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South Africa coach Russell Domingo is not unduly worried about his batsmen’s aptitude on turning pitches despite four of the top six batsmen falling to spin in Chennai

Alagappan Muthu in Chennai22-Oct-2015Finally South Africa were served a pitch that was typically Indian: dry, cracked and tailor-made to turn. The subcontinent flavour grew stronger with a top-order batsman’s century – Virat Kohli’s 138 off 140 balls – setting the stage for the spinners, who then completed a 35-run victory.South Africa coach Russell Domingo, however, was not unduly worried about his batsmen’s aptitude on turning pitches – whether in ODIs or in the Tests that follow – but he was surprised that it had taken so long coming.”We thought it would arrive earlier, so pretty pleased it’s only arrived in the second-last ODI,” Domingo said after the match. “Look, this ground has got a history of the ball spinning. It’s not such an easy ground to chase. If you look at the history, not many high scores have been chased so I wouldn’t say concerned. They are a quality bowling side and they bowled well under the conditions, you have to give them credit for that.

Dhoni favours spin-friendly pitches for SA Tests

MS Dhoni has called the Chennai pitch “fantastic” and believes it is a “specialty” of cricket in India that turning tracks are provided to visiting teams to challenge them.
“At times we talk a bit too much about sporting wicket only means grass on the wicket but sporting means where you get challenged, where the spinners come into action. When you go outside [India] you don’t see a turning track on the very first day. We have our own speciality.
“For me that’s a fantastic Test wicket because it wasn’t unplayable. We scored 300 runs and they scored 270, if they would have not lost wickets it would have been a very interesting game.
When asked if similar pitches should be made available for the Test series against South Africa, Dhoni said, “when you come to the subcontinent, when you come to India, what you expect is turning tracks.
“In a true Test match what you really want is the ball to start turning, specially when you are bowling slow, you want it, especially in the subcontinent, to turn early so that it is a challenge.
But preparing tailor-made pitches aren’t an easy business. “You tell them this is what we are looking for,” Dhoni said, “But its difficult for the groundsman also because its not like you mix the ingredients and you get the same result. But I always felt it was rolling that was very crucial because you roll it too much then there is no result. I have always found five-day Test match without result was a complete waste of time. So irrespective of who wins, in India specially, four days, four-and-a-half days should be the maximum a Test match should go because in that way what happens is the toss does not become very crucial.”

“We pride ourselves as guys who play spin really well. If you look at the history of our side, we have gone to places and performed really well against spin and we are expecting the wickets to be similar to this in the Test matches and pose a great challenge for us and it’s something we are really excited about taking on. We want to beat some of the best sides in their conditions and it’s an opportunity for us to do that so we know it’s going to be tough, but we’ll be well prepared for it.”Part of his confidence must stem from AB de Villiers’ performance. His 22nd century – the most by any South African in ODIs – was very smooth despite the turning pitch and the wickets that kept falling at the other end. Alert feet took him down the pitch and supple hands afforded him power and placement when he went to sweep and reverse sweep. De Villiers felt at home against a quality spin attack led by Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra; his strike rate was over 100 against both of them.But it wasn’t like he did not make errors. The ball did beat his bat. More than a few of his sweeps did not connect including one that he wore on the grille. But while he was able to get past those mistakes, his team-mates were not so lucky. Hashim Amla for one knocked a short ball straight to short midwicket to be first man out. He has scored only 66 runs in four matches so far but the lean patch does not worry Domingo.”If you look at it, there are two players in the world who average over 50 in Test matches and one-day cricket that have played the game and Hashim Amla and AB de Villliers are the two,” Domingo said.”Look, Hash is a quality player. All players have periods in their careers where they are maybe not churning out the runs like they should, but we know Hashim could get a hundred in Mumbai. He is that type of player. So he is massively important for us and we are not concerned about his form at the moment because we know he’ll come good at some stage.”But David Miller’s prolonged slump is causing worry. Slotted back in the middle order after opening in Rajkot, he struggled to take on the spinners and eventually fell to one that did not turn. His output in this ODI series – 6, 33, 0 and 13 – will need to pick up especially with South Africa forced to play without JP Duminy.”We are concerned about David’s form at the moment,” Domingo said. “That particular position at 5 and 6, that maybe Suresh Raina will be able to tell you guys, is a very tough position. You often come in with three or four overs to play and if you get caught on the boundary people say you are out of form. If you come in with 25 overs to go and the team is four down and you come in and get a good nut, people say you are out of form. So it’s a very difficult position.”You’ve got to be patient with players in that position, particularly in this country because it is the hardest place to bat. And you watch him in the nets, he’s playing really well. Just things aren’t working for him at the moment.”A similarly down-on-his luck player in the South African ranks is Kyle Abbott. He hits the deck hard, has a good yorker and was in fine form in the T20 series. With Morne Morkel sidelined for this ODI due to injury, his chances of breaking into the XI appeared to have increased. But Chennai’s spin-friendly conditions meant the need for a second spinner could not be ignored and Aaron Phangiso was picked instead.”He is such a good professional and you always want him to get into your side, but it’s quite difficult at the moment. We felt we needed a second spinning option without having JP there. We felt that on this wicket, historically the spinners seemed to be more effective than the seamers and that’s why we played the second spinner in Aaron Phangiso.”It wasn’t Morris for Morkel. It was Phangiso for Morkel simply because Morris is the allrounder and he’s got to bat at No. 7 whereas Abbott’s fighting, I suppose with the guys like Morkel, Steyn, Rabada, Phangiso as the second spinner.”

Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, has said it is not enough for the team to purely see the one-day series against Pakistan as a learning experience

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2015Paul Farbrace, the England assistant coach, has said it is not enough for the team to purely see the one-day series against Pakistan as a learning experience and insists they have to gain positive results in order to develop.England were comprehensively outplayed in the first ODI as Pakistan cantered to a six-wicket victory, which followed on from the 2-0 series defeat in the Test series. There has been a considerable change in personnel for the one-dayers – only five of the team played in the Test matches – and the bowling attack, especially, is raw.David Willey and Reece Topley, who shared the new ball on Wednesday, have nine ODIs between them while in total the five main bowlers total 92 caps but Farbrace does not want any excuses.”We’re not here to develop and learn and go away and say ‘well, we didn’t win the series, but we’re learning’,” he said. “That’s not what we want. We want to win – and it’s really important we do.””We have a group that need to learn quickly. We’ve said many times it’s not about developing – we can’t keep talking about that – it’s about winning. That’s the bottom line. It’s up to the guys here to show they deserve to be in the side, for the long term, take the opportunities – but win at the same time.”Someone who Farbrace can see learning quickly is Topley who claimed 3 for 26 in the opening match to briefly give England hope that their 216 could be competitive. He swung the new ball to trap Azhar Ali and Bilal Asif lbw then had Younis Khan caught at mid-on in his final ODI.Topley has made a strong impression on Farbrace and head coach Trevor Bayliss since he was called up as a net bowler during the one-day series against New Zealand earlier this year and then promoted to the T20 squad on the back of his performances in training.He made his T20 debut against Australia in Cardiff where he showed nerve in the closing overs to help close out victory and his scalps in Abu Dhabi opened his ODI wicket tally after a wicketless debut at Old Trafford in September.”He showed, despite losing his run-up a couple of times, he got the ball up and swung it and took wickets,” Farbrace said. “He’s got the guts to bowl slower balls early on. He’s got the skills, can bowl over and round the wicket, out of the back of the hand, cutters – and that’s very unique to see a young bloke come in and actually have a very clear plan of how he wants to bowl. That’s brilliant.”

Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind the idea of scrapping the toss, while he is also open-minded about the concept of four-day Test cricket

