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Will Young’s ton goes in vain even as Pat Cummins reinforces his standing as the in-form bowler in Australia’s attack

Andrew McGlashan in Brisbane10-May-2019Steven Smith boarded the flight to the World Cup with questions over his form significantly eased as he struck an unbeaten 91 at Allan Border Field to help Australian XI secure a five-wicket victory over New Zealand XI, although there was momentary scare around his recovering right elbow.On 63, Smith ran his bat in as he completed a single – which wasn’t as tight as he thought – and the bat jarred in the crease. He dropped it and immediately started flexing the elbow on which he had undergone surgery in January and which has been a focal point over the last few months. At the drinks break, he was examined by the physio, but by the end of the chase he appeared to shake off any pain that might have been there.If there was just short-term discomfort and no long-term problem, Smith’s week in Brisbane would get a significant tick, with this innings following his unbeaten 89 in the second match. He was on track for a century but, with the over-rate slower than in previous games, the light faded too much and when a Smith straight drive hammered into Jimmy Neesham, the umpires decided it was too dark.It was a testing chase for the Australians when they slipped to 4 for 137 with David Warner having fallen caught behind for 2 much to his frustration, as it followed the duck he scored in the second match.However, Glenn Maxwell provided the impetus needed with a 37-ball half-century full of power and invention, bringing out a reverse pull for six shortly after passing fifty. For all the focus on Smith and Warner, so much about Australia’s batting order at the World Cup rests on Maxwell.The other dominant innings of the day came from the player of the week Will Young with his second hundred in three days. It took his tally for the three matches to 301 to highlight how unlucky he is to not already be capped by New Zealand. That will now have to wait until the end of the year as he faces shoulder surgery on his return home.As in the successful run chase two days ago, it was Young’s stand with George Worker which laid the platform as the pair added 82 for the second wicket. Worker completed his second half-century of the week before top-edging Adam Zampa to short third-man. The legspinner also trapped captain Tom Latham lbw.Young and Neesham then upped the tempo in a stand of 67 during which Young reached a hundred filled with high-class strokeplay that continued to mark him out as an international cricketer in waiting.When both set batsmen fell – Young yorked by Marcus Stoinis and Neesham finding mid-off against Mitchell Starc – the innings slipped with Pat Cummins taking his haul to four wickets to reinforce his standing as the in-form bowler in Australia’s attack. Although Zampa claimed two wickets, he was taken for more than eight over, being particularly harshly treated by Neesham, while Stoinis’ brace also came at significant cost.Starc increased his workload after just five overs in the second match – his first outing for three months – with eight overs across three spells.

The allrounder has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour and faces up to four weeks on the sidelines, according to the physio

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Christchurch30-Dec-2018Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour, and will almost certainly miss Sri Lanka’s two Tests in Australia as well early next year, after scans revealed a grade two strain in his left hamstring.Mathews picked up the injury while completing a run late in the afternoon session of day four of the Christchurch Test, immediately pulling up lame, and having to hop between the wickets on his right leg for the remainder of the session. He then retired hurt at tea and did not take the field again.”Angelo had a scan last night, and it’s a grade two hamstring strain,” captain Dinesh Chandimal said after the match. “The physio said he’s out for four weeks.”The injury not only substantially weakened Sri Lanka’s chances of drawing the Christchurch Test – which they have since gone on to lose – it is also a major blow to their hopes in Australia in particular. Mathews was Sri Lanka’s best batsman in New Zealand, hitting 258 runs with only one dismissal against him in the series. His 120 not out in Wellington was especially outstanding, as he batted alongside Kusal Mendis through the entirety of day four to save that Test.And as Mathews having sustained multiple calf and hamstring injuries over the last two years, four weeks might even be a slightly optimistic timeframe for recovery. It has often been the case since 2017, that Mathews has required a few extra weeks to regain full fitness than the team had originally announced.The first Test in Australia begins on January 24, with the second Test due to start on February 1. A more realistic goal may be for Mathews to return in time for Sri Lanka’s first Test of the South Africa series, which starts on February 13.Looking further down the track, Mathews’ latest injury may also affect Sri Lanka’s World Cup plans. In limited-overs cricket, Mathews has generally been a reliable and effective bowler. But although he had just begun to return to the bowling in international cricket following the previous round of injuries, the Sri Lanka think-tank may now decide that Mathews should play purely as a batsman, in order to minimise the risk of a further injury.

