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England batter believes that some of his team-mates haven’t been in the right “headspace” to get the runs expected of them

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-2022Zak Crawley has conceded that some of England’s batters may have been overawed in the Ashes series but believes the last two Tests could start a rebuilding process.England were blown away for 185 and 68 in the Melbourne Test as the Ashes were lost inside 12 days. They have not passed 300 in the series so far, are yet to score a century, and in 2021 the side equalled their record of 54 ducks in a calendar year.Related

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Crawley was thrust into the side for the Boxing Day Test at the expense of Rory Burns, having barely batted since the end of the English season because of the disrupted preparations in Australia. He made 12 and 5, taking his Test record for the year to 173 runs at 10.81, and termed the second evening against Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins as the toughest period he had ever faced.”Just not fearing them,” Crawley said when asked about how England could counter Australia’s attack. “I feel like quite a few of us on our first Ashes tour maybe we were a bit wary of them when there’s no need to be.”It’s a great place to bat even though they are great bowlers, some of them are the best in the world, but when you get in as Rooty [Joe Root] and [Dawid] Malan have shown, they look very comfortable at times. I’m certainly going to do that this game, [play with a] bit more confidence, because I know full well that I can score a hundred here this week.”Overall in his first-class career Crawley, who made his mark with 267 against Pakistan in 2020, has five centuries from 66 matches and an average of 30.91. Graham Thorpe, England’s assistant coach who is filling in for Chris Silverwood this week because of the head coach’s Covid-19-related isolation, spoke last week about the gap between county and Test cricket and that England’s batting had been exposed on this tour.”Everyone has seen the talent that our batters have shown over the last few years,” Crawley said. “We’ve all got the talent to score big runs in Test cricket, you just have to get in the right headspace to perform like that. Feel like that’s where we’ve gone slightly wrong, haven’t been in the right headspace, but physically and talent-wise there’s no question that we can score big hundreds over here.”Crawley admitted he had not had a good year in 2021 but argued there were some extenuating circumstances and also walked away from his Melbourne examination with a positive reflection.”That evening with the crowd, it didn’t go my way but I look back on that with quite a few fond memories,” he said. “Special to be a part of. Fair play, they bowled well, but hopefully I can have a good week this week.”I haven’t played my best cricket. I actually feel in a really good place with my batting. Those stats [averaging 10] are misleading sometimes. I’ve never experienced anything like playing in India, if I scored 10 it felt like a good score, then I didn’t feel in great touch in summer and all of a sudden you are averaging 10.”I’m hoping it will be a slightly flatter wicket here [Sydney, for the fourth Test], it usually is, [Melbourne] offered quite a bit. I learned that there were certain balls I could leave where in England you have to play and I’ll try and do that better this week. It’s great chance to start again and build up the side into a better place.”

However, Super Kings have requested to have his action tested under laboratory conditions at an ICC-accredited centre

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-2023Aaron Phangiso, South Africa and Joburg Super Kings’ left-arm spinner, has been suspended from bowling in the ongoing SA20 with immediate effect due to an illegal bowling action. The Independent Bowling Action Panel on Tuesday confirmed that his action didn’t adhere to the regulations laid down by the ICC.The panel, consisting of match referee representative Gerrie Pienaar, former South Africa seamer Vernon Philander, and CSA’s High Performance Manager Vincent Barnes, submitted their final report on Monday after they were asked to judge the matter.Related

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Phangiso was reported by the match officials during Super Kings’ match against Pretoria Capitals on January 17.However, according to a media release on Tuesday, Super Kings have requested to have Phangiso’s action tested under laboratory conditions at an ICC-accredited centre. If the governing body’s testing shows that his action is legal, he will be allowed to resume bowling.Phangiso has taken ten wickets in six matches – including two four-wicket hauls – for Super Kings at the SA20 so far. His last game for them came against Sunrisers Eastern Cape on Saturday, where figures of 4 for 20 earned his side a win, and Phangiso a Player-of-the-Match award. With three wins in six games, Super Kings are currently occupying the fifth spot in the six-team competition.This is the second time in his career that Phangiso has been reported for a suspect bowling action. He was first reported during Lions’ win against Warriors in the semi-final of the Momentum One Day Cup in 2016, but was cleared after undergoing remedial work on his action.Phangiso, 39, has played 21 ODIs and 16 T20Is for South Africa, the last of which came against India in Cape Town in February 2018.

