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Robbie White digs in as Middlesex battle for runs on rain-hit second day

ECB Reporters Network16-Aug-2020Kent’s bowlers enjoyed the best of a second dreary day as visitors Middlesex stumbled to 123 for 6 from 61.5 overs at the midpoint of this rain-ruined Bob Willis Trophy clash in Canterbury.Having lost 80.3 overs to bad light and showers on Saturday, the two South Group sides sparred for runs and wickets throughout an overcast morning session before rain returned three overs after lunch to wash out another 46 overs from the match.Resuming on their overnight score of 22 for 1 at 11am, Middlesex’s second-wicket partners Sam Robson and Stevie Eskinazi found runs hard to come by against the frugal new-ball attack of Matt Milnes and Darren Stevens.The visitors added only 10 in the opening half-hour before visiting captain Eskinazi, on 9, groped for a Stevens away-swinger and edged low to keeper Oli Robinson, who took the catch in one glove diving away to his right.A double bowling change led to the introduction of Grant Stewart and Fred Klaassen, but Kent’s tactic to restrict the flow of boundaries continued to reap rewards.In a tidy, seven-over stint down the Nackington Road slope Klaassen, a 27-year-old left-armer making only his third first-class appearance, helped maintain the stranglehold on the run rate as Middlesex mustered only three boundaries in the opening hour, one of which came via a thick outside edge to third man.Having faced 86 balls for his 36 runs, Robson chipped a Klaassen in-ducker to Daniel Bell-Drummond at short midwicket then, seven overs later, Martin Andersson mistimed an attempted on-drive to another Klaassen inswinger and clipped a firm return catch to the Netherlands’ bowler.The clouds returned three overs into the middle session and shortly after 2pm with the rain strengthening in intensity throughout the afternoon. But the torrent abated by 4pm and, after two inspections and tireless work by the groundstaff, umpires Nigel Llong and Neil Bainton decided play could re-start at 5.30pm with 16 overs remaining in the day.The joust between bat and ball continued under blue skies and in bright sunshine after the resumption, yet Middlesex needed 8.3 overs to record their first boundary of the evening session with four leg byes to fine leg.Nevertheless, fifth-wicket partners Jack Davies and Robbie White dug in to take their partnership to 40 before first-class debutant Davies, off-balance and working to leg across an inswinger, went lbw to Stevens.With the penultimate ball of the day Klaassen ran one across left-hander John Simpson and found the outside edge for another spectacular tumbling catch by Robinson. Klaassen improved his career-best first-class figures to finish the day with 3 for 19 while Stevens closed with 2 for 32.

Players found picking up ball against white seats “tricky” in warm-up game

Matt Roller24-Jul-2020Ireland have flagged an unusual problem with playing behind closed doors ahead of their three-match ODI series against England next week, after their fielders struggled to pick up the white ball against the backdrop of empty cream-coloured seats in an intra-squad practice match.All three games in the series will be played at the Ageas Bowl, where Ireland and England have been staying since last week. While empty stands did not cause major issues for fielders in England’s Test against West Indies at the ground last month, Ireland’s players found it difficult to see the white ball against the light seats.”The thing that’s a little bit of a concern is the background,” Graham Ford, Ireland’s head coach, said in a virtual press conference on Friday. “The seating is either cream or white, and you’ve got a white ball and an empty stadium, so that background for fielders might be a challenge.”Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, said that he hoped extra sessions will prepare his fielders for the challenge. “It does take a bit of getting used to, but we’ve got a week of prep and we can make sure that we hone that, and make sure that guys are comfortable and almost getting their eyes in while fielding,” he said. “It can be tricky: a white ball on cream and white seats will be tricky, but we’ve got enough time to make sure we can’t use that as an excuse.”All three games are day-night matches, meaning it will likely only be a problem in the first innings. ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB has no plans to add dark covers to the seats, and will instead rely on fielders being able to adapt. Hampshire have played a number of one-day games at the ground with only a limited number of fans present.Meanwhile, Ford has laid down a marker for Ireland in saying that it is not enough for them to simply give England a scare. “We’ve certainly shown in the previous ODI at Malahide and in the Test match [last year] that we can give them a fright,” he said. “But that’s not what we want to do: we want to be winners.”There are a few little elements we may have to work on – a few things we might to able to see in terms of the psychological side of it and the pressure they’ve got. It’s a potential banana-skin game for them: they can’t afford to lose to us, and they’ll take a lot of flak if they do.”There’s a few little issues of, perhaps, egos, and things that we can work on, but I wouldn’t want to talk about the things we want to exploit in the media. The most important thing is that we put good basics in place.”Getty Images

