SLC launches soft skills programme for players

Sri Lanka Cricket has launched a year-long soft skills development programme for players of all age groups

ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-2015Sri Lanka Cricket has launched a year-long soft skills development programme for players of all age groups. The program aims to cover a wide range of activities to help players enhance life skills.The human resource department of SLC identified 11 key areas – general english, presentation skills development, sports psychology, social etiquette, personal grooming, basic IT skills, leadership training, finance, investment management, cricket history and spirit of the game based on in-depth research about the knowledge gaps between team members. Yoga was also incorporated as one of the modules.The SLC also planned to conduct a similar program for the wives of players which will include nutrition, stress management and performance life cycle, in line with the program conducted by Cricket Australia.

Another Clarke double-ton deflates South Africa

Australia piled on 482 runs on the first day in Adelaide, where Michael Clarke became the first player in Test history to score four double-centuries in a calendar year

The Report by Brydon Coverdale21-Nov-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Another day, another Michael Clarke double-century•Getty Images

Pwnage. That’s the only word for it. Either that or Michael Clarke has been playing in god mode. How else could one explain Clarke scoring his fourth Test double-century this year, a feat that nobody, not even Bradman, has ever achieved? How else could Australia have piled on 482 runs, the most they have managed in a day of Test cricket since 1910? But this was no video game. Graeme Smith couldn’t switch off and start over, no matter how much he wanted to.Clarke finished the afternoon unbeaten on 224. That’s two innings in this series for two double-hundreds. David Warner struck a highly entertaining 119 earlier in the day, at better than a run a ball. Michael Hussey scored his second consecutive century, an innings that ended only when he played on to Dale Steyn from what became the last ball of the day for 103. If that wasn’t enough for South Africa, they also spent most of the day one bowler short after Jacques Kallis left the field in the first session with a hamstring injury.Kallis was in his fourth over when he pulled up while running in to bowl. He already had two wickets. That Australia’s monumental performance came after they stumbled to 3 for 55 was remarkable enough, but the most notable aspect of their day was the rate at which they scored. They finished with a run-rate of 5.55. They struck 66 fours and nine sixes, helped by the short boundaries square of the wicket, but also by some insipid South African bowling, especially from the legspinner Imran Tahir.Tahir just couldn’t land the ball where he needed to. On the occasions that he did, he built no pressure because the next delivery was likely to give the batsman a release. He finished the day with 0 for 159 from 21 overs, reminiscent of Bryce McGain’s horrid analysis in his Cape Town debut in 2009. But one thing to say about McGain is that he didn’t once overstep; Tahir’s effort was punctuated by five no-balls, unforgivable for a slow bowler.Against Clarke, Hussey and Warner, he didn’t have a hope. The Australians racked up 202 runs in the final session. As stumps approached, Hussey brought up his hundred from his 122nd ball with a slog-swept six off Tahir; the previous delivery Clarke had reached his double-century from his 226th ball with a nudge behind square for a single. It was the 82nd over of the innings. Smith could have already taken the second new ball, but instead he took it in the next over. Go figure.It was one of those days where, after the first hour, nothing went right for South Africa. Steyn left the field with hamstring tightness, although he was at least able to return late in the day to remove Hussey. The prognosis for Kallis is unlikely to be good, and the South Africans had already lost Vernon Philander, who woke up with back soreness and was replaced in the line-up by Rory Kleinveldt.In truth, it didn’t much matter who was bowling, the way Clarke and Co were batting. Morne Morkel, who picked up two wickets earlier in the day, could not contain Clarke once he was well set. Clarke took 20 runs off one over from Morkel, driving down the ground, cutting hard, and bringing up his 150 with the fifth boundary from the over, a majestic straight drive. Clarke also pulled with confidence; after a couple of early bouncers rattled him, he was untroubled by the short stuff.South Africa created few opportunities as the day wore on. On 64, Hussey was given out caught behind off Morkel, but asked for a review and Hot Spot showed no touch on the bat, giving him a reprieve. On 73, Clarke had edged Kleinveldt, but the ball flew between the two slips. Nothing was going the South Africans’ way.The Clarke-Hussey partnership was worth 272. They had come together after Warner, on 119 from 112 balls, edged Morkel to slip. Warner had done his job. He brought up his century from 93 balls with a six and a four off Tahir, a clean drive back down the ground and over the rope, followed by a confident cover-drive through the gap.As he had done all innings, Warner trusted his attacking style, flashing at anything wide and enjoying the short square boundaries – he struck 16 fours. He also enjoyed some garbage from Tahir and Faf du Plessis straight after lunch, as both men sent down full tosses that he dispatched over the boundary. Those overs undid any of the pressure South Africa had built in the first session.Kallis had been very impressive with the ball during his short spell, removing Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting by attacking the base of the stumps. On 10, Cowan was beaten by a Kallis yorker that struck him on the toe and at first appeared to have been given out lbw by Billy Bowden, but it later became apparent that he was caught and bowled. After the ball hit Cowan’s foot, it ballooned off the bat straight back to Kallis, and under the laws of the game, a catch takes precedence over lbw in deciding how a batsman has been dismissed.Kallis also accounted for Ponting with an outstanding delivery that was full and accurate, and swung away from the bat just enough to beat Ponting, who suffered the indignity not only of being bowled but of falling onto the pitch on his hands and knees after trying to keep the ball out. Ponting avoided another duck but only just – his only scoring shot was a clip for four off his pads.In between the dismissals of Cowan and Ponting, the No.3 Rob Quiney fell for an eight-ball duck when Morkel came around the wicket and forced Quiney to play a ball on off stump. Quiney’s edge was well snapped up by Smith at slip and after his 9 in his only innings at the Gabba, Quiney was left hoping desperately that he would get another chance in this, his second TestBut South Africa rued the loss of Kallis and Australia dominated the rest of the day. South Africa were pwned.

