Category Uncategorized

Mashrafe Mortaza has said he will play Khulna Division in their next first-class match, against Rangpur on October 10, in the National Cricket League

Mohammad Isam05-Oct-2015Mashrafe Mortaza has said he will play Khulna Division in their next first-class match, against Rangpur on October 10, in the National Cricket League. While his fitness remains a constant worry, Mashrafe is optimistic that a return to Test cricket isn’t far away.His last Test was in July 2009 in which he had been captain as well. Mortaza had taken a tumble in his followthrough after bowling only 6.3 overs and the resulting knee injury kept him out for three months. Thereafter he struggled to meet fitness requirements to play five-day cricket but has been a regular fixture in shorter formats, especially over the last 18 months.”I will play from the NCL’s next round for Khulna against Rangpur from October 10,” Mashrafe said. “I will also play one more game but not two in a row. I will play the other one later. Now my fitness is quite good, so I am getting the courage to play. I am even thinking about Test cricket. Now I have to see how it goes in the NCL.”His last first-class appearances were in January 2014, when he played a game each for East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League and for Khulna in the NCL. He usually turns up in first-class cricket to prove match fitness, but this time the urge to play was due to Bangladesh’s long lay-off from international cricket.Mashrafe will join a strong Khulna Division bowling attack that comprises of Abdur Razzak, Al-Amin Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman. His last competitive match was the third ODI against South Africa on July 15 and after the NCL, his next assignment would be the BPL T20 competition in mid-November.

Preview of the first Test between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Galle

The Preview by Andrew Fernando and Mohammad Isam07-Mar-2013

Match facts

March 8-12, Galle
Start time 1000 (0430 GMT)
Angelo Mathews (left) faces his first challenge as full-time Sri Lanka captain•AFP

Big Picture

A Test match in Galle against Bangladesh might usually comprise a straightforward challenge for Sri Lanka, but with the contracts crisis less than a week behind them and a fresh-faced top order set to take guard, the potential for an upset has shot up. Sri Lanka’s selectors have approached the tour as an opportunity to blood young players, tilting the squad balance heavily towards raw talent, and if an improving Bangladesh side score a shock victory, Angelo Mathews’ Test captaincy will have had as poor a start as he could have imagined.On paper, Sri Lanka are by some distance the favourites in Galle – a venue from which they have customarily taken a 1-0 lead into the remainder of the series, having lost only three times in 21 matches there. The pitch, which usually takes turn from day one, shapes as a paradise for all spinners, but even men as gifted as Saeed Ajmal and Graeme Swann have not managed to imitate the success Sri Lanka’s slow bowlers achieve there as a matter of routine.It will help too for Sri Lanka that several batsmen in the likely top seven have scored heavily in first-class engagements since the tour of Australia. Angelo Mathews and Tillakaratne Dilshan both made big hundreds in their last match, while Dinesh Chandimal and Dimuth Karunaratne have also strung together solid scores in the past few weeks. Either Jeevan Mendis or Kithuruwan Vithanage are likely to debut, and both men are also coming off big scores – in Vithanage’s case, against the very attack the visitors will probably field in the first Test.Bangladesh are also with several key players, but the ones on tour are a different breed than the cricketers who have visited Sri Lanka in the last four full tours. Bangladesh now gives their youngsters time on the domestic circuit before drafting them into the senior side. Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque are the latest talents to roll out of age-group and domestic cricket, with Jahurul Islam and Marshall Ayub being picked on their recent form.Captain Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal will have to do most of the running, but the likes of Mahmudullah and Nasir Hossain have soaked up pressure in the recent past. Bangladesh’s bowling attack however is thin, and the gap left by the injured Shakib Al Hasan will take some filling. Someone has to fill his role as the wicket-taker and then run-controller, but none of these bowlers have done so on the big stage for an extended period.Sri Lanka’s off field problems may have closed the gap between the teams somewhat, at least psychologically, but those who have seen Bangladesh capitulate in a matter of overs in Test cricket would still be wary of a one-sided contest. But this is a young team with several cricketers who seek the limelight; their desire would have to be translated on to the field for this to be a good Test match.