Balbirnie admitted that there was “no doubt” that Ireland were “going in as underdogs”, but said that with key players like Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes absent on Test duty, England could be vulnerable if they lost early wickets.”Those two in the middle order have been standout players for England over a number of years,” he said. “They’ve got a really strong top order, and against these big teams early wickets are vital, no matter who you’re playing.”In the first game of the series, it’s a statement if we can take early wickets and really set the ball rolling, but they’ve got a really strong squad here. They’ve played as many games as we have this summer, so we’re going in with a clean slate, and hopefully we’re building momentum nicely towards that first game.”Balbirnie said that he was confident Ireland would be able to cope with the challenge posed by England’s two main spinners, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, on a relatively slow wicket with big square boundaries. Balbirnie said he had been doing his homework, checking the type of player who has been successful in Hampshire’s one-day games at the ground, and thought that taking pace off the ball would be crucial.”One of the benefits of playing Afghanistan so often [is] you get the opportunity to play against world-class spinners on a regular basis. You learn different things, and learn how to play them in different scenarios. As a squad, we tend to play spin pretty well.”One bowler who may prove crucial to Ireland’s hopes in the series is Josh Little, the 20-year-old left-arm seamer who took 4 for 45 on ODI debut against England last year. England’s batsmen have generally struggled against left-arm seamers in recent years, and Ford said that Little would “certainly be very close” to inclusion for the first ODI.”It’s no good just picking somebody because the opposition have a perceived weakness against that type of bowling,” Ford said, “[but] he’s gone quite nicely. I’d like to see him just step it up a little bit, but it’s nice to know we’ve got that sort of variation to our attack. He’s a really exciting prospect.”Ireland have one more warm-up game to prepare ahead of the first ODI on July 30, against an England Lions XI that will include Eoin Morgan, who was rested for England’s intra-squad warm-up on Friday. They are set to be without Mark Adair for the series, who is yet to bowl at full intensity in training, but Ford is hopeful that Paul Stirling will be fit after missing the intra-squad game with a calf niggle.

Debutant Hasan Mahmud took 3 for 28, as West Indies’ total of 122 would never be sufficient

Sreshth Shah20-Jan-2021Shakib Al Hasan, who was serving a one-year ban for not reporting a corrupt approach from 2019, had a fruitful return to international cricket as his 4 for 8 helped Bangladesh beat an inexperienced West Indies by six wickets in the first ODI in Mirpur. The win gave Bangladesh a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and also earned them their first points in the World Cup Super League.On paper, it would appear to be a one-sided win for Bangladesh, but West Indies – who were fielding six debutants – had some positives to take from the game despite being bowled out for 122. Debutant Kyle Mayers, who struck 40, showed promise on a spin-friendly surface while left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein – also playing his first ODI – spun a web around the Bangladesh top order with his variations to finish with 3 for 26. However, a target of 123 was simply too low for West Indies to keep sustaining the pressure, as Bangladesh won with 16 overs to spare.Conditions were overcast all day in Mirpur, and captain Tamim Iqbal asked West Indies to bat first. It was a decision that gave them early success as Mustafizur Rahman bagged 2 for 20, using his inswinger to trap opener Sunil Ambris lbw in the second over. After a brief rain delay, Rahman struck again to dismiss Joshua da Silva for 9 when the batsman edged a drive to Liton Das at gully, who took an acrobatic catch.Related

