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“You repeatedly called me that word over and over again to the point that I was even saying that’s my name”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2020Former West Indies captain Daren Sammy has questioned possible references to the colour of his skin while he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad dressing room in IPL 2013 and 2014. He said he wasn’t aware at the time of the racist connotation of the word used, and has asked his former team-mates to clear the air on it.In a video post on Instagram on Monday, Sammy spoke of some of his team-mates calling him a “degrading” name – in an earlier Instagram Story, on June 7, he had said the word used was , a Hindi word with a colour connotation. In Monday’s post, Sammy said he initially thought the word meant something “uplifting” or “funny” as it often caused “laughter in the moment”. Now that he knows the meaning, though, Sammy said he wanted his former team-mates – whom he did not name – to reach out to him and tell him if they had meant it in “any way, shape or form” that was degrading, and if so to apologise.Sammy said the word had been used for both himself and Sri Lanka allrounder Thisara Perera. In his case, Sammy said, team-mates “called me that word over and over again to the point that I was even saying ‘that’s my name'”. He said he thought it meant “strong stallion”, but he came to know of the real meaning when listening to a show by US-based comedian Hasan Minhaj.”I was listening to Hasan Minhaj talking about how some of the people in his culture view or describe black people,” Sammy said in his Instagram post. “Now that doesn’t apply to everybody, but I say this because of something I experienced. [Previously, on the Instagram Stories post on June 7] I said I was angry after listening to him describing a word that they use to describe black people, which he was saying is not in a good way and it was degrading. Instantly I remembered when I played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2013 and 2014, I was being called the exact same word that he described.”I will be messaging those people – you guys know who you are. I must admit, at the time in which I was being called that, I did not know what it meant. I thought it meant strong stallion or whatever it is, and I saw no problems with it because I was ignorant to the fact of what it meant, I thought it meant something else, something uplifting.”But, every time I was called it – it was me and Thisara Perera – there was always laughter in the moment. Me being a team man, I thought, hey, team-mates are happy, it must be something funny. You can understand my frustration and my anger when it was pointed out to me that it wasn’t funny at all, it was degrading.”So, I’m going to be texting you guys, and asking you guys, when you repeatedly called me that word over and over again to the point that I was even saying that’s my name, did you all mean it in any way, shape or form as a degrading word to me.A screenshot of Daren Sammy’s Instagram Story from June 7

“I’ve had great memories in all the dressing rooms I’ve been in, as a T20 player, as a leader in a dressing room, as a captain, I’ve always been one to build up a relationship or build up a team, not bring it down. So, all those who used to call me that, you guys know yourselves, some of you have my numbers, you have me on Instagram, on Twitter, wherever. Reach out to me, let’s have a conversation. Because, if it was in any way, shape or form what Minhaj said it meant, I’m very disappointed, and I’ll still be angry, and deserve an apology from you guys, because I saw all of you guys as my brothers.”So, talk to me, reach out to me, please clear the air.”Sammy had played for Sunrisers in both 2013 and 2014, even captaining them in 2014. Perera had played for Sunrisers in 2013.The Sunrisers franchise has been asked for a comment. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that the franchise is unlikely to make any comment as Sammy did not report the matter at the time and also he has not pointed fingers at the franchise. ESPNcricinfo has also asked the BCCI for a comment.Sammy had also spoken out against racism last week, in the wake of the custodial killing of George Floyd, a black man, by a white policeman in Minneapolis. Floyd died in Minneapolis on May 25 after the police officer held him down with his knee on his neck for over eight minutes while he was handcuffed. The incident, captured on video, has sparked angry protests across the globe, with several cricketers speaking out as well. Sammy was among the very first active cricketers to publicly speak out after Floyd’s killing.