Form guide

Sri Lanka: LLLLW (Completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLLLL

Players to watch

Angelo Mathews was by no means an automatic choice for Test captain, despite having been groomed for the role for the better part of two years, and he has plenty to prove in this Test and the series. He has a passable average of 39.71 for a No.6, but he’s made only one hundred in 50 innings, and his bowling figures in the longest format are far worse than Dilshan’s, who himself would not be termed an allrounder. Mathews has also rarely been seen offering tactical counsel for past captains, and in addition to his ability to re-energise the side after the weekend’s disruptive events, his strategic nous will also be on trial.Sohag Gazi is going to be Mushfiqur Rahim’s go-to bowler in spinning conditions, particularly in Shakib’s absence. The offspinner has greatly improved, going from playing first-class cricket for Barisal Division to becoming the leading spinner in his first away Test. A self-made cricketer, Gazi’s breed of offspin isn’t different from the orthodox lot but since making the senior team earlier this season, he has added a few more variations to his armoury.

Team news

With Mahela Jayawardene out through injury and Thilan Samaraweera not picked – and subsequently retired – Sri Lanka will have to pick at least four batsmen with fewer than ten Tests’ experience, as it is unlikely they will play five bowlers. Kithuruwan Vithanage, who scored an unbeaten 168 in the tour match could be in line for a debut, but Jeevan Mendis has an equally good chance, as he can provide an extra bowling option.The second spinner’s spot is also up for grabs, and uncapped 19-year-old Tharindu Kaushal may also be looking at a debut, though he will have to fight off Ajantha Mendis, who is the more likely candidate. With so much inexperience elsewhere, Sri Lanka may choose the more seasoned hand of Nuwan Kulasekara over Shaminda Eranga.Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Lahiru Thirimanne, 5 Kithuruwan Vithanage, 6 Angelo Mathews (capt), 7 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 8 Nuwan Kulasekara/Shaminda Eranga 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Ajantha Mendis/Tharindu Kaushal, 11 Chanaka WelegedaraTo fill the four vacant slots in the batting line-up, Bangladesh are likely to give Mominul a Test debut at No. 6. Mohammad Ashraful will come in too, but there is still uncertainty about Jahurul Islam and Anamul Haque to open with Tamim Iqbal, who could play through pain in his right hand. Rubel Hossain has pain in his back so he too could be replaced by Shahadat Hossain. Or as a safety-first option, they could go with Elias Sunny, making it a completely spin-based attack.Bangladesh (probable) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Jahurul Islam/Anamul Haque, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mominul Haque, 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Elias Sunny, 10 Abul Hasan, 11 Rubel Hossain/Shahadat Hossain

Stats and trivia

• Bangladesh have lost all eight Tests they played in Sri Lanka, and have never taken a match into the fifth day
• Kumar Sangakkara scored back-to-back double hundreds on Bangladesh’s last tour to Sri Lanka, and averaged 428 in the series
• In three Tests in Galle last year, Rangana Herath took 28 wickets at 14.28
• This is the first Test Mahela Jayawardene will miss since July 2002
• Mohammad Ashraful is by far Bangladesh’s most successful Test batsman in Sri Lanka, scoring two hundreds including the one on debut that set the world record for the youngest batsman to score a century on debut

Quotes

“I think there is no added pressure as such. We have played without Shakib for parts of the series against West Indies, so nothing much has changed. I think a bit of pressure can be a good thing, and I am confident we, as a team, can handle it.”
“Mahela and Thilan are two of our most experience players, so we will miss them. Bangladesh is a very good team, and they’ve played well in the recent past, so this is an opportunity for all of us to [prove ourselves and] come through with a win. I’m sure we can be successful.”

