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Lewis Goldsworthy claims important wickets before Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby seal chase

Matt Roller18-Sep-2020Somerset 146 for 3 (Davies 45) beat Northamptonshire 140 for 9 (Cobb 49, Goldsworthy 2-21) by seven wicketsOnly 10 days ago it would have been a ludicrous suggestion that Somerset could qualify for the T20 Blast quarter-finals at Northamptonshire’s expense. But thanks to a tight bowling effort on a used surface, and an unbroken 65-run stand in only seven overs between Tom Abell and Tom Lammonby on Friday evening, the teams are level on points with one game remaining in the group stage.Lammonby and Abell came together after Steven Davies was trapped lbw for an enterprising 45 in the 11th over; while the required rate was extremely manageable, memories of their four defeats while chasing in this competition would have lingered.But nerves were hard to detect: Abell nudged singles and improvised as required, before Lammonby struck three towering sixes to see them over the line, after their spinners had set things up by restricting Northants to a below-par 140 for 9.It is a testament to Somerset’s faith in young players that they have managed to keep their season alive. In Lammonby, Lewis Goldsworthy and Will Smeed, they have fielded three players born in the 21st century in their last two wins, and while Wednesday night’s effort in Cardiff was set up by Babar Azam, this victory owed much to the youth wing.Goldsworthy, who quietly impressed in England’s disappointing Under-19 World Cup campaign at the start of the year, bowled tidy left-arm spin here, removing Northants’ two set batsmen to start the rot after they had reached 73 for 1 in nine overs.And while Smeed fell cheaply, two games after hitting a 49-ball 82 in his second professional appearance, Lammonby finished the job with a 23-ball cameo of 43 not out, showcasing his power game over the leg side. Next week’s Lord’s final still represents their best chance of a trophy this season, but victory against pace-setting Gloucestershire on Sunday should be enough to book a place in the quarter-finals.”They haven’t been traditional Taunton T20 wickets this season: they’ve held a little, and the addition of another spinner [Goldsworthy] has helped us take pace off the ball,” Lewis Gregory, Somerset’s captain, said. “But I thought the three spinners bowled beautifully, trying to get them to put pace back on the ball. If you keep taking wickets, it makes T20 cricket a lot easier.Lewis Goldsworthy claims another wicket for Somerset•Getty Images

Gregory admitted victory in Bristol – where they have not won in the Blast since 2015 – would be no cakewalk. “We’re going to have to go to Bristol and try to play a brand of cricket that will be effective on that surface. They’ve had a fantastic Blast so far – there’s no pressure on our front, and we’ll go there and try to put in a performance.”After four wins and a wash-out in the first half of the competition, Northants have lost four in a row to leave them with a must-win game against Birmingham Bears on Sunday. They had been imperious at the start of the competition, with Paul Stirling flying with the bat and their spinners strangling opponents, but ever since news of a squad member’s positive Covid-19 test, their form has nosedived.They are a county with proud T20 heritage, and will not want to blame their drop-off on that alone, but its effect on their season has been clear. Their first two defeats after the mid-tournament round of Bob Willis Trophy fixtures came without two self-isolating players, and they have been unable to arrest the slide.”We don’t want to use it as an excuse,” Josh Cobb said. “The first game back, you could clearly see it had had an impact, but since then it’s not necessarily been a problem – we’ve had time to train, and put in the performances, we’ve just been a bit short.”We saw the impact of momentum in the first half of the comp, and the same thing can happen the opposite way, and that’s what’s currently happening. There’s not too much to say ahead of Sunday: everyone knows what we’ve got to do, which is turn up and win.”Northants’ innings was a perfect reflection of their season: after reaching 82 for 2 after 10 overs, they managed only three boundaries in the second half to limp to 140 for 9. Stirling fell to Goldsworthy, playing only his second professional game, when holing out to long-off, and when Adam Rossington heaved to long-on two overs later, captain Josh Cobb – unbeaten on 49 – held the key.But he too picked out a man on the rope three balls later, with Roelof van der Merwe taking a spectacular diving catch over his head, and from 89 for 4, Northants never looked like posting a competitive total. Somerset’s spinners – Goldsworthy, van der Merwe and Max Waller – were particularly frugal, with a combined return of 3 for 72 across their 13 overs, and will have a big role to play at Bristol.

An entertaining stand of 132 between Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast helped Kent to a four-wicket victory over the Netherlands in the Clydesdale Bank 40

14-Aug-2011
ScorecardAn entertaining stand of 132 between Darren Stevens and Sam Northeast helped Kent to a four-wicket victory over the Netherlands in the Clydesdale Bank 40.Stevens was at his fluent best with 70 from 67 balls, while Northeast more than played his part with 58 not out as Kent won with more than four overs to spare to bring an end to a successful 160th Canterbury Cricket Week.Allrounder Stevens, whose knock was a season’s best, and Northeast helped Kent recover from 51 for 4 to score 200 for 6 in reply to Netherlands’ 199 for 6, which was dominated by a record seventh-wicket partnership of 124 in 106 balls between Tom de Grooth and Mudassar Bukhari.Pakistan-born Bukhari chanced his arm with several lusty blows in a season’s best unbeaten knock of 78 from 62 balls, featuring seven fours and two sixes. His partner, de Grooth, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 37 from 49 as the pair ensured the Netherlands had something to bowl at after having slumped to 75 for 6.Kent had earlier looked like bowling the Netherlands out for less than 100 when a lively opening spell from Wahab Riaz and Azhar Mahmood heralded two wickets as the Dutch side were reduced to 7 for 2.Wilfred Diepeveen then went to Simon Cook and visiting skipper Peter Borren walked after edging a slow James Tredwell turner to Geraint Jones as the Netherlands slipped to 67 for 4. Adam Ball, the left-arm seamer, then bowled Michael Swart to end his 46-ball knock of 17 and Tim Gruijters, who missed a straight one.It was then left to Bukhari and de Grooth to share in a vital partnership, although they were helped along the way by 19 wides by an, at times, wayward Kent attack.Kent, too, struggled in the first 10 overs of their reply, losing four quick wickets as the ball continued to do plenty on a two-paced St Lawrence track. Openers Joe Denly and Daniel Bell-Drummond, in for absent skipper Rob Key, both fell to left-arm seamer Shane Mott and when Mahmood and Martin van Jaarsveld were both out in the first nine overs, Kent were struggling at 51 for 4.However, Stevens and Northeast, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Barresi when on 49, shared in a crucial stand from 136 balls. The home side lost Stevens four overs before the end and Geraint Jones, leaving Adam Ball to hit the winning boundary off the penultimate ball of the 35th over as Kent recorded just their fourth win in nine outings in the CB40.

Study reveals potentially devastating loss of council-run cricket pitches in wake of Covid-19 outbreak

