England’s Ashes warm-up game at Chelmsford has lost its first-class status after two new bowlers were drafted into the Essex side

George Dobell at Chelmsford02-Jul-2013England’s Ashes warm-up game at Chelmsford has lost its first-class status after two new bowlers were drafted into the Essex side. With the Essex attack weakened through injury, England’s batsmen were progressing with facile ease when it was decided that more benefit would be gained from the match if the Essex side was supplemented with higher-quality bowlers.While unfortunate for those players who had achieved personal milestones in this match – the achievements of Tom Craddock, Tim Bresnan and Joe Root, for example, will not count towards their records – there was some merit in this decision.The entire purpose of this match had been for England to benefit from competitive cricket ahead of the Ashes. With Essex’s opening bowlers – David Masters and Tymal Mills – both ruled out of the rest of the game through injury, the nature of this contest bore no comparison to the rigours of an Ashes series.The issue came to a head when Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott were confronted with part-time spinners Tom Westley and Owais Shah. The England management, frustrated at the lack of intensity in the game, requested that Reece Topley, the tall left-arm Essex fast bowler they had asked to be included in the Essex team from the start, and Boyd Rankin, the fast bowler who made his England debut in the T20 series against New Zealand last week, come into the side.As a result, Mills and Masters were replaced by Topley and Rankin and, in accordance with the Laws, the game has lost its first-class status. Essex, in their desire to assist England, were happy to acquiesce to the request. By then Westley had also been forced off the field with a dislocated finger, sustained while fielding in the gully and attempting to field a stroke from Trott, and Essex had three young substitute fielders on the pitch.Underlining the sense that the game had descended into farce, one of them, Aaron Beard, was only 15 years old. The situation took another turn for the worse three balls after the substitutions had been made, when the players were forced off by a delay for rain.

These five games may not be entirely indicative of the future of the Indian team, but they will offer some enlightening clues

The Preview by Liam Brickhill in Harare23-Jul-2013

Match facts

Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Start time 0900 local (0700 GMT)The series will also test Virat Kohli’s captaincy, in MS Dhoni’s absence for the whole tour•AFP

Big Picture

Zimbabwe and India were regular sparring partners in the mid to late nineties, but India have only visited the country thrice since 2000 and haven’t invited the Zimbabweans over since 2002. For the hosts, the upcoming series could well be the marquee cricketing event of the year, and India also have their reasons to make the most out of this trip.The presence of five potential one-day international debutants suggests that India are keen to try out a couple of new options, particularly with the ball, and the series will also allow Virat Kohli to add to his CV as the heir to the captaincy after mixed results at the helm in the Caribbean. These five games may not be entirely indicative of the future of the Indian team, but they will offer some enlightening clues.They’ll also serve as an early audition for an event of far greater consequence to India: their trip to South Africa at the end of the year. India’s preparations for that tour also include a visit by the A side to South Africa in August. Despite the modesty of the opposition there’s ample reason for the visitors to take these games seriously.For their own part, Zimbabwe will be happy with the chance to test themselves against quality opponents, and also ease some financial pressures with the tour likely to turn a profit thanks to the lucrative television rights deals that India bring with them. Indeed, after the paucity of international fixtures last year, Zimbabwe are proving a far more popular destination in 2013 with Pakistan and Sri Lanka both visiting before the end of the year.The Zimbabweans also won’t have forgotten India’s last tour in 2010, when an inexperienced touring group battled to compete with either the hosts or Sri Lanka in the tri-series and failed to make the final. Zimbabwe’s squad has been training together for more than two months to prepare for these ODIs, and it’s possible that they could register a rare win against elite opposition in one or two of the matches. The series opener could well be their best chance to do that.

Form guide

(most recent first, last five completed games)
India WWWLL
Zimbabwe WWLLL

In the spotlight

It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long for Cheteshwar Pujara to force his way into ODI contention for India, considering his eye-catching short format statistics – he averages 56.97 in List A cricket, with eight hundreds. Pujara has taken to Test cricket with instinctual ease, and if he moves as naturally into ODIs, his presence in the middle order could add significantly to Zimbabwe’s worries.Where Pujara’s statistics immediately and obviously mark him out as a successful batsman, Sikandar Raza‘s don’t, at first glance, suggest a rare talent. But his laidback, friendly attitude belies a fierce dedication to the game, and Raza has earned his place in this team. He averaged 52.40 in the List A season leading to his debut against Bangladesh in May, but his results during that tour were modest and he’ll be keen to make an impact.