Richard Levi’s half-century gave a powerful start to the South Africans’ batting before Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s early hat-trick helped set up a 20-run win

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
By the end of Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s spell, Canterbury were 24 for 4•Getty Images

Richard Levi’s half-century gave a powerful start to the South Africans’ batting, before Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s early hat-trick helped set up a 20-run win against Canterbury in Christchurch. The South Africans’ tour opener wasn’t all one-sided though, as their middle order stumbled and their bowlers were given a scare by a late cameo by Matt Henry.After Canterbury chose to field, Levi gave the visitors a blazing start. He outscored Hashim Amla in an explosive opening stand as the South Africans raced to 80 for 0 in eight overs. The most productive over of the match was the fifth – 21 runs came off it as Levi started by slamming medium-pacer Logan van Beek for fours fours. He reached his fifty in the next over with a big six over midwicket but Levi’s dismissal in the ninth over led to the visitors losing their way.The next six overs yielded only 27 runs for the loss of Amla, Colin Ingram and captain AB de Villiers. The South Africans had looked set for at least 180 when Levi was in the middle, but they ended up with a relatively modest 150.If Canterbury were buoyed by their efforts in the second half of the visitors’ batting, their hopes were punctured by Tsotsobe’s hat-trick. He ended the second over of the chase by dismissing the openers George Worker and Peter Fulton before returning to trap Shanan Stewart lbw with an incutter. In his third over, he took out highly rated youngster Tom Latham and by the end of his spell, Canterbury were at 24 for 4.The match meandered along and the South Africans seemed headed for a huge victory before the No. 9, Henry, swung five sixes in a 17-ball 42 to briefly raise Canterbury’s spirits. The fight was virtually over in the 18th over, though, as he edged a Morne Morkel yorker through to the keeper and Canterbury were bowled out with an over to spare.de Villiers was thrilled with the successful start to the tour. “This was exactly what we needed,” he said. “We needed a competitive challenge and all the credit to Canterbury’s batsmen for fighting the way they did towards the end.”He was also pleased with the form of Levi and Tsotsobe. “Richard is a phenomenal batsman, he is an impact player and it is very exciting for us to have a player of his calibre at the top of the order.”Lopsy has just been outstanding. I don’t know how he does it so consistently, he just keeps taking wickets.”

The 2011 season of the IPL will begin with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai

Cricinfo staff16-Feb-2011The 2011 season of the IPL will begin with defending champions Chennai Super Kings taking on Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The preliminary schedule released by the BCCI has the ten franchises playing at 13 venues over 51 days. The schedule may undergo changes keeping in view the state assembly elections to be held in a number of the host venues.The Indian board has also said that the four play-off games after the league stage – as per the revised format announced last year – will be split evenly between the Wankhede Stadium and the MA Chidambaram Stadium, with Chennai hosting the final on May 28.The finalists and the losing team from the third play-off match will qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 2011.Meanwhile, the new Kochi franchise has announced that the side will be called “Indi Commandos.”

Alan Butcher, the former England batsman and father of former England international Mark Butcher, has been appointed Zimbabwe coach