Brydon Coverdale03-Dec-2015Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann has thrown his support behind the idea of scrapping the toss, while he is also open-minded about the concept of four-day Test cricket. While Australia and New Zealand pioneered day-night Test cricket in Adelaide last week, other suggestions have also been made in the debate around making Test cricket more competitive and more attractive to spectators.One idea is to abolish the coin toss before matches and instead allow the visiting team the choice of whether to bat or bowl, which proponents argue would encourage the host country to produce a fair pitch. Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Michael Holding have all expressed support for the idea, while the ECB will next year trial a similar concept in county cricket.Under the ECB’s trial, the visiting county will automatically be given the option of fielding first and only if they decline will the coin toss go ahead as usual.”That is one that should definitely come in to cricket, where the opposition gets the right to choose what they want to do,” Lehmann told reporters in Adelaide on Thursday. “I reckon it will stop all the wickets suiting the home team.”As you saw in Perth, the wickets don’t suit how we want to play sometimes and in Australia in general the wickets have been fantastic for years, it doesn’t really matter on the toss, who wins or not. But in some other places it certainly has a big bearing on the game.”The MCC World Cricket Committee also expressed its concerns about pitch preparation last week and said in a statement that home advantage had become too significant in Test cricket, and it would monitor with interest the ECB trial next year. It was the MCC World Cricket Committee that pushed for day-night Tests six years ago and Lehmann said he loved the roll-out of the inaugural pink-ball Test.”I thought it was a great concept,” he said. “It was probably over a little bit quick for my liking in terms of the game but it was exciting for three days and it could have gone either way. Maybe a little less grass [on the pitch] and maybe get the ball a little bit darker in the seam, but it’s only a little bit of tweaking. I was quite impressed by it. I know the fans loved it … we have just got to make it better.”Four-day Test cricket has also been floated as a possible way of keeping fans interested in the longest format. Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland has an open mind about the concept, with the possibility that the four days could be extended so that little play was lost overall. Lehmann said he did not mind the idea, but was unsure whether the extra overs could be easily fitted in.”We don’t bowl our 90 overs in a day as it is, so that is probably the only thing,” he said. “But I’m open to all those sorts of things. Whatever makes the game better for the fans is pretty important.”

Australia’s captain Steven Smith believes his men will have adequate preparation for their Trans-Tasman Trophy defence in New Zealand despite there being no warm-up match ahead of the first Test

Brydon Coverdale29-Jan-20161:22

‘Red-hot NZ will be tough to beat’ – Smith

Australia’s captain Steven Smith believes his men will have adequate preparation for their Trans-Tasman Trophy defence in New Zealand despite there being no warm-up match ahead of the first Test. The two Tests in Wellington and Christchurch are preceded by three ODIs, which will be the only local match preparation for several Test squad members including Smith, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Shaun Marsh.Three other Test players – Adam Voges, Nathan Lyon and Peter Nevill – will play in a Sheffield Shield match between New South Wales and Western Australia in Lincoln, New Zealand, which was scheduled to help local preparation in lieu of a tour game. Others such as Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle (fitness permitting) have a Sheffield Shield game in Australia before flying to New Zealand.It is hardly an ideal situation given that the conditions in New Zealand are likely to offer more swing and seam than was seen during the Test series between the two sides in Australia at the start of the summer. And with only two Tests, there is no room for a slow start as the Australians adjust; New Zealand are proven performers at home, and have not lost a Test in New Zealand since early 2012, before Brendon McCullum and Mike Hesson came together as captain and coach.”It is what it is. We’ve played a lot of cricket this summer,” Smith said in Melbourne on Friday ahead of his departure early on Saturday morning. “Everyone will be playing some form of cricket, whether it’s one-day cricket or the Shield match. I think it’s adequate preparation and we’ll be ready to go for that series.”None of Australia’s squad has played a Test in New Zealand, the last tour there having been nearly six years ago when a 20-year-old Smith was part of the squad but had to wait until later in the year to win his first baggy green. However, Smith thinks he knows the kind of pitches the Australians will face in New Zealand and he knows that the challenge of facing the moving ball will again be significant, as it was during last year’s Ashes tour.”It’s going to be a little bit different,” Smith said. “They’re going to prepare wickets that are going to do a little bit. We’ve got some bowlers there to hopefully get a bit out of that and the batters are going to have to adapt a little bit better than we have previously on wickets that have done stuff. Guys are working hard and we know what to expect.”It’s very difficult to do. When you grow up in Australia you can play out in front a little bit more, and in those conditions you’ve got to play under your eyes so your nicks don’t carry and you’re not getting out in front. It’s hard to train, you sort of have to get away from everything that you learn growing up and try and for a new technique, in a way. Hopefully the guys can do that and adapt, to all the conditions around the world.”Key to New Zealand’s hopes will be their pace attack led by Trent Boult, who struggled early on in the Tests in Australia but by the third Test in Adelaide with the pink ball was proving a handful for Australia’s batsmen. Boult has described the upcoming tour as the “pinnacle of the season” for New Zealand; Australia remember all too well the way he destroyed them in Auckland during last year’s World Cup, albeit swinging a white ball rather than a red one.”He looked like he was back to his best in the last couple of Tests here,” Smith said. “He got a bit more work into his body and he was ready to go. He’s done very well for New Zealand recently, he bowls extremely well in New Zealand, so he’s going to be a tough one for us. But guys know what to expect. Hopefully the batters can combat whatever he brings at us.”During that memorable World Cup game in Auckland, Mitchell Starc was just as deadly with the moving ball as Boult, and Australia will sorely miss the injured Starc in New Zealand conditions for this Test series. Hazlewood will lead the attack and two of Pattinson, Siddle, Sayers and Bird will round out the pace attack; choosing who makes the cut in Wellington could be difficult given the lack of a tour game.”We’re going to have a few net sessions before we start,” Smith said. “We’ll have a look and see how they’re going, see how their bodies are and see who’s going to be best for the conditions that we’re faced with. It’s going to be a tough call on whomever misses out but we’re confident that these guys are going to do a job for us in New Zealand.”