Team news

Zimbabwe are picking from a fully-fit 17-man squad, and coach Andy Waller confirmed that Ray Price is, in fact, in the group, but it’s unlikely he’ll play in the opening match. The host’s nets session on Monday also suggested a settled top six, but there are nine bowlers bottlenecking into four slots down the order. A balanced attack seems the most sensible option, and Tinotenda Mutombodzi looked the best of the spinners during training.Zimbabwe (likely): 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Sikandar Raza, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt & wk), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Sean Williams, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Tinotenda Mutombodzi, 10 Kyle Jarvis, 11 Brian VitoriLike Zimbabwe, India’s scope for experimentation – at least in the series opener – is in their bowling group. Amit Mishra’s experience will be valuable to the young attack, while the combination of Vinay Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat would add variety. The most open position is that vacated by R Ashwin at No. 8, and offspinning allrounder Parvez Rasool could be in line to become the first player from India’s Kashmir valley to represent the national side.India (likely): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt), 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Parvez Rasool , 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Jaydev Unadkat

Pitch and conditions

Winters in Zimbabwe are cold and dry and usually the pitches reflect this, favouring spin over seam and playing a little on the slow side. The track for Wednesday’s game has been very well watered, however, and the groundstaff have left some grass on it to negate the potential for drying and crumbling. New ball bowlers may well profit in the first hour, with the games due to start somewhat early at 9am, but the wicket should have the pace to allow for shot-making.

Stats and trivia

• Despite some notable successes, such as at the 1999 World Cup, Zimbabwe have only beaten India in 10 out of the 51 ODIs they’ve played against them since 1983.
• The first obstacle for Zimbabwe’s bowlers in a daunting Indian batting line-up will be the opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who average 57.72 in partnership and have put together three century stands.
• Of Zimbabwe’s current batsmen, captain Brendan Taylor has by far the best record against India in ODIs, with 184 runs at 46 against them in four games.

Quotes

“Our top six are quite settled, and I’d like to think they know they’re in that position, but we’ve obviously got a spare batter sitting waiting to move in. But I think they’ll have a decent run.”
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Sidelined for six matches during a key phase in Lancashire’s promotion push, Paul Horton been prolific since his comeback and may now have played the innings that all but secures their return to Division One.

Myles Hodgson at Old Trafford12-Sep-2013
ScorecardPaul Horton went through to his highest score of the season•Getty Images

