A year ago there were tears in the pavilion for Middlesex’s title win. This year the need is only for survival and the most valuable fizz is on the field

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's20-Sep-20171:18

Kumar Sangakkara’s staggering record leads our Championship round-up

There is something oddly beautiful about a relegation scrap, even here, with only Middlesex in danger. Lancashire, safe, dismayed the race to the top was settled so soon, with a million excuses to have mentally checked out of the 2017 season, are playing their part in a back-and-forth tussle that started with brass knuckles and will be settled by brass balls. That this match, on an unpredictable pitch which has created more errors than excellence, is being played at Lord’s is a quirky filter that provides a wonderfully distorted picture.Oh, the wonders this ground has seen. You only need to go back to the end of last summer when the 2016 season was brought to such a thrilling conclusion for Middlesex’s title win. There were tears in the Pavilion, champagne on the outfield and, after 23 years, a trophy in the cabinet.A year on, barring a handful of interruptions for bad light, the sun shone brightly and the members ensured the best seats in the house didn’t go to waste for the last match of the season. And while the fizz still flowed, the cricket on show was gritty rather than golden. It had to be.No batsman has come in and looked comfortable. Sam Robson was the most at ease with a battling half-century brought up off 96 balls in a Middlesex’s second innings in which his 56 was top score, one of three in double figures, was the top scorer.Luckily for Middlesex, they went into the second innings with the benefit of a 68-run lead, having taken the final five Lancashire first innings wickets for just 52 runs. To do so with a bowler light – Toby Roland-Jones, unable to take to the field with a stiff back, will play no more part in this match after an inconclusive back scan today – spoke volumes of the dirty work that needs to be done.Middlesex fans would rather it did not have to be this way, but they should be proud that their side have rediscovered the grimy qualities that sometimes four-day cricket requires. Traditionalists might see the defending Champions embroiled in a dog fight at Lord’s to stay in the division as unbecoming. And sure: you wouldn’t fork out £1,615-a-night for the Piccadilly Suite at the Ritz only to raid the discount aisle at Tesco for your dinner.But needs must and Middlesex discarded whatever baggage that might have been holding them back this summer – selfish goals, England ambitions and whatever else – to fight together as they did last summer.After 15 wickets fell on day one, 15 more fell to leave Lancashire a target of 221. By stumps, they had made it to 46 for the loss of Alex Davies. They need 175 tomorrow but rather less than Middlesex need those nine wickets.Sam Robson compiled a vital half-century•Getty Images

The day’s end came just as the hosts were starting to lose focus. Tim Murtagh, excellent in the morning to remove a dangerous-looking Steven Croft and Jordan Clark (his third and fourth of the innings), lost his usually unerring accuracy to give Haseeb Hameed the four boundaries that currently make up his unbeaten 22.Whatever bruises Lancashire took in the morning in being dismissed for 165 were avenged by Tom Bailey, who collected his second five-wicket haul of the match. His match figures of 10 for 98 are a new career best. He profited most from bounce: pushing Nick Compton back before finding his edge with a fuller delivery and then pinning Stevie Eskinazi on the hand in a set-up that finished with knocking over the right-hander’s off stump. His third kept Lancashire in the match when Robson felt compelled to hook out to deep square leg, where Kyle Jarvis leapt superbly to his right to take one of the catches of the season. The same combination of bowler, fielder and athleticism did for John Simpson, this time at cover, allowing Bailey to claim his maiden ten-for in a match when he trapped Ollie Rayner in front for five.Neither Rayner, nor Roland-Jones, who was able to bat but walked like a man who had forgot to take the hanger out of his shirt, were able to recreate their opening-day blitz of 102 in 20.5 overs.Lancashire will entertain a similar approach when they arrive for the third day. Liam Livingstone is timing the ball nicely. Never mind that a match winning turn on this pitch could grant him a seat on that plane to Australia next month – tomorrow brings a battle and Livingstone is not one to retreat.

