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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.

Ricky Ponting sees potential in the current Australia team, despite their disappointing Ashes against England

Renaldo Matadeen17-Aug-2013Ricky Ponting sees potential in the current Australia team, despite their disappointing Ashes against England. Ponting believes that there have been spots of brightness from time to time, but admitted that England were the dominant side.”I have kept in touch with it [the Ashes] and putting my biased goggles on for a minute, I think the boys have probably played a little bit better than the scoreline suggests as they have been in with a chance of winning three Tests,” Ponting, who is on duty with the Antigua Hawksbills in the Caribbean Premier League, said. “But the scoreline reads 3-0 and that is the difference sometimes between the really good and experienced teams, and the ones on their way up… the know-how to actually get across the line and to win games.”England have got a really good team, an experienced team and their bowling group has been together for pretty much the last six or seven years now.”Australia have much to learn still, but they are headed in the right direction, he said. “There are some challenges there for Australia cricket but with Darren Lehmann’s appointment as coach and some of the younger guys they have got around there I think there is enough talent but they are just going to have to learn and at the moment they are learning the hard way.”Ponting will be in the commentary box this Australian summer, covering the Big Bash League, but he also sees himself staying within the game in a more hands-on approach. “There is no doubt I will stay in the game somewhere. There will be some coaching offers that will come my way and I am really interested in coaching. I’m really interested in helping out younger players,” he said. He was confident that he had a lot left to offer the breeding grounds of Australian cricket.”The state Australian cricket is at, at the moment, my services could be used in some way. We will just wait and see, but the one thing I do not want to do is to travel around the world for six or eight months a year.”

George Bailey, Australia’s new T20 captain, has set himself the marker of ensuring the high standards reached by the Test team against India do not slacken in the game’s shortest format.

Daniel Brettig in Sydney31-Jan-2012New captain, new format, same attitude. Australia’s new Twenty20 captain, George Bailey, has set himself the marker of ensuring the high standards reached by the Test team against India do not slacken in the game’s shortest format.Bailey has been passed the leadership baton from Test captain Michael Clarke and is leading a much-changed side in the first Twenty20 at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium. He is intent on making sure India are again pressed to their limits and beyond by a team that works harder and more assiduously at the game’s fundamentals, irrespective of the difference in format and personnel. Bailey also wants to keep the sense of happiness and clear objectives maintained under Clarke, mindful his group has only six fixtures between now and the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.”It’s important we continue the momentum of the Test team, not just in the cricket they played, but in the standards they’re setting in the Test team at their training and the great feel around the group as well,” Bailey said. “We’ve spoken about that and about the great energy they’ve provided, and the great start and the great feeling among that group, and how they feel like they’ve set a real standard.”We’ve talked about that as a T20 group as well, continuing that, allowing the one-day side to have that feeling when they get together as well, and knowing you don’t get the T20 group together that often, so up until the World Cup in six months time we’ve got six games. Every opportunity we get to hit the ground running and make a big impression, we have to take.”As the first Australian since Dave Gregory in the first Test match of all to make his international debut as captain, Bailey is poised to create rare history. The other side of this achievement, of course, are the sniggers about whether or not Bailey is worth his place in the XI, having been elevated to the role as much for his leadership as his feisty middle-order batting.”It wasn’t me who picked the team. I’m just excited to be here and be leading it and hopefully continuing on the great form and the great start to the summer that Australia have had,” Bailey said. “I’m nervous about both [captaincy and debut], from the playing aspect you’re anxious to get out there and perform really well, and the captaining side of things I’m really comfortable with that, it’s more getting to know the players as quickly as I can. We’ve had some great training sessions, really hard sessions … once I get my head around knowing the players as well as I can, that’ll fall into place nicely.”At the opposite end of the scale to Bailey in terms of international experience are Brett Lee and Brad Hogg, two well-travelled bowlers likely to play a significant role for the new captain at the top and tail of the Indian innings. Bailey said Lee’s leadership of the bowling attack would be critical.”That experience is going to be really important and something that we’ll tap into,” he said. “I think his numbers in the recent Big Bash were outstanding, particularly for someone who bowls in your key periods at the top and also at the death. Lee embraces that role as the leading fast bowler in our team, and his experience is outstanding, and the thing I love about him is just how competitive he is.”