Martin Williamson20-Feb-2010Alan Butcher, the former England batsman and father of former international Mark Butcher, has been appointed the new national coach of Zimbabwe, replacing Walter Chawaguta, who had been in the post since August 2008.Butcher, 56, will be helped by Zimbabwe’s coaching assistant Stephen Mangongo, batting coach Grant Flower and bowling coach Heath Streak. His first assignment will be the tour of the Caribbean next month. “In the past we have relied on one coach, but this time we have four individuals and are confident they will deliver,” Ozias Bvute, Zimbabwe Cricket’s managing director, said in Harare.Streak has been with the side as bowling coach since August last year, while Flower, 39, will only take up his position at the end of the coming English domestic season after seeing out his contract with Essex.”At the end of this season it will probably signal the end of my playing career and I do not want to have any regrets,” said Flower. “I start my new role with Zimbabwe in October and have the main objective of helping them reach Test status once again. At the end of this season I aim to complete my Level 4 coaching course”.Although Chawaguta had been in situ for 18 months he never appeared to have the full backing of the board. At the beginning of 2009 Zimbabwe Cricket announced it was readvertising the post but a lack of credible alternatives led to him keeping his job. When the role was again put up for grabs at the end of the year the writing was on the wall. With a raised sense of normality surrounding Zimbabwe cricket, the board had a greater choice.It was widely reported at the tail end of last year that Streak was the preferred candidate, but the board has opted to bring in someone from overseas. That it went for Butcher will raise more than a few eyebrows. His last position was at Surrey where he left after a wretched season in 2008 when they failed to win one Championship match and were relegated from the top flight. He has little international experience having played a single Test and ODI for England as a left-hand opening batsman in 1980.

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.

India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey credited England for being brave but doesn’t believe the hosts have fallen behind

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2024The reverse sweep was England’s second most profitable shot (48 off 30 balls, no dismissals) in the second innings that took them from 190 behind to 126 ahead. Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett in particular were using it repeatedly, throwing India’s spinners off the good length area where most of the danger lurked in this Hyderabad pitch.In all, England made 79 runs off 46 balls using various kinds of sweeps – including a reverse Dilscoop that Pope played late in the day after raising an immense century.India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey credited England for being brave and said the only thing to do when a team comes out with such unorthodox strokeplay is to hold your line and hope for the edge.Related

• Hyderabad erupts as Bumrah collides with Bazball

• England's first outing is oh, so Stokes

• Ollie Pope sweeps England out of deep trouble

“It does happen. If a batsman starts to access different areas, it’s always going to be a challenge,” Mhambrey said. “Someone like Pope who played, he accessed the square, fine leg area as well and the sweep and the reverse sweep and he played it consistently. Credit must go to him. They really played well, took on the attack at the stage where it was needed and sometimes that happens. Someone who plays some shots like these consistently does get the bowlers under pressure in terms of variation in the lines. Credit goes to him.”But as I said, we still have to be patient with the lines, still hit the right areas and hope to get a wicket. Hope to get an edge or something or the other. That can happen. But I think the credit goes to him the way he played.”Joe Root, who spoke in glowing terms about Pope, said the key to playing the sweep and the reverse sweep is to believe you’re going to nail it every single time. This was when he was asked if they might be a better option than a forward defensive on a turning pitch.Ollie Pope reverse sweeps, something he did a lot•BCCI

“It can be if you can play it well,” Root said. “When it’s hardest is when some spin, some don’t. When it’s consistent spin you can work out when to take it on, and which balls from which line you can take a risk on.”The most important thing is you don’t think you are going to miss at all. Have that mindset of committing to the shot and nailing it for four or one, or whatever. Pope did it exceptionally well. It took until 110 to make a small error when he got dropped. There were a couple of balls that ripped past his outside edge but you expect that; it’s part and parcel, almost like in England when it’s swinging and seaming around, and you almost give yourself a pat on the back because you’ve not chased it. It’s exactly the same here. It was a really special knock.”India aren’t bothered that they’ve fallen behind because they believe that the surface in Hyderabad is a little atypical.”If you look at the way the game has progressed over the last three days, looking at the first session, the amount of balls, the pace of the wicket, the pace of the spin, it got better in the second innings and I think it’s only going to get a little better,” Mhambrey said.”It is on the slower side. There’s still turn but it’s not the usual turn that we see on Indian subcontinental wickets where the game progresses and there’s sharp turn. It’s not that. Still a little turn but not as challenging as maybe the other wickets we’ve played on.”

