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Mahmood follows six-wicket haul against Northants to become first Lancashire bowler to take five wickets in successive List A games

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2019Saqib Mahmood became the first Lancashire bowler to take five wickets in successive List A games as his side overwhelmed Leicestershire by nine wickets in a one-sided Royal London One-Day Cup match at Emirates Old Trafford.Following his six-wicket return against Northamptonshire on Wednesday, Mahmood bagged 5 for 14 against a visiting team which contained five former Lancashire players. Leicestershire were bowled out for 80 in 37 overs, their lowest List A total against Lancashire, with only Harry Dearden and Ben Mike reaching double figures.Lancashire took only 19 overs to secure their facile victory, Haseeb Hameed making 29 not out and Steven Croft finishing unbeaten on 37 after the pair had put on an unbroken 73 for the second wicket. The only Lancashire batsman dismissed was Keaton Jennings who drilled a back-foot drive off Dieter Klein to the right of Mark Cosgrove at cover-point, only to see the Australian take a brilliant reflex catch.The conclusion of a game which had featured a dozen maidens but only one six was in sharp contrast to the beginning of the contest four-and-a-half hours earlier.Bowling straight and very quickly, Mahmood took his first wicket in the fourth over when he brought one back off the seam to have Cosgrove leg before wicket for a single. Next over he extracted enough bounce from the Old Trafford wicket to take the edge of Paul Horton’s bat and Jennings pouched the catch at first slip.Colin Ackermann was the next to go when he was bowled through the gate for two and Dearden followed for 20 in the twelfth over when he fished at a ball outside the off stump but only succeeded in giving a low catch to Jennings.Liam Hurt joined the party to reduce Leicestershire to 42 for 5, although Lewis Hill’s wild slash was not a shot he will recall with much fondness. Lancashire’s Dane Vilas was not complaining, though; he took the catch behind the stumps and decided to keep Mahmood bowling from the Statham End.Hurt then had Arron Lilley, another returning Lancastrian, caught down the leg side for a single, although the batsman’s disappointment at Paul Baldwin’s decision was evident. At that point Leicestershire were 46 for 6 and Mahmood was removed from the attack with figures of 7-2-12-4.Jimmy Anderson enjoyed his only success when Callum Parkinson edged him to Vilas but the England seamer clutched an outstanding one-handed diving catch at mid-on to give Mahmood his fifth wicket when Lewis Hill miscued a pull after batting 52 minutes for 18. That wicket fell three overs after the departure of Klein, who was caught at slip off Glenn Maxwell and the innings ended in the 37th over when Rob Jones bowled Gavin Griffiths for four to end his last-wicket partnership of 12 with Chris Wright.Mahmood, who took a career-best 6 for 37 against Northamptonshire, said he felt he needed to capitalise after Anderson had given him the choice of ends.”There was a bit in the wicket up top and I felt we put the ball in the right places,” Mahmood said. “I thought Jimmy would bowl from his own end but he gave me the choice, so I felt like I had to pull my finger out.”I’m just in that little bubble where games are coming thick and fast. Even when I was on four wickets, I wasn’t thinking about the fifth but when I got that I was thinking, ‘hang on, I could get another CB here,’ but that was the only time I looked forward. It was a good day all round.”The only gloomy note for the home side was struck when Matt Parkinson was forced to leave the field with an injured finger after stopping a fierce return drive from Mike. Parkinson damaged the webbing between the thumb and first finger on his left, non-bowling, hand and the injury was to be assessed over the next two days.The first innings of the match was watched from the balcony of the Hilton Garden Hotel by the Chelsea players, Eden Hazard, Gonzalo Higuain and Pedro Rodriguez, who had stayed overnight at Old Trafford before their game at Manchester United.

