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Max Holden century in vain as Middlesex fall short of hefty Spitfires total

ECB Reporters Network16-Jun-2023Kent 228 for 3 (Denly 73*, Bell-Drummond 66) beat Middlesex 215 for 7 (Holden 121*) by 13 runsMax Holden’s magnificent century spearheaded a valiant Middlesex chase in the Vitality Blast, but it was not enough as they fell short of a record Lord’s T20 total by Kent Spitfires.Holden led his side’s assault on an improbable target of 229 with a career-best T20 knock of 121 not out from 59 balls to maintain the Seaxes’ hopes of finally breaking their duck in the tournament.But Kent held on for their second successive South Group win, having posted 228 for 3 thanks to Daniel Bell-Drummond, who struck 66 from 42 before Joe Denly savaged his former side’s ragged bowling attack with an unbeaten 73 from 37.The Spitfires remain in contention but, although Middlesex’s reply equalled their sixth best total in Blast history, they remain without a point after suffering their ninth straight defeat.The home side conceded 24 extras, with neither of their main seamers able to complete a full four overs – Tom Helm withdrawn from the fray for bowling too many above waist height and Blake Cullen limping off injured.Having won the toss and chosen to bat, the Spitfires made steady progress as opening pair Tawanda Muyeye and Bell-Drummond shared a partnership of 88 – their fourth in excess of 50 in the last five Blast games.Bell-Drummond, who called for a change of bat in the third over, immediately confirmed his new selection to be a good one by dispatching his next two deliveries from Cullen for six and four.Muyeye took longer to get into his stride, slicing Martin Andersson over gully for his first boundary, but he followed that up with a straight drive over the rope as Kent powered along at around 10 an over.Having been caught at backward point off a Cullen no-ball, Muyeye failed to capitalise and skied to deep midwicket later in the same over for 38, but his replacement Denly proceeded to find the gaps with expertise.Bell-Drummond thumped Luke Hollman to the fence to bring up his half-century, although he missed the chance to convert that into a ton when Cullen slanted one back into him and Helm took a diving catch at point.It was left to Denly, who reached his first 50 of the campaign from 28 and Sam Billings – rounding off the innings with an enormous six off Ryan Higgins – to steer the Spitfires to their fourth-best total in T20 cricket.The daunting 229 target always looked beyond Middlesex’s reach, compounded when they lost openers Joe Cracknell and Stephen Eskinazi inside the first three overs of their reply, both falling to top edges that were comfortably clasped by Billings.However, Holden displayed defiance, thrashing Fred Klaassen and Kane Richardson for sixes as the latter’s first over disappeared for 20 and he and Higgins – promoted to three – shared a spirited stand of 77 from 35.Michael Hogan seemed to have scuppered any Middlesex hopes of a successful chase, stooping to grab a return catch and dismiss Higgins for 35 from 22 before Richardson returned to pick up two wickets in four balls.But Holden kept going with a combination of timing and power, slamming Hogan for two sixes and then cutting him over slip for a four that took him to his second Blast hundred from 49 deliveries.However, the left-hander’s brave effort was ultimately in vain as Middlesex – needing 24 from the final over – could only manage 10.

Free-flowing innings at odds with approach of home side in looking to avert follow-on