Lee Goddard has left Derbyshire after the decision was taken not to renew the wicketkeeper’s contract at the end of the 2010 season

Cricinfo staff10-Aug-2010Lee Goddard has left Derbyshire after the decision was taken not to renew the wicketkeeper’s contract at the end of the 2010 season. With Tom Poynton currently nursing a finger injury, former Gloucestershire wicketkeeper Steve Adshead has been drafted in on a short-term basis to fill the wicketkeeping vacancy.During his first stint at Derbyshire between 2003 and 2007, Goddard, 27 made a career-best 91 against Surrey and also set a record for the largest total against Derbyshire without conceding a bye when he kept a clean sheet against Essex as they scored 580.He returned to Derbyshire after three seasons with Durham ahead of the 2010 campaign but he has now been deemed surplus to requirements at the County Ground. He played eight first-class matches this season, taking 24 catches and averaging 16.50 with the bat.”We made the decision to sign Lee Goddard following James Pipe’s retirement from the professional game and hopes were high that he could become a long term replacement,” said John Morris, Derbyshire’s Head of Cricket. “Unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for him with gloves or bat so we are looking at alternative options.”

Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has said the ICC’s match referees don’t seem to punish the instigators of on-field spats severely enough

Cricinfo staff21-Dec-2009Anil Kumble, the former India captain, has said the ICC’s match referees don’t seem to punish the instigators of on-field spats severely enough. He feels that too often the provocateurs escape with a light censure while players who react strongly are penalised severely.Kumble expressed his views in his syndicated column after the completion of the Perth Test, during which three Australian players were fined while West Indian spinner Sulieman Benn was banned for two one-day internationals by match referee Chris Broad. Benn, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin were involved in an ugly incident on the second day of the Test, which led to Benn’s ban and Haddin and Johnson being fined 25% and 10% of their respective match fees.The clash began with a run-in between the bowler Benn, who was moving across to field a drive, and the non-striker Johnson, who was taking off for a single. The contact seemed incidental, with neither man at fault, but Haddin appeared to inflame the situation after completing the run, when he pointed his bat at Benn.The pair exchanged words and the sparks flew again two balls later, when Haddin drove the final ball of the over back to Benn, who shaped to throw at the striker’s end even though Haddin was not taking off for a run. Haddin and Johnson had a mid-pitch meeting at the end of the over and Benn continued his remonstration, moving close to the batsmen and pointing at Haddin across the shoulder of Johnson.There appeared to be some incidental contact between Johnson and Benn when Johnson moved to position himself between his partner and the bowler. Things became even uglier when Johnson pushed Benn away, following the initial contact. After stumps the West Indies captain Chris Gayle said he felt Benn had not initiated the physical clash.”There doesn’t seem to be any punishment forthcoming for someone who provokes and that to me is against the principles of natural justice,” Kumble wrote. “The Australians always seem to get away. Whatever their transgressions on the field, invariably it is their opponents who end up paying a price. Somehow or the other, teams playing against the Aussies seem to invite the match referee’s wrath.”Kumble cited the example of the Delhi Test in 2008, during which Gautam Gambhir was banned for a Test by match referee Broad because he elbowed Shane Watson, with whom he had verbal altercations before the incident. Gambhir also argued with Simon Katich in the same innings.”In the Delhi Test against us, my last, the one that earned Gautam Gambhir a ban for having a go at Watson, the same umpire and the match referee were officiating,” Kumble wrote. “At that time, the umpire Billy Bowden didn’t see it fit to report Simon Katich who had later obstructed Gautam and the match referee Chris Broad too didn’t bother to act on his own or follow it up with the on-field umpires even though it was very much evident on TV. And as on that occasion, the provocateurs got away in Perth too, with Haddin and Johnson receiving minor reprimands.”