There must have been times this summer when Paul Horton wondered when he would ever play another Championship match after a lengthy absence with a finger injury. Sidelined for six matches during a key phase in Lancashire’s promotion push, he has been prolific since his comeback and may now have played the innings that all but secures their return to Division One.Having dislocated his right ring finger fielding earlier in the season, Horton, the 30-year-old opener, required surgery to have it pinned back into place only to suffer another setback when he dislocated it again on his return for Lancashire second XI. But frustrating as that spell on the sidelines was, it appears to have given him a new impetus and his unbeaten 150 on the second day against Leicestershire has taken his tally to 362 runs in only six innings.This current effort, spanning over six hours at the crease and including 22 fours, was his 17th first-class century. Leading the side in the absence of Glen Chapple with hamstring problems, Horton also became the first Lancashire captain to score a century since Stuart Law hit an unbeaten 158 against Sussex at Hove in 2008.”It’s the first time in my career I’ve really missed any cricket,” he said. “I’d played a lot of first-class games in a row for Lancashire since 2007, so to miss cricket was a disappointment for me. It’s nice to be back and I just think I’m in a stage where I’m quite happy with the way I’m playing.”I’m 30 and probably in the best years as a batsman to score my runs, so I’m just finally converting innings into hundreds and that’s what it’s all about. I’ve only got a small window of opportunity to score some runs at the back end of the season and I’m making every innings count.”At the start of this round of matches, Lancashire knew they needed 18 points to secure promotion at the first time of asking, but with third-placed Essex dropping points in their match against Kent it has given the Division Two leaders a simple equation – win their current match to achieve their pre-season objective.It may need some clever and forceful cricket to secure that victory after bad light ended play 16 overs prematurely when the floodlights took over from the natural light, but Lancashire now know they are very close to making amends for last summer’s relegation.A contributory factor in the success this summer has been Horton’s flourishing partnership with Luis Reece at the top of the order. Their 137-run stand was their third century partnership in six innings and provided the foundation for a solid Lancashire batting performance, albeit against a Leicestershire side ravaged by injuries and forced to field a line-up with an average age of just 23 with only one player – Niall O’Brien – over 30.Resuming overnight on 92 without loss after rain washed out all but 21 overs on the opening day, Lancashire’s solidity at the top of the order was such that it was almost a surprise when Reece drove seamer Oliver Freckingham to second slip for 50, his seventh successive half-century. His annoyance at a missed opportunity was evident as he sloped off and his mood will not have improved once he is informed he has equalled a County Championship record for the most consecutive 50s without reaching three figures, matching the seven recorded by William Burns for Worcestershire in 1906.Ashwell Prince would be equally annoyed at missing out against such an attack, prodding Ben Raine to first slip while Simon Katich, playing his last match for Lancashire before disappearing to captain Perth Scorchers in the Champions League T20, appeared in a hurry to catch a plane in racing to 56 off 62 balls before giving left-arm spinner James Sykes a deserved wicket when he was brilliantly caught one-handed at slip by Greg Smith.Sykes added a second when he found extra turn and bounce from the Pavilion End and induced Andrea Agathangelou into edging behind for a scratchy 46 only five balls before umpires David Millns and George Sharp called a premature halt to the day.

Ramnaresh Sarwan, the captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said his team’s hunger to win the Caribbean Premier League was one of the main motivators during the semi-final against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel

Renaldo Matadeen24-Aug-2013Ramnaresh Sarwan, the captain of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said his team’s hunger to win the Caribbean Premier League was one of the main motivators during the semi-final against Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.”We knew we just needed to play smart cricket and perfect the basics,” Ramnaresh Sarwan, the Guyana captain, said after the match. “We had the backing of a lot of the crowd and I think we were hungrier for the trophy. It’s just two games to win and we’re not feeling the pressure.”Guyana Amazon Warriors steamrolled to top of the league stage with five wins and two losses and Sarwan, while not in the best of form, managed to get some exciting cricket from his team-mates.Sarwan’s has not been a regular fixture in the West Indies ODI side and Guyana has another player in Denesh Ramdin who has struggled to cement a place in the side. The pair, however, have injected leaderships into the Guyana side. The motivation and confidence has drawn comparisons with leaders who may not be starring individually for their teams but who have beenable to assemble their squads in the right manner.While Guyana have lacked the bigger stars, compared to the other teams, the players have flourished. Jamaican all-rounder Krishmar Santokie is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 16 wickets so far and Guyana has three batsmen among the top ten run-getters in the league – Lendl Simmons, Martin Guptill and James Franklin. Simmons has been one of the few consistent batsmen, regionally and internationally, while the New Zealanders have become fan favourites.Santokie’s 16 wickets have made a case for his selection in the West Indies T20 side. “I really felt like I should have been given a chance in the West Indies team before,” Santokie said. “I would like a longer run and more so, a more steady run for the West Indies.”Guyana had a few changes to the side with Mohammad Hafeez returning for international duty and Guptill suffering an injury. However, their Sri Lankan signings, Lasith Malinga and Tillakaratne Dilshan had immediate success, playing important roles in the semi-final victory over T&T Red Steels.Simmons, William Perkins and Sunil Narine, have all come to the fore as players who know the Queen’s Park Oval pitch inside out. Narine’s form seems to be peaking at the right time and, with Veerasammy Permaul performing as well, Guyana can limit batsmen looking to attack their bowling. Malinga and Narine aren’t slouches with the bat, which lends depth to the Guyana batting line-up.The team also has a strong reserve line-up. Coach Roger Harper is comfortable with the reach of his team and this can be gauged by the fact that Narsingh Deonarine, an anchor of the Guyana side, has been relegated to the bench. Even the explosive Trevon Griffith can’t make the team as a consistent starter and it shows that Sarwan has potent options. Christopher Barnwell, also due for a big game, can prove to be a trump card for Guyana.”We’ve got a good all-round squad and our bowlers can bat, while we have batters who can bowl. It’s hard to replace Hafeez and Guptill but Malinga and Dilshan have showed in the semis that they can incite the fire we can use to win more games,” Harper said.