Otago, Auckland, Canterbury register wins

A round-up of the first round of matches in the Ford Trophy 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2011The first round of matches in the Ford Trophy 2011-12, New Zealand’s domestic 50-over competition, saw convincing wins for Otago, Auckland and Canterbury.

Otago beat Northern Districts by 111 runs at the University Oval in Dunedin. Craig Cumming was their star with the bat, scoring 123 off 115 balls to help Otago reach a total of 295 for 6 after choosing to bat. Cumming’s innings was supported by useful contributions from 20-year-old Michael Bracewell, who scored 41, and Nathan McCullum, who got 56. Northern Districts’ Bradley Scott was particularly expensive, going for 71 runs in his 10 overs.Northern Districts’ chase was derailed early by seamer Ian Butler, whose two strikes left Northern Districts 29 for 3. James Marshall attempted a recovery and scored 72, but wickets fell in the middle overs, then the tail collapsed and Northern Districts were bowled out for 184 in 39 overs. Butler finished with 5 for 33 while Nathan McCullum picked up three wickets.

Auckland‘s middle and lower order took them out of trouble before Andre Adams combined with the spinners to bowl Wellington out for 177 and deliver a 72-run victory at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln. Auckland chose to bat but were 53 for 4 after losing three wickets in the space of four balls: two to fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn and one to James Franklin. Anaru Kitchen and Colin de Grandhomme put on 56 for the fifth wicket but then fell in quick succession. Auckland’s lower order, though, ensured they posted a competitive total. Kyle Mills scored 27, Andre Adams got 33 off 27 balls and Ronnie Hira top-scored with 48 off 39 to take Auckland to 249 all out in 49.4 overs.Wellington’s chase got off to a solid stand thanks to Michael Papps’ half-century but wickets started to tumble once Adams and the spinners came into the attack. Adams finished with 5 for 29, spinners Hira and Bhupinder Singh took two wickets each and Wellington were bowled out for 177.