England suffer double blow with Duckett injury and Pope falling cheaply after stepping up to open

Alan Gardner08-Oct-2024Salman Agha became Pakistan’s third centurion to cement their dominant position in Multan, before a chaotic interlude in which England lost Ben Duckett to injury and their captain, Ollie Pope, for a duck left the touring side scrabbling for a foothold in the first match of the series.Duckett suffered a painful-looking blow to his left thumb taking the catch to dismiss Pakistan’s last man Abrar Ahmed – who had already been given two lives – meaning that when England began their innings midway through the evening session, it was with Pope walking out alongside Zak Crawley. Pope only lasted two balls, Aamer Jamal plucking a one-handed screamer at midwicket to further galvanise Pakistan and bring Joe Root, England’s designated No. 4, to the middle in the second over.The riposte, as it often does, came from Crawley, back in the side after missing the Sri Lanka series with a broken finger. He slashed his sixth ball, from Shaheen Afridi, to the boundary and did the same to Naseem in the following over, before taking Afridi for a brace of fours to end the seamer’s opening spell. That led to the early introduction of spin – and another statement of intent from Crawley, as Abrar’s first over went for 11.Crawley brought up England’s 50 in the 11th, hauling Abrar through the leg side, and he continued to go after Pakistan’s legspinner, who claimed 11 wickets as a debutant on the same ground against England two years ago. Two more fours down the ground left Abrar with opening figures of 4-0-31-0, before a ninth boundary, clipped through midwicket off Naseem, took Crawley to a 55-ball half-century.Beyond a trio of speculative lbw appeals, there was little to encourage Pakistan’s attack – as had been the case for England during 149 overs in the field – with Root slipstreaming Crawley to the close in an unbroken partnership worth 92. Although Duckett’s availability to bat later in the innings remained unclear, their position looked a little more secure.It was, nevertheless, a day in which Pakistan put a commanding stamp on proceedings. Saud Shakeel steered the innings during the first forays, quelling England’s mini-fightback from the first evening – with a little help from Naseem’s cameo at nightwatcher. Salman then set about driving home the advantage on the way to a 108-ball hundred, his third in Tests, as Pakistan reached a position from which they could hope to dictate the course of the match, even against Brendon McCullum’s Bazballers.England’s six bowlers all had something to show for their efforts, with Brydon Carse taking his first Test wickets and Jack Leach finishing with 3 for 160. They generally kept at it in the field, although there were signs that five-and-a-half sessions in the baking heat of Multan would take a toll, Jamie Smith missing a simple chance to stump Abrar and Gus Atkinson then dropping the No. 11 after he had skied a chance to midwicket.England chipped away with two wickets in each session, but Shakeel and Salman ensured Pakistan did not squander the firm foundation provided by centuries from Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique on day one. The innings progressed in fits and starts but Salman’s judicious assault on England’s spinners, in particular, helped maintain the hosts’ momentum.Salman was scoreless at lunch, but stroked the first ball after the break through the covers for four – bringing up the Pakistan 400 and signalling his own intentions. He came down the track in the same over to hit Leach through long-off, and was clearly in the mood to get the scoreboard clicking after Pakistan had added only 69 runs during the morning.His battle with Leach provided a compelling spectacle, as England’s most-experienced spinner was taken for four fours and two sixes in a four-over spell. But it almost went awry for Salman, with the first of his sixes coming perilously close to causing his dismissal: Chris Woakes thought he had done a good job as he backpedalled towards long-off, tossing the ball up as he went out of bounds to then return and complete the catch. But after lengthy deliberation and various replay angles, the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, ruled that Woakes’ foot was in contact with the ground outside the rope as he claimed the ball a second time.Shakeel had been content to play second fiddle, even during his initial partnership with Naseem. He combined with Salman for another fifty stand but was undone by some sharp turn from Shoaib Bashir – a rare unplayable ball during a tough outing so far for the 20-year-old. Drifting into leg stump from round the wicket, Bashir found grip and then the outside edge, the ball deflecting off Shakeel’s back leg to Root at slip.Jamal fell cheaply to Carse but, with Afridi for company, that was the cue for Salman to emerge on another counter. Having moved to his fifty from 71 balls, he reverse-swept Bashir and then took him down the ground, before adding another brace of fours off Leach, followed by a single to bring up 500. In between, Pope added another burned review to the pile with an lbw appeal that was shown to have pitched outside leg.Pakistan were 515 for 8 at tea, with Salman resuming watchfully before hitting Leach over long-on to move into the 90s. He reached his hundred with a swept single, having scored 59 out of a ninth-wicket stand worth 85, at which point Afridi missed a slog at Leach to be bowled.England were beginning to look a little frazzled, and their problems had begun in the morning against the unlikely batting force of Naseem, who made his highest score in any format of the game – 33 from 81 balls – and held up a persevering attack for more than 90 minutes. His efforts, which included hitting three sixes during a stand of 64 alongside Shakeel, ensured that there would be no quick route back into the game for the tourists.With a ball only five overs old, England were hoping to get into the lower middle-order but found Naseem in resourceful – and impish – mood. He was not cowed after being hit on the helmet by Atkinson and went after Bashir and then Leach, the third of his sixes an audacious inside-to-out hit over extra cover. The stand passed 50 and Naseem was outscoring his senior partner by the time he finally became Carse’s maiden Test wicket, succumbing to a round-the-wicket barrage via an edge to leg slip.