David Hopps09-Apr-2022Warwickshire 293 for 7 (Lamb 106) trail Surrey 428 for 8 dec by 135 runsImmediately after the Grand National delivered yet another heartwarming story, Warwickshire and Surrey trooped back onto the field at Edgbaston after a rain delay. The Championship is far too earnest these days to suggest that the two facts were remotely connected, but in a more easy-going age county cricket has been known to briefly come to a halt to glean the result of the 2.30 from Uttoxeter, never mind the 5.15 from Aintree, so it might be a good thing if they were.When it comes to heartwarming stories, the Championship in early April struggles to deliver, although the enterprise of Matthew Lamb’s second first-class century was something to celebrate. It takes place at this time purely because administrators can’t agree upon a sane fixture list in an era when three formats are still jostling for attention so just take the easy way out. Its default position is cold and drudgery and four-day cricket on ECB-approved flat pitches, without warmth or sunshine, can be like nuts without bolts. It is valued only by coaches, aficionados and those who purport to be. At Aintree it was good to soft, but at Edgbaston it was heavy going.The players are professional, and fulfil their obligations. The best can turn their suffering into England recognition, such as Ben Foakes who made a resolute hundred on the second day here. Old stagers like Stuart Broad nod wisely and say, seven games in seven weeks, in such cold, with an England place to recover, no sorry, that’s not for me? Few really enjoy watching it in April unless the ball hoops around. The members insist upon their quota of four-day cricket, but not many turn up. It is a game staged for statisticians, a game staged to keep up appearances, a game best loved from afar.That made Lamb’s hundred all the more welcome. On a third day that for the most part was a gruelling watch, as Warwickshire responded to Surrey’s 428 for 8 declared by defiantly mapping out what appears to be a successful two-day route to draw points, he blissfully struck 106 from 138 balls. By the time the follow-on was averted, the rest of Warwickshire’s batters had mustered 169 from 463. Or to put it another way, his hundred came at more than twice their scoring rate. It felt less like a century than a blood transfusion.”I was a little bit frenetic for the first ten balls but then settled down,” he said. “I just went out there to be as positive as I can and I know that, in the past, when I have had that mindset I have got into much better positions and that has allowed me to score more freely.”He resisted, as did Sam Hain, a threatening first-hour assault from Kemer Roach and Reece Topley, but Lamb then drove with elan on a surface where others just dug in, adopting an assertive approach with three fours in an over against the young seamer James Taylor, who looks to have filled out a bit and otherwise bowled with great promise.Most fun was had, though, when Roach and Topley returned for second spells with an understandable desire to test him out against the short stuff, move the game on a bit, trade runs for wickets. Lamb had a couple of swishes against slower bouncers, but hooked and pulled Roach to enter the eighties, and did likewise against Topley to bring up the 90s. A fulsome leg-side pick-up against Roach to move from 92 to 98 was wonderfully out of keeping with much of the day and seemed to have been transplanted from a night at the Blast. By now, the adrenalin was flowing, and when he pulled Topley to long leg, he would have run two for his hundred anyway even if the hapless fielder had not chested it over the boundary.The gambit having failed, the old ball seemed to age 20 overs within moments. It required an exceptional piece of fielding to remove him. Lamb mistimed a pull at Topley and Jacks plunged low to his right at deep square leg, 10 metres in from the boundary as Surrey retained an attacking intent, to pull off a spectacular one-handed catch.From 41 for 4, facing a follow-on figure of 279, Warwickshire had been committed to a day of toil. At 198 for 5, they were still 81 short and quick wickets would have put them under pressure but Dan Mousley, whose place is under threat once the South Australian Nathan McAndrew arrives in time for Essex’s visit to Edgbaston in two weeks’ time, joined Hain in a stand of 65 in 36 overs despite a break for rain and ever retreating temperatures.Hain (78 from 228) and Mousley (43 from 128) both responded virtuously. Neither looked in good touch but, in a way, every mistimed stroke made their virtue all the more apparent. Hain got out to a leave-alone – a suitable end – as Jordan Clark nipped one back when the follow-on figure was in sight; Mousley fell at slip, whipping Clark, three balls after it had been averted, his concentration perhaps momentarily released. Their concentration had been more reliable than some of us who watched them – and they could take pride in that.It is a rum thing to consider that avoiding the follow-on remains such a thing even when many captains no longer bother to enforce it. For all that, the dirge was eminently justifiable. In football, lack of entertainment can often indicate a lack of desire – just look at Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United. But in cricket, the situation is often what matters. And, for those who don’t know, it was a helluva finish in the National.

Kohli’s quickfire 40 also proved vital as Australia failed to defend 194 under stand-in captain Matthew Wade

Daniel Brettig06-Dec-2020Hardik Pandya’s heavy hitting delivered India a T20I series victory over Australia and their third consecutive win of the tour to give the captain Virat Kohli something to show for his trip down under in an undulating encounter at the SCG.ALSO WATCH: Match highlights – Natarajan, Hardik seal series for India (India subcontinent only)The Australians were led by Matthew Wade in the absence of Aaron Finch due to injury, and he led from the front with a swift half-century at the top of the order. But the remainder of the Australian innings was spasmodic, and without any of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood or Mitchell Starc, the bowling attack was well and truly below the usual level of expertise.Kohli, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan ensured India would be in the contest until its closing passages, whereupon Pandya lined up his scoring zones with brutal efficiency. Daniel Sams was defending 14 from the final over, but with a pair of towering blows beyond the straight midwicket boundary, India claimed the series with two balls to spare.T Natarajan celebrates a wicket with his captain Virat Kohli•Getty Images