Four wickets from seamer Matt Henry scuppered Central Districts’ chase and gave Canterbury victory by 66 runs at the Mainpower Oval in Rangiora. Central Districts were in the game at 144 for 2 in the 30th over, chasing 268, and Ben Smith and Mathew Sinclair on half-centuries. Sinclair fell to legspinner Todd Astle and Henry then took two quick wickets to derail the chase. Central Districts ended up being bowled out for 202 and Henry finished with 4 for 25.Canterbury’s total had been built around half-centuries from George Worker, Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls. They elected to bat and lost two wickets within the first three overs before Worker and Latham’s 95-run partnership bailed them out of trouble. Worker was dismissed for 50 but Nicholls came in and formed another important partnership with Latham. Nicholls batted on after Latham was dismissed for 78 and finished with 74 not out.

Van Jaarsveld suspension lifted

Vaughn van Jaarsveld has had his provisional suspension by Cricket South Africa (CSA) lifted

Firdose Moonda18-Nov-2010Vaughn van Jaarsveld, the Dolphins batsman who has played two one-dayers and three Twenty20 internationals for South Africa, has had his provisional suspension by Cricket South Africa (CSA) lifted. Van Jaarsveld, 25, had been suspended after he tested positive for banned stimulant sibutramine, a substance commonly found in diet pills. The tests were conducted by the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) while van Jaarsveld was still with the Lions franchise.It is believed that van Jaarsveld ingested the substance accidently, as it was part of prescription medication that was issued to him. “It would be appear that he is not at fault so he has been cleared to play,” Dolphins chief executive Jesse Chellan told ESPNcricinfo.Van Jaarsveld was provisionally suspended on Wednesday but the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) believed that he was innocent and at the time asked for SAIDS to be understanding. “We don’t believe it is his fault, but we have to go through the process and we have waived his right to have the B-sample tested. In the circumstances, we hope the SAIDS will be pretty lenient.”The Lions distanced themselves from the situation, issuing a statement on Thursday saying that the prescription was not given by team doctor Jon Patricios and that van Jaarsveld went against team policy by obtaining a prescription from another practitioner.”All medications issued to Gauteng Cricket Board and Lions players by our medical team are checked against the WADA list of banned substances,” said Patricios in the statement. “Moreover players are warned against taking medications prescribed by doctors outside of the GCB medical team without first cross-checking the drug’s status on the prohibited list.”Players are also educated about the risk of contaminated supplements. Players who take medications or supplements without first clearing these with the team doctor do so at their own risk and against team protocol.”Dolphins coach Graham Ford said his player was attended to by a “very well respected medical practitioner”, adding: “Failing a test is not something to be condoned but in these circumstances the issue is very different.”SACA chief executive Tony Irish indicated that SACA has reason to believe van Jaarsveld will be cleared completely. “Usually when SAIDS don’t consider the player to have done anything wrong, the interim suspension is lifted,” he said.Van Jaarsveld will play for his for his franchise this weekend and will face a CSA Anti-Doping tribunal next week. SACA will represent Van Jaarsveld at the hearing.

Karnataka finish league phase in style

A round-up of the fourth day’s action from the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff18-Dec-2009

