The opener scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu04-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:16

Agarkar: India need to look past Dhoni in T20Is

Colin Munro scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram. He made excellent use of four chances to launch New Zealand to 196 for 2 after they had opted to bat and though Virat Kohli made a vintage 65 in response, the rapidly rising scoreboard pressure was just too much to overcome.India were forced into a situation where they had to score more than two runs a ball in the last 10 overs. Even the best finishers struggle to maintain such a high pace for such a long time. Hardik Pandya, new to the role, fell for 1 and even an old hand like MS Dhoni never got going. At a stage when the asking rate was nudging 15, he was playing a run-a-ball innings, unable to hit Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi off their plan of attacking his pads.A better fielding effort could have helped the hosts as well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped a very tough chance at deep midwicket – the kind where a player has to decide whether to take the catch or save a six. Munro was on 36 then. He gave a far simpler opportunity to Shreyas Iyer at long-on but the ball was parried the ball over the rope for six. A wayward throw from Rohit Sharma came to Munro’s rescue in the 12th over. And finally, on 79, he was dropped by Chahal running back from cover.Given so many lives, Munro capitalised. His batting is founded on a simple strategy: stay leg side of the ball and belt it and an easy-paced hit-through-the-line Rajkot pitch was right up his alley. He crunched seven sixes – all in the arc between deep midwicket and long-on. The carnage began when he welcomed Mohammed Siraj into international cricket with a punched four to the backward point boundary. Siraj then switched to slower offcutters, but Munro waited for those and carted a brace of sixes. By then New Zealand had passed their first fifty opening stand in the limited-overs tour of India.At the other end, Martin Guptill played a Jekyll-and-Hyde innings. He laboured to 14 off 22 balls against pace and hit 31 off 19 balls against spin. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar had shackled him with seam movement and bounce, but he broke free against Chahal, who oddly bowled into the batsman’s hitting arc. Guptill simply planted his front foot down and took the legspinner for three successive boundaries in his first over, including a signature loft that sailed into the sightscreen. Chahal, however, recovered to best Guptill for 45 with a front-of-the-hand flipper. Three overs later, Siraj had Kane Williamson holing out to deep square leg for 12.But even with six bowlers, India couldn’t stop Munro. Axar Patel and Pandya were also lined up and sent over the boundary. Munro reached his first fifty off just 26 balls – after Iyer’s drop – and brought up his second off 28 balls. This meant he joined Brendon McCullum – his former captain and someone he still seeks out for advice – in elite company. They, along with Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, are the only batsmen with two T20I tons.Munro had a job to do with the ball too. He introduced the world to his knuckle ball and snaffled a skier of a return catch to cut short Iyer’s innings at 23. The Mumbai batsman had added 54 for the third wicket with Kohli to give India hope after Trent Boult’s double-strike in his first over. The left-arm quick first burst through the gate of Shikhar Dhawan with a nip-backer and four balls later, he coaxed an outside edge from Rohit with extra bounce. When Pandya was fooled by a googly from Ish Sodhi for 1, India were reduced to 67 for 4 in the 10th over.The early wickets, however, did not bother Kohli. He forayed down the track and drilled Boult over his head. Then he targetted Santner and hit him for three boundaries in five balls, including a shovelled six over long-on. However, as the ball got older, it began to grip in the pitch and that brought Sodhi into the game big time. A peach of a legbreak in the 13th over very nearly had Dhoni stumped for 8.Spin continued being New Zealand’s trump card through the middle overs as they tied down one end which kept piling the pressure on Kohli at the other.An equation of 85 off 30 balls needed both batsmen to fire but try as Dhoni might, he couldn’t find his range. He came down the track but rarely got the leverage he was looking for. He nudged the ball into the deep to steal twos but the fielders were wise to that trick. He even swung right across the line but nothing worked. He was 28 off 28 at the end of the 18th over.To compensate for that, Kohli charged out to Santner and was caught behind. Boult then took over, picked up a couple more wickets and wrapped the game up with a career-best 4 for 34. He had recorded his worst ODI and T20I outings over the past week but found a way to raise his game when New Zealand needed it most.

