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The allrounder says the team is struggle to find ways to switch off from the game

Andrew McGlashan09-Nov-2020Grace Harris has admitted that the challenges of the WBBL bubble are proving difficult for the defending champions Brisbane Heat, but she will take it upon herself to try and lift the team’s spirits after they gained just one win from their first seven matches.Harris made an unbeaten 81 against the Melbourne Stars on Sunday, but the Heat fell well short in their chase of 178 after a middle-order collapse left them 6 for 77.Throughout the tournament, which is being played entirely in Sydney, all the teams are staying in a hotel at Sydney’s Olympic Park which has been turned into a “WBBL village”. Though every effort has been made to provide entertainment and activities for players away from matches, Harris said that it has been difficult to switch off from the game.ALSO READ: WBBL mid-term report – Melbourne Stars flying high, Brisbane Heat hat-trick long way off“I just want the girls to stay really positive,” she said. “I think there’s a bit of frustration in our little bubble because the hub is a different kind of living environment but we’ve just got to try and refresh, put the loss to the back of our minds. Coming from Queensland we were already out and about, so for us, it’s a little bit more restrictive and a bit of a wake-up.”We are struggling a little just to switch off outside of cricket, you do miss your little routines from home, but the circumstances are this, so I think it’s simply the team that adapts best.”If you hit that wall, you have to accept the environment and what you are doing, stay focused and stay in the present. Hopefully, we can look on the brighter side of things because losing like this [against the Stars] is a little deflating and you get down sometimes about this kind of game, but I’m going to try and get around the girls this afternoon and tonight, we’ll chill out and then get ready to go.”The Heat came into the competition aiming for a hat-trick of titles but, after opening with victory against the Perth Scorchers, they have not clicked and have suffered four substantial defeats in a row to leave them seventh on the points table heading into the second half of the group stage.”The table is still pretty tight, we aren’t out of it yet,” Harris said. “I want the girls to look forward to the next challenge and be up and about because we are very close. It only takes one win and you can gain a little bit of momentum in this tournament, so rolling through the back end, if we get on the board next game, look out, because we could be on from there.”On her return to opening the batting, having started the tournament in the middle order, Harris revealed it was not a reaction to the tough target set by the Stars and had been decided before the game. She does not know if it will continue but is ready to take on any role.”I knew before we started the game that I’d be opening the batting. We are just trying to find our best combinations, see who works well together, and I guess if I didn’t run out JJ [Jess Jonassen], it might have been a different scenario. I’ve been training for all scenarios, so it doesn’t really bother me. Just trying to be adaptable and know what the team needs.”

Paceman recognises squad ethic is vital to success in England after missing Edgbaston Test

Daniel Brettig10-Aug-2019Between January 2004 and July 2005, Brett Lee missed 14 consecutive Test matches for Australia. It wasn’t because he was injured, nor because he was making his way back from any sort of ailment. Over that period, for reasons of team balance and planning, Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie were preferred, initially without Glenn McGrath in Sri Lanka, and then alongside him when the senior paceman returned from his own injury to face India, New Zealand and Pakistan.It’s a relevant example to Australia in 2019, principally because of the role so far played in this Ashes series by Mitchell Starc. Like Lee, Starc is the fastest and arguably most high-profile member of the Australian pace sextet in England. But, like Lee, his tendency to go for pace and all-out attack has left him on the fringes of the team at a time when the strategy is not to blast opponents out, but to strangle them through control.Having already experienced a lot of missed matches over his career for reasons of injury and, at times, “informed player management”, Starc is a chance to figure in the Ashes, but only if the conditions and the balance of the attack suit. He is trying to keep his hopes up, while also recognising the way that the coach Justin Langer and the captain Tim Paine wish to operate on this tour in particular.”Everyone prefers to play but it’s pretty exciting that the cupboard is full of fast bowlers,” Starc said. “It’s awesome to see Jimmy back after what he’s been through and I guess similarly what Pat Cummins has been through previously. It’s a while ago now but to have those guys back fit and firing … Jimmy, it was fantastic to see him playing Test cricket again, someone with I guess such a fantastic record. Having his body let him down and to come back and play Test cricket again was pretty special.”It makes Josh and I have to work that bit harder to try and make it back as well, which I think you want from a whole squad. We’re really close mates, so having that competition there whether it be Josh and I playing or a different two playing, it is that squad mentality. We’re here to win the Ashes. We’re not just here to make it on the park. We want to win this Ashes. Whether that’s a different bowling attack each game, or the same through five Test matches, it’s pretty exciting.”At times prior to this tour, there was a sense that the “big three” of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood had been relied upon too much, and had also got into a pattern of being chosen simply as the best bowlers in any circumstances, rather than paying more attention to the prevailing conditions. Paine has spoken about “selling” the concept that a wider spread will lengthen all of their careers, and Starc added also that the 2019 plan for the Ashes has been a far more subtle one than 2013 or 2015.”I’ve been conscious of trying to build pressure from both ends,” said Starc. “I think we’ve got an attack that do different things and build pressure different ways. We’ve got a couple of more aggressive guys, a couple of holders there that build pressure and take wickets that way and a couple of guys that are probably a hybrid of both.Mitchell Starc claimed a solitary wicket on the second day•Getty Images