A half-century from Ashleigh Gardner and brisk forties from Alyssa Healy and Sara McGlashan set Sixers Women up for a 21-run win over the Thunder

The Report by Will Macpherson at the SCG16-Jan-2016
ScorecardAshleigh Gardner struck five fours and two sixes in her 36-ball 55•Getty Images

Sydney Sixers are on the charge. After losing their first six games in the WBBL, they now have seven wins on the spin and a win in their last game tomorrow will take them to the Finals. In front of an impressive crowd, and live on TV, they veritably thrashed their cross-town rivals Thunder, who are limping into the Finals having been the tournament’s pacesetters. This was compelling cricket, with the Thunder fighting back themselves after finishing their Powerplay 31 for four.As the fortunes of these two teams show, with every team playing each other twice, the WBBL is a more complete competition than its more condensed brother, the BBL. There is greater scope for recovery, with time to bed in, to breathe and reassess plans, as the Sixers evidently have done, but also the possibility of a nosedive in fortunes.Mistakes made in the women’s game are often dwelled on for longer; unfairly treated as periodic rather than an isolated abomination. Sure, there were glaring errors here. Thunder dropped three makeable catches in three overs; both teams were guilty of overthrows, full tosses and half-trackers, and even the brilliant Ellyse Perry let a ball through her legs in the covers.But these aspects might stick out, as those who made the effort to tune in or turn up early will attest, they do not tell anything close to a complete story. They do not tell of the excellence of the Sixers’ batting, first Alyssa Healy’s booming cover drives, then the aggression of 18-year-old Ashleigh Gardner’s 32-ball half-century and Sara McGlashan’s hitting masterclass at the death. It does not tell of the brilliant fielding of Lauren Cheatle running round from long-off to save two, or Healy’s dreamy legside stumping to dismiss Naomi Stalenberg, or Lauren Smith’s wonderful diving catch, running in from cover, to send Rachael Haynes on her way. No tournament has done more than the WBBL to acquaint fans with all this excellence. Equally, those (ever rarer) mistakes have never been tolerated less. It says every thing about the success of this tournament that a crowd of 12,220 might be considered a disappointment because it was not a record.The Sixers’ fightback has been built around captain Ellyse Perry’s form with the bat – she recently went on a run of four consecutive scores between 47 and 67, but here they had to make do with a scratchy contribution of one run from 13 balls before she was bowled through a wildly unlatched gate by Nicola Carey. Not that it mattered, as Healy and Gardner shared 76. Healy had already taken three boundaries from Erin Osborne’s opening over, including two fine cover drives, but Gardner played the more eye-catching innings, hitting a pair of beautiful straight sixes, including one to bring up her 50. The spin of Osborne and Maisy Gibson – who continued flighting the ball fearlessly – was particularly targeted.When Healy miscued to mid-off trying to accelerate the score and Gardner skied to Alex Blackwell in the first over from 15-year-old Belinda Vakarewa – who bowls with an unorthodox, extremely leapy action – McGlashan picked up the mantle, boshing 49 in only 22 deliveries as partners fell around her, particularly to run outs, with a fine direct hit from Rene Farrell seeing off Marizanne Kapp while backing up. McGlashan’s innigns was characterised by strong cutting and a clever array of ramps and sweeps, and she sent the last ball of the innings, from Farrell, for six having hit a pair of fours earlier in the over.Thunder required the WBBL’s highest chase ever, but their hopes were as good as over by the time Kapp had taken three wickets in her first three overs, with Smith’s brilliant diving catch followed by Alex Blackwell plumb LBW next ball, and Stafanie Taylor miscuing to mid-off. Carey survived the hat-trick ball and shared 77 with Osborne in a mini-fightback, with the former sweeping and ramping superbly. But the return of Lisa Sthalekar sealed the deal for Sixers, as she bowled Carey and added to that the wickets of Osborne and Vakarewa.Sixers’ extraordinary escape is just a win away from completion.