Mujeeb Zadran, the first men’s player born in the 21st century to play ODI cricket, has been named in Afghanistan’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2017Mujeeb Zadran, the first men’s player born in the 21st century to play international cricket, has been named in Afghanistan’s squad for the Under-19 World Cup. The 16-year old offspinner took 4 for 24 on ODI debut against Ireland on Tuesday and, according to his coach Raees Ahmadzai, had no trouble showing he belonged in the big stage.”I saw him for the first time in Khost province two-and-a-half years ago,” Ahmadzai said, “And I discussed it with Nawroz Mangal [current head of the selection committee], who was then the captain of the provincial side. At the time, I told Nawroz that guy looks like he must be in in the future if he works more on it. He did very well for the junior side and now in his debut match, four wickets is good for him.”Afghanistan Under-19s will be captained by another player who has experience in international cricket. Eighteen-year old seamer Naveen-ul-Haq. He played two ODIs against Bangladesh in September 2016 and, although he has not played any senior cricket since then, has been a regular feature in the country’s youth teams.Adding to the batting firepower is 18-year old Baheer Shah, whose 256 not out is the second-highest score by a debutant in the history of first-class cricket. He completed 1000 runs in 11 innings – a rate that is second only to Australian legend Bill Ponsford.The other notable player in the line-up is Zahir Khan. The 18-year old left-arm wristspinner is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the Intercontinental Cup with 31 in six matches.The Under-19 World Cup starts on January 13 in New Zealand with Afghanistan playing Pakistan in the tournament opener in Whangarei.Afghanistan squad: Naveen-ul-Haq (capt), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Ibrahim, Baheer Shah, Ikram Ali Khil, Darwish Rasooli, Nisar Wahadat, Tariq Stanikzai, Azmatullah, Waqarullah, Qais Ahmad, Mujeeb Zadran, Zahir Khan, Yousuf Zazai, WafadarReserves: Abdul Wasi, Mohammad Sabir and Fazal Haq

Liam Livingstone, England’s uncapped selection for the Test tour of New Zealand in March and April, believes he is better placed to impress in red-ball than white-ball cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jan-2018Liam Livingstone, England’s uncapped selection for the Test tour of New Zealand in March and April, believes he is better placed to impress in red-ball than white-ball cricket, after missing the chance to establish his credentials in two T20 appearances against South Africa last summer.Livingstone was drafted into the Test squad this week in place of Yorkshire’s Gary Ballance, who paid the price for England’s 4-0 defeat in the recent Ashes despite not playing in any of the five matches.At the age of 24, Livingstone is widely regarded as one of the most naturally talented batsmen in English cricket, and was appointed as Lancashire captain in the off season, taking over from Steven Croft.Known for his hard hitting and a wide repertoire of strokes, Livingstone enjoyed some notable moments of success in 2017, in particular his maiden List A hundred – a blistering knock of 129 from 83 balls for England Lions against South Africa A at Northampton – and a career-best 224 for Lancashire against Warwickshire in the Championship in September.However, when he was picked for England’s T20 side against South Africa in the aftermath of the Champions Trophy in June, Livingstone looked a touch overawed by the experience – he made 16 runs in two innings, running himself out on debut at Taunton before missing a full-toss to be bowled for a golden duck in the series decider at Cardiff.Looking back now, however, Livingstone believes that experience will stand him in good stead as his England career progresses. “The Twenty20 was a good experience for me, but my red-ball game is totally different,” he told ECB.co.uk.”I’m a lot more assured with my red-ball game than I am in T20 cricket so I’ll definitely go into the environment with a lot more confidence in my ability to perform, which will help me. It will be nice to get in and around that and hopefully show what I can do.”Livingstone’s call-up follows his decision to forego the opportunity to ply his trade in the T20 leagues around the globe, and instead spend a second winter away with the England Lions in Australia.”I spoke to Andy Flower about this at the start of the winter,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to play Test cricket for England, and going to Australia with the Lions was the best way to give myself the best chance of doing that.”I could have tried to play T20 cricket around the world, but I still don’t see that as the strongest part of my game. I wanted to work on different areas of my red-ball game, and I was able to do that for our first two weeks in Brisbane.”While training with the Lions in Queensland, Livingstone was able to attend the first day of the Ashes at the Gabba, an experience which heightened his desire to play Test cricket.”To see the amount of interest out there, it was quite exciting,” he said. “People are saying that Test cricket’s becoming less important, but as players I don’t think that’s true at all. It’s still the toughest part of the game, and the format you get the most pleasure from succeeding in.”T20 is great for the sport and it brings in the viewers. But you look at the Ashes and the full stadiums, there’s still a lot of interest in Test cricket, and as players it’s still what you want to play.”Obviously the England team have had a tough Ashes, everyone knows that. But I’m sure everybody will be excited going into a new series, and I know it’s a very talented group of players. I’m just looking forward to getting in amongst it.”

