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Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann highlighted a few areas as key battlegrounds, as the touring team moved out of their initial Colombo base to prepare for the first Test match in Kandy

Daniel Brettig21-Jul-2016Twin spin, batting big and being wary of how a deteriorating pitch can dictate the pace of play. Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann highlighted these areas as key battlegrounds in the series against Sri Lanka, as the touring team moved out of their initial Colombo base to prepare for the first Test match in Kandy.Steve O’Keefe’s 10-wicket haul opposite Nathan Lyon has more than likely vaulted him back into the Test XI after he missed the tour of New Zealand, particularly as Lehmann and the selection chairman Rod Marsh are expecting a sparsely grassed surface when the series begins on July 26. They also expect pitches that will start out flat before deteriorating rapidly at the back end of each match, and can foresee Sri Lanka trying to test the patience of an aggressive batting line-up by blocking the boundaries. To lose patience is to lose the battle.”You play the conditions on each game, so for us it did start to turn a lot [at P Sara Oval], which is pleasing, our spinners exploited that very well, so the conditions they’re learning to bowl in is pretty important as the Test matches wear on here in Sri Lanka,” Lehmann said. “They’re pretty good wickets to start with, and that’s the challenge for us, going big and making big runs.”We know that Sri Lanka will defend a lot once batters are in, so it’s going to take a lot longer to get your runs if that makes sense. We’ve spoken about the need to bat long periods of time is going to be key, which we’ve done pretty well to be fair over the last little while, but the challenge is to do it here.

Australia’s likely XI for first Test

David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Steve O’Keefe, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

“Knowing the game is going to speed up as the wickets deteriorate, that’s going to be important to be ahead of the game in the Test series, but really happy with where everyone’s at. Our batters have a big role to play and our bowlers were probably a little bit rusty in the first innings but pleased we got through, there’s no injury concerns and away we go.”Lehmann spoke warmly of O’Keefe and also Lyon, who was recovering from illness over the course of the tour match, and is set to play a central role in the same country he made a memorable Test debut back in 2011. Significantly, Lehmann pointed to the use of tandem spin, turning the ball in opposite directions, as something that would be vital not only in Sri Lanka, but also India next year.”He’s been excellent for NSW, had a lot of success in Shield cricket, his 200th first-class wicket today so pleased for him,” Lehmann said of O’Keefe. “He’s worked really hard, he’s a really lively, buzzy character for us and played exactly the role we want him to play over here in this game. Bats really well, fields really well and complements Nathan really well, spinning the other way.”We think that [twin spin] is the way to go. India do it there with Jadeja and Ashwin and most teams have a spinner going both ways, so for us that’s important.”A conclusion drawn by Lehmann and the team performance manager Pat Howard from unsuccessful recent tours to India and the UAE to play Pakistan was that touring sides needed to spend as much time as possible in unfamiliar climes before walking out on day one of the series proper. To that end, the Australians have followed an internal practice fixture with the match in Colombo, and will now have five days in Kandy before Angelo Mathews tosses the coin next week.”We’ve come over here a little bit earlier than we normally would, we think that’s a helpful thing in future, we haven’t done that in the past,” Lehmann said. “So to come a little bit earlier here and go a bit earlier to India to get acclimatised for an extra few days and hopefully an extra game in most places.”Having entered the final week of their preparation, all Lehmann is looking for now is the announcement of Sri Lanka’s tour squad, the better to plan individual opponents. “I wouldn’t mind the side at some stage,” he said. “That’s the challenge, I don’t think anyone knows what squad they’ve got. Once they name their squad we’ll work through that. We know a bit about them. They’ll be a lot better side at home, and that’s going to be a challenge for us, but end of the day we just worry about what we’re doing. Once we get their squad away we go.”The only Australian player under any sort of fitness cloud is David Warner, in the latter stages of recovery from a broken thumb, but Lehmann gave no hint of thinking the vice-captain might be in any doubt to open the innings with Joe Burns: “We’re preparing for him to play.”

Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Sep-2016Substantial crowd trouble marred both Dambulla ODIs, as several thousand ticket-holders were either unable to take their seats, or – in some cases – even enter the ground. SLC has issued an apology, and condemned the actions of spectators who forced their way into the venue.This is the first series in which SLC has sold its tickets through BookMyShow – a ticket distributor of Indian origin. Tickets were sold at outlets in many of the main towns in the region, as well as online. However, the perception that a move towards online ticket sales marginalised a large portion of cricket fans is what is understood to have angered some of those who swarmed the gates of the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium last week. Wednesday’s ODI had even seen a large protest at the entrance, which led to severe congestion on the Colombo-Dambulla main road.”SLC has clearly advertised the selling points of tickets, and has sold their tickets prior to the match at 18 outlets island-wide, including in Dambulla, Matale and Anuradhapura,” an SLC release said. “Ninety per cent of the tickets were reported sold through the above network and only 10% via internet.”Public who did not purchase their respective tickets prior to the match behaved in an unruly manner, causing a situation outside the main gate. As a result, even the people who purchased the tickets could not come into the ground, due to the heavy traffic congestion caused by the unruly crowd who were blocking the main road in protest. Sri Lanka Police made several requests to the protestors to move out of the road to enable the genuine ticket holders to enter the ground. More than 2000 spectators who had purchased tickets complained that they could not get into the grounds within the first two hours of the play.”The standoff between the police and the “unruly crowd” had only been resolved after the gates were opened even to those who had not bought tickets, in order to clear the road.In the previous match, on Sunday, thousands were seen entering the ground illegally, which led to the 18,000-capacity stadium having to accommodate up to 45,000 people. The protesting crowd had pelted the police with stones on Wednesday, but there have been no reports of major injury as a result of either incident.”SLC would like to state that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable and would like to denounce the violent behaviour of the protestors who pelted stones at the police and damaged property of the stadium. As a result, Sri Lanka Police had no choice but to use minimal force to curb the situation.”The new ticketing protocols have been in place right through the tour, but Dambulla is the only venue at which substantial crowd-control issues have emerged. Dambulla also has the lowest capacity of the three limited-overs venues.

