Tom Westley’s century, assisted by a final spurt from James Foster, helped Essex to chase down a seemingly impregnable Hampshire total

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2016
ScorecardTom Westley led the way as Hampshire scored 300 and lost for the first time [file picture]•Getty Images

James Foster used his incredible experience to edge Essex over the line to get the Eagles off to the perfect Royal London One-Day Cup start – beating Hampshire by three wickets at the Ageas Bowl.Veteran Foster scored a cool unbeaten 36 to help Essex score 29 from the last three overs – after Tom Westley had scored his third List A century.Given 311 to chase after electing to bowl first, Essex attacked their reply, needing less than nine overs to reach fifty – but soon after lost Browne when he gave Ryan Stevenson his first List A wicket, caught by Adams at mid-wicket.Westley and Jessie Ryder kept the score ticking over at exactly a run a ball – the former collecting a watchful half century from 66 balls, reaching the landmark with back-to-back leg-side clips. Ryder reached his fifty in a quicker 53 balls, before Westley was dropped on 69 by Liam Dawson at mid-on.The duo were otherwise untroubled before Ryder was stumped by Wheater after a nice tempter by Mason Crane – the partnership ending on 143, the New Zealander scoring 71.Bopara, run out by Crane, Lawrence and ten Doeschate, both caught behind, all fell within six runs to stunt Essex’s progress and swing the game back towards the hosts.Westley reach three figures with a brilliant on-drive down the ground, his third format ton, before he skied Andrew straight up, to return to the dressing room just one short of his best score.Ashar Zaidi added another twist to the game, who along with Foster, swung hard in a 18 ball 30 stand but the former Sussex man’s wicket, for 41.But Foster and Masters ran and hit hard, along with some wayward death bowling to win with two balls to spare with a boundary over midwicket.Earlier, Wheater’s peerless 90 against his old county helped Hampshire to 310 for 4 – a seemingly winning score, the county never having failed to defend 300.The wicket keeper put on a club record second wicket stand of 176 with Tom Alsop, who was forced to retire ill for 83.Jimmy Adams had lasted until just the second over before he feathered an attempted pull shot through to Nick Browne at first slip.Alsop and Wheater’s stand proved relatively chanceless bar a couple of uppish strikes by both batsmen but safe from red shirted hands – and a six from Alsop which Dan Lawrence parried over the rope.Both reached classy half centuries, Wheater from 71 balls before Alsop met him at the milestone little more five minutes later but in a speedier 57 deliveries.Alsop in particular looked effortless at the crease, with the ball gliding off his bat beautifully on the back of his maiden first class fifty against Nottinghamshire a fortnight ago.Wheater, a former Essex academy player, was faultless getting to 90 – summed up with a confident thrash through the leg side to the boundary – but he departed to end the stand 176 run stand miss-timing to Ravi Bopara at mid-off.Skipper Sean Ervine and Liam Dawson then upped the run rate, with a 74 run partnership – the former eventually bowled by Ryan ten Doeschate.Dawson did move to fifty, although lost Gareth Andrew to a boundary catch in the process, from 45 balls. Dawson ending his unbeaten 70 with a flurry of a delightful four and clubbed six, but it was not to be enough.

For the second season in a row, Nottinghamshire are at the uncomfortable end of the Division One table, looking like a team in need of inspiration. Last season, Peter Moores awakened ambition. This time Imran Tahir might make the difference

Jon Culley03-Jul-2016
ScorecardNotts will hope to see these sort of celebrations from Imran Tahir [file picture]•AFP