Andrew Miller15-Jun-2020The ECB has been challenged to do more to ensure its junior participation schemes are made relevant to the South Asian cricketing community, following a new study that has revealed a potentially devastating reduction in council-run cricket pitches in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.Writing in the National Asian Cricket Council newsletter, chairman Gulfraz Riaz cited the findings of a recent report by the Grounds Management Association, which estimates that cricket – with its specialised requirements for pitch maintenance – could be the hardest-hit sport in the UK post-Covid, with more than half of its playing capacity lost in the coming decade, compared to a fifth for rugby and football.And this, in turn, could put huge pressure on the Asian cricketing community, which is estimated to represent between 30 and 35% of all active cricketers in the UK, but – unlike the club structure of traditional English cricket – is based overwhelmingly on a complex network of parks leagues that the ECB, through its county boards, has so far struggled to support through the pandemic.Writing in the newsletter, Riaz says that the Covid outbreak has had a “hugely detrimental and potentially even longer-lasting effect on the South Asian Parks Cricketing Community (SAPCC) up and down the country,” and adds that, while the community remains self-sufficient for now, “the first small signs of cracks have started to appear” in the decades-old league structures, not least because young British Asians are as tempted as their white-British counterparts by alternative forms of recreation.”The problems at hand are two-fold,” Riaz wrote. “Firstly in terms of very real and meaningful engagement with the next generation of young Asian players and secondly the unfortunate case of still being left to play on substandard local authority grounds and facilities. These are incredibly alarming signs [but] something actually we should not be too surprised to see.”ALSO READ: Almanack Archive: Winds of change blow through British Asian cricketThe ECB launched the South Asian Action Plan in May 2018 with the aim of engaging more effectively with South Asian communities at every level of the game. And while the board admitted from the outset that there was no “quick fix” to the status quo, it has since invested significantly in the sort of publicly-accessible facilities that the parks leagues rely on, including a new partnership in Manchester that will deliver 92 new all-weather pitches across every borough of the city.However, recreational cricket in England and Wales remains suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic, which means that the ECB’s hopes of building on the extraordinary success of last summer’s World Cup and Ashes series have also taken a hit.And while Riaz acknowledged that the ECB’s All-Stars programme, aimed at 5 to 8-year-olds, and the new Dynamos scheme for 8 to 11-year-olds were “very welcome additions”, he warned that their club-based points of delivery meant that the parks leagues had been “bypassed” on that front.”It is absolutely imperative therefore that the drivers of these programmes listen, understand and find very real and meaningful ways to directly engage with the cricketing heads from these leagues,” he wrote, “and most importantly get a grip in helping sustain and grow cricket within the SAPCC and youngsters from this important section of the national cricketing community.”The UK economy shrank by more than 20% in April due to the Covid lockdown, and speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Riaz acknowledged that local authorities could not be expected to prioritise council-run cricket pitches over and above other key public services, such as maintaining highway verges and cemeteries.But, he added, the economic downturn was bound to have knock-on effects on Asian participation in particular when cricket does resume, and stressed that, two years on from the launch of the South Asian Action Plan, it was the duty of county boards to find a way to ensure that the ECB’s offers of financial support during the pandemic were able to filter down to the parks communities.”The driving force for the Asian cricket community are its leagues,” said Riaz. “These are made up of teams drawn up from taxi ranks and restaurants. They are not constituted, they don’t have bank accounts, they are set up in an individual’s name, and that causes problems when funding needs to be transferred.”Asian cricket has previously thrived on a pay-as-you-play structure,” he added. “These teams don’t have gas and electricity bills – they don’t even have clubhouses – so in some ways they are immune to the economics. But if these same players are obliged to put food on the table rather than play cricket when their businesses do reopen, then we will be looking at a huge decline in numbers.”Responding to the points raised, a ECB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo that the board was committed to making all of its programmes welcoming and diverse as part of the South Asian Action Plan. Citing the initiative in Manchester, he added that 17 of those new pitches would be introduced in parks and playing fields in Greater Manchester this year, and that, nationally, 549 female South Asian volunteers had so far been recruited to help deliver the All Stars programme in key inner-city areas.”We continue to talk regularly to our County Cricket Boards (CCBs) and our leagues and clubs across the country to understand the needs of those reliant on public facilities as the social restrictions begin to ease, to offer support and to match them with additional cricket facilities where appropriate,” the spokesman added.

Brisbane Heat have announced New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum as their first international signing for the inaugural season of the Big Bash League

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2011Brisbane Heat have announced New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman Brendon McCullum as their first international signing for the inaugural season of the Big Bash League.”I can’t wait to see him play for us,” Darren Lehmann, Heat’s coach, said. “He goes from the ‘get go’, and if he comes off for you, he can set up a game very quickly. To have a guy of that ability, who is world class, in your side, will help our younger players learn and inspire them to greater heights.”I’m very happy to reach an agreement with Brendon. We’ll work through his availability with his management and New Zealand Cricket and Otago, but his presence in this tournament will be exceptional.”The Heat have until July 22 to make further signings, including a second international player.Brett Lee has been signed by Sydney Sixers, along with Pat Cummins. Melbourne Stars picked up Matthew Wade and Rob Quiney, while Sydney Thunder secured Phil Hughes, Craig Philipson, Ben Dunk, Luke Butterworth, and Scott Coyte.

