Sri Lanka earlier this year.

A round-up of the first day of the first round of matches in the Super League of the Ranji Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2010L Balaji’s 12th first-class four-wicket haul helped Tamil Nadu bowl Assam out for 184 on the opening day at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Assam began cautiously after TN chose to field on a pitch that had plenty of carry, and the openers had seen off 13.3 overs, adding 24 before debutant seamer Sunil Sam made the first breakthrough. Dheeraj Jadhav, Assam’s top-scorer last season, slashed and edged to the wicketkeeper. Sridharan Sriram, the left-hand batsman who hails from TN, could not make an impact against his old team-mates, and became Balaji’s first victim when he cut to gully. Parvez Aziz played offspinner R Ashwin with confidence and had moved to 36 with six boundaries. He also fought through a stream of bouncers before offering S Badrinath a catch off Balaji’s bowling. Badrinath had to dive low and to his left at second slip to take the chance. When star import Amol Muzumdar departed for a duck, nicking Balaji behind, TN sensed an opportunity to shoot Assam out for a low score. The spinners Aushik Srinivas and R Ashwin nipped three wickets between them, while a couple of run-outs added to Assam’s woes as they stumbled to a score under 200. TN’s openers Abhinav Mukund and Srikkanth Anirudha then batted with determination to take their side to 21 without loss by the close.Wasim Jaffer purred along to his 40th first-class century, while Rohit Sharma missed his ninth by seven runs as Mumbai launched their title defence by scoring 340 for 7 on the opening day at the Bandra Kurla Complex against Saurashtra. On a day that would have left both sides reasonably satisfied, there were several important individual performances that stood out. Dropping himself to No. 3 in the absence of the injured middle-order bulwark Ajinkya Rahane, Jaffer carried on his penchant for plundering domestic hundreds, after Jayesh Odedra’s double-strike. At the other end, with the selectors’ eye on his fitness and temperament, Rohit launched himself into the Saurashtra attack with typical elegance. His 93 came off 86 balls, with 14 fours and two sixes, leading Mumbai to 252 for 2 and in sight of a towering score. Then came the third most significant performance of the day, from another India hopeful. Ravindra Jadeja has had his place in the Indian questioned by all and sundry, and he responded with an incisive spell with the game threatening to run away. He dismissed Sharma, Abhishek Nayar and Ramesh Powar, leading Saurashtra’s resurgence in the evening session and left them with an opportunity to finish Mumbai’s innings early on the second day.For more on this match, click here.Opener Arindam Das’ seventh first-class century was the highlight of the opening day at the Feroz Shah Kotla as Bengal posted a dominant 313 for 2 against a Delhi attack that struggled for incisiveness. Ten months after the abandonment of an ODI due to an underprepared pitch, the Kotla track was at its benign best as Das settled down for a big innings, in Shreevats Goswami’s company. The pair raised 133 in 37.2 overs, giving the hosts a taste of what was to come before Goswami fell for 68, the first of Mithun Manhas’ two wickets. Abhishek Chowdhury was more cautious, but it did not affect Bengal’s speed of scoring as Das shifted gears upwards. Manoj Tiwary who came in at Chowdhury’s exit kept the momentum going with an unbeaten 47 off 80 balls. At the other end, Das, kicked on after reaching his ton and finished the day unbeaten on 150. His knock included 19 fours, and he looked good for more when stumps were drawn.For more on this match, click here.Yuvraj Singh managed a half-century but, like the rest of his top-order mates, was guilty of throwing away a start, as Uttar Pradesh held Punjab to 279 for 6 on the opening day at the Bhamashah Stadium in Meerut. Sarul Kanwar began in aggressive fashion after Punjab chose to bat, striking eight fours in his run-a-ball 42. However, after an opening stand worth 56, Praveen Kumar removed Kanwar and Ravi Inder Singh off successive overs, exposing Punjab’s middle order. Uday Kaul rebuilt in Yuvraj’s company, the pair raising 61 for the third wicket before a mini-collapse reduced Punjab to 143 for 5. Karan Goel rose to the occasion, and along with Vishwas Bhalla, lifted his side to respectability with a 72-run alliance. Piyush Chawla prised out Bhalla, but Harmeet Singh counterattacked with four fours and a six in his 29, taking Punjab to stumps along with Goel, who was unbeaten on 56.Gujarat‘s top order gave a good account of themselves without managing to dominate the Railways attack, leaving both sides on par at stumps on an attritional opening day at the Karnail Singh Stadium. Every Gujarat batsman got a start in a score of 234 for 4, but only one managed to reach fifty, while most bowlers gained respect without making enough entries in the wickets column. Jay Desai and Priyank Kirit Panchal ground out an opening stand of 58 in 28 overs before exiting on the same score. Niraj Patel and Parthiv Patel showed more urgency in a stand of 74, but both failed to kick on, as Gujarat found themselves unable to reap the rewards of solidity. That partnership, however, eased the pressure on the remaining batsmen. Bhavik Thaker, coming in at No. 5, did better than the top four, ensuring he crossed his half-century and remained unbeaten at stumps. His innings included two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faiz Fazal. Debutant Pratharesh Parmar held up the other end with an undefeated 28 and the pair will want to push ahead on the second day. Parthiv praised his batsmen for their effort. “The wicket was green and two-paced,” he told the . “So, it was a challenge to play the first 30 overs and we did it.”Opening bowler Basanth Mohanty completed his sixth first-class five-wicket haul as Orissa bullied Baroda, reducing them to 99 for 9 on a curtailed day at the Barabati Stadium. After overnight rains delayed the start by half an hour, Orissa captain Shiv Sundar Das had no hesitation in bowling after winning the toss in damp, seamer-friendly conditions. Baroda’s batsmen, star players Yusuf Pathan and Ambati Rayudu included, had no answers against Basanth in an innings where only three batsmen managed to enter double-figures. Things could have been far worse for Baroda if not for Rakesh Solanki’s unbeaten 44. Debasis Mohanty, Alok Chandra Sahoo and Dhiraj Singh complemented Basanth’s efforts with a wicket apiece as Baroda derailed in shocking fashion.Himachal Pradesh‘s bowlers contained Haryana on the opening day, as the visitors crawled to 204 for 4 in Dharmasala. After choosing to field, the hosts started well, with seamer Jitendra Mehta removing Nitin Saini for five, but wickets were hard to come by after that. Rahul Dewan held vigil for 40 watchful overs, his 46 pushing the score to 88, before he perished against Ashok Thakur. Manav Sharma and Hemang Badani carried on in the same vein, their partnership of 74 spanning nearly 30 overs before Manav fell four short of his half-century. Badani brought up his 37th first-class fifty, and the first for Haryana, but more importantly, ensured he was unbeaten till the end.