Half-centuries for Heather Knight and Fran Wilson backed up by Freya Davies four-for

ECB Reporters Network20-Aug-2019Western Storm 170 for 3 (Knight 61, Wilson 50*) beat Southern Vipers 155 for 9 (Wyatt 56, Davies 4-18) by 15 runsHeather Knight and Fran Wilson scored half-centuries and staged a magnificent stand of 115 for the third wicket as Kia Super League title favourites Western Storm defeated nearest rivals Southern Vipers by 15 runs at the Bristol County Ground.Knight won the toss, elected to bat first and top-scored with 61 from 48 balls, while England team-mate Wilson contributed 50 not out as the hosts posted a formidable 170 for 3 in 20 overs.Danni Wyatt played an explosive innings of 56 and dominated a stand of 73 for the second wicket with fellow England batsman Tammy Beaumont to keep Vipers in the hunt. But consistent off spinner Claire Nicholas claimed the key wickets of Wyatt and overseas star Stafanie Taylor to turn the game in Storm’s favour, while England seamers Anya Shrubsole and Freya Davies weighed in with figures of 3 for 39 and 4 for 18 respectively as Vipers came up short.Still unbeaten this season, Storm have now registered seven straight wins, lead second-placed Vipers by 10 points with three group games to play and are now guaranteed a place at Finals Day in Hove on Sunday, September 1.Their latest victory was founded upon a superb partnership between the experienced Knight and Wilson, who came together at 54 for 2 in the seventh over and took the game away from the Vipers.They were afforded a solid platform by in-form openers Rachel Priest and Smriti Mandhana, both of whom posted 24 runs from 18 balls in a stand of 43. Priest was pinned lbw by Lauren Bell having accrued five boundaries and Mandhana fell to Amanda Wellington’s legbreaks, held at long-on in the act of trying to clear the boundary.If Vipers believed that double breakthrough would herald a spell of dominance, they were made to think again as Knight and Wilson combined deft placement and frenetic running between the wickets to keep the scoreboard moving.Having advanced the score to 104 for 2 by the end of the 14th over, the third-wicket pair launched a concerted assault which yielded 66 from the final six overs as Vipers, under sustained pressure, wilted in the field. Knight was first to reach 50, attaining that landmark via 40 balls with seven fours. The England captain then carved Bell high over midwicket to register the only six of the innings as she sought acceleration in the closing overs.Wilson was still there at the end, scampering a quick single off the final ball to raise an unbeaten 50 from 36 balls, an innings adorned with 7 fours. Of the bowlers, only offspinner Taylor emerged with credit, the former Storm allrounder having Knight caught at long-on to finish with 1 for 20 from four overs.Storm struck a crucial blow in the second over of the chase, England seamer Davies inducing Suzie Bates to edge a catch behind for 2.Unperturbed by the loss of her skipper, England opener Wyatt took the game to Storm, adopting the aerial route to smash eight fours and two sixes in a whirlwind innings of 56 from 32 balls. While she remained at large in a stand of 73 with Tammy Beaumont for the second wicket, Vipers were in with a chance.Urgently requiring a breakthrough, Knight called Nicholas back into the attack to bowl the tenth over, with immediate results. The wily Welsh offspinner forced a mistake from Wyatt and Deepti Sharma, stationed at backward point, took a brilliant diving catch to dismiss the England opener and reduce the visitors to 76 for 2.Taking the pace off the ball proved an effectove tactic during the middle overs as spinners Knight, Nicholas and Sharma sought to restrict the run rate and build pressure from both ends. Beaumont succumbed when, having raised 25 from 31 balls, she hoisted England team-mate Shrubsole to Sharma at long-on with the score on Nelson.Heavily depndent upon the experienced Taylor, Vipers suffered a further blow when the West Indies international played across the line to Nicholas and was caught by Wilson on the midwicket boundary for a 24-ball 28 with the score on 120 in the 16th over.The game was effectively up when Davies and Shrubsole combined to remove Maia Boucher, Marie Kelly, Paige Schofield and Wellington in quick succession as Vipers’ reply lost crucial momentum at the death.