Pujara’s availability will be determined by his other commitments

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-2022Cheteshwar Pujara will return to Sussex in 2023 after making a significant impact during his first season with the club this year.”I am glad to be back with Sussex for the 2023 season,” Pujara said in a statement released by the club. “I thoroughly enjoyed my last stint with the club last season, both on and off the field and I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s growth and success in the coming year.”Pujara made Sussex his fourth county after previous spells with Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire, and made eight hundreds – including three doubles – for them across formats. He was their leading run-scorer in Division Two of the County Championship, with an aggregate of 1094 at 109.4 across 13 innings, and was the second-highest scorer across the 50-over Royal London Cup, making three hundreds as Sussex reached the semi-finals. He also deputised as captain.Sussex did not specify in their statement which formats Pujara would play, or for how long, but his availability will be dictated by his involvement in India’s Test squad and, possibly, the IPL. The club later clarified that they expect him to play Championship and 50-over cricket for them and added that he is due to arrive in time for the start of the season.Pujara remains an important part of India’s Test plans, top-scoring with 66 in their most recent game in the format against England in July. Their Test schedule is relatively sparse in 2023, but they are due to play a two-match series away against West Indies in July-August.He has not played an IPL game since 2014 but was part of Chennai Super Kings’ squad in 2021, and would miss the first two months of the county season if picked up in December’s auction.Keith Greenfield, Sussex’s performance director, said, “It is fantastic news that Cheteshwar will be returning in 2023. We all saw the class he showed with the bat and his performances, but he was also outstanding in our young dressing room as a world-class role model for them to follow.”Sussex are in the process of recruiting a new coach after Ian Salisbury left at the end of the 2022 season. James Kirtley acted as T20 coach throughout Salisbury’s tenure, but the club will return to a single head coach from 2023.

Young Surrey spinners seize control as Gloucestershire follow-on at The Kia Oval

Alan Gardner29-May-2021Surrey strutted their way towards what was set to be a crushing win over Group Two leaders Gloucestershire, as 14 wickets fell on day three at the Kia Oval. Dan Moriarty, the left-arm spinner playing in only his third first-class match, was the architect of the visitors’ demise as his career-best 6 for 60 enabled Surrey to enforce the follow on. A parched Saturday-evening crowd then wallowed in the occasion as Gloucestershire tottered to five down in their second dig.Rarely do Surrey have licence to play the underdog card, but having lost to these opponents in the opening round of fixtures there was an added bite to their play here. In the stands, some pinkly glistening patrons attempted to start a “thunder clap”, made famous by Iceland’s football fans during exuberant campaigns at Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup. Gloucestershire, still 191 runs adrift at the close and having collected just two bowling bonus points from their trip to Kennington, face going home with little more than a pat on the back.Surrey went into this game missing the services of three of their England internationals (Rory Burns and Ollie Pope with the Test squad, Ben Foakes the victim of a freak dressing-room injury), and having seen overseas quick Kemar Roach depart for West Indies duty; but such are the resources available in south London that they have been in charge from the moment stand-in captain Hashim Amla won the toss on Thursday morning.Moriarty’s first appearance of the season brought him a fourth consecutive five-wicket haul in Championship cricket, as he and Amar Virdi took up the gauntlet of spinning their team towards victory. Roach’s replacement, Australia international Sean Abbott, then claimed his first Surrey scalps to rattle Gloucestershire in their second innings.Arguably the most significant absence has been that of James Bracey, Gloucestershire’s leading run-scorer and a man with the methodical minerals to have set the tone for a rearguard effort. Miles Hammond did a passable impression at No. 3, facing 257 balls for 111 runs and once out in the day, but a collapse of 4 for 5 during a chaotic half-hour in the first session effectively scuppered their likeliest escape route here.Amar Virdi was in the wickets as Surrey dominated Gloucestershire•Getty Images