On his 25th birthday, can Tendulkar end Australia’s unbeaten run and take India to glory?

The RetroPreview by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2020

Big picture

It is said often that cricket is an individual pursuit masquerading as a team sport.On April 22, Sachin Tendulkar proved and disproved it at the same time. Having fielded and bowled in the crazy heat of a Sharjah April afternoon, Tendulkar dipped his feet in ice to manage the blisters, laced up, went out, scored 143 of the 242 that came while he was at the wicket, and dragged, like a lioness does her young cubs, the Indian team into the final. And yet Australia remained unbeaten in the league stages – India threatened to win, but achieved only the bare minimum to qualify: a higher net run rate. And yet it was clear Australia would much rather they faced New Zealand in the final than a genius at his physical and technical prime masquerading as a team.Who really won on April 22 then? The individual or the team?The answer, we will only be able to find out on April 24. This has been a weird old month for these two teams. Just before they flew into Sharjah, India and Australia participated in a tri-series in India where India won all the league games but lost to Australia in the final. Now they are looking to pay back in kind. These two teams have played each other so often in the last month – and have been around when the other team is playing the third side in the competition – that they must have sussed each other out thoroughly. Australia have repeatedly got the better of the kinds of Ganguly and Azharuddin, but there is a genius yet to be tamed.If he is not scoring runs, he is taking wickets; if he is doing neither, Australia win. The only time Australia won despite Tendulkar scoring runs – and it was his personal best in ODIs – was on April 22. Did they really win, though? While it will now give them confidence that they can beat India even if Tendulkar fires, do they really want to face Tendulkar one more time? On his 25th birthday, in a tournament final.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW
India LLLWL

In the spotlight

He is an ODI revolutionary. Having started off as someone unconventional who was deployed in the latter stages of ODI innings, Michael Bevan has now begun to present himself as a more complete one-day batsman. Starting last April, he has scored three centuries, which is a significant achievement for someone who doesn’t bat in the top four. He has been in red-hot form this April: his lowest score has been 15 not out, and he has crossed 50 in six of his nine innings, including a hundred in his last.Michael Bevan plays a shot•AFP

Tendulkar might have put every Indian player to shade in the last few years, but with 14 wickets in six matches, Ajit Agarkar promises to be a valuable player in one-day cricket. He has not yet fully recovered from the injury that kept him out of the last league match, but the word is that India will play him in the final.

Team news

Australia were rattled by the Tendulkar onslaught, but they are not the ones to change their winning combination so easily. They will back their side although bowling back-up won’t hurt them.Australia (probable) 1 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 2 Mark Waugh, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Michael Bevan, 6 Steve Waugh (capt), 7 Darren Lehmann, 8 Tom Moody, 9 Shane Warne, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Damien FlemingAgarkar is likely to replace Harvinder Singh for India, and India might look to the left-arm spin of Rahul Sanghvi after the young offspinner Harbhajan Singh went for 63 in his eight overs in the last league game.India (probable) 1 Sourav Ganguly, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Mohammad Azharuddin (capt), 4 Ajay Jadeja, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Hrishikesh Kanitkar, 7 Nayan Mongia (wk), 8 Ajit Agarkar, 9 Anil Kumble, 10 Rahul Sanghvi/Harbhajan Singh, 11 Venkatesh Prasad

Pitch and conditions

It is hot and dry in Sharjah as expected for the month of April, and the pitch is likely to be just as flat as it was in the last league game. Expect heat, runs and no respite for the bowlers. Which makes it an interesting choice for the captain winning the toss: India will be emboldened to chase after the dew came to their aid in the last game, but this is the final and runs on board always matter.