Neil McKenzie has been confirmed as South Africa’s batting coach for the upcoming T20 series against England and Australia followed by the World T20

Firdose Moonda17-Feb-2016Neil McKenzie has been confirmed as South Africa’s batting coach for the upcoming T20 series against England and Australia followed by the World T20 with Russell Domingo, the head coach, pinpointing McKenzie’s vast experience around the world and his ability to explain his ideas clearly to players as key reasons for his appointment.ESPNcricinfo revealed Cricket South Africa’s move for McKenzie earlier this month and the details have now been completed after his return from the Masters Champions League in the UAE. Currently, it is a short-term appointment to cover the run of T20 cricket on the horizon but the door has been left ajar to explore a longer-term arrangement for when South Africa return to international action later in the year.”Neil has played a lot of cricket both locally and overseas. The main thing is the relationship he is able to develop with players. As a coach that’s one of the most important ingredients: being able to work with people and get people to understand and listen to some ideas you have on a particular skill,” Domingo said. “Some guys may have a lot of knowledge but often it’s the way of putting it across that might not be the best way. That’s the most important thing and I think he will be really good at that.””Neil will work with us until the end of the T20 World Cup,” he added. “Things will be assessed from there, it’s the end of the cricket season, and we will look at things going forward.”McKenzie has been in the same changing room as many members of the current South Africa team, including AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, and until late last year he was an active member of the Lions franchise. His domestic career spanned two decades and he was one of the most popular players on the circuit, known for his commitment and his quirks. McKenzie is famed for superstitions that include taping his bat to the ceiling but it remains to be seen whether he brings any of those to his coaching philosophy.McKenzie will be working with a South Africa batting unit where a number of players are jostling to earn a spot in the first XI. Quinton de Kock, who was left out of the previous T20 engagements against India where de Villiers opened alongside Amla, is primed to return after his prolific form in the one-day series against England. This will need a reshuffle at the top which would mean either Amla sitting out or de Villiers moving down, but not too far down.”AB will bat near the top of the order at this event now that we’ve got a wealth of experience in the middle order,” Domingo said. “For a couple of years, the experience wasn’t what it is now so we felt we had to keep AB in that position. Now that we’ve got that – guys like JP, David Miller have played so many IPLs, it helps us with the experience of that middle order which allows AB to bat a little further up.”JP Duminy was left out for the final ODI against England but “big things” are expected of him at the World T20•Getty Images

Both JP Duminy and David Miller have been under scrutiny, albeit for different reasons. While Domingo conceded Miller had probably been a little unlucky to sit out the whole one-day series against England, he gave wholehearted backing to Duminy – who has gone six ODI innings with a fifty – and said his omission for the deciding ODI was due to his workload rather than form.”In JP’s last few innings, like in Port Elizabeth, he had a good partnership with AB got a very average decision, missing leg stump. In Centurion, he didn’t bat. And the next game he got 35 and played beautifully in Johannesburg and then he got to the spinner. He is not in bad form. He is actually playing really well,” Domingo said.”JP is a phenomenal cricketer and has been for a long period of time. If a player misses out once or twice, gets a bad decision, hits a few bad shots, people write him off. JP is a hell of a player and I am expecting big things from him at the World T20. As much as people try and keep criticism away from you and media speculation and constant scrutiny, it can weigh you down sometimes. JP has played every one-day game for the last six-seven months so it was a good time to have a bit of a break.”Miller, meanwhile, was overlooked for the final ODI in favour of Rilee Rossouw when Duminy was left out and will play for South Africa A against England in Paarl on Wednesday evening having been briefly released from the T20 squad alongside Farhaan Behardien and Aaron Phangiso.”It’s difficult to leave out Quinny, Hashim, Faf,” Domingo said when explaining Miller’s bench time. “It’s really difficult to leave out AB. Then, Rilee has come back in. There’s always going to be so somebody that’s unlucky. My son feels he should be playing 13 A, he is playing 13 Bs.” Perhaps McKenzie has some work to do with Domingo junior as well.

