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West Indies bowled out for 141 in a session after Head, Webster and Carey combined to set up a match-winning lead with the bat

Andrew McGlashan27-Jun-20250:47

Hazlewood tears through West Indies’ top order

Josh Hazlewood led Australia’s surge to a 159-run victory in Barbados as West Indies lost all ten wickets in the final session of the third day, the final two falling in consecutive deliveries to Nathan Lyon in what would have been the last over of the day.Australia claimed the extra half-hour with West Indies seven down but with Shamar Joseph throwing the bat, having been dropped in the deep by Sam Konstas, and Justin Greaves playing solidly, it appeared Australia would be forced to return on the fourth day. However, Shamar edged to slip before Jayden Seales was caught at short leg to end the match. It completed a performance where familiar Australia strengths came to the fore amid continued questions about the top order, but they were confronted by challenging conditions.Travis Head, who was the beneficiary of West Indies’ seventh dropped catch of the match, Beau Webster and Alex Carey all played with the proactiveness needed on this surface. Head was named Player of the Match for his twin half-centuries on a tricky surface. Carey’s superb strokeplay gave Australia plenty of buffer zone when it came to defending the target, meaning a repeat of what happened in the World Test Championship final was always unlikely on a surface that remained devilish at times, especially with the harder ball.Related

• Chase calls out 'so many questionable calls' in Barbados Test

• However you get 'em – Head, Carey and Webster show the way

Mitchell Starc struck in the first over of the chase when former captain Kraigg Brathwaite clipped loosely to backward square0leg where Konstas held a low catch. However, that was followed by some adventurous strokeplay by John Campbell, including a sweep against Hazlewood, as he and Keacy Carty made encouraging process.But innovation brought Campbell’s downfall when he attempted to lap-sweep Hazlewood again, and this time could only glove the ball to Carey. Next ball, Brandon King got an inside edge into his pads which flew high towards gully where Cameron Green, who had earlier given Carty a life on 1, used all his height to cling on. Sadly for Hazlewood, he did not make Roston Chase play at the hat-trick delivery as a packed ring of catchers awaited.Not that he was delayed long when, two overs later, Chase got an inside edge that looped to short leg before spearing one through Carty. This was Hazlewood at his very best: hammering away at a back-of-a-length and giving the surface every chance to play some tricks.Pat Cummins was then the beneficiary of those tricks when Shai Hope was cleaned up by a wicked delivery that scuttled under his bat. The run-scoring of Australia’s middle order against an older ball felt a long time ago. The only question was whether the visitors could get the job done in the evening.Marnus Labuschagne, on as a sub, produced a direct hit to remove Alzarri Joseph and Hazlewood removed Jomel Warrican for his fifth wicket. Shamar Joseph launched two balls out of the stadium and some frustration was growing for Australia before Lyon sealed the job in fading light.Travis Head celebrates his second fifty in the match•Randy Brooks/Associated Press

The game was in the balance at the start of the day, Australia ahead by 82, with plenty of eyes on how the surface would play. There was an early grubber to Head, which fortunately for him wasn’t straight, and he responded by flaying the next delivery through the off side. As Head would later find out there was always something lurking, but with a touch of fortune, runs were there to be made when intent was shown.West Indies, though, were their own worst enemy again. On 21, Head was given a life when Greaves spilled a chance at second slip. It was the seventh they had put down for the game and had come after coach Daren Sammy had overseen the morning slips catching practice where nothing had been spilled. Head went to his second fifty of the match from 77 balls.Webster, meanwhile, built an excellent innings, the third of his brief Test career, which has come on a challenging surface following the debut half-century against India at the SCG. He used his reach to good effect to get to the ball but was especially eye-catching off the back foot through the off side.Travis Head and Beau Webster got the first century stand of the Test•Randy Brooks/Associated Press

The stand of 102 was broken when Head received a brute of a delivery from Shamar Joseph that barely bounced, the only success for West Indies in the morning session when they would have hoped to knock over most of the remaining Australia batting.After the break, Webster brought up his fifty from 100 balls with a thick edge along the ground through gully before glancing Shamar Joseph down the leg side to Hope. An on-field not-out decision was overturned by third umpire Adrian Holdstock without any of the drama of the previous day.By then Carey was into his stride after having started positively but went up a gear in the over following Webster’s departure when he took 14 off Seales including the shot of the match: a skip down the pitch and perfectly executed lofted straight drive into the sightscreen. He went on to repeat the stroke against the lesser pace of Greaves, sending him over the stands at long-off, to motor to a 40-ball half-century as the game sped away from West Indies.When joined by Lyon and Hazlewood, he started to farm the strike as West Indies set their entire field back to him before lofting Chase into the deep. Shamar Joseph, who bowled the most overs in a match of his brief Test career, removed Hazlewood to claim the five-wicket haul which eluded him in the first innings.

