Tag Futebol

Every team will play the same number of league games – 14, seven home and seven away – as in previous seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jan-2011During the two-day long IPL auction in Bangalore, the BCCI announced the draw for the tournament’s 2011 season that begins on April 8. Every team will play the same number of league games (14, seven home and seven away) as in previous seasons with the following break-up: each team will play five other teams both home and away (10 matches), two teams only at home, and the remaining two teams only away. A random draw was used to decide who plays whom once and twice.

Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond were the biggest buys at the third IPL auction on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff19-Jan-2010Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond were the biggest buys at the third IPL auction in Mumbai, each fetching the maximum possible bid of $750,000 but the biggest surprise was the fact that not a single Pakistan player was signed up by any of the franchises.Tuesday’s auction was low-key compared to the previous two, the franchises guided more by player availability than star power (the first year’s trend) or pure Twenty20 skills, as in 2009. Ten overseas slots were filled, and Mohammed Kaif became the eleventh senior player signed up on the day.However, there was not a single bid for any Pakistani player, though most of the World Twenty20-winning team was up for auction – including Shahid Afridi, the captain, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul and Umar Akmal. What made the blackout stranger was that the names had been placed on the auction list by the franchises expressing an interest in the players.The official explanation was that the players were overlooked for reasons of availability and cricket strategy. “The franchises had the option to pick any player. If you look, they [Pakistan players] were not the only ones not picked,” Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said. “There were other players, too, who were not picked in the auction.”Their loss was others’ gain, most notably Bond. The New Zealand fast bowler, who recently quit Test cricket to focus on the shorter forms of the game, saw his value rise the most, from a base price of $100,000 to the cap of $750,000 before Kolkata Knight Riders – who entered the bidding at $640,000 – and Deccan Chargers submitted their secret bids. Kolkata won, bidding an undisclosed amount.”From what we have understood he [Bond] wouldn’t be playing Test matches anymore and will play only ODIs and Twenty20 games,” Jai Mehta, co-owner of Kolkata, explained after the auction. “Yes, he has been prone to injuries but his coach said he is in pretty good shape. We wanted a fast bowler with experience and he provides us that.”Bond’s sale was the auction’s second tie-breaker; the first was among four franchises for Pollard, the explosive West Indies allrounder with a base price of $200,000. He was eventually signed up by Mumbai Indians, who beat off Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata. “The team strategy, discussed between Sachin Tendulkar, TA Sekar and Robin Singh was that we wanted a batting allrounder and we are happy to have him,” Nita Ambani, who represented Mumbai at the auction, said.

IPL Auction

Sold players: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai, USD750,000+), Shane Bond (Kolkata, 750,000+), Kemar Roach (Deccan, 720,000), Wayne Parnell (Delhi, 610,000), Mohammad Kaif (Punjab, 250,000), Eoin Morgan (Bangalore, 220,000), Damien Martyn (Rajasthan, 100,000), Justin Kemp (Chennai, 100,000), Thissara Perera (Chennai, 50,000), Adam Voges (Rajasthan, 50,000), Yusuf Abdulla (Punjab, 50,000)

Pollard and Bond’s final price was not disclosed and Modi said only he and the successful bidders would be privy to that information.The two other notable signings were Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, who was bought by Deccan for $720,000, and South Africa’s Wayne Parnell, bought by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000. “It is great for the player and he has a big future ahead of him,” Modi said of Roach’s price. “He is 100% available and that could have been a big factor [in his sale]. They [Deccan] needed a fast bowler and he met their requirement.Eoin Morgan, the England batsman, was picked up by Bangalore for $220,000. Offspinner Graeme Swann was one of the players in the first auction pool but he did not get any bids at his base price of $250,000. Modi said that player availability was an important factor in the team’s strategies.”Yes, availability is a serious issue with all teams without doubt, based on that the teams have formed strategies,” Modi said. “Eoin Morgan was not available 100 % of the time earlier but, before the auction, he was released for the full time by the ECB and hence he was bought.”Mohammad Kaif, the only Indian up for auction, went unsold in the first round of bidding but was later signed up by Punjab for $250,000.Only three of India’s Under-19 players, priced at Rs. 800,000 each, were eligible to play in the IPL and they were chosen by a draft system. Bangalore picked U-19 captain Ashok Menaria, Deccan went for Harmeet Singh and Mumbai opted for Harshal Patel.