The left-arm spinner took six-fors in both innings to consign West Indies A to a heavy defeat

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2017
ScorecardWICB Media/Athelstan Bellamy

Left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara ripped through the West Indies A line-up, with six-fors in both innings, to seal a 280-run win for Sri Lanka A in the second unofficial Test in Jamaica. The win helped Sri Lanka A bounce back from an innings defeat in the first match to level the series, with the third match set to start from October 26.Set a fourth-innings target of 425 on the third day, West Indies A were bowled out for 144 in 54 overs. Pushpakumara first prised out the top order, dismissing opener John Campbell, captain Shamarh Brooks and middle-order batsman Vishaul Singh for single-digit scores to leave them at 27 for 3, before returning to wipe out the lower order. That West Indies A scored 144 from a position of 80 for 7 was largely due to the lower-order partnerships led by Sunil Ambris (41).West Indies A’s first innings had followed a similar route against Pushpakumara, with the frontline batting order quickly reduced to 69 for 7. On that occasion Rahkeem Cornwall’s 46 carried West Indies A past 100 before Sri Lanka A bowled them out to take a first-innings lead of 157. Pushpakumara had returns of 6 for 52 in the first innings, and followed it up with 6 for 46 in the second.Sri Lanka A were not without a few batting stutters of their own, either. They had lost their openers by the 11th over of the first innings after electing to bat first, but Dhananjaya de Silva and Charith Asalanka added a steadying 92 for the third wicket. Once the partnership ended, however, there was another slump and Sri Lanka A were struggling at 137 for 5 before they were boosted by Dasun Shanaka’s unbeaten 102. Shanaka added 105 with Roshen Silva for the sixth wicket and then took the lead with the lower order to help Sri Lanka along to 294. His 102 came off 108 deliveries and was his fifth first-class ton.Silva and Shanaka put together another crucial partnership in Sri Lanka’s second innings, adding 106 for the sixth wicket after the side had stumbled to 86 for 5. Silva made 86 off 159 deliveries, while Shanaka scored 60 off 85 deliveries, before an unbeaten 50 off 62 balls from Wanidu Hasaranga helped Sri Lanka put up 267 for 9 and stretch their overall lead to 424.

Mitchell Santner chipped in with three wickets as the visitors bowled the Board President’s XI out for 310, securing a 33-run victory in Mumbai

The Report by Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai19-Oct-2017Centuries from Ross Taylor and Tom Latham, whose 166-run fourth-wicket stand powered New Zealand to 343 for 9, consigned Board President’s XI to a 33-run defeat in the second warm-up match in Mumbai. Despite a four-wicket haul from left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat and fifties from Karun Nair and Gurkeerat Singh, New Zealand hung on to bowl the President’s XI out for 310 in the 48th over. ESPNcricinfo takes a look at the highlights from the game:Taylor-madeTaylor’s struggle in India last year was validated by his inability to register a half-century in five ODIs. On Thursday, he struck a punishing 102 which featured several glorious cover drives and perfectly-timed square-cuts. He was, however, handed a reprieve in the 32nd over, when Shreyas Iyer dropped a sharp chance at backward point. Taylor muscled 15 boundaries all around the ground – the most spectacular of those being an inside-out six over long-off, which was followed by a cut in Dhawal Kulkarni’s fifth over.Latham’s bid for the long haulIf the fifty in the previous game had been an unfulfilled statement of intent, Latham’s 97-ball 108 on Thursday was the step-up in class and confidence he needed. He used the same clinical application of his technique that had helped him finish as New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in the ODI series last year. Coming in at 73 for 3, Latham swept the spinners regularly, and had little trouble against pace. He brought up his century with a wristy six over deep square leg and hammered the next ball for a four before retiring out for 108. “It [the middle-order batting position] is obviously a little bit of change from the last couple of years but that is something that we have discussed about moving to that position. It was nice to get familiar with that role today,” Latham said of his knock.The Munro squibWith New Zealand coach Mike Hesson wanting quicker starts at the top of the order, Colin Munro opened the batting on both occasions in the warm-up games. He scored 26 in both innings, with his failure to capitalise on starts an indicator that his belligerent template may be better suited for the middle order. If the game offered anything for Munro to take heart from, it would be the two wickets of Iyer and Nair he snaffled off consecutive deliveries.Karn and turnEach of the eight overs Karn Sharma bowled featured, at least, one variation that elicited a collective sigh of agony either from the fielders or the 750-odd spectators that flocked to the Northern Block of the Brabourne Stadium. The one that took most of them by surprise came off the back of a tactful ploy. Called on to bowl the tenth over, Karn darted the first two balls of his opening spell full on a middle-and-leg line to Kane Williamson. He drew the New Zealand captain forward with the third – a relatively slower and loopy legbreak. Playing the line of the delivery, Williamson offered a meticulous front-foot defense. His failure to account for the late turn, however, meant the ball passed the outside edge and kissed the off stump. Karn finished with figures of 2 for 45.Guptill’s three chancesMartin Guptill, who laboured to a 46-ball 32, began his tryst with chance in the 13th over, when a Shahbaz Nadeem ripper turned square, but couldn’t be pouched by the wicketkeeper. In the next over, he swept Karn hard but was dropped by Avesh Khan at deep square leg, where the fielder barely had to move an inch to position himself for the catch. Nadeem subsequently let a caught-and-bowled opportunity through his legs in the 15th over, before Karn ended Guptill’s charmed life by holding on to a return catch in the following over.A late flourish in vainWhat seemed to be a forgone conclusion in the 28th over when Board President’s XI slumped to 158 for 6 was deferred until the 48th, courtesy a 46-ball 65 from Gurkeerat, who enthralled the spectators and agonised the opposition in equal measure with his lusty blows in the V. A 64-run, ninth-wicket stand between Kulkarni and Unadkat carried the hosts past 300, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