New South Wales had added 57 runs to their overnight score before declaring at 8 for 449

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Feb-2018
ScorecardRain and bad light meant that only 36.4 overs were possible on day two of the Sheffield Shield clash between New South Wales and Tasmania at the SCG.The rain arrived in the middle session and never abated. Earlier, the Blues batted on for nearly 12 overs and added 57 runs before declaring their first innings closed at 8 for 449.Moises Henriques only added 15 to his overnight score, while he watched Trent Copeland smash 44 from just 31 balls before he became Tom Rogers’ fourth wicket of the innings.Tasmania lost Alex Doolan to Gurinder Sandhu early in their innings but Beau Webster and George Bailey pushed the total to 1 for 79 before rain intervened.

But the opener believes spinners from both sides will also have a vital role to play in the Test series

Firdose Moonda in Durban27-Feb-20181:22

Wessels: South Africa will target Smith and Warner

Dean Elgar wants South Africa to unleash all four of their frontline quicks against Australia. The opening batsman has also stressed the need for a slower bowler to change the pace in the upcoming four-Test series.”I’d like to see all the [fast] bowlers play and the spinner,” Elgar said. “I think against Australia you potentially need to slow the game down, which they probably aren’t used to. So a guy like Keshav [Maharaj] has played well against them in the past, so he’ll play a big part in the series. Whether we play more quicks than what we usually do or less is up to the captain, coach and selectors.”The South African squad includes four quicks – Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi – and young allrounder Willem Mulder. While Elgar played down the possibility of a debutant, saying the starting XI for the first Test would likely be “stock standard”. he would like the quartet of quicks to play, thereby continuing the strategy Ottis Gibson has employed since the India series.Gibson is a fast-bowling-minded coach and has changed South Africa’s team composition to a 6-5 balance, with only half-a-dozen specialist batsmen including the wicketkeeper. Previously, during the Gary Kirsten and Russell Domingo eras, South Africa regularly fielded seven specialist batsmen, but towards the end of Domingo’s days shifted slightly to six batsmen, an allrounder, three quicks and a spinner. Gibson also tried the allrounder against Bangladesh but then opted for four out-and-out quicks for the first two Tests against India. The third Test, at the Wanderers in late January, saw four quicks and an allrounder with Maharaj sitting out, further emphasising his penchant for pace power.Given that the Australia series is being talked up as a battle between the two bowling attacks, it might be tempting for South Africa to go in all guns blazing and field five quicks. But on coastal wickets at the end of the summer, which should be slightly slower than usual, Maharaj is almost certain to be included and Elgar believes both he and Nathan Lyon will play a big part in the series.”I think either way they (spinners) are going to have an influence in the Tests, even if it’s holding up an end or trying to be attacking, which some surfaces might allow,” he said. “It is a bit of a battle of the seamers, but there is a world-class spinner in both sides, so it’s going to be exciting Test cricket.”BCCI

