Medical professionals will judge whether a player is unfit to continue as the ECB takes on the thorny challenge of like-for-like replacements

David Hopps21-Mar-2018Concussion Replacements will be available for the first time in all four professional domestic competitions in England this summer as the ECB has acceded to requests from the counties to put the safety of players ahead of initial fears that the system might be misused.The change of policy is one of several significant changes to the Playing Conditions affecting the Specsavers County Championship, Royal London One-Day Cup, Vitality Blast and Kia Super League.Dr Nick Peirce, the ECB’s chief medical officer, has overseen ECB research into concussion in cricket for several years. “This is a change made in the interests of player safety and health,” he said. “While concussion is not as common in cricket as in contact sports such as rugby, our research has shown an average of around 15-20 incidents in first and second team cricket during each of the last few seasons.”We have already mitigated against this by making helmets meeting the latest safety standards mandatory, and improving the levels of training for umpires and other officials. Now the ECB Board have approved a proposal from the Cricket Committee that we go a step further – with that proposal reflecting a very strong view from first-class counties.”The previous refusal to allow a replacement player had caused tension within the county system. Coaches, in particular, felt that by emphasising player safety and withdrawing a player they were put at an unfair disadvantage for the rest of the game. The prospect that they might condemn themselves to defeat, with all the possible knock-on effects that might bring, was an outcome that rested more easily with some counties than others.The ECB has now acted, with the safeguard that any decision whether a like-for-like replacement is permissible is left to a medical professional.Peirce said: “This season, each team, home and away, at first and second team level, will have to be supported by a medical professional who is qualified to make judgements on possible concussion following a head-strike. They will initially have a five-minute period to make an on-field assessment, and if concerns remain, that assessment will continue off the field, as previously.”At this stage, there is no Concussion Replacement – and there is no time limit on deciding whether or not the player can return to the match.
“But if the medical professional feels that the player has or may have been concussed, they will notify the Cricket Liaison Officer present. It will then be down to the CLO to approve the concussed player’s team’s nomination of a replacement.”Alan Fordham, the ECB’s head of cricket operations, added: “We appreciate that the phrase ‘like for like’ leaves a need for some flexibility and interpretation. We will take into account the cricket that remains to be played and will aim to replace the resource lost by the affected side – but not so much that they are advantaged.”For example they would not gain permission for a specialist batsman to be replaced by a specialist bowler if they were bowling in the fourth innings, or for a fast bowler to be replaced by a spinner if that team were to be bowling later in the match.”The full Playing Conditions are published on the ECB website.

The former captain and CA Board director said Australia must stop celebrating aggressively in the face of their opponents once the batsman was dismissed

Daniel Brettig15-Mar-2018Mark Taylor, the Cricket Australia Board director, has criticised the national team for their on-field behaviour in South Africa, saying both sides had contributed to the ugly atmosphere that led to Kagiso Rabada’s two-Test ban for physical contact with Steven Smith, and the confrontation between David Warner and Quinton de Kock.In a series of comments likely to sting Smith in particular given their mentoring relationship, Taylor said the Australians should be on their “final warning” from match officials for celebrating in the faces of the opposition when a batsman was dismissed. The clearest example of this was when Warner celebrated the run out of AB de Villiers in Durban by screaming at the other batsman Aiden Markram.”Both sides should be on their final warnings, and that definitely includes Australia,” Taylor told Channel Nine. “There’s been too much of this in-your-face celebration when batsmen are dismissed, and the Australian bowlers have been as guilty as the South African bowlers at times.”Taylor’s comments follow those made by a fellow former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who said that Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann were as culpable as Warner for letting things spiral out of control. Chappell had advocated a suspension for Warner, but also pointed out that team leaders needed to carry a heavy burden of responsibility for their players’ actions.1:59

Noise, grumbling and chatter: Everything that’s taking the sheen off a great series