Jacques Rudolph, the South Africa batsman, has signed a two-year deal with Glamorgan, subject to receiving clearance from Cricket South Africa.

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Sep-2013Jacques Rudolph, the South Africa batsman, has signed a two-year deal with Glamorgan, subject to receiving clearance from Cricket South Africa.Rudolph is highly experienced in international and county cricket and is set to replace Marcus North as Glamorgan’s overseas player for 2014 and 2015. The deal provides a solid foundation for Glamorgan’s new head coach, set to be appointed in the close season.Rudolph has scored 2,622 runs at 35.43 in 48 Tests and over 16,000 first-class runs, many of them in the County Championship for Yorkshire, where he played from 2007 to 2011. He spent time last season playing for Surrey.Cricket South Africa still need to ratify the deal but South Africa have a very little cricket scheduled on the future tours programme for the 2014 and 2015 British summers: two tests, three ODIs and a T20 against Zimbabwe pencilled in for August 2014, the same matches in Bangladesh a year later and three Tests in Sri Lanka in May 2015.The future tours programme is of course subject to change but prima facie, Rudolph should be available for most of the next two British seasons.Hugh Morris, who will shortly join Glamorgan as chief executive and director of cricket, said: “Signing a player of Jacques Rudolph’s undoubted capabilities and experience is a great boost ahead of the new season.”With an increasingly heavy first-class schedule it will be a huge advantage to have a world-class opening batsman available to us. I look forward to welcoming Jacques to Glamorgan.”Rudolph added: “I’m delighted to be joining Glamorgan on a two-year deal. I enjoyed my time playing for Yorkshire so I’m looking forward to the challenge at Glamorgan and hopefully enjoying similar success.”

Marcus Trescothick hit a 129-ball century as he and James Hildreth put Somerset in command before a major last-session collapse halted their momentum

Alex Winter at Taunton26-Apr-2015
ScorecardStill going strong: Marcus Trescothick brought out his full range during a flamboyant century•Getty Images

A true sporting legend retired after over two decades on Saturday with AP McCoy completing a remarkable career. Cricket has a similar veteran held in such high esteem also with over 20 years of service, just without as many tangible achievements. An ambulance does not follow Marcus Trescothick around either but on the opening day in Taunton, as Trescothick made his 42nd first-class century for Somerset, it was being considered whether this century was the start of the glorious goodbye.He was as good as ever, slamming a 129-ball century and sharing a stand of 261 in 290 balls with James Hildreth for the third wicket – a Somerset record for any wicket against Middlesex. Hildreth made his own flowing century, his highest score since 2012, but Trescothick was still the main attraction as Middlesex were left to ponder their decision to bowl first before a notable fightback with a 79-over old ball.

Harris heading in the right direction

“I haven’t bowled my best,” Harris said. “It’s a bit annoying that my spells have been dragging it back rather than at the top of the day. I felt I’ve gone okay but I’d prefer to bowl well. I’m taking wickets, which is nice but I’m bowling better too.
“We got balls past the bat all day and bowled good balls, just some of them seemed to be cracked into the fence. James Hildreth was cutting balls off a good line to most players. But there was a bit in it all day and it probably did more when the sun came out.”