For the second season in a row, Nottinghamshire are meandering through midsummer at the uncomfortable end of the Division One table, looking like a team in need of inspiration. Last year, after being bottom at the halfway stage, they seemed to be find it in Peter Moores, the former England coach, whose addition to the staff at Trent Bridge coincided with a revival that saw them finish third.This year, evidently, they need something to spark them again, having won their opening match of the Championship programme against Surrey in April but not one since in an eight-match winless run that began, as it happens, with an eight-wicket defeat by Lancashire at Old Trafford.Perhaps this time the uplifting factor will be Imran Tahir. Back at Trent Bridge for a second spell after his first, last year, was curtailed early by injury, the South Africa leg-spinner began by conceding 13 runs in his first over, six of them before he had bowled a legitimate delivery, but thereafter produced evidence that the skills that have sustained him through an extraordinary career might be just what Nottinghamshire need, even in a summer as damp and miserable as this one.Although Lancashire, the Division One leaders, took a chance with the toss and decided to bat first, it was on a surface that had some grass left on and looked dark in colour after more heavy downpours on Saturday, one that surely had Stuart Broad and Harry Gurney licking their lips.Yet it was Tahir who proved Lancashire’s most troublesome opponent, offering few cheap runs, even when he was attacking, and having enough guile to snare two of his three wickets with his googly.At the heart of his contribution was an engrossing battle with the Lancashire opener, the left-handed Tom Smith, who was 40 from 95 balls as his side reached lunch at 109 for 1 but was thereafter so comprehensively pinned down by Tahir that of the next 46 deliveries he faced from the legspinner he managed to score off just six before he was lured down the pitch and stumped after the ball kicked past the outside edge.It had been the googly, too, that earlier bowled Luke Procter for 48. In between, Steven Croft was possibly unlucky to be given out leg before after taking a long stride forwards but Tahir’s 3 for 78 from 27 overs did not flatter him in any way.After his 7 for 45 against West Indies in Basseterre, in the process of which he became the fourth fastest bowler to reach 100 wickets in one-day internationals, he has arrived with form and confidence high. Nottinghamshire, who have managed thus far to stay out of the relegation places but have played more of their matches than those around them, will have their fingers crossed that it continues.Tahir was one of three changes in the Nottinghamshire bowling compared with the rain-affected draw with Warwickshire last week. He replaced the young off-spinner Matt Carter, with Gurney and Broad coming in for Luke Fletcher and Jake Ball, who is being rested after bearing a heavy workload in recent weeks.Ball, Nottinghamshire’s leading wicket-taker, is strongly tipped to make his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s next week and Mick Newell, wearing both his Nottinghamshire and England hats, wants him to be in peak condition should his chance come.Broad bowled a fine spell with the new ball without reward and was then rather fortunate after lunch to see Alviro Petersen given out to a legside strangle when he barely appealed. In the last of his four consistently-disciplined spells he held a brilliant return catch from a full-blooded hit to dismiss Jordan Clark before Liam Livingstone took a mighty swing at him towards midwicket and was caught at backward point off a steepling top edge.There was a scare late on when Neil Wagner ducked into a ball from Harry Gurney and took a blow on the back of the head. Happily, amid obvious concern among the Nottinghamshire players, who summoned help immediately, the New Zealand bowler was able to get to his feet and walk off.As it happened, he was also out, which seemed somewhat unfair, the ball dropping behind him as he dropped to his haunches and rolling on to the stumps with enough force to dislodge a bail and provide the in-form Gurney with a second wicket he deserved, if not by a route he would have chosen.

Chadwick Walton slammed 97 as Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by 36 runs in a rain-affected fixture in Kingston and qualified for the final of CPL 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2016Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChadwick Walton hit nine fours and five sixes in his 54-ball 97•Getty Images

Chadwick Walton slammed 97 as Jamaica Tallawahs beat Barbados Tridents by 36 runs in a rain-affected fixture in Kingston to qualify for the final of CPL 2016.After rain lashed down on Kingston for over an hour to reduce the match to an 18-overs-a-side affair, Tallawahs amassed 195 for 5, largely thanks to a second-wicket stand of 127 between Walton and Kumar Sangakkara, who made a 31-ball 50.In reply, Tridents slipped to 55 for 4 in the eighth over, before Nicholas Pooran mounted a spirited fightback, bringing up the fastest half-century this season, off 23 balls. But as the asking rate crept up to over 15 runs an over less than halfway into the chase, Tridents were left with no option but to go for broke. They were bowled out for 159 in the final over.”Winning the toss was a good decision, but we didn’t bowl well, and so we deserve to be on the losing side,” Tridents captain Kieron Pollard said after the match. “You can’t bowl contrary to what your plans are and still end up winning. We have had a few guys injured, but we can’t use that as an excuse. Guys who get an opportunity should show why they deserve to be in the XI. We can’t slip up going into the business end. Hopefully this is another learning experience for us and we’ll look to fight another day.”Tridents had an early boost when Ravi Rampaul removed Chris Gayle in the third over of the match. For the next hour, though, they came under Walton’s wheel. The opener, who had topped 20 just once this season, struck nine fours and five sixes over the course of his 54-ball knock, before being caught at long-on in an attempt to clear the ropes and bring up his maiden T20 century.Andre Russell, promoted to No. 4, was out first ball to David Wiese, but Rovman Powell lent the finishing touches with one four and four sixes in his unbeaten 14-ball 34 as Tallawahs smashed 44 off the last three overs.Tridents came out swinging and lost their openers – Shai Hope and Ahmed Shehzad – inside five overs as Dale Steyn and Andre Russell got among the wickets. Pacer Timroy Allen then struck twin blows, including that of Shoaib Malik, to leave Tridents in tatters at 55 for 4.Pooran and Pollard kept the innings ticking along, before the pressure of bringing out the big shots resulted in Pollard falling into the short-ball trap set by Steyn. Two balls later, Steyn had his 200th T20 wicket when fellow South African David Wiese chipped one to Gayle at midwicket to leave Tridents at 90 for 6.Pooran then muscled his way to six meaty sixes before his run-out deflated Tridents’ chase. Steyn finished with 4 for 27 as Tallawahs secured a final berth in front of adoring home fans. The visitors, meanwhile, slipped to their third loss in seven matches.