“We’re quite a well-rounded attack and then you throw in Nathan Lyon, who just knows how to get it done in all conditions. We’re prepared for all conditions whether it be flat, green, seaming, swinging, slow, fast. Again it’s exciting to have everyone up and firing and plenty to choose from.”We’ve taken the squad mentality in the whole tour so far, whether it be the World Cup and now into the Ashes … if called up at Lord’s I’m ready to go as well.”Something notable about Edgbaston, even if Starc did not experience it, was a lack of swing from the Dukes ball, although there was plenty of seam movement and later on, variable bounce. The sorts of wickets served up by England for the remainder of the series will have a major bearing on how much of a role Starc ends up playing, with his best chances seemingly on the harder surfaces of Old Trafford and The Oval at the back end of the campaign.”I hadn’t held one in four years until I bowled with one in Southampton because I hadn’t played with one in Australia,” Starc said of the Dukes ball. “It’s nice having them back in my hand and swinging them round the net. It didn’t do a lot during this game in the air, there was a little bit off the wicket with the harder seam and the harder surface. I guess conditions can play a part in how much it moves around off the wicket or in the air. We saw the white ball move around a fair bit more at Lord’s in the World Cup so maybe that’s the same with the red ball.”Judging by the Irish Test there a few weeks ago that’s probably going to be the case there off the surface. Again, we’ll have to see what that wicket is going to look like. Hopefully it moves around at training and we can take that into the game as well.”Australia has got a pretty good record at Lord’s and obviously we’ll be looking to continue that. We’re not sure what the conditions are going to be. If it’s anything like that Irish Test match it’s perfect for us bowlers. We’ll wait and see what it is when we get there and start training. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket, whether it be white-ball or red-ball, for Australia or for a franchise. I’m looking forward to it this week.”And if you’re wondering how Australia performed during that 14-match period in which Lee was spelled, the record was this: five series victories in a row, memorably in Sri Lanka and India, then a little more routinely against New Zealand home and away and also Pakistan. The streak was broken when Lee returned to the team – for the 2005 Ashes series.

The Chennai Super Kings captain has credited a move up the order for his rejuvenation as a T20 batsman