Somerset lost 7 for 31 to squander their dominance. James Harris took four wickets in 11 balls against Nottinghamshire at Lord’s on the first day of the season and here came up with four more in 18 deliveries, having changed to the pavilion end, to check Somerset’s raging progress which had been five-an-over for most of the day. It was mostly with the old ball, Harris finishing with his best figures for Middlesex and Somerset flopped alarmingly from 377 for 3 to 408 all out. It followed two slips in defeat against Durham.Harris has said this is a huge season for him, in the final year of his three-year contract – although discussions were had last week about a new deal – after struggling since his move to Middlesex to find the form that saw him selected for an England squad after impressing for Glamorgan. He has changed his action back to its original form and 5 for 83 here followed 4 for 75 in the first innings against Nottinghamshire as Lord’s. Harris also claimed a stunning diving catch, running back from mid-on to remove Trescothick. But all seemed well for the hosts at the time.”We could probably have batted longer but at the same time it’s good to see if you get the ball in the right place there’s something there,” Trescothick said. “There’s a bit more pace in this wicket than normal.”The collapse changed the conversation from Trescothick’s future. He made his Somerset debut a year after McCoy rode his first winner and turning 40 this year – the same age as AP – and in the final year of his current contract, going out at the top of his game must surely be a consideration. McCoy was riding as well as ever this season but thought it the right time to bow out, might Trescothick draw the same conclusion?More of this form may provide a fine send off. Here, he shrugged off making 11 and 0 against Durham in the opening round with a blaze of bludgeoned boundaries – 24 of them. Sixteen came before lunch as a first-session century looked plausible. But it was shortly into the afternoon, having been dropped on 95 by Neil Dexter at slip off Ollie Rayner – a very sharp chance from a sliced cut – when a paddle sweep for two brought up Trescothick’s hundred.The long room diners even stood up from their carveries to acclaim a masterful innings. Trescothick himself celebrated unusually exuberantly – a big fist pump in the direction of the dressing room. There was little time to consider the significance before Rayner was swept for four more.The crowd purred with admiration for a vintage knock. Anything slightly off line was typically guided away – 10 of Trescothick’s boundaries came behind square on the off side, including a delicate lift over the slips off Steven Finn. But the pick of the strokes was a drive from a Harris length ball through cover – encapsulating the domination Trescothick exerted. But for how long will it continue?Hildreth is also a Somerset batting legend. More stylish than Trescothick he is more inconsistent, too. And significantly more frustrating given his talent. Hildreth managed just one Championship century last season but has opened up 2015 with a fifty against Durham and now this elegant innings.His second and third scoring strokes were a driven four off Harris and a pull from the same bowler over midwicket for six. His control of the bowling was also best demonstrated against Harris as he returned after lunch. He pulled a ball only slightly short of a length through midwicket. Harris wasn’t far out with his length but felt the need for an adjustment – his next delivery was driven with élan past cover.Hildreth should not have made it that far. Somehow he was dropped by Nick Gubbins on 49. Hildreth popped up a miscued pull to square leg, Gubbins moved two steps to his right and simply took his eye off the catch. A truly astonishing miss. Had it been taken Middlesex’s decision at the toss would have been considered a shrewd move. But it took until after tea to make a series of inroads.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s absence from the West Indies Test squad in Dominica could be felt even before arriving on the island. An in-flight magazine article discussing this year’s Caribbean Tests was emblazoned with an image of none other than the 40-yea