After two-thirds of play was rendered impossible by the weather for the second day in succession, Kuldeep Yadav ate into India Blue’s gains with a four-wicket burst late in the night

The Report by Arun Venugopal30-Aug-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo – Mayank Agarwal was dismissed eight runs short of what would have been a second first-class century•Getty Images

After two-thirds of play was rendered impossible by the weather for the second day in succession, Kuldeep Yadav ate into India Blue’s gains with a four-wicket burst late in the night. India Blue went from 188 for 1 to 200 for 5 in four overs, as Kuldeep unleashed a rash of googlies that bored into India Blue’s batting core.Should Mayank Agarwal nurse heartaches over his dismissal, it wouldn’t be out of place: he ventured an inexplicable slog to be stumped after coming within a whisker of his second first-class hundred. The dismissal proved to be costlier than he might have anticipated on a day India Blue had to negotiate a mere 27.4 overs.From the outset, this was a curious day where little of the expected unfolded. With rain in the air, and after the pitch had sweated under the covers for over 24 hours – the grass on the pitch appeared markedly lusher – it was thought the ball would move around crazily. On the evidence of the first few overs, it also seemed that India Red’s wretched luck would continue – they had handed India Blue captain Gautam Gambhir and Agarwal a reprieve each on Monday, and were still atoning for them.The second ball of the day, from left-arm seamer Pradeep Sangwan, caught Gambhir’s outside edge and flew just wide of second slip. On the first ball of the next over, Ishwar Pandey struck Agarwal, who shouldered arms with pad thrust forward, on the back leg, but umpire Virender Sharma made a brave not-out call.Meanwhile, Gambhir continued to slash, steer and edge boundaries behind square. India Red captain Yuvraj Singh even installed an extra slip, but he never came into play. India Blue had scored 40 runs in the first 10.4 overs, and there was neither any mad swing nor significant seam movement.The first spark of action was provided by Nathu Singh, who was evidently quicker than Sangwan and Pandey. He decided to take the pitch and the atmosphere out of the equation, and beat Gambhir with sheer pace: the ball whooshed off a length and crashed into Gambhir’s pad before his bat came around it. While Nathu was looking to blast the batsmen out, in came Kuldeep with his wristy, drifting offerings. After a quiet period, three deliveries changed the course of India Blue’s innings.Agarwal charged out to biff the first ball of the 56th over on the full for a six over the bowler’s head. The next ball was flatter and skidded past the batsman’s attempted cut, before Kuldeep offered a loopy googly. Agarwal dashed out again for a slog across the line, but this time the ball dipped and swerved past him for Srikar Bharat to complete a stumping. The Kuldeep-Bharat combine came together again in the bowler’s next over when Suryakumar Yadav was stumped in an attempted flick. Next ball, nightwatchman Karn Sharma was walking back after being trapped lbw, again by a googly.B Aparajith was, in contrast, untroubled by Kuldeep’s googlies, but edged a drive to gully, where Nitish Rana snapped up a smart, low catch, only two overs later. Till about half an hour earlier, India Red were probably bracing for a long haul in the field. But, like in the first game, it took Kuldeep only a few minutes to make a difference.