The allrounder previously represented Australia in football and scored in the 2011 quarter-final against Sweden

AAP10-Aug-2023Australia cricket superstar Ellyse Perry could easily have found herself playing alongside Sam Kerr and the other Matildas at the Women’s World Cup.An equally gifted footballer, Perry made her international debut at 16 – playing her first match for Australia against Hong Kong in 2007.The brilliant cricket allrounder made her first World Cup appearance during the 2011 tournament in Germany, scoring the Matildas’ only goal in the 3-1 quarter-final loss to Sweden.The 32-year-old earned 18 caps and scored three goals for Australia between 2007 and 2012.Related

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Primarily a defender, Perry also enjoyed a glittering career in domestic soccer playing for Central Coast Mariners, Canberra United and Sydney FC with teammates Kerr and Caitlin Foord.She competed at the International Women’s Club Championship with Sydney FC in 2013, when the squad defeated Japan’s WE League club NTV Beleza 1-0 but lost 3-2 to Chelsea.But as her sporting paths crossed, she sacrificed her soccer trajectory for the bat-and-ball game with her cricketing career exploding into superstardom from 2014.Perry went on to win eight world titles with Australia, 11 Women’s National Cricket League championships with NSW, and two Women’s Big Bash League titles with the Sydney Sixers.She is now delighted to see her former Matildas team-mates take the football world – and the Australian sporting public – by storm.”I don’t think we’ve ever really seen anything like this,” Perry said on Thursday. “The level that they’re playing at, the style that they’re playing, the amazing entertainment that they are.”Just to see what those girls have done for not only their team but for this sport and for women’s sport – it’s just been a phenomenal tournament.”Perry did not want to forget the achievements made by female athletes before the Matildas’ World Cup fever swept the nation.”There’s lots of precedent for this,” she said. “Traditionally, the Women’s Big Bash League has been the fourth most-watched sporting competition in the country – it seems a long time ago but back in 2020 we had 86,000 at the MCG.”It’s been a really steady evolution for women’s sport for a long period of time. “[General society] is shifting in line with a real push towards equality but also how much we value the incredible skill and endeavour of all of our female athletes and what they’re able to achieve.”Perry hopes the momentum around the World Cup can help the growth of domestic competitions.”We’ve got an amazing platform to be more successful and have more of a mark on the sporting landscape in Australia,” she said. “The product is there. Now it’s just about providing a platform for fans to be able to come along and have a really enjoyable time.”The next frontier for us is to make sure that we’re able to fill those stadiums.”Perry is currently recovering from a knee injury sustained last month in Ireland and meant she was withdrawn from the Hundred but is hopeful of being ready for the start of the domestic season in late September.

A round-up of the first day’s action of the seventh round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2009-10