Rarely does the county game provide the stage for two young, English spinners to dictate proceedings in tandem, but with the sun shining down on a dry and dusty Oval, conditions were ripe for Virdi and Moriarty to wheel away. Le tweak, c’est chic, as the French don’t quite say. Certainly they are a complementary pair, having taken 18 wickets together in the victory over Sussex during last season’s Bob Willis Trophy. Virdi, the diminutive offspinner, bounds in and gives the ball a twirl, while the taller, more angular Moriarty sinisterly stalks his quarry.Asked to bat again in the face of a 315-run deficit, Kraigg Brathwaite and Chris Dent walked out to find Moriarty and Virdi waiting for them again. Gloucestershire’s openers survived their unusual new-ball test, only for Brathwaite to chip a return catch to Jamie Overton, before Abbott struck twice in as many overs, pinning Dent in front and then castling Tom Lace to send the former Middlesex man on his way having bagged a pair.Ryan Higgins avoided the same fate, but was stumped off Virdi deep into an extended evening session – Jamie Smith completing the dismissal after a smart take by his left shoulder – after Ian Cockbain had fallen to a ripping offbreak.For the first hour of the day, Gloucestershire seemed capably attuned to the requirements of navigating a way past the follow-on target of 324. While spin was always likely to play the major role, this used pitch was still some way removed from a raging Bunsen. Indeed, after Brathwaite and Hammond had seen off the opening overs of seam – the latter taking advantage of Overton’s pace to pull and drive three boundaries in as many overs – the introduction of Virdi and Moriarty initially did little to change the tenor of the morning.In the end it was a lack of turn, deliberate or otherwise from Virdi, that succeeded in foxing Brathwaite, as the West Indies opener played around an offbreak that went straight on to rap the back pad. Virdi was off and running, haring across the square in celebration, and so were Surrey, as the visitors tumbled from 84 for 1 to 89 for 5 inside five calamitous overs.Related

• Jack Carson caters for the crowd as Ben Sanderson bosses Sussex once more

• Essex rise from 182 all out to take control against Durham

• Crowd at Edgbaston evokes feelings of first day of summer

Lace was Moriarty’s first victim, sucked into pushing at a flighted delivery from round the wicket that straightened just enough to clip the outside edge. Cockbain attempted to counterattack but only succeeded in cuffing his sweep off Virdi straight to square leg, and Higgins was guilty of an even more glaring misjudgement when he offered his second ball unimpeded passage into off stump. With Jonny Tattersall turning a full delivery straight into the hands of leg slip and Tom Smith snapped up one-handed by Jacks at forward short leg off the face of the bat, Moriarty had four and Gloucestershire were limping to lunch on 113 for 7.Despite the carnage at the other end, Hammond had doggedly held the line throughout, earning praise from a small-but-vocal pocket of Gloucestershire support in the JM Finn Stand. He moved to a sixth first-class fifty – and first for Gloucestershire since 2019 – with a single from his 124th ball, though might have been stumped in the following over when Moriarty turned one inside the bat only for it to elude Smith as well.Surrey’s charge was briefly held up by the eighth-wicket pair, as Matt Taylor dug in for more than an hour. He had just driven Abbott through extra cover for four when he left a delivery from Jacks that spun big to hit off stump and give the Surrey allrounder his maiden first-class wicket. Moriarty claimed the last two, including that of Hammond, who dragged a short delivery to midwicket; the spinner’s name may hint at Machiavellian intent but Gloucestershire were too often complicit in being duped.