Group B

Scorecard
Ashok Thakur took six wickets for Himachal Pradesh•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karnataka continued their domination of the league phase with a resounding victory over Saurashtra. Set 241 to win, they knocked off the runs in 52.2 overs to finish on 28 points, 10 clear of the second-placed Uttar Pradesh. It was half-centuries from their young batsmen, G Satish and Manish Pandey, that steered Karnataka to their fourth win of the season. Captain Robin Uthappa gave the chase a cracking start, slamming nine fours in a 36-ball 47, after which Satish and Pandey took over. Satish dropped anchor while Pandey was more adventurous during their 126-run stand that nearly took Karnataka to the finish line. It ends a dismal season for Saurashtra, who end with a paltry seven points after reaching the semi-finals in the previous two seasons.
Scorecard
Expectedly, the game between Delhi and Bengal petered out to a dull draw. After Delhi’s first innings came to an end at 378 – Puneet Bisht remaining unbeaten on 128 – Bengal helped themselves to some batting practice. The Bengal openers piled on 187, with Arindam Das going on to a breezy century but his partner Rohan Banerjee was run out on 77. Das also retired hurt after the run out, and Bengal extended their score to 223 before the game was called off. Delhi made it to the quarter-finals by one point, where they will take on a strong Tamil Nadu.
Scorecard
Baroda completed a straightforward win over Maharashtra, but will be ruing their inability to chase down 101 without losing a wicket. Had they managed that, they would have made the quarter-finals ahead of Delhi but the loss of the bonus point means they finish in fourth place. Baroda only took 25 overs on the day to reach the target, thanks largely to Kedar Devdhar’s unbeaten half-century. There was a bit of a hiccup for Baroda when legspinner Digambhar Waghmare struck twice in an over, but Maharashtra had little else to celebrate on a day when they were relegated to the Plate League.

Group A

Scorecard
In a tame draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, C Ganapathy made his second century in two games to power Tamil Nadu to a massive 785 against Hyderabad. There was no respite for the home side’s bowlers after Tamil Nadu resumed on 594 for 6, with Ganapathy receiving solid support from tailenders R Ashwin and R Jesuraj. Hyderabad’s Abhinav Kumar helped himself to one of the easiest centuries of the season, blasting the part-timers – S Badrinath, Abhinav Mukund, S Anirudha and Dinesh Karthik – Tamil Nadu used for the 27 overs that remained. Tamil Nadu finish on top of the table and now face Delhi in the quarter-finals, while Hyderabad were relegated to the Plate League for the first time.
Scorecard
In one of the most exciting matches of the round, Himachal Pradesh came within two wickets of pulling off a dramatic victory over Orissa. Overnight batsman Vinit Indulkar made 28 more before being dismissed on 165 and in No. 10 Vikramjeet Malik’s company helped stretched HP’s second innings score to 486. That left Orissa needing 296 to win, but thoughts of victory were quickly abandoned after their top order folded to the pace of Ashok Thakur. From 11 for 3 it was a question of escaping with a draw, and first-innings hero Halhadar Das nearly saved them by resisting for more than three hours for a 47. However, he was the eighth man out with 15 deliveries remaining; the tailenders didn’t look to play safe after that, thrashing 16 runs in those deliveries, but managed to stave off defeat.
Scorecard
Gujarat’s plucky chase of Mumbai’s huge first-innings total fizzled on the third day, with their lower order folding meekly. Once they were bowled out for 502, giving Mumbai the first-innings points, the match rambled towards a draw. Both Mumbai openers, Sahil Kukreja and Sushant Marathe, raced to 80s but fell short of reaching a century in the inconsequential second innings. Despite not having the most convincing of seasons, Mumbai are through to the quarter-finals where they clash with Harayana.
Scorecard
With little to play for after Punjab took the first-innings lead on the third day, Railways crawled to 230 for 4 off 86 overs in their second innings on Friday before the match was called off. Sanjay Bangar took nearly six hours to reach an unbeaten 115, his 12th first-class century. His strike-rate of 43.72 was the quickest of the Railways batsmen. The other Railways player to make a contribution was Harshad Rawle, who laboured to 40 off 138 deliveries.Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against
Tamil Nadu 7 2 0 0 5 0 26 1.484 4166/86 3198/98
Punjab 7 2 1 0 4 0 19 1.018 3071/102 3166/107
Mumbai 7 1 0 0 6 0 19 1.646 3343/60 3521/104
Railways 7 1 0 0 6 0 14 1.223 3292/89 2057/68
Orissa 7 0 1 0 6 0 12 0.857 2662/93 3305/99
Himachal Pradesh 7 1 3 0 3 0 10 0.875 2777/116 3148/115
Gujarat 7 1 3 0 3 0 10 0.770 3236/110 3055/80
Hyderabad (India) 7 0 0 0 7 0 7 0.624 2946/104 4043/89