Leading Australian players have opted out of both the men’s and women’s competitions

Matt Roller28-Feb-2023Mitchell Starc, Harmanpreet Kaur, Robin Uthappa and Jemimah Rodrigues are among the notable inclusions in the longlist of players registered for the 2023 draft for the Hundred, which will take place on March 23.The eight teams announced which players they had retained ahead of the draft earlier this month. Their squads for this summer’s 100-ball tournament – which runs from August 1-27 – will be fleshed out at the draft next month, which will be televised live on Sky Sports for the first time since 2019.In the women’s competition, each team could only retain four players, though will be able to use one Right-To-Match (RTM) card at the draft in order to keep hold of one extra player: Danni Wyatt (Southern Brave), Kate Cross (Manchester Originals) and Sophie Devine (Birmingham Phoenix) are all expected to return to their 2022 teams.

Harmanpreet, Rodrigues set top reserve price

As ESPNcricinfo revealed, several leading Australian women’s player are skipping the Hundred this year to give themselves a break after the Ashes. Forty-three Australian women have entered the draft including Megan Schutt, Amanda-Jade Wellington and Grace Harris, but Meg Lanning, Tahlia McGrath, Ash Gardner and Beth Mooney have opted out.Related

• The Hundred 2023 – Men's draft picks

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Six Indian women have registered, with Harmanpreet and Rodrigues setting themselves the top reserve price of £31,250 (INR 31 lakh approx). Shikha Pandey, Deepti Sharma, Disha Kasat and Kiran Navgire have entered the draft without a reserve price.Laura Wolvaardt, Diana Baig, Lizelle Lee and Dane van Nierkerk have also entered. In total, 148 overseas players are competing for 15 spots, including players from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Sweden, Afghanistan, Kuwait, France, Bhutan and Vanuatu.Each women’s team will pick four players at the draft, except Welsh Fire who will sign five after opting to retain only three players. After the draft, each team will have filled their eight best-paid slots, three of which will go to overseas players; an open-market window will follow for teams to complete their squads.

Starc leading Australian entrant

Most of Australia’s multi-format players have opted out of the men’s Hundred, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and David Warner’s names all absent from the longlist. The Hundred starts the day after the scheduled fifth day of the fifth men’s Ashes Test.But Starc has opted to put himself forward, and could appear in the competition for the first time if selected in one of the five vacant £125,000 slots that is available for an overseas player. His availability may depend on the dates for Australia’s white-ball tour to South Africa, which is due to start in the last week of August.ESPNcricinfo understands he considered playing in the competition last year and had been lined up as a top draft pick by Northern Superchargers – where his wife Alyssa Healy plays – only to withdraw shortly before the registration deadline.Steven Smith and Pat Cummins’ names are absent from the longlist•BCCI

Superchargers are unable to sign him this year, since they do not have a vacant £125,000 slot. His most likely destinations are Mike Hussey’s Welsh Fire – who signed him in the 2019 draft, before he opted to withdraw – and Trevor Bayliss’ London Spirit.Adam Zampa and Marcus Stoinis have also set £125,000 reserves. Other notable Australian registrations include Mitchell Marsh, Jhye Richardson (both £100,000), Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja (both £60,000). Tim David (£75,000) is expected to return to Southern Brave while Ashton Turner (no reserve) could be a contender for the Northern Superchargers captaincy.