AB de Villiers played another cameo as the hosts chased down 101 with six wickets in hand

The Report by Brydon Coverdale12-Mar-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe hardest job on day four in Port Elizabeth was not chasing 101 for victory. Through the majesty of AB de Villiers, South Africa did that with ease and levelled the series 1-1. No, the most difficult task was assigned to whoever chose the Man of the Match. Would it be de Villiers, whose unbeaten 126 in the first innings was not only a game-changer but one of the most impressive knocks in recent history, and whose run-a-ball 28 in the second innings helped seal the win? Or would it be Kagiso Rabada, whose 11-wicket haul was irresistible to watch and completely blunted Australia’s batting?Certainly it was Rabada who lit up the morning session at St George’s Park. South Africa began the day clearly in the stronger position, but Australia were 41 runs ahead and still had five wickets in hand. If they let Australia’s lower order off the hook, South Africa could have been faced with a tricky chase of 200-plus. The key seemed to be Mitchell Marsh, the last member of Australia’s top six, who was unbeaten on 39 at the start of play. Rabada didn’t even let Marsh survive an over. He nipped one back in to Marsh, at speed, to find the gap and rattle his stumps.Rabada followed by having Pat Cummins caught by Theunis de Bruyn at gully for 5, and he added Mitchell Starc, who was caught behind for 1. Rabada finished with match figures of 11 for 150, and he became just the third South African to achieve a ten-wicket Test haul on at least four occasions. For perspective, the others are Dale Steyn, whose five ten-wicket hauls have come in 86 Tests, and Makhaya Ntini, whose 101-Test career brought four ten-fors. Rabada has four in just his 28th Test. He is still only 22 years old. This is a young man who could be absolutely anything.Perhaps a caveat is needed to the earlier statement. There was one other task on day four that might have been even harder than determining the Man of the Match. This job fell to match referee Jeff Crowe, who had to decide whether Rabada would be suspended for the remainder of the series for his shoulder bump with Steven Smith during Australia’s first innings. In isolation, the incident would not be worthy of a ban, but Rabada’s bank of demerit points changes that. After a hearing on day three, Crowe chose to defer his verdict for 24 hours.Kagiso Rabada celebrates a wicket with his team-mates•Associated Press

Australia’s innings finished with Nathan Lyon being caught behind off Lungi Ngidi for 5 and Josh Hazlewood caught at deep midwicket off Keshav Maharaj for 17. Tim Paine remained unbeaten on 28 in Australia’s 239, and their lead of 100 was never likely to be truly competitive. One of the major concerns for Australia as they head to the third Test in Cape Town is that not a single Australian batsman has scored a century so far in this series. South Africa, by comparison, have had hundreds in each Test – from Aiden Markram in Durban and de Villiers in Port Elizabeth.Australia had the chance to snap up Markram for 7 in this chase, but his edge off Hazlewood was put down at first slip by Mitchell Marsh, hardly a promising start for a team needing a miracle to avoid defeat. Wickets did fall, but not enough. Dean Elgar was caught and bowled by Lyon off a leading edge for 5, in a near carbon-copy of his dismissal in the first innings in Durban, and Markram was caught at second slip by Smith off Hazlewood for 21, but all that did was bring de Villiers to the crease.Australia’s minor sniff was snuffed out by the aggression of de Villiers, who struck four fours and one six during his 28 off 26 balls, and his 49-run stand with Hashim Amla delivered South Africa to within 20 runs of victory. Both men fell – Amla caught behind off Cummins for 27 and de Villiers caught at short-leg off Lyon – but Faf du Plessis and de Bruyn steered South Africa home with no further loss, a cover-driven boundary from de Bruyn confirming the six-wicket win.The teams will head to Cape Town for the third Test with South Africa looking in the stronger form, but potentially without their strike bowler Rabada, who is far and away on top of the series wicket tally with 15 at 16.80. Whether they are the same threat without him remains to be seen. And, just for the record, in the race to be Man of the Match, Rabada beat de Villiers by a nose.