Gerhard Erasmus followed up his final-over heroics from a day earlier to partner Craig Williams for a 95-run sixth-wicket stand that set up Namibia’s 17-run win

The Report by Peter Della Penna13-Feb-2018ICC/Sportsfile

Batsman Gerhard Erasmus followed up his final-over heroics from 24 hours earlier with his second consecutive half-century, teaming with allrounder Craig Williams for a 95-run sixth-wicket stand as Namibia handed Canada their first loss of the tournament, by 17 runs at United Cricket Field.At a ground that has been a bowler’s paradise in the opening hour of play, Canada won the toss and unsurprisingly sent the hosts in. But they struggled to break through, as Stephan Baard and Lohan Louwrens survived the Powerplay with a 47-run opening stand. Navneet Dhaliwal, whose part-time medium pace ripped apart Kenya on Sunday, struck twice in the 12th over to bring Canada back.But Williams produced Namibia’s highest score of the tournament – 82 off 89 balls – before departing in the 48th over. Erasmus had been with him for much of the way, and once again took Namibia into the last over to forge a commanding total of 268.Ruvindu Gunasekera, the tournament’s top-scorer with 207 runs, continued his stellar run with another half-century. Dhanuka Pathirana and Dhaliwal steered the chase after Gunasekera’s departure, and with 87 to win with 10 overs to go and seven wickets in hand, Canada were favorites, given the United’s short boundaries.But left-arm medium pacers JJ Smit and Jan Frylinck bowled sensational spells to rip out Canada’s middle order. The pair bowled eight of the final ten overs and took four wickets. They were at their best in the final 12 balls. With 28 needed to win, Smit conceded six singles in the 49th. Frylinck began the final over conceding just two singles over the first three balls, effectively clinching victory.

Blistering half-centuries from Michael Papps and Tom Blundell helped Wellington chase down a 176-run target with an over and nine wickets to spare against Northern Districts

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Dec-2016
Scorecard
File photo – Michael Papps’ career-best effort helped Wellington chase down a stiff target with ease•Getty Images

Blistering half-centuries from Michael Papps and Tom Blundell helped Wellington chase down a 176-run target with an over and nine wickets to spare against Northern Districts in Hamilton. The two batsmen registered their best scores in T20s, and trumped BJ Watling and Corey Anderson, whose half-centuries had propelled Northern Districts to 175 for 2 after they elected to bat at Seddon Park.Papps, whose unbeaten 59-ball 80 contained seven fours and three sixes, dominated an opening stand of 53 off 5.4 overs with captain Hamish Marshall to set the tone for the chase. After Marshall was caught for 16 off right-arm pacer Daryl Mitchell, Blundell joined Papps for a massive stand. In fact, Blundell took over as the dominant partner, striking at over 160 for his unbeaten 69 off 43 balls. Legspinner Ish Sodhi impressed with returns of none for 18 from four overs.Like Wellington, it was a big second-wicket stand that drove Northern Districts’ innings. Watling and Dean Brownlie gave them a steady start through a 55-run opening stand in 7.5 overs. Once Brownlie fell for 35, Northern Districts went into overdrive with Anderson slamming six fours and five sixes. Though Watling (58 off 48) was run out in the 18th over, Anderson stayed unbeaten on 72 off 41 balls for a strong finish. Grant Elliott was miserly with his medium-pace that fetched him 1 for 22 in four overs.

Even though Sri Lanka began their post Jayawardane-Sangakkara on winning note against West Indies, captain Angelo Mathews admitted that his side’s tour of New Zealand will be their toughest tour so far