Availability rules the roost

A number of leading Pakistan players have signed up for the draft including Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi. But their availability will depend on the dates for a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, due to be played in the third week of August according to the Future Tours Programme.Pakistan are also due to play a two-Test series in Sri Lanka towards the end of July which could run into August and further limit availability. Shadab Khan (Birmingham Phoenix) was the only Pakistan player retained.Devon Conway could return to Southern Brave•AP

New Zealand’s players are expected to be in high demand at the draft, with a clear window in their schedule in August ahead of a white-ball tour to England in September. Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson have both registered with £100,000 reserves, while Southern Brave are understood to be lining up Devon Conway (£50,000) with an early pick.A number of West Indian players including Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder have registered but are unlikely to be signed due to a clash with the Caribbean Premier League. Sunil Narine was retained by Oval Invincibles, but they are expected to replace him after four or five games.

Uthappa signs up

Uthappa could become the first Indian man to appear in the Hundred, though seems unlikely to be picked up at the draft. The BCCI does not permit active Indian men’s players to appear in overseas short-form leagues, but Uthappa retired from international cricket and the IPL in September.He has entered the draft with a reserve price of £40,000. Harbhajan Singh is the only previous Indian player to register for the Hundred draft, but he withdrew from the longlist after ESPNcricinfo revealed his interest in 2019, fearing his involvement could jeopardise his IPL contract.Harbhajan Singh is the only previous Indian man to sign up for the men’s Hundred•BCCI

No reserve for Duckett, Topley

Only seven domestic players have entered the men’s draft with a reserve price – including Lancashire’s Tom Bailey, who has demanded £125,000 for his services. David Willey, who was not offered a deal by Northern Superchargers, has a reserve price of £60,000.Tom Abell, who has been lined up as a potential captain by Welsh Fire, has a £40,000 reserve, along with Chris Dent, Graeme van Buuren, and England seamers Ollie Robinson and Olly Stone.Ben Duckett, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Reece Topley and Tom Banton, who are expected to be among the most lucrative England-qualified signings have all entered without a reserve price.The full list of players who have registered for the draft is available on the Hundred’s website.

Calls time at age of 38 to take up coaching role in Women’s Hundred

Peter Della Penna22-Mar-2023Kyle Coetzer, the former Scotland captain who led his side to famous victories over No. 1-ranked England in 2018 and into the Super 12 stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup, has announced his retirement from international cricket at the age of 38.Coetzer, who was born and raised in Aberdeen, had stepped down from the captaincy in May 2022 at the end of Scotland’s ODI tour of the USA and also retired from T20Is, but he has now called time in all formats to take up a role as assistant coach with Northern Diamonds for the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and Charlotte Edwards Cup.”I don’t ever think there’s a perfect time for a decision like this, but I’ve been considering my options for some time, and an opportunity came up which was too good to turn down,” Coetzer said in a retirement announcement through Cricket Scotland. “The balance that the Scotland team need at this time was outweighed by the opportunity for me to move into coaching, and I’m extremely excited about the chance to work with such a high-profile team.”Having come up through Scotland’s Under-15 and Under-19 pathway, Coetzer made his initial appearance for Scotland as a 19-year-old in an unofficial UK tour warm-up match for Pakistan at Glasgow in 2003. A year later, he made a full-fledged international debut against Kenya in the Intercontinental Cup, the ICC’s first-class competition for Associates, in which he made an unbeaten 133 in the second innings to help claim enough points in a draw that put Scotland into the final, where they beat Canada a week later to claim the title.Though the Intercontinental Cup is no more, his performance in that match was a harbinger of things to come in a far more illustrious ODI and T20I career. Coetzer leaves the game as Scotland’s all-time leading scorer in ODIs with 3192 runs in 89 matches at an average of 38.92 as well as ending up second overall in T20I runs for Scotland with 1495 runs in 70 matches.Coetzer’s individual ODI zenith came during the 2015 World Cup in Australia when he made 156 against Bangladesh, one of five ODI centuries during his career. However, it was another century he made in 2017 in a win against Zimbabwe during his second stint as captain that left a far bigger imprint on his Scottish cricketing legacy and paved the way for the team to reach even greater heights.It was their first-ever win over a Full Member and came a year after Scotland had finally broken their World Cup curse by defeating Hong Kong at the 2016 T20 World Cup to register their first win at a major ICC global event.Scotland memorably beat England at the Grange in 2018•Peter Della Penna