Daniel Brettig in Dominica01-Jun-2015Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s absence from the West Indies Test squad in Dominica could be felt even before arriving on the island. An in-flight magazine article discussing this year’s Caribbean Tests was emblazoned with an image of none other than the 40-year-old Guyanese, as though he was the one item of furniture the editor could be sure of lasting through the edition’s April to June time span.But much to the shock of many, Chanderpaul was unable to go the distance, jettisoned by the convenor of selectors Clive Lloyd and the coach Phil Simmons ahead of the Australia series. Their call sparked numerous spot fires of discontent, none brighter than that lit by Brian Lara, who spoke not in terms of averages and statistics but of respect and history.Caught in the middle of all this is the West Indies team now compelled to go on without Chanderpaul. As a young team they will miss his experience and knowledge, and there is a sense among the players that they would have preferred a less messy conclusion to arguably the most dogged of all Caribbean cricket careers. The articulate Jason Holder tried to walk this line at the team’s first Windsor Park training session, conceding that events had not gone unnoticed by the team but resolving not to let it distract beyond a reasonable level of regret.”The exclusion of Shiv has caused a lot of talk,” Holder said, without specifying whether that talk had taken place within or away from the West Indies dressing room. “That’s beyond me at this present time, my focus right now is on cricket. It’s quite important we put cricket first and try to perform well against Australia.”Chanderpaul’s omission has cast something of a shadow over a team that was otherwise most satisfied to have drawn the recent series against England, a result that placed Australia’s next two opponents closer together than the schedule – a terrible two Tests for West Indies, a gluttonous five for England – would indicate. Holder suggested that the hosts were trying to keep their eyes on progress rather than pettiness.”We’ve taken a lot from it,” Holder said. “Obviously we did pretty well to come back in the series. We drew the series and we’re just looking to keep that momentum going in this series. We did a lot of good things in that last series and we’re just looking to continue on in that rich vein and compete very well in that Test.”Australia are ranked No. 2 in the world and that says a lot. We’re currently down at eight and we need to work our way up. We have to give them the respect they’re due. Obviously we’re coming to compete and win this series. We’re coming in quite hard at them. Looking to be aggressive and at least continue the rich vein of form we had in the England series.”There is another reason for the young team personified by Holder to look as far forward as possible without too much rancour over Chanderpaul. It is well known that Simmons has re-opened lines of communication with the region’s bevy of IPL players, meaning the West Indies team may soon be as competitively stacked for places in the Test XI as at any time since the first Indian Twenty20 tournament in 2008.The likes of Kraigg Brathwaite, Veerasammy Permaul and Holder himself may soon be competing for places with Lendl Simmons, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo – notably for positions on the tour to Australia later this year – meaning that every Test match from here on in must be both savoured and exploited.”He’s been doing a very good job so far,” Holder said of Phil Simmons. “A few guys have bought into what he’s brought. Hopefully going into the future we’ll have some very good times. We’re taking it day by day and just trying to put in as much hard work as possible to this important series.”This is actually my first time in Dominica so I’m really looking forward to it. Heard a lot of things before and obviously seeing the last Test match Australia played against West Indies here. Hopefully it’s a little better than last time in terms of the pitch and we get a good game.”

Alastair Cook praised his team’s attacking mindset after England wrapped up a comprehensive 169-run victory in the first Investec Test at Cardiff

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jul-2015Alastair Cook praised his team’s attacking mindset after England wrapped up a comprehensive 169-run victory in the first Investec Test in Cardiff, adding that they had absorbed the hard lessons of defeat in Australia two years ago but turned their thoughts to the future.Victory was sealed with a full day to spare after Australia collapsed to 242 all out chasing an improbable 412 for victory. Joe Root, the Man of the Match for his first-day 134, took the winning catch off the bowling of Moeen Ali, who finished with five wickets in his maiden Ashes Test to go alongside his first-innings 77.Cook, who won the Ashes on home soil in 2013 but also presided over England’s 5-0 whitewash in Australia, said that there had been no point in his players dwelling on what had gone before, especially with so many new faces in the team who did not play a part in that contest.”It’s like the press conference before the game, everyone was talking about the past but we can’t control that,” Cook told Sky Sports. “Yeah, we were disappointing in Australia but this is here, a different side, with different players and we had to look forward.”We’ve got an experienced four or five guys and some who are really inexperienced in terms of Ashes cricket. You can’t change the past, there’s nothing to write about, but you can try to learn from it and I thought the way the guys went about their business in this game [was great].”You always try to take the attacking option, always hunting for wickets with the ball, and we took some good catches as well.”Few catches were better than the one-handed grab at short midwicket that Cook himself clung on to to remove the dangerous Brad Haddin for 7. He put that down to some hard work during England’s four-day training camp in Spain prior to the start of the series.”Most people thought we were going for a holiday,” he said. “But alongside the golf, the catching was very important. There were a few sore hands but it’s paid off.”Cook said that his players intended to enjoy their Saturday night off in Cardiff before turning their attentions to the second Test at Lord’s, which gets underway on Thursday.”This Test match couldn’t have gone any better,” he said. “We are going to enjoy tonight, enjoy the success and hopefully come back to put in back-to-back performances at Lord’s.”We’ve got a good mix,” he added. “The enthusiasm is there, you only have to look at our football in the morning, the guys are loving being around each other. It’s been a good four days, and it obviously helps when are on top.”Cook singled out Root for particular praise, given the manner in which he salvaged England’s position on the tense first day of the contest. “The way Joe Root played, to be 43 for 3 and score 134 on the first day of an Ashes series when the tension is there was fantastic and the bowlers were superb on a pretty slow wicket.”