The real selection question then is whether South Africa play four quicks alongside Maharaj or if they feel they need to strengthen the batting against an Australian attack even Elgar is talking up. “They’re a vastly developed bowling attack,” Elgar said. “[Mitchell] Starc and [Josh] Hazlewood have been there for many a year and have honed their skills in different formats. Then there’s a guy like [Pat] Cummins who is good for the game because every time he has risen up he got injured. It’s good to see him staying in the game longer than usual.”South Africa have three reserve batsmen in the squad – Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn and Heinrich Klaasen – all of whom have proven themselves. While Bavuma has been injured this year, he played two of his most noteworthy and nuggety innings against Australia in Perth and Hobart on South Africa’s tour in 2016-17, de Bruyn is coming off two big scores – 190 and 83 – in three first-class games earlier this month and Klaasen came to the fore in the limited-overs series against India. Any of the three could slot into the middle order.Bavuma and de Bruyn are probably ahead of Klaasen in the queue but Klaasen’s presence is of particular interest because he is also the reserve wicketkeeper and Quinton de Kock has been out of form and injured. De Kock’s highest score in eight innings across all formats against India was 43 and he was dismissed in single figures four times in six Test innings. He has not scored a Test fifty in 14 innings since July last year and though both coach and captain have given him a vote of confidence, de Kock knows he now has a challenger. But that person, Klaasen, is unlikely to play as soon as the first Test, where South Africa will back their big names to come good.Elgar, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis will form the spine of the line-up and young opener Aiden Markram will have a chance to test himself against a strong attack again. After two hundreds in his first three Tests against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, Makram had one significant score against India in six innings, 94 at SuperSport Park. He was then thrust into ODI leadership and under his watch, South Africa lost the series 5-1, with Markram unable to get past 32 in the series.Gibson has admitted something was amiss with Markram and he was batting unlike the player he had first seen earlier in the summer. Now, he will hope Markram has dealt with the disappointment of his first taste of international captaincy and the dip in his own form and is ready to partner Elgar in giving South Africa strong starts in what is set to be a big series.”It’s very important for him to clear his mind,” Elgar said. “He’s had seven to 10 days off which is potentially good for him given what happened in the ODIs. But Aiden has got a strong head and he will take in a lot of information. It’s important for him to use what info is going to strengthen his game. It’s always tough to see a guy go through that but Aiden is massively talented and is a cricketer for SA’s future. He’ll bounce back. He’s putting in a lot of hard yards. I think he realises he can’t take his talent for granted. It’s almost like you have to overprepare at this level.”

With Darren Lehmann set to speak publicly for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal broke, former Australia captain Allan Border has thrown his support behind the under-fire coach

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2018With Darren Lehmann likely to speak publicly on Wednesday – for the first time since the ball-tampering scandal broke – former Australia captain Allan Border has thrown his support behind the under-fire coach.An investigation led by Cricket Australia’s head of integrity, Iain Roy, had found that Lehmann had been unaware of plans made on the third day of the Cape Town Test to generate reverse swing by tampering with the ball. CA’s chief executive James Sutherland told reporters on Tuesday that only the captain Steven Smith, the vice-captain David Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft, who was eventually caught on camera roughing up the ball with a foreign object, had been involved in the plan and that all of them have been ordered to leave South Africa.”If [the] integrity officer has been through and interviewed people and he’s satisfied that Darren Lehmann didn’t know specifically what was going on at the time, I’m very relaxed,” Border told . “That’s a good news item, isn’t it, not the other way.”We’re talking about one of the good guys in Australian cricket,” he continued. “He’s done a fantastic job with that team and if he wasn’t aware of what was going on, there’s no problem at all.”However, another former Australia captain, Michael Clarke, felt the “full story” was yet to come out, while England’s Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen were not convinced by the CA investigation that cleared Lehmann of wrongdoing.

When the incident occurred at Newlands on Saturday, Lehmann was seen with his walkie-talkie seemingly speaking to 12th man Peter Handscomb soon after footage of Bancroft using yellow sticky tape to scuff up the rough side of the ball – the opposite side that a player usually shines – was shown on TV screens around the ground. Handscomb then went on to the field to have a chat with Bancroft, who later shoved the tape down his trousers, prompting scrutiny from match officials. At the post-day press conference, Smith and Bancroft admitted to ball-tampering, leading to sanctions from the ICC and CA, pressure from the Australian government and widespread public outrage.