Cricinfo staff15-Nov-2009Group BAn astonishing 16 wickets fell on the opening day at the Jinnah Stadium
as the Rawalpindi right-arm seamer Mohammad Rameez took 6 for 43 to send Sialkot crashing to 107. The hosts found themselves at an embarrassing 53 for 9, but Naved Arif scored 49 at No.10 to push the score past 100. Only three Sialkot batsmen went past double figures as Rameez wreaked havoc. Rawalpindi made a more assured start but lost four wickets – Arif chipped in with two – and took the first-innings lead.The opening day at the National Ground
between the hosts Islamabad and Peshawar was all about three players – Ali Sarfraz, Riaz Afridi and Azam Khan. The ball dominated the bat with 12 wickets falling, and the only batsman to make a significant contribution was Sarfraz, who scored 96 in Islamabad’s total of 256. Afridi, the right-arm seamer took five wickets while Azam, another right-armer, took four to support Afridi. Islamabad’s lower order chipped to beef up the score after a disappointing 111 for 6. Peshawar lost their openers in reply and ended the day at 47 for 2.A combined bowling effort by Lahore Ravi helped bowl out Quetta for 220 at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground.
Shahzad Tareen top scored with 68 but he didn’t get decent support from the rest. His knock came off 110 balls with nine fours. Mohammad Irshad was the leading wicket-taker with three wickets while Waqas Ahmed, Junaid Zia and Aamer Hayat took two each. The Lahore openers were unbeaten at stumps.Continuing his good form from the previous game, where he scored an unbeaten 200, Abbottabad captain Adnan Raees made an unbeaten 101 as his team finished on 279 for 9 against Multan in Okara.
Opener Fawad Khan also made a significant contribution – 89- and shared a stand of 97 for the third wicket with Mohammad Kashif, before Raees joined him for a bigger stand of 112 for the fifth. When Fawad was dismissed by Ansar Javed, Multan fought back to pick up quick wickets. Javed ended the day with 3 for 65.Group AHabib Bank Limited grabbed the advantage on the first day against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in Islamabad. Half-centuries from opener Naeemuddin and captain Azhar Shafiq had taken SNGPL to a comfortable position at 149 for 2, but a collective bowling display from HBL saw to it that the opposition was bowled out for 245. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman starred with 4 for 59, and was backed up by fast bowler Sarmad Anwar (3 for 47) and Mohammad Aslam (2 for 37). The trio, with their burst of wickets, caused a collapse, as eight wickets fell for 96 runs. In reply, HBL were in a spot of bother, with opener Shan Masood retiring hurt and Saleem Elahi falling to Asad Ali; they were 10 for 1 at stumps.Water and Power Development Authority held the edge against Karachi Whites at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex. In an admirable bowling effort, WAPDA bowled out Karachi for 170, thanks to three-wicket hauls from fast bowlers Shabbir Ahmed and Azharullah. It could have been worse for Karachi, for they were reeling at 101 for 8 at on stage. A 67-run stand between Akbar-ur-Rehman (58) and No.10 batsman Tabish Khan (21) saved their blushes somewhat. It was Tabish again who led the fight in the WAPDA reply, taking three wickets to put them in a spot of bother at 86 for 4. However, Jahangir Mirza (34 not out) and Ali Azmat (25 not out) stabilized the innings in an unbeaten 42-run stand to steer their team to 128 for 4 at stumps, still 42 runs adrift.Khan Research Laboratories reached a comfortable position against National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi. Driven by half-centuries from Saeed Anwar jnr, Bazid Khan and Zahoor Elahi, KRL reached 319 for 7 at stumps. NBP, boosted by Wasim Khan’s three-for, had limited KRL to 115 for 4, but a 165-run stand between Bazid and Elahi turned the balance in their favour. However, KRL received a setback towards the end of the day, for they lost three wickets for 21. But with Elahi still at the crease on 76, and Jaffar Nazir (14 not out) supporting him in an unbeaten stand of 18, KRL are in with a chance of extending their advantage much further.Sui Southern Gas Corporation dominated Lahore Shalimar on the opening day at the Gaddafi Stadium. Opener Azeem Ghumman smashed an unbeaten 143, laced with 11 fours and a six, to mark a productive day for SSGC, who were boosted by four important partnerships. The lowest stand of the day was between the openers, and it yielded 59 runs. Ghumman then added 79 with Imran Abbas, followed by 65 with Bilal Asad. He signed off day one with an unbeaten partnership of 94 with captain Saeed Bin Nasir (57 not out) to take his team to 297 for 3 at stumps. Lahore face the possibility of an imposing first-innings score, and will have to strike early on the second day to give themselves a chance.Pakistan Customs walked away with first-day honours against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Marghzar Cricket Ground. Debutant Ahmed Jamal (4 for 61) and Tahir Mughal (3 for 46) shared seven wickets between them to leave ZTBL at 224 for 8 at stumps. The pair got into the act from the outset, with Mughal dismissing opener Inam-ul-Haq for a duck. Opener Zohaib Khan resisted with a 175-ball, barring a 55-run stand for the fourth wicket, there wasn’t much support from the other end. But the lower order stepped up to the task after Zohaib fell; Mohammad Khalil chipped in with 22 and Kashif Daud made a handy 18 to rally around wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider, who remained unbeaten on 59. From a precarious position at 116 for 6, ZTBL recovered to a more respectable position, though Pakistan Customs still hold the cards going into the second day.

Kent seal second win of Championship season after Warwickshire’s final-day collapse

ECB Reporters Network22-Jul-2022Kent took a huge step away from the lower reaches of the LV=Insurance County Championship Division One with a thumping 177-run victory over struggling champions Warwickshire at Edgbaston.After resuming on 28 for 2, in pursuit of a target of 325, the home side folded to 147 all out before lunch. Matt Milnes led the demolition with a destructive burst of 6.5-1-11-4 but Kent’s quartet of seamers all played their part in building the pressure under which the Bears buckled.The result leaves Warwickshire, who visit leaders Surrey next week, in real jeopardy of following their title triumph in 2021 with relegation in 2022. Kent, meanwhile, spring into mid-table after an excellent performance by a team galvanised by the arrival of overseas pacemen Navdeep Saini and Matt Henry.Related