Jack Carson claims three, but late loss of wickets leave hosts with work to do

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay08-Sep-2025Hampshire were bowled out for 226 in just 71.3 overs after being asked to bat first on a challenging Hove pitch on the opening day of their championship match against Sussex. That left Sussex to face 22 overs and by the close they had reached 42 for three as Hampshire fought their way back into the match.Not for the first time the Hampshire innings was held together by their captain Ben Brown, once a very popular player in Sussex colours. But even Brown needed some good fortune on his way to a 129-ball 71, and he was dropped behind by opposite number John Simpson off the bowling of Sean Hunt when he had scored just 18.At the start of the day just 15 points separated the teams between fifth and ninth places. And both Hampshire, in fifth position, and Sussex, just two points behind, started the match in search of reassuring, anti-relegation points.Hampshire, who made four changes, bringing in Ali Orr, Toby Albert, Bjorn Fortuin and Keith Barker, reached a diffident 81 for three at lunch against a rejigged Sussex seam attack which welcomed back Olli Robinson, Jaydev Unadkat and Sean Hunt.Sussex, who had lost their two most recent championship games by an innings, broke through in the sixth over when Fletcha Middleton, driving at a wide delivery from Unadkat, edged behind. It was 47 for two in the 14th over when former Sussex opener Orr clipped Hunt to short leg where Oli Carter took a very sharp catch, low down. And Robinson picked up his first wicket in his livelier second spell when, bowling over the wicket to the left-handed Nick Gubbins, he straightened one to have the batsman lbw.After the break the Hampshire batsmen found the going no easier on a rather sticky surface. The pitch – being used for the first time this season for a championship match – did not encourage strokeplay. Albert pulled left-armer Hunt through midwicket to bring up the hundred in the 35th over but when he attempted a similar stroke against Robinson he gloved the ball to slip.Tom Prest also perished as he attempted to be positive, clipping Fynn Hudson-Prentice to Daniel Hughes at midwicket. Fortuin played himself in but when he jumped down the wicket to drive Jack Carson through the on-side he was through the stroke too soon and chipped it back to the bowler.Hampshire put all their eggs in Brown’s basket, and the batsman gathered his runs with sweeps and nudges, mostly on the leg-side. But when he swept Carson for a single to reach his half-century it had taken him 105 deliveries. From 119 for five Brown led his side to partial recovery, but once he was eighth out at 215, sweeping Carson to square-leg, Hampshire’s resistance was broken.Conditions were no easier when Sussex batted. Tom Haines edged Kyle Abbott waist-high to second slip and Carter was bowled by a nip-backer from Keith Barker. Shortly before the close, James Coles, driving loosely, dragged a delivery from James Fuller onto his stumps.

Christian contributed with both bat and ball, but Bryant and Renshaw’s 108-run stand turned the game on its head

Tristan Lavalette06-Jan-2025Dan Christian rewound the clock in his first match since coming out of retirement, but Matt Renshaw and Max Bryant produced a blistering century partnership to lift Brisbane Heat over Sydney Thunder in a pivotal BBL result.Chasing 174 at the Gabba, Heat were in big trouble at 43 for 3 before Bryant and Renshaw combined for a belligerent 108-run partnership to turn the match on its head. Bryant smashed 72 off 35 balls, while Renshaw whacked 48 not out off 33 balls as Heat reached the target with seven balls to spare.It was a vital win for Heat, who reignited their title defence and moved to a 3-3 (one no result) record. After their attack fell apart in the backend of Heat’s innings, with quick Wes Agar suffering the brunt with 1 for 61 from 3.5 overs, the shorthanded Thunder (4-2) missed their chance to claim the top spot on the BBL ladder.

Renshaw, Bryant turn match on its head

Heat’s top-order struggles reared again and their hopes of victory looked forlorn at 53 for 3 after ten overs. The required run rate ballooned to over 12 an over as Bryant and Renshaw were forced to take the power surge earlier than Heat would have hoped.It worked as a treat with Renshaw setting the tone by whacking Agar -for consecutive boundaries in the 11th over, which yielded 20 runs. Heat plundered 32 runs in the power surge and their momentum continued with Bryant and Renshaw trading massive blows.Renshaw showcased his improved power game against spin with a huge six off Tom Andrews that sailed over deep midwicket. They smashed 72 runs in just five overs, as Bryant raced past Renshaw to reach his half-century off 26 balls.Bryant fell in the 17th over, but Renshaw ensured Heat held their nerve at the death.Dan Christian utilised his wealth of T20 experience to good effect•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Christian contributes with bat and ball