Justice RM Lodha was critical of the Indian board and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators in the tardiness regarding the implementation of reforms suggested by his committee

Arun Venugopal29-Jun-2017Justice RM Lodha, the architect of the Lodha Committee recommendations, has expressed dismay at the tardiness of the BCCI and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) in implementing the sweeping structural reforms approved by the Supreme Court nearly a year ago.While Lodha, a former Chief Justice of India, was irked by the BCCI’s defiance, he was also critical of the CoA for not being proactive enough.”It’s unfortunate, actually, [that] nothing has been done,” Lodha told ESPNcricinfo. “Things have not moved, reforms have not been taken forward, so definitely it is not a good thing to happen. I have yet to see a body defy the Supreme Court’s order continuously. It is almost one year – 11 months are already over and the 12th month [is] going on and there is no sign of implementation of the highest court’s order. This is something that doesn’t happen at all.”Had [the CoA been proactive], by this time [the] Supreme Court order and reforms would have been in place. Unfortunately, I think, [they have involved] themselves in incidental matters instead of taking the reforms forward and implementing the order which was the main brief given to them.”Lodha also felt that the resignation of CoA member Ramachandra Guha, who alleged inaction on a number of issues, was possibly an indication that the committee did not function smoothly.”The CoA are doing their job,” he said. “[But] maybe they [spend] a lot of their time in these contractual and administrative matters, whereas the focus should have been the implementation of the court order because that was the primary task. Everything else was incidental. Maybe, as the reports have come, one of their members has resigned, so maybe the things aren’t going on smoothly. I don’t know; it’s all conjecture and surmise.”The fact of the matter is the BCCI actually continues to defy and not implement the Supreme Court order. The CoA, being a body appointed by the court, must have been actually proactive and the focus ought to have been implementation of the court order.”In the lead-up to the board’s special general meeting earlier this week, the CoA had been hopeful that the BCCI would adopt the Lodha reforms.After discussions, the committee had urged state associations to distil their objections of the Lodha recommendations to a few points which could then be run past the Supreme Court. The committee believed this might make the court more amenable to revisit these recommendations.However, the BCCI went ahead and formed a committee of their own to examine the areas of difficulty in the implementation process.Justice RM Lodha on the Committee of Administrators: “Unfortunately, I think, [they have involved] themselves in incidental matters instead of taking the reforms forward.”•AFP

Lodha was categorical that there was no scope for negotiation in an order delivered by the highest court in the land. “After the Supreme Court’s judgement what do you negotiate?” he asked with a laugh. “You can’t bargain on the court’s order. To overrule the Supreme Court’s judgement, no authority can do that. The only authority that can change it [the order] is the Supreme Court itself, no-one else.”The Supreme Court’s judgement is there, it is there. And, it has been passed after hearing BCCI at quite some length. I don’t fathom any reason. I just can’t figure out what should be negotiated. A Supreme Court judgement is non-negotiable.”According to Lodha, there was no ambiguity in the Supreme Court’s position since it passed the order in July 2016. “There is no history of order passed by the Supreme Court staying the implementation of the judgement,” he said. “Rather, the orders subsequent thereto have been to implement the order. The cricket board and the state associations will continue to put obstructions, but that should not hamper the implementation of the highest court’s order.”People who know the procedure of the court know how the Supreme Court actually deals with the matter after the final judgement is passed. There is a procedure for [filing a] review petition. The other procedure is of curative petition, that’s all. Both processes have been pursued [by the BCCI] and pursued unsuccessfully.”There have been no impediments from the court’s side. As a matter of fact, there is no order; the judgement of July 18 stands as it is. It’s as simple as that: it has to be implemented because Supreme Court has not modified or reviewed its order.”The BCCI SGM was attended by veteran administrators N Srinivasan and Niranjan Shah despite their being ineligible to be office bearers on more than one count according to the Lodha guidelines. When asked about Srinivasan’s eligibility, CoA chairman Vinod Rai had said his committee was not mandated by the Supreme Court to “sit in judgement on people’s qualification or disqualification.”Lodha, however, said the eligibility was clearly specified in the court’s order. On whether the CoA could have taken a call on the matter themselves, he said: “Look, our report is there. A person is disqualified if he has attained the age of 70 years. This has got the seal of the approval from the Supreme Court. One should always keep in mind [that] what cannot be done directly cannot be done or achieved indirectly. Ultimately, it is a committee of administrators appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the affairs.”Still, with the Supreme Court hearing the matter on July 14, Lodha was optimistic the reforms would be implemented. “The court order has to be implemented. There may be some delay that is happening, of course,” he said. “But, I am sure it will be taken to its logical conclusion and our efforts and hardwork will not go waste.”