• Shakib's 'hunger and desire' fetches immediate success

Iqbal, donning the captain’s hat in a full-time capacity for the first time, then introduced Shakib, who struck almost instantly. Andre McCarthy looked to absorb the pressure for West Indies but after his 34-ball stay of 12, swept down the wrong line and had his off stump knocked back. That was Shakib’s 150th wicket at home, and he would swiftly add two more when he had Jason Mohammed (17) stumped and Nkrumah Bonner trapped lbw for a four-ball duck.At that stage, West Indies were 56 for 5, but a 59-run stand between Mayers and Rovman Powell took them past three-figures. After seeing off the first spell from Shakib and offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz, they pounced on pacers Rubel Hossain and Rahman when the duo returned for their second spells. The short balls were pulled or cut while the overpitched ones were drilled through cover, but just as it was looking dangerous, the half-century partnership was broken.Bangladesh’s own debutant, 21-year-old pacer Hasan Mahmud, grabbed 3 for 28 and got the breakthrough. After bowling a quick first spell with no reward, he got a length ball in his second to zip off the surface and beat Powell for pace. That got Powell’s edge and found Mushfiqur Rahim’s gloves. The next ball, Mahmud came around the wicket and hit the back leg of left-hander Raymon Reifer to get his second wicket, this time lbw. He was lucky, however, with ball-tracker showing that the delivery would have gone over the stumps. Reifer, though, could not ask for the TV umpire to look at it since West Indies had already burned both reviews.That left Mayers with the lower order to follow, but he was dismissed by Miraz from around the wicket, as the latter got the ball to turn away. Mayers’ attempted drive took the outside edge only to find Das lurking at first slip. At that point, West Indies were 121 for 8, and Das was in the action again when Hosein edged Mahmud to the slip cordon.Thereafter, Shakib took his fourth wicket and West Indies’ last, when he got an arm ball to go through Alzarri Joseph’s defense, bowling West Indies out for 122 in the 33rd over. Shakib’s figures of 4 for 8 were the best by a Bangladesh bowler against West Indies, while the visitors’ total was their second-lowest against their hosts.Liton Das and Tamim Iqbal began Bangladesh’s chase in a hurry, but fell soon after•AFP via Getty Images

The way Iqbal and Das began the chase, the match seemed destined for a quick finish. Chemar Holder erred in his line and was punished early, conceding 26 runs in his first three overs. It allowed Bangladesh to score at over five an over for the first seven, but when Joseph began operating in partnership with Hosein later on, run-scoring became difficult.Joseph bowled typical Test-match lines on a surface that showed some sideways movement and induced plenty of false shots from the openers, while Hosein got the ball to turn both ways to keep the batsmen guessing. Between overs seven and 12, Bangladesh scored only four runs, and the way Joseph and Hosein plugged the run-flow earned West Indies a breakthrough soon after.Das was the first to go, out for an uncharacteristic 38-ball 14. He tried to defend a ball from Hosein that landed on middle stump at a good length, but the delivery turned away from his bat and crashed into off stump. Bangladesh’s No. 3 Najmul Hossain Shanto then looked off-colour against Hosein, unable to guess which way the ball would turn. It led to his downfall as he played at a length ball with hard hands and the ball popped in the air for midwicket to swallow.Shakib then joined Iqbal, and together they batted conservatively as West Indies captain Mohammed introduced his own offbreaks since the surface was offering something to the spinners. Mohammed dismissed Iqbal in his fourth over when he drew the batsman forward with a full ball that turned away, only for him to be stumped for 44. Rahim and Shakib then dealt in ones and twos as Bangladesh crossed 100 in the 27th over. Hosein, however, had one last over to impress, which he did by forcing a false shot from Shakib on 19, who missed a cut off a ball aimed at the stumps.Mahmudullah and Rahim then saw off the chase with an unbeaten stand of 20, with the former hitting a boundary off a free hit in the 34th over to take Bangladesh across the line. However, it seemed that had West Indies scored another fifty runs, the chase would have been mighty tricky.”Obviously playing after 16-17 months is not easy. But [I’m] happy the way I performed,” Player of the Match Shakib said at the innings break. “The thing is we haven’t played for ten months, so everybody is anxious and keen to play matches. Since it was the first match, everyone was nervous yet excited to get on the field.”As a bowler, wanted to keep it simple and let the ball and the wicket do the work. There are quite a few young fast bowlers coming through the systems. I was playing the domestic T20 tournament where a lot of quicks were bowling with their heart out. I knew what Hasan [Mahmud] is capable of since we played in the same team. He expressed himself.””No complaints, we bowled extremely well,” Iqbal said after the match. “You couldn’t play aggressively even if you wanted to. The conditions made the wicket difficult. You have to be patient, and we weren’t chasing a big total, so whoever batted, batted sensibly.”