“I absolutely agree with that,” Taylor said. “Unfortunately it’s where David Warner has come unstuck, he’s actually made a point in recent times of saying that he wants to bring back the old David Warner and get in the face of the opposition. He told the world what he was going to do and what’s more he’s gone about and done it, and taken it to another level.”I’m not suggesting for a minute we have silence out in the middle, but there’s no doubt it’s getting worse. Bullying is not a bad term for it, and they’re using it too much. It just keeps escalating and now it’s getting out of hand.”As for Rabada’s appeal against a two-Test ban, which appears likely to be heard before the start of the third Test in Cape Town next week, Taylor said he considered the bowler to have made “avoidable” contact with the Australian captain after dismissing him on day one of the Test at St George’s Park.”I’m not surprised South Africa are appealing the suspension because he’s obviously a key player for them,” Taylor said. “Having taking 11 wickets in the last Test they are going to do everything they can to keep him on the field, but he’s in trouble because he’s already been found guilty. In my mind the contact with Steve Smith in the second Test was avoidable, so that’s why he’s in trouble.”A fresh set of match officials are due to oversee the series in the final two Tests at Newlands and the Wanderers, with Jeff Crowe’s match referee role to be taken over by the former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Pycroft, who also officiated in South Africa’s series victory in Australia in late 2016.

Former Nottinghamshire and MCC chief executive Derek Brewer has also been co-opted to the board as a non-voting “stakeholder advisor”

George Dobell05-May-2018Glamorgan chairman Barry O’Brien is among four new non-executive directors named by the ECB. It is also understood that Derek Brewer, the former Nottinghamshire and MCC chief executive, has been co-opted to the board as a non-voting “stakeholder advisor” in the hope he will keep the ECB appraised of the concerns of the counties.O’Brien, who will be obliged to step down from his club position to take up the post, has been a Glamorgan committee member since 2007 and chairman since 2011. Under his stewardship the club has reduced its debt significantly, largely thanks to several creditors agreeing to write off loans, and benefited from a controversial agreement whereby the ECB provide compensation payments to the club in return for them not bidding to host further Test cricket. A widely respect corporate lawyer, O’Brien is a former head of corporate finance at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the world’s largest law firms.The other non-executive directors are Brenda Trenowden, who has a strong history in banking (she is currently head of Financial Institutions for the ANZ Banking Group) and is global chair of the 30% Club, a campaigning organisation which advocates increased representation for women in senior leadership roles; Delia Bushell, who was previously Managing Director of BT Sport & BT TV; and Alan Dickinson, who is a former Chief Executive of RBS UK. Dickinson will also be obliged to step down from his position as Treasurer of Surrey.But it is the appointment of O’Brien, subject to ratification at the ECB’s AGM, which is most intriguing. The compensation payments from the ECB are currently the subject of an external review by the Good Governance Institute and, in 2007, O’Brien was fined by the Law Society for breaching his duty to a client and bringing his profession into disrepute. It emerged he had advised a consortium run by Philip Green over a proposed takeover of Marks & Spencer who had been a longstanding client of his employer, Freshfields.The new non-executive directors were chosen by the ECB’s Nominations Committee, headed by ECB chairman Colin Graves, following a series of formal interviews. The board is reducing in size from 13 to 12 and, in line with Sport England guidelines, attempting to increase its gender diversity. And while it is noticeable that there is no representative of a Category C ground (a non-international venue) on the board, the ECB had previously announced it would create a board independent of individual county interests.Former county chairmen Chris Grant (Derbyshire) and James May (Sussex), who it is understood was interviewed as part of the process, had previously intimated their desire to stand for a position on the board, though it is unclear whether Grant subsequently applied.While it has not been yet announced, ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB’s non-executive directors will shortly be paid somewhere in the region of £15,000 a year, before expenses, or up to £150,000 a year for the chairman. Graves has intimated he may well waive any personal payment.Among those stepping down from the ECB board are former chairman Giles Clarke, who has been an ever-present for more than a decade, Peter Wright and Ian Lovett – former chairmen of Nottinghamshire and Middlesex respectively. Surrey chairman Richard Thompson and Andy Nash – who had stepped down as chairman of Somerset in the hope of remaining as a non-executive director at the ECB – both recently resigned having cited their dissatisfaction at the compensation payments and the corporate governance of the organisation.

Former board chairmen Bob Merrimen and Malcolm Speed explain how James Sutherland grew in his role as chief executive officer

Daniel Brettig08-Jun-20184:24

Brettig: Sutherland will be remembered for the way he handled controversies

James Sutherland’s successor at Cricket Australia will face a “hell of a job” to maintain the governing body’s international relationships, according to the former chairman Bob Merriman, who also said the current heir apparent Kevin Roberts should spend as much time as possible with the outgoing boss to learn more of his pragmatic ways.In assessing Sutherland’s 17-year tenure, both his predecessor Malcolm Speed and Merriman touched on common themes of an era beginning in 2001, which led to an exponential growth of the business. CA took the game to new audiences through its promotion of the Big Bash League and women’s cricket and formed a strong relationship with BCCI, feeding off its financial might.Merriman, who was on the panel to select Sutherland as CEO and became his first long-term leadership partner from 2001 to 2005, said that the outgoing chief executive’s high standard over a long period was underlined by the way he had juggled domestic and international responsibilities, alongside the tension between the game’s traditions and its search for growth. He described Sutherland’s exit as a “great loss for cricket”.

‘I didn’t think it would ever happen’

Governance reform at Cricket Australia – changing the Board from a group of 14 state-appointed delegates to nine independent directors – was something tried and failed on many occasions before James Sutherland’s long game alongside successive chairmen finally resulted in the adoption of the new model in 2012.
“The change to the Board constitution to its current structure was again something he worked very hard on over a 10-year period,” Merriman said. “It took a long while to get there but he was consistently at it until he got what one would now say is an operational Board with some independence on it and not run by state interests.
“In my term as chair I tried twice and got beaten twice, but it was one of James’ key objective, set out with it in probably the year 2002, and finally got there in 2012. It was a long, drawn out exercise he finally achieved, after I’d tried it twice and failed and didn’t think it would ever happen.”
Internationally, Malcolm Speed pointed to Australia’s enhanced standing among other ICC member nations as a part of Sutherland’s legacy. “Our Australian focus on local leagues sometimes diminishes the relevance of global sporting bodies. It is quite difficult to accommodate the needs of other countries in a global sport, particularly one such as cricket where the major countries have different religions, economies, business cultures and sporting structures,” he said. “A major part of the role of the CA CEO is to maximise Australia’s position and influence on the world game.
“In his early years, I was critical of James’s role at meetings of the CEOs of the other major countries. I thought his body language was sometimes dismissive of them and he did not show sufficient respect to them. The same criticism might also have been made of me in my early days at ICC. Australians are direct and forthright and do not have time to spend days at meetings beating around the bush. James accepted the criticism and changed his outlook. By the time I finished, James had established himself as a thought leader for the group and mentor for several of the new CEOs.”

“I think the person who succeeds him is going to have a hell of a job, because the standard that James has set is so high and the achievements have been so great,” Merriman told ESPNcricinfo. “Sure, everything appears to be in place for somebody to come in and manage it, given that all the media arrangements are in place for six years, there’s future programming in place, there’s good staff in place and guaranteed revenue. But it’s going to be a real challenge for the next person to maintain that level of excellence that James has been able to achieve in ticking all the boxes that he has.”Particularly with the growing of his staff – there’s been some turnover in his staff – the people he’s got there now growing will be very important in the support of a new person coming in as chief executive. In my view it’s going to be a very difficult job to find somebody, if you use the expression David Peever used that he’s the best CEO in the cricket world, so it’s going to be a bit hard to top him.”One would think [Roberts] has got to be under consideration, and I think he’s got a good period to learn as much as he can in the 10-12 months, however long James stays on. He’s got a very good opportunity to learn a hell of a lot from a guy who is very good. Kevin’s got a lot of experience himself, but here’s an opportunity to work with a very successful person.”Speed, describing Sutherland as “very commercial, methodical, rational, thoughtful and consistent”, noted that one of his strengths had been an ability to work alongside a diverse array of chairmen – Denis Rogers, Merriman, Creagh O’Connor, Jack Clarke, Wally Edwards and David Peever – captains – Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Steven Smith and Tim Paine – and coaches – John Buchanan, Tim Nielsen, Mickey Arthur, Darren Lehmann and Justin Langer.”Put these 16 men into a room and you will see an extremely powerful, talented and influential group. They would be a hard group to manage and they would rarely agree on anything. James has been the constant,” Speed said. “He has been the glue that has held them together and perhaps that has been his most important role.”He has been able to work with each of them and has provided the continuity and consistency that has enabled CA to stay on track and become a genuine sporting powerhouse. Over time, he has quietly imposed himself on the organisation and worked with other key people to bring about change. To look at it another way, he has enabled them to make their contributions and work in a collegiate and respectful way.”Two areas in which Speed said he had been critical of Sutherland at times were crisis management and the way he had initially dealt with other ICC member countries. But he felt that in both cases there had been improvement with a preference for dealing genuinely with issues rather than worrying chiefly about how he was perceived in public.”As a new CEO, I thought James struggled with crisis management,” Speed said. “Cricket in Australia will have its fair share of crises and James had plenty early in his tenure. Not the least of these was the bizarre circumstances facing Shane Warne at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa where he was sent home facing doping charges before he had bowled a ball.1:37