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jun-2018MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings captain, has admitted that age might be changing his game, necessitating a move up the order in T20 cricket. He has likened batting down the order to the experience of stepping into quicksand.With 455 runs in 16 matches, Dhoni, 36, was one of the driving forces behind CSK’s title win in IPL 2018. Dhoni’s tally was just six runs short of his most productive season ever. He also faced 302 balls – it was only the third time he had faced more than 300 balls in a season.”I was sure in my mind that I wanted to bat up the order, because with age, me batting down the order was like quicksand,” Dhoni said at an event in Mumbai. “I wanted to make sure that I wanted to take the responsibility of winning the game, but I was coming so [far] down the order that I was not giving time to myself.”So, it was more like quicksand: the more I flutter, the deeper I would go. So, I said that I want to make a team where we bat deep, that gives me a chance to bat up the order, and to me up the order doesn’t mean I want to bat at three, four or five; it’s the number of overs [left in the innings].”One of the major successes of CSK’s 2018 campaign was their death-overs batting – they ended the tournament as the team with the best average and the second-best scoring rate in overs 16-20, with several of their innings characterised by manic late surges. Dhoni had a big part to play in that as he turned the clock back with his big hitting, striking at 12.04 an over and averaging 99 in the last five overs. He also biffed 30 sixes – his most in a single season – with 24 coming in the last five overs. Dhoni felt being part of a team that batted deep, and a team full of in-form batsmen, gave him the license to bat aggressively.”I said that I want to bat up, so when I go into bat, I would like to bat aggressive, so that even if I get out, it gives others a chance to reinvent themselves about finishing the game, what they need to do, if they are under pressure and all of that,” he said. “Fortunately, we did not use our batting order to the full extent in the whole of IPL because [Shane] Watson, [Ambati] Rayudu, [Suresh] Raina, me, [Dwayne] Bravo – we all kept scoring runs and that really helped us. But my planning, right from the start, was to make a team which bats deep, where everybody should be able to bat, and that gives me an opportunity to go out there and express myself.”

Will Tavare and Graeme van Buuren registered half-centuries as Gloucestershire reached the close on 236 for 4 on the opening day of the Specsavers Championship

ECB Reporters Network14-Apr-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Will Tavaré held Gloucestershire together with an unbeaten 73•Getty Images

Will Tavare and Graeme van Buuren registered half-centuries as Gloucestershire reached the close on 236 for 4 on the opening day of the Specsavers Championship match against Leicestershire at the Brightside Ground, Bristol.The third-wicket pair batted throughout the afternoon session, adding 127 after Gloucestershire had been put in by opponents who failed to make best use of the new ball. But the Foxes fought back during the final session, removing allrounder van Buuren and George Hankins in quick succession and restricting the run rate thereafter to put themselves back in contention before bad light brought a premature conclusion at the end of the 88th over.Determined to make amends after being shot out for 61 in their second innings and crashing to a heavy defeat in their Division Two opener at Kent last week, Gloucestershire summoned a gutsy response in their first home game of the season. No one demonstrated powers of recovery more admirably than Tavare, whose stubborn innings of 73 not out, chiseled from 213 balls and spanning just under four hours, characterised Gloucestershire’s approach.While van Buuren and Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft, who dominated an opening stand of 52 with Chris Dent, were prepared to play their shots and entertain a sparse Bank Holiday crowd, Tavare dropped anchor to provide the innings with the kind of gravitas that had been missing at Canterbury last time out.Mustering concentration and defiance in equal measure, the Bristolian ensured Gloucestershire were able to bank their first batting bonus points of the season and assume the upper hand against a Leicestershire side following their mauling at the hands of Nottinghamshire.Having helped shore up the innings in conditions conducive to swing following the departure of Bancroft and Dent prior to lunch, Tavare happily played second fiddle to the dashing van Buuren as the pair held sway during what turned out to be an afternoon of toil for Leicestershire’s misfiring seam attack.Promoted up the order in the absence of the unwell Gareth Roderick, van Buuren survived a searching examination from Ben Raine to stamp his authority and change the complexion of the game, carving 50 from 65 balls as the home side seized the initiative. Within sight of what would have been his third first-class hundred for the county, the 26-year-old edged a length ball from Raine behind for 79, cutting short an enterprising innings that comprised 128 balls and included 12 fours.When Hankins chased a ball outside his off stump and was held at first slip off the bowling of Gavin Griffiths soon afterwards, Gloucestershire were 204 for 4 and in need of reassurance. It was provided by the dependable Tavare and veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Phil Mustard, who kept Leicestershire at bay until bad light hastened the end of proceedings.Leicestershire elected to bowl first and wasted the new ball as their frontline seamers struggled to muster line and length on a consistent basis.Griffiths claimed his maiden Championship wicket when bowling Bancroft for 32 with a superb inswinging yorker, while Richard Jones bowled Dent via an inside edge for 20. But Gloucestershire’s openers had done enough to take the shine off the ball.No doubt piqued at seeing four catches go down, Leicestershire captain Mark Cosgrove made a point when coming into the attack ahead of schedule in the 45th over. By that time, Gloucestershire had assumed a crucial foothold and van Buuren and Tavare were up and running.