Moeen Ali and Andrew Flintoff provide coaching cameos as England build up to Edgbaston Test

Vithushan Ehantharajah01-Jul-2025After missing Monday’s training session due to a family emergency, Jofra Archer was at Edgbaston on Tuesday making up for lost time.A strong session in the nets on the Colts Ground included a stint bowling at Ben Stokes. Unsurprising, really. Archer is not the first bowler to be left out of an XI and immediately seek to give his captain a reminder of their talents the day before a Test.It perhaps spoke to who had the better of that duel that Stokes ended up rushing to his 11.15am press conference after opting for another hit to get some groove back. Not that Stokes needed a reminder of Archer’s qualities, or indeed Archer had anything to prove, despite missing the cut for this second Test against India.”I know Jof, obviously, a lot better than you guys sat down here,” Stokes said, when assessing the situation around his 30-year-old quick, and the notion Archer would need to be kept interested in a format he has not played for over four years.”I’ve been in constant communication with him since the injuries. And I said it a few times – he was so determined to get back and play Test cricket or to make himself available to be selected. So, look, he didn’t need any more reason to find any more desire. He loves playing cricket. He loves playing for England.”The figurative “here” of being Test-ready for a first appearance of the new era – he has previously played one Test under Stokes in 2020 – was as important as the literal.Having returned for Sussex last week against Durham – his first red-ball appearance since May 2021 – Archer could have dropped back into their match against Warwickshire at Hove to add to the 18 overs of work last week. ECB regulations state that players released from international duty can be shoehorned back into ongoing County Championship fixtures, provided there are at least two days remaining, which would have been the case on Tuesday.However, England confirmed on Monday that none of their four unused squad members would be released for their respective county fixtures. While Jacob Bethell was always due to remain as the spare batter, Archer, Sam Cook and Jamie Overton were probably glad to be saved from what looks to be hard toil with the Kookaburra ball.Jofra Archer bowled 18 overs for Sussex last week but hasn’t been released for further game-time•PA Photos/Getty Images

Having that trio of seam bowlers around the group, particularly Archer, was seen by Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum as far more beneficial.”This is something we had to consider around bringing him back into the squad,” Stokes told when asked why Archer was not released to play for Sussex.”For me, personally, and Baz as well, we felt if he didn’t play it was important to have Jof around the group, around the people, to get him back into the environment again. Having him back in the squad is great but we want him to play a part in the series and going forward with this group.”There were benefits to both situations, but how me and Baz think about the time we spend as a group is very important as well. He (Archer) has been playing for a long time. He has bowled a lot of overs. You can’t really control how a first-class game will go. Because of how last week went, he [only] got 18 overs in a week.”Of course, Archer has been around England set-ups plenty, even with his elbow and lower-back travails. Since his last Test cap on the India tour in 2021 – not just under a different regime but during the pandemic – Archer has played 41 ODIs and T20Is for England. Nine of them have been with McCullum in charge, since the unification of his red- and white-ball coaching roles at the start of the year.While Archer is with how McCullum and Stokes work, the squad as a whole has an altogether different feel. One which, despite McCullum and Harry Brook’s best efforts, they have yet to replicate across the other codes. As such, keeping “newer” players around, even when they are not in the XI, makes sense.By design, this environment is geared towards making Test cricket more enjoyable, on and off the pitch, and thus more attractive to players at a time when T20 riches are hard to spurn. And it is not just Archer who has that option open to him.Even Overton, who made his one and only Test appearance under Stokes and McCullum in the 2022 summer, is still embedding.Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in April while at the IPL with Chennai Super Kings, Overton had not even considered that Test cricket may be across his radar this summer: “There’s not many bowlers that play all three formats now… It’s going to take a lot to get the body back to those bowling workloads, and we’ll just see where we go and play it by ear.” Even while on the periphery at Headingley, and over these last two days at Edgbaston, Overton has seemed very happy with his lot.Related

• Rob Key: 'Pure talent' Jofra Archer ready to hit the ground running

• Bazball essentials: England tick two out of three boxes

• How Ben Stokes got his bowling mojo back

• Gill wants top order to take 'more responsibility' after Leeds loss

• Kuldeep Yadav is ready. Are India?

