Paul Coughlin, Ned Eckersley share record-breaking stand for Durham

Pair’s seventh-wicket stand of 157 comes on frustrating, rain-affected day for Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2020Paul Coughlin and Ned Eckersley shared a record-breaking stand for Durham on a frustrating rain-affected day for North Group leaders Derbyshire in the Bob Willis Trophy match at Emirates Riverside.The pair took their seventh-wicket stand to 157 in 49 overs, a Durham record against Derbyshire, before Matt Critchley bowled Coughlin for a career-best 90 from 146 balls.The leg-spinner then bowled Matty Potts two balls later but Eckersley was unbeaten on 78 with Durham 337 for 9 when rain arrived shortly after lunch, wiping out 57 overs from the day’s allocation.Derbyshire would have expected to restrict Durham to a lot less when the day began but their bowling lacked intensity and the second new ball failed to trouble Coughlin and Eckersley.Coughlin had set the tone by taking advantage of wide balls from Ben Aitchison to drive two fours, the second one taking him to his first 50 of the season and the eighth of his career from 75 balls.A lofted drive at Ed Barnes only just cleared a leaping Billy Godleman at mid off and Eckersley survived an lbw appeal on 40 when he played across the line at Sam Connors but there were few other alarms for the pair.Eckersley’s 50, his first of the summer, was a more sedate affair and contained only one four but it had helped shift the momentum Durham’s way after Derbyshire reduced them to 155 for 6 shortly after tea on day one.The previous highest seventh-wicket stand against Derbyshire of 130, which also featured Coughlin with Paul Collingwood three years ago, was comfortably passed and a century was beckoning for the all-rounder when Critchley was introduced two overs before lunch.His third ball tempted Coughlin into a cut but he played on and Potts went two balls later when Critchley turned one past his forward defensive push.Matthew Salisbury edged Barnes to first slip in the first over after lunch but Eckersley struck the seamer for two consecutive fours before the weather had the final say.

Chris Woakes' five-for shines at end of England's spotless World Cup warm-up

Hosts dominate with bat, ball and in the field despite resistance from Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam

The Report by Danyal Rasool19-May-2019The lead-up to the World Cup, if it means anything at all, has gone spotlessly for England. The final ODI at Leeds was the most comfortable win in a series that has, one washout excepted, consisted only of victories against a Pakistan side which will rue slow starts with both bat and ball in the final fixture as they fell to a 54-run defeat.While the batting for England has been relentlessly brilliant over the series, and indeed since 2015, it was Chris Woakes’ performance that stood out at Headingley. Three wickets in his first two overs reduced Pakistan to 6 for 3 and in a chase of 352, that was the game just about done. For good measure, he would return to clean up the tail, too, ending with impressive figures of 5 for 54.Pakistan had brief hope while Sarfaraz Ahmed and Babar Azam put on a massive fourth-wicket stand, contributing 146 while together, but found all hopes dashed by an incredible spell of fielding that yielded three wickets in six overs. Adil Rashid and Jos Buttler were at the centre of it all, Rashid completing a remarkable no-look run-out on the turn to find Babar well short of his ground. He would follow that with an outstanding left-handed catch off his own bowling, and Buttler would add to Pakistan’s misery with the best of the lot.Sarfaraz cut the ball away to third man – or so he thought – and stepped out of his crease before the ball had quite passed Buttler. The wicketkeeper stuck a leg out, and saw the ball hit his boot and roll back to him. Quick as a flash, he had dislodged the bails, and Pakistan were 193 for 6, still 148 runs adrift.Until then, the Pakistan captain’s performance only raised further questions about his reticence to bat in the top five, given how effective he has been higher up the order and his struggles lower down. One of the best in the business at rotating the strike, he came together with Babar to regroup expertly and when the ante needed upping, he took the attack to the spinners, bludgeoning Adil Rashid for two fours and a six off consecutive deliveries as he raced towards what would have been a well-deserved hundred.But the most decisive blows had already been struck in the first fifteen minutes. If you’ve seen Fakhar Zaman get out this way once, you’ve seen them all. Woakes, who found early swing, bowled just outside the off stump, forcing Fakhar to play towards extra cover. The left-hander’s edge went to Joe Root at second slip, almost a carbon copy of his wicket in the first game of the series. That was followed by two lbws where England used every bit of the wood on the wickets, the umpire’s call going their way both times as Woakes toyed with Abid Ali, playing his first game this series, and Mohammad Hafeez, curiously promoted up the order in defiance of recent trends and statistical form.It had been the same for Pakistan in the first innings, after Eoin Morgan had won the toss and decided to set the target for a change. The first two balls from Hasan Ali were wide of the off stump and dispatched for four and from ball one, Pakistan almost appeared disinterested. Inaccuracy was rife and more than once when the ball went down the leg side, Sarfaraz failed to collect effectively, inflating the extras and gifting England needless runs. It allowed the batsmen to plunder 95 from the first 10 even though both openers failed to convert starts, and the platform had been set for Morgan and Root to do the sort of damage they would go on to inflict in the following 20 overs.For the best part of 35 overs, England seemed destined for 400, and, depending on how obnoxiously brilliant Buttler chose to be, potentially well in excess of that mark. Then Imad Wasim, who had started off indifferently, struck twice in three balls to remove Butler and Moeen Ali, and with Root and Morgan having departed not long before, England found themselves down to Ben Stokes and the lower order for the second time in as many games.There wasn’t a century in the whole innings, something England may point to for their inability to post the type of score they had looked on course for throughout the innings. James Vince began with the picturesque elegance that has become as much a blessing as a curse for him, what with his now infamous struggles to kick on. He flattered to deceive once more, top-edging Shaheen Afridi once he reached 33, but with Pakistan never really hitting their straps in the first Powerplay, England were well on their way to a big score.With fellow opener Jonny Bairstow also failing to covert, Root and Morgan accumulated the meat of the England total with a classy 117-run partnership across the next 18 overs. It combined modern belligerence with almost risk-free classical fluidity, not letting three or four quiet overs panic or rush them, capitalising on almost every loose delivery and many tight ones. After seven overs without a boundary following Bairstow’s departure, England found at least one in every one of the following eight. Morgan was the chief aggressor during this period, smashing Fakhar, Shoaib Malik and Imad all out of the attack as Sarfaraz used seven bowlers across the fifty overs.At the time, it seemed churlish of Root to look so disconsolate when he found the deep fielder at 84, England’s Test captain smashing his bat and leaving in something of a huff. In hindsight, though, it was that moment when things went downhill for the hosts. Buttler took his time settling in, and with Imad having found a tighter line and the ability to keep to it consistently, the runs began to dry up. It was perhaps what hurried Buttler as he attempted to put away a rare long-hop from the left-arm spinner straight into backward point’s hands, while Moeen was trapped in front off his second delivery. For the first time, the insouciance with which England normally bat had to be reined in as surviving the fifty overs became a priority.Perhaps the most delightful spell of the series was a throwback 47-run partnership between 18-year old Shaheen Afridi and 19-year old Mohammad Hasnain. Hasnain – who had never scored a professional run before – tormented an agitated David Willey, striking four fours and a six during a breezy innings. It brought temporary smiles on the faces of Mickey Arthur and several Pakistan fans, but they will know there remains plenty of work to be done if they are to seriously challenge teams of England’s ilk at the World Cup. England’s time, without tempting fate, may well be here.

Stoinis revives old memories with Kent T20 deal

Adam Milne and Marcus Stoinis will join Kent for the Vitality Blast, following the capture of Matt Henry only 24 hours earlier

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Mar-2018Kent have announced the signings of New Zealand quick Adam Milne and Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis for their Twenty20 campaign, making it three overseas signings in 24 hours following the capture of another Kiwi pace bowler, Matt Henry.Milne will return to The Spitfire Ground after an impressive debut T20 season for Kent. He took a club record 5 for 11 against Somerset last summer and topped the bowling averages with 15 wickets at 12.46, conceding just 7.23 runs an over. He will rejoin the Spitfires for the 2018 Vitality Blast, which starts in early July.”We were really disappointed to come out on the wrong end of so many close matches last summer,” he said. “With such a talented squad, we’ll be looking to make amends.”Director of cricket Paul Downton said: “Adam had an excellent first season at Kent so we’re delighted to secure his services again for 2018. Bowlers of Adam’s pace and skill are rare and we believe he can be a match-winner for us in this format.”Kent have also signed Stoinis for this summer’s T20 competition. Stoinis played five matches for Kent’s second XI in 2012 and will be available for the last nine of the 14 games of the group stage.A destructive middle-order batsman and medium-fast bowler, Stoinis has gone on to play for Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League in Australia. It will be his first experience of county cricket.Henry will be available for the first seven Specsavers County Championship matches and the Royal London One-Day Cup.He has county experience in the last two years at Worcestershire and Derbyshire and has played two seasons in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings.Pace bowling has been a weakness for Kent in recent seasons and that has been exacerbated by the loss of Matt Coles to the champions Essex which leaves Henry with an important role to play.