Mark Footitt, one of English cricket’s most sought-after close-season signings, has agreed a four-year contract with Surrey

David Hopps15-Oct-2015Mark Footitt, the left-arm quick who has been one of English cricket’s most sought-after close-season signings, has agreed a four-year contract with Surrey.Footitt, who trained with England ahead of the Ashes series without managing to make his Test debut, will add new potency to Surrey’s bowling resources as they return to Division One of the ChampionshipDerbyshire have released Footitt, who has a year left on his contract, with immediate effect after agreeing compensation with Surrey.Derbyshire had no wish to lose Footitt but they had to bow to the reality – now well established despite the resentment of a few battle-hardened traditionalists – that a struggling Second Division club can rarely hang on to its most ambitious players.Only a year ago, Footitt had insisted that he could win England honours at Derbyshire, but that view has shifted. It leaves Derbyshire with a 13-year gap since they last provided an England player – Dominic Cork at the end of his career – and with no immediate prospects of ending the run.Footitt said: “It was a difficult decision to leave, but I felt that at this stage in my career, now is the right time to move on and the opportunity to play First Division cricket at a Test ground whilst working with another strong coaching set-up is the ideal next step.”The impression was that England did not quite have the confidence that Footitt would prosper against high-quality opposition – even allowing for the fact that much of the series was played on bowler-friendly surfaces – and a move to the Kia Oval as part of a vibrant, young Surrey side gives the bowler a chance to challenge the notion.Simon Storey, the county’s chief executive, said: “We obviously regret that Mark has decided to move on. Having rejected a contract extension on improved terms, Mark and his agent made it clear he was keen to explore options elsewhere and in these situations, it is better for all parties to find a solution professionally.”Derbyshire have already strengthened their seam bowling resources by signing Andy Carter from neighbours Nottinghamshire and completing the signing of Tom Milnes, who was on loan last season, from Warwickshire, but Storey suggested that more money would be made available to Graeme Welch, their elite performance director.”It is now important that we support Graeme as he develops the current group of Derbyshire bowlers,” Storey said. “We will also be ensuring the finance is in place to augment our bowling line-up with potential replacements.”Derbyshire ar left to hide their frustration as best they can. Elite Performance Director, Graeme Welch commented: “Mark has made great progress since joining the Club and in particular over the last two seasons which got him the call-up to the England Ashes squad.”We of course would have liked him to stay, but we wish him well for the future and our attention is now on working with the promising crop of young fast bowlers at the club while continuing to look to strengthen our squad further.”Welch resists the label; of a struggling county for Derbyshire, who were expected to challenge strongly for promotion only to finish second bottom as well as suffer a lean time in limited-overs competitions.”We are totally focused on developing a side that will be capable of competing in all formats and pushing for silverware,” he said.

Bjorn Fortuin and Tabraiz Shamsi strangled the Giants with two wickets apiece, as the hosts lost their first match of the season