The third day saw 24 wickets fall in little more than two sessions but Nathan Lyon expects the Test strip to be very different

Andrew McGlashan01-Dec-2023Former Australia captain Tim Paine has slammed the SCG pitch produced for the Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Tasmania as an “absolute disgrace”, after 24 wickets tumbled on the third day with the visitors bowled out for 68, but there remains confidence in the quality of surfaces for upcoming matches including the New Year’s Test against Pakistan.The clatter of wickets came across just 63 overs on Thursday, as batters were confronted with extreme seam movement and uneven bounce. Tasmania fell well short of chasing 143 after the home side had themselves lost 9 for 55 in the second innings.”That wicket was absolute disgrace,” Paine told SEN Tassie. “This a Test venue in the strongest state in the country, and they rolled that up. That’s embarrassing. The ball was seaming sideways, it was going up and down, it wasn’t fit for first-class cricket. That was a disgraceful wicket.”I haven’t spoken to people, but you could see it on the screen it had those cracks where it’s like got grass over it. You don’t even see that in club cricket.”Related

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Paine questioned how such a surface could be produced at a major Test venue, and said that it undermined the Sheffield Shield competition.”What’s going on at Cricket New South Wales or the SCG? That was such a bad wicket to play cricket on,” he said. “Whether we won or lost, whatever, I could have bowled on that and taken wickets. It’s not good enough.”How that can happen at one of the premier Test venues around the world is a disgrace. That was below standard for grade cricket and this is meant to be the premier first-class cricket competition in the world, and that is meant to be one of the iconic Test match venues… and that’s what we are getting served up.”New types of grass are being used at the SCG this season, with the Shield surfaces comprising a different variety than will form the Test pitch against Pakistan in early January. ESPNcricinfo understands that there are no concerns about the quality of pitch that will be brought up for that Test, which is shaping as David Warner’s farewell from the format, and will be played on one of the centre wickets used for TV games.Nathan Lyon, who played in the Tasmania match, was sure the pitch for the Test match would bear little resemblance. “I expect totally different,” he said.The ground will also host three BBL matches before the Test, with Sydney Sixers facing Melbourne Renegades (December 8), Adelaide Strikers (December 22) and Melbourne Stars (December 26).However, it also understood that elements of the pitch preparation will be reviewed with the proximity of the WBBL double-header matches on November 26 a potential factor as well as some poor weather.Chris Tremain, the New South Wales quick who claimed 6 for 31 in Tasmania’s second innings, defended the groundsmen by saying they had been hampered in the build-up by the weather and that the surface had started soft which caused divots to form that then hardened to create the uneven bounce.”Don’t think that wicket was poorly prepared,” Tremain told ESPNcricinfo. “In the balance of bat versus ball obviously ball was the winner, but I wouldn’t be too quick to hang the groundsman out to dry.”Tasmania captain Jordan Silk, while more measured than Paine in his views, said conditions had been skewed too far towards the ball.”I’ve played quite a lot Shield cricket, and can’t say I’ve played on a wicket quite like that where the ball was nipping around a lot. There were cracks on lines, and it was snaky,” he said. “You had not just the sideways movement but you also had a few balls climbing up then some climbing down.”Think you can cop a bit of wear and tear over the course of a game; but when there’s been 40 wickets in 160 overs of cricket, you probably think it’s a bit too heavily weighted towards the bowlers. And that’s coming from someone who is really keen on having some sporting wickets, but it was slightly too far towards the bowling side.”