Sa'adi Thawfeeq26-Nov-2015Sri Lanka began their post Jayawardene-Sangakkara era on a winning note by defeating West Indies quite convincingly in the Test and ODI series, but captain Angelo Mathews admitted that his team will face their toughest challenge so far in New Zealand, later this year.”We played some really good cricket against the West Indies, we outplayed them in all three departments in all formats but it will be a completely different tour in New Zealand because conditions and the opposition are different,” Mathews said before his team’s departure on Thursday.”We have got to start off from zero, this is a bigger challenge for us because the weather is not going to be on our side, it will be tough and cold but it’s the mental aspect,” he said. “If we can get our mindset right we shouldn’t be too worried about the cold or anything else and make any excuses, we can just go on the tour and play to win.”New Zealand is a very competitive and strong team, not only at home but away as well. In the last couple of years they have played their best cricket. They are a very competitive unit right now, with a very good, balanced team of youth and experience and it’s going to be a tough ask for us to beat them. But I am pretty sure if we do our very best we can beat them.”Sri Lanka toured New Zealand last December and were thrashed 2-0 in Tests and 4-2 in the ODI series, at a time when Sangakkara was still playing and Jayawardene had yet to finish in ODIs. The present side is vastly inexperienced, with left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (65) and Mathews (54) as the only players with over thirty Test appearances.Mathews, however, believes that the level of experience is less important than the players applying themselves.”We are going to play some really good cricket and we expect to win,” Mathews said. “We don’t expect to go there and lose or compete, whether it is inexperience it doesn’t really matter. We had experienced guys in the last couple of years and we still lost to some countries over the years. It’s about applying ourselves, we are definitely not going to lose or compete it’s just a matter of taking up the challenge and doing your very best.”Especially in the Test line-up we have loads of newcomers and only a couple of senior guys in the batting who have played more than 20 Test matches. It’s going to be a tough tour but if we apply ourselves and take up the challenge I am pretty sure we can give New Zealand a good run for their money.”Mathews also refused to accept that batting was the weak point of his team. “We’ve got an inexperienced batting line up but skill-wise even the newcomers have scored a lot of runs. When it comes to Kithuruwan [Vithanage] and Udara Jayasundara – they have scored a lot of runs in New Zealand and they have a good feel of the conditions,” he added.Mathews also stated that Jerome Jayaratne, the interim head coach of the team, was working very closely with the batsmen by helping them ‘to counterattack and hang in there when difficult situations arise”.Mathews said that for practice, his team has been playing on tracks that will be similar to the seam-friendly wickets of New Zealand, but due to the weather and conditions it has been difficult for them to prepare those kind of pitches.”Even the pitches have been prepared in a way where the seamers have a lot of assistance. We’ve been training for the past two weeks on those tracks,” Mathews said. “We are trying to practice on surfaces similar to ones that we will get in New Zealand. You don’t get the ideal wicket because our weather and conditions but we have tried our level best to prepare wickets as close as possible where it helps seamers quite a lot and the batsmen have been batting pretty well on it.”Bowling is an area where the pacers have delivered for Sri Lanka but the inexperience shows. Sri Lanka’s pace quartet of Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal and Dushmantha Chameera have a combined total of 66 Test matches and captured 167 wickets compared to the experienced Herath, who has taken 293 wickets from 65 Tests and will be Sri Lanka’s key strike-bowler on the tour even though the conditions may not be to his liking.One of the main causes for Sri Lanka’s defeats in New Zealand was their poor catching and fitness. However, on this occasion they have addressed that area carefully with the help of their English trainer, Michael Main, who has put them through their paces and the results of it were seen in the recently concluded series against West Indies.Another key area Sri Lanka has worked on is removing the fear of failure, which the players had when Jayaratne took over as head coach for the West Indies series.”We talked a lot about it when it comes to dressing room atmosphere and the fear these individuals have,” Mathews said. “We tried our very best with Jerome’s help to make sure the players get rid of their individual doubts as well as play with a lot of freedom. He’s worked a lot with the support staff as well to clear the environment so that we are not afraid to do mistakes.”The coach has a very big part to play in the team and he has to get involved in making the players mindset right, trying to give them a lot of confidence and make sure they get rid of their individual fears. It plays a massive part in the team as well you feel the team environment is really good, the boys are very happy. You can still do mistakes but the fear of failure is not there.”Mathews then revealed that playing music in the dressing room has helped the team relax and keep the dressing room alive during a Test.”That is the fear that the individuals have, the fear of failure is something that each individual has and if you can cope with that, if you think you are not afraid to do any mistakes, less number of mistakes will occur. It’s just a matter of mindset and we tried to keep the dressing room alive by playing a little bit of music and keeping it relaxed and it has helped a lot. We introduced it initially in the Test series and it worked pretty well they are very happy and they are moving in the right direction.”Mathews was optimistic that if his team could come through in the New Zealand tour with a win it would have a massive impact on the players for the future.”We are quite an inexperienced team when it comes to Test cricket and also beating New Zealand in their conditions is very tough, not many teams have done that. If we can do that it will make a huge impact and create a lot of confidence in the group going forward,” Mathews said.