The Report by Sreshth Shah27-Nov-2019It took a team performance, in the truest sense of the phrase, for the Paarl Rocks to beat the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and go on top of the points table in the Mzansi Super League. The Rocks’ top-scorer made only 37 before each of their bowlers took two wickets to bowl out the Giants. The result was a comfortable 31-run win to silence the home crowd.The Giants had done well with the ball to restrict the Rocks to 166 for 7 with four wickets in four consecutive overs when the death overs started to avoid what could have been a bigger total. But barring Ben Dunk, none of their batsmen made use of their starts, and they fell prey to the spin attack of Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin under the lights to fold for 135.Spin rocks the Rocks earlyAsked to bat, the Rocks began slowly after Beuran Hendricks delivered two tight overs, but openers Henry Davids and Cameron Delport shellacked Chris Morris and Junior Dala for plenty. Dala’s first over went for 19 as Delport struck a hat-trick of boundaries to end the fourth.Imran Tahir then struck within three balls of the fifth over when Delport flat-batted one to mid-off. Faf du Plessis, who has had a lukewarm season, ramped Morris in the next over for four over fine leg and followed it up with a six over long-on.After two quiet overs, du Plessis also smashed Onke Nyaku over long-on but a two-wicket over from the Giants captain JJ Smuts turned the tide. Off the first ball of Smuts’ second over, Davids holed out to long-off and five balls later, a miscommunication between the new man James Vince and du Plessis saw the latter depart for 27.The Rocks finish strongThe run-out may have played a part in Vince taking on the anchor’s role thereafter. He struck boundaries in the next three overs to take the Rocks past three figures before they lost four late wickets, including that of Vince for 37 and the hard-hitting Isuru Udana. But No. 8 Ferisco Adams struck 23 in 12 balls to lift the Rocks to a respectable score.Bravery favours FortuinLeft-arm spinner Fortuin was handed the new ball in the chase, and a full drifting delivery saw Jason Roy bowled for a golden duck as he made room to smash the ball but missed it completely. Smuts and Matthew Breetzke then kept the score ticking, but Hardus Viljoen broke the partnership in the fifth over by knocking over Smuts. He was timing the ball well, but Smuts found Vince at mid-on while trying to flick one.No. 4 Dunk didn’t let the intensity drop by slogging Shamsi for six, but Breetzke couldn’t get the same result off Fortuin as he mistimed one to du Plessis at long-on for 22. Although Dunk then whacked Fortuin for a six in the final over of his spell, he finished with 2 for 28 in four overs. When Fortuin’s spell ended, the Giants required 89 from 54 balls, at nearly 10 runs per over, with seven wickets in hand.Bizarre Dunk dismissal ends Giants’ hopesTill Dunk was in the middle, the home crowd had hope even though Heino Kuhn and Marco Marais fell cheaply to Shamsi in the 14th over. With No. 7 Morris, Dunk struck a few boundaries off the pacers, but the required run rate kept rising. Two balls after Morris’ dismissal to a yorker from Adams, Dunk was adjudged hit wicket after replays showed his heel had knocked the bails off. With 49 still required from 17, the Giants never recovered and the Rocks missed a bonus point by not being able to restrict the Giants to 132.

North group leaders Leicestershire made it four wins out of four, all away from home, in the NatWest T20 Blast when they beat Durham by 27 runs at Chester-le-Street.

ECB Reporters Network20-Jul-2017
ScorecardNorth group leaders Leicestershire made it four wins out of four, all away from home, in the NatWest T20 Blast when they beat Durham by 27 runs at Chester-le-Street.The Foxes appeared to have made a hash of their innings as they subsided from 100 for 2 in the 12th over to 123 for 8 after 18.The return of quicker bowlers allowed Matt Pillans to strike two fours and there were also four leg byes as 21 came off the last two overs to leave them on 144 for 8.It proved more than enough as Leicestershire learnt from the success of Durham’s spinners for Colin Ackerman and Callum Parkinson to take two wickets each in reducing the Jets to 31 for 5.Left-armer Parkinson added a third to end a stand of 30 when he bowled Usman Arshad and Durham finished on 117 for 8.Callum Parkinson took three wickets to hurt Durham’s chase•Getty Images