Saha 203*, Pujara 116* help Rest of India ace 379 chase

Wriddhiman Saha completed his maiden double-hundred and Cheteshwar Pujara his 37th first-class century to ensure there were no final-day jitters for Rest of India

The Report by Arun Venugopal24-Jan-2017
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Quick Facts – First wicketkeeper with an Irani Cup double-century

Wriddhiman Saha completed his maiden double-hundred and Cheteshwar Pujara his 37th first-class century to ensure there were no final-day jitters for Rest of India. Saha and Pujara finished with an unbroken stand of 316 and polished off the 113 runs they required inside 20 overs on the fifth morning to seal a six-wicket win.Gujarat’s 132-run lead in the first innings ultimately came to naught. The final act of the game – Pujara coming down the track to loft left-arm spinner Hardik Patel over long off for four – was every bit symbolic as it was a reiteration of Rest of India’s approach to the chase.During the course of his unbeaten 203, Saha also became the first wicketkeeper to score a double-hundred in the Irani Cup and the first batsman to do so in the fourth innings in the competition. Saha, who was named Man of the Match, later said he wanted to play positively from the outset after getting out to a fuller delivery in the first innings.”I wanted to play my natural game, which is to play attacking shots – and they came off,” he said at the presentation ceremony. “The way Pujara batted in both the innings, it didn’t seem like he was going to get out. He never held me back from hitting. He just asked me to go for it.”While parallels maybe drawn with Rest of India’s chase of 480 last year after they conceded a lead of nearly 300 runs in the first innings, Pujara pointed out that his team’s chase began on the wrong note after they lost four wickets for 63 runs. “Probably it wasn’t the right [platform]. We wanted to have a good start, but didn’t. The way Saha approached the innings made the difference.”The pace bowlers, all of them, made the difference too. It was a very good team effort, especially getting them out below 400. I think it was a fantastic pitch because there was something in it for the fast bowlers, but if you applied yourself you could score well. Overall I would like to congratulate the Gujarat team. They won the Ranji Trophy and the way they played the Irani Cup was fantastic.”The Rest of India squad with the Irani Cup, after their six-wicket win•Prakash Parsekar

Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel had good words for Saha and Pujara. “Credit should go to Wriddhi and Pujara for the way they played,” he said. “We had a great season and we played well in this game as well.” Parthiv conceded Gujarat had an inexperienced bowling attack which was better for the experience.”RP [Singh] had a niggle, Rush [Kalaria] had a niggle and Jassi [Jasprit Bumrah] was obviously going to be missed, so we did not have any option, but to go in with this attack,” he said. “When you go in with such attack, you know that there are no expectations. As a captain, mid-game I would have ideally liked to have our main bowlers but these bowlers did a decent job. To get this kind of a batting line-up out for 220 and even in the second innings to get them 60-odd for four was creditable. Somewhere experience does help but I think our bowlers did a good job.”That Pujara played out a maiden in the first over of the day from seamer Mohit Thadani was the ultimate false dawn. Saha didn’t get any runs of Chintan Gaja’s first three balls in the next over, but whacked the fourth over cover for four. That opened the floodgates as four boundaries came in the next four overs. Once Pujara cut Thadani for four, the target dropped under 100.Pujara got to 98 off the last ball of the 91st over and had to wait for four overs for his hundred. It eventually came with a shot he has played all match – the square cut, off Ishwar Chaudhaury. For good measure, he followed it up with a boundary off the next delivery. Left-arm spinner Hardik Patel, who was introduced in the 10th over of the day, was welcomed with two fours and six by Saha.Saha had said on Monday that he was thinking of his 170 during the Duleep Trophy final in 2012. In the 103rd over here, he went one better and completed his double-hundred on the back of a flurry of boundaries. The game was officially sealed by Pujara three balls later.