Maharashtra’s weird tactics against Uttar Pradesh in Pune have drawn the ire of opposition captain Suresh Raina, who minced no words in criticising Dermot Reeve, the newly-appointed Maharashtra coach

Amol Karhadkar in Pune11-Nov-2012When a team sets the opposition a target of 765 in a maximum of 169 overs in order to attain the first-innings lead, the game is as good as killed once the chasing side doesn’t lose early wickets. Maharashtra’s weird tactics in their Ranji Trophy season opener against Uttar Pradesh in Pune have drawn the ire of opposition captain Suresh Raina, who minced no words in criticising Dermot Reeve, the former England allrounder and newly-appointed Maharashtra coach.”They have a foreign coach and he needs to teach good things to youngsters,” Raina said after UP finished the penultimate day on 287 for 1 in reply to Maharashtra’s 764 for 6 declared. “I am not against anyone but at the same time, he is earning [Rs] 30-40 lakh [3-4 million] per season, so he needs to teach youngsters in a good way. Two-and-a-half days. We can also do the same when they come to play against us next time, but we all have to keep on improving our cricket.”Had Maharashtra declared just after Kedar Jadhav completed a triple ton on the second evening, their bowlers would have got a shot at the tired UP openers. But they continued to bat till bat 35 minutes into the third morning on a track that just doesn’t have any assistance for the bowlers.”I am unhappy with the way they have approached the game,” Raina said. “Perhaps they were scared of us. Jadhav played well and the captain [Rohit Motwani] as well but they needed to give us time to chase well. If they really want to achieve their goal of doing well in the Ranji Trophy, there’s no point in batting for almost two-and-a-half days and asking us to chase 765. But still we managed to reach almost 300 today. You might see something different from the UP team tomorrow.”Howsoever optimistic Raina tried to be, he eventually admitted it was virtually impossible to score nearly 480 runs in a day. “We will see how it goes in the first session. I am slated to bat next and then we have Piyush [Chawla], Parvinder [Singh], Arish Alam as well, so we have a long batting line-up. Still you can’t look to chase more than 460 on the last day. Somewhere around 340-350 is gettable but 460 is virtually out of question.”I am not happy with these tactics. We won against Delhi and when we came here – this is their first game – I thought they would try and improve on where they had left last season. But they were safe, they were too defensive. Hopefully they will improve over the next couple of games.”It wasn’t just the tactics. Raina was equally critical of the pitch which was nothing but a batsman’s paradise. “No bounce, no pace, no spin. There is literally nothing in it for the bowlers. They work so hard on their game, there has to be something in it for them. There are some who need to pick a lot of wickets in order to come back into the Indian team but they can’t do anything about it when you have such wickets.”

Cricket Kenya has been forced to name a weakened squad to take on Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and the subsequent ODI series. The four-day match starts in Deventer on September 7