Stats and trivia

• India have met Australia in six tournament finals, winning only once. That win, though, came in Sharjah, back in 1985. Australia have never beaten India in a final in Sharjah.
• With a one-wicket lead over Steve Waugh, Anil Kumble is the seventh-highest wicket-taker in the history of ODI cricket. No spinner has taken more than his 185 wickets.
• With eight catches this month, Mohammad Azharuddin has gone past Australia’s current manager Allan Border’s record of 127 catches in ODIs. Only Azharuddin, Border and Viv Richards have taken 100 catches or more among non-wicketkeepers.

RetroLive

The fast bowler Brett Geeves, who played three matches for Australia during 2008 and 2009, has retired from first-class cricket due to an ongoing back injury

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2011The fast bowler Brett Geeves, who played three matches for Australia during 2008 and 2009, has retired from first-class cricket due to an ongoing back injury. Geeves, 29, has not given up on being part of the new Big Bash League, but he said his body was no longer up to the rigours of the longer formats.The back problem has signalled a disappointing end for Geeves, who made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in Darwin in 2008 and played another one-day international and a Twenty20 on the tour of South Africa the following year. He has not played first-class cricket since January 2010, and his sole appearance for Tasmania last summer was in a Ryobi Cup game in October.”My back’s about as stable as the Egyptian government at the moment, it’s time for me to part ways with cricket,” Geeves told ABC Radio on Monday. “After 17 months of rehab, I’m spent. Time to move forward.”Geeves will end his career with 140 wickets at 33.10 in 41 first-class appearances, along with 103 victims at 29.20 in one-day cricket. He will also be remembered for twice being stranded on 99 not out during the 2008-09 season, both times when the No.11 Tim Macdonald was dismissed, and Geeves ended his career without a century.He played in two one-day final victories with the Tigers, firstly in 2004-05 and then in 2007-08, when he earned the Man of the Match title in the decider for his 3 for 28 against Victoria. Geeves didn’t play in either of Tasmania’s Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield final victories, but he twice won the Ricky Ponting Medal as the state’s best player of the summer.”Cricket has been kind to me over the past decade, with a couple of premierships with Tasmania and opportunities to head overseas to play the game just to name a few,” he said. “I’m disappointed that injury has forced me to retire, however with the injury not looking to improve I had to make some decisions. My body has taken a real beating over the years and unfortunately it has ultimately brought an end to my first-class career.”Geeves could yet be picked up by one of the eight Big Bash League teams, but his future in any form of cricket will depend on whether his back allows him to play. He has already established himself in the media, on the ABC, as a columnist for Hobart’s newspaper, and in his entertaining blogs.

Bryce Street’s patient 41 not out puts the home side well in front by the end of the day

The Report by Alex Malcolm14-Feb-2020Michael Neser and the other Queensland seam bowlers thrived on a green Gabba pitch to roll Tasmania over for just 78 on the opening morning in Brisbane.Neser took 4 for 18 and Jack Wildermuth bagged 3 for 17 as Tasmania were bowled out inside 38 overs after being sent in to bat after losing the toss.The pitch was scarcely distinguishable from the rest of the square and the outfield, and batting was brutally difficult as the ball seamed and swung consistently. Neser removed both openers, trapping Jordan Silk in front and taking the outside edge of Alex Doolan’s bat. He later returned to nab Australia Test skipper Tim Paine with the worst ball of the day as Paine chipped a full toss to mid-on.Charlie Wakim was the only Tasmania batsman to reach double-figures. He and Jake Doran were also the only ones to bat for a significant stretch of time – Wakim faced 50 balls for his 11 and Doran 56 for his 7.Ben McDermott was unfortunate to be given out caught behind but the rest could not help but nick to a hungry cordon of catchers behind the wicket. Queensland’s spinner Mitch Swepson was not required to bowl.The Bulls were then able to blunt Tasmania’s attack late in the day despite the ball continuing to move prodigiously, with Bryce Street absorbing 154 deliveries to finish not out on 41.Joe Burns fell top-edging a pull off Jackson Bird for 23 before Marnus Labuschagne appeared to be caught behind first ball from what looked like a regulation and healthy outside edge. But the umpire was unmoved and the Tasmanians were mystified. Bird eventually got his man with Labuschagne edging to second slip for 26 attempting an ambitious drive on the up.Street was the immovable object continuing the form he displayed before the BBL break steering the Bulls to stumps just two down with a lead of 37, alongside skipper Usman Khawaja.