Wade bats where he wantsIn 31 previous T20Is, Wade had opened just four times. Handed the keys to the car on Sunday as stand-in captain, Wade made the most obvious captain’s call available to him – promoting himself to the top of the order and the role in which he had been so dominant for the Hobart Hurricanes in the BBL. There was an international basis for the decision – Wade’s only score beyond 50 had been as an opener against India as far back as 2012, also at the SCG.In Canberra on Friday, Wade had looked somewhat lost in the middle order, an experience not uncommon to his T20I career. But at the top he was able to dictate terms, and the boundaries followed almost as if by clockwork through a more tightly packed new-ball field. Wade’s crisp striking to kick off the innings gave the Australians a supercharged start, and his progress to 58 gave him some truly striking numbers as a T20I opener. How much more often he gets the chance remains to be seen.Wade, followed by fadeIt was a surprise when Wade found a fielder – Kohli no less – when he tried to find or clear the boundary a 12th time, and a still greater surprise when Kohli dropped it. Certainly Wade registered who he had hit the ball towards and then immediately turned on his heels as if already dismissed. This was a mistake, since the direction of the dressing rooms meant Wade took his eye off the ball, and then found himself run out by Kohli’s return.Australia’s loss of early momentum was also down to T Natarajan, who in two games has shown himself to not only be at ease in international company, but a valuable point of difference among so may right-armers. Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah’s absence was felt, but nowhere near as keenly as that of their Australian counterpartsThe remainder of the innings was overall a failure to fulfill Wade’s early promise, as Steven Smith could not quite find his timing, Glenn Maxwell did not hang around long enough to do genuine damage, and the late contributions of Moises Henriques and Sams were cameos rather than definitive exclamation points on the innings. All the while, the hosts and the visitors knew that Australia had a severely weakened bowling attack with which to defend their tally.ALSO WATCH: Video highlights – Kohli falls while chasing a wide one (India subcontinent only)Hardik Pandya produced a stunning innings to win India the series•Getty Images

Legspin excelsMitchell Swepson had struggled to drop onto the right length at Manuka Oval, having been called up at short notice, and dragged short of where he wanted to be as a result. He appeared far better adjusted to the T20I format this time around, and in combination with Adam Zampa seemed to have bowled the overs that were going to keep the touring side short of their target. Notable was the appearance of a wrong’un to deceive the otherwise fluent Sanju Samson, on a pitch that offered just enough grip to the slow bowlers.Zampa, too, had his moments, albeit somewhat more expensive. His dismissal of Dhawan arrived through a fraction of extra bounce from an overspun delivery, and Kohli’s respect for Zampa’s offerings was evident throughout their duel. The disappearance of Maxwell for 19 from his first and only over, however, hinted at some of the punishment being meted out elsewhere, to a decisive effect as far as the game was concerned.Pace is vanquishedIf Mitchell Starc had struggled to contain India’s batsmen on a similar SCG surface before the tour caravan moved to Canberra, there was always a question to be asked of how the likes of Sams, Andrew Tye and Sean Abbott – equivalent to a middling BBL pace attack – were going to fare against a line-up lacking only Ravindra Jadeja. Sams and Tye both had their moments, the former offering handy changes of pace including the change-up that found Kohli’s outside edge, and the latter impressing with an extra turn of pace that might easily have won at least one lbw verdict.However, as the chase evolved and India’s batsmen found their range, the bowlers looked increasingly defenceless. Wade elected not to return to Abbott after his first two overs went for 17, a curious call given the fact that the SCG is his home ground, and relied upon Tye and Sams for the final two overs. Defending 25, they gave up the runs from 10 of the 12 balls required. Australia’s depth has been well and truly tested over these two series and, while balanced against the need to prepare for a Test series, been found wanting.

In an ominous note to whoever they meet in the semi-finals, Mitchell Starc believes there is more to come from Australia as they aim to peak in knockouts