With Coetzer as captain during the coaching tenure of Grant Bradburn, the belief was instilled that those would not be Scotland’s last major achievements either. That same summer of 2017, he produced a century in an unofficial one-day win over Sri Lanka ahead of the Champions Trophy. A year later, his 58 off 49 balls as part of a century partnership with Matthew Cross laid the platform for Scotland to defeat England by six runs in an epic match at the Grange in Edinburgh.”I’ve been so lucky throughout my Scotland career that it’s tricky to pick out a highlight,” Coetzer said. “Getting our first win in the ICC T20 World Cup against Hong Kong in 2016 was special… but then so was the whole of 2018. The victory against England at The Grange was just amazing. That whole year – Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, England – just felt like a change of momentum and belief amongst the players about competing against the best teams in the world.”Another feather in Coetzer’s cap came in 2021 when he captained Scotland to three wins from three in the opening round of the T20 World Cup in the UAE. That included a win over group favourites Bangladesh and helped propel them into the Super 12 stage for the first time.”Reaching the ICC T20 Super 12s in 2021, having never achieved it before, and being the captain of that squad, will always stay with me,” Coetzer added.His last ODI century came in his penultimate match as captain against the UAE on Scotland’s tour of Texas in 2022. His form waned in the final year and a half of his career after relinquishing the captaincy, crossing 50 just once in his last 16 ODI innings while making 315 runs at an average of 22.50, well below his career mark.Related

• The ride hasn't been easy, but it's time now for Scotland's greatest moment under the sun

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• Kyle Coetzer announces T20I retirement after giving up Scotland captaincy

Yet his contributions were still significant enough over the last three years to help Scotland finish as the champions of the ICC Cricket World Cup League Two ODI tournament for top-ranked Associates, and in the process helped Scotland clinch a spot in the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier later this year in Zimbabwe.Aside from his lengthy career with Scotland which spanned two decades, Coetzer was also a regular on the county circuit, having started at Durham Academy in the early 2000s before making his senior debut in the County Championship against Glamorgan in 2004. His last match for Durham came in 2011 before a move to Northamptonshire, where he stayed through to the end of the 2015 season, before a brief cameo for three matches in the 2018 T20 Blast.Between the Intercontinental Cup and his county career, Coetzer made 4404 runs across 94 first-class matches at 30.37 with eight centuries and a best of 219. His decision to take up a role in women’s cricket coaching with Northern Diamonds in England follows up his role as a consultant coach with the Scotland Women’s team in September 2022 during their ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Qualifier tour of the UAE.His retirement continues the changing of the guard within the Scotland set-up. Fellow batting stalwart Calum MacLeod – player of the match in that England victory – announced his retirement in November following the conclusion of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Northants find themselves adrift at the bottom of the table after being tipped for a successful Division Two season and Zak Chappell ensured there would be no quick fix