Had been thinking about it for a long time – Sutherland

“James did not seek the limelight in dealing with the many issues he faced. Likewise, he did not shirk the issue when he was called upon to face the media. He was always authentic and straightforward and did not seek to prevaricate or obfuscate and he should be given credit for this. Authenticity is the sports administrator’s most important characteristic and James was always the real deal.”The recent ball-tampering scandal is a case in point. With hindsight, I am sure James would have preferred to have spoken to Steve Smith before he made media comment. Time zones were against him and he was keen to be seen to be on top of the issue. Ultimately, the correct outcomes were achieved. Do we judge a sports administrator on how well he appears in the media or on the decisions that are made in resolving difficult issues?”As for last year’s fraught MOU dispute, in which Sutherland initially declined to intervene but ultimately brought about an agreement with the Australian Cricketers Association after Roberts was sidelined as chief negotiator for CA, Speed said that it was incumbent on any chief executive to empower his staff to tackle issues and only jump in when necessary.”James has been criticised for delaying his entry to the recent Collective Bargaining process with the players. I see it differently,” Speed said. “James empowered others to negotiate the deal and that did not work. As soon as he was involved in the deal, consensus was achieved. The CEO is not required to manage each and every aspect of the business but he or she needs to know when they are needed to support those who they empower to perform important roles.”One of Sutherland’s early battles was the seeking out of a new major sponsor for CA at short notice when Ansett collapsed in September 2001. Merriman recalled that the fact he, David Fouvy and Anthony Everard were able to not only secure a new sponsor within a month but also gain more favourable terms than the previous deal, had greatly increased the Board’s trust in their then 35-year-old chief executive.”I remember when we lost Ansett as a chief sponsor, within a month he got a better deal [with Hutchinson Telecom, worth A$1.5 million more than the previous A$25 million deal with Ansett]. In any sport that is a very significant loss. That part of his operation was not generally acknowledged, but the fact he was able to recover when we lose a major sponsor on the eve of the season like we did in September 2001, and then within a month we’ve got not only a major sponsor but an improved deal. He was able to do that all through my time.”