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2011Cricket Kenya has been forced to name a weakened squad to take on Netherlands in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and the subsequent ODI series. The four-day match starts in Deventer on September 7.Several players continue to be in dispute with the board, and a decision was taken to exclude them from consideration.”This squad features some new names and the return of one or two experienced players,” explained chairman of selectors Alpesh Vadher. ” Youngsters such as Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim and Emmanuel Ringera have shown great promise for the national Under-19 squad and deserve their chance, Ibrahim Akello has been impressive in the early games of the East Africa Cricket Competitions as have Lameck Onyango and David Obuya who will add experience to the squad.”Turning to those not picked, Vadher said: “There are some players who we would have liked to consider but yet again they have made themselves unavailable which is disappointing. Cricket Kenya has offered these players contracts until the end of the current contract year subject to the same reviews that every other player goes through but they are not happy with that. What players must realise that we will be focusing on performance and attitude and in the future will only select players who can demonstrate a real commitment to play for Kenya.”Kenya squad Collins Obuya (capt), Rakep Patel, Tanmay Mishra, Runesh Gudka, Hiren Varaiya, Lucas Oluoch, Dominic Wesonga, Seren Waters, Duncan Allan, Irfan Karim, Ibrahim Akello, David Obuya, Emmanuel Ringera, Lameck Onyango.

An enthralling day of action moved the third Test along in fast forward at the WACA with Mitchell Johnson reviving his career and Australia’s Ashes fortunes with a brutal 6 for 38 to dismiss England for 187

The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan17-Dec-2010
ScorecardMitchell Johnson removed Kevin Pietersen without scoring during an electric burst•Getty Images

An enthralling day of action moved the third Test along in fast forward at the WACA with Mitchell Johnson reviving his career and Australia’s Ashes fortunes with a brutal 6 for 38 to dismiss England for 187. However, the home side didn’t extend the advantage without further top-order failures as Steven Finn and Chris Tremlett caused problems although by stumps Shane Watson was unbeaten on 61 and the lead was 200.After eight days of England dominance this one went comprehensively to Australia and how desperately they needed it. If the visitors had batted throughout the day the Ashes would have been hard to save, but by the close Australia’s belief was being restored after the efforts of their most mercurial cricketer. Johnson’s morning burst of 4 for 7 knocked the stuffing out of England’s previously prolific line up. The whole feeling of the series changed with each booming inswinger and all ten wickets fell for 109.Conceding an advantage of 81 on a lively surface left England playing catch-up, but they aren’t without hope if the bowlers can leave a target under 350. In 2008-09, South Africa chased down 414 on the way to topping Australia’s home record – after Johnson took 8 for 61 in the first innings – although that was a flatter surface.England’s quicks did their best to even the ledger during the final session. Phillip Hughes was worked over for the second time in the match before edging to third slip off Finn, who went for 14 in his first over but continued the knack of picking up wickets. His next was Ricky Ponting as his poor form continued with a glove down the leg side which was ruled out on review.Michael Clarke began by pulling his first ball for four and added three more boundaries as he tried to impose himself on the attack with the bowlers overdoing the short balls. Clarke, though, paid the price for his approach when he dragged Tremlett into his stumps to leave Australia 3 for 64 and England scenting further evening inroads. But Watson played positively, latching onto to the loose deliveries, to reach another half-century and the run machine of Mike Hussey was setting another platform in a stand of 55.The 81-run advantage Australia earned during the first two sessions could become priceless. After a Test and a half of churning out runs by the bucket load, England’s batting subsided after a promising opening stand of 78. Johnson’s introduction changed the complexion as rediscovered the swing which makes him such a deadly prospect when he’s on song.His hours in the nets since being dropped have clearly worked and he also rode on the confidence of his batting effort to produce a wonderful spell of 9-3-20-4, which included a burst of three wickets in 12 balls to crash through England’s previously formidable top order. The scalping of Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, and Paul Collingwood were classic left-armer to right-hander dismissals as the batsmen were beaten by sharp movement.Cook looked set to continue his prolific series before driving at a full delivery which shaped away, giving Hussey a low catch in the gully. Trott only lasted eight balls when Johnson beat a flat-footed drive with one that swung back into the right hander and would have taken off stump.Pietersen’s stay was even briefer as Johnson followed two off-stump deliveries with another inducker which struck the batsman in front of middle and leg. His request for a review was a waste. Initially, Collingwood was given not out when he was beaten by pace and swing, but Johnson persuaded Ponting to use a review and it proved the right call. Johnson returned in the afternoon to take out the final two wickets, shattering Tremlett’s stumps and winning his duel with Anderson, and appeared a cricketer reborn.