With the Sky cameras present on a sunny evening, Durham came under fire after choosing to bowl. The visitors’ top three all made rapid progress, but Mark Cosgrove’s 33 was the top score.The failures of the middle order put him under pressure and he holed out at deep midwicket in the 16th over to become one of four victims for Paul Collingwood.Seven overs of offspin produced 3 for 33 with Ryan Pringle taking 2 for 22 and Adam Hickey 1 for 11 in three.They hauled Durham back into the game after Luke Ronchi and Cameron Delport took 14 off Chris Rushworth’s opening over and had 37 on the board after four.Delport departed for 29 when he sliced Rushworth to backward point, then Cosgrove opened the face and ran the first ball he faced to the third man boundary.Ronchi reached 32 off 22 balls before dragging a Collingwood slower ball to wide long-on, where Pringle held the catch before conceding only three runs off the tenth over.Pringle then struck twice in the 12th as a smart leg-side stumping by Stuart Poynter got rid of Ackerman then Ned Eckersley lofted to long-off.That double blow set the collapse in motion, but Clint McKay followed his 5 for 11 in Leicestershire’s last game by striking with the first ball of Durham’s reply.Left-hander Hickey reached for a wide one and sliced to Delport at point and when Ackerman came on for the fourth over Clark pulled his first ball straight to deep midwicket.Michael Richardson chopped an attempted cut into his stumps and Parkinson took the next three wickets.Jack Burnham attempted a ramp to fine leg and was bowled, Collingwood chipped to deep mid-on and Arshad was bowled for 27 when Parkinson came back for his final over, the 15th.It was left to skipper Paul Coughlin to salvage some pride for Durham with an unbeaten 42.

Karthik was spotted in the Trinbago Knight Riders dressing room during the inaugural match of the Caribbean Premier League 2019

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2019India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has been issued a notice by the BCCI for violating the guidelines of his central contract. Karthik was spotted in the Trinbago Knight Riders dressing room during the inaugural match of the Caribbean Premier League 2019 on Thursday.As per the BCCI contracts, players are not allowed to participate in or be present at any other sporting activity or sport without prior permission from the board.It is understood that Karthik was issued the notice, signed by BCCI chief executive officer Rahul Johri, on Friday and has been given a week to respond, and the three-person Committee of Administrators will adjudicate on the matter once Karthik’s response comes in.Karthik captains Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL franchise that shares owners with Trinbago. He was shown on live broadcast during the match in a Trinbago jersey, seated next to coach Brendon McCullum, and personal mentor Abhishek Nayar, who is also on the coaching staff of Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. McCullum was also recently handed charge of the Kolkata team for the next IPL season.Karthik, 34, last played for India at the World Cup in England, as a specialist batsman in their semi-final loss to New Zealand. Since then, he has been out of the ODI and T20I squads, and turned up in one Tamil Nadu Premier League match. He was, however, appointed captain of Tamil Nadu for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is set to begin from September 24.It has been a far from ideal year for Karthik, who led Kolkata Knight Riders with some success last IPL while also bringing himself strongly back into national team reckoning. However, the multiple IPL winners couldn’t replicate the performance in 2019. Apart from a dip in scoring, Karthik had to deal with off-field issues too. In the second half of the tournament, amid a string of losses, he copped what looked like public criticism from his star player Andre Russell, who suggested he was willing to bat higher up the order days after Karthik had told the press there had been no complaints from the allrounder about his batting position.

BCB to take a final decision after other franchises object to bending of rules to allow Comilla Victorians to rope in Smith

Mohammad Isam11-Dec-2018A question mark hangs over axed Australia captain Steven Smith’s participation in the 2019 Bangladesh Premier League, following a meeting on Tuesday that ended in a deadlock. Jalal Yunus, the BPL’s technical committee chairman who held the meeting with BPL franchise representatives, said that he asked the BCB to take a final decision on whether Smith will be eligible for the T20 tournament that begins on January 5.Smith had signed with Comilla Victorians in late November, as a replacement for Sri Lanka’s Asela Gunaratne. This is where the issue stems from: replacement players are supposed to be chosen from among the players who were in the draft in the first place, and Smith was not part of the draft.Yunus said that Comilla were allowed to contract Smith with a view to enhance the league’s appeal, but the other franchises objected to this bending of the rules, putting his participation under a cloud.”We had allowed Comilla to sign Steven Smith for the greater interest of the BPL,” Yunus said. “The bylaws said that a replacement player has to come from the [players who were in the] draft and, after we allowed Comilla, the other franchises objected. Which is why we held the meeting today but, since we couldn’t come to a conclusion, I have now referred it to the BCB.”Yunus didn’t confirm by when the BCB is likely to take a decision.