Mohammad Amir back in Pakistan limited-overs squads

Mohammad Amir has been selected in Pakistan’s ODI and T20s squads for the upcoming limited-overs tour of New Zealand

Umar Farooq01-Jan-2016Fast bowler Mohammad Amir has been selected in Pakistan’s ODI and T20s squads for the upcoming limited-overs tour of New Zealand. This is Amir’s first national selection since serving out his ban for spot-fixing in the Lord’s Test of 2010. His inclusion is subject to his visa coming through – given he has served time in jail for his role in the spot-fixing, obtaining a New Zealand visa might prove problematic – though the PCB is confident of not having issues on that front.Azhar Ali, who had earlier attempted to quit his role as ODI captain to protest against Amir’s return to the national radar, remains in charge of the one-day team. Mohammad Hafeez, who had joined Azhar in his protests, was selected in both squads.

Pakistan squads for NZ tour

ODIs: Azhar Ali (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sohaib Maqsood, Zafar Gohar, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir
T20s: Shahid Afridi (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Aamer Yamin, Sarfraz Ahmed, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Mohammad Rizwan, Saad Nasim, Mohammad Amir

Asad Shafiq returned for the one-dayers, after being dropped for the ODIs against England, Pakistan’s previous assignment, which they lost 3-1 in the UAE in November. Legspinner Yasir Shah was the big name missing from the ODI squad, expectedly, given he is provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance.Fast bowler Umar Gul, who has missed out since the away limited-overs series against Bangladesh in April 2015, returned to the T20 squad. Middle-order batsman Saad Nasim also returned. Mohammad Irfan, Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan missed out in the shortest format, making way for Amir. Pakistan’s previous T20 series was also against England, in the UAE, which they lost 3-0.Haroon Rasheed, the PCB chief selector, said of Amir’s selection: “Policy-making is the PCB’s prerogative and after his clearance he was selected. We didn’t have to axe any players [such as Irfan, Tanvir or Junaid] to force him in, but he imposed himself with his performance. In case Amir fails to get visa, we will name a replacement later.”Irfan is in our plan and he is a proven talent but we wanted to try a different combination and hence dropped him. We wanted to try Umar Gul instead – we saw his domestic performance and understood that he is ready again, and now we want to see how good he can be at the top level.”According to Rasheed, Pakistan’s biggest issue would be their fielding. “Both the squads are balanced but at the same time we will have to compete with a tougher opponent. New Zealand have excelled in every department of the game. Pakistan have to fight hard to give them a tough time. But we do have a good bowling armoury. The only reason I see we can lose is due to the fielding, which is a weak link. If we manage to pull ourselves up in the field, then I do not see any reason Pakistan will lose.”Pakistan named only two specialist openers – Ahmed Shehzad and Hafeez – but Rasheed said Sohaib Maqsood and Sarfraz Ahmed would be available to open if required. “Both Sohaib and Sarfraz are marked as an option for the opening slot and it’s up to the team management to take a call if they want to use them in the top order.” Maqsood’s ability up the order was tested during the recent Pakistan A T20 series against England Lions, where he made 17, 40, 3, 38 and 40.Pakistan play three T20s and three ODIs in New Zealand from January 15. The T20s will be played in Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington, before the ODIs kick off from January 25 in Wellington, Napier and Auckland.

BCB to investigate BPL fixing allegations

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has confirmed that a Bangladesh player was questioned by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officers last week

Mohammad Isam31-May-2013BCB president Nazmul Hassan has confirmed that a Bangladesh player was questioned by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) officers last week. There will be a meeting between the BCB and the ACSU on Monday, which will be the first meeting between the two to discuss suspected match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).According to reports, the ACSU have been investigating a number of BPL matches involving Dhaka Gladiators, in particular three games which they lost. The Gladiators went on to win the 2013 tournament.Hassan said he had talked to the Bangladesh batsman Mohammed Ashraful. “He (Ashraful) told me that the ACSU talked to him and he told them everything,” Hassan said. “Whatever he knew, whatever’s the truth, he can’t disclose these things because of the ACSU’S bindings. I think what Ashraful has said is not the bigger matter. The bigger deal is the ACSU’s report and what kind of decision we take [in light of the investigation].”On Monday, we will have our first sitting with them [ACSU] after the investigation. I will come to know then what’s going on. Regarding the BPL, spot-fixing or match-fixing, everything depends on their investigation. Because we haven’t done any investigation of our own we gave the responsibility to them. Saying anything before that is difficult.”Hassan also stressed on punishing the parties that are found guilty of corruption, but he doubted one clause in the ICC’s anti-corruption policy which he said states that a team that loses a game for strategic reasons can escape punishment.”We have to know what grade of offence this is. The ICC has its grading. I heard that if a team throws the match for strategic reasons that won’t be a fault. So after listening to this I was shocked. In my opinion that’s match-fixing, but the ACSU doesn’t consider it. I need to know the laws properly. We will consult our legal advisors after finding out what the report is. We will give a stern decision.”If franchises are responsible obviously they will get punished. If I run a team then the team is mine, I take my players, I train them so I have a big influence on the team. Whether the players agree or not [with the franchise’s decision], they might have to agree. So what happened and who is responsible, we need to figure that out. So did I do the wrongdoing out of no hope or was it out of my own wish? We need to find this out. But obviously everybody will get punished.”Hassan, however, said he did not believe the BPL would “close down because of this incident.” He said if the BCB could “handle this situation this time and punish the ones who deserve to be punished then I am sure that BPL won’t face this problem in the future.”

Disgraced Tom Tikolo delays elections

A remarkable last-minute court order obtained by disgraced former board chief executive Tom Tikolo prevented Sunday’s already delayed Cricket Kenya elections being held

Martin Williamson27-May-2012A remarkable last-minute court order obtained by disgraced former board chief executive Tom Tikolo prevented Sunday’s already delayed Cricket Kenya elections being held.Tikolo’s action prevented most of the the country’s largest body, the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NCPA), from participating in the elections. The NPCA has yet again been mired in in-house bickering over the past few months.”It’s very disappointing that the whole process keeps being frustrated by people who don’t want to see elections being held,” said outgoing chairman Samir Inamdar. “We didn’t want to go against the court ruling. But we will keep an eye on Nairobi and we plan to take legal action against the branch for delaying the election process.”It is unclear who Tikolo was representing by his action. His own club has already distanced itself from the move.That Tikolo threw the spanner in the works raised more than a few eyebrows as he was considered a peripheral figure following his dismissal for stealing funds from the board at the end of 2010. He withheld a payment of around $10,000 due to Cricket Kenya in respect of a tournament in the West Indies, an act that was only discovered when his email was hacked into and details revealed to the press.

Finn braced for Test disappointment

Steven Finn’s performance in the Lions match at Derby has been the story of his season – feeling like he’s bowling well without getting the rewards to show for it

Andrew McGlashan21-May-2011Steven Finn’s performance in the Lions match at Derby has been the story of his season – feeling like he’s bowling well without getting the rewards to show for it. He went wicketless in the first innings, but claimed two important scalps in the second to help the Lions begin the process of chipping away at the Sri Lankans after an opening stand of 200.With Tim Bresnan suffering a torn calf there is a pace-bowling vacancy in the England squad which will be announced on Monday, although the chosen player is unlikely to play in Cardiff ahead of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett.Finn has fallen down the pecking order since being dropped after the third Ashes Test and Ajmal Shahzad, who has taken three wickets in the Lions match, is at the head of the queue. Finn, though, believes he has made significant strides since Australia and is far more comfortable with his own game.”The figures don’t suggest that I bowled particularly well, but this is probably the best I’ve felt this season,” he said. “This season I’ve felt a lot better than before, and a marked improvement on where I was in Australia.””I’ve been steady and consistent but haven’t quite had the eye-catching performances. But I feel far better about my cricket, and in far better place than I did when I was in Australia.”However, Finn understands that there is now huge competition for England’s fast-bowling places. He is ready to deal with the disappointment of not being in the line-up at the start of the season, but has set his sights on proving his worth.”There are guys who performed very well in Australia and people who’ve done very well in domestic cricket this season and have been taking wickets,” he said. “I’m open to criticism, and I didn’t bowl as well as I should or could have done in Australia. To come back on to home soil and have a chance to put that right has been great. I’ve always got something to prove to people that I’m good enough to get into any given Test squad.”Finn’s two wickets of Tillakaratne Dilshan, who made a 110-ball 117, and Kumar Sangakkara meant the Lions were able to regain their grip on the match during the afternoon session. Overall, though, it was a much-improved display from the visitors and with Thilan Samarweera still at the crease they’ll hope to extend the lead beyond 200 on the final day.”We applied ourselves a lot better today,” Stuart Law, Sri Lanka’s coach, said. “I think we learnt from the first innings. These are very different conditions from where the boys have come from. The ball has swung, there has been a bit of pace and bounce in the pitch and the England guys have bowled very well.”While Dilshan played the most entertaining innings, the role of Tharanga Paranavitana was equally important and Law believes he can play a vital role in the Test series. “He’s only played a few games of Test cricket but he’s really impressed,” he said. “He got a hundred against India last year and can certainly play. He’s the perfect foil for Dilshan who just plays his game while he digs in and did that beautifully today.”