Jake Lehmann completed his second first-class century on the third day of South Australia’s match against Queensland in Adelaide, but the Redbacks faced a huge task to push for victory on the final day

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2016
ScorecardJake Lehmann (pictured playing in the BBL) completed his second first-class hundred on the third day in Adelaide•Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Jake Lehmann completed his second first-class century on the third day of South Australia’s match against Queensland in Adelaide, but the Redbacks faced a huge task to push for victory on the final day. Set 418 to win, South Australia went to stumps on 0 for 29, with Tom Cooper on 18 and Mark Cosgrove on 10, and they needed a further 389 runs.The day had started with South Australia on 5 for 252 in their first innings and Lehmann was on 92; he moved into triple figures for the second time this summer and was the second-last man dismissed for the Redbacks, lbw to Peter George for 126. George finished with 3 for 50.Queensland’s 159-run first-innings lead ballooned in the second innings as Sam Heazlett scored 72 and Chris Hartley made 55, with Test squad member Chadd Sayers collecting 2 for 51. Test opener Joe Burns made 30 to add to his 35 in the first innings as he prepares for the series against New Zealand.

The PCB has decided, in principle, to file an intra-court appeal with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the judgement passed by the same court, which had earlier called for fresh elections for the chairman of the PCB

Umar Farooq24-Jul-2013The PCB has decided, in principle, to file an intra-court appeal with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the judgement passed by the same court, which had earlier called for fresh elections for the chairman of the PCB and overruled all major decisions taken by the interim chairman Najam Sethi. The Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, Government of Pakistan (IPC), another respondent in the petition, has also filed an appeal against the judgement. The PCB was concerned that the judgement would impact its daily functioning and issues such as team selection, annual budget and television broadcast deals, which are yet to be finalised.The 30-page judgement, filed by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, has asked for drastic changes in the structure of the PCB, and questioned the appointment of the selection committee, as well as its financial and recruitment affairs. The judge ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to carry out the election of the PCB chairman, directed the federal government to appoint a District Management Group (DMG) officer as the PCB secretary, and also reduced the powers of the president of Pakistan, also the patron of the PCB. All major decisions can only be taken by the full-time chairman, who should be elected by October 18.”The judgement of the learned single Judge may result in gridlock for the PCB in matters such as electoral college and criteria for selection committees, specifically team selection for the tours of Zimbabwe, Singapore and South Africa (home series in UAE), all of which are before the end of October,” the PCB said in a statement.”PCB has today decided in principle to file an Intra-Court appeal against the judgement of Islamabad High Court passed in Writ Petition No.2242/2013 titled Maj (R) Ahmad Nadeem Sadal v. Federation of Pakistan Etc. as perusal of the detailed judgment received by PCB on 22-07-2013 reflects finding on such points of law and facts and administration which were neither part of the pleading, nor were argued by any party before the Court, and may potentially bring to standstill the day-to-day functioning of the PCB.”With the suspension of the former chairman Zaka Ashraf, the IHC had directed the government to name an interim chairman, with the prime minister Nawaz Sharif appointing Sethi. But the court overruled all of Sethi’s decisions taken over the last month, leaving the PCB in a fix.”The acting chairman appointed by the prime minister of Pakistan needs to effectively manage the affairs of the PCB as noted above until the election of a permanent chairman, for which no clear direction has been given in the judgement,” the PCB said. “Therefore, the PCB is left with no other option but to appeal the said judgement.”The PCB is yet to finalise a broadcasting deal after its five-year contract with TEN Sports, worth $140 million, ended last month. Of immediate importance are the two forthcoming home series in the UAE against South Africa and Sri Lanka.”The PCB needs to conclude arrangements for media broadcasting agreements related to its cricketing itinerary, which has expired and for which tenders are required to be floated on an urgent basis, failing which the PCB will suffer colossal monetary losses.”The judgment also raises concerns with regard to the ICC’s guidelines on non-intervention of the government in the administrative affairs of the PCB in so far as it directs the federal government to appoint a DMG officer as secretary of the PCB and the same may be argued against directing the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the elections in PCB.”The judgement will not affect the Pakistan team currently in the West Indies for a limited-overs series. The PCB, in general, has been seized and will remain so till the newly elected chairman takes office. One of Sethi’s major decisions was appointing former Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan as the chairman of selectors, but as per the court’s ruling, Moin’s appointment stands cancelled.