After sealing the T20 series, Pakistan will strive for consistency and a rare series whitewash against the misfiring world champions West Indies

The Preview by Nikhil Kalro26-Sep-2016

Match facts

September 27, 2016
Start time 2000 local (1600 GMT)

Big Picture

Bereft of confidence and 0-4 down, not much was happening for Pakistan’s limited-overs squad in their ODI series against England last month. But, as is the case in sport, one moment of clear thinking can help a team turn around. Pakistan achieved that through a partnership between their best limited-overs batsmen, Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed, in a demanding chase of 303 in Cardiff. Three convincing T20 wins followed, and now, Pakistan have an atypical sense of belief in their own game, and camaraderie under newly-appointed captain Sarfraz has hit a new level. Although this series is done, Pakistan are still striving to find the glue that can hold it all together: consistency.Pakistan’s series win against West Indies has been built around the same modus operandi they’ve used for decades – bat to par and bowl well above that. Reducing the world champions to 48 for 8 and 89 for 7 in the first two T20s showed their discipline with the ball. A youthful side has also shown the ability to save runs on the field. But, how will Pakistan’s new-look outfit hold their own under the duress that this format often brings?As teams master the T20 format, they also sometimes deem a “bad day” acceptable. West Indies’ batsmen suffered two in succession, which has cost the team the series; their six-hitters have hit the wall when unable to find the boundary. “West Indies are known to be a boundary-hitting side. But it’s up to us to find a way around that,” batting coach Toby Radford said after the second T20. If they don’t, a whitewash may be inevitable.

Form guide

Pakistan WWWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies LLWWW

In the spotlight

Shoaib Malik has been one of Pakistan’s most consistent T20 performers. In his last 16 T20I innings, Malik has failed to register a double-digit score just once. Malik’s experience and fielding prowess have also helped Pakistan in their dramatic limited-overs revival.West Indies’ middle order, which includes Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite, is arguably the best in the world. Bravo resurrected West Indies’ innings in the first T20 with a 54-ball 55. But for them to be at their destructive best, West Indies’ top order has to set a base from where the middle order can attack effectively.

Team news

Pakistan have no reason to change their winning combination with a whitewash in sight, although coach Mickey Arthur said on the eve of the game that there might be changes on the fast-bowling front. “We would like to bring in [Mohammad] Amir, and start him bowling before the ODIs,” he said. “I want to know how Rumman Raees goes too, but we will take a final decision tomorrow.”*Pakistan (probable): 1 Sharjeel Khan, 2 Khalid Latif, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Hasan Ali/Mohammad AmirWith the series gone, captain Carlos Brathwaite said they are likely to hand a debut to one or two players. Rovman Powell may make it into the XI for Nicholas Pooran, who has scores of 5 and 4 in his first two T20Is. West Indies may also rejig their misfiring top order.West Indies (probable): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Andre Fletcher (wk), 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Carlos Brathwaite (capt), 8 Rovman Powell/Nicholas Pooran, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Samuel Badree, 11 Jerome Taylor

Pitch and conditions

Abu Dhabi, with its larger dimensions, will provide a different challenge to the batsmen. Pakistan’s batsmen scampered through for plenty of twos in the smaller Dubai outfield, which could continue. West Indies’ six-hitting ability and adaptability will be tested. The nature of the pitch is unlikely to be too dissimilar from the first two T20Is, and temperatures are expected to be in the late 30s again.

Stats and trivia

• Before this series, Pakistan had never won more than one match in a three-match T20I series
• Pakistan’s left-arm bowlers have taken 14 wickets this series, the joint most for any team in a bilateral T20I series
• Pakistan have won only one of the four T20Is they have played in Abu Dhabi

Quotes

“The dot-ball percentage was always far too high [previously in limited-overs cricket], so we had to rotate the strike more and we particulary worked hard to score off good balls. It was pleasing to see us score so many [87] off the last ten the other night.”
“I haven’t lost confidence in anyone as a team”.
*18.00GMT, September 26: The preview was updated after Mickey Arthur’s media interaction

England will play their first day-night Test match at home next year, the ECB has confirmed