Bangladesh are in prime position to record a maiden victory in the country and square a series they seemed destined to lose

Firdose Moonda in Harare27-Apr-2013Three days ago, Zimbabwe were readying themselves to win consecutive Tests for the first time in 12 years. Now, Bangladesh are in a strong position to record a maiden victory in the country and square a series they seemed destined to lose.The turnaround has been as emphatic as it was unexpected. Bangladesh have put in an improved all-round performance, led by their strike bowler Robiul Islam and followed up through the senior batsmen.The playing field has levelled too, literally. Members of both camps confirmed a “much better” pitch in the second Test, compared to the one that was used in the first. The sideways movement and uneven bounce is gone. There is still something in it for the bowlers to make use of but an enterprising batsman can reap rewards.Shakib Al Hasan did so in both innings. He left well, accelerated at the right times and even though he gave his wicket away twice, he formed the spine the others needed. He would have been one of those that was chastened by the showing a week ago and took it upon himself to fix some of the failing of the first Test.”We were disappointed after the first Test, in all facets, but in particular our batting,” Corey Richards, the Bangladesh fielding coach, said. “We thought we had good plans and the guys wanted up to show how good they have been recently, because they were so good for us in Sri Lanka. So, they were pretty embarrassed and there was a general hunger to do better. Fortunately a bit of experience showed in Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim.”Bangladesh are 272 runs ahead and have five wickets in hand, which puts them in prime position to bat Zimbabwe out of the match. But they have been known to deal with expectation poorly in the past. This time, Richards said team management have a plan to ensure they are not overwhelmed.”Individually we’ve got what we feel is a goal-setting plan and the players have had a lot of buy-in to that,” he said “They are pretty simple and realistic goals and that makes it a lot easier to know where you are heading.”

Corey Richards on Robiul Islam

Bangladesh have the series’ leading wicket-taker to thank for muscling them back into contention. So far, Robiul has taken 14 wickets at 17.14 and is the only Bangladesh seamer to have consecutive five-wicket hauls. He has also bowled an entire day of overs on his own – his 90 overs amount to more than the rest of Bangladesh’s seamers put together and he has put his hand up to lead the attack in future.
“He missed the first Test in Sri Lanka and that fired him up to become our spearhead,” Richards said. “With a few injuries, he got his opportunity here. He is a little bit older and he has got the best first-class record of any of our bowlers. He knows how to get wickets and so far on this tour he’s put the ball in the right areas more often than not and that’s what you’ve got to do in these conditions.”
While Bangladesh will rely on him to secure victory in the match, Richards is aware that he needs careful management going forward. “Robiul’s efforts have been unbelievable. Yes, he has bowled a lot of overs but he has got a lot of energy and a lot of self-belief. And he has got rhythm. When you’ve got good form and rhythm the overs seem to come easily. We will need to look after to him tonight because there’s a big job for him to do in this match.
“In an ideal world, it’s not great for one of your strike bowlers to bowl lots and lots of overs but we’ve needed him to and he has done it. After this fourth innings, he is not going to have a lot of cricket for a while so he will have a break.”

The immediate one is to get “a lead of over 400,” Richards said. “Not too many teams in the history of cricket have chased over 400 but whatever we get from here on in will be difficult to get.”Stephen Mangongo, Zimbabwe’s interim coach, disagreed. “There is nothing to stop us batting one and a half days and chasing the target,” he said. The evidence of the last innings may contradict that statement. Zimbabwe batted 96 overs and their top-order lasted for fewer than 23 but Mangongo was confident they will rectify that in the second dig.”With have got faith in the top-order, that’s why they are in the team,” he said. “Some guys have been in the doldrums for some time and they are due for some runs. We are still in it big time.” Some guys like Vusi Sibanda and Hamilton Masakadza are who he might be referring to and they have only a few hours to come up with a plan to negate Robiul.It could mean that Zimbabwe will have to depend on the middle- and lower-order, as they have so far, but they will take heart from knowing another of that lot has returned to form. Elton Chigumbura recorded his highest Test score and changed the course of the Zimbabwe innings by scoring quicker than the rest, something Mangongo has urged him to keep doing.”Elton is a strokeplayer and we want to give him the role of the enforcer – to liberate him and allow him to play his natural game,” he said. “When he came in yesterday evening with 15 overs to go, playing his shots, orthodox cricket people would have said he was mad. He looks like a fool when it doesn’t pay off but he is an attacking player and we want him to play that way.”Another member of the squad who has been urged to do what feels most natural is Shingi Masakadza. He opened the bowling with success and with Keegan Meth unable to bowl so far, he will have to play a major part in ending Bangladesh’s innings early. “Shingi was always out-and-out away swing bowler and someone who hits the deck hard,” Mangongo said. “He has been trying to get the ball to come in so we’ve gone back to basics. We’ve told him to run in, hit the deck and get the ball to move away and it’s working.”Not everything about Zimbabwe cricket is doing the same. After dominating in the first Test, they are scrambling in this one and they already seem to have a ready-made excuse if things don’t go their way. “We are building. We don’t have a team at the moment,” Mangongo said. “There are a lot of hungry players out there and we will only know who the best are when the guys put their hands up consistently.”