Gautam Gambhir and the Delhi Daredevils leadership group took pains to make sure the public knew the former captain was leaving of his own volition, and not being pushed out

Sidharth Monga in Delhi25-Apr-20182:13

Gambhir weighs up IPL future after quitting as captain

The writing was on the wall the moment you saw Gautam Gambhir, Ricky Ponting and Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua walk out for a press conference two days before the team’s second home game of the season. Gambhir, the astute leader who turned around Kolkata Knight Riders’ fortunes, was struggling with the bat and his side was down, having won just one out of six matches. It was clear Gambhir was going, but the big question was whether he was jumping or being pushed or jumping before the push could come.The franchise, the coach and now the former captain were emphatic in dismissing any suggestions Gambhir was under pressure to resign. In fact, Ponting and Dua went a step ahead and said it was unprecedented in Indian cricket for a player of his stature to put the team ahead of himself and resign.And then there was Gambhir’s statement: “Absolutely my decision. I was the one who initiated the meeting. I thought I haven’t contributed enough. At the same time, the performance of the team. I had to take the responsibility as the leader of the ship. I owe that responsibility. I should. As a leader. I feel it was the right team because we are still very much in the competition. Absolutely my decision [to resign], no pressure from the franchise, they have been absolutely supportive about it. But sometimes when your conscience says it is the right time, and you just take that.”Gambhir was candid enough to admit it gets difficult to turn things around as a player gets older. Released by Daredevils eight years ago, he did turn it around not just for himself but for the entire Kolkata Knight Riders team, winning them two titles. Now, though, he felt he might have been too desperate to repeat it.”Maybe the only thing I can point to is, I was too desperate to turn things around,” Gambhir said. “And at times it can backfire as well because sometimes you are too keen and it makes you too hard on yourself. Sometimes you realise that maybe I just couldn’t handle the pressure that came with the position, the responsibility I was given.Gautam Gambhir is all smiles while leading his team back to the pavilion•BCCI

“Maybe coming back to Delhi was an emotional decision as well. Sometimes when emotions get better of you and you are too desperate to turn things around, that is the only thing I can think of at the moment. Too early in the tournament to reflect on what went wrong but one thing that came to mind is this. When I joined KKR, I was 28. Now I am 36. That could be one of the reasons. You can handle more pressure when you are 28 than when you are 36.”There is one recent precedent in IPL of a captain resigning mid-tournament, and that came from the man sat next to Gambhir. Ponting had quit as the Mumbai Indians captain when he, and consequently, his team were struggling in 2013.”I think Gautam deserves a lot of credit for the way he has handled this situation,” Ponting said. “It is unheard of in Indian cricket for a senior player to put his hand up and say I don’t feel like I am playing well enough. And for the team’s sake I am going to stand down. I did it when I was at Mumbai as a player. I knew that I had better players that I was keeping out. I decided to do the right thing.”It doesn’t happen everyday, it might not happen again in Indian cricket or in IPL for someone of his stature, of his talent, of his ability, of his overall record, just to say it is time for a change of direction for this team. I am proud of what he has done. I am sure his younger team-mates are exceptionally proud of the fact that he came out and said that to the team today. And he has created an opportunity for one of India’s best young players (Shreyas Iyer) to captain his franchise.”The franchise has been under pressure too, and CEO Dua was asked if he, too, was going to resign. He said he would be happy to resign and let the owners take a call should they fail yet again, and also stringently defended Gambhir.”I knew these questions were going to come that the franchise has pressurised Gautam,” Dua said. “It is his decision. You should respect when somebody takes the decision and give him the due credit. That’s the problem with all of us. When somebody takes that decision, respect that. Because this kind of decisions are not taken in India. We totally back and salute Gautam. And I think it is important that the media notes that.”Gambhir took the call after the last Daredevils defeat, chasing a below-par total against Kings XI Punjab at home. “I have always set very high standards for myself as a player, and if I am not able to achieve that, it puts doubt in your mind if you have put enough weight to be in the team. Obviously when I spoke to my wife, she said as a leader you have given opportunities to other players, you have given 14-15 opportunities, why only four to yourself? And my only answer was I have set different standards for myself than I set for other players. Sometimes when you are not able to achieve those standards, you have got to put your hand up and say I was not good enough.”