Chris Mpofu’s back playing international cricket, having cut some bad habits out of his life, and enjoying a game he had fallen out of love with more than ever

Liam Brickhill in Harare17-Jul-2015Chris Mpofu is feeling good. He might be feeling better, if Zimbabwe were winning, but he’s back playing international cricket, having cut some bad habits out of his life, and enjoying a game he had fallen out of love with more than ever.”I think it’s the best time of my career,” Mpofu said after Zimbabwe’s first Twenty20 match against India. “I’m enjoying cricket more than before. I think it’s the things I’ve changed in my life – I’ve turned into more of a religious person and there are a lot of things that I’ve cut out. I’ll tell you right now that I’m enjoying the game more than ever.”While Zimbabwe plummeted to a 54-run defeat, Mpofu did an admirable job in taking 3 for 33. All three dismissals came after the 15th over and helped to hold India back after they’d threatened a massive total by cruising to 123 for 2 with five overs remaining. “At the end of the day we pulled it back, especially at the death,” he said. “With the fire-power that we’ve got I thought we did quite well because at one stage I thought they could have got to 200.”Mpofu’s wickets came via a canny combination of cutters and slower balls, and for a tall quick he adapted well to a slow, low wicket. Surprisingly, he gave some of the credit for his success to some advice from the Indians themselves.”Because some of these guys are my heroes, I’ve watched them playing in India and I’ve asked them a few things about when they play IPL. They said that you can’t just be predictable and try and bowl length,” Mpofu said. “No matter how quick you are, you have to be a step ahead of them. So I tried to mix my pace and back my skills up, because at the end of the day if I get hit trying to do my skills I’m not worried about that. I’m just trying to make what I do in the nets work in the game. Thank God it worked my way today,” Mpofu said.With fifty T20 games to his name, Mpofu was by far the most experienced member of Zimbabwe’s attack today, and his performance stood in contrast to some of the greener members of the home attack. “I thought maybe the pressure got to our youngsters, which I can understand. If I speak for myself, I don’t think I had too much pressure. I just think we have done it before, so we need to keep our heads up and look forward to the next match.”Maybe there has to be more belief with each and every individual. Maybe it might be the pressure that most of the guys we are playing against are highly rated in the IPL. But guys just need to realise that if you do well against them then you have the opportunity to get recognised. So I think guys need to be free when they come out to play.”After four straight losses during India’s visit, Zimbabwe can only hope for a consolation win in Sunday’s match. The frustration from Zimbabwe’s supporters as the match drew to a close was evident, but Mpofu suggested that the easing of pressure that comes with a lack of expectation may help to provide them with something to cheer about in the final game.”[Victories] are going to come as time goes on. It’s hard when you’re losing, but there are a lot of positives that we can take out of the game. I think we’ll get there. It’s frustrating for the supporters but I think we’ll get there. For us going to the last match we have nothing to lose, so if we can go out and express ourselves… Not many people will expect us to win, but if we go out there with the attitude that we have everything to gain I think we will come out with a victory.”

Zeeshan Maqsood’s unbeaten 86 powered Oman to a seven-wicket win with 10 balls to spare against Canada in a Group B match of the World T20 Qualifier

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jul-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Nitish Kumar’s 25-ball 52 for Canada went in vain•ICC/Helge Schutz

Zeeshan Maqsood’s unbeaten 86 powered Oman to a seven-wicket win with 10 balls to spare against Canada in a Group B match of the World T20 Qualifier.Set a target of 134 in a game reduced to 13 overs a side, Oman’s openers Maqsood and Khawar Ali set the tone with a 65-run partnership in 4.2 overs. It was largely a Maqsood show as his 41-ball innings included nine fours and five sixes. Nitish Kumar, Jeremy Gordon and Cecil Pervez picked up a wicket each for Canada.Canada’s innings, after Oman opted to bowl first, was propped up by a 25-ball 52 from Nitish, who scored four fours and three sixes. He raised 69 runs for the third wicket in the company of Navneet Dhaliwal, who scored 28 off 20 balls. Rajeshkumar Ranpura, debutant seamer Mohammad Nadeem and Aamir Kaleem took a wicket each.