Smart Stats

• England lost ten wickets for 109 runs, in the process collapsing from 78 for 0 to 187 all out. This aggregate of 109 runs between the second wicket and last wicket is the tenth worst for England against Australia and their worst at Perth.

• Mitchell Johnson picked up 6 for 38, which is his finest bowling performance against England. It is also his second five wicket haul against them after the 5 for 69 at Leeds in 2009.

• Ian Bell scored his third half century of the Ashes and his 11th against Australia overall. He is yet to score a century in this series though.

• England have made six scores below 200 at Perth. They have gone on to lose on all five previous occasions.

• Since March 2010, Ricky Ponting has scored five fifties in 16 innings at an average of just under 29. In eight of those innings, he has failed to cross 10.

He was well supported by his fellow quicks. Ben Hilfenhaus, who hasn’t taken a wicket since the third ball of the series, deserved something but instead it was Ryan Harris who took the spoils, ending attractive half-centuries from Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell. Strauss was offered a life on 16 when Watson and Brad Haddin both left it to the other to hold an edge, but after reaching a positive fifty edged a good ball that climbed off a length.No one in the England team, though, is playing better than Bell. He launched his innings with a perfect straight drive and showed outstanding composure to weather the initial Johnson storm. His timing remained perfect whenever the bowlers strayed in a display that showed how much he has developed since four years ago in Australia.At stages some of Australia’s tactics were curious, especially when they persisted with the short ball but the plan did bring Matt Prior’s wicket. The ball after being hit on the shoulder by Peter Siddle, a ball struck his body, bounced back onto the glove and down onto leg stump. It was Siddle’s first wicket since the opening day in Brisbane when he took six.Graeme Swann offered solid support to Bell in a useful stand of 36 and received plenty of short stuff which he handled reasonably well. However, Harris returned the attack, after treatment on a minor calf problem, to find the edge and Bell felt he had to attack when he edge a booming drive which was superbly held by Ponting at second slip. Bell’s departure guaranteed Australia a sizeable advantage and suddenly the Ashes series was back in the balance.

He made his mark on debut in the 1958-59 Ashes before his career was cut short

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025Former Australia fast bowler Gordon Rorke, who played four Tests, has passed away aged 87.A tall pace bowler, considered one of the fastest in Australia at the time, Rorke’s Test appearances all came in 1959 – two against England in the Ashes followed by two away against India late in the year where he was struck by illness when he contracted hepatitis.He claimed five wickets in the match on debut in Adelaide as Australia won by ten wickets and regained the Ashes.However, his career was dogged by controversy over his delivery where he dragged his back foot so that he could deliver the ball with his front foot several feet over the bowling crease. Rorke’s ability to do this led to a review of the no-ball laws.”I was frightened that he might tread on my toes,” Colin Cowdrey, who made 84 in Adelaide, said.The lingering effects of illness from his India tour meant that his career ended aged 25. Overall in first-class cricket for New South Wales, he claimed 88 wickets at 24.60.”Cricket NSW extends its deepest condolences to Gordon’s family and friends at this difficult time while celebrating his contribution to our game,” the state said.

Batty will head the set-up, with Kala and Keightley his assistants, while George will be the fielding coach, like he is with the Capitals men’s side

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2023Delhi Capitals have roped in former Surrey, Gloucestershire and Northamptonshire wicketkeeper-batter Jonathan Batty as their head coach for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL).Former India international Hemlata Kala, and Lisa Keightley, the former Australia cricketer with vast coaching experience, have been named the team’s assistant coaches. And Biju George, who has previously worked with the India women’s team, has been named the fielding coach. He is also the fielding coach of the Capitals men’s side.Batty has extensive coaching experience when it comes to women’s cricket. He coached Oval Invincibles to the title at the women’s Hundred in 2021 and 2022, and has also been head coach at Melbourne Stars in the WBBL and the Surrey women’s side.Related