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against
Karnataka 6 4 0 0 2 0 28 1.911 3314/68 2933/115
Uttar Pradesh 6 2 1 0 3 0 18 1.030 2755/91 3144/107
Delhi 6 2 1 0 3 0 16 1.013 2989/80 3318/90
Baroda 6 2 1 0 3 0 15 1.067 3040/97 2379/81
Bengal 6 1 1 0 4 0 11 0.952 2963/83 3112/83
Saurashtra 6 0 3 0 3 0 7 0.973 3045/87 3023/84
Maharashtra 6 0 4 0 2 0 4 0.494 3026/114 3223/60

Sheffield Shield: Cricket Australia and NSW divided over left-field Zampa selection

NSW selector Stuart Clark said CA had asked for Zampa to be selected, but the board has said that it does not give such selection directives

Andrew McGlashan30-Nov-2024Cricket Australia (CA) has insisted that there was no directive to New South Wales (NSW) to select Adam Zampa for the previous round of Sheffield Shield matches after state selector Stuart Clark said they were forced to pick the legspinner on the board’s orders.The move to include Zampa against Tasmania at the SCG led to promising 23-year-old legspinner Tanveer Sangha being omitted so that Zampa could partner Chris Green, who himself does not hold a NSW contract after having opted to go freelance earlier this season. Zampa does not train with NSW between Australia commitments as he lives in Byron Bay.It was Zampa’s first Sheffield Shield match since February 2023 and came amid talk that he is in the frame to tour Sri Lanka early next year. He claimed 4 for 140 from 40.2 overs across two innings. It has yet to be confirmed whether Zampa will play against Western Australia in the final round of Shield games before the BBL but, after the Tasmania game, Zampa indicated he was keen to feature again.Related

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Last week, CA’s head of high performance Ben Oliver said domestic selection calls were entirely in the hands of the states.”The national selection panel are in regular contact with each state association, but ultimately, the selection for each Sheffield Shield match or domestic matches is very much the realm of the state association,” Oliver said. “The selection panel are very pleased to see all players playing domestic cricket and have as many options as possible for each of our upcoming series.”In an update provided to ESPNcricinfo on Saturday following Clark’s comments, Oliver added: “That [selection] process was consistent with the most recent round of Sheffield Shield.”It’s understood that amid discussions around Zampa, CA had asked NSW whether it was their intention to select him against Tasmania and, if they weren’t going to include him, the national selectors would have made him part of the Prime Minister’s XI squad to face India in Canberra even though that is a pink-ball day-night fixture.That, however, was not the view of Clark when he was interviewed on . “When it came to Adam Zampa, we didn’t have a discussion because there was no need to – we were told he had to play,” Clark, the former Australia quick who is also a NSW board member, said. “Quite frankly, I don’t understand what the comment of Cricket Australia is because we didn’t need to have a robust debate about his selection… it was a foregone conclusion that he was in the team. I don’t know where this comment comes from.”I’m going to ask [NSW chief executive] Lee Germon… to clear this up by writing to Cricket Australia perhaps and put my board member’s hat on and say we don’t understand this,” Clark added. “What we were told to do, and what’s coming out in the press, is exactly the opposite. They don’t make sense. Either we as selectors have got it wrong – I don’t know, did we misunderstand? – but I’m pretty clear because I’ve got messages that say Adam Zampa must be in the team and there is no point discussing his selection.”Former NSW and Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin strongly criticised the selection. “I’m an Adam Zampa fan… but I don’t think he should be playing this Shield game. He doesn’t come to training, he’s not part of the NSW system. I just think it sends a real bad message to our younger players in the squad,” he told the .”Tanveer Sangha, what sort of message does that send to him? Chris Green is playing as well. Chris Green at the start of the year gave back his contract and said ‘No, I want to go over and play a tournament wherever… I don’t want to be considered for a few games’.”On the same show, Australia captain Alyssa Healy said it was possible to see why NSW had selected Zampa but added “you are kind of taking the piss a little bit [out of] of the baggy blue”.”I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give [Test cricket] a 100% crack”•AFP/Getty Images