Andrew Miller at Lord's29-Jun-2019If Mitchell Starc’s performances are a barometer of Australia’s World Cup prospects, then you might as well hand them the trophy here and now.With his second five-wicket haul of the tournament – and his fourth of four or more – Starc marched past the 22 wickets in eight games with which he sealed his Player of the Tournament title in the 2015 campaign, and has moved to within three of overhauling the all-time record for a World Cup campaign, the 26 that Glenn McGrath claimed in another of Australia’s five World Cup wins, in the Caribbean in 2007.And yet Starc remains unmoved by the prospect of individual milestones. Asked what it would mean to overhaul the great McGrath, he replied: “Not much if we don’t win the World Cup.” With every passing performance, the odds on that turn of events lengthen.For New Zealand, there was a bleak inevitability to Starc’s interventions at Lord’s. His first spell may have been wicketless but it came against a pair of openers whose only instinct was survival – and seeing as he chipped in with a 96mph thunderbolt in his third over, it seemed from the sidelines to be a prudent course of action.WATCH on Hotstar (India only): Starc dazzles with a five-for But with his team-mates keeping up those restrictive methods, Starc was able to return with a vengeance for his latter spells. Recalled for the 26th over, just as New Zealand had started to realise that discretion means little without a touch of valour, he struck with his fourth ball to dislodge the main man, Kane Williamson.Ten overs later, he repeated the trick – this time sinking Tom Latham at midwicket – and with four overs still up his sleeve, there was now no reason not to keep him going in search of a clean kill. By attacking the stumps with lethal pace and late swing as a bonus, he once again displayed a method that, so far, only India’s star-studded batting has managed to counter.”[Attacking the stumps] is part of my game-plan,” said Starc. “Again, it was a worn wicket today, so we were all fortunate that Finchie won the toss and we got to bat first. I believe they bowled well at the start. But I guess we keep learning from the opposition when we do bowl second, and I guess that fuller length and that straighter line for me, attacking those stumps, it is pretty much part of my game-plan.”I think as a bowling unit today, we were fantastic to keep such a good side to under 160. So it was a great performance by everyone.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The simplicity of Australia’s methods with the ball make their earlier struggles to find serviceable back-ups to Starc and Pat Cummins something of a mystery. But with Jason Behrendorff adding another oppressive left-arm option to their ranks, and with Nathan Lyon’s Test-honed killer instincts delivering another inch-perfect spell on a worn surface, there was never any real opportunity for New Zealand to free their arms and catch up with an escalating rate.Starc, however, does not yet believe they have stumbled upon the magic formula for guaranteed success.”I think the fantastic thing about our 15 guys is we’ve got guys that can open the bowling. We have got several guys that make up good combinations. We’ve had all 15 part take part so far in the tournament. Guys are ready to go if called upon. The guys that were picked today did another fantastic job, [but] I don’t think we’ve quite played the perfect game, if you like.WATCH on Hotstar (US only): Full highlights“We’re finding ways to scrap and to restrict teams, and we keep improving every game. But I think the turning point was probably that Indian game where we had a good chat as a bowling group and a batting group and we’ve just continued to improve as a whole group of players from that game, so it’s been fantastic.”Until the start of the World Cup, Starc had been an onlooker as Australia set about their quiet resurgence of white-ball fortunes. He missed the 3-2 series win in India with a pectoral muscle strain, and was still on the road to recovery when they went on to beat Pakistan 5-0 in the UAE in March. But having returned to Australia’s set-up he has recognised a side that had renewed belief.WATCH on Hotstar (India only): New Zealand’s innings“From all reports, it’s been a fantastic feel around the group in the UAE and India,” he said, “and to play some fantastic cricket heading into that April break, was probably the momentum that the group was after heading into this tournament.”So I think our chances are as good as any other team. We’ve always spoken about peaking towards the back end of the tournament, and we’re still searching for that perfect performance. We’re not quite there yet. We’re showing glimpses of what we are capable of with the ball and with the bat and in the field, but we have still got room to improve, and that’s exciting for this group.”And if we can do that – well, we’ve got to play our best game in the semi now and hopefully better that in the final – and that’s what tournament play is all about.”

Afghanistan will need a lot more cricket against established Test teams’ A sides if this promotion to Test is to work, their coach Phil Simmons feels