The regime’s efforts to make their players’ lives more enjoyable have included jaunts to the UAE ahead of series in Pakistan and India, and an extended stay in Queenstown on their last tour of New Zealand. Domestically, they play plenty of golf, of course, but the odd cameo coaching appearance has helped lift the mood too. Moeen Ali dropped in as a mentor on Monday and worked with Shoaib Bashir – “they’d never met until yesterday,” Stokes revealed – before Lions head coach Andrew Flintoff graced Tuesday’s training. A few used the afternoon after training to hit the course.Much of the bonhomie throughout the match will come from, as Stokes says, mucking in. And there is also the carrot of working yourself into pole position for a berth at Lord’s.Given the third Test starts three days after this one is scheduled to finish, changes are likely with the pace attack of Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse already going back-to-back. Archer might not have to wait much longer for his return.”Here he can come and bowl, he can help out the lads, he can get used to the environment again and when the opportunity does come, he is comfortable in it,” Stokes said.”This week being here, and building up to be in contention for next week, it is tight back-to-back games and having a few fresh bowlers to choose from. He was in contention to play this week and, unless anything goes wrong, I can’t see why he won’t be next week.”

“What I hope is we win and my performance is crucial to it”

Danyal Rasool28-Dec-2023Despite a couple of late wickets, Pakistan’s shoulders had dropped by the time stumps were called, but Mir Hamza didn’t let the disappointment of the final session sully memories he will carry for the rest of his career. Coming out just after lunch, he had followed up two strikes from Shaheen Shah Afridi with the wickets of David Warner and Travis Head in successive balls, the latter a near-unplayable inswinging delivery that cleaned Head up for a golden duck.No wonder, then, that his face broke out into the broadest of grins when looking back upon the moment a few hours later.”It was a dream for me to play at the MCG against one of the best teams, and to provide us two breakthroughs in one over,” Hamza said at the post-match press conference after the third day’s play. “I was telling myself I have to prove myself if I want to play international cricket for my country. If you look at my last few matches, I bowled well but didn’t take wickets. So I wanted to change that.Related

• Pakistan's best chance slips through Shafique's hands

• Marsh's 96 gives Australia edge as Pakistan left to rue dropped catch

“Since the match started, I tried to keep things simple because there’s something in the pitch for fast bowlers. It’s seaming and swinging. I thought if I can swing the ball, I’ll have a great opportunity because the batter isn’t set at the time. I thought that way and believed Travis Head was waiting for my outswinger, but I brought it back in. It was my favourite Test dismissal.”At the time, Pakistan were riding very high. Australia were reeling at 16 for 4, the lowest total upon which they’ve lost four wickets at home since South Africa had taken the first four for just eight runs in Hobart in 2016. The lead was a precarious 70 at the time, and Pakistan believed they were in with a sniff.And though a mix of poor catching, poor fortune and a sensational counterattack from Mitchell Marsh meant Australia had comfortably reassumed the ascendancy by stumps, Hamza was instrumental in ensuring Pakistan retained a fighting interest in the contest. He was the man to break the 153-run fifth-wicket stand between Marsh and Steven Smith by drawing another outside edge from Marsh that Salman Ali Agha clung on to, before Afridi followed up with Smith’s wicket, with the hosts leading by 241.”We are still in the game, and we think we’ll get stronger,” he said. “The new ball will swing in any conditions – as it did for me – but there is something in the pitch. If you see the body language of our boys, it is very positive. We will try to get wickets as soon as possible. We are in the game.”Part of the reason Mir Hamza has struggled to break in is his lack of pace•Getty Images