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2018
ScorecardZak Chappell took a maiden first-class five-wicket haul as Leicestershire edged the first day as the Specsavers County Championship returned at Wantage Road, bowling Northamptonshire out for 204 before going to the close 64 for 3.Chappell, playing his first County Championship match of the season, took 6 for 44 with the bulk of his work done in a fiery spell after lunch.Before lunch, he seamed a quick, full delivery into Rob Newton’s off stump to remove the opener for 31 before a wider ball was edged by Alex Wakely to second slip where Mark Cosgrove claimed a very sharp catch above his right shoulder.And then brought back into the attack an hour into the afternoon, he sent down six overs, 3 for 19 to run through the hosts’ middle order.Tall and well-built, he gained some bounce to take Ricardo Vasconcelos’ edge to deny the left-hander a half-century on his County Championship debut. Two balls later, Chappell induced a thin edge from Rob Keogh who was caught behind for a duck.Chappell’s five-for was completed when Rory Kleinveldt walked across his stumps to lose his leg stump for 21 before he flattened Nathan Buck’s off stump.Ben Raine also claimed three wickets to help dismiss Northants shortly after tea after Leicestershire elected to field first. He made the opening breakthrough with one that bounced on Ben Duckett to take an edge behind. Saif Zaib, after a smart 34, slapped Raine straight to point before last man Ben Sanderson was pinned lbw.Northants were going well with Vasconcelos and Adam Rossington taking them to 128 for 3 an after lunch on a wicket where plenty of grass was left on. But Chappell’s burst reduced them to 155 for 7 and it took Zaib and Buck to rescue a batting bonus point.The total was put into context as Leicestershire came out to face 25 overs before the close. Sanderson found considerable swing to take two wickets in a nine-over burst. He claimed a stunning return catch down low to his right after Paul Horton produced a leading edge before a beauty straightened on Harry Dearden and took out his off stump.Mark Cosgrove and Colin Ackermann looked to be steering the visitors to stumps but Cosgrove was pinned lbw by Ben Cotton – a short-term signing for Northants among a string of injuries – to ensure the home side kept in touch.

A complete turnaround – of fortune, form and result – was completed when Bangladesh beat West Indies by 19 runs to clinch the T20I series

The Report by Mohammad Isam06-Aug-2018Liton Das celebrates his fifty•AFP

A complete turnaround – of fortune, form and result – was completed when Bangladesh beat West Indies by 19 runs to clinch the T20I series 2-1, the same margin by which they had won the preceding ODI series. Victory was confirmed when the umpires called off play after a second rain interruption late on Sunday evening in front of a large Bangladeshi expat crowd in Florida’s Lauderhill. Liton Das’ rapid 32-ball 61 set up Bangladesh’s highest score of the series before Mustafizur Rahman took three key wickets, including that of a rampaging Andre Russell, to seal the game.

Nurse handed one demerit point

West Indies offspinner Ashley Nurse has received one demerit point and an official reprimand for using inappropriate language during the third T20I in Lauderhill. The incident occurred in the second over of Bangladesh’s innings, when Liton Das struck Nurse for a four on the last ball and the offspinner responded with an inappropriate remark, which was picked up by the stump mic. Nurse admitted to the offence after the match and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee Chris Broad and there was no need for a formal hearing.
He was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match”. Nurse now has two demerit points, following the one he received during the first ODI against Afghanistan in June last year for showing dissent.

Russell posed the only serious threat to Bangladesh, walking in when West Indies needed 108 runs in 8.3 overs. His first five scoring shots were four sixes and a four. Three of the sixes were struck over midwicket while the fourth was a very high hit over long-on. Russell struck Abu Hider for two sixes on either side of Carlos Brathwaite’s dismissal in the 17th over, but refused Ashley Nurse a single off the final ball to keep the strike.The tactic backfired when Russell holed out to Ariful Haque, who was inches away from the boundary at long-off. He had struck six sixes and a four in his 21-ball 47, before the umpires took the players off, with rain getting heavier. Play was eventually called off 25 minutes later.At the start, Liton and Tamim Iqbal tore away with a 61-run opening stand coming in only 4.4 overs. After he swept the match’s first ball for four, Liton cracked Nurse over the leg-side for two sixes and a four in a second over that went for 17 runs. Tamim then swung Samuel Badree over midwicket for his first six, before the openers combined again to take 19 off the fourth over. Liton first flicked and top-edged a pull off Russell, before Tamim brought out his pull shot and a straight drive to round off the expensive over.Carlos Brathwaite broke the dangerous partnership when Tamim swept to short fine-leg. The opening pair had struck seven fours and four sixes. Soumya Sarkar fell in the next over for an 11th low score in a row, but Liton batted calmly in the immediate aftermath, reaching his first white-ball half-century off 24 balls, and his first 50-plus score in 17 innings. By then, West Indies had pulled things back with Mushfiqur Rahim’s wicket, who ended his tour with a fourth-consecutive low score. Liton followed him to the dugout four balls later, top-edging Kesrick Williams to long-off, but not before striking a total of six fours and three sixes.Keemo Paul removed Shakib Al Hasan in the 16th over after an unconvincing 24. Mahmudullah remained unbeaten on a 20-ball 32 that had four boundaries and a six, but Ariful Haque struggled during his 16-ball 18, hitting just one four as Bangladesh added 47 runs in the last five overs, which was interrupted by a 30-minute rain break.In reply, Chadwick Walton struck a four in each of the first three overs, but West Indies lost three wickets in the fourth, fifth and sixth overs. Mustafizur had Andre Fletcher caught at wide third-man, Sarkar had Walton holing out to long-on, and Shakib bowled Marlon Samuels with one that kept very low.Rovman Powell and Denesh Ramdin added 45 runs for the fourth wicket, but it still didn’t help West Indies’ push for fast runs. Rubel Hossain removed Ramdin in the 12th over, which brought Russell to the crease. While he did threaten something incredible, it was not to be.