Jonny Bairstow has impressed for England in the one-day game, possessed with a competitive spirit, a natural power and a sharp eye. No wonder England are anxious to see if he has the aptitude for Test cricket.

Alex Winter14-May-2012Jonny Bairstow has impressed for England in the one-day game, possessed with a competitive spirit, a natural power and a sharp eye. With such a combination it is little wonder England are in a rush to discover whether he has the aptitude for Test cricket.Bairstow, the batsman who has left England eager to find out more about him, now faces the challenge of the Lord’s slope, a talented West Indies attack in bowler-friendly conditions and the rhythms of the five-day game.When he makes his debut in the first Test against West Indies, starting on Thursday, he and his late father David will become the 13th father-son combination to play for England.
Perhaps a Test debut will come at the right time for Bairstow. His natural instincts might be checked by the Test environment. He will be expected to learn and adjust. He is the sort of vigorous and exciting batsman who makes selectors want to take a punt.By contrast, the player he has been preferred to, James Taylor, has been left at Nottinghamshire to refine his approach in less high-profile surroundings. Taylor took a bold decision to make the move to Trent Bridge where bowler-friendly conditions can expose his tendency to play across the line but working out his game in difficult batting conditions and success in Division One is his route to future England honours and everyone expects him to get there.Bairstow will have to play differently than his other innings at Lord’s last August but his previous knock provides a good omen: he made 114 from 136 balls with a West Indian, Corey Colleymore, opening the bowling. That was his first century in one-day cricket.He has also made five first-class centuries, the latest of which came at Scarborough against Leicestershire. His 182 came in a testing scenario, Yorkshire were 33 for 3 when he arrived at the crease, the type of situation where Bairstow has thrived.”It’s probably inner grit,” Bairstow said. “I think it’s a good attitude to have, thinking ‘right we’re up against the wall, I want to dig us out of this situation.’ It perhaps comes naturally to me; I haven’t necessarily worked on it but I’m pleased to have it.”Another natural talent is his power: the asset immediately evident following his 41 from 21 balls on debut in Cardiff which won England the ODI against India. But Bairstow says there is a time and a place for both power, and touch and control – the latter will be the more important skill on Thursday.Power and an eye for the ball were the initial factors in digging Yorkshire out of a hole at Scarborough. Only after tea on the first day when the scoreboard was more pleasant for the hosts did he settle and knuckle down towards and beyond his hundred. It took time for him to look like a proper Test player: he does have it but his state of mind is generally to be aggressive.”The mindset I took to Scarborough, to Northampton, to here at Lord’s will be the same. It isn’t something you can flick on and flick off. Mindset is something that you can only naturally do. Thursday will be the same as every other day. If the ball’s there to be hit, it’s there to be hit.”But this week Bairstow is the latest man to take possession of the troublesome No. 6 slot. He will want to ensure his tenure is longer than the more recent occupants – Ravi Bopara and Eoin Morgan – whose path to Test cricket through prowess in the one-day arena draws parallels.He will also have a very keen eye to help him in Geoffrey Boycott – a close family friend. Boycott’s wife telephoned Bairstow’s mother to offer her congratulations. His mother and sister should be at Lord’s this week.”Geoffrey is very much, if you want to speak to him you can do,” Bairstow said. “I’m very grateful to have someone like that. I haven’t really picked his brains but it’s possible I could speak to him about his experience. I’ll probably catch up with him at some point.”