Mark Robinson, the head coach of the England women’s team, has blamed their five-run defeat against Australia in the World T20 semi-final on the squad’s poor standards of fitness

Andrew Miller in Delhi30-Mar-20161:30

‘We couldn’t run our twos’ – Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson, the head coach of the England women’s team, has blamed their five-run defeat against Australia in the World T20 semi-final on the squad’s poor standards of fitness, and has challenged his players to improve their running between the wickets in particular, after falling short in yet another major global tournament.Speaking alongside England’s beaten captain, Charlotte Edwards, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, Robinson said that the defeat was still too raw to contemplate its full implications. However, he exonerated Edwards herself from any criticism, saying that he needed “a few more warriors like the captain” to take the team to the next level.”We lost by five runs,” said Robinson. “There’s nothing between these two teams. But we’ve got to get fitter. We’re not fit enough. They out-ran us.”Athleticism is something you are given by God, but aerobic fitness is something we’ve got to get better,” he added. “We missed out on twos, and we’ve lost by one boundary. We’ve got to change our mindset a bit, and toughen up a bit.”Not for the first time this tournament, England appeared to be cruising to victory while Edwards and Tammy Beaumont were adding 67 for the first wicket in the space of ten overs. But a familiar middle-order wobble left them with too much ground to make up in the closing overs, as they drifted out to 117 for 7.”Both teams got to similar stages,” said Robinson. “Both teams struggled to get boundaries in the end. It was all about the first 10 overs. The batting will get all the attention but, with big boundaries, slowish bowlers and no one in front of the wicket, it’s hard to find the boundaries.”Since his appointment last summer, Robinson has focused on adding new levels of aggression to England’s batting, which manifested itself in the only three sixes of the day, from Beaumont, Sarah Taylor and Katherine Brunt. However, his call for “360 degree” batting proved less successful, with Taylor in particular guilty of a limp dismissal off an attempted reverse-sweep.Robinson, however, reiterated his original point in defence of such attempts at innovation.”It was a bit of a problem because we couldn’t run our twos,” he said. “It was a catch-22 because, if you can’t get past the boundary and you can’t run twos, you’re starting to struggle a bit. But we hit six sixes in the tournament, so I know they’re going in the right direction.”There’s a lot of potential in the group,” he added. “A lot of girls with a lot to offer, we’ve got to give them belief and stick with the right players as well and accept there will be some bumps. But we’ve got to push them and extend them as well, because there’s a lot more in the tank.”Though Edwards’ place is hardly under scrutiny given her form in the tournament, her 10-year role as captain may yet come under review. Likewise, the place of veteran players such as Lydia Greenway, who played in the 2005 Ashes win, and Jenny Gunn may have to be called into question if the team is to evolve in time for the 2017 World Cup on home soil.”We’re 45 minutes after losing a semi-final by a boundary,” said Robinson. “It’s too early to get into those situations. You’ve got to make sure your base is big enough, you’ve got players to come in, There needs to be competition.”We’re looking for players who can stand up and be counted, and play under the pressure, and have the aerobic fitness to do the job necessary. That will be a necessity for any women’s team going forward.”We need more players like the captain,” he added. “She’s led fantastically well over the years. She’s got a fierceness inside her to keep improving and keep scoring runs. That’s something you want in all your players.”Edwards herself reiterated her desire to continue as England captain. “Absolutely,” she said. “I’ve been challenged pretty hard to expand my game and I feel I’m playing as well as I ever have done. Of course I want to keep captaining England. If I’m not the right person, it’s not going to be my decision. But I love what I do and I hope to keep giving more to this group.”

Kings XI have dropped David Miller as captain for the remainder of the 2016 IPL season and appointed M Vijay in his place

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Apr-20162:49

Cullinan: Miller has paid the price for a team that hasn’t performed

Kings XI have dropped David Miller as captain for the remainder of the 2016 IPL season and appointed M Vijay in his place. The decision came after Kings XI lost five of their first six games of the tournament, with Miller making 76 runs in six innings at a strike-rate of 129.”David Miller continues to be an integral part of the team and is a very strong player of the squad,” Kings XI, last in the league at the moment, said in a statement on the eve of their match against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot.Miller’s appointment as George Bailey’s successor in February was a surprise because he had no significant captaincy experience in South African domestic cricket, having only led KwaZulu Natal in three Africa T20 Cup games in 2015-16 and their Under-19 side once in 2007-08. He has been with Kings XI since 2011, when he joined them as a replacement for England allrounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, and was one of four players retained by the franchise ahead of the 2016 player auction.Vijay also does not have much captaincy experience. He has led Tamil Nadu in only 13 matches across formats – seven T20s – between 2009 and 2011. His form in the IPL season has also been ordinary – 143 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 113.50.