Former assistant coach says a player of Buttler’s talent should average ’40-plus’ by this point in his Test career

George Dobell29-Feb-2020Paul Farbrace has admitted he is “worried” about Jos Buttler’s form, but feels England should stick with him as their keeper for the Test series in Sri Lanka.While Farbrace, England’s former assistant coach, regards Buttler as a “brilliant professional” and a “selfless cricketer” he accepts he “needs to score runs” in Sri Lanka or “step aside” from the Test side.ALSO READ: ‘I’m too old now to get picked on potential’ – ButtlerButtler has made just one Test century in his 41 Tests (73 innings) and, since the start of the Ashes, has made one half-century in 10 Tests and averaged 21.31. He hasn’t reached 30 in his most recent eight Test innings.”I am worried about Jos,” Farbrace said. “I think Jos should be England’s keeper and batter but he knows he can’t keep going long periods of time without making contributions.”What should a player of his ability be averaging after 40 games? It should be 40-plus. It is a lot lower than he would want it to be.”I would definitely keep him for the Sri Lanka series but he needs to score runs. If not, then he has to step aside.”Buttler does look set to start the Sri Lanka tour as England’s first-choice keeper. But the recall of Ben Foakes, player of the series when England won in Sri Lanka in late 2018, is sure to increase the pressure on Buttler’s position.And Farbrace feels Foakes has proved his ability and shouldn’t be judged too harshly on a disappointing 2019 Championship season (in which he averaged 26.14) as it may well have been provoked by his being dropped by England. Farbrace retains belief in Jonny Bairstow’s ability, too, though he accepts he “did not score enough runs.”ALSO READ: Foakes refreshed after winter off and ready for second chance“Foakes is England’s best keeper bar none,” Farbrace said. “He is a quality act with the bat. He showed he is up to it in Sri Lanka.”Being dropped in the West Indies had a massive effect on him during the English summer. It kicked the legs from underneath him.”Jonny Bairstow’s keeping improved enormously, too, but he got bowled too often and did not score enough runs. To get the best out of Jonny, he bats at No. 7 and keeps wicket. A lot of us think he can nail down No. 5, but maybe No. 7 suits him.”While Farbrace, now director of sport at Warwickshire, does not have the influence around the England camp he once did, his views remain intriguing. In his role with England, he was a steadfast supporter of Buttler. If even he is losing confidence, it suggests Buttler is running out of chances.Still, Farbrace remains a fan of Buttler and feels he has the talent and technique to make it in Test cricket. Addressing a roomful of young cricketers on the PCA’s recent rookie camp, Farbrace told them how the previous team management had urged Buttler to simply relax and enjoy the game. Then, Farbrace believes, he requires only greater game awareness to enjoy more consistent success.Jos Buttler has endured a tough run in Test cricket•Getty Images

“I was watching the IPL on television a couple of years ago,” Farbrace said. “Jos’ shoulder were hunched. So I phoned him and asked ‘are you enjoying it?’ He said ‘not really.'”So I said, ‘what would your mum – who coached him when he was a boy – have said?’ And he said ‘try to enjoy it.’ I said, ‘well, there you are then.’ He went on to make 50s in his next five games.”We always told him not to worry about the level of expectation. Just go in and play the game and remember why you play: because you enjoy it.”Jos is a very selfless cricketer. Everything about him as a character and person, you can see why everybody wants him in the team. He has that great knack of saying the right thing at the right time, he is a brilliant professional, he has got a lot of experience and is a team-orientated person like Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Moeen Ali. You want those people in your team.”There are times when he has gone in and played in a way that worked for the team. He got one of England’s best hundreds in recent times against India where he had more dot balls in a hundred than anyone else for ten years [his leave percentage of 24 was actually the highest of England’s most recent 30 Test centuries]. It was a rearguard action at Trent Bridge.”I think it is being able to understand where the game is at and what he needs to do. That is what the best players can do. They work out the situation and play accordingly. That is what Root, Cook and Stokes can do.”I don’t think it is a technique issue. He knows he has the defence. It is a case of trusting that defence and being clear on the situation of the game and playing accordingly. He has to work out what the game needs from him at the given moment. It is what Stokes has done brilliantly.”Over the last 18 months he has worked out how he needs to play for the current situation. The more he does it, the more confidence he has. All Jos is lacking is consistency of being able to bat according to the situation.”England fly to Sri Lanka on Monday and begin their tour with a three-day match against a Board President’s XI starting on Saturday.