West Indies Under-19s took Australia Under-19s last six wickets in their second innings for 41 runs and managed to win the three-day game in Dubai by four wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Apr-2011
ScorecardWest Indies Under-19s took Australia Under-19s last six wickets in their second innings for 41 runs and managed to win the three-day game in Dubai by four wickets. At 187 for 4, Australia looked like they had done enough to earn a draw, but seamer Derone Davis and spinner Kavem Hodge rant through the middle order and tail to set up a 153-run chase.Kraigg Brathwaite and Akeem Saunders took West Indies to 105 for 1, and though five quick wickets fell after that, their side got home. Legspinner Ashton Agar, who didn’t bowl in the first innings, caused the flutter in the chase, and finished with 4 for 59.Before Australia’s late collapse half-centuries from Nick Stevens and Cameron Bancroft had taken them to a seemingly safe position. The win means West Indies have emerged victors in both the fifty-over match series, which they won 2-1, and the one-off Youth Test.

In the last two years, Graeme Smith suffered six injuries of the arm, resulting in him missing either whole or part of six limited-overs competitions

Firdose Moonda02-May-2010The ICC World Twenty20, besides representing an opportunity for Graeme Smith to captain South Africa to their first major trophy in 12 years, is also a chance for Smith to complete his first limited-overs series in 2010. He has started three such series, including the World Twenty20, and pulled out of two with a problem that he can’t seem to shake: lower arm and hand injuries.In the last two years, Smith suffered six injuries of the arm, resulting in him missing either whole or part of six limited-overs competitions. His latest niggle was a double fracture to his right middle finger, sustained while taking a catch in the IPL. He had played just two matches when he was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament. Prior to that, he fractured his little finger in practice in India, forcing him out of the three-match one-day international series in February this year.Smith was sidelined from both home and away ODI series against Australia in 2008-09 after Mitchell Johnson broke his hand twice. That came after he suffered from a tennis elbow condition, which he developed in April 2008. The injury recurred over the course of a year and kept him out of three ODIs against England in July 2008. With a record like that, one can’t help but wonder: does Smith really detest playing limited-overs cricket so much, is he just horribly unlucky, or is there something wrong with his lower arms and hands?One of the theories doing the rounds is that Smith’s dalliance with cortisone may have made his bones brittle. Smith initially used cortisone injections as treatment for his tennis elbow, before finally agreeing to have surgery. Dr Jon Patricios, a sports scientist in Johannesburg, said excessive amounts of cortisone could have an adverse effect on bone strength, but only if it was administered in a certain way. “Usually if it is injected into the joints directly, and in copious amounts, it can weaken the bones. However, with Smith, the cortisone was injected into the tendon.”Although medical evidence suggests tendons could be weakened for up to three months as a result of direct cortisone treatment, and Patricios said he knew “a lot of people who felt Smith should not have had so many cortisone injections,” he felt only negligible amounts of cortisone were absorbed into Smith’s system. That, together with the speed at which Smith’s latest injury healed (three weeks as opposed to the expected four to six weeks), led Patricios to believe that the captain’s bones were strong and that it was “unlikely” that cortisone could have had any effect on him. In fact, the doctor said Smith was fortunate not to have had the injuries closer to joints because that would have been far more serious.”Lucky, but unlucky,” said Patricios, who thinks Smith just had wretched fortune when it came to his fingers and hands. He said Smith could consider using reinforcing materials in his gloves to lessen the blow, should he get hit again. South Africa’s batting consultant, Kepler Wessels, said Smith would probably use more padded gloves but getting nailed was “part of the job.”Wessels said that on the occasions Smith was hit, it was by a “freak delivery”. “No bowler can really plan on bowling a ball that takes off like that, so when it happens it’s generally an accident. I can’t see any coach telling their bowlers to plot how to break one of Smith’s fingers or hands, since that isn’t a line of attack. Opening batsmen accept that this is part of the game and that they are more vulnerable to it but it can’t be seen as a weakness.” Although a Ray Jennings-Andre Nel style bounty hunting (remember the deal over hitting Allan Donald on the head) is not likely to happen at international level, bowlers won’t be blamed for smelling blood when they see Smith’s hands gripped around his bat handle.Wessels believed Smith had healed sufficiently to not have to worry about being seen as a soft target, and since his last two injuries were not even batting related, he didn’t think the South African captain had reason to be concerned. He added if Smith felt any precaution was necessary, it would be better used in the field, where, “He may choose to stand in a place where the ball won’t get hit a lot, but that’s not an exact science, so the chance of him picking up another fielding injury can never be nullified completely. But he may do something like that if his finger is still feeling a little tender.”Smith may have fears of a seventh lower-arm injury buried somewhere deep in his burly frame, but Wessels said he wasn’t over thinking the reasons for his recurring problem. “He is the kind of person who wants to score runs and lead the team to victory more than anything else, and if that means getting hurt, he’d be willing to get hurt. At the moment he has so much else on his mind that his injury risk probably doesn’t feature too high.” Things like the fact that South Africa’s silverware cabinet is eerily barren and it’s up to him, broken fingers or not, to try and change that.