Yorkshire’s Royal London Cup programme began with a thrashing from Worcestershire at Headingley as George Rhodes, son of the coach Steve, made an impressive debut and Joe Leach starred in an emergency pinch-hitting role

ECB Reporters Network07-Jun-2016
ScorecardJoe Leach took to an emergency pinch-hitting role with devastating effect•Getty Images

Yorkshire Vikings opened their Royal London One-Day Cup programme with a severe thrashing at the hands of Worcestershire Rapids at Headingley.Batting first after winning the toss, Yorkshire were bowled out for a listless 170 and Worcestershire charged to their target for the loss of three wickets with 24.3 overs remaining after openers Joe Leach and Tom Kohler-Cadmore hasd blasted 107 together off a mere 12.4 overs.Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, said: “We have just got to bat better, that is the bottom line. Our batsmen have not got that confidence at the moment. They are hoping rather than expecting and are not in their best form. There is a bit of fear of getting out as opposed to scoring runs.Moxon also confirmed that Jack Brooks could be out for up to a month. He sustained a leg injury while bowling in the T20 Roses match at Old Trafford.It was a doubly satisfying result for Royals’ Bradford-born director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, whose 23-year-old son, George, made his first team debut for the county and pegged Yorkshire back with ten overs of well-controlled off-spin that brought him two wickets.George’s grandfather, Billy, was a wicketkeeper-batsman with Nottinghamshire from 1961-64 which meant that George and his team-mate, Brett D’Oliveira, were each the third generation of county cricketers.Concerned about a nearby storm, Worcestershire sent in Leach to partner Kohler-Cadmore and, although it never materialised, there was no shortage of thunderous strokes on the field.Kohler-Cadmore took three boundaries in David Willey’s first over but Leach was immediately more severe on Tim Bresnan, following up a towering six with four consecutive boundaries.The 50 was reached in 4.5 overs and when Steve Patterson joined the attack Leach picked him up for six over square leg and cover drove his next ball for four.Leach dashed to his half-century from 25 balls with seven fours and three sixes, bringing up his 50 by driving Liam Plunkett over the rope at long on, but the carnage was halted when Kohler-Cadmore was lbw to Plunkett for a run-a-ball 42 with seven fours and a six.In the next over from Rashid, Leach was caught at long off for 63 from 35 deliveries with eight fours and three sixes and Daryl Mitchell and Joe Clarke added a further 37 before gave Rashid a return catch, Mitchell and Alexei Kervezee finishing the job for their side.Yorkshire had never got to grips with a pitch on which the ball tended to stick and although seven of their batsmen made it into the teens none of them managed to move beyond the 30 mark.Several got out to hesitant shots and Yorkshire remained pegged back in the middle overs by the accurate spin of Rhodes and D’Oliveira.Jack Shantry, bowled a mean opening spell of seven overs for ten runs and the wicket of Adam Lyth and he returned to end the innings with his second ball by getting Bresnan caught at short fine leg.Jack Leaning helped Alex Lees bring up the 50 in the 17th over but Yorkshire were unable to capitalise on their slow but solid start, Leaning then edging Ed Barnard to Ben Cox and Lees being trapped lbw to become Rhodes’ first scalp for his county.Worcestershire never relaxed their stranglehold and just when Gary Ballance was threatening to break loose he was lbw sweeping at D’Oliveira for 30 from 32 balls with three fours.D’Oliveira also accounted for Rashid who miscued to short extra cover and in the following over it became 109 for 6 when Will Rhodes drove his namesake to Daryl Mitchell who was stood almost next to the bowler at mid-off.Yorkshire’s situation would have been more critical had Mitchell not dropped Bresnan at short cover when he had made only a single and Bresnan and David Willey briefly cheered up the crowd with a six apiece off D’Oliveira and Mitchell respectively.A couple of balls after his big hit, however, Willey chipped back a catch to Mitchell and shortly afterwards Plunkett dragged Leach into his stumps, the last three wickets toppling for four runs.