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah among the premier players rested for the series

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-202211:36

Shastri: On current form, India might just play Malik against SA

Rohit Sharma, the designated all-format captain, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are among the senior players to be rested for India’s five-match T20I series at home against South Africa next month. KL Rahul has been named the captain of the 18-man side, which welcomes back Hardik Pandya, and has maiden call-ups for Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh.Also missing from the squad are Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav, who are all carrying injuries. Chahar, of Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, has a back injury, and played no part in the tournament. Jadeja, also of Super Kings, left the IPL with a bruised rib that he picked up earlier this month, while Mumbai Indians’ Suryakumar also left the IPL earlier this month because of a left-forearm injury.Related

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From the squad that took on Sri Lanka in their T20I series, also in India, in February this year, Mohammed Siraj and Sanju Samson have been left out. Kohli, who last played a T20I in February, against West Indies, had been rested for the Sri Lanka series as well. In fact, since stepping down as India’s T20I captain after the 2021 T20 World Cup, Kohli has played only two T20Is.As such, both Kohli and Rohit have been in patchy form at the IPL. Rohit, whose Mumbai Indians finished last on the points table, had a best score of 48 and tallied 268 runs overall from 14 innings, scoring at an average of 19.14 and a strike rate of 120.17. Kohli’s run was arguably even poorer, but he has shown signs of returning to form of late, hitting 73 in 54 balls in Royal Challengers’ last game, against Titans, which gave them an eight-wicket win and helped them stay in contention for the playoffs. Overall, Kohli has 309 runs from 14 innings, at an average of 23.76 and a strike rate of 117.93.IPL form is likely to have played a part in the Hardik and Dinesh Karthik recalls too.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karthik, one of the top finishers in the competition this year, last played a T20I – or a match in any format for India – in 2019, but forced the selectors to turn to him after hitting 287 runs at a strike rate of 191.33 in the IPL 2022 league stage. He has also been the best Indian batter in the death overs this season [min 30 balls faced], striking at 226.37.Hardik, meanwhile, last turned out for India at the 2021 T20 World Cup, but played primarily as a batter, bowling only in a couple of games in the group stage. But he has bowled a lot more in IPL 2022 – 24.3 overs across eight innings – where he has led Titans to the top of the points table. With the bat, he had an excellent start to the tournament, but then tapered off before smashing 62 not out in 47 balls in their last match, against Royal Challengers Bangalore.His international appearances have been sporadic of late, especially since back problems, which necessitated a surgery, cropped up in 2019. But Hardik has always remained a part of India’s plans, which was evident when he was asked by the BCCI to take the fitness tests at NCA days before the IPL began. It is understood that the national selectors wanted to be sure that Hardik can consistently bowl at least a couple of overs in every match.Arshdeep and Malik, meanwhile, have been among the most exciting young Indian quicks at the IPL. Malik has consistently bowled at speeds upwards of 150kph, and has 21 wickets to show for his efforts even while he has, at times, been expensive. Arshdeep has been the go-to bowler for Punjab Kings at the death, his yorkers reaping great rewards for him on most occasions. He hasn’t always been a big wicket-taker, though, with ten strikes in 13 outings, but has an overall economy rate of 7.82 this season, and an impressive death-overs economy of 7.31, the best among all bowlers to have sent down at least 50 balls in that phase.The players to retain their places in the squad were Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda and Shreyas Iyer in the batting line-up, wicketkeeper-batters Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, allrounder Venkatesh Iyer, spinners Yuzvendra Chahal, the Purple-Cap holder at the IPL at this stage, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi, and seamers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan.But two of the names that had been discussed during IPL 2022 after making big impressions – batter Rahul Tripathi and quick bowler Mohsin Khan – didn’t get a look-in.