Kevin Pietersen could have played his last game for England after launching an astonishing attack on the ECB and other members of the England dressing room

George Dobell at Headingley06-Aug-2012Kevin Pietersen could have played his last game for England after conceding that there were deep, perhaps irrepairable, divisions with the ECB and some other members of the England dressing room.Pietersen, who has been unsettled for some time by the demands of the England schedule, refused to confirm that the final Test of the series against South Africa at Lord’s would not be his last and expressed his anger that private conversations between him and officials at the ECB had been leaked to the media.His comments are sure to be poorly received by those at Lord’s and by his England colleagues. With a vital Test looming it is far from impossible that Pietersen could be disciplined or even dropped in an attempt to retain a semblance of team spirit within the England camp.”I can’t give any assurances that the next Test won’t be my last,” Pietersen said. “I’d like to carry on but there are obstacles that need to be worked out. There are other points I’m trying to sort out in the dressing room.”It would be a huge shame. I love playing Test cricket for England, but we’ll see. For me, the saddest part about all this is that the spectators just love watching me play and I love playing for England.”Pietersen confirmed that some of his issues concerned a desire to play more IPL cricket, a wish to spend more time with his family and his enthusiasm to be included in England’s World T20 squad. But he also insisted that there were “a lot of other issues that are more important that are being sorted”.”It’s absolutely 100% not about money,” he said. “This is not a money issue. The politics is what I have to deal with personally. It’s tough being me playing for England.”There’s always speculation. There’s speculation every single day. You guys speculate about my life all day every day. I’m going to make some decisions that will make me very happy.”Pietersen’s current cause for concern is the leaking of information he regarded as private. Admitting that it revived memories of his sacking as England captain at the end of 2008, when Pietersen believes that his private concerns about the then England coach, Peter Moores, were also leaked to the media, he seemed to suggest that public opinion was being manipulated against him.”It was blamed on me that before this Test series I was grabbing the headlines,” he said. “Did I leak anything to the media about the meetings I was having with the ECB? I never spoke to the media for one single second and it was me grabbing the headlines and journalists talking about me grabbing the headlines. I never spoke a single word to a single journalist about anything that happened behind closed doors that I thought were closed doors. So you guys are always going to speculate and make me out to be the bad guy. No problem.”The catalyst for the latest controversy in a career that has seen more than most – including his dismissal as England captain and his departures from Nottinghamshire and Hampshire – is the prospect of a new round of annual central contracts in September. Pietersen, who effectively retired from international limited-overs cricket in May after expressing a reluctance to make himself available for all ODIs, has also requested that he is allowed to miss the Test series in New Zealand in March in order to play a whole season of IPL.While he insisted that, in a perfect world, he would like to continue to play for England in all forms of game, his desire to pick and choose his series is most unlikely to be tolerated by the ECB. The ECB, citing the importance of treating all players equally and the dangers of setting a precedent, demands that players are available for all matches if they are to be considered for any.Andrew Strauss, the England captain, was reluctant to be drawn on Pietersen’s words. He did, however, underline the fact that the needs of the team would remain more important than the needs of the individual and that it was vital England were not distracted ahead of a Test that will confirm which is the No. 1 ranked Test side.”One thing I will say, and it is important to stress this, is that the Team unity that we have had over the last three years has been outstanding,” Strauss said. “It is something we all pride ourselves on, always have done and will continue to do so going forward.”I hope the Kevin issue isn’t going to be a distraction. The truth is we want as few distractions as possible in making sure we win this third Test match. I’m not here to talk about Kevin Pietersen. It is not something I want to talk about at this stage.”