He played 44 Tests between 1958 and 1969 and was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1970

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2019Basil Butcher, the stylish Guyana and West Indies batsman of the 1950s and 1960s, died on Monday in Florida following a long illness aged 86. He played 44 Tests between 1958 and 1969, scoring 3104 runs at an average of 43.11, and was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 1970.Of his seven Test hundreds, Butcher is best remembered for his second-innings 133 – in the 1963 Lord’s Test against England – which is often rated as one of the greatest matches to have been played at the ground. He made those runs against an England attack led by Fred Trueman after having learnt of his wife’s miscarriage just moments before walking out to bat.Three years later, Butcher posted his highest Test score of 209 not out, against England in Nottingham. It helped West Indies overhaul a first-innings deficit of 90 to win by 139 runs. It was in 1958-59 that Butcher, understood to be the first player of Amerindian descent to represent West Indies, first made his mark in West Indies colours. Against India, he scored 486 runs at 69.42 in his debut series, but fell away for the next few seasons. He then returned to the side in 1963 for the England tour, and was a regular fixture in the team after that till his retirement. After Richie Benaud, the Australian legspinner, played West Indies in two series in that period, he said Butcher was the most difficult of all West Indian batsmen to dismiss.Butcher, in fact, bowled some legspin himself. All of his five Test wickets came in one innings when he claimed 5 for 34 against England at Port of Spain in 1967-68.Butcher was born on September 3, 1933 and was raised on a sugar estate outside the village of Port Mourant in what was then known as British Guiana. He was a neighbour of Alvin Kallicharan’s family and future West Indies team-mates Rohan Kanhai and Joe Solomon lived nearby too. To support his cricket career that began at Port Mourant Sports Club, he worked as a teacher, an insurance salesman, a clerk, and a welfare officer. After his retirement, he ran a bauxite company in Guyana.

ESPNcricinfo previews the IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in Bangalore

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya05-May-2011

Match facts

Friday, May 6, Bangalore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Adam Gilchrist needs to fire for Punjab•AFP

Big picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab have had contrasting runs in the lead-up to Friday’s fixture, though both teams have had fewer games than most others and can be expected to spice up the race for the play-offs even more. Bangalore have won three on the trot, their batting coming good each time, whether they have been chasing or setting a target. Virat Kohli has been the backbone of those successes with the bat and with Chris Gayle in prime touch, things are looking up. A win should push them to the top four, though with five games still to play after Friday, there’s still a long way to go.Punjab, who’ve been beaten in their last three games, have struggled to contain the opposition with their bowling, while their middle order, including David Hussey and Abhishek Nayar, has underachieved. Punjab are already in a deep hole that they need to quickly climb out of, for a defeat, at a point when they are second from the bottom on the points table, could leave them needing too much out of their remaining six games to progress.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWLL (sixth in points table)
Kings XI Punjab: LLLWW (ninth in points table)