Dom Bess on a rollercoaster season for England and Somerset, and the realisation that he may need to move counties to fulfil his ambition

Jon Culley11-Nov-2018After a head-spinning summer that saw him question the direction of his career after going from the England Test team to Somerset’s second XI in the space of a month, Dom Bess says that it was one particular moment during the England Lions training camp ahead of the upcoming series against Pakistan A that helped him find clarity of thought.It came during a squad meeting in which motivation and goal visualisation were the topics.”A couple of boys came up with a great scenario in which, when you finish your career, you have all your caps lined up, from under-10s, club cricket, county cricket, all the way through your career,” Bess said.”The last one you have is your England Test cap, which for me is the pinnacle of the sport. You ask yourself the question: do you want that England cap to look brand new or look like the other caps that have seen so much hard work and sweat and tears?”That’s the thing that really got me. Some of the caps I’ve got have had a lot of hard sweat and tears gone into them and I want to make sure at the end of my career that my England cap has seen a lot of sweat, and a lot of champagne hopefully, so it’s just like the others.”The 21-year-old off-spinner tells the story of his roller-coaster season, his relationship with county team-mate Jack Leach, and his feeling that he may have to leave Somerset to fulfil his ambitions, with extraordinary candour.In his words, he had a season with an “Everest followed by a massive descent”. Both were linked with the fortunes of his team-mate Leach, whose place he took when he made his Test debut against Pakistan at Lord’s in May after Leach had broken his thumb.Bess made a favourable impression. He took no wickets at Lord’s but scored a remarkable 57 batting at No 8 to stave off an innings defeat, following up with 49 as nightwatchman in the second Test at Headingley and 3 for 33 as England bowled Pakistan out for an innings victory.The rapid descent came at Worcester at the beginning of July, just four weeks after walking off the field as a Test winner.”We had a game at New Road,” he said. “Leachy hadn’t played. He’d been out with concussion and had had a broken thumb and I thought I was potentially the option but they picked Leachy. I’ll admit that I struggled with that decision.”I had to go back and play in the second XI. It was like going from Lord’s in front of 30,000 people to Taunton Vale in front of a man and his dog.”Bess is not part of Somerset’s white-ball teams so the second XI became his domain for the next six weeks. He played for the senior team only twice more.”It was tough at times,” he said. “I had a lot of what you would say were honest conversations with Jason Kerr [head coach] and Andy Hurry [director of cricket] in which at times we disagreed with each other.”But actually we finished second in the Championship and everything we do is for Somerset so looking back it was a decision that was made and there is no point in sobbing about it. That’s professional sport.”Now Leach is back in the Test team but Bess smiles at the suggestion that people looking from the outside might expect that he secretly wants his rival to fail.”You can’t start to think that way,” he said. “If you did it would just get toxic. This is professional sport and you have to remember that at the end of the day it is about the team.”We are good mates. I’m buzzing that he’s having success and taking wickets. It’s a fascinating relationship because when we are on the field we don’t compete against each other, we play together, we bowl together, for the team. Yet in training my goal is to knock him off the No 1 spot.”Yet he accepts that, at Taunton, he may never be No 1, which leads inevitably to questions about where his future might be.”I’m contracted for next year and the year after. I love Somerset. They have always given me the opportunity, but if I am not progressing to where I want to be… At some point I feel I will have to be No 1 somewhere.”I know I’m young and people say I should be patient but when I look back on my career, do I want to be a good county cricketer who was patient and sat behind somebody like Leachy for a while, or do I want to have seven, eight, 10 years playing for England? Or at least give myself the opportunity to have that?”The first chance to further those ambitions comes now, as England Lions depart for the UAE.”For me this is a hell of an opportunity for wickets and runs after not playing in the Somerset side, but also to contribute in a Lions side with some exciting young players but also a lot of experience.”I have gone away and got my head space right and now I’m back on it. I’ve got a really strong fire in my chest now to play England cricket.”