Lancashire legspinner Matt Parkinson, the leading wicket-taker in the group stage of the Royal London Cup, has been included

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2018Nottinghamshire captain Steven Mullaney will lead England Lions in their triangular series against India A and West Indies A later this month.The squad features five players capped by England – Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Craig Overton and Reece Topley – and also Ben Foakes who was part of the Test squad throughout the tour of Australia and New Zealand.Matt Parkinson, the Lancashire legspinner who has impressed this season with red and white ball, is included – he is the leading wicket-taker in the Royal London Cup with 18 wickets at 18.22.Topley’s inclusion is significant encouragement for the left-armer who has played 10 ODIs and six T20Is for England. He has suffered a succession of lower-back injuries and has opted to focus on white-ball cricket in 2018.Joe Clarke, the Worcestershire batsman, has not been included with a decision to allow him to play red-ball cricket. The tri-series coincides with two rounds of the County Championship – Worcestershire play Lancashire and Nottinghamshire during that period – and pulling players out for Lions duty has caused tensions in the past.Squad: Nick Gubbins (Middlesex), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Steven Mullaney (Nottinghamshire, captain), Ben Foakes (Surrey, wk), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Sam Curran (Surrey), Craig Overton (Somerset), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Reece Topley (Hampshire), Tom Helm (Middlesex)

James Vince, the Hampshire captain, praised Northeast’s calmness in the situation and believed it probably served to spur him on to produce a significant innings

Andrew McGlashan30-Jun-2018Kent captain Sam Billings criticised the reception given to his predecessor, Sam Northeast, during the Royal London Cup final at Lord’s.Northeast, who left Kent in rather acrimonious circumstances during the off-season, was roundly jeered by Kent supporters as he walked to the crease and again when he reached his half-century. Northeast would have the final say, however, as his unbeaten 75 off 60 balls helped propel Hampshire to a matchwinning total of 330 for 6.But asked if he was happy with the treatment Northeast received, Billings said: “In a word, no. That’s not really cricket, I know it’s a cliché, but Sam’s a classy player, he showed that today. Of course whenever a player leaves a club there will be a bitterness but I don’t think that’s fair at all, really, to be very blunt. I don’t agree with it at all.”It certainly gave the game an edge, everyone felt that in the ground. There was something bubbling there.”James Vince, the Hampshire captain, praised Northeast’s calmness in the situation and believed it probably served to spur him on to produce a significant innings. Hampshire were strongly placed on 193 for 2 when he walked in, but Northeast’s innings ensured they didn’t miss out on posting a record total for a domestic Lord’s final, even though they couldn’t quite scale the heights that looked possible at the 30-over mark.”I said to Sam when we knew we were playing Kent in the final how good it would be for him to get a hundred against them,” Vince said. “He’s obviously played a big part in getting Kent to where they are now, so it’s perhaps slightly unfair but he was fired up to do well for us today.”He’s a very calm man. There was no question that it wasn’t going to faze him. The players he played with have respect for him, the fans are entitled to their opinion and I think he’d respond well to that. It probably gave him the extra incentive to really contribute to us winning.”The most significant innings of the day, however, belonged to Rilee Rossouw who hit 125 off 114 balls to earn the Man of the Match award. Rossouw, who joined Hampshire on a Kolpak deal last year, has not had everything run his way of late, having his front teeth knocked out during the semi-final against Yorkshire in a fielding mishap, and spent 80 minutes stuck in a lift at the team hotel on the eve of the final, but was grateful that everything came together when it mattered.”I’ll take all the bad luck in the world to win a final,” he joked. “I’m happy to relax in victory after two weeks in the wars. I was stuck in the lift for 80 minutes in the hotel last night, on my own. I was actually on my way down to see my wife and my little baby. So I wasn’t happy.”And with my teeth, I dropped a catch in the semi-finals, it went straight through my hands, hit my front teeth, broke the front two right off and chipped a third. The front two are completely gone. I’ve got a good dentist though, so the credit goes to him.”I’m very pleased with my performance today. I wanted this very badly and I’m so happy that the team pulled it off. It feels great to pay back the club for what they have invested in me, I’m very happy.”