Blair Tickner, who was taken to hospital for treatment soon after picking up the injury, “is awaiting further specialist assessment to determine his return to play”

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2025Blair Tickner will not bowl or field at all, and is unlikely to bat for the remainder of the ongoing second Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Wellington, after dislocating his left shoulder while diving to stop a boundary on the first day of the game on Wednesday.Tickner, who was taken to hospital for treatment soon after his injury, which he suffered in the second session of the first day, has joined the squad at the ground but “is awaiting further specialist assessment to determine his return to play”, New Zealand Cricket said in a statement on Thursday.Tickner, who led New Zealand’s fast-bowling show on the opening day with a four-for, had to be stretchered off in the 67th over of West Indies’ innings when he attempted to prevent a boundary at fine leg. Chasing a flick from Tevin Imlach, he dived full-length near the rope and stayed down, prompting concern from his team-mates. The medical staff from the New Zealand camp and the venue attended to him before he was taken off the field – sitting up but in obvious discomfort – to warm applause from the Basin Reserve crowd.Playing his first Test since early 2023, Tickner had been drafted into the XI for this match after injuries to Matt Henry and Nathan Smith in Christchurch. His 4 for 32 from 16 overs made him New Zealand’s best bowler on the day. His injury, however, added to an already lengthy list of unavailable fast bowlers for New Zealand this series, which includes Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke and Matt Fisher.New Zealand are now facing the prospect of losing a third fast bowler this series. They were similarly reduced in Christchurch, which had a knock-on effect and allowed West Indies to bat out a draw.Before being forced off, Tickner trapped Brandon King (33) and Kavem Hodge (0) lbw, used a sharp bouncer to dismiss Shai Hope for 48, and uprooted Roston Chase’s leg stump to put New Zealand firmly in control.In Tickner’s absence, New Zealand’s bowling in West Indies’ second innings will have to be shouldered by Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes and debutant Michael Rae, with the part-time spin trio of Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson and occasional medium-pacer Daryl Mitchell around to chip in as needed.

South Africa top order batter set for first county stint after impressing in domestic T20

ESPNcricinfo staff03-May-2024Northamptonshire have signed South Africa top-order batter Matthew Breetzke for the the upcoming Vitality T20 Blast.Breetzke, 25, has won three T20I caps for his country but was not named in South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad and should be available throughout the group stage alongside Northamptonshire’s other overseas signing, Zimbabwe allrounder Sikandar Raza.”Matt is a very capable batter who will bring power, experience and some real determination to the side,” John Sadler, Northamptonshire’s head coach, said. “We identified what we wanted to achieve with our overseas signings this year and he fits the profile of exactly the type of player that we wanted to bring in as our second overseas.Related

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“He has been excellent over the last couple of seasons domestically and we’ve been really impressive so we can’t wait to see him this summer.”In a tough market for overseas signings, Breetzke stood out with his domestic T20 form. He was the third-highest run-scorer at the 2023-24 SA20, with 416 at a strike rate of 135.50 for Durban’s Super Giants, then topped the list in the recently completed CSA T20 Challenge, with 467 runs for Warriors.Breetzke said: “I am very excited to join the Steelbacks for the upcoming Vitality Blast and really grateful for the opportunity. I hope to contribute a lot on and off the field during my time at the club.”