South Africa Masters saw off a threatening fourth-wicket partnership between Collis King and Jimmy Adams to clinch a ten-wicket win

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009
Scorecard
South Africa Masters saw off a threatening fourth-wicket partnership between Collis King and Jimmy Adams to clinch a ten-run win that handed West Indies Masters their second straight loss in the Cricket Legends of Barbados International Cup. Chasing a target of 165, West Indies ended up on 154 for 5 as South Africa held their nerve when it mattered most. The home side, who have won just one match from three attempts, now need a victory to move into Saturday’s final.The chase began well with Stuart Williams (20) and Gordon Greendige (16) adding 45. Williams’ dismissal, picking out deep square leg, was followed by Greenidge having to retire with a hurting left knee. Carl Hooper took ten deliveries for a single run before he edged Fanie de Villiers to Neil Johnson, further putting the blocks on the scoring rate, but West Indies were boosted by King and Adams.King smacked three sixes in his speedy 37, each one effortlessly smacked over the fielders, and the stand was worth 64 when he was dismissed in the 17th over. Looking for another big hit, King was held at long-on by Claude Henderson off Alan Dawson. Adams struck a top score of 42 from 34 balls, after being dropped by Pat Symcox at short fine leg when he was 11. With 19 needed from just four balls, he was bowled by Lance Klusener. Vasbert Drakes had the consolation of hitting the last ball of the match for six.The game began with South Africa opting to bat and putting up 164 for 3, thanks mainly to Dave Callaghan (69) and the captain Dale Benkenstein (58). Their match-winning third-wicket partnership of 109 from 11 overs stunned West Indies after they had sent back the openers inside the seventh over.Callaghan clubbed six fours and two sixes in his 42-balls he effort, one that earned him the Player-of-the-Match award. Benkenstein hit three fours and three sixes in his 35-ball innings.

The opener will join Paarl Royals as a replacement for Joe Root who is heading to India

AAP31-Jan-2025Mitchell Owen has earned his first T20 contract since a dazzling display in the BBL final, joining South African franchise Paarl Royals.Owen scored a league-leading 452 runs for Hurricanes during the BBL, starting the summer as a relatively anonymous figure before announcing himself as a star. The highlight was his scarcely believable century in the final, coming off just 39 balls as he delivered Hurricanes their first title.Related

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Owen’s pressure-laden performance was widely expected to pique the interest of T20 clubs around the world, including the IPL. The 23-year-old will have to wait longer to find out if he will pocket a life-changing sum as a late call-up for the IPL.But the Royals have wasted no time in signing Owen as a replacement for former England captain Joe Root, who is linking up with his national squad in India and is unavailable for the rest of the SA20.League leaders Paarl and second-placed MI Cape Town, who have Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult and Rashid Khan in their squad, will square off in next week’s qualifier final.Ricky Ponting was among the good judges to lavish Owen with praise after his eye-catching knock in the BBL final. “There’s not many players in the world that can do that,” Ponting told AAP.Ponting noted discussion of Owen representing Australia in next year’s T20 World Cup was “inevitable”.Matthew Wade said Owen “can be anything”, adding “no stage really worries him too much”.