Sam Northeast for England! Kent fans will demand it once again after his unbeaten 173 at Hove, but is anyone in the England set-up listening?

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove16-Apr-2017
ScorecardSam Northeast’s reputation seems consigned to Kent•Getty Images

“Northeast for England!” It’s one thing for Kent fans to chant for their captain (and, to be fair to them, they’ve been singing that for a while). But when those chants are coming from his own dressing room, it does strike a different note. As Sussex slinked off when bad light ended play, Kent’s players, with a 426-run-lead in their step, were in full voice. They, more so than the fans, are annoyed he has been overlooked for as long as he has.Sam Northeast, a decorated youth cricketer, an England Lion and a regular “well what about” selection in many an England XI thrashed out over beer-soaked tables, must be close to the real thing. And it’s innings like today – a barbaric, unbeaten 173, which saw him race to 37 from 23 balls to quell Sussex’s early attack, before bringing up three figures in 123 balls – that will push him close to the front of the queue. It was his 17th first-class hundred and, remarkably, it is hard to peg this as his most devastating.Naturally, Northeast was fairly chilled about England talk, happy to let his record do the talking – 1,474 Championship runs since the start of 2016 at an average of 77.6, if you’re wondering. “There are a lot of people in my position around the counties,” he said. Kent seamer Mitchell Claydon, within earshot, interjected: “Not with 18,000 effing runs in a year-and-a-half,”. Northeast laughed: “See what I have to put up with?”Considering Northeast’s hot streak started during his first full season as club captain and that his role at Kent is wide-ranging – he plays a prominent role in team meetings, player contracts and overseas recruitment – it says a lot about his character that the extra distractions seem to have focused his work out in the middle.During the North-South series in the UAE, in which he scored a century in the second match, he had chats with Andy Flower and England assistant coach Paul Farbrace. There was a chance for a catch-up with Flower today: the ECB technical director was at Hove and spent time talking to Kent’s coach Matt Walker. Northeast, of course, was otherwise occupied.His England claim is not just limited to one format. Recently, he has been one of the standout domestic Twenty20 batsmen in the world. Across the last two seasons in the T20 Blast, he has scored 1,103 runs at an average of 40.9. It is telling, too, that when analysts involved in recruitment for franchises across the world crunch the numbers in search of the most valued picks, Northeast’s name often makes an appearance.But, for now, the England Test side need a middle order batsman. And as well as Northeast’s free-scoring nature aligning with Trevor Bayliss’s blueprint for the Test side, he would also bring with him a knack for big runs. Including today, his last six Championship hundreds have all exceeded 160. He does not have a double hundred to his name – 191 against Derbyshire and 190 against Sussex, both last season, are as close as he has come – but looked like he was on the way to addressing in the final session on Sunday, hitting two sixes and a four in the last four balls of the day to take him to 173 off 181 balls.He shared a stand of 123 with opener Sean Dickson which put Sussex in their place and then one of 161 inside 27 overs with Darren Stevens (71) that whipped them into submission. Sussex, a bowler and ideas light, simply had to accept the punishment that was being dished out. Together, Stevens and Northeast put on 52 off the last five overs.But without Dickson’s patience, Kent would be a long way from the position they currently occupy. His grafting 68 gave Darren Stevens and Wayne Parnell a platform for their 123-run stand in the first innings. Disappointed he was not able to convert that to three figures on day one, it looked like he would get there in the second innings.He was in complete control, knocking the ball about diligently to get to 89 but, again, fell short after being trapped in front by Ajmal Shahzad. When you consider he suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury that kept him out of the opening fixture against Gloucestershire, it was a remarkable effort from the 25-year-old. Just as every good band needs a reliable bassist, Dickson’s calm and diligence allowed the more flamboyant around him to flourish.It’s still a good pitch, as Northeast and Stevens showed by the way they were able to hit through the line so well. “It would be nice if it was a bit cloudy in the morning,” said Northeast. “We’ve got a good bowling line-up here, with good variations and we’ll try a few things out there tomorrow.”