Brendon McCullum has been brought in to help upgrade Middlesex’s white-ball cricket but as Hampshire’s spinners took control at Radlett the task looked far from easy

Will Macpherson at Radlett07-Jun-2016
ScorecardLiam Dawson led Hampshire to victory•Chris Whiteoak

There was something rather contradictory, yet ever so appropriate, about Brendon McCullum’s first meaningful act as a Middlesex player taking place at Radlett.Beyond the fact that Radlett is not actually in Middlesex (it is in Hertfordshire), it is a funny little place. So little, in fact, that T20 cricket – the game from which McCullum now makes his living – cannot be played here. The boundaries are just too diddy, as the New Zealander showed in this Royal London Cup fixture with four simply-struck sixes in his 74. One easily cleared the sightscreen, another – towards cow – hit a tree 15 metres up.But Radlett is also the ground that proves that Middlesex, like the All Blacks, and like McCullum’s Black Caps, as he so eloquently explained when giving the Cowdrey Lecture on Monday evening, have a no-d*ckheads policy.It has a different name in these parts – Angus Fraser speaks of the ‘Middlesex DNA’ – but the comparison rings true. When the county played at Radlett in previous years, it had been felt that one end, which leads down to a clear field, meant that plenty of time was being wasted chasing the ball. So, this off-season, Middlesex’s squad were brought up here, and they built a fence. This was not just a practical benefit for Radlett and Middlesex, but a neat team-building exercise too.

Dawson’s Lions lift

Liam Dawson, Hampshire’s match-winner, said he felt his time with the England Lions last winter had helped his all-round game and added: “This is a great win. We have been struggling in one-day cricket recently, and we have been a little bit low in confidence across all formats so it’s nice to start this competition this year with two wins.
“Chasing down targets is something I have got better at over the last year or so. My game awareness is better. I had a few thick edges and a little bit of luck but you need that in one-day cricket. I enjoy the 50-over competition and this victory is a real boost to our dressing room.
“I think Mason Crane and myself complement each other well as spinners. Mason’s young and will bowl some bad balls but we have to accept that at the moment because he is a wicket-taker and, in this type if cricket, if you keep taking wickets in the middle overs you are always in the game.”

The game, however, was less impressive for Middlesex and went a long way to explaining why they were so keen to bring a white-ball cricketer of McCullum’s pedigree and calibre to the club.His innings had got them off to a flyer on a slow pitch yet, having been 190 for 2 in the 30th over, they contrived to limp to just 295, with Mason Crane’s legspin claiming four vital wickets, including McCullum himself, a ball after he had plonked him down the ground for six.Then, after a two-hour rain delay spat out a DLS equation that seemed to favour Middlesex (the visitors needed 202 from 26 overs), Hampshire cruised home with greater ease than the scorecard – three balls remaining – suggested. Middlesex, as McCullum’s T20 debut v Gloucestershire proved last Thursday, still do not know how to close out white-ball games.That they did not was largely down to Liam Dawson, who shared 89 in nine overs to turn the game with Sean Ervine, and finished unbeaten on 68 from 40. Dawson, such a canny cricketer, pulled beautifully and knew exactly where the gaps in the deep lay, with the six twos he found proving vital.Middlesex managed to feed the strengths of both he and Ervine, who was rather more belligerent in his approach, with only Toby Roland-Jones, who earlier claimed the vital wicket of Jimmy Adams, caught at deep cover, able to limit scoring.Shortly after Adams fell, Paul Stirling, who, with damp ball in hand, would be relentlessly attacked by Ervine and Dawson, had Adam Wheater stumped outside off and Middlesex were back in control. Dawson, even after James Fuller yorked Ervine, always looked to have a tricky chase in hand. His non-playing role in the England squad at the World T20 is unlikely to be his last involvement with the national side.Middlesex’s innings had seen a progression of batsmen get settled, and then, emboldened by McCullum’s gung-hoism, depart. The top three breezed to 190 but Crane bowled Dawid Malan and McCullum’s knock – not always fluent but with those brilliant wrists and powerful forearms to the fore – came to end when he tamely edged a turner to slip. Nick Gubbins, as strong on the cut as ever, was pinned in front trying to flick to leg.And that is when the stuttering started. Eoin Morgan looked ready to explode, a beautiful late cut followed by a fine cover drive and a six down the ground, but then – with 19-year-old Crane bowling the first ball of a new spell – he slapped straight to deep midwicket.Crane had seemed unperturbed by being given some tap – his ten overs did cost 80 compared to Dawson’s 32 – but he returned to bowl the 46th over, dismissed a fourth set batsman, James Franklin, and ended Middlesex’s hopes of the score their start had demanded: all but one of the top seven passed 20 but none reached 75. All of which, as Dawson calmly negotiated the target Hampshire’s spin pairing had set up, seemed very important indeed.