Supported by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav, Gill shepherded the first successful chase of the tournament this year

Sidharth Monga25-Oct-2018Shubman Gill looks to the heavens after bringing up his century•PTI

Shubman Gill has dazzled in the IPL, but for those of the more conventional disposition, he made a big statement with his first List A hundred in a chase. From 85 for 3, India C mounted the first successful chase of this Deodhar Trophy, sealing their berth in the final against the undefeated India B. All three matches have been played at Feroz Shah Kotla, but this pitch played better than the previous two where the chasing teams managed only 218 and 201. Gill, though, shepherded this chase of 294 with the first hundred of the tournament.Gill was supported by wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav. What will impress the three national selectors in attendance is that there was a lot of sensible batting to go with impressive stroke-play. Going by the trend in this tournament, and with Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina both gone, India C seemed out of the contest chasing the biggest total of the tournament.Pretty early on in the chase, Gill settled down to bat through, and Kishan assumed the role of the enforcer. Kishan has shown in the past he can innovate and hit against slower bowlers. He hit international bowlers Mohammed Siraj and R Ashwin for two boundaries in an over. His strike rate was under 100 only against Ashwin and Nitish Rana. In between, Gill tonked Ashwin and Shams Mulani for a six each.International teams might also want to look at the tapes of this chase as a tutorial on how to face Kedar Jadhav, who was making his comeback from his latest hamstring injury. They played the full balls straight – Kishan even drove one back past him for four – and waited for the short ball. Suryakumar was the most severe on Jadhav, hitting a short, low-bouncing ball for an inside-out six over extra cover.By this time, Gill and Suryakumar had sailed through the slightly nervous period after Kishan’s dismissal for a 60-ball 69. Now Gill, too, began to show off, hitting a slower bouncer from Dhawal Kulkarni over wide mid-off. Suryakumar responded with two sixes in empty stands, which slowed down the progress of the match. Suryakumar’s power hitting again was from a chasing template: the top order brings you to the 35th over with the asking rate in control, and then the big hitter kills the contest.Gill brought up his hundred with just 12 runs required, and then finished the game off with a boundary off the last ball of the 47th over.

Derbyshire wrapped up a 125-run win despite half-centuries from Durham openers Alex Lees and Gareth Harte

ECB Reporters Network08-Apr-2019Matt Critchley and Logan van Beek inspired Derbyshire to a 125-run victory after Durham looked set to save the Division Two match at Derby.Alex Lees and Gareth Harte scored half centuries but Durham, set an improbable 361 to win the game, collapsed from 177 for 4 to 235 all out. Critchley took 3 for 54, including two wickets in two balls, and van Beek followed a stunning catch to remove Jack Burnham for 32 by bowling Harte for 69 and then removing Stuart Poynter in his next over.Ravi Rampaul also took two wickets and after the second new ball sealed Durham’s fate, there were just over 18 overs remaining when Luis Reece clinched a 19-point victory.Durham’s chances of saving the match looked good after Lees and Harte batted through most of a sunny morning before Critchley struck twice in consecutive balls. There had been few alarms for the openers on a pitch which had flattened out but after Lees swung Critchley’s first ball for six, he edged the third to short leg and the next had Will Smith taken at slip.Alex Hughes just failed to take what would have been a brilliant one-handed catch at second slip when Michael Richardson edged a drive at Critchley before he had scored.Richardson could do nothing with one from Rampaul that kept low and bowled him five overs after lunch but Harte and Jack Burnham played with increasing authority to suggest Durham might be in with a chance of chasing down the 361 target. But the game turned back towards Derbyshire as both were dismissed in the space of six balls after adding 57 in 17 overs.Burnham tried to whip Wayne Madsen through midwicket but van Beek plunged to his left to take a breathtaking catch and in the next over the New Zealander brought one back to end Harte’s 258-minute occupation.Poynter was caught behind in van Beek’s next over and the rest of the innings fell away rapidly with the lower order offering little resistance. Ben Raine drove back a return catch to Critchley, James Weighell was run out by a direct hit from mid off and Matt Salisbury edged Rampaul to first slip.Liam Trevaskis and Chris Rushworth delayed Derbyshire’s celebrations but the inevitable was confirmed when Reece swung what was the last ball before the delayed tea interval in to trap Rushworth lbw.