The fast bowler will be rested from the Titans’ next Ram Slam competition so that he can hit the nets and get overs under his belt

Firdose Moonda23-Nov-2017Dale Steyn will not play in the Titans’ next Ram Slam game after turning out for three in a row last week, both as part of the franchise’s rotation policy and in order for the paceman to up his bowling workload in the nets. Steyn bowled a total of 10 overs and took four wickets for 61 runs in what has been deemed a satisfactory comeback following a year out of the game due to shoulder injury. The next step in his recovery is focused on bowling longer spells so that he can be ready for Test cricket.All of South Africa’s bowlers need to work on something other than T20 skills because an eight-Test summer follows the ongoing Ram Slam tournament. “It’s not only Dale that needs to bowl more, all the bowlers need to up their volumes ahead of the Test matches,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager, who is also a medical doctor, told ESPNcricinfo. “We have set plans for all the bowlers in terms of the numbers of balls and overs they need to bowl,”Moosajee said if Steyn’s return continues according to schedule he sees “no reason” why the fast bowler won’t appear in whites again. Steyn will be back for the Titans later in the competition and could also play some provincial cricket. “If he plays enough in the T20 competition and bowls in the nets and maybe even plays a three-day provincial game, then I don’t see why not,” Moosajee said when asked if he thought fans could look forward to seeing Steyn in action for South Africa this summer.Steyn is hopeful of making an international return over Boxing Day in the inaugural four-day, day-night Test against Zimbabwe in Port Elizabeth and also has his sights set on playing against India and Australia later in the summer. The 34-year-old needs just five wickets to beat Shaun Pollock’s tally of 421 and become South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Test cricket.Morne Morkel, who is on the mend from a side strain, also looks set to play a part in South Africa’s busiest home season since readmission. He is currently bowling at 80% and should be at full capacity in early December.However, Morne’s brother and Titans’ T20 captain, Albie, told reporters in Pretoria that he only expects Morne to be fit for the playoffs of the Ram Slam in mid-December and at that stage, it is unlikely he will get a game. CSA have a policy that any player returning from injury must play some form of domestic cricket before they can be considered for the national team. That means Morne may also look to the provincial structures or even club cricket to prove his fitness.Chris Morris, who has been sidelined with a lower-back injury since the England tour in August, is expected to be considered for Titans’ selection in the next week.

Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers led Titans through a breezy chase after a record-breaking performance in the field restricted Dolphins to a paltry 100

The Report by Firdose Moonda16-Dec-2017 by seven wickets
Scorecard BCCI

Titans strolled to a third successive T20 crown and their fifth in the last ten years, thanks to a record-breaking performance in the field to restrict Dolphins to a paltry 100, which Titans chased down inside 12 overs. Chris Morris’ 4 for 13 were the best figures in a franchise T20 final and a career-best for him while Dolphins total was the lowest in a South African franchise T20 final.Morris was aided by strong performances from Lungi Ngidi, whose four overs yielded a return of 2 for 15, and Malusi Siboto, who took 2 for 10 in three overs as Dolphins completely lost their way. They failed to bat out their 20 overs, only Dane Vilas and Andile Phehlukwayo scored more than 20, and they had no partnerships over 30.Perhaps it was the occasion that got to Dolphins – they were up against a star-studded Titans XI in front of an almost full home ground – but it may also have been a symptom of the tournament as a whole. Dolphins progressed to the final despite winning only three of their 10 group stage games. They had five washouts before their semi-final clash against Cobras was also abandoned, and the lack of game time showed.By contrast, Titans reeled off six wins (with two washouts) in the group stage to secure a home semi-final before emptying their bench in the final week and losing twice. That included a defeat to Dolphins last Sunday but not much could be read into the result, because Titans fielded what was effectively a B team.They beat Warriors in their semi-final and then swept Dolphins away, with an attack that was without Dale Steyn or Morne Morkel, who are focusing on long-format preparation. The premier pacemen were not needed, though, because the rest did the job just as well.Both Dolphins openers, Morne van Wyk and Vaughn van Jaarsveld, top-edged Morris as they tried to play aggressively early on and landed their side in early trouble. Then Sarel Erwee, who scored a century on this ground in the opening round, was bowled by Ngidi to leave Dolphins 28 for 3 in the last over of the Powerplay.Captain Khaya Zondo and Vilas tried to rebuild, and got to the halfway stage, but the run-rate stagnated and when Zondo tried to accelerate, he pulled Ngidi to deep backward square. Sibonelo Makhanya was run-out, Vilas inside-edged a Siboto slower ball onto his stumps, and Robbie Frylinck bottom-edged Siboto to de Kock, to leave Dolphins 67 for 7 in the 13th over and in danger of not reaching three figures. Keshav Maharaj and Phehlukwayo pushed them to 100 but Dolphins could get no more and were bowled out with nine balls to spare.Consider that Titans also dropped two catches – Tabraiz Shamsi, who will finish as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament but was unsuccessful tonight, put one down in the deep, while Albie Morkel dropped a catch at slip – and Dolphins’ plight needs no more underlining. But there was one more problem. Imran Tahir was struck on the hand by Junior Dala while batting and could not take the field to help defend the indefensible.The task awaiting Titans’ powerful line-up was simple and they approached it clinically. While newcomer Rivaldo Moonsamy was dismissed early, Quinton de Kock, who has had a tough campaign, found form with a quick 39 off 27 balls before being caught at backward point. AB de Villiers’ 27 off 13 balls took Titans to the brink before Aiden Markram and Farhaan Behardien finished off to bring an early end to a tournament that Titans had dominated from start to finish.

The ICC has laid out three charges against Rajan Nayar, including offering a player cash to improperly influence play in an international match

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-2018Rajan Nayar, a Zimbabwe domestic cricket official, has been charged with breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on three counts, including offering a player cash to improperly influence an international match. Nayar is the treasurer and marketing director of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association (HMCA), the association that runs league cricket in Harare and oversees domestic franchise the Mashonaland Eagles.He has been charged with breaching Article 2.1.1 of the ICC’s code (being party to an effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of an international match or matches) and offering a player US$30,000 for the same. Subsequently, he has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect from his roles at the HMCA.ESPNcricinfo understands that Nayar was the man who had approached Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer in October last year with an offer to engage in corrupt activities. When the Cremer news was reported, an ICC spokesperson had confirmed that an Anti-Corruption Unit investigation was “ongoing in Zimbabwe”.At the time, the Cremer incident was the second time in two months that news had emerged of a corrupt approach made to an international captain. Sarfraz Ahmed, the Pakistan captain, also reported an allegedly corrupt approach in October. Also, days later, senior Indian curator Pandurang Salgaoncar was dismissed by the BCCI for “malpractice” after a sting operation by a TV channel produced footage of him talking to reporters allegedly posing as bookies about the Pune pitch ahead of an ODI between India and New Zealand.Nayar is an official who is well known to players, a number of whom have expressed surprise that he has been implicated in such an investigation. He has 14 days, starting from 16 January, to respond to the charges.