Sidharth Monga in Bengaluru15-Jun-20182:06

‘Afghanistan will learn what it takes to beat the best’ – Simmons

Afghanistan will need a lot more cricket against established Test teams’ A sides if this promotion to Test is to work, their coach Phil Simmons and India captain Ajinkya Rahane feel. Having finished the Test inside two days, Rahane was complimentary of the potential of Afghanistan’s bowling attack – “they can do damage to any team” – but he said the batsmen needed work even if it came through simulating Test situations in the nets.”I think with us there has to be a lot more A team cricket played against big countries by some players – players just below 18 – in England, India, Bangladesh, Australia,” Simmons said. “I think that’s the best way for us to close this gap.”Simmons hoped his side would get to play tour games against Test sides that come to India, as has been promised by the BCCI secretary.Rahane said they need not wait for the matches to come their way, and that’s because they have bowlers in their ranks who can give them good practice. “Definitely, four-day games and Tests will help them a lot,” Rahane said. “Practising with red ball regularly, creating those match situations, because they have got some good bowlers, they will learn from that. It’s not [always] about in the match, but creating those situations in practice also and thinking and visualising that as batsmen how they are going to play against each opponent. Test is about creating those situations even if you are batting in the nets. It’s all in the mind, and skill-wise technically, every layer is similar. If they get mentally tough and find their technique, it will be good.”Simmons isn’t the one to hide behind the enormity of the occasion. He said he can grant his side the benefit of nerves in the first session, but the way they lost was disappointing. He hadn’t had a meeting when he spoke at the press conference but there would be some explaining to do for some of the shots played. The same he said for the spinners: “I don’t think they by no means happy with how they performed.”Simmons always knew it was going to be tough. Now his team experienced it first-hand. However, he has seen this team learn a lot, and expected them to get to it. “Their learning curve is huge,” Simmons said. “I do believe they want to succeed, they want to be good at it and they work very hard and we now know that we have to work five times as hard as we did in the last four games. I believe that they will get there.”

Sam Northeast hit a fine unbeaten century as the South clinched the new North-South Series with a match to spare thanks to a 47-run victory

ECB Reporters Network19-Mar-2017

ScorecardSam Northeast’s century set up a series win for South v North•Getty Images

Sam Northeast hit a fine unbeaten century as the South clinched the new North-South Series with a match to spare thanks to a 47-run victory at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.Northeast, the Kent captain, made an unbeaten 118, and shared the match-winning partnership of 170 with Liam Dawson, as the South piled up 346 for 6 after being put in by North captain Keaton Jennings – with Dawid Malan adding an authoritative 78 to the unbeaten century he scored in the opening game on Thursday.Ben Duckett gave the North the flying start they needed in reply, racing to a 32-ball half century and sharing a third-wicket stand of 74 with Liam Livingstone which contained the most absorbing cricket of the series.But after Toby Roland-Jones had Livingstone well caught by Steven Finn off a top-edged hook, Dawson claimed the key wicket of Duckett for 64, and the Hampshire allrounder went on to earn figures of 2 for 46 in his second tidy spell of the series – although they were slightly dented by Tim Bresnan, who thumped a typically defiant 74 from 66 balls to reduce the North’s margin of defeat.The South will now be aiming for a 3-0 whitewash when the series concludes in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.Both sides made two changes from the first game, with Tom Alsop and Tim Groenewald replacing Lewis Gregory and Mason Crane for the South, and Josh Poysden and Saqib Mahmood making their North debuts as Mark Wood and Graeme White took a rest.Bresnan gave the North the perfect start after Jennings had chosen to field in roasting heat, opening up with a maiden which ended with Daniel Bell-Drummond edging a drive to Joe Clarke.That was the first wicket the South had lost in the series and after watching Malan and Bell-Drummond seal a 10-wicket win on Thursday their captain James Vince made an immediate impression as he stroked 46 from 41 balls in a second-wicket stand of 113 with Malan.But the North’s spinners pegged back the South, with Vince bowled by Livingstone, Poysden bowling a tidy eight-over spell, and Yorkshire’s Jack Leaning claiming the wickets of Malan and Alsop in consecutive overs with his occasional off-spin.That left the South under pressure for the first time in the series at 142 for 4. But Dawson joined Northeast to strike 83 from 68 balls with five fours and three sixes.He holed out to long-off, giving Harry Gurney his first wicket of the series, but Northeast moved on to his third List A century, seizing his first chance to impress the England head coach Trevor Bayliss who was again watching with selectors James Whitaker and Mick Newell.Finn and Tom Curran claimed early wickets when the North replied under the floodlights, Sam Hain edging Finn to Ben Foakes, and Curran pinning his England Lions captain Jennings lbw.Curran’s second ball at Livingstone was a no-ball which the Lancashire right-hander edged wide of second slip for four – and he then dispatched the free hit over extra cover for six into the corporate seats.Livingstone added a second six over long leg off Finn, while Duckett combined improvisation with some more orthodox shots in hitting nine fours and a six.But their dismissals left the North with a mountain to climb, and despite promising starts from Clarke and Leaning, only Bresnan played an innings of substance – and by then it was far too late.