On Wednesday evening, Batty’s phone buzzed with the call from James Whitaker, the national selector, to tell him he was on the plane to Bangladesh

Andrew McGlashan16-Sep-2016October 22, 2003, Dhaka, 1st Test, 2nd day. Gareth Batty claims his first Test wicket: Alok Kapali, bowled shouldering arms.October 22, 2016, Chittagong, 1st Test, 3rd day. Gareth Batty claims his 12th Test wicket, a week after his 39th birthday.It is now not an impossible thought. On Wednesday evening, Batty’s phone buzzed with the call from James Whitaker, the national selector, to tell him he was on the plane to Bangladesh and, after a gap of more than 11 years, has the chance to add to his seven Test caps.”It was a bit surreal, but a great honour – it’s a great phonecall to get,” he said. “It’s never going to be a bad one one when you’re told you’re going to get on a plane to represent your country.”

Ansari thumbs-up for second chance

You could forgive Zafar Ansari if he was a little careful during the Royal London Final against Warwickshire on Saturday. A year ago, a matter of hours after his maiden England call-up, he badly broke his thumb, required multiple operations, and was out for seven months.
Now he is back for the tour of Bangladesh – despite a season disjointed by further injuries – and has been boosted by the show of confidence.
“Obviously last year was deeply disappointing but it’s come around quite quickly again,” he said. “I am not extra protective of my thumb. It was a big injury, but I am looking after it and it’s been okay for a while now, and I am confident it will get through most things.”

Batty was close to a recall this time last year after Zafar Ansari, who he will now be touring alongside after the allrounder was also included in England’s 17-man squad, broke his thumb just hours after earning his first call-up for the trip to the UAE.Instead the selectors went for Samit Patel and the thought was that the last chance for Batty to rekindle his Test career had passed him by. However, another solid season for Surrey, in which he has collected 41 wickets at 31.32, has earned him selection ahead of the more prolific Jack Leach or Ollie Rayner.If Batty does make a final XI, he will be a cricket veteran in the side, if not a Test veteran. It is the gnarled experience which has helped tip the scales in his favour as England try to find a solution – albeit short term – to the challenge of competing in the spin department in Bangladesh and, although the squad has yet to be confirmed, most likely in India as well.”Until you get out there you don’t know but, certainly in the last few years, I feel I have learnt more about my game and I understand my body and bowled better more consistently,” he said. “I feel in a good place that, maybe in the younger part of my career, I didn’t feel as confident about things, or know exactly what it was going to do, so fingers crossed that stands me in good stead if I get an opportunity..”All sport is pressure but as you get older you perhaps know how better to deal with it, but it’s why we play the game. It’s about dealing with pressure and being a good performer under pressure.”Although Batty has been brought back because the selectors feel he is one of the best four spinners available, it has also been mooted that he can provide a mentoring role for the other three. England do not have a dedicated spin-bowling coach, even for back-to-back tours of the subcontinent, with Saqlain Mushtaq only scheduled to be involved for a couple of weeks during India.”We have not had any conversations about that but, whatever they require from me, I will try to deliver as best I can – anyone within the game knows that about me,” he said.”As a spinner, our country is not blessed overly with a huge amount of knowledge in that area, so if there is anything I can possibly help with in any way shape or form, I will. But I would do that if I were in an England shirt, a Surrey shirt or just my shirt at the local cricket club.”As ever with this tour of Bangladesh, the talk of security is never far away but nothing was going to stop Batty if the call came, even though he has recently become a father for the first time.”As soon as the security guys said it was okay, that was good enough. I am not somebody who is going to second-guess somebody who’s doing their job, but I totally understand people’s reservations and that is their decision. I spoke to my wife and had a quick word to my little daughter, who gave me a little dribble which I took as meaning it was okay.”If Batty returns home having helped England win a Test series, it will be quite a story to tell his daughter in the years to come.

Half-centuries from Hilton Cartwright, Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster took Australia A to a dominant position on the second day of their four-day game against India A

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Sep-2016
Scorecard1:44

WATCH – Cartwright 99* extends Australia A lead to 150

Half-centuries from Hilton Cartwright, Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster took Australia A to a dominant position on the second day of their four-day game against India A. Australia A needed just four balls to dismiss overnight batsman Hardik Pandya for 79 and wrap up India A’s innings for 169, with Kane Richardson adding one to his overnight tally to finish with 4 for 37.In reply, Australia A had marched on to 5 for 319 for a lead of 150, with Cartwright unbeaten on 99 when stumps were drawn at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane.Australia A got off to a wobbly start, losing both openers inside the first five overs to Shardul Thakur. Travis Dean was dismissed off the fourth ball of the innings, caught behind for a duck. Joe Burns, the captain, fell four overs later, caught at second slip by Pandya to leave Australia A 11 for 2.Maddinson and Kurtis Patterson then got together for the repair job and negotiated a demanding period, adding 92 for the third wicket in just under 21 overs. India A could have ended the stand earlier but for a reprieve to Maddinson when the batsman was on 34. Varun Aaron sent down three no-balls in an over, including one that took the outside edge and flew to Naman Ojha.Maddinson was well-supported by Patterson who collected a calm 25 off 61 balls before being caught behind off Hardik Pandya. Maddinson fell 15 overs later when he was caught by Pandey off Jