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Given the amount of rain that has fallen on Durban’s Kingsmead ground in the past week, Andrew Strauss would be forgiven for wishing that the heavens remain open for another day, so that his team can cement their 2-1 series lead

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Given the amount of rain that has fallen on Durban’s Kingsmead ground in the past week, Andrew Strauss would be forgiven for wishing that the heavens remain open for another day, so that his team can cement their 2-1 series lead, and emerge victorious for the first time ever in an ODI series in South Africa. But such is the journey that Strauss and his charges have been on in recent months, such an anticlimactic conclusion would be far from fitting. The team has been accused of many things of late, but being boring is not one of them.For Strauss himself, the Durban contest marks a notable milestone. Weather permitting, it will be his 100th ODI cap, and seeing as he had been jettisoned from the set-up after the 2007 World Cup, and spent a full two years thinking he’d never play in that format again, it is an achievement of some note. “To come back in and be part of this side and feel like we’re going somewhere is quite motivating,” he told reporters at Kingsmead. “I’m really enjoying my one-day cricket.”Enjoyment has been central to England’s mini-revival. Back in September, when a listless and Ashes-sated squad were battered 6-1 in their home series against Australia, it didn’t seem possible to inject any urgency into their performances. But then came a relocation to South Africa for the Champions Trophy, and suddenly the results began to stack up – albeit with the odd hefty set-back, as inflicted by the Aussies once again in the semi-final of that tournament, and by South Africa in their record-breaking run-fest at Newlands last week.But Strauss’s England teams are becoming accustomed to fighting back from adversity – witness their spirited response to being bowled out for 51 in Jamaica in February, or the way they claimed the Ashes despite being routed in two-and-a-half days in the penultimate Test at Headingley in August. According to the captain, such bouncebackability requires a culture of honesty within the squad, and an absence of ego.”Players have probably opened their eyes to the fact we have a long way to go and we’ve all got to be prepared for hard work if we’re going to get somewhere,” said Strauss. “We want an environment where we all push each other very hard – and in order to do that, we need to be honest with each other first and foremost. The environment we’re trying to create is one everyone has kind of accepted.”South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, is not noted for his chumminess with his English opposite numbers – having sparred with Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen in recent times – but even he could not find much of a bone to pick with Strauss, despite the lingering issue of his refused runner during the Champions Trophy.”Andrew is an intelligent guy, with a lot of common sense,” said Strauss. “He’s provided a lot of stability for England and has gone about it the way we have expected. We’ve managed to keep a little hold on him in terms of his batting – he still hasn’t scored a fifty against South Africa in one-day cricket, but he’s the guy we expected him to be.”But, as Smith went on to point out, it doubtless helps England’s rebuilding efforts that the go-to men of recent times – most notably Andrew Flintoff and Pietersen – have been out of the limelight, which has allowed new stars such as Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott to find their feet without being overshadowed. “We don’t want three or four senior players running the show,” said Strauss. “We want everyone feeling comfortable enough to contribute, and also that it’s expected of them to contribute.”In the sport we play, there are always going to be people who are bigger characters than others or have bigger egos,” he added.”But a good environment is able to take that into account and still let people express themselves and get the best out of themselves.”One of those players with a larger-than-average ego is Pietersen, who has struggled to reassert himself since returning to the squad following his Achilles injury, and produced a particularly frenetic six-ball performance at Port Elizabeth on Sunday. And true to form, Smith cranked up the psychological pressure by reminding him of the reasons why he is not the most universally popular cricketer on this tour.”He’s obviously got a history through things that he’s done and said, and people are still getting over those emotions,” said Smith. “The crowds have been quite vocal again towards him. Ultimately, I think it’s just his job to get on with it and deal with that. It happens round the world these days.”

The 25-year-old got Heat home in an innings of composure and character.

AAP22-Dec-2024Brisbane Heat 175 for 7 (McSweeney 78*, Renshaw 54, Pope 2-17) beat Adelaide Strikers 174 for 6 (Jamie Overton 45*, Prestwidge 2-16) by three wicketsNathan McSweeney has rebounded from his Test axing to inspire Brisbane to a last-ball BBL victory over Adelaide Strikers with a brilliant and unbeaten 78. He was “devastated” on being dropped from Australia’s side for the remainder of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy but the 25-year-old got Heat home in an innings of composure and character.Heat spinner Mitchell Swepson hit the final delivery of the chase off Liam Scott for a single over point to secure a three-wicket win, but the hero was McSweeney. After being put under pressure by India spearhead Jasprit Bumrah in the Test series, he found himself in a high-pressure chase after Strikers had posted 174 for 6.Related

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McSweeney took 16 runs off the second over of the power surge, off Henry Thornton, and celebrated with a six off Matthew Short in the next before guiding Heat to victory. McSweeney received a huge cheer from the 23,681 fans at the Gabba when he came to the crease and initially played second fiddle to a rampant Matt Renshaw.Renshaw (54 off 27) was in scintillating form with his placement, power and purpose all elite. He launched three sixes over the on side and an assortment of exquisite cuts and drives before flicking a Lloyd Pope delivery onto his shoulder and then the stumps.His 66-run partnership with McSweeney for the third wicket off just 39 deliveries got Heat back in it.Earlier, Strikers pace bowler Thornton bowled Jimmy Peirson (8) in his first over but then dropped a sitter at midwicket when Heat skipper Colin Munro skied one off Jamie Overton. Thornton made amends immediately when he cleaned up Munro (7) with the first ball of his next over.Strikers’ English contingent of Pope and Overton fired with the bat to lift the visitors to a competitive total.Overton hit hard and often in the latter overs in his unbeaten 45 off just 24 deliveries. At 196cm, the allrounder has a long reach and immense power and he utilised both to put the hosts’ bowlers off their length and crunch three sixes.Pope (34 off 29), fresh from two half-centuries in the Test series against New Zealand, started with consecutive boundaries off rookie seamer Tom Whitney before holing out to McSweeney in the outfield. Heat pace bowler Xavier Bartlett gave his side the perfect start by snaring D’Arcy Short (1) in the first over.That brought former Gabba favourite Chris Lynn to the wicket and he opened his account with his 209th BBL six, a cracking flick over midwicket. Lynn (24) was well caught attempting his 210th at long-on by Bartlett.Impressive 22-year-old Will Prestwidge (2 for 16) hit the pitch hard and picked up the key wickets of Pope and Lynn.

Karun Nair’s unbeaten fifty underpins Northants hopes after Hassan Azad falls for 48

Vithushan Ehantharajah19-Sep-2023Even with an 18-point lead at the top of Division One and facing bottom-of-the-table Northamptonshire at home, Surrey arrived into this penultimate match of the season wary of complacency. At the Kia Oval, in weather confirming summer was really over, it was Tom Lawes, one of their own, who stepped up to maintain standards.Northamptonshire closed on 171 for the loss of 6, Lawes’ nagging, surprisingly brisk seamers responsible for half of them. A simple equation is two wins give Surrey the title, which is all they care about. The fine print for the rest of us is that victory with three bonus points puts the onus on second-place Essex to win to keep the County Championship alive. Across a bitty 63.4 overs, when the usually reliable senior figures were a little off with the ball, Lawes’ 3 for 47 has not only helped bag two of those bonus points but moved the game along with rain set to play its unwelcome part for the rest of the week.Rory Burns won his first toss in five, inserting the visitors in as grim conditions as possible without being bad enough to prevent play from starting on time. The skies were overcast enough to require the floodlights at full beam at 10:30am. And the sharp winds that persisted throughout the day were fierce enough for the flags sitting atop the Micky Stewart Pavilion to be brought down.At another time, Burns would have needed to reinforce his hairband before heading out onto the field. Alas, the flowing 14-inch locks are no more, shorn for a good cause to make a natural wig for The Little Princess Trust, a charity which provides real hair wigs, free of charge, to children and young people who have lost their own hair through cancer treatment or to other conditions.Related

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Given the climes, and prolific new-ball duo of Kemar Roach and Dan Worrall going up against a batting line-up that has only managed four bonus points all season, this was surely going one way. And yet 13 overs in, neither had caused Hassan Azad or Emilio Gay any discomfort, barring a delivery from Worrall that leapt off a length and clocked Azad on the jaw of his grille.At 29 for no loss, both left-handed openers would have been satisfied with their early work. But Surrey are not where they are because of the work of just two bowlers. Enter Jordan Clark, who needed just four deliveries to move to the top of the club’s wicket-taking charts with a 47th dismissal of the season as Gay flicked down the leg side to Ben Foakes.Azad, however, trucked on, typically barnacle-like in approach. He has long been about accumulation through survival, but that throwback approach has been found wanting this season, as per the average of 16.15 from 14 innings heading into this match. Nevertheless, on a day like today, stickability was the name of the game and, together with Karun Nair – one of two Indian batters in this match after Sai Sudharsan was handed a debut in place of Jamie Smith away on England duty – compiled a 55-run stand from 24.2 overs.There was a whiff of general sadness when Azad fell, short-arming Worrall behind with an apologetic pull, wary of the man lurking around the corner at leg gully. Not for the first time this season, the short-ball did for him, two shy of a second half-century of the season.Nair, meanwhile, was able to bring up his own in 108 deliveries, and will recommence his innings on Tuesday thanks largely to a life given to him by Jamie Overton when on 11, off the bowling of Worrall. That is likely to be more stop-start than day one, which featured just one shower stopping play for two hours from 1:30pm.Nevertheless, a relatively frustrating day for Surrey carried cheer beyond the wickets. Overton pulled up five deliveries into his second over with what looked like a twinge to his left groin. In the immediacy, their depth covered for the loss as he walked off and Burns brought himself on to send the final delivery down the leg side. Lawes plugged the gap from the Vauxhall End, eventually prising out Luke Procter with a length delivery that lifted and left the visiting skipper.By then, Overton had returned to the field, taking a regulation catch at second slip. And just to reiterate his bloody-mindedness, he was back bowling by the 57th over, rapping Saif Zaib on the hand before nicking him off two deliveries later with a full ball that arched away late.It was the second of three dismissals in 25 deliveries, sandwiched between Lawes removing Keogh – another catch for Overton – and yorking Lewis McManus. Overton should have had a third when Justin Broad fended some extra bounce behind, which Foakes could only tip over the bar.At 5:22pm, bad light stopped play and no doubt Surrey were rueing what looked set to be a procession of the remaining Northants wickets to make up for the early, Zaib-led resistance as they walked off. Remarkably, the clouds had parted enough to allow through what remained of the sun to give us a 5:38pm restart, with an optimistic 12 overs remaining.Six minutes later, back came the clouds and off went the players. The only play of note was a ninth boundary to Nair, driven through extra cover, to take him to a second half-century for Northants.

He will join the squad in time to be available for selection for their final Group A clash against Zimbabwe on Thursday

Peter Della Penna13-Jul-2022D Siva Kumar, who was part of India’s Under-19 World
Cup-winning squad in Malaysia in 2008, has been drafted into the USA squad to replace the injured Ali Khan at ongoing T20 World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Ali was ruled out of the rest of the tournament after he suffered a broken forearm on the opening day of the tournament.Siva Kumar, 32, recently became eligible to represent his adopted home country under the ICC’s residency guidelines. which require a player to be a resident for a minimum of three years in order to qualify for selection. His last List A match for Andhra Pradesh in Indian domestic cricket came in October 2018.Related

• Ali Khan out of T20 World Cup Qualifier with a fractured forearm

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The medium-pace allrounder has been representing the Morrisville, North Carolina franchise for the last two seasons in USA’s Minor League Cricket T20 franchise tournament, which is serving as the precursor to Major League Cricket that is due to launch in 2023. He took 15 wickets at an average of 16.13 and an economy rate of 5.76 in the 2021 regular season and scored scored 93 runs in eight innings at an average of 13.29. In the 2022 campaign, he has four wickets in two matches.According to a press release from USA cricket, he is due to arrive in Zimbabwe on Wednesday night and will join the squad in time to be available for selection for their final Group A clash against Zimbabwe on Thursday. Both teams have already clinched semi-final berths but the winner will have the top seed heading into the crossover playoff matches with the Group B set on Friday.

SLC technical committee chairman Aravinda de Silva shares details of future plans

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Apr-2021Sri Lanka is looking to revive inter-provincial cricket in the latest attempt to create a more competitive first-class structure. Although exact details of the new competition have not been announced, chairman of SLC’s technical committee Aravinda de Silva has hinted that the provincial system will become the premier multi-day competition in the country. The present club system will continue to exist with only minor alterations as well.Provincial cricket has been sporadically attempted in Sri Lanka, but such competitions have largely been short in duration, and have done little to connect with a fan base from the provinces each team is supposed to represent. De Silva suggested the existing first-class clubs (of which there are now 26), may be required to band together in clusters to administer each of these provincial teams. This is an idea that had first been floated in 2015, by Mahela Jayawardene, before a change of leadership at SLC did away with the plan for a cluster system.”We are trying to create another tier in domestic cricket through a provincial tournament,” de Silva said. “What we want to do is make that a stronger four-day competition. In that provincial competition, we will have an “A” tier as well, which will give players opportunities to qualify for development squads. But the main provincial competition will be the feeder for the national team.”We’re trying to create a pathway from the bottom to the top by clustering clubs so that we develop players leaving the school system right to the highest level.”De Silva was adamant that although the existing club system may be trimmed down to three-day matches (at present, clubs play a mixture of three and four-day encounters), and although the number of club matches may be reduced to make way for the provincial tournament, the club system would continue to be an integral part of Sri Lanka’s domestic structure. The club tournament also would not lose its first-class status.”The clubs provide the infrastructure for players who are just out of school, because they get facilities, support and opportunities, to give these players a foundation. Without that foundation – if we get rid of the clubs – it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. The club system has been the foundation for us to develop our cricketers thus far. If we get rid of that system, it will be very difficult for us to bridge that gap. You need somewhere for the 3000-odd cricketers leaving the school system to continue playing.”SLC has made no official announcements on the exact nature of the new domestic structure yet. De Silva’s technical committee working closely with Tom Moody – Sri Lanka’s new director of cricket – to finalise tournament details.The clubs, however, may need to be won over by these new proposals. They have typically been resistant to accept additional first-class competitions that threaten the club structure’s status as the top domestic competition in the country.

Harper says his target is to make the selection process as transparent as possible

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Oct-2019Darren Bravo might have been left out of the West Indies squad for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, but lead selector Roger Harper backed the batsman to strike form in domestic cricket and return to the side.Bravo scored a mere 47 runs in four innings at an average of 15.66 in the Test series against India. His form hardly improved in the CPL, where he managed 128 runs in seven innings, striking at 103.22, and only one half-century.”Firstly I don’t want to term it as dropping a player like Darren Bravo,” Harper said in a press conference at the Queen’s Park Oval on Wednesday. “We all know the quality of a player like Darren Bravo, with the sort of Test and one-day record he has representing West Indies.”We recognised Darren has not been at his best as we have seen over the years. Therefore, we wanted to give him the opportunity to go away, maybe play club cricket, but definitely our regional cricket, get his game right and come back to being the best he can be, so that he can make a real positive impact for our West Indies team and be the force we know he can be in world cricket.”The new selection panel of Harper, Miles Bascombe and coach Phil Simmons also gave maiden call-ups to legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr and opener Brandon King for the white-ball squads. Walsh Jr topped the bowling charts in the 2019 CPL with 22 wickets from nine games. But more than the wickets, it was his wicket-taking ability – an astonishing strike rate of 9.1 – that impressed the selectors. King was the leading run-scorer with 496 runs at an average of 55.11 and a strike rate of 148.94.ALSO READ: Hayden Walsh Jr’s moment of truth, at 36,000 feet“During the CPL, he [Walsh Jr] excited everyone with his performances and given the direction white-ball cricket has gone, we realize the need for bowlers capable of taking wickets,” Harper said. “Walsh has proven he is a wicket-taker and I think he will have a great impact on the team, especially in middle overs so that we won’t be drifting through but can keep control of games.”He [King] had an outstanding season, made runs in our domestic four-day competition and followed it up with an outstanding CPL that demanded a place in the team. We were impressed not just by his stroke play, but his maturity and wish him all the best.”Apart from King and Walsh Jr, experienced batsman Lendl Simmons also reaped rewards of a strong show in the CPL and made a comeback to the T20I side. His 430 runs at an average of 39.09 and a strike rate of 150.34 were second only to King’s tally. Meanwhile, Denesh Ramdin, who last played a T20I in November 2018 when West Indies toured India, also found a place in the 20-over side as the selectors went for a back-up wicketkeeper in each format.”Similar to Brandon King, his [Simmons’] weight of runs in the CPL prior to the squad selection made us had to consider him,” Harper said. “When we looked at the balance of the team, we needed a player like him because he is a versatile batsman.”One of the things we tried to carefully do in all three squads is to have a wicketkeeper as cover. Denesh brings with him a lot of experience and as a batsman can contribute in the middle if required and I think he will add a good blend to the team as well.”Talking about his own appointment, Harper said his target was to make the selection process as transparent as possible.”If the West Indies team is to move forward it’s an area we have to get right. I look forward to working with coach Simmons, fellow selector Bascombe, taking the advice of captain Holder and Pollard so that we make this process as transparent as possible, so that every player who is performing and meeting the criteria, will feel they have a fair chance at being selected. Once we do that I believe players will give their best and we will see a positive effect of that on the field.”

Brett D’ Oliveira took four wickets with his legspin as Gloucestershire faded after a brisk start before overseas experience came to the fore

David Hopps25-Aug-2018
ScorecardAnd then there was one. Worcestershire reached a T20 Finals Day for the first time when they made short shrift of Gloucestershire, scraping through by five wickets with seven balls to spare. Now only Derbyshire, among the 18 first-class counties, have never made it to what has become county cricket’s end-of-season knees-up, further emphasis of the competitive nature of England’s professional circuit.Never mind a knees up, without the skill and composure of Callum Ferguson Worcestershire might have gone boomps-a-daisy. Ferguson’s unbeaten 64 from 47 balls babysat the Blast’s youngest squad through to Edgbaston. Adelaide born, and like much in that charming city, relatively undervalued, he has been one of the stars of the county season.Michael Klinger, Gloucestershire’s captain, knew their mediocre 137 for 5 was vulnerable to one quality innings. “We didn’t bat well enough,” he said. “No one took responsibility like Callum Ferguson did for Worcestershire, guys getting 20 and 30 and not going on including myself. We didn’t get a big enough total.”By the time within the first four overs that Worcestershire lost Moeen Ali (like Jos Butter for Lancashire two days earlier, an England player introduced with no magical effect) and Joe Clarke with only 25 on the board, Ferguson was exploring a shrewd drive or two. When they faltered again at 66 for 4 – the 11th over in play, Benny Howell having trapped Brett D’ Oliveira and Ben Cox with unnoticed changes of pace, he had bristled with authority square of the wicket. Whatever met him, he dealt with it.Ferguson’s assessment even included an uplifting message about the value of club cricket. He was asked on about recognising the need to bat through the innings. “I reckon playing league cricket when I was younger helped with that sort of thing,” he said. “We have a lot of talented strikers in the side.” A man who respects the game – at all its levels.The game was broken in the 16th over. David Payne went for 22 in an 11-ball over which included two no balls, two wides and a free hit. Just by standing there, and looking as if he was about to unload against anything in his arc, the dangerous Ross Whiteley caused consternation. During the lifetime of this over, Whiteley struck two sixes, the first of them a remarkable stooping straight flick off a low full toss. A high full toss had hit him in the stomach but only served to sharpen his appetite.A rickety old ground on a flood plain, capable of cramming in around 5,000 spectators: Worcestershire are a world away from the ECB’s future vision of global short-form entertainment on the biggest international grounds. But now they have joined Lancashire and Sussex on what has the makings of a memorable climax at Edgbaston on September 15. Somerset and Notts contest the final place at Taunton on Sunday.The Rapids had another matchwinner. “Some good ones, some bad ones.” So said D’Oliveira about his spell of 4 for 24, becoming the latest legspinner to have a field day in the Blast, and one of the most unsung leggies in the tournament. D’Oliveira, a diminutive figure with an air of cheery innocence, adorned a season where he had taken only four wickets in 12 matches in the group stages.When he took his fourth wicket with a rank long hop, silencing Jack Taylor, Gloucestershire’s last hope of plotting an escape, with a ball that scuttled through at knee high, D’Oliveira held his hands to his face in a similar manner to Stuart Broad when he took eight Australian wickets in a morning session three years ago. Replace Broad’s amazement with a little more good-natured mischief and you get the idea.Alongside D’Oliveira, Daryl Mitchell was an effective sidekick. He did not concede a single boundary in a spell that conceded only 15 and also claimed Gloucestershire’s first wicket, that of Miles Hammond, whose 45 from 31 balls had energised an opening stand of 65 from 7.4 overs.Pat Brown, the 20-year-old seamer who has found himself the Blast’s leading wicket-taker was seen off in one over; Moeen Ali dispensed with his own bowling in two. Klinger was subdued but Hammond’s dash disguised it. Then Mitchell had Hammond lbw, sweeping, and the door was opened for D’Oliveira. Gloucestershire faded like colours under a tropical sun.Klinger, feeling the pressure, shook his head philosophically and drove D’Oliveira down long-on’s throat: Ed Barnard, a safe pair of hands. D’Oliveira trotted back from the stumps to clutch Benny Howell’s slog sweep. Then came two devilish long hops – Ryan Higgins hauling to long on when he might have sixed him over midwicket, Taylor betrayed and bereft.Barnard, an excellent fielder, ran out Ian Cockbain, who had reached 35 amid the chaos, 17 balls from the end, but even on a slightly tacky pitch few imagined that Gloucestershire had enough runs at the interval.

Rangana Herath had taken 19 wickets in two Tests against Zimbabwe in 2016 – and that was away from home. Now, Zimbabwe have to battle him in his own backyard

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Jul-2017When last these teams met, Rangana Herath practically gobbled the opposition up, and took nearly half the Zimbabwe wickets on offer in the series. Herath had not previously played Zimbabwe, and as such, it was the only team against whom he did not have a five-wicket haul. He claimed only six wickets in the first Test, but was irresistible in the next, taking five wickets in the first innings and eight in the second. All up, his 19 wickets came at 15.10 apiece.This time around, Zimbabwe have at least seen a little of Herath, and understand the threat he poses and captain Graeme Cremer is confident Zimbabwe’s homework will stand his batsmen in good stead.”We know he is a quality bowler, he is someone that Sri Lanka really rely on to pick up wickets,” Cremer said of Herath. “We’ve just spoken about how he tries to get people out – both left-handers and right-handers. Guys have all come up with their own individual plans on how to play him. We definitely know he is a threat and he will be someone we need to keep out if we are to do well in the Test.”Their own attack, meanwhile, is likely to comprise of a similar array of spinners as were in evidence during the ODI series. Cremer himself is a specialist legbreak bowler, and had some success in the Tests against Sri Lanka last year. In support are several allrounders: Sean Williams (left-arm spin), Malcolm Waller and Sikandar Raza (both offspin).”We rely on a lot on our spinners, which has always been our wicket-taking option,” Cremer said. “We’ve had injuries with the seam attack – Carl Mumba is struggling with his knee, which is a setback for us. But we’ve still got guys who can step up and do the job, because we are spin-heavy in our team. It depends on the conditions how many spinners we will play.”Cremer also drew attention to the substantial challenges posed by Zimbabwe’s infrequent Test schedule. The team has only played four Tests since November 2014, and none since they met Sri Lanka in October and November 2016. The vast majority of their squad have played fewer than 20 Tests, with Cremer himself only having 15 matches under his belt. The rushed schedule on this tour was also a mild bone of contention – Zimbabwe would ideally have liked more time to become acclimatised to Sri Lankan conditions.”We sometimes struggle when we go three, four, five months without a series, which can be tough. It’s not easy just to walk up there and play well against top teams. If we can get a lot more games against good opposition it will help our cricket.”We also knew it was tough to get a practice fixture, because Sri Lanka had a tough schedule. We’ll sort of take any cricket that is given. If Sri Lanka said we can’t play a three-dayer or four-dayer because of the schedule, that is something that we cannot control. We aren’t too fussy. At least the guys have been out in the middle in the ODIs. We are still confident we can still push them.”

A match replete with English records saw Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels share an opening stand of 342, Nottinghamshire rattle up 445 for 8 and Northants’ chase fall only 20 runs short on a day of 35 sixes

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jun-2016
ScorecardMichael Lumb and Riki Wessels took toll of a flagging Northamptonshire attack at Trent Bridge to set a new record stand for a List A game in England on a staggering day of batting domination.Lumb and Wessels logged an opening stand of 342 in 39.2 overs for Nottinghamshire under cloudless blue skies in a Royal London One-Day Cup group match before the partnership was finally broken when Wessels fell to Stephen Crook for 146, lifting him to short third man.Their stand beat the previous record in England – 318 amassed by Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly against Sri Lanka in Taunton in the 1999 World Cup. The India pair left of a slew of records in their wake – at the time the stand was the highest in any limited-overs international.Nottinghamshire went on to make 445 for 8 in their 50 overs. It was the second highest total in List A matches worldwide, beaten only by Surrey’s 496 for 4 against Gloucestershire at The Oval in 2007.