The batter had remained in Australia since his arrest last November

AAP28-Sep-2023Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a Tinder date through the act of “stealthing”.Judge Sarah Huggett acquitted the 32-year-old as he sat at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Thursday listening to the decision. He said he was looking forward to returning to playing after his acquittal.”The evidence establishes that there was no opportunity for the accused to remove the condom during intercourse because that intercourse was continuous,” the judge said in handing down the verdict.Judge Huggett found the complainant, who cannot be legally named, appeared to be an intelligent, calm and responsive witness who did not deliberately give false evidence.However, at times the woman gave the impression she was “motivated by a desire to paint the cricketer in an unfavourable light”, the judge said.”I find that the evidence regarding the complaint far from supports the complainant. Rather it undermines the reliability of her evidence.”The cricketer’s defence team signalled he will apply for the Crown to pay his legal costs of defending the allegation.Outside court, Gunathilaka thanked his lawyers, parents and others who supported him during what he described as a very hard 11 months.”I’m happy my life is normal again,” he said. “I can’t wait to go back and play cricket.”Gunathilaka and the woman matched on the dating app and met for drinks at Opera Bar in November 2022 before having pizza together in the Sydney CBD and then catching a ferry to the woman’s eastern suburbs home.Police initially brought four charges against Gunathilaka, who was arrested at the Hyatt Regency hours before the Sri Lankan cricket team was due to fly out of the country. Prosecutors later dropped three of those charges.In statements to police and the court, the woman accused the batsman of various acts of aggression and violence such as slapping her buttocks, forcefully kissing her and bruising her lips and choking her during sex.There was no suggestion by prosecutors at trial that any of these acts constituted an offence, although the woman in her evidence said the sex was non-consensual.Gunathilaka always maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty to one count of sexual intercourse without consent relating to the cricketer’s alleged “stealthing”, or removing his condom during sex without the woman’s consent.During the judge-alone trial, defence lawyers questioned the credibility of the complainant, claiming her story shifted over time and that she edited her version of events to paint Gunathilaka as an aggressive person.Judge Huggett also heard evidence from two of the woman’s friends who described her as fragile and distraught the day after the cricketer attended her home.Police officers who spoke to the woman were also questioned about the way they handled the case, including omitting crucial details, throwing out notes and potentially contaminating witnesses.Judge Huggett on Thursday described the conduct of police in prosecuting Gunathilaka as “very concerning” and “far from satisfactory”.Gunathilaka has been on bail during the trial but was unable to play international cricket or return to his hometown of Colombo.

Glamorgan never get close in chase of 255 to push Eagles up to second in South Group

ECB Reporters Network02-Jul-2022Dan Lawrence and Paul Walter’s sensational hitting fired Essex Eagles to their highest Vitality Blast total as they kept their home quarter-final dreams alive.Lawrence thrashed 71 off 37 balls, Walter a blistering 23-ball 58 and Adam Rossington a booming 45 to take Eagles to 254 – beating the 244 set barely two weeks ago. Glamorgan reached 185 for 7 in reply, with stand-in captain Sam Northeast pumping an unbeaten 97, to lose by 69 runs.Essex, the 2019 winners, had already confirmed a knockout spot and moved up to second in the South Group. They will host a last-eight match if Surrey beat Somerset on Sunday.Essex were put in and blasted it from ball one on a belting wicket with short boundaries. Robin Das struck the first of 16 sixes in the third over by pinging over long-off before following it up with a second over deep midwicket with the next ball.Das pulled another ball to the boundary before he skied to cover to give Jamie McIlroy his first T20 wicket on debut. He would later pick up Lawrence to claim an impressive 2 for 32 – the only bowler to go at under 10s.Rossington skipped his way to 45, having scored 95 the previous evening, with seven boundaries and a six off 23 balls. But his quick scoring was just the prelude for what was to come.Michael Pepper was caught on the reverse and Rossington holed to long-on before Lawrence and Walter went ballistic with their 101-run partnership off 69 balls, although there was an 18-ball gap between boundaries at one point.Dan Douthwaite took the biggest tap going for 12 and 13 in successive overs as he returned the fourth-worst bowling figures in Blast history, eventually conceding 66 in four wicketless overs.But the showpiece over for Essex was the 31 taken off Prem Sisodiya. Walter started off with four sixes, once over the long square boundary and three straight down the ground, before scrapping a single, then Lawrence completed the over with another swinging maximum.It started a final five overs where 95 runs were plundered. Walter fell, having brought up 20-ball fifty, but Daniel Sams picked up where he had left off with three sixes in his first four balls.
Lawrence had been 18 off his first 20 balls but caught up in style to reach his 11th T20 half-century in 30 balls before eventually clothing to long off for 71. Fifteen came off the final over as Eagles crashed the joint fourth-best total in the tournament’s history.Glamorgan never looked like replicating their greatest chase of 224 – against Essex in 2017 – with three wickets falling in the powerplay. Aaron Beard was the chief destroyer as he picked up 2 for 16 in his three overs with debutant Tom Bevan top-edging to deep third and Billy Root seeing his three stumps obliterated. Sams had Colin Ingram flicking to deep square leg.Eddie Byrom and Chris Cooke were both caught, but Northeast, skippering his third Blast side for the first time, stuck around and plundered a couple sixes of his own on his way to a 38-ball fifty – his third in T20s against Essex. Douthwaite chipped in with 34 off 17 in a 62-run stand but had his stump broken by Sams. As the required rate rose beyond the impossible 36 mark, Andrew Salter and Northeast started to have fun with 16 runs coming from three successive overs.Salter holed out and Northeast ended his campaign needing a boundary for a second Blast century but could only bunt a single.