A round-up of the first match-day in the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2011Bermuda beat Argentina by three wickets in a close match on the opening day of the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20 in Lauderhill, Florida. The win was fashioned by opener Lionel Cann, who scored an unbeaten 55 chasing a target of 94, and got his side home with three balls to spare. The winning runs came with a six, Cann’s third of the innings. He did not receive much support in the chase, with none of his team-mates getting into double figures and the middle order struggling against offspinner Esteban MacDermott, who almost derailed the chase with figures of 3 for 9. Earlier, Argentina – after choosing to bat – limped to 93 for 8 in their 20, the only sizeable contribution coming from Gary Savage who was run out for 38. Opening bowler Malachi Jones was Bermuda’s most successful, picking up three top-order wickets in a miserly spell.In a match that was shortened due to lightning strikes, USA defeated Suriname by 50 runs via the Duckworth/Lewis method. A lightning strike delayed the game, after which it was shortened to 13 overs-a-side. When a second lightning bolt struck in the 12th over of the Suriname chase to end the game, the D/L par score was 108, while the visitors had managed only 58 for 6. A half-century from USA opener Gowkaran Roopnarine backed up his team’s decision to bat. The rest of the top order delivered as well, hitting quickfire cameos to push the total to an imposing 124 for 2. The Suriname chase lacked momentum all through and the batsmen ran poorly, with four of the top six being run out as the USA bowlers strangled the innings.Canada began with a comprehensive 64-run win against Cayman Islands, thanks largely to legspinner Zahid Hussain who produced figures of 4 for 7 with Canada defending 131. Canada’s total was built on several cameos. Opener Khushroo Wadia top-scored with 40. Offspinner Alessandro Morris was the only Cayman Islands bowler to have much of an effect, taking 3 for 21 in three overs. Pearson Best scored a steady 21 in the chase, but received no support as his side slumped to 66 for 7 in their 20.

Former Sri Lankan first-class cricketer Conroy Ievers Gunasekera, famously known as ‘CI’, died in Colombo on Thursday at the age of 90

Sa'adi Thawfeeq29-Jul-2010Former Sri Lankan first-class cricketer and All Ceylon Captain Conroy Ievers Gunasekera, famously known as ‘CI’, died in Colombo on Thursday at the age of 90. Born on July 14, 1920, he learnt the game when Sri Lanka was under British rule. He was known to be one of the hardest hitters of the ball of his era, and also bowled right-arm legbreaks.Gunasekera played for Royal College, but drew notice with his performances for Singhalese SC. He won his first national cap at the age of 27 against Don Bradman’s ‘Invincibles’, and represented his country against international teams until 1964, with his last appearance also against the Australians, led by Bob Simpson.He was belatedly handed the national captaincy in 1960 at the age of 40, and is remembered for a quickfire cameo he played against Richie Benaud’s touring Australians a year later. He plundered three fours and two sixes in an over from left-arm spinner Lindsay Kline, looting 24 in all, before finishing with 28.Another of his famous knocks was against the MCC at the P. Sara Oval in 1952 while he was playing for a Commonwealth XI. He beat allrounder Keith Miller to his hundred. Gunasekera scored 135 and Miller 106 in a fourth-wicket partnership of 107. The Commonwealth XI went onto amass 517, and beat the MCC by an innings. His highest first-class score was 212 for Ceylon v Madras in the annual Gopalan trophy match played at P. Sara Oval in 1958-59.Gunasekera, who lived alone in his Colombo home, was devastated following the death of his wife a few years ago and became a virtual recluse. His son lives in England.In a recent interview with a Sunday paper, Gunasekera said, “I was a dreadful smoker, at 2 cents a cigarette; I could afford it for 50 years. That’s why my lungs are shrunk. No one knew that it was bad. Even doctors were offering you cigarettes. At the time they didn’t know medical science.”Gunasekera’s uncle was the famous Dr CH Gunasekara, who became the first Sri Lankan to play for a county side – Middlesex (1919-1922). Gunasekara also excelled in tennis and athletics, but he is remembered mainly for his cricketing exploits.