Hamza needs to make no apologies for beaming after the day, because he knows how rarely these moments come around, and how hard fought they can be. He played six years of first-class cricket before getting his first opportunity in Test cricket in 2018, only to be dropped after one Test. It was to be another four years before the second chance came knocking around; and another two indifferent games later, he was out of the side once more.Then in the first Test of this Australia tour, Pakistan preferred to give two fast bowlers a debut in Perth rather than give Hamza a run. His three Tests apart, Hamza has played 103 first-class games, and taken 418 wickets across 11 years and nearly 19,500 deliveries.So while it may be an exaggeration to call the two balls that rattled Warner and Head’s stumps one-in-a-million moments, terming them one in ten thousand is no statistical exaggeration. Part of the reason Hamza has struggled to break in is his lack of pace, with Pakistan always likely to prefer high pace when taking selection into account. Here at the MCG, Hamza’s speeds were a constant point of focus, largely registering in the 120ks. Hamza, though, knows what he is.”Bowlers know about their quality. Some bowlers are known for seam and swing, and others for pace,” he said. “What matters is that you disrupt the batter – whether you do it with seam and swing, or whether you do it with swing doesn’t matter. Our aim is to win, and we’ve taken 16 wickets. We’ll try and take 20 as soon as possible, and come out with the win. This will be memorable if we win the Test, and what I hope is we win and my performance is crucial to it.”And while reality may fall somewhat short of that ambition, there’s little doubt that Hamza’s performance has ensured Pakistan can do for one more night what Hamza has done for a decade: keeping a dream alive.

They shared seven wickets, as Michael Rippon and Joe Walker’s 89-run ninth-wicket stand gave visitors some respectability

Srinidhi Ramanujam22-Sep-2022Pace bowlers Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Sen bowled New Zealand out for a paltry 167, sharing seven wickets between them, as India A posted a comfortable seven-wicket victory in the first of the three one-dayers at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday to take the hosts 1-0 up in the series.After asking the visitors to bat, Thakur – who had replaced the injured Prasidh Krishna in the squad – struck in his second over on a pitch that had pace and bounce on offer, cleaning up opener Chad Bowes for 10. Known for his outswingers and nip-backers, Thakur soon after removed Dane Cleaver with a short ball, forcing him to pull only to be caught at fine leg after a top edge.Sen, making his debut for India A, bowled in tandem with the senior quick to trap No. 3 Joe Carter leg before wicket. That was the third wicket of a collapse which saw New Zealand A slide from 14 without loss to 74 for 8 in a span of 16 overs.However, there was some resistance from the lower order, thanks to tailenders Michael Rippon and Joe Walker. Their 89-run partnership off 126 deliveries for the ninth wicket eventually lifted New Zealand A to 167. While Rippon top-scored with 61 from 104 balls and hit four boundaries, Walker made 36 off 49, hitting three fours and a six during a stable partnership.But Walker was run-out in the 39th over, and it took India A less than more overs to bowl New Zealand A out, as Thakur ended with 4 for 32 – including getting Rippon out last – while Sen returned figures of 3 for 30.A below-par score on a batting-friendly pitch was never going to pose a threat, and India A made short work of the chase.After Prithvi Shaw perished for 17, Ruturaj Gaikwad and No. 3 Rahul Tripathi, who got 31, stitched 56 runs. Gaikwad’s three fours and two clean sixes helped him accumulate 41 before he was caught-and-bowled by Rippon.But an entertaining partnership followed between India A captain Sanju Samson and the in-form Rajat Patidar. Samson was welcomed with a rousing cheer from the 200-odd spectators as the pair put on an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 69 to chase down the target with seven wickets and more than 19 overs to spare.Samson remained unbeaten on 29 – including hitting three sixes – while Patidar, who punished the bowlers whenever they went full, struck a quick 45 off 41 balls. His knock included seven boundaries.The second of the three one-dayers will take place on Sunday at the same venue, with the visitors now in a must-win situation to remain alive in the series

Last season’s beaten quarter-finalists lean towards spin-heavy strategy for Blast