The 41-year-old Christian had not played a professional cricket match since BBL 12 and had spent the past two seasons as Thunder’s assistant coach. But he had to answer an urgent call for Thunder after injuries to Daniel Sams and Cameron Bancroft following their horror collision in the field against Perth Scorchers.Christian had been keeping fit in local NSW cricket and it showed with a terrific all-round performance. Coming in at 125 for 6 after Thunder were sent in, Christian wisely gave himself a few sighters, scoring just six runs off his first seven balls, before blasting a huge six off quick Xavier Bartlett that sailed 92m over the square-leg boundary. Christian added another six, fortuitously through a top edge, but his cameo proved he had not lost his power hitting.He then came into the attack in the fourth over of Heat’s innings and dismissed Nathan McSweeney, who feathered an attempted lap shot. Christian also bowled tidily at the death to finish with 1 for 25 from four overs as he utilised his wealth of T20 experience to good effect.

Neser returns in style

Amid Scott Boland’s burgeoning popularity and strong form of numerous fringe international quicks in the BBL, Michael Neser has become the forgotten paceman of Australian cricket. He had started the domestic season brilliantly and claimed 4 for 27 against India A at the MCG in early November before suffering a significant hamstring injury in that match.After being on the sidelines for almost two months, he was raring to go and opened the bowling along with Bartlett, ahead of left-arm quick Spencer Johnson who was held back until the seventh over. Neser’s new ball prowess came to the fore in the third over when he dismissed Ollie Davies, who could only inside-edge an attempted ramp shot. It was a tame end for Davies, elevated to open in the absence of Bancroft.David Warner continued his good form•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Neser returned and claimed the vital wicket of Sam Billings in the ninth over. He dug in a short-of-good-length delivery that Billings charged at but could only sky high in the air for Tom Alsop to complete an easy catch with the gloves. Neser finished with 2 for 25 from four overs and later hit the winning run.

Warner fires again

After a slow start to his captaincy reign, David Warner rediscovered his belligerent best with scores of 86 not out and 49 heading into this match. He produced again with 50 off 36 balls to hold together Thunder’s innings.Warner batted in mostly orthodox fashion in the powerplay and was determined to be Thunder’s anchor as they lost consistent wickets. He made his move in the sixth over against legspinner Mitchell Swepson, sweeping him to the boundary on the first delivery before reverse-sweeping the next ball for another four.Warner’s placement was a feature as underlined by drilling a cover boundary off Johnson to bring up his half-century. But he was clean bowled on the next ball after unsuccessfully reverse sweeping a Johnson yorker. Thunder appeared set to fall well short of a strong total until Christian’s late flurry.

Three controversial decisions go against hosts after CSA chooses not to pay for review technology

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2024Heather Knight, England’s captain, says that the decision not to use the Decision Review System (DRS) during their historic women’s Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein was a “sign of the status of the game”, after England wrapped up a 286-run victory on the third afternoon to seal their first win in the format for a decade.The absence of DRS was not the deciding factor in England’s comprehensive victory, as South Africa collapsed to 64 all out in less than 20 overs in their fourth innings. However, the host board’s decision not to spend a minimum of US$48,500 (R880,000) on the technology arguably contributed to the final margin between the teams, with least three contentious umpiring calls all going against South Africa.The most interesting of those came in South Africa’s second innings, when Lauren Bell appealed for a catch off Annerie Dercksen that was taken by Tammy Beaumont at short leg.Dercksen was given not out on-field by umpire Kerrin Klaaste but, after consulting with her colleague, Klaaste called for an umpire review, a procedure that is typically used to determine whether a catch has carried. The ball, however, had carried to Beaumont at chest-height – and while it is possible Klaaste was unsighted and needed to double check – TV umpire Bongale Jele duly gave the decision as out, despite clear doubts that Dercksen had inside-edged the ball onto her pad.”We all thought she hit it and obviously the umpire delayed the decision,” Knight said. “I think the review was around whether it was a bump ball, but it was pretty clear it wasn’t, so I’m not really sure what happened there.”Mandla Mashimbyi, South Africa’s newly installed head coach, was similarly confused at the process that had led to the decision.”There was no communication and I didn’t understand why,” he said. “It was quite bizarre. But the umpires feel they made the right decision and we can’t go against that.”Related