Team talk

Bangalore have had a week-long break ahead of the game, a long-enough period to address any niggles if there have been any. They could field the same XI that beat Pune Warriors in their previous match, with Mohammad Kaif playing ahead of Cheteshwar Pujara.David Miller, the big-hitting South Africa batsman is part of the Kings XI squad, and is an option instead of Hussey in the line-up. Piyush Chawla has been expensive with his legspin, and that too would be a worry.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Saurabh Tiwary‘s performance was one of the highlights for Mumbai Indians last season, where he formed a successful partnership with Ambati Rayudu, who continues to shine. With Bangalore, however, Tiwary is yet to hit it big on the field, though he was picked for US$1.6 million at the auctions. He’s had starts, with scores of 14, 18, 14, 7, 16* and 26 so far, and is due a longer stint.Adam Gilchrist needs to inspire his team at the top with a runaway knock, something he’s promised in the middle this season but hasn’t quite achieved. In Paul Valthaty, he has an able partner but the dominance has largely eluded him.

Prime numbers

• Adam Gilchrist leads the sixes tally for the IPL overall, with 70. Yusuf Pathan is one behind him in the same number of games – 53.
• Gilchrist also has the record so far for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in the IPL, with 41 in 53 games. Second to him is Dinesh Karthik with 37.

The chatter

“I wanted to bat up the order for the last three IPL seasons and this time I got the chance. I always wanted to be in the top order but I was batting at Nos. 5, 6 and 7.”

Veteran allrounder steps down after 15-year-career and three world titles

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2019Jenny Gunn, England’s veteran allrounder, has announced her retirement from international cricket after a 15-year career.Gunn made her debut as an 18-year-old in 2004, and went on to make 259 appearances across formats, winning three World Cups and five Ashes series. Only Charlotte Edwards (309) has represented England Women more often.Her maiden England appearance came in the world’s first T20 international – against New Zealand at Hove in August 2004, a year before the men followed suit – while her final outing came against West Indies at Chelmsford in June.As a probing, accurate seam bowler, Gunn’s strength lay in her wicket-to-wicket discipline, allied to a range of slower balls including one, nicknamed the “whiff” by her team-mates, which barely registered on the speed gun.She finishes her career as England’s second-highest wicket-taker in ODIs and third in T20Is. Her ODI tally of 136 wickets at 28.10 was recently overhauled by Katherine Brunt, while Anya Shrubsole (87) and Dani Hazell (85) nudged ahead of her T20I total of 75.In the course of her career, Gunn was forced to endure accusations of chucking – her long-term team-mate, Sarah Taylor, even gave her the nickname “Chucky” – but she kept plugging away with a pared-down action that was as effective as it at times looked awkward.In Test cricket, her best figures of 5 for 19 in 18 overs came in her final Test outing, against India at Wormsley in 2014, and her impact as a lower-order batsman was always valuable. In all, she amassed 2702 runs in all three formats for England, with seven half-centuries and a best of 73 against New Zealand in 2007.Gunn was born into a sporting family, with her father Bryn playing in the Nottingham Forest side that won the European Cup under Brian Clough in 1980. And that achievement was ultimately matched by Gunn’s three World titles – two World Cups in 2009 and 2017, and the World T20, also in 2009.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“I have made one of the hardest decisions and decided the time has come to retire from international cricket,” said Gunn. “I started as a young kid playing the game I loved for fun and I could only dream of becoming a professional cricketer.”I’ve been lucky enough to play in some great teams and to be part of some amazing battles over the years but as a small girl I always said I wanted to put a World Cup medal next to my dad’s European Cup winner’s medal, and there are now three of them next to his medal on the mantelpiece!”I’m so grateful for the support throughout my career and I couldn’t have done it without my friends. But most of all, I couldn’t have done it without my family, all of whom have been there for me every step of the way.”Managing Director of Women’s Cricket, Clare Connor, said: “Jenny has been the most tremendous servant to England Women’s cricket throughout the 15 years she has played for England.”Her longevity, work ethic and commitment have been hugely impressive across both the amateur and professional eras and on countless occasions she has delivered match-winning performances for the team with both bat and ball.”Very few international cricketers have carried themselves with so much humility and shown such care for her team-mates as Jenny. She will be very missed by players and staff alike.”