Allrounder had missed World Cup Qualifiers owing to commitments with Otago

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jul-2018Michael Rippon returned to the Netherlands squad as the KNCB named 13-man contingents for the T20 triangular series involving the Marylebone Cricket Club and Nepal at Lord’s, as well as the two-match ODI series against Nepal, who will be making their debut in the format.Rippon had missed Netherlands’ World Cup Qualifier campaign owing to commitments with Otago in the Plunket Shield, New Zealand’s domestic first-class competition. However, while Netherlands have secured the services of Rippon, they will miss two other key players – Ryan ten Doeschate and Roelof van der Merwe, who are both tied up with county commitments.The squad for the T20 matches at Lord’s contained three fresh faces – Hidde Overdijk, Clayton Floyd and Tonny Staal. Overdijk was also picked for the ODIs. Floyd is originally from South Africa, but holds a Dutch passport.Also included in the ODI squad was right-hand batsman Dan ter Braak, who played his only first-class match for Netherlands against Ireland in an Intercontinental Cup clash in Dublin last year. He made 32 and 23 opening the innings as Netherlands drew the match. Should he make the XI, this will be ter Braak’s ODI debut.Pieter Seelaar will lead the team in both series. The T20 tri-series is scheduled to take place on July 29, opening with MCC v Netherlands. That will be followed by MCC v Nepal, before Netherlands clash with Nepal. The last of those matches has been granted T20 international status. Nepal will then begin their initiation into ODI cricket with twin matches against the Netherlands on August 1 and August 3.Squad for tri-series: Pieter Seelaar (capt), Wesley Barresi, Scott Edwards, Clayton Floyd, Frederick Klaassen, Bas De Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Max O’Dowd, Hidde Overdijk, Michael Rippon, Shane Snater, Tonny Staal, Tobias ViseeODI squad: Pieter Seelaar (capt), Wesley Barresi, Dan ter Braak, Ben Cooper, Scott Edwards, Frederick Klaassen, Bas De Leede, Paul van Meekeren, Stephan Myburgh, Max O’Dowd, Hidde Overdijk, Shane Snater, Michael Rippon

Major contributions from almost every player in the team helped Jamaica Tallawahs complete a comprehensive win before their three-game Florida leg

The Report by Peter Della Penna16-Aug-2018Ross Taylor swats the ball away•Getty Images

Arguably the most well-rounded team performance of the season for Jamaica Tallawahs helped them maintain their perfect start to CPL 2018 as they ended their two-game home stretch at Sabina Park with a 47-run win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, spoiling a return for native son Chris Gayle.Three batsmen – Glenn Phillips, Kennar Lewis and Ross Taylor – contributed 40-plus scores to set a stiff target of 179 after the Tallawahs lost the toss. In response, the Patriots crawled out of the gate at 2 for 1 in three overs and were three down by the end of the Powerplay. They never recovered as six different Tallawahs bowlers took wickets to keep them to 131 for 9.Patriots pay for fielding errorsTwo of the three high scorers on the night for the Tallawahs received reprieves early in their innings. The first came to Phillips on 11 in the sixth over. Substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr., who was on after Gayle exited in the fourth over with a thumb injury, charged in from deep square leg after Phillips miscued a pull off Carlos Brathwaite. But Walsh was distracted by Jeremiah Louis running toward him from midwicket and, despite getting two hands to the ball, couldn’t hold on. Phillips went on to make 41 off 38 balls.The second came to Taylor, who skied a chance which was snapped up easily at extra cover when he was on 6, off the bowling of Anton Devcich in the 10th over. However, the third umpire called Taylor back to the crease after replays showed Devcich had overstepped the line. The free hit was swatted for six by Phillips, who up to that stage had scored a sluggish 15 off 21 balls before finishing with 26 off his last 17.The two sides of LamichhaneIn an innings where Tallawahs scored at a run rate of 8.9 per over, the lone bowler who kept Patriots in the match during the first half was the 18-year-old legspinner from Nepal, whose end economy was 5.25. It didn’t start that way though.Lamichhane’s first seven balls were hit for 16 runs, including two sixes by Man of the Match Kennar. But after the first ball of the 7th over was hit straight for six, Lamichhane dragged his next ball to a sixth stump line outside off and Kennar struggled to reach out with the result a skied catch to Tom Cooper on the boundary at long-off.Two balls later, Lamichhane trapped Andre McCarthy with a googly. Off his final 17 deliveries, he conceded just five runs. Taylor struggled most of all, beaten repeatedly outside off stump to go scoreless in four deliveries against Lamichhane. At the end of his four-over spell, Tallawahs were 113 for 3 and Taylor on 11 off 20 balls.Cottrell gets shelledThe momentum shifted drastically once Lamichhane left the attack as Tallawahs plundered 65 off the last five overs. Taylor in particular played with a newfound freedom once Sheldon Cottrell entered in the 16th over. In the first four balls after Lamichhane’s spell ended, Taylor went 6, 6, leg bye and 6. Taylor scored 40 off his final 15 balls, including 28 off 8 against Cottrell during the 16th and 19th overs that featured two fours and three sixes by the New Zealand batsman. Cottrell ended with 0 for 44 on the night as Taylor provided a big lift heading into the innings break.In Lew of runsEvin Lewis’ dramatic form drought continued at Sabina Park on Wednesday night. After Gayle played all 12 balls over the first two overs and managed to come away with just one run, Lewis buckled under the mounting pressure when he finally got on strike, fending at back of a length ball angled across by Oshane Thomas for a second-ball duck. It’s his second straight duck and he has scored just 1 run off 10 balls this season.Cooper’s struggles continued as well after coming in at No. 3. Krishmar Santokie, who bowled a maiden to Gayle in the second over, snared Cooper thanks to a caped crusading effort by captain Andre Russell flying through the air at mid-off for a spectacular catch in the fourth over to make it 9 for 2.Gayle, who had been dropped on 1 at backward point by Kennar off Thomas, started to stir in the fifth with a pair of sixes off Thomas but offspinner Steven Jacobs struck in his first over of the season, getting Gayle to slash to short third man to end the sixth over. Ending the Powerplay at 39 for 3, spinners continued to tie down the Patriots. Adam Zampa and Imad Wasim each collected a pair of wickets. When Imad had Brathwaite skying to long-on to make it 93 for 8, Patriots were in the process of being blown out, before Cottrell made cosmetic adjustments to the final scoreline with some late hitting. But the result was never in doubt for the Tallawahs.