Alan Gardner06-Oct-20161:39

Edgbaston to host day-night Test match

England will play their first day-night Test match at home next year, the ECB has confirmed. The first Test of West Indies’ tour, at Edgbaston on August 17-21, will be contested under lights with a pink ball in a move designed to try and increase attendances and drive interest in the oldest form of the game.Tom Harrison, the ECB’s chief executive, said it was worth experimenting in order to try and “make cricket more accessible to new audiences”. So far, the only Test played under lights with a pink ball was between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide last November, although a second, between Pakistan and West Indies in the UAE, will take place this month. Another two are scheduled for the forthcoming Australian summer.”It’s a great opportunity to build on a lot of the thinking and the strategy that has been going on for the last 12 months,” Harrison said. “It’s been all about new audiences and doing all we could to make the game more accessible at every level, and this gives us an opportunity to find out if Test cricket played at a different time of day, under certain conditions, in a city centre at a time of year where people possibly don’t get to go to the all day game – we’ll see if that has a dramatic impact on attendance.”It’s also outside London, so there’s more opportunity to see an impact of day-night cricket. England historically love playing at Edgbaston, it’s a great venue. We are taking an open and hopeful view and are expectant that it will have an impact on our market as we look to make cricket more accessible to new audiences.”Harrison added it was important to “embrace opportunities when they come”. Warwickshire held a trial in a 2nd XI game in August, which was deemed a success despite some issues with the deterioration of the pink ball (both Dukes and Kookaburra varieties). The club were unable to hold further tests in a first-class match but, with tickets due to go on sale next week, they have agreed to take the plunge for next summer.”Bringing day-night Test cricket to England is an innovative and very exciting development for the game, and we’re thrilled that Edgbaston will be the first venue to host a match played in this format,” Neil Snowball, Warwickshire’s chief executive, said.”Edgbaston staged the UK’s first day-night domestic match in 1997 and has a great history of hosting and selling out some of the biggest fixtures in the game. In turn, the Edgbaston atmosphere and match-day experience has become iconic, with England having a fantastic record of victories here.”Playing hours for the Test have been provisionally scheduled from 2pm until 9pm, with the final session set to take place under floodlights as the sun goes down. Dukes will continue to supply the ball; those used in the 2nd XI match at Edgbaston, in contrast to the Kookaburra version, featured a dark seam.”I’m sure it will drive some new thinking in the way that tickets are sold and I’m sure it will have an impact on the ability of families to come and watch cricket,” Harrison said. “It’s a sincere drive and strategy to make cricket as accessible as possible, particularly for young people. To create a Test cricket audience among young people.”Cricket Australia has been the board most enthusiastic about day-night Tests and it is likely that the 2017-18 Ashes could feature a pink-ball game – although the current captains, Alastair Cook and Steven Smith, have expressed reservations. “It’s useful to have one before we go to Australia,” Harrison said. “Giving guys the chance to play with a pink ball under lights, before an Ashes Test in similar conditions. It’s a good opportunity to stick a stake in the ground to say we are keen to innovate.”Player concerns about the conditions required to keep the pink ball from deteriorating were a feature of the Adelaide Test, where an unusually grassy surface was prepared and the match was over inside three days. Harrison said the ECB was “comfortable with the development of the ball”, which has been tested extensively by the MCC – who first proposed the idea – notably in the Champion County match at the start of the English season.He added that the England and West Indies players had been assured they will be given opportunities to prepare for playing under lights. West Indies’ third three-day tour match, which takes place in Derby the week before the first Test, will be played as a day-night match.”Players have taken some time to get around this,” Harrison said. “It’s not a new concept in terms of global international cricket and many boards are looking at ways to introduce this and as they have gone down this journey they have looked at all the things that need to come together, like lux levels at grounds, local council approval, public transport. They are all different in the day-night scenario. There is a bit more work to do, but we can start to get excited.”I’m sure we will convert those who are less than convinced about it. We will work hard to make sure we are not treading on traditions here. In London we put a Test match on and it sells out. Outside London it’s not as simple as that. Maybe this helps bring in some of those new communities that haven’t been to Edgbaston before. There will be a lot of marketing about, in a very busy summer for us across all formats.”

Umar Farooq in Sharjah03-Nov-2016West Indies captain Jason Holder has said that his side has what it takes to win a Test match, but insisted they must not get complacent after winning only one match. Holder said he was a “proud” captain to pull off such a fight and beat Pakistan by five wickets in Sharjah. West Indies, after being whitewashed in the ODI and T20I series, showed more resistance than most would have expected to finish the Test series 1-2.