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“It’s an incredible time to be involved in Women’s cricket and the WPL has the potential to transform the landscape of women’s professional sport globally,” Batty said in a statement.Kala played seven Tests, 78 ODIs and one T20I and has also been chief selector for women in the past. “I am looking forward to putting together our squad ahead of the inaugural edition of the tournament, which I am confident will be a gamechanger for women’s cricket,” she said of the player auction.Keightley, the current Sydney Thunder head coach, played nine Tests, 82 ODIs and one T20I in a decade-long career. She was at the helm of the England team when they made the final of the 2022 ODI World Cup, before stepping down in August last year. She has also been head coach of Perth Scorchers in the past.”I’m very excited to be involved with the Delhi Capitals and to be working with so many different players and staff from around the world,” she said. “WPL is a game changer for women’s sports around the world, and we have the opportunity to showcase cricket to a new audience.”The player auction ahead of the inaugural WPL will be held on February 13 in Mumbai, while the tournament will be played between March 4 and 26. All the matches will be held in Mumbai.

Despite Cox’s unbeaten 61, Invincibles can’t recover from losing three wickets in first 35 balls

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2022Trent Rockets bounced back from Monday’s defeat at Birmingham Phoenix to make it four Hundred wins from five with a 25-run victory over the Oval Invincibles after Alex Hales had set the night up with some characteristic pyrotechnics in front of his home crowd.Hales’s stunning 59 off 29 balls packed four sixes and six fours and a strike rate of 203.44 to give Rockets the platform to post a challenging 181 for 4, backed up by leading run scorer Dawid Malan’s 38 off 29 and consolidated by skipper Lewis Gregory combining with Colin Munro to add 41 off the last 19 balls.Despite Jordan Cox countering with an unbeaten 61 off 33, Invincibles couldn’t recover from losing their first three wickets for 32 in 35 balls with South African left-arm wrist spinner Tabraiz Shamsi finding a notable degree of turn in taking 2 for 21.Tabraiz Shamsi celebrates the wicket of Jason Roy•ECB/Getty Images

After Rockets were put in, Malan had the six counter ticking from ball four but spent the next 40 largely admiring his teammate as Hales delivered an extraordinary display of his clean hitting skills.Hales, who survived an lbw review first ball, took a particular liking to Sam Curran, plundering three of his four maximums off the left-hander, whom he hammered for 20 runs in one set of five. He had gone past 10,000 career short-format runs in the previous set and looked unstoppable. His fourth six – off Sydney Thunder teammate Mohammad Hasnain – sailed over the roof of the Fox Road stand and into the Nottingham night as his fifty came up off just 22 balls.But after he’d gone for 59, picking out the fielder on the midwicket boundary as Hasnain took his revenge, Rockets lost some momentum and it needed Gregory and Munro’s enterprise at the death to set the Invincibles a testing chase.In between, Malan’s 29-ball 38 had ended when Jason Roy grabbed a very low catch in the covers that needed an umpire review to confirm, Tom Kohler-Cadmore miscued to point and Daniel Sams flicked one straight to deep square leg.The test facing the visitors soon became bigger still. Will Jacks was fresh from his brilliant unbeaten 108 not out last time out but Sam Cook had his number on this occasion, denied his wicket on an lbw review in his first set and watching him survive a top-edged pull before bowling him with a perfect yorker.Roy at least avoided another duck but on 20 from 17 ran into a ripper from Shamsi that knocked back his leg stump. Shamsi had Billings leg before with one that fizzed through three balls later.Curran built himself a start but perished for 27, getting away with a steepler that Tom Moores inexplicably spilled only for the wicketkeeper to redeem himself next ball with a stumping that won instant forgiveness from bowler Samit Patel.It wasn’t the best of nights in the field for the Rockets, with Cox shelled at short third on 32 and Sunil Narine on 16 by the ‘keeper – a difficult one this time – in the same Luke Wood over, but with 66 needed from 20 balls despite Narine launching a free hit over the rope at wide long on, the winning line looked too far away for the Invincibles, despite Cox hitting three sixes.