Powar’s term will include the Sri Lanka tour in September, followed by a T20I series and the World T20 in the West Indies

Annesha Ghosh14-Aug-2018Ramesh Powar’s tenure as India women’s interim head coach has been extended till the World T20 in November in light of a time-crunch ahead of India’s next assignment – in September – and a dearth of clarity regarding the Cricket Advisory Committee’s (CAC) role in the selection process.Powar, the former India offspinner, will remain coach till November 30, 2018. During this period, the team will tour Sri Lanka for three ODIs and five T20Is, followed by a T20I series and the World T20 in the West Indies.With the side scheduled to depart for Sri Lanka on September 5, ESPNcricinfo understands that the extension of Powar’s interim role comes as the most feasible stop-gap arrangement on the part of the BCCI. This, especially in light of the Supreme Court mandating the CAC’s involvement in the appointment of the head coach of both the men’s and women’s national teamsPowar was handed the job on July 16, a week after former head coach Tushar Arothe resigned from the post in the aftermath of a fallout with some of the high-profile regulars. Soon after his appointment, Powar took charge of the national camp at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, where all India regulars – save for T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana – participated between July 25 and August 5, while several uncapped players also featured in the mix.Powar’s appointment in the interim post had coincided with the BCCI inviting applications for the full-time role. On August 10, a panel comprising Diana Edulji, the former India captain and member of the Committee of Administrators, BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, and general manager (cricket operations) Saba Karim interviewed 20 applicants for about ten minutes each in Mumbai. While some flew down to the BCCI headquarters, a majority of them joined in via Skype.Following the initial screening process, six applicants had been shortlisted. Powar had made the cut alongside former India women’s captain Mamatha Maben, former India left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi, batsman Atul Bedade, India men’s U-19 team bowling coach Sanath Kumar, and Rajkumar Sharma, who formerly coached Delhi’s junior teams and India captain Virat Kohli in his formative years.Maben, ESPNcricinfo understands, was among at least the five female candidates to have applied for the job. Others included former India wicketkeeper-batsman Kalpana Venkatachar, former New Zealand batsman Maria Fahey, former India women’s assistant coach Suman Sharma, and Gujarat women’s coach Rituparna Roy. Suman was also in charge of the Kerala women’s team last season.”I haven’t received any official word from the BCCI,” Maben told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s only been the newspapers where I have been getting the updates from. But I feel if the selection panel chooses Ramesh to travel with the team to Sri Lanka, it only makes sense that he accompanies them to the WT20. There’s not much time at the team’s disposal, so Ramesh continuing from the Sri Lanka assignment to World T20 makes sense because eventually, it’s the results that count.”Most of the India players are part of the three-team Challenger Trophy which is currently underway in Alur and are scheduled to assemble for a preparatory camp in Chennai in the last week of this month. They will be joined by Harmanpreet and Mandhana who are set to return from the UK next week following their Kia Super League stints.