Jake Ball’s five wickets ensured that promoted Nottinghamshire harried a Lancashire side fancied for a strong Championship challenge

Paul Edwards14-Apr-2018
Scorecard”I dreamed that, as I wandered by the way, / Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring.” Unlike Percy Shelley, the cricketers had no need of a reverie to transform the seasons on the second day of this game; mere slumber had been enough. And immediately the game began on a bright morning, the players and spectators returned to that shared watchfulness for which some of them had waited six months. As if to mirror their mood, the sun returned by lunchtime, and with a far greater suggestion of permanence than Liam Livingstone’s batsmen managed against Jake Ball in the first two sessions.Indeed, by the time a rather late tea was taken Lancashire had been bowled out for 158 with Ball hustling the innings to its close by taking four wickets in 14 balls to finish with 5 for 43 in 17 overs. The home supporters, who had congregated in decent numbers for their first day of Championship cricket, looked for a response from their four seamers and they received it thanks largely to Tom Bailey who took three wickets to help leave Nottinghamshire on 127 for 6 at the close. Against all odds, Lancashire can feel they had enjoyed fractionally the better of things.One of Bailey’s wickets was that of Steven Mullaney who surely thought he was going to end this first day on the field as the more content of the two freshmen captains pitted against each other in this match. The Nottinghamshire skipper rotated his bowlers sensibly while Livingstone’s main contribution was to leave alone a booming inswinger from Luke Wood which duly knocked out his off stump.By the time that third wicket fell Mullaney’s decision to dispense with the toss had been justified, Ball gaining the benefits from eventually bowling a fuller length when he had a hesitant Haseeb Hameed leg before for seven after 45 minutes play. Harry Gurney then had Jennings caught and bowled off a leading edge for 11 with his third ball and the tone of matters had been set.Wood’s direction was awry in his first over and Alex Davies collected two boundaries with brutal cuts but the effervescent left-arm seamer then cleaned up Livingstone and another inswinger in the next over had Davies leg before for 23. The blonde-haired Wood’s joyous celebrations after both his wickets were reminiscent of the golden age of glam rock.Lancashire’s best partnership was shared by the contrasting figures of Dane Vilas and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who put on 64 for the fifth wicket, most of the runs coming in the hour after lunch. Vilas took the lead with some dominant drive and pulls off Ball and Wood while Chanderpaul accumulated 11 runs in 53 balls. The latter’s patience put one in mind of a sculptor but given that he marks his guard by knocking a bail into the crease with his bat-handle, this was not inappropriate.Jake Ball runs in to bowl•Getty Images

However, Chanderpaul was caught by Jake Libby at square leg for 11 when attempting a pull off Luke Fletcher and Vilas was bowled through the gate by Harry Gurney when one short of his half-century. Ball then took two wickets in two balls to account for Steven Croft and Tom Bailey and in his next over he had Jordan Clark caught at deep square leg by Wood for 19. The same combination removed Onions without scoring to leave Lancashire needing a fightback from their bowlers in the evening session.The fine judgement of Nash and Mullaney in a second-wicket stand of 42 suggested this might not be forthcoming but Bailey’s removal of Chris Nash and Ross Taylor, both of them lbw, transformed the day. Joe Mennie’s first two wickets for Lancashire confirmed the change and the patience of home supporters had been justified. For the next five months they will be guests at the table of life.

