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Josh Hull holds nerve to defend 12 off the final over for Leicestershire’s second win of the season

ECB Reporters Network09-Jun-2024Leicestershire Foxes shaded a close-run North Group contest with Worcestershire Rapids to pick up their second win from four matches in the Vitality Blast.England’s Rehan Ahmed took 2 for 27 and held a vital catch to and a potentially match-winning innings of 37 off 16 balls by Ethan Brookes, with Scott Currie taking two for 22 and debutant left-arm spinner Lewis Goldsworthy, on loan from Somerset, one for 17 after Matthew Waite had earlier hit 40 from 35 as the Rapids, needing 12 off the last over, fell five short of their target.That came after the Foxes had recovered from 119 for 5 in the 16th over to post 176 for 8, Ben Cox (29 off 21) and Ben Mike (24 off 11) building on Rishi Pate’sl 48 from 42 after Louis Kimber had hit 25 off 16 earlier, with the wickets shared between Nathan Smith (3 for 39), Adam Finch (3 for 43) and skipper D’Oliveira (2 for 24).On the same pitch used for a double-header on Friday, Worcestershire opted to bowl and were rewarded with wickets in the second and third overs as Sol Budinger, aiming for midwicket, was caught at short third man, and Peter Handscomb at deep third man off an uppercut as Adam Finch banged one in short and wide.Louis Kimber led an aggressive response with four boundaries in his 16-ball 25 but was caught at long-off as Brett D’Oliveira ended a stand of 48 in 33 balls. The Foxes were 78 for 3 from 10 but suffered another setback as D’Oliveira beat the advancing Wiaan Mulder and Gareth Roderick executed a stumping.Disciplined bowling by the Rapids made acceleration difficult and 114 for 4 from 15 overs was not promising, but the Foxes managed to up the tempo in the last five, adding 62 runs, a good return even at a cost of four wickets.The loss of Patel, holing out to wide long-on, looked a potentially serious blow but Cox struck 29 off 21 balls before he was caught behind and while Rehan Ahmed and Lewis Goldsworthy fell cheaply, the former failing to clear long-on and Goldsworthy grabbed one-handed in his follow-through by Smith, Mike’s two fours and a six off Finch’s last three deliveries in a 17-run 19th over, followed by 15 more off the last, ensured a competitive score.At 55 without loss from six from their batting powerplay, Worcestershire had their noses in front. Yet their progress was checked by spinners Goldsworthy and Rehan, who conceded only 27 in the next five, with the latter bowling D’Oliveira (32 from 25) on the reverse to end a stand of 70 in 55 balls.The Rapids surged when Josh Cobb twice cleared the legside boundary in thumping Ben Mike for 21 in an over but two wickets in three overs left them with a target of 57 from the last 30 balls after Waite had skied Scott Currie to square leg and Goldsworthy – making his debut on loan from Somerset – had Adam Hose stumped.Two big overs from Brookes, who hit sixes off Mulder and then Hull, brought it down to 28 from 18 but Rehan kept it in the balance by bowling Cobb (34 from 35) off an inside edge and after Rehan had taken a fine catch at deep cover to help Currie remove Brookes the requirement was 12 off the last six balls.Hull marred an otherwise fine last over with a no-ball but had Taylor well caught by Currie at mid-off before, with six needed, Ed Pollock swung in hope at the last delivery and missed.

New Zealand A were knocked over for 147 on the opening day in Brisbane

Andrew McGlashan28-Aug-2023Young pace bowler Jordan Buckingham made another good impression for Australia A on the opening day of the first four-day match against New Zealand A in Brisbane. He collected three wickets in a 13-ball rush as the visitors were left in a hole they never really climbed out of.Buckingham’s burst instigated at collapse of 5 for 16 either side of lunch before some lower-order resistance lifted New Zealand A to 147. Legspinner Mitchell Swepson, who may have imagined his chance of a bowl disappearing as the quicks did the early damage, bagged three to wrap up the tail. By the close, Australia A were almost in the lead.Buckingham’s performance followed his career-best haul of 6 for 58, which he took in Lincoln in April when these two sides met in New Zealand.”It was a pretty conducive wicket and an important toss to win,” Buckingham said. “To get the rewards was really nice, especially in that first spell, but think we all bowled really well. Definitely pride myself on consistency. I’m not out-and-out express pace like some guys are blessed with. For me, I try to stay as patient as possible and try and win the mental battle.”This is Buckingham’s 11th first-class match and two of them have already come for Australia A, along with another non-first-class outing for a Cricket Australia XI against South Africa last season.”You are always confident in your own ability and what you can do, but to get the opportunities early in your career is an absolute blessing if you ask me,” he said. “To get exposed to good opposition and such good cricket at such an early age is only going to hold you in good stead for the future.”Caleb Jewell played the innings of the day•Getty Images

Caleb Jewell led Australia A’s response with a half-century studded with crisply hit boundaries including two fours and a six in the space of four deliveries against Brett Randell.Jacob Duffy, who has clocked up some air miles in the last couple of weeks, flying to the UAE for the T20I series where he did not play and then back to Brisbane, struck twice. He had Tim Ward taken at second slip and removed Nathan McSweeney when he edged a full delivery.Scott Kuggeleijn claimed the other wicket, drawing Cameron Bancroft, who is trying to push his claims for a Test recall, into nibbling away from his body after having beaten him with a superb delivery the ball before.After Australia A captain McSweeney won the toss it was not long before his attack made inroads. Mark Steketee found himself on a hat-trick in his second over when Henry Cooper was caught behind off an inside edge then Nick Kelly nicked to second slip first ball. There was encouragement for the quicks in the air and off the pitch in early-season conditions – it is not officially spring for another three days.However, from there, New Zealand A gave themselves a foundation as Sean Solia and captain Tom Bruce added 59 for the second wicket. But Buckingham put an entirely different complexion on the morning session as he surged in with 3 for 1. He started by nipping one through Solia before finding the edge of Muhammad Abbas with a full delivery, and then getting Josh Clarkson lbw when he missed a swipe across the line.It left New Zealand A in a mess at lunch on 69 for 6 and when Kuggeleijn was caught in the slips shortly after the resumption it appeared they could fall short of three figures.But Randell and Cam Fletcher combined with decent effect in an eighth-wicket stand of 31 before Swepson had Fletcher lofting to mid-off in his opening over, having moments earlier taken a painful blow on the fingers from a drilled straight drive. Swepson wrapped up the innings when Ajaz Patel top-edged a sweep and Duffy missed a googly.

What is the draft order and how was it decided? Can overseas players be retained?

Alex Malcolm17-Jul-2023The second installment of the BBL overseas draft is set to place on September 3 alongside the inaugural WBBL overseas draft. Both drafts will follow very similar rules to last year. Here is everything you need to know.What is the overseas draft and where will it be held?
BBL and WBBL teams no longer recruit their three overseas players privately. The BBL held an overseas draft for the first time last year and the WBBL will hold a draft for the first time this year. They will select a minimum of two or a maximum of three overseas players from the drafts that will be held back-to-back in Melbourne on September 3. The draft will only be for overseas players. Domestic players will be contracted in the same way they always are although there has been a new marquee rule in the BBL introduced for CA contracted players.Will the overseas draft be televised?
Both drafts will be televised on Foxtel and streamed on Kayo. The draft will take place at NEP studios in South Melbourne where it was held last year. The WBBL draft is likely to take place in the afternoon followed by the BBL draft in the evening.Related

• Perth Scorchers WBBL retention decision over Kapp and Devine likely to shape the draft

• Knight and Ecclestone among England stars in WBBL draft

• Pooran could return to BBL after nominating for overseas draft

• Harmanpreet, Devine among the first nominations for the WBBL overseas draft

• Thunder and Stars win WBBL and BBL draft lotteries

How do overseas players nominate?
Players get to nominate their price category and their availability in terms of the number of games they can play. The BBL is now a 10-game season plus finals and not all overseas players will be available for the whole competition due to both international commitments and other leagues, as has been the case previously. The WBBL is a full 14-game season plus finals but the women are more likely to be available for the entire season. There is a nomination process that is currently open and ends on August 20. Players will be put into four categories: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The players themselves can choose to enter the Gold, Silver, or Bronze band. Platinum players will be decided by Cricket Australia based on the nominations.Liam Livingstone, Rashid Khan and Andre Russell were Platinum players last year•Getty Images