Zampa has previously spoken about his desire to earn a Test cap. After the game against Tasmania, he said that he was a much more confident bowler than when he played the majority of his first-class cricket before 2018.”I was eager to play a lot of first-class cricket when I was young, but I probably wasn’t good enough or as confident as I am now,” Zampa had said. “I bowled a lot more bad balls than I do know. I wasn’t confident with my own reading of the game whereas now I feel like I can read guys a lot better and have less mental fog. It’s being able to have a bit more resilience on day-one wickets when you’re trying to hold up an end.”It [Test cricket] is something I’d like to do and challenge myself at. If I got to end my career and it didn’t pan out that way then I’d be okay with it. I might look back one day and feel like maybe I didn’t give it a 100% crack. I feel like playing these games and putting my hand up for the Sri Lanka tour and being keen, for that is fine.”George Bailey, Australia’s national selector, has previously said that Shield form would not be an over-riding criterion when picking the side for Sri Lanka given the vastly different conditions. Glenn Maxwell, who was in line to play his first Shield match in nearly two years and feature for the PM’s XI before he picked up a hamstring injury against Pakistan, is also in the frame.

Williamson has two weeks to prove fitness for ODI World Cup

Jimmy Neesham has been withdrawn from the T20I squad to return home for the birth of his first child

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2023Kane Williamson has two weeks to prove his fitness for the ODI World Cup after he linked up with the New Zealand squad in England to continue his rehab from the ACL injury picked up at the IPL.When Williamson suffered the injury in April he was viewed as only a very slim chance of making the World Cup, but his progress in recent weeks has been encouraging and he will be given every opportunity to prove he is ready.The 15-player squads need to be submitted to the ICC by September 5 but can be changed without approval up to September 28.Related

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“[We’ve] got about two weeks from now until we name that side,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “Going to give him every chance and use that full amount of time.”He’s in full rehab mode, he’s back batting in the nets again which is great to see. He’s progressing really well but again there’s a lot of work for him still to do to make sure he gets to where we need him to be.”It could be that Williamson will be included even if he won’t be ready for the early matches in the World Cup, or another option could be to have him as one of the travelling reserves although there would then need to be an injury in the original squad for him to be brought in. There will also be longer-term considerations taken into account.”They are all the things we are weighing up right now,” Stead said. “There’s a chance that even if Kane was named that he wouldn’t be available right at the start of the tournament. But he also might be, and he also might not be ready.”It’s still a little bit of crystal-ball gazing [about] where he will be at. Yes, of course, we want him at the World Cup but there is that bigger picture in mind that we want Kane Williamson fit for the rest of his career.”They’ll be honest conversations that Kane and I will have with each other around exactly where he is at, to make sure we get the best outcome for our team but also the best outcome for Kane Williamson and his long-term career.”Meanwhile, Jimmy Neesham has been withdrawn from the T20I squad for the series against England so he can return home early ahead of the birth of his first child. Cole McConchie will now remain on the tour.”The birth of a child is a special time and we are a family environment,” Stead said. “We are glad to be able to support Jimmy in heading home.”Neesham played two of the T20Is against UAE in Dubai before taking up a brief Hundred deal with Oval Invincibles who he helped to the title on Sunday with an unbeaten 57 off 33 balls, adding 127 with Tom Curran after the team had been 34 for 5.