At a glance

• 342 Highest partnership in List A matches in England; 3rd worldwide

• 445 Second highest List A score worldwide

• 870 Highest List A aggregate runs in England; two short of world record

Astonishingly, despite being stricken by injuries, Northants got within 20 runs under the Trent Bridge floodlights in a match that included an aggregate of 870 runs – another domestic record and only two runs short of the world record – and a barely credible 35 sixes.Lumb said: “It was an incredible match and hats off to Northants, they came out and pushed us to the wire. What a great game of cricket for everyone who rocked up to Trent Bridge today.”It was one of those days when you walk out there and the stars are all aligned and you have a day out. It was a bit like that for me and Riki and we were able to put on a great partnership. That’s all we were trying to do, get the team off to a good start, and today we kept on going and going.”Lumb and Wessels did not quite manage to overhaul the highest List A stand of all time, finishing third on the all-time worldwide list.The record was set in February last year when Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels took 372 off the Zimbabwe attack at Manuka Oval in the 2015 World Cup.Lumb scored 184, making his runs from 150 deliveries, with 21 fours and six sixes, and Wessels hit 146 from 97 balls, with 14 fours and eight maximums, with both players reaching their highest one-day scores.Lumb’s fifth one-day ton was his first since scoring 106 on his England ODI debut in Antigua in 2014 and his first in domestic cricket since 2009. His 184 is also a county record, bettering the unbeaten 167 made by Paul Johnson in 1993. He also left to a standing ovation after being bowled by Sanderson, trying to deflect the bowler down to fine leg.Neither opener offered a clear chance, although one or two mishits fell harmlessly into the outfield and a couple of run out opportunities went begging. That said, both batsmen deserved any good fortune that was going, due to their cleanness of their ball striking.Nottinghamshire, easily surpassing their previous highest total of 368 for 2 made against Middlesex two years ago, predictably emerged victorious but Northants regained some kudos by amassing 425 in reply to lose by a much smaller margin than most would have assumed would be the case.Northants’ spirited retort was all the more remarkable considering that they were handicapped by a shoulder injury to Richard Levi, which meant he didn’t bat until No 11. Veteran South African Rory Kleinveldt, nursing a calf injury, also batted with a runner and almost helped the visitors pull of a stunning run chase.He hit 128 from only 63 balls, smashing 10 fours and nine sixes to put Notts under real pressure, all after Adam Rossington had made 97 at the top of the order.Kleinveldt’s incredible innings came to an end when he was superbly caught in the deep by sub fielder Anuj Dal, who had spent the day playing for Nottinghamshire’s Second XI at Hinckley, against Leicestershire.Dal also caught Graeme White for 40, leaving 21 required from the final two overs but Harry Gurney kept his nerve to bowl Levi in the penultimate over.David Ripley, Northants’ head coach, said: “I’ve never seen anything like it. Obviously it wasn’t a game for the bowlers – on both sides. It was a great run chase from us, I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a dangerous score that’s been put in front of us and come so close. We’re very disappointed, but we are very proud of the way we chased.”

The most striking aspect of the Investec summer launch came in the contrast between Ian Bell’s understandably guarded responses, and the utter relaxation of Grant Elliot, nevertheless taken aback by the headlines around English cricket in the past 48 hour