What is the money involved?There has been an increase in the men’s BBL overseas salary bands after the salary cap was increased from AUD 1.9 million to AUD$3 million. Platinum players are now set to earn AUD$420,000, up from $340,000 last year although there are caveats for the Platinum players this year. They will only earn the full amount if they are available for the entire season including finals, which runs from December 7 to January 24.If they are only available for 10 matches, they will earn AUD$400,000. If they can only play nine matches the price will be AUD$380,000. Anyone only available for eight matches or less in the Platinum category will earn AUD$360,000 regardless of whether they play one game or eight. Gold players will earn AUD$300,000, Silver AUD$200,000, and Bronze AUD$100,000 with no minimum matches required for those players. There are no match payments in the BBL, as players are contracted with set retainers. All overseas salaries are to be paid by the clubs from within the salary cap.The categories only relate to price, not to availability. So players can nominate to be available for the whole tournament in the Bronze category, or for half the tournament in the Gold category. Their availability is their currency and teams will have to decide whether a Platinum player with limited availability is worth selecting.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the WBBL, Platinum players will earn AUD$110,000 to be paid by the clubs from the AUD$732,000 salary cap. Gold players will earn AUD$90,000, Silver AUD$65,000 and Bronze will earn AUD$40,000.What is the draft order and how was it decided?
CA held a private weighted lottery to decide the order in both the BBL and WBBL, as they did last year. This year’s BBL draft order is as follows: pick 1 – Melbourne Stars, pick 2 – Adelaide Strikers, pick 3 – Hobart Hurricanes, pick 4 – Melbourne Renegades, pick 5 – Sydney Thunder, pick 6 – Sydney Sixers, pick 7 – Brisbane Heat, pick 8 – Perth Scorchers.The three teams who missed the BBL finals last season – Stars, Strikers and Hurricanes – entered a lottery for the first three draft picks. Stars, who finished last, got three chances to get the first draft pick, Strikers two and Hurricanes one. Here’s another way to think of it: there are six balls in the first lottery and three of them are Stars’ giving them a 50% chance of first pick, whereas Hurricanes, with one ball, only have 16.66% chance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The order of the next five picks were selected from a second pot featuring the finalists from last season. Again, the lottery was weighted. Fifth-placed Thunder got five chances to get the fourth pick, Renegades four, Sixers three, Heat two, and two-time defending champions Scorchers got one.The WBBL draft order was decided via the same method except there were two pots of four due to a different finals system. This year’s WBBL draft order is as follows: pick 1 – Sydney Thunder, pick 2 – Melbourne Renegades, pick 3 – Perth Scorchers, pick 4 – Melbourne Stars, pick 5 – Hobart Hurricanes, pick 6 – Brisbane Heat, pick 7 – Sydney Sixers, pick 8 – Adelaide Strikers.In both drafts, the first two rounds of the draft will run in order from one to eight. Round three will run in reverse order, so team eight will get two selections in a row (pick 16 and 17). Round four will run in normal order again. So team one will get two selections in a row (picks 24 and 25).How does the draft work?
There will be four rounds of the draft with each team getting one pick per round. Clubs can pass if they don’t want to pick in certain rounds but must pick a minimum of two or a maximum of three players by the completion of round four. Round one is for Platinum players only. In round two, teams can pick Platinum or Gold players. In round three, teams can select Gold or Silver players. In round four, teams can pick Silver or Bronze players. Teams do not have to select a Platinum player but they must then select a Gold player. Teams can select two Platinum players, but only one in each round. If they choose two Platinum players, they cannot select a Gold player, they can only select a Silver or Bronze. The same rule applies if a team chooses two Gold players in rounds two and three. They can only then select a Bronze player in round four.Can overseas players who are currently connected with BBL clubs be retained?
Yes, they can. But only one. This could be coined the “Rashid Khan rule”. Rashid was the first player retained under this rule last year. Stars selected him as a Platinum player ahead of Strikers’ first pick. Strikers took the option to use their retention pick to keep him. Strikers had to pay the same amount of money and use their pick in the first round to retain him. Stars then got the opportunity to pick again and took Trent Boult. Scorchers had the option of retaining Colin Munro last year when Heat selected him first but opted not to use the retention pick. There is also an addition to the retention pick rule this year. Players that were previously drafted or contracted to the club but weren’t available to play can be retained.This specifically applies to Liam Livingstone, who was the No.1 pick in the inaugural BBL overseas draft last year by Renegades but was unavailable for the whole season after he was unexpectedly called up to England’s Test squad for the tour of Pakistan. Under the new rule, Renegades can use their retention pick Livingstone, even though he hasn’t played for the club and has only previously played for Scorchers in the BBL. Scorchers could have a challenge in the WBBL with their retention pick, potentially having to make a choice between star allrounders Sophie Devine and Marizanne Kapp if another team selects both of them first.Will Sophie Devine be retained by Scorchers?•Getty Images

Are there swapping of picks?
There is pick trading this season for the first time. There was no swapping of picks in last year’s draft but CA have added pick trading to the two drafts this year but it comes in a limited capacity. Teams can only trade picks within each round. So a team with pick 8 who doesn’t want a Platinum player cannot trade pick 8 for pick 9 to ensure both clubs got two picks in the same round. Trades of picks will need to be completed by August 20, the same day the nominations close, and all trades need to be approved by CA’s technical committee.What about replacement players?
Each team can contract up to four replacement overseas players (or five if they have only taken two players at the draft) if their picks in the draft become unavailable due to injury or international duty. Clubs can have no more than seven overseas players in total on any list including primary and replacement players. Teams can’t tell overseas players privately not to nominate for the draft and then contract them as replacements. They must have been available to all teams initially in the draft before being available as a replacement. Platinum players can be replacement players as was the case last year. Faf du Plessis and Andre Russell were both not selected as Platinum players at the inaugural draft but du Plessis ended up playing seven games for Scorchers as a replacement player for Phil Salt while Russell played four games for Renegades as a replacement for Livingstone.

South Africa over-powered in final match of multi-format series as Capsey, Kemp impress

Valkerie Baynes25-Jul-2022A half-century to Tazmin Brits was no match for a stellar effort with bat and ball from Sophie Ecclestone and another successful youth policy roll-out as England won the final T20I of South Africa’s tour by 38 runs in Derby.England handed an international debut to 17-year-old left-arm seamer Freya Kemp, and she took her maiden wicket when she had South Africa opener Anneke Bosch stumped by Amy Jones for 17. She followed that with the wicket of Brits, caught by Ecclestone for 59 as South Africa fell short in their attempt to overhaul a lofty target of 177.Ecclestone, an old hand for England at the age of just 23, then took two wickets, that of the dangerous Laura Wolvaardt, and then Chloe Tryon with the last ball of the match. But it was her 12-ball 33 not out that pushed England to 176 for 6 after an exciting 25 off just 17, including four fours in a row by Alice Capsey, another 17-year-old playing just her second international match. The victory allowed England to finish off the multi-format series 14-2, South Africa’s only points coming from the drawn Test in June.Cap that!Allrounder Capsey didn’t have a chance to bat on her international debut as England cruised to a six-wicket victory in the second T20I in Worcester, although she did take a wicket with her second ball when she had Lara Goodall caught by Nat Sciver to break a century opening stand.That changed on this occasion, however, following the early loss of Sophia Dunkley, who cut left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba straight to Wolvaardt at point on the first ball of the match. That brought Capsey to the crease in the No. 3 spot vacated by Bryony Smith when Kemp and right-arm quick Issy Wong came into the side, with Freya Davies also making way.Capsey struck the fifth ball she faced – from Masabata Klaas – through long-on for four and she unfurled three more in succession, clearing backward point, piercing the covers and lifting one over backward square. Capsey then turned Ayabonga Khaka to the rope through fine leg to move to 21 off 10 balls and after three overs England were 34 for 1. Mlaba returned to the attack with immediate effect, however, removing Capsey with her seventh delivery, caught by Tryon at mid-off.Alice Capsey produced a sparky maiden innings at No.3•Getty Images

Mlaba makes things happenMlaba, in the side after frontline quick Shabnim Ismail succumbed to a back problem, could have had another but Sciver, on four at the time, overturned her lbw dismissal with replays showing the ball sliding narrowly down the leg side. At the end of the powerplay, England were 53 for 2 and Danni Wyatt bumped that up with a six down the ground off Delmi Tucker, which Anneke Bosch did well to almost reach running round from long-on but failed to get a hand on as it dropped over the rope.But when Mlaba returned in the 11th over, there was no mistaking her dismissal of Sciver, bowled by one that deceived her through the air and clattered into the base of the stumps. When Tryon bowled Wyatt for 30 with another full delivery next ball, England were 86 for 4 and South Africa were regaining a measure of control.Ecclestone cuts looseEngland steadied through Amy Jones’ 28 off 18 balls but after she holed out to Brits at deep square leg off Klaas in the 18th over, Ecclestone picked a four off Khaka through wide long-on in the next as a precursor to what was to come.Ecclestone proceeded to smash 26 off the final over of the innings, bowled by Klaas, beginning with back-to-back fours before sending the fourth ball over the rope at deep midwicket. She then punched the next ball through the covers for four before sending the last ball a long way over the fence beyond the rope at deep backward square.Nonkululenko Mlaba struck twice in her first seven balls•Getty Images

Commonwealth Games ahoyWith women’s cricket set to make a Commonwealth Games debut later this week, both sides will have been looking for takeaways to Birmingham. For England in this series it’s no doubt been getting an encouraging look at their newcomers. Then there was Katherine Brunt, taking a career-best 4 for 15 at the age of 37 in the opening match at Chelmsford to prove she’s well and truly up for the tournament and Ecclestone showing off her ever-present class.England’s experimentation in the batting order has paid off, particularly in the absence of captain Heather Knight, missing with a hip injury for the last two games. Their depth was impressive too on Monday night, not least from Ecclestone at the death.For South Africa it has been a different story after struggling to get going since the Test, then losing Lizelle Lee to a shock retirement, then Kapp and most recently Ismail, who went wicketless in the first two games. Tryon, standing in for unwell captain Sune Luus, successfully mixed up her bowling to have England in trouble early.Brits – who only joined the squad with Kapp’s departure and earned a call-up to the team when Luus fell ill – was excellent in scoring at better than a run-a-ball. But South Africa still look to be a long way short of where their semi-final appearance at the ODI World Cup suggested they might be by now.

Lancashire batsman Haseeb Hameed will become the youngest debutant to open for England in Test cricket, in the first match against India in Rajkot

George Dobell in Rajkot08-Nov-20160:45

Quick Facts – Haseeb Hameed

Lancashire batsman Haseeb Hameed will become the youngest debutant to open for England in Test cricket, in the first match against India in Rajkot.Hameed, aged 19 and 297 days by the time the game starts, will become England’s fifth-youngest Test debutant, and Alastair Cook’s tenth opening partner since the 2012.Ben Duckett, who opened the batting in Bangladesh and made a sparky half-century in his final innings of the series, will move down to No. 4 to accommodate Hameed. Gary Ballance, who scored just 24 runs in four innings in Bangladesh, was dropped from the XI for Rajkot.Hameed enjoyed a breakthrough season in the 2016 Championship campaign. Opening the batting for Lancashire, he scored almost 1200 runs at an average of 49.91. The four centuries he scored included two in a match against a strong Yorkshire attack. As a right-hander, he will also correct a slight imbalance in an England top order that, in Bangladesh, saw five left-handers in their top six.While he was born in Bolton, Hameed has a strong affiliation with India and Gujarat in particular. His parents – who will be at the game – were born here and his brother was married here in recent days. He names Sachin Tendulkar, who he met as a seven-year-old, and Virat Kohli among his heroes and, in 2010, he travelled to Mumbai to learn to bat on the city’s maidans that have been the breeding ground of many fine cricketers.”Haseeb has impressed everyone so far on this trip,” Cook said. “You wonder if a 19-year-old, coming on tour, will be overawed but he hasn’t been at all. He has looked really good in the nets and the way he has gone about his business. It’s obviously a very special day to pick someone so young.”He is incredibly unflappable. He looks a very good player of spin. He picks length well and uses the crease well. Stuart Broad bowled at him last summer and was almost straight on the phone to me saying how impressed he was with this guy.”He is one of those natural run-scorers. All through his age group, whatever team and whatever standard, he has scored runs. It’s probably a year earlier than he would have thought. But to average 50-odd as an opener in Division One as a 19-year-old is an incredible feat. I was nowhere near the player he is at 19.”Of course there will be some tough moments for him over the next few of playing Test cricket, but I think this guy can play.”While Cook admitted it was “not ideal” to move Duckett down the order after two Tests, he did not foresee any negative impact. “He’s a pretty unflappable character,” Cook said. “Historically he has played all his cricket in the middle order until the last year. He’s comfortable batting anywhere.”Hameed’s selection means no place for Jos Buttler, who has only played one first-class match since he was dropped a year ago, or Ballance, who has averaged only 19.90 in the six Tests since he was recalled in July and failed to reach 30 in his last seven innings.”It was a tough decision,” Cook said. “Jos has played some really good one-day cricket on this tour and his batting looks in really good shape in the nets. But he hasn’t played that much first-class cricket. Gary hasn’t scored the runs he would have liked.”Cook also played down talk about his imminent retirement as captain, after being quoted by the magazine as saying: “I don’t know how much longer I am going to carry on. It could be two months, it could be a year.”But talking ahead of the Test, Cook reiterated his oft-stated view that he will take the role “series by series”.”It’s a mountain out of a mole hill,” he said. “It’s been blown out of proportion. Since the World Cup, I have been very open and we have taken it series by series. It could be two months, six months or two years.”The Rajkot game will represent the 55th time Cook has captained England at Test level, surpassing the previous record of 54 times by Michael Atherton.

Chris Woakes and Keith Barker made centuries as Warwickshire recovered from 17 for 4 to post 372 for 9 after choosing to bat

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge15-May-2016
ScorecardChris Woakes once again proved his worth with the bat (file photo)•Getty Images

The hamstring injury to Ian Bell meant that, for the first time, captaining Warwickshire rested on the shoulders on Chris Woakes, who may have felt it was weighing pretty heavily as he made his way out to the middle at 60 for 5. His decision not to bowl first on a mottled pitch came as a surprise to some, possibly including the Nottinghamshire captain.The word from the home camp was that Chris Read would “probably” have chosen to bowl had the coin fallen in his favour but Woakes had his wish. If he might have been wondering where to look as wickets tumbled during the morning session, the first four with only 17 runs scored, he was happy to engage with anyone in the shadows of the evening as Warwickshire recovered to claim four batting points.”It’s a tricky one on the first day when the pitch is a little bit green but the sun’s out,” Woakes said. “After an hour maybe it looked like a bad decision but sitting here at 370 for 9 we would have taken that.”I did feel a bit of responsibility to make some runs myself, although probably no more so than usual. And though it’s my decision to bat, it is a collective thing, with Belly having an input as well, and the management of course.”His own contribution was 121, which must certainly have reinforced his perception that bat first was the appropriate tactic. It was his first century in a first-class match since March 2014 when, as it happens, he was captaining England Lions against Sri Lanka A in Colombo. Here is a man, it seems, who thrives on responsibility.His stand for the eighth wicket with the perpetually underrated Keith Barker turned the day around. Barker, who bowled superbly against Somerset at Edgbaston last week, albeit on a pitch subsequently deemed suspect, batted with style and aplomb on this occasion, recording his sixth first-class hundred after a partnership with Woakes that added 167.Yet Nottinghamshire will argue quite reasonably that it should never have happened and chastise themselves for allowing it to, having dropped Woakes twice when they were well on top.The first was a difficult chance, to Michael Lumb at third slip when he was on 19, the second much more straightforward to Steven Mullaney at second slip when he had reached 29. At 117 for 7 or 129 for 7, would Warwickshire have found a way back? Perhaps, but after Rikki Clarke’s dismissal, paying the price with a catch at long-off for a disdainful swing in the day’s first over of spin, Barker would have had to make most of it with only Jeetan Patel and Chris Wright to come.Brett Hutton was the bowler left cursing on both occasions, his frustration all the more keenly felt for the fact he had just taken an absolute blinder himself to inflict what had looked like a critical wound, diving to his right at third slip as Jonathan Trott edged a ball from Jackson Bird, throwing out one hand to pluck it out of the air when it seemed to have gone past the cordon and was heading for the boundary.Trott, serenely authoritative, had made 68 as others feebly succumbed. He had just survived an appeal for leg-before by Bird, the ball striking him a painful blow on the inside of his right thigh, but otherwise had been untroubled. It seemed like a decisive moment.Indeed, at that moment it appeared the story of the day would be about a triumphant return to Trent Bridge for Luke Fletcher, the crowd favourite, affectionately nicknamed the “Bulwell Bomber”, the local lad, big of build and even bigger of heart but slipping down the pecking order among the young tyros emerging from the Nottinghamshire academy.He had been shipped off to Derbyshire, in Division Two, on loan, but brought back after Jake Ball’s call to Test duty left Nottinghamshire a little short. His figures down the road had been modest, to say the least, amounting to four wickets in four matches at 69 runs each. Yet here he was, back and relishing every moment, bowling straight and full, swinging it late. He bowled 11 overs off the reel, six of them maidens, and had 3 for 6 when he took his sweater and his appreciative fan club warmly applauded.Fletcher would not have played, as it happens, but for Luke Wood, one of the aforementioned tyros, having a bad back, which made the story even more appealing.By the close, though, he was 3 for 70, which was not so much fun. Even with the second new ball he was unable to summon his earlier powers as Barker, his eye well in, making good use of the short boundary on the Bridgford Road side (the Smith Cooper Stand, to acknowledge the sponsors), began to take liberties, hitting him for four boundaries in the same over.”It was good to be back,” Fletcher said “I enjoyed having the Radcliffe Road getting behind me. It was like old times. There is a lot of competition here now, which is good for the club, but I feel I’ve kind of taken my chance today and hopefully I can play the rest of my cricket here this season.”Woakes reached his hundred off 156 balls with 15 fours, Barker his off 113, completing it with a nonchalant pick up for six off Hutton to go with 14 boundaries. Bird, the best on a day in the end of not particularly distinguished Nottinghamshire bowling, eventually found a thin edge to dismiss Woakes before Barker helped one round the corner to give his wicket to Harry Gurney.

Australia’s batsmen will be tested by New Zealand’s bowlers and will have to successfully negotiate any swing on offer if they are to spoil Brendon McCullum’s farewell party

The Preview by Daniel Brettig11-Feb-2016

Match facts

February 12-16, 2016
Start time 10.30 local (21.30 GMT)6:37

Coverdale: Moving ball Australia’s problem for years

Big Picture

More than five years after their last cricket contact outside of ICC events, Australia and New Zealand resumed Test combat late last year. If a slow start by the tourists is discounted due to their ordinary preparation – including the Blacktown abandonment – then it was a keenly fought contest, curtailed somewhat by a dead pitch in Perth but enlivened under the lights of Adelaide Oval. That match arguably turned on one contentious umpiring decision in favour of Nathan Lyon, meaning Australia’s 2-0 margin was nowhere near as comfortable as it appeared.Now the tables are somewhat turned. New Zealand are at home, with the benefit of local knowledge. Australia are out of their comfort zone, and with a weakened bowling attack. There is also the considerable sub plot of Brendon McCullum’s final series and his 100th Test (in Wellington, he is set to become the first player to play 100 Tests in a row), and all of New Zealand will be baying for the most fitting possible farewell – a first series victory over Australia since 1986. By way of assistance to the hosts, the Basin Reserve pitch has plenty of grassy coverage, and in Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Doug Bracewell, New Zealand have a bowling attack capable of exploiting it. They will hope that some of the recent ODI form lines – notably the free-spirited batting of Martin Guptill – flow into the Tests.For Steven Smith’s side there is the lure of picking up the No. 1 Test ranking with a series victory, not at any sort of World Championship but before the “annual cut-off” currently deemed prestigious enough for the game. But more broadly Smith, the coach Darren Lehmann, the selectors and the players will all have atonement for last year’s Ashes misadventures on their minds. Unable to choose Mitchell Starc, they have opted for a seam-bowling attack that would not have looked out of place at Trent Bridge, but it is the batting order that needs to stand up. Oodles of runs on the roads of Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Melbourne will have little relevance here, but the improved display at The Oval after the Ashes were gone just might. Helpful memories, of course, are all the Australians have – zero practice matches have left them unsure of where they stand.

Form guide

New Zealand: WWLDL (last five completed matches, most recent first)


Australia: DWWWD

In the spotlight

Not quite at his best during the Australia tour, Trent Boult has regained much of his rhythm and swing in the intervening weeks, and was a consistent threat during the ODIs. Alongside Southee, Bracwell and Corey Anderson he should expect more sustained movement through the air and off the pitch, more akin to Adelaide’s pink-ball environment than those of Brisbane or Perth. The New Zealand bowling attack has been widely lauded as the nation’s most capable since the days of Sir Richard Hadlee, and it will take a strong performance from Boult to help deliver the sort of series wins of which Hadlee was a major part.There were few superlatives left for Usman Khawaja by the end of the home summer. A stack of centuries and other scores nearly as significant left most to conclude he was batting better than anyone else in the world right now, and his uncertain limited-overs place was a source of some disquiet. But there was one thing missing from Khawaja’s summer, and also his international career. With the exception of an outlier display at the Wanderers in 2011, Khawaja is yet to show himself an adept player on seaming pitches. Since that time he has moved to Queensland, and some of his Gabba experiences will help. Proving himself in New Zealand climes will go a long way towards securing the series for Australia.

Team news

Henry Nicholls debuts at No. 4 in place of the unfit Ross Taylor, while Corey Anderson and Mark Craig are in for Mitchell Santner (foot injury) and Neil Wagner (left out).New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Corey Anderson, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Mark Craig, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent BoultJackson Bird was chosen ahead of James Pattinson as the third seamer, while Peter Siddle resumes, having missed the Sydney Test against West Indies.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird

Pitch and conditions

The Basin Reserve pitch was verdant green two days out from the match, and even if its colour may not denote as much seam movement as it appears, the ball will be kept in good condition by the surface and should swing.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s last Test series in New Zealand in 2010 resulted in a 2-0 series win for the visitors, including the first Test at Basin Reserve
• Steven Smith, then uncapped, is the only member of that touring squad to be in the team this time around
• Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and Tim Southee are the remaining New Zealand players
• Australia will attain the world No. 1 Test ranking with a series win

Quotes

“I’m looking forward to finishing these next two Test matches. It’s going to be a great series, two very evenly matched teams I think, and what better way to go out?”
“We haven’t been good enough with the bat on wickets that have been doing a bit in the last year or so. The wicket here looks like it might do a bit so we’ve got a bit to prove and we’ve got to adapt accordingly, a lot better than we have in recent times.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Se o Paraná sempre foi bastante identificado por torcedores do clube e amantes do futebol em geral por seu tradicional uniforme com as faixas vermelha e azul divididas na camiseta, isso não significa que essa seja a identidade que parece mais agradar aos olhos do torcedor.

Pelo menos, foi o que indicou a enquete feita pelo jornal Tribuna PRquestionando sobre qual seria o uniforme mais bonito do clube em todos os tempos dando como opção 15 modelos diferentes. Quantia considerável pensando mo pouco tempo de existência do clube em relação a outras equipes do futebol nacional já que oTricolor da Vila Capanema foi fundado em 1989.