It took Surrey little more than a session to wrap up a handsome innings victory

ECB Reporters Network31-Aug-2018
ScorecardGiant fast bowlers Conor McKerr and Morne Morkel led the way as Surrey completed an innings and 125-run thrashing of Nottinghamshire at the Kia Oval by dismissing them for 149 three overs after lunch on the third day.Morkel had figures of 3 for 39 while 20-year-old McKerr, just as tall at 6ft 6in and just as hostile, took 4 for 26. For McKerr, who represented South Africa Under-19s before joining Surrey three years ago and qualify to play for England, this was just his seventh first-class match – but he already looks a fine prospect.Surrey’s 23-point win is their eighth victory in ten Specsavers County Championship matches and – with four games still to be played – strengthens their already dominant position at the top of the Division One table.As Surrey began this round of matches with a 32-point lead over second-placed Somerset, their only real challengers, they have taken another significant step towards a first Championship title since 2002. For Nottinghamshire, however, it was a second abject batting collapse of the match as they lost their last eight wickets for 40 runs.Tom Curran, who took six wickets in the match for Surrey, his first County Championship appearance of the season, said: “It’s good to be playing four-day cricket again and to be able to contribute. It’s felt like a stop-start summer since I got back from the Indian Premier League in May, and being sidelined with injury in July didn’t help. I’ve had a few little niggles, but now I’m back fully fit and being able to help the team win another game makes it all the sweeter.”Nottinghamshire’s head coach Peter Moores said: “That’s twice Surrey have beaten us by an innings now this season, and they’re a very good team who are playing some excellent cricket. But I don’t think in either match that we’ve played our best and that’s disappointing.”Nottinghamshire began day three on 83 for 2, after following on 274 runs behind, and the promise of their late resistance on the second evening – when opener Kraigg Brathwaite, in particular, stood firm after they had been skittled for 101 first time around in reply to Surrey’s 375 – proved merely a pause in the overwhelming superiority of Rory Burns’s team in this game.Brathwaite and Samit Patel took the total to 109 with a number of early boundaries, although some of them were decidedly streaky – such as the carve high over third slip and then the thick edge through the gap between the slips and gully which helped Brathwaite to go to his half-century.Patel, however, was then pinned leg-before for 15 by a Morkel off-cutter and, next ball, left-hander Billy Root edged a ball angled across him to keeper Ben Foakes. The hat-trick ball, a wicked leg-cutter, missed the edge of Riki Wessels’s defensive bat by a whisker as it climbed sharply into Foakes’ gloves.From 109 for 4 the innings fell away quickly. McKerr, replacing Morkel at the Vauxhall End, soon had Wessels caught at the wicket for a duck with a sharp delivery that shaped away and Brathwaite’s resilience was tested by a nasty blow on the helmet when he ducked into a short one from McKerr – requiring a ten-minute delay while he underwent concussion protocols – before, on 60, he gave Foakes another catch as he drove optimistically at the same bowler.Luke Wood threw down his bat in pain after being hit on the hand by a Rikki Clarke lifter – again, there was delay while the unfortunate Wood received on-field treatment – and the left-hander did not last long afterwards before flashing to Ollie Pope in the gully off Morkel. Pope dived to his right to bring off a fine catch.A comic mix-up with his partner, Tom Moores, led to Luke Fletcher being run out for 1, to leave Notts 135 for 8. The bowler, Morkel, even had time to fumble Tom Curran’s gentle throw before breaking the stumps, with Fletcher stranded near the other end and already resigned to walking off.Moores fell in the second over after lunch, edging Curran low to Foakes, who dived to pull off an excellent catch inches from the turf, and last man Harry Gurney soon gave McKerr his fourth wicket of the innings – and seventh of the match – when he skied to Amar Virdi at mid-on to depart for 1.