Andrew Miller14-May-20151:23

KP can feel aggrieved – Bell

As the man who struck the six that sealed New Zealand’s epic World Cup semi-final win over South Africa in March, Grant Elliott is no stranger to stressful situations. But even he was taken aback by the blizzard of headlines that have enveloped English cricket in the past 48 hours.”You guys are pretty intense over here,” he said at the launch of the Investec Test summer. “I asked Belly, ‘is it always like this?’ He said, ‘yeah, pretty much’.” Ian Bell, separated from Elliot by compere Nasser Hussain, was visibly braced for impact.The most striking aspect of the morning came in the contrast between Bell’s understandably guarded responses, and the utter relaxation of a New Zealand cricketer who, though he will not be featuring on this tour until the ODIs in June, is self-evidently qualified to speak for the mindset of his Test-playing team-mates. The afterglow of New Zealand’s extraordinary and captivating World Cup has yet to wear off and Elliott spoke with an openness and enthusiasm that must surely be the envy of any England player who longs for a chance to be truly judged on the field.”The cohesion and team environment we had could be seen through the television screen,” Elliot said. “But possibly the best accolade was having mums and dads come up to us, saying my son or daughter wants to play cricket next summer. It was great.”Respect for your team-mates would have played its part too, which is presumably the underlying, and still unspoken reason, for Kevin Pietersen’s blackballing from the England set-up. And yet Bell, who is part of the same management company, could shed no light on the dressing-room politics.”I played ten years with Kevin, we both went through highs and lows, we won a lot of cricket together,” Bell said. “I enjoyed my time with him but it’s very difficult to say anything. Kevin is a quality player, probably the best player I’ve ever played with so he does make any team stronger. But I haven’t sat in on any of these meetings, I don’t know what’s been said between Colin Graves and Kevin, and Tom Harrison and Kevin, and Andrew Strauss and Kevin.”It’s no good us as players talking about that and there have been no conversations in the dressing room about any of this stuff.”There’s no use blaming the players for the situation that their management has created for them, but whatever way you try to spin it, it’s not a good look for a sport that has rarely felt more distant from its public. As Elliott summed up, not without a degree of relish: “It’s complicated, isn’t it?”New Zealand shrugged off their internal politics long ago and throughout the World Cup, the connection between the New Zealand team and their fans was real and heartfelt, and stories abound to illustrate the warmth and the depth of that feeling – a primary school teacher in the Bay of Plenty won a bet (50 press-ups) with an incredulous Year Five student that, yes, she was in fact Trent Boult’s girlfriend, and, yes, if the class behaved for the rest of the term she would ask him to visit.There’s a significant difference in scale between England and New Zealand, of course – Elliott himself likened his home town, Wellington, to a “fishing village” – but the ECB can but dream of creating such a seamless connection between its team and its public.5:37

Elliott backs New Zealand IPL stars to fire in Tests

To that end, Matt Dwyer, formerly of Cricket Australia, has been appointed the ECB’s new director of participation and growth. It is a vital role, in spite of the lumpiness of the title, but nothing compared to the impact that a liberated, exciting, free-spirited national team could create.More’s the pity that, ten years ago, that’s exactly what England had. Though only a rookie at the time, Bell was a member of the 2005 Ashes team that won over the country with every bit as much élan as Brendon McCullum’s New Zealand have shown throughout their recent triumphs.”I remember Michael Vaughan saying he’d rather lose to Australia by taking them on than sit there and lose by playing passive cricket,” Bell said. “I see this summer as similar, we are going to have to be brave, take the odd gamble here and there, and if we play good cricket, we can start changing people’s opinions on the team and start getting people talking about cricket again, which is what we all play for.”But we’re certainly not in the place ideally that we’d like right now.”Indeed. If England are embarking on a long-term project – and Andrew Strauss appeared to imply that a five-year rebuilding mission is on the cards – then the first Test at Lord’s, now only seven days’ away, is probably too soon to hope that England can exorcise the negativity and find a new thrilling brand of KP-free aggression. But they ought to expect some handy pointers on the merits, and otherwise, of all-out attack, as Elliott fully expects Brendon McCullum to stick to the gameplan that has served him well in all formats and all conditions.”He’s a bit of a maverick, he’s risky, but it’s great to be a part of that and you have to buy into it,” he said. “I know that the bowlers turn around and think ‘where the hell are my fielders?’, and they’ll all be in the slips. But you can’t help but be endeared to him and want to play for him. He’s been an integral part of New Zealand’s success.”So too has the underlying recognition that cricket is only a game – as Elliott himself personified after booking New Zealand’s place in the World Cup final. Again, with echoes England’s endeavours in 2005, Elliott’s first instinct was to offer a hand to his beaten opponent. “I’ve got a perspective on the game now,” Elliott said. “That game could have gone any way, my middle pole could still be tumbling out of Eden Park. It’s a game of sport, and it’s about having that respect for your opponents.”