Joe Root's 115* seals England march to victory

Former captain passes 10,000 runs as he and Ben Foakes complete fourth-inning chase

Alan Gardner05-Jun-2022England 141 (Crawley 43, Southee 4-55) and 279 for 5 (Root 115*, Stokes 54, Jamieson 4-79) beat New Zealand 132 (de Grandhomme 42*, Potts 4-13, Anderson 4-66) and 285 (Mitchell 108, Blundell 96)After three madcap days to begin England’s new era of Test cricket under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, there was an air of serenity around their march to victory on the fourth morning at Lord’s. Joe Root provided the quality and the clarity to cut through the gloom, bringing up his hundred and 10,000 runs in Test cricket with the same shot, as New Zealand’s challenge – which had seemed sunk the moment they were 45 for 7 on day one – finally fell away.Root’s century, remarkably his first in the fourth innings of a Test, formed the bulwark of a chase of 277 that had been in trouble at 69 for 4 but became increasingly comfortable as the former captain took control following Stokes’ fortune-favoured fifty on the third evening. He was ably supported by Ben Foakes during an unbroken century stand that never gave New Zealand a sniff; Foakes finished on 32 not out, having played his most important innings since a century on debut during a Man of the Series performance in Sri Lanka four years ago.That the result remained in the balance, after England had reached 59 without loss in reply to New Zealand’s first-innings 132, was testament to the fighting qualities shown by Kane Williamson’s side. Having limited England to a nine-run lead, they had the look of favourites after the 195-run stand between Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell – but Stuart Broad inspired another turnaround and the game continued to ebb and flow until Root’s decisive contribution.He finished the job himself with three fours in an over from Tim Southee, walking off to a standing ovation, as well as handshakes from the opposition. This was his 26th Test hundred, his third of the year already, and his first back in the ranks. Life under the new regime hasn’t changed a jot for Root.Despite a murky morning greeting those arriving at Lord’s, it was soon clear that New Zealand had their work cut out for them. The juice that contributed to 23 wickets falling across the first four sessions of the Test had long since dissipated, and they began the day with a ball that was 65 overs old. Root shuffled down to Southee’s first delivery, pushing hard but settling for one after flicking off his pads, as England looked to start positively.The prospect of the second new ball coming around an hour into the day encouraged the venturesome approach. After Stokes’ frenetic counter shifted the balance on the third afternoon, Root had ticked up almost imperceptibly through the gears – from 34 off 89 at the point when England lost their fifth wicket, he scored at exactly a run a ball to finish on 115 from 170.There was greater intent about Foakes, too. Kyle Jamieson, who threatened to decide the contest single-handedly on Saturday, returned to the attack in the third over, having shifted back around to the Nursery End. His second ball was driven confidently back through mid-on by Foakes, only a diving stop from Southee preventing four, and the wicketkeeper further settled England nerves a couple of overs later by threading the first boundary of the morning through backward point.Jamieson was punched for straight fours by both batters, as Root moved into the 90s. A chop past his stumps off Southee moved him within sight, before a clip through midwicket two overs later brought him a comfortable two and a loud rendition of “Rooooooooooot!” from around the ground. His ninth hundred since the start of 2021 continued a purple run of batting, as he became the 14th man overall to 10,000 in Tests, and the second Englishman after Alastair Cook.By that point, any tension about England’s ability to knock off the runs had eased. Williamson gamely made several attempts to get the ball changed, but the breakthrough that would have given New Zealand a crack at the home side’s lengthy tail was not forthcoming, and the winning runs came inside 14 overs – Root’s beneficence extending to a full refund for the crowd – and before the weather could close in to delay the inevitable, putting England 1-0 up in the three-match series.Defeat for New Zealand was their first against England in Tests since the 2015 result on the same ground – a match that was significant for Stokes as a player in a way that he will hope this one is for his captaincy. It also ended a run of nine Tests without a victory for England, as the Stokes-McCullum axis hit the ground running; even if it was more of a stroll for Root.