An all-round show from Shane Watson, coupled with a patient kock from Sarfraz Ahmed took Quetta Gladiators to another win in the PSL

The Report by Danyal Rasool10-Mar-2018Quetta Gladiators 158 for 4 (Sarfraz 45*, Watson 37) beat Peshawar Zalmi 157 for 5 (Smith 49, Watson 2-26) by six wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn a nutshellThe previous few games in the PSL almost made T20 cricket lose its shape. There were one-sided duds, exceptionally low-scoring matches and domino collapses, but this was (if indeed we can begin to call it that) good old-fashioned T20 cricket. Quetta Gladiators chased down Peshawar Zalmi’s 157 with a cold-hearted, ruthless performance, powered to the finish by a world-class 74-run partnership between their captain Sarfraz Ahmed and Rilee Rossouw.Quetta tried to stay on top of the asking rate right from the outset, aided by Shane Watson, whose outstanding form has seen him become the top scorer in the tournament. A 25-ball 37 from him sent Quetta on their way, with a cameo from Kevin Pietersen allowing them to keep the required rate in check. However, Peshawar were clawing their way back in with regular wickets, and when Quetta were reduced to 84 for 4, the importance of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership appeared impossible to overstate. Both players rose to the occasion with a professional, dispassionate class, managing to keep the runs ticking in the face of magnificent death bowling by Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali. They took it to the final over, but they never looked like blowing it. The result, however, meant that Lahore Qalandars – like the last two seasons – were out of playoff contention.Peshawar were guilty of a slow start, but Dwayne Smith compensated with a lusty, powerful innings up top, thwacking five sixes in a 33-ball 49. But soft dismissals were the scourge of their innings, and the next four batsmen fell to straight-forward deliveries spooned straight into the air in the inner circle, as Peshawar lost momentum regularly. They only managed to get to above 150 thanks to a brilliant rearguard from Captain Fantastic Daren Sammy – still only partially fit, whose 19-ball 36 powered them to 157. It was respectable, but not quite enough.Where the match was wonMohammad Nawaz has made a bit of a habit of taking early wickets, and the beauty that bowled Kamran Akmal for a golden duck put Peshawar on the back foot straightaway. For the first four and a half overs, they scored at under 5, meaning much of the Powerplay was squandered without runs on the board. Though Smith and Sammy did well to catch up, that early stumble meant a potential total of 180 was confined to merely 157. In a tight, last-over run chase, those extra runs were made to count.The men that won itT20 cricket can have a bit of a reputation as a “hit and hope” sort of format, but the chanceless nature of the Rossouw-Sarfraz partnership was spectacular. When they came together, Peshawar had the edge, but the pair seemed to trust each other, and found reassurance and confidence batting together. A classy inside out cover drive off the left-arm spinner from Sarfraz sent them on their way, and from thereon all they did was nail the basics. They got a boundary an over, kept the strike ticking along, and never gave Darren Sammy any reason to be hopeful, snuffing the fire out of Peshawar. We may not see a better partnership under pressure all season.Fast bowlers in unisonUmaid Asif, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali are all different fast bowlers in their own way, but they all appeared to have the same effect on Quetta. At least, that’s how it appears if all you did was take a cursory look at the scorecard. Each of them took one wicket each; Wahab and Umaid’s figures were indeed identical: 4-0-26-1. Hasan Ali’s numbers read 4-0-25-1. It isn’t often three fast bowlers from one side perform to that level and end up on the losing side, but that only illustrated the fine margins in this game, and the nervy contest it ended up becoming.Where they standQuetta go to the top of the table with 10 points, while Peshawar, with three losses and five wins, are dangerously close to elimination, sitting in fifth place. The result also officially eliminates Lahore Qalandars, who cannot now mathematically finish in the top four.