Matt Roller12-May-2021Qais Ahmad, the Afghanistan legspinner, has signed for Kent for the whole of T20 Blast and two County Championship fixtures, adding to the burgeoning list of teams he has represented around the world in short-form cricket.Ahmad, 20, was due to join Gloucestershire as an overseas player last summer but had his contract cancelled on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, this will be his first stint in county cricket.He is also due to play for Welsh Fire in the inaugural season of the Hundred, after he was retained ahead of February’s re-draft. As a result, he will stay in the UK after the conclusion of the Blast’s group stage, and is likely to be available for the knockout stages.The club also signed Mohammad Amir for the second half of the competition last month, while Heino Kuhn is registered as an overseas player after the expiration of Kolpak status. Counties are allowed to register three overseas players simultaneously, but can field a maximum of two in a match.Ahmad is the fifth Afghanistan player to sign a deal for this year’s Blast, after Rashid Khan (Sussex), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Middlesex), Mohammad Nabi (Northamptonshire) and Naveen-ul-Haq (Leicestershire).Related

• Amir joins Kent for second half of Blast

• Who has scored the most T20 runs without ever playing in the IPL?

• Stuart Meaker on coping with anxiety, divorce and lockdown

• Parkinson: 'I don't just want to be in England squads on potential'

Kent were beaten quarter-finalists in last year’s Blast, and the signing of Ahmad hints at a change in strategy for the 2021 season. They generally fielded a solitary frontline spinner in Imran Qayyum last summer, alongside Joe Denly’s part-time legbreaks, but may now opt for a spin-heavy side this season.Ahmad is also due to be available for Kent’s final two games of the initial group stage of the Championship, against Lancashire at Old Trafford and Sussex at Beckenham. If selected, they would be his first first-class games since he made his Test debut against Bangladesh in September 2019, and he would become the first Afghanistan player to appear in the Championship.”I’m excited to play in the Vitality Blast and I’m really looking forward to being a Kent Spitfire,” he said. “Having played alongside Daniel Bell-Drummond at Colombo Kings, I have heard good things about Kent and I will give it my all.”Paul Downton, the club’s director of cricket, said: “Qais Ahmad is an exciting talent who has shown his ability in top quality leagues all over the world. I am confident that his enthusiasm for the game will make him a firm favourite with our members and supporters as we look to welcome crowds back to watching live cricket again.”

England seal series in Kuala Lumpur with big win powered by strong batting

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2019England 327 for 4 (Sciver 100*, Knight 86, Wilson 85*) beat Pakistan 200 (Maharoof 64) by 127 runsNat Sciver cracked an 85-ball century, and Fran Wilson added a quickfire 85 not out from 49 balls, as England eased to a series-sealing 127-run victory over Pakistan in the second women’s ODI in Kuala Lumpur.After winning the toss and batting first on a sweltering day, England suffered an early setback when Danni Wyatt fell to Nida Dar for 6 in the second over of the match.Heather Knight and Tammy Beaumont regrouped with a 61-run stand for the second wicket, before Beaumont was the second to go, caught by Diana Baig off Nashra Sandhu for 21.But thereafter, England took total control of the contest, as Sciver joined Knight in an 84-run stand for the third wicket, bringing up the 150 in the 29h over before Knight was run out for 86 from 100 balls.Amy Jones chipped in with 17 from 22 balls, but it was the arrival of Wilson that kicked the innings into another gear, as she and Sciver climbed into the final 14.1 overs of the innings with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 146.Wilson struck eight fours and three sixes in a career-best innings, while Sciver reached her third ODI hundred from the penultimate ball of the innings, as England closed on 327 for 4.Chasing that total was never going to be a realistic prospect for Pakistan, who lost wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out for 200 in the 45th over.The captain Bismah Maroof made a brisk 64 from 65 balls, and Nahida Khan made 40 from 43. But England’s wickets were shared around, with Anya Shrubsole, Sarah Glenn, Sophie Ecclestone and Knight all claiming two apiece.”I was really happy to reach three figures, from a selfish point of view, but it was just nice to take the team to a big total,” said Sciver.”Fran batted so well when she came in and she really helped us accelerate towards 300 and beyond – it was a lot of fun batting with her and she played excellently.”It was a shame Heather didn’t get to her landmark because she batted so well and it would have been a lovely way for her to celebrate getting to 100 caps.”Pakistan have been quite testing, they were hard to get away at points today and they were solid with the bat so we’re happy to have gone 2-0 up and won the series.”