Raisuddin Ahmed, key administrator in Bangladesh's formative cricketing years, dies

The former BCB general secretary had been battling with Covid-19 since late December

Mohammad Isam20-Jan-2021Raisuddin Ahmed, the former BCB general secretary who was instrumental in Bangladesh taking their first steps in international cricket, passed away in Dhaka on Wednesday. He was 82. Ahmed had battled with Covid-19, having been admitted to a hospital in Dhaka since December 25.Raisuddin Ahmed was awarded the lifetime achievement award at the 2017 Prothom Alo Sports Awards•Prothom Alo

Ahmed was the board’s general secretary from 1975 to 1981, a period during which the MCC toured Bangladesh for the first time – in 1977 – and the team gained Associate status and participated in the 1979 ICC Trophy. Ahmed was a central figure in regularly communicating with Lord’s in those days, ensuring Bangladesh were a presence in the cricketing landscape. As a director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier, Ahmed also roped in Biman as cricket’s first major sponsor in the country.During his time as the BCB’s vice-president from 1991 to 2001, Bangladesh took even more significant strides, as they won the 1997 ICC Trophy to qualify for the 1999 World Cup, as well as gain Test status in June 2000.Born in 1939, Ahmed went to the three most prestigious educational institutions in Dhaka – St Gregory High School, Notre Dame College and the Dhaka University. He played first-class cricket for Dhaka University in the 1957-58 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and was a regular in the Dhaka league during the East Pakistan period, regularly opening the batting and bowling legspin. Ahmed was also East Pakistan captain in basketball, and later served as the vice-president of Pakistan Basketball Federation.BCB president Nazmul Hassan paid respect to Ahmed, hailing his contributions to Bangladesh cricket at its formative stage.”Raisuddin Ahmed served Bangladesh cricket at a time when the game was struggling to take off. It is due to the selfless efforts of people like him that our cricket is where it is today. On behalf of the board, I extend condolences and sympathies to his family.”

Walsh the new assistant coach for West Indies women

Gus Logie remains interim head coach, while Rayon Griffith is also part of the support staff

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2019Former fast bowler Courtney Walsh is part of a new interim management appointed for the West Indies women’s team. Walsh will be assistant to Gus Logie, who has been head coach since last month. Cricket West Indies (CWI) is still looking for a for a full-time head coach.The interim management also includes former Guyanese batsman Rayon Griffith, who was an assistant coach with the West Indies men at the 2019 World Cup and during the subsequent home series against India. He was also with runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors at the CPL.”We’ve had some of the best minds and coaches in the region working with the players. Courtney and Rayon have been working really hard with the ladies at training and we are hoping to see the results on the field,” Logie said.CWI’s director of cricket Jimmy Adams was also pleased with the composition of the team’s technical support unit. “I am confident that our entire support staff, under Gus’ leadership and direction, is capable of driving our women’s cricket forward whilst we begin the search for a permanent head coach,” he said. “Gus has been involved with the program for the past two years and both Rayon and Courtney bring with them a strong working knowledge of what it takes to be successful at the elite level.”Walsh was most recently the bowling coach of the Bangladesh men’s team and has also served as a West Indies selector in the past.”My function is to focus a lot more on the bowlers and the cricket in general to get the ladies together,” Walsh said. “I’m just happy to be able to work with Gus – we haven’t had a chance to be on the same team since we were players and we just want the women to play the type of cricket we know they can play.”The ladies have been very warm and receptive and listened to what I’ve got to say. They are not afraid of trying and implementing what I’ve been telling them. I think one of the advantages I have, is that I was involved in women’s cricket before as a selector and I was part of a couple of their training camps, so they know me and they’ve seen me around. They know I want the best for them and they appreciate that, so for me it’s a plus coming back into the fold of the women’s team now.”CWI also named Evril Betty Lewis as the team’s interim manager, who will lead the new team management along with Logie, according to a board release.