Head coach Chris Silverwood also plays down concerns about quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad

George Dobell07-Mar-2021Chris Silverwood has warned England may extend their controversial rest and rotation policy into the Ashes if Covid restrictions are still in place.Each of England’s all-format players has been given a break at some point during the tour of Sri Lanka and India. While the arrangement provoked criticism in some quarters, Silverwood, the England head coach, insists the team management will continue to ensure they are “proactive” in “looking after the players”.In particular, it seems the policy will be utilised if players are obliged to remain within bio-bubbles while on international duty. With England having previously experienced several cases of burn out and anxiety exacerbated by prolonged exposure to high-pressure environments, they are keen to ensure the dangers are mitigated by opportunities to spend time out of the bubble and with family.Related

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• Blaming Jonny Bairstow for England's defeat would ignore wider context

England’s winter schedule includes limited-overs tours of Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well as the T20 World Cup and the Ashes. Although the dates of the Ashes are likely to be pushed back a couple of weeks – it seems they may start sometime around December 8 – it still presents an impossibly busy schedule. Two tours of the Caribbean, a T20I one starting in late January, and a Test one, in March, will also be confirmed in the coming days.”We have to look after our players,” Silverwood said. “We want to keep them fit, fresh, healthy and on the park and make sure we’re trying to get it right. We’re constantly talking about it and trying to make sure we’re doing it to the best of our ability.”I don’t think it’s acceptable to push somebody until they break and then try and pick them up. We have to make the intervention before anybody does break so we can get them back in an England shirt quicker.”Equally, everyone misses their family. The families miss the players that are here. If we can’t get the families to the players as we normally would, it’s important we do our best to get the players to the families. From a well-being point of view, it’s so important these players stay connected with their families.”Will the policy continue into the English summer? It’s certainly something we have to be aware of and consider because we don’t know what the landscape will look like from a Covid point of view.”Could players be flying home midway through the Ashes? We have to be proactive in looking after them, so it’s certainly something that we may have to look at, yes.”I know things are slowly opening up, but we will be guided by the medical advice and what’s happening in the country. It’s certainly something that we are probably going to have around.”Sam Curran was granted an extended break, given the time he has spent in bio-secure bubbles•Getty Images

The suggestion that England may consider resting players from the Ashes may assuage those angry that the policy was utilised during the India series. So, while Silverwood ultimately hopes he can build a squad of players strong enough to ensure that on-going rotation can take place without any noticeable weakening of the side, he insists this is no reflection of any diminishing desire for success.”We are trying to grow a group of players where we can put a strong side all the time,” he said. “Again, we have to be aware that we have to look after our players. There is a whole load of cricket coming up this summer, then we very quickly disappear abroad once our summer is finished. We’ve got to make sure we are proactive and look after our players.”No-one took this series lightly, I can promise you that. Absolutely not. We came here wanting to win and we went hard in that first Test and won it. India then came back hard in the last three Tests. It’s a very difficult place to come to and win. History tells you that. Don’t for one minute think we took this series lightly because we didn’t.”Meanwhile, Silverwood played down concerns about the quality of training facilities in Ahmedabad, insisting they were “the same for both sides”. ESPNcricinfo understands the outdoor nets at the stadium have been considered inadequate since the eve of the third Test, with seamers unable to bowl to batsmen due to fear of injuring them.That has led to fears that some players – especially those who have just joined the squad from England – could be obliged to go into the series without the preparation they might have liked. The T20I series starts on Friday. There are no official warm-up games ahead of it.”The training facilities are the same for both sides and whatever we get, we will work around it,” Silverwood said. “What we did have today was a very good indoor school so we have got facilities to make things work.”