Middlesex fought hard on the fourth day, with contributions from Stevie Eskinazi, Hilton Cartwright and James Harris, to resurrect their promotion hopes

David Hopps at Grace Road23-Jun-20182:01

Kent squash Warwickshire’s hopes of record chase

ScorecardMiddlesex’s season has changed abruptly in the space of 48 hours. Home truths were told at Grace Road on Thursday night after they conceded a 194-run lead on first innings to Leicestershire. “Not good enough,” said their coach Richard Scott. Words like “resolve” figured prominently. The badge, and the need for pride in it, probably got a mention. It normally does at a time of crisis.The result was immediate; the three seaxes duly sharpened. Perhaps when Dawid Malan, an England batsman of steely repute, looks you in the eye it is best to listen. Middlesex conquered a target of 381 by one wicket with 6.3 overs remaining. This was gut-wrenching stuff and a tie would have been a suitable conclusion. As it is, Middlesex’s promotion hopes are not quite spent and Leicestershire missed the chance to win three in a row for the first time since 1998.The last time Middlesex were in Division Two, Angus Fraser, the former England stalwart, was appointed as director of cricket and began by suggesting that a side given to losing in two-and-a-half days might care to look at itself and lose in three-and-a-half instead. The eventual result was promotion and a Championship win in 2016. Relegated to everyone’s surprise last September, there is no wish to return to the bad habits of old.James Harris, dropped twice as the requirement fell below 50, clipped the winning boundary forcefully off Mohammad Abbas. It was an emphatic end to an intense day’s cricket, during which Hilton Cartwright hit 80 after being “bowled” by Gavin Griffiths before he had scored – the ball clipped off-stump hard, but the bail obstinately stayed put – and Stevie Eskinazi made 97 and was then run out in a mix-up in which time seemed to expand.Middlesex were obdurate from the outset. They started the day on 82 for 3, with 299 still needed, and the nightwatchman Ravi Patel resisted diligently for the first hour until Abbas tempted him into an off-side wipe. By then, expectations of uneven bounce prevalent earlier in the match had lessened. But all day they met anything on the stumps with utmost seriousness.Paul Stirling soon fell, pushing at a wide ball from Gavin Griffiths, but when Cartwright, fresh to the crease, had his off stump clipped on nought, only to survive, there was an inkling that this might just be Middlesex’s day. By tea, Cartwright, an Australian allrounder, had his first half-century since signing for Middlesex, and Grace Road, the quietest crowd in the country, briefly resounded to cries of “Keep your heads up, lads.” They did, but it’s always a bad sign.Eskinazi was responsibility personified until, on 97, he observed Cartwright drive the left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson to Ben Raine at short extra cover. Raine could not retrieve a low chance and, as the ball bounced away, confusion took hold.There is an App to help people with indecision apparently and there was time to download it as both batsmen embarked upon a single that neither really fancied. “No. Never on a misfield.” “Still, it’s quite a misfield. Maybe we could… in theory.” “You seem to want this more than I do? Can we reach out to each other? Is it too late to reconsider?” “Hmm, seems like we’re going. Is this wise?” “We’ve really messed up, haven’t we. I don’t believe it.” As indicated, Raine recovered to throw down the stumps before Eskinazi could get home.John Simpson went soon after tea, leg before to late inswing from Griffiths, but another substantial partnership was lodged. Harris’ two escapes against Raine, an allrounder with a heart of oak, were costly, firstly on 21 when the keeper Lewis Hill couldn’t gather a low catch, again on 23 when the ball escaped Ateeq Javid at second slip, low, wide, tough but takeable.Raine’s persistence was admirable. His unflagging effort was finally rewarded with treacherous bounce that had Cartwright lbw for 80 with 38 still needed. Middlesex were still seven short when Steve Finn was strangled down the leg-side – although to be fair it was a deliberate set-up, with leg slip and long leg on patrol. Last man Tim Murtagh joined Harris to steer the visitors over the line.Finally, consider Leicestershire, their hopes of their first three-in-a-row since their Championship-winning season of 1998 lost. Ask many an opposition batsman and the soundtrack of that Championship-winning season was Paul Nixon yapping away behind the stumps.Now Nixon has reappeared as coach, the wins are coming again and the desire to learn was summed up by one young professional stopping Malan for a technical chat as he headed to his car. Meanwhile, Division One counties are swarming around Nixon’s most high-profile players. The least he deserves if he has to rebuild again is that English cricket recognises – without riders, and beginning with the top, and Andrew Strauss – his county’s contribution to English cricket.