Tawanda Muyeye, Zak Crawley show way of club’s future as long-time legend bids farewell

Vithushan Ehantharajah27-Sep-2022It was fitting that, at the end of Stevo Day, Kent’s Division One status was confirmed for another season. Needing 10 points to stay up on games won in the event of Warwickshire achieving a full 24-point win over Hampshire, Kent achieved eight bonus points within the first two days of their final match at Canterbury, bowling Somerset out for 202 inside 64 overs then responding with 405 for 7 after 88 overs. By the time they walked off on Tuesday for bad light at 5:35pm, news filtered through from Edgbaston that the hosts had declared on 272 for 4 to counter the weather, thus giving up three batting points.There was no real celebration from the Kent dressing room, or those few braving the September chill by the time stumps were eventually called at 5:55pm. Players and fans have been dismayed at just how badly things have gone with the red ball this season. Nevertheless, they have come good when the pressure was on. As things stand, they could still finish fifth.What emotion there was today was saved for Darren Stevens, given a final, rousing farewell at the lunch interval. He, by all accounts, managed to hold back the tears. As expected.Those at Kent County Cricket Club who have known him for all or the majority of his 18 seasons at the club know it takes a lot to draw that kind of emotion from the great man. It has only got harder, perhaps because we get more vulnerable with age, particularly at 46. And rallying against vulnerability of any kind has driven Stevens in these final years at Canterbury.The eyes, however, did fill. Again, as expected. At the lunch interval on Tuesday, Stevens walked through a guard of honour made up of current Kent players and staff. A video showcasing some of Stevens’ highlights – all of them would have taken more than the break’s allotted 40 minutes – including this summer’s Royal London Cup success was shown and was presented with a framed shirt bearing his number three, which will be retired. He then embraced friends and family on the field before greeting as many of the 1,042 supporters in attendance who by now were almost falling over the hoardings along the Pavilion End to get a little bit closer to their man as he said his final goodbyes. This was day two of Kent’s final Championship match of the season against Somerset, with Division One safety on the agenda. But this was Stevo Day.Stevens maintains he could have continued, and though this is the end of an era, at this point, it isn’t quite retirement. And though there remain plenty of fans both at this county and further afield who believe this particular exit premature, it was hard to watch Kent go about their business today and not realise a new generation are building on their promise.Related

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• Keaton Jennings, George Balderson miss milestones but Lancashire are sitting pretty

• Ben Allison makes his mark with bat and ball as Essex take control on rain-hit day