The left-arm spinner’s 4 for 15 helped the Rocks bowl Blitz out for 140 before du Plessis steered them home with his 39-ball 54

The Report by Hemant Brar25-Nov-2018Bjorn Fortuin’s four-wicket haul and Faf du Plessis’ half-century helped Paarl Rocks register their first win of the Mzansi Super League. Their victory also halted Cape Town Blitz’s unbeaten streak of four matches, though Blitz still hold the pole position with 18 points.Batting first, Blitz made a breezy start courtesy Quinton de Kock’s 16-ball 31. But left-arm spinner Fortuin eked out the top four batsmen in quick succession and Blitz could never recover after that. Despite some sloppy ground fielding, they managed just 57 from the last ten overs and were bowled out for 140.Du Plessis then steered the Rocks through their chase with a 39-ball 54. He received good support from Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Mangaliso Mosehle as the Rocks notched up the winning runs in 18.5 overs, with five wickets in hand.However, it was not a straightforward victory. Michael Klinger had suffered a back injury during Blitz’s innings and wasn’t available to bat. Then Dale Steyn rattled the Rocks by removing Henry Davids and Aiden Markram in space of three balls, the short ball doing the trick on both occasions. Davids tried to slash him over point but ended up hitting it towards third man where George Linde completed a tumbling catch. Markram was hurried on to the pull, with Hussain Talat accepting a dolly at midwicket.Du Plessis and van Jaarsveld steadied the innings and took the side past 50 in the eighth over. They added 67 for the third wicket before van Jaarsveld reverse-swept Linde straight to Asif Ali at short third man.David Wiese started with a boundary but with 47 needed from 48, he fell to Dane Piedt for a run-a-ball 11. Du Plessis, however, held firm at the other end, finding boundaries at regular intervals to keep required-rate under control. He along with Mosehle played percentage cricket, dealing in singles and doubles to bring the equation down to 16 runs from 18 balls.Du Plessis brought up his half-century off 37 balls in the 18th over of the innings before being caught at deep square leg off a high full-toss from Malusi Siboto. Murray Brown, the field umpire, sought the third umpire Clifford Isaacs’s help to check for the no-ball but some miscommunication led to Murray signalling no-ball. Isaacs, in the end, had to come on to the field to tell him he hadn’t deemed it a no-ball.Du Plessis had to walk off, but Mosehle and Fortuin hit a boundary each to wrap up the game without further hiccups.Earlier, in a surprise move, the Rocks opened their bowling with Markram. De Kock began where he had left off last night and smashed the part-time offspinner for two fours and a six in the bowler’s second over. However, in the next over – the fourth of the innings – de Kock’s march was cut short by Fortuin. The wicketkeeper-batsman slog swept Fortuin for a six, but while trying to repeat the shot two balls later ended up top-edging to du Plessis at midwicket.Andile Phehlukwayo, who was sent in at No. 3, maintained the scoring rate with a couple of sixes over long-on, before Fortuin struck again to dismiss him for a 16-ball 24.In his next over, Fortuin removed Janneman Malan and Farhaan Behardien to peg Blitz further back. Malan, who had scored 57 and 66 in his last two innings, struggled to get his timing right and ended with a stuttering 29 off 31, while Behardien chipped a length ball to van Jaarsveld at extra-cover as Blitz slipped from 82 for 1 to 92 for 4.Dane Paterson and Wiese varied their pace intelligently to make things difficult for middle and lower order. Paterson picked up 3 for 24 as the Blitz batsmen tried to get some quick runs. Blitz managed to put up a challenging total, but as it panned out, that didn’t prove enough.