Having returned the best figures – 4 for 35 in his ten overs – in Pune, the returning fast bowler said the defeat in the third ODI shouldn’t be deemed as lack of depth in the Indian lower order

Varun Shetty in Pune28-Oct-20181:35

‘No guarantees in death bowling’ – Bumrah

Four of India’s five bowlers went at more than five per over, and no one from No. 6 in the batting line-up could make a score greater than 20 during India’s loss in the third ODI. But that wasn’t a full indication of India’s depth, said returning fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who was by far the best bowler of the match with 4 for 35 in his ten overs.”In Indian cricket, you don’t get an off season because we are playing continuous cricket,” Bumrah said on being asked if players were training for secondary skills. “Some of our players are injured and some are coming back from injuries. Right now, we are trying some combinations. You’ve got to take that into consideration as well. Players who can [both] bowl and bat are not available. Maybe once they are available, we will have more bowling options. The balance will be better.”Bumrah himself has had fitness concerns after transitioning into an all-formats bowler over the last year, and as such is one of the few players who has often been rested, as he was at the start of this series. But the fast bowler had no problems bringing his form from last month’s Asia Cup to Pune.”I was on a break so I was focusing on building the strength levels back up. When you [don’t] play continuously, the strength level goes down, so you have to bring that up because long tours are coming up. You have to put something in the time; that was my main thing. I was practising at the nets too, with match-like situations. Match feel is different, but if you could replicate that practice, that leaves you in a good space.”Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on the other hand, didn’t have quite the same success on his return, ending up going for 70 in his ten overs as West Indies’ lower order took India on in the final 15 overs. As opposed to India’s lower half, West Indies’ lower-order batsmen put on 92 runs between them, led by Man-of-the-Match Ashley Nurse’s 22-ball 40 that helped them post 283 after being five down for 121. Bhuvneshwar was especially targeted, being taken for 36 in his last three overs.”Bhuvi had a good start, but at times, things (go a bit off) towards the end. It happens. Bowling at the death is difficult. It is not like every bowler will have a good day. He gave runs in the end, but they batted well.
“We bowled well till 35-40 overs. We gave away runs towards the end, but that’s part of the game. In the position we bowl [death overs], there’s no guarantee of success. Some days it will go well, some days it won’t. He was clear in his plans but the batsmen were in a better place. We will be better prepared now,” Bumrah said.

Bangladesh opener yet to have full net session after wrist fracture, but has started facing spin and throwdowns

Mohammad Isam08-Nov-2018Tamim Iqbal hopes to mark his return to competitive cricket when West Indies tour Bangladesh later this month for a full series. He had originally targeted the second Test against Zimbabwe in Mirpur.Tamim has only now returned to batting against the cricket ball this week, after undergoing rehabilitation for a wrist fracture. Tamim injured himself while batting during the Asia Cup opener in September, a game remembered for his heroic return to bat with one hand, with Bangladesh nine down.”I think I will be fit for the first Test [against West Indies],” Tamim said. “I always wanted to play the second Test against Zimbabwe, at least that was the plan three or four weeks ago. I am not ready. I don’t think the physio will even permit me. It has just been three days of batting against spin bowling and the dog-stick. It is actually semi-batting what I am doing right now. Unless I start full-fledged nets, it won’t be fair for the team to declare myself fit.”Tamim still had some discomfort while playing certain strokes. “Today [Thursday] is probably the third day that I am batting. I haven’t had a full net session. There’s a lot of difference between playing 130-140kph and playing against spin and the dog-stick. As of now, things are looking very positive. In the next three days, there’s going to be a full net session, after which I can tell where I am at.”Batting and net sessions aside, Tamim had words of encouragement for Bangladesh despite their loss in Sylhet. According to him, while there remains room for improvement in the longest format, the loss wasn’t a reflection of the progress they’ve made in Tests over the last two years, particularly at home where they’ve beaten England and Australia.”They will bounce back. I know that we didn’t play our best cricket. We are a much better team than this,” he said. “It is a fact that we haven’t performed in Tests, like we have done in ODIs. I don’t think any of our team members said that we have become a very strong Test team.”But it is also true that we have started to play better Test cricket than five years ago. We have defeated two of the best sides in the world. But our West Indies Test series wasn’t good at all. Our graph in Test cricket hasn’t gone as high as we’d liked.”