• CSA reports profits of R815 million for 2023-24 fiscal year

• Red-ball fever catches on in South Africa

• Beaumont, Jones seal ODI series for England

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“We make do with what we have. Our job is to make sure we play good cricket. Those are things we can’t control. Obviously we will be disappointed with certain decisions but we can’t change what has happened. There are people that will be dealing with that, who are outside this room at the moment. If I leave it to myself, it might not be nice.”Klaaste was the umpire for two other contentious decisions, on days one and two. In the first instance, Marizanne Kapp appealed for an lbw against Beaumont , who was on 2 at the time, with the second ball of the match and it was given not out. It looked like a close call but Kapp could not review.Asked on day two if she felt hard done by, Kapp said: “We’re probably disappointed we were on the wrong side of it, but it goes both ways. That’s just the game. It’s never easy for the umpires out there. Even though you get upset when it doesn’t go your way, it’s still a hard job for them to be correct every single time.”The second incident took place on day two when Laura Wolvaardt, on 65, was given out lbw to Sophie Ecclestone. Her reaction, which included throwing her hands up in the air and walking off shaking her head, suggested she thought she’d hit the ball and earned her demerit point for dissent.According to Enoch Nkwe, South Africa’s director of national teams and high performance, the absence of DRS for the Test had been agreed upon by the two boards at the planning stage of the tour. However, Knight claimed the first she had known of it was on the eve of the contest, after the system had been in use throughout the six white-ball matches at the start of the tour.”I was pretty shocked when I found out in the umpire’s meeting the day before, that we weren’t going to have it,” she said. “I think it’s a real shame. You come to expect it as a player now, and I guess the reason is always money. But, particularly in Test cricket, where wickets are such a premium, it’s a really important thing to have. It’s probably a sign of the status of this game, maybe, that we didn’t have it, which is a bit frustrating.”In his pre-match explanation, Nkwe added that the white-ball contests had been prioritised because the matches had a bearing on the team’s rankings in T20I cricket and the ICC Women’s Championship (IWC), as well as “the overall CSA strategy for the senior women’s national team”.”It is worth noting that resources are currently being directed at the white-ball formats due to the significance of ODI and T20I cricket in the current women’s international cricket landscape,” he said.Speaking on the second evening, Kapp agreed that she preferred DRS in the shorter formats. “It’s a new thing that we have DRS available,” she said. “I don’t believe we’ve had it available for T20s and ODI cricket. So it’s really helped in the ODI and T20 series. And if I have to be completely honest, I’d probably prefer having it in those two formats.”But whether CSA needed to be penny wise could be debated after they recorded a profit of R815 million (US$45.6 million) for the 2023-24 financial year. The cost of DRS for this Test match amounts to just over 0.1% of that money.

The Derbyshire seamer finished with 5 for 21 as the Lions dismissed the hosts for 214 on day one

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Jan-2025Pat Brown claimed a hat-trick on his way to a five-wicket haul as the England Lions enjoyed a dominant opening day of their second tour game against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane.Henry Hunt was his first victim, edging more conventionally to James Coles at second slip, before Jack Clayton was bowled shouldering arms. The Derbyshire right-armer was then wheeling away to celebrate his hat-trick when Hugo Burdon edged behind to wicketkeeper James Rew. Brown’s figures were 5 for 21 from eight overs as the home side were bowled out for 214.Brown, bowling first change, ran through the top order and had already had opener Nivethan Radhakrishnan caught by Coles from a rising delivery before securing his hat-trick.England Lions reached stumps at 53 for 1 with Ben McKinney the only wicket to fall for 32. Skipper Alex Davies remained unbeaten on 15 alongside nightwatcher Shoaib Bashir (one).Ryan Hicks top-scored for the CA XI with 64, before he became Brown’s fifth wicket. Hicks reached his half-century from 78 balls before Brown got another ball to lift off a good length to find McKinney at a wide first slip. Sam Cook wrapped up the tail to return 2 for 31.

South Australia’s Peter George bowled himself into history with the best figures ever recorded at Bellerive Oval but the Redbacks still face a challenge to take first-innings points against Tasmania

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2009
ScorecardPeter George collected 8 for 84•South Australian Cricket Association

South Australia’s Peter George bowled himself into history with the best figures ever recorded at Bellerive Oval but the Redbacks still face a challenge to take first-innings points against Tasmania. George finished with 8 for 84 in Tasmania’s innings of 389 and shared the star billing with the Tigers batsman Ed Cowan, who scored 225.George’s figures beat the previous best at Bellerive Oval, the 7 for 38 collected by Tom Moody for Western Australia during the 1995-96 season. It was the best analysis in the Sheffield Shield/Pura Cup competition since Stuart Clark grabbed 8 for 58 against Western Australia three summers ago.Adding to the impressive nature of the performance, it was the first five-wicket haul in first-class cricket for George, who was playing his tenth match. His victims included Cowan, who added 21 to his overnight score and finished with 57% of Tasmania’s total.In reply, South Australia had reached 4 for 220 at stumps with Cameron Borgas unbeaten on 34 and Graham Manou on 7. They had been well set up by the opener Daniel Harris, who scored 77, and Mark Cosgrove (49) but will need to rely on their lower middle-order to help them overtake Tasmania.