After winning the Auty Cup last week after 26 years, USA players and staff discuss the shift in the team’s attitude and talk of what lies ahead for the side

Peter Della Penna23-Sep-2017USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake credits the Under-19 team’s attitude in a runner-up finish to Canada at the Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in July as a key factor in reshaping the men’s unit that achieved Auty Cup success over Canada last week for the first time in 26 years.”I think it’s so important that every player who comes into this group, they have to play for the team and the team is first,” Dassanayake told ESPNcricinfo after USA’s 2-1 series victory over Canada last week. “Anybody who comes in from now on has to play for the team and it’s not about any individual. The Under-19 unit actually showed that with their limited capability.”They gave a hard time to the Canada Under-19 team and this group is also moving in the same direction. I think that sets the whole USA cricket into getting into that culture. You can be the best player in the country or have performed in the best way but the important thing is you need to fit into the group and respect the rest of the group. In the future, I hope every USA player that comes in aligns with that culture.”Dassanayake picked out the USA Under-19 side’s four-wicket win over a heavily favoured Canada in the first round of the double round-robin U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Toronto. On a helpful wicket, USA’s seamers ripped through Canada for 63 and in the process bowled 21 maidens. This after Dassanayake was regularly frustrated with the senior team in Uganda in May at Division Three for their indisciplined bowling lines that made it difficult to set any field.USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake discusses some strategies•Peter Della Penna

Despite having far less talent, the Under-19 players showed far more discipline. Their fielding was also exceptional, with a highlight-reel catch from Awais Mubarak making the rounds on the US edition of Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays. Canada Under-19 beat USA in the return match to claim the Americas region spot in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup, but Dassanayake said even in defeat his team’s battling in the second game gave him the blueprint for what he wanted from the men going forward.”The Under-19 tournament was an eye-opener for me because when I look at USA cricket and especially the national team, I thought changing this culture was a long way off,” Dassanayake said. “But suddenly when I saw this young group working together to want to win, I thought if these guys can do it, why can’t the next group do it and start the same?”It really opened my eyes to say ‘you know what, this is how we’re going to move forward with the senior cricketers as well.’ So that influenced me to force some things in the senior group and I think it’s working pretty well, especially with the captain Ibrahim Khaleel, who is in the same line with me about how we want to move forward.”After failing to gain promotion at Division Three in May, Dassanayake and the USA selection panel, headed by Ricardo Powell, enacted a series of major changes, naming Khaleel as new captain to replace Steven Taylor, whose priorities have shifted toward the West Indies. Meanwhile, Taylor’s fellow CPL-contracted players Timroy Allen and Akeem Dodson were dropped along with Alex Amsterdam, the team’s leading scorer at Division Four last year. Khaleel felt there was no doubt in the selectors’ eyes that the team sent to the Auty Cup was a first-choice USA squad in spite of the individual star-power absent.”Whatever people say, the coaches and selectors have said it’s the 14 best at this time and that’s the only reason they believed in that and gave us this team,” Khaleel said. “They know what is the best decision for this team to take, whatever players are the best to take, and most importantly we delivered it. The credit goes to the selectors and coach to give us a free hand to do whatever we’re comfortable at.”It’s a great feeling winning the Auty Cup after 26 years. I think it was a great team effort and I think we just kept it simple. We learned from the second game that we were not disciplined and I think in the third game that was the plan: to go back to the first game, how we bowled a disciplined line, just keep it tight and see where it goes from there. I really want to dedicate this tournament win to [USA high performance manager] Tom Evans, Pubudu and all the selectors who believed in this team and believed in me as captain.”Nosthush Kenjige celebrates the wicket of Akeem Dodson during his five-wicket haul at USA trials•Peter Della Penna