Kraigg Brathwaite on…

Batting through two innings: It feels very good, it’s something I always wanted to do. It wasn’t easy. Obviously, Pakistan has very good bowlers, so it was tough work, had to be mentally strong. Obviously, there are some tough periods that you have to play through, and really thankful that I got through the innings.
Their win: It will do a lot for the team. We have got the win, now we know what we have to do every day to get to the wins. We have to stay positive, and look to get more wins in the future.
Sharjah pitch: I found it didn’t really spin as much, but it got lower and lower as the game went on. Even today it was still playing good, so I think it was a good batting pitch.
Current West Indies side: We have a good group of young guys, we have to keep working. We have five months before the next Test series. We have first-class cricket going on back home, so it’s key for all the guys to go there and keep working hard. The same things we want to do in Tests, we do there, so that when the next Test series comes, we’re ready to win games.
The runs on the last day: Thinking about it, you do get a little nervous, but in the end I believed Shane and me could have done it. We kept talking to each other, and I was always confident.

“This is a very good group of guys,” Holder said after the fifth day’s play. “We showed glimpses that we can have what it takes to compete at this level. For us, it is just a matter of consistency. We must not get complacent, we have no reason to be complacent. One Test victory is by all means not enough. We have to stay hungry, and that is something I really believe we have in the group.”West Indies tested Pakistan in phases in the entire Test series; they nearly won the Dubai Test and put on a late fight in Abu Dhabi too. The third Test saw Holder’s men find gaps in Pakistan’s complacency and carelessness, and went on to win without any troubles on the last day. “My message is simple; stay with us and keep supporting us,” Holder said. “One Test match victory doesn’t make us a world beating side, but we have showed people that we can do it. We have what it takes.”We have competed with Pakistan throughout this series. We fell short in Dubai, were outplayed in Abu Dhabi, but to finish the last Test on the winning side is a wonderful feeling. For the fans back home, and West Indies fans in general, just keep supporting us, keeping giving us that love, and hopefully this team can turn things around for West Indies. It was extremely important, especially after the Dubai Test match, where many people felt we could have won the game.”We personally felt we could have won the game as well, but we didn’t get across the line. To come here in this last Test match, and put ourselves in the position to win, and actually get across the line, is a great feeling. We have the ability to win Test matches, it is just about stringing together the complete game. If I could sum up my feelings in one word now, I’d say ‘proud’. Proud of the character the guys showed, proud of the fight they showed.”Winning two Tests was not as easy for Pakistan as they had to overcome resilience by West Indies. Darren Bravo’s century in Dubai gave Pakistan a scare and Devendra Bishoo frequently tested Pakistan’s batsmen to finish as the second-highest wicket-taker in the series, taking 18 wickets at an average of 27. His strike rate of 45 was better than Yasir Shah’s 55, who was the top wicket-taker with 21 scalps.Another positive for West Indies was opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who became the first opener to stay unbeaten in both innings of a Test, in Sharjah.  He carried his bat in the first innings for his 142, and then scored an unbeaten 60 in the second innings to see the side through successfully. “He is young; everyone is looking to make their mark on the international circuit,” Holder said in Brathwaite’s praise. “Everybody is hungry for success, and one thing I have really enjoyed on this trip is the fact everybody is happy for each other’s success. We just need to string together consistent performances over an extended period of time. If we can do that, we will get back on the right track, to take West Indies cricket back up to the top.”The negative things around West Indies cricket are beyond my control. I can’t control who signs contracts, I can’t control who is here with me. All I can control is my destiny on the cricket pitch when I step over that line. That goes for everybody in that dressing room. As players, we just have to be responsible for our own individual actions, take our personal pride onto the field, and play good cricket.”

Ross Taylor has been cleared by eye specialists to play the Hamilton Test against Pakistan, which is set to begin on November 25