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Their seam attack possessed the cutting edge that the depleted Bears, without the injured Liam Norwell, Olly Stone and Chris Woakes, sorely lacked. Kent’s bowlers also were supported by fine work in the field, led by captain and wicketkeeper Sam Billings who took 12 catches in the match, surpassing the previous Kent record of ten (Fred Huish, 1911, and Jack Hubble, 1923).The final day had a helter-skelter start as Sam Hain hit his first three balls for four but then edged a fine delivery from Saini to Billings.Dom Sibley and Will Rhodes dug in to add 35 but then came a moment which summed up the old cricket truism that it’s when things are going against you that Lady Luck will give you another good kicking. Rhodes, having looked in decent nick and started to sow the seeds of a partnership with Sibley, was strangled down the leg side off Quinn.That’s always an infuriating way to get out – all the more so when it triggers a collapse of 61 for 7 in 91 balls.Kent seam depth in this game showed itself as, with spearheads Saini and Henry grazing, Matt Quinn and Milnes took up the attack and took five wickets in 30 balls.Quinn followed the wicket of Rhodes with that of Dan Mousley who edged behind. Milnes produced an unplayable lifter to take Michael Burgess’ edge and then forced Sibley to play on. Milnes had 3 for 7 after taking a return catch from Danny Briggs.With Warwickshire’s last two wickets needing to find 196, Kent turned to the spinners to improve their over-rate. Jack Leaning disposed of Craig Miles, caught and bowled, before Milnes returned to round off the rout when Olly Hannon-Dalby edged to first slip. Kent’s visit to Birmingham simply could not have gone any better.”The win is a product of all the things we talk about in the dressing room, how we are going to try to turn this around, and I think we saw all of it in this game,” Matt Walker, Kent’s coach, said. “You can’t just want to win and that’s enough, you have got to put the things in place and I was really impressed with the way the boys went about their work.”Our first day’s batting didn’t quite go to plan but our response after that over the next three days was outstanding. That felt like a Kent side of old. The quality through those two-and-a-half days was brilliant and it felt like a real team performance with some real key moments that we had to win and we did.””The league table doesn’t lie, what’s happening doesn’t lie,” Mark Robinson, Warwickshire’s coach, said. “What people can’t see behind the scenes is all the thought and the effort that goes in and the hurt that the players are feeling. In both the last two games they have committed a lot to the games and it’s just not been enough.”

Anil Kumble, Faf du Plessis and Andy Flower are in favour of changing the rule

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Oct-20223:30

Should teams be allowed to change XIs after the toss if it rains?

Teams should be allowed to make changes to their XI if rain curtails play after the toss but before a ball has been bowled, according to ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out experts Faf du Plessis, Anil Kumble and Andy Flower.Kumble and Flower, who have extensive coaching experience in T20 leagues, and Du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, said the tweak in the rules would allow teams to field their best XI for a rain-hit contest.The discussion happened while South Africa and Zimbabwe were made to wait after the toss for the start of their Super 12 match because of rain in Hobart. The game was eventually reduced to nine overs a side after Zimbabwe had chosen to bat.”That’s something I’m sure will get discussed in the next committee meeting, especially in this format,” Kumble said, when asked whether changes should be allowed to the playing XIs after the toss in such situations. “In a game like this, where the toss has happened, the teams have been announced, it could eventually be a five-over game, so yes.”Kumble said, however, that both teams knew there was rain around before the toss, so they would have taken that into account.Flower, who coached Lucknow Super Giants in IPL 2022, said the best combination for a five or six-over match would be different to a 20-over match.”What the fans want to see is the best contest between the best two elevens, and if the best two elevens need to be altered slightly given that the match changes to a five or a six-over game, then the fans would like to see the best elevens take each other on,” Flower said. “I don’t see why sticking with the status quo makes particular sense. I’d like someone to explain that to me if possible at some stage.”Du Plessis, who captains RCB in the IPL, said that the potential rule change will be good for the fans. “From a captaincy perspective, it’s quite a decision-making process when there’s rain around,” he said. “From a captain’s point of view, you try and push the umpires to say let’s wait for the toss, because you do want to pick the right team if it gets affected by the rain.”In terms of the rule change, I think it will be nice, especially for the fans, to see team changes and stuff after the toss.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore have decided against naming a replacement just yet

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Apr-2023Rajat Patidar has been ruled out of IPL 2023, after having failed to recover sufficiently from a heel injury. His team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, said as much while announcing the update that they “have decided not to name a replacement player for Rajat just yet”.Patidar, 29, had been undergoing rehab at the BCCI’s National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru over the past few days, and it was understood that he would miss the first half of the IPL 2023 season; he had initially been advised rest till mid-April. Patidar had picked up the injury prior to joining the Royal Challengers pre-season camp.