Both Khaleel and Dassanayake pinpointed left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige as a significant catalyst in the team’s changing dynamic. Making his debut on the tour of Uganda, the 26-year-old was at times inconsistent but showed flashes of his capability in taking seven wickets in six games to finish second on tour while also showcasing his electric fielding at backward point. Kenjige stepped up his bowling in the Auty Cup, leading the team with seven wickets in three games including a hat-trick in the second match.”I think Nosh, compared to [the tournament in] Uganda has improved his consistency,” Khaleel said. “He’s giving less runs and every ball he bowls looks like it will be a wicket-taking ball. I think that helped him get so many wickets at this tournament. I really liked his attitude and his approach. I think he’s one of the best left-arm spinners in the USA and I think he’s going to play for a very long time.”Though USA’s next ICC qualification tournaments are not expected to begin until midway through 2018, Dassanayake says the Auty Cup win should serve as a springboard to further success. The USA coach is working with ICC Americas caretaker staff to facilitate a tour of the UAE for November in conjunction with leading Associate sides’ participation for the final round of the WCL Championship, and is aiming to use that as another development opportunity to keep moulding a new identity for USA.”We have informed all the players even before this tournament of the direction we want to move forward with the national team,” Dassanayake said. “So we set up some standards: we had given details on how to move forward and the tournaments we are having in the next 15 months. We’re not going to wait 12 months to build the team for the next Division Three or the T20 World Cup Qualifier. We’re going to build the team from now.”So when we’re starting a new pathway to get this win, it’s a fabulous feeling. Of course, winning the Auty Cup is one thing but for a new group to come in to win, that has set the platform for us for the next 15 months.”

Tom Fell’s first century since his recovery from cancer kept alive Worcestershire’s chances of a quarter-final place in the Royal London Cup with a four-wicket victory over Lancashire

ECB Reporters Network31-Jul-2016
ScorecardTom Fell hit his maiden List A hundred (file photo)•Getty Images

Tom Fell’s first century since his recovery from cancer kept alive Worcestershire’s chances of a quarter-final place in the Royal London Cup with a four-wicket victory over Lancashire at New Road. Fell made 116 not out, his highest List A score, as Worcestershire successfully chased 268 with 14 balls to spare and in the process killed off their opponents’ hopes of going through to the knockout stage.Worcestershire now have to win their final group game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on Monday and look for favourable results elsewhere.For Fell, it was an emotional milestone in his eighth innings since returning to the side a month ago. Having completed two fifties in that time, he moved up a gear to score his maiden List A hundred in an innings of high quality on a pitch where Lancashire found it difficult to dictate to spinners or the slower-paced seam bowlers.Going in as early as the fourth over, when Daryl Mitchell was caught behind off Saqib Mahmood, Fell was into his stride in a partnership of 58 with Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who got to 30 before he was caught at cover off Tom Smith.Worcestershire had a wobble in six balls from Stephen Parry. Joe Clarke was caught low down at short extra cover for 25 and Brett D’Oliveira was stumped after charging the left-arm spinner. Ross Whiteley then restored stability with 38 out of 83, and although he was bowled by a quicker ball by Steven Croft, the crowd was ready and waiting for a standing ovation when Fell reached three figures in 104 balls by cutting Parry for his 14th four.The 22-year-old collected one more boundary and could afford to take a back seat as Ben Cox powered Worcestershire towards their target with 31 from 25 balls.In making 267 for 7, Lancashire owed much to their captain, as Croft featured in two significant partnerships during the “pace off” period. Legspinner D’Oliveira bowled 10 overs for 27 runs and at the same time medium-pacer Mitchell delivered his first full ration in white-ball competitions this season.The home skipper finished with 1 for 41, his wicket an important one when the dangerous Karl Brown was out for 43, giving wicketkeeper Cox his third catch of the innings.At that stage Lancashire were beginning to repair early damage caused by Kyle Abbott’s most effective contribution in Worcestershire’s overseas position. The powerfully built South African emerged from a sharp opening spell with 2 for 24 from six overs. Smith was first to go, mishitting to mid-off, and Alviro Petersen went for 32, a first victim for Cox.Offspinner George Rhodes accounted for Liam Livingstone with assistance from Cox. This brought in Croft to make 33 out of 64 with Brown before adding 99 in 14 overs with Luke Procter.Croft made 78 from 105 balls, hitting a six and six fours before falling to Ed Barnard. He was brilliantly caught by Whiteley, running in from deep midwicket, but Joe Leach, at short fine leg, hardly had to move to hold Procter’s mistimed ramp shot on the return of Abbott. The left hander made 47 at almost a run-a-ball.