Na lista, foram considerados oito modelos que eram usados como principais (1990/1991, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2014, 2017 e 2019/2020) e sete opções equivalentes ao uniforme de visitante e/ou alternativo (1992, 2000, 2007, 2013, 2014 e os dois modelos de 2019/2020).

O vencedor, com 25% dos votos, acabou sendo o uniforme alternativo da atual temporada feito totalmente na cor branca, inclusive o símbolo.

A segunda mais votada acabou sendo o uniforme reserva da temporada de 1992, marcada sentimentalmente pelo título da Série B do Brasileirão, e que foi seguida na terceira e quarta posições pelo uniforme alternativo e a camisa titular que o time usa na atualidade.

RelacionadasParanáParaná lança kit de máscaras para o torcedor se proteger do coronavírusParaná17/04/2020ParanáParaná apresenta campanha inferior em relação ao estadual de 2019Paraná14/04/2020ParanáEmpresário de Jhonny Lucas comenta imbróglio com time da BélgicaParaná13/04/2020

MatériaMais Notícias

Palmeiras e Puma publicaram nesta sexta-feira um vídeo sobre a nova linha de uniformes de jogo, que estreará em março. O conteúdo não dá dicas sobre a roupa, mas imagens nas redes sociais vazaram, daquelas que devem ser a camisa 1 e uma das camisas de goleiro.

O uniforme principal conta com marcas d’água, que lembram a linha lançada pela Puma para a seleção da Itália. A fornecedora de material esportivo não confirma que esta seja a nova roupa do Verdão.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras escolhe novos camisa 1 e 9 para a Libertadores; veja numeraçãoPalmeiras28/02/2020PalmeirasLuxemburgo elogia Rony e admite dúvida no Palmeiras para o clássicoPalmeiras28/02/2020PalmeirasPalmeiras deixa a Futebol Card e terá sistema próprio para vender ingressoPalmeiras28/02/2020

#UmaCamisaComHistória @Palmeiras https://t.co/z1xSCw8y3V

— PUMA Brasil (@puma_br) February 28, 2020

Já a roupa de goleiro divulgada é a seguinte:

🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/0G23c3jIHb

— William Bender (@williambender) February 28, 2020

The dust has settled on the 2018 blockbuster in Russia, so Goal takes a look at who could light up the next tournament in Qatar

France are the 2018 world champions, while Luka Modric and Kylian Mbappe have been crowned the best player and best young star of the World Cup in Russia. But who will earn the acclaim when the jamboree moves on to Qatar four years from now?

Many of the nations who took part this year have further talents to get excited about seeing in the years to come, while there are plenty coming through with those countries who didn't make it to Russia.

So here Goal looks at 15 players who could well make a lasting first appearance at a World Cup finals tournament at the next event in 2022.

Getty ImagesYacine Adli (France)

If you thought 2018 winners France were loaded with talent, the bad news for the rest of the world is that there are more high-calibre players to come in four years’ time.

Dynamic midfielder Yacine Adli is one such star of the future, having already made his Ligue 1 debut in the final game of Paris Saint-Germain’s 2017-18 season.

New Arsenal boss Unai Emery had been hopeful of taking Adli with him to north London but the 17-year-old has belief in his ability to break through at the Parc des Princes.

AdvertisementGettyHoussem Aouar (France)

With Liverpool and Barcelona among those said to be tracking his progress, it is fair to say that Houssem Aouar is already making a name for himself in the European game.

A regular starter for Lyon last season when still only 19, the midfielder has the versatility to potentially make him a key member of the France squad heading to Qatar to defend their title.

At home in the centre of midfield, he can also fill the No.10 slot or play off the wing.

TélamSantiago Ascacibar (Argentina)

One of the most glaring elements of Argentina’s failure to recreate their run of 2014 with another final appearance in Russia was Javier Mascherano’s decline in the centre of midfield.

But now that the former Barcelona man has announced his international retirement, the new Albiceleste coach could look to build his side around Stuttgart’s Santiago Ascacibar instead.

The 21-year-old has the quality and discipline to carry out the role at the base of the midfield, which would allow Argentina to regain some control in the engine room.

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Getty ImagesJosip Brekalo (Croatia)

For some, Croatia’s run to the World Cup final is the peak of their possibilities. But with players of the quality of Josip Brekalo still to break in to the senior side, there is plenty of hope for the future.

The 20-year-old attacker spent 2017 with Stuttgart and was such a success that Wolfsburg recalled him early from his loan spell in January of this year.

With the ability to play anywhere across the attacking midfield line, Brekalo offers the kind of versatility that national coaches love in their squads.