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2016Ross Taylor has been cleared by eye specialists to play the Hamilton Test against Pakistan, which is set to begin on November 25. However, the batsman needs surgery on his left eye, which will be done after the Test, thereby ruling him out of the ODIs in Australia in December.Taylor has a benign growth on the eye, called a “pterygium”. The growth is currently not obscuring his vision in any way, according to New Zealand’s physiotherapist Tommy Simsek, but will have to be removed before it gets larger.”Ross has a pterygium on his left eye, which is gradually getting bigger,” Simsek said. “Both the specialists he has seen in recent days have advised Ross still has 20/20 vision, and Ross himself feels confident he is ready to play.”But Ross will still need to undergo a medical procedure on his eye to remove the pterygium before it gets any larger. He’ll have surgery following the Test, which rule him out of cricket for approximately four to six weeks.”New Zealand are leading the two-Test series against Pakistan 1-0. After it ends, they travel to Australia to play three ODIs for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, between December 4 and 9. Their next international assignment is a visit by Bangladesh, which kicks off with an ODI on Boxing Day in Christchurch.Northern Districts batsman Dean Brownlie had been put on standby by the selectors, as cover for Taylor, when New Zealand Cricket announced the squad for the second Test against Pakistan. Allrounder Mitchell Santner returns to the squad for that Test, having recovered from a wrist fracture.

Vernon Philander has made Sussex his fifth county on a short-term deal in 2017

David Hopps09-Dec-2016Sussex have signed South Africa international Vernon Philander for the first half of the county season, advancing his reputation as one of the overseas nomads of the county circuit.Philander, who remains an integral part of South Africa’s bowling attack and has played 37 Test matches for his country, will be available for Sussex’s first six Specsavers County Championship matches, and the entire group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup tournament.Philander will use the spell at Sussex as a useful warm-up ahead of South Africa’s Test series against England next summer. He has not played ODIs for South Africa for more than a year but he has not retired from the format and a call up for South Africa in the Champions Trophy cannot be entirely ruled out, which, if it occurred, would disrupt Sussex’s plans.Sussex represent Philander’s fifth county after other short-term deals at Middlesex in 2008, Somerset in 2012, Kent in 2013 and Nottinghamshire in 2015. His emphasis has very much been on using the county circuit in short-term bursts to build form and fitness, and earn revenue, without seeking any long-term loyalty.In those four stints, he has taken only 49 first-class wickets at 26.98, his most lasting contribution being the 23 wickets he took for Somerset in 2012 and his most ephemeral appearance a two-game stint at Kent when he failed to take a wicket.Most recently, he helped South Africa to an impressive 2-1 Test series victory in Australia, having decimated the hosts’ top-order in the second Test with figures of 5 for 21 in the first innings, as Australia were bowled out for 85.Sussex’s head coach Mark Davis said, “I am thrilled to have Vernon joining us for the first two months of the season. He is one of the leading bowlers in world cricket and to have him bowling in English conditions is a very exciting prospect from the club.Philander said of his upcoming stint at Hove: “I’m really looking forward to getting to Hove and playing for Sussex for the first couple of months of the English season. Although I haven’t come up against Sussex much in my time playing in England, I’ve always heard good things about the club and set-up.”Mark Davis, the coaching team and Luke Wright are building an exciting squad and I’m excited to be a part of that in 2017.”

Barbados and Combined Colleges and Campuses kicked off their 2017 WCIB Regional Super50 campaigns with victories on day one of the tournament

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jan-2017Kraigg Brathwaite’s 101 off 146 balls helped hosts Barbados off to a winning start in the 2017 WICB Regional Super50 as they trounced Guyana by 145 runs at Kensington Oval. Brathwaite’s maiden List A hundred in his 31st match anchored the Barbados innings as they eventually finished on 302 for 7.The bulk of the runs came during a 122-run third-wicket stand between Brathwaite and Jonathan Carter, who dominated their partnership while making a brisk 75 off 63 balls. Jason Holder took two wickets with the new ball to make early inroads in Guyana’s chase before the twin spin tandem of Ashley Nurse and Sulieman Benn did the rest of the damage. Offspinner Nurse claimed 4 for 42 while left-arm spinner Benn finished with 4 for 35 as Guyana were bowled out for 157 in just 32 overs.Combined Campuses and Colleges caused a stir at Three Ws Oval earlier in the day as they upset Jamaica by 75 runs. Amir Jangoo top-scored with 64 off 114 balls in CCC’s battling total of 215 for 8, which turned out to be more than enough in the end.Keon Harding wiped out Jamaica’s top three inside the first seven overs before Mark Deyal took three more to wreck the Jamaica middle order. Jamaica were still in with a reasonable chance of chasing down the total at 103 for 5 after 24 overs with Brandon King on 48, but left-arm spinner Larry Edwards struck with the first ball of the 25th to remove King, sparking a collapse of 4 for 20 over the next six overs and Jamaica ultimately subsided for 140 in 35 overs.