A high-profile win over Hampshire last week to keep survival in their hands has been built on emphatically. Nathan Gilchrist (22 years of age), missed out on a hat-trick with his first ball of the morning but went on to claim the final Somerset wicket – the impressive Lewis Goldsworthy for 94 – for a career-best six to dismiss the visitors for 202. Within 30 overs – up to lunch – Tawanda Muyeye (21) and Zak Crawley (24) had 149 between them (Kent’s third century stand between openers this season). Following further contributions from skipper Jack Leaning (28), a bright half-century from soon-to-be-Durham-bound Ollie Robinson (28), and darts from new signing from Nottinghamshire Joey Evison (20) and Hamidullah Qadri (21), 400 was passed and relegation avoided in style. Just in time for a more private audience with Stevens in the Les Ames stand. “He might have had a couple of beers to loosen him up and give a nice speech,” joked Crawley, before heading over to join his teammates.Crawley’s knock of 79 from 102 deliveries set the tone – particularly the first 50, which took just 59 deliveries thanks to nine fours, five of which came in the space of six deliveries. It felt like an extension of the form he finally found in the last Test match, against South Africa at the Kia Oval, when he finished unbeaten on a match- and series-winning 69.At the other end, Muyeye was showing just why they rave about him in these parts, wedding an eye for length and quick touch for 85 for only his second Championship half-century of the summer in seven innings. An edge behind off Kasey Aldridge, the pick of the Somerset attack with 4 for 83, left the right-hander short of bettering his previous first-class best of 89. Nevertheless, by the time he departed (190 for 2), the visiting attack had already been put through the wringer.That opening stand of 176 – scored at 4.76 an over – was as much down to intent as the desire for these two to score at will. The overall equation of survival assured before a definitive match result was something Kent were aware of Warwickshire did not get 350, even though they assumed 350 would be achieved. But Kent still had plenty to do, and Crawley and Muyeye were keen to set the tone.”‘Intent’ was the word we used a lot with each other,” said Crawley. “We kept their good balls out and put their bad balls away. And T (Muyeye) batted brilliantly. For someone so young to put a good bowling attack to the sword like that was class.”Particularly evident was how Somerset, who used seven bowlers within the first 25 overs, struggled to adjust their lengths. While both Crawley and Muyeye are right-handers, the height difference of about a foot meant the same length required different fields, which was tough to keep on top of as the strike was rotated so often.”I feel like we ran really well and had a lot of singles, so they constantly had to mix up the lengths. Because a good length for me, Tawanda’s pulling. And a good length to him, I can drive. We were quite a good partnership like that. He’s a chilled lad so we took a bit of pressure off each other.”Crawley made a point of mentioning Stevens at this juncture. Part of the great man’s on-field charisma, particularly when he was batting, was seemingly opting for entertainment first: perpetual appointment viewing, whether in the flesh or on a stream. And Crawley, who has always been an engaging batter – hence why Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes are so enamoured with him at Test level, even in a summer of famine – felt a sense of pride that they were able to take a page out of Stevens’ book today.”I was thinking of Stevo before this game, and exactly how he’s always played – try and take the game on, try and give the crowd something to watch. That’s exactly how we want to play our cricket and there was plenty of crowd here loving how we play our cricket.”We’ve got a lot of young players who are really good prospects. The next ten years should be good, hopefully.”It was worth noting the attendance from first to second session dropped considerably. Many had simply turned up to bid Stevens farewell before getting on with the rest of their day. Life moves on, cricket moves on. As will Kent, into another season of Division One cricket.

The home side squeezed home with two balls to spare in a seven-over chase

Associated Press17-Aug-2022Ireland 56 for 3 beat Afghanistan 95 for 5 (Ghani 44*, Adair 3-16) by seven wickets (DLS method)George Dockrell edged Ireland to a T20I series victory over Afghanistan in a tense conclusion to a rain-affected decider in Belfast.Dockrell hit the decisive run as the home side clinched a 3-2 win by seven wickets after reaching a reduced target of 56 with two balls of their seven allotted overs to spare.Having won the toss and put the Afghans in, Ireland got off to a good start when Mark Adair removed openers Hazratullah Zazai, who had dispatched the two previous balls to the boundary, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz in his first over.When Adair had Ibrahim Zadran caught by Barry McCarthy, he had 3 for 16 and the tourists had been reduced to 26 for 3 inside four overs.Usman Ghani steadied the ship, but Josh Little had Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi caught behind by Lorcan Tucker off successive deliveries in his second spell, but with Ghani unbeaten on 44 and his side having reached 95 for five from 15 overs, rain intervened.Paul Stirling needed just five runs to reach 3000 in T20Is as Ireland’s reply got under way, and he made it within three balls, cutting Naveen ul Haq for four off the first and taking a single from the third.Fellow opener Andrew Balbirnie was trapped in front for 9 attempting to sweep Mujeeb Ur Rahman with the score on 17, Mujeeb had Stirling caught at deep midwicket for 16 to give his side hope, and Tucker soon followed for 14.However, Harry Tector and Dockrell saw their side home for the loss of three wickets.