Three debutants in UAE team to Bermuda

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have named three debutants in the squad to tour Bermuda in July

Cricinfo staff08-Jun-2010The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named three debutants in the squad to tour Bermuda in July. Swapnil Patil, Saqib Shah and Tahir Butt join the team that will play a four-day Intercontinental Shield match, two 50-over games and a T20.Khurram Khan will lead the side that also includes Mohamed Tauqir, who has recovered from the broken finger he suffered against Uganda in January. The UAE is currently third in the Intercontinental Shield table, behind Uganda and Namibia, and needs to beat Bermuda to have a chance of qualifying for the final. Bermuda, having lost both its matches, is in last place.Squad: Khurram Khan (capt), Mohamed Tauqir, Abdul Rehman, Arshad Ali, Ahmed Raza, Saqib Ali, Shadeep Silva, Qassim Zubair, Amjad Javed, Saqib Shah, Swapnil Patil, Tahir Butt, Moiz Shahid, Naeemuddin Aslam.

The Dhruv Jurel run-out: 'I just don't think you can give it out,' says Tom Moody

Mitch McClenaghan agrees with Moody, but Varun Aaron feels the right decision had been made

ESPNcricinfo staff22-May-20244:17

The Dhruv Jurel run-out – out or not out?

After the contentious lbw call that went in Dinesh Karthik’s favour in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) innings, there was another dismissal in the IPL 2024 Eliminator that divided opinion, when Cameron Green broke the stumps to run out Dhruv Jurel in the Rajasthan Royals (RR) chase.Green, the bowler, collected Virat Kohli’s throw from the deep, but may or may not have had the ball in his grasp while breaking the stumps. The TV umpire, Anil Chaudhary, however, concluded that Green was in control of the ball and gave Jurel out.Law 29.2.1.5 – dealing with “breaking the wicket fairly” – considers it a valid dismissal provided “that the ball is held in the hand or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used” to break the stumps. Since the pictures did not conclusively show Green in control over the ball, there was debate.Related

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*Talking about the above law, the MCC laws manager Fraser Stewart said: “The umpire must therefore determine whether the ball is ‘held in the hands’. In this instance, the umpire decided that there was just still pressure on both sides of the ball from both hands, albeit not the parts of the hand that would conventionally be used (palms & fingers). At the moment of impact with the wicket, parts of both hands are still touching the ball, applying just enough pressure to keep it in place. This was sufficient for the umpire to decide that the Law was satisfied and that the ball was being held.”ESPNcricinfo’s expoerts, however, did not entirely agree with that soon after the match finished.”I think there was contact when the wicket was broken, but it was with the wrist. And I don’t believe… we’ve always grown up without knowing the law, the actual wording of the law, we’ve always grown up understanding it’s [about] control. About controlling with the hand,” Mitchell McClenaghan said on ESPNcricinfo’s TimeOut show. “And you saw Cam Green’s reaction afterwards, he was on his knee and his head was down and there was no celebration. Even in his mind – and I could be wrong – I believe he thought he lost control.”Tom Moody also felt the visuals were inconclusive, and Jurel deserved the benefit of the doubt.”The key word is ‘held’,” he said, referring to the law. “And I think when the stump lit up, the ball was not held in the hand. He lost control of the ball. Yes, it was in contact with his wrist/thumb, but there was no control of the ball. It wasn’t being held.”So, for me, that’s a huge grey area. I just don’t think you can give it out. That would’ve caused a storm with that decision, but just looking at the actual wording of the law, it’s very hard to give it out.”Varun Aaron, however, felt that the right decision was made.”I thought it was out. I understand sometimes you don’t hold the ball exactly properly, but if it’s somewhere in the vicinity of your palms, and he’s hit the bails, it’s just a matter of seconds and obviously Cam Green didn’t have the time to play the rule in his head,” he said. “I thought it was out. The umpire gave it out. It is debatable, it is something where people will have different opinions, but I just thought in that moment it was out. He somewhat had control over it, I won’t say he had 100% control over it, but there was control.”The decision did not make a difference to the result. Jurel’s dismissal had RR at 112 for 4 in 13.1 overs, but useful knocks from Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell gave RR victory over RCB with one over to spare. RR next face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, May 24 in Chennai at the second qualifier.*1525 GMT, May 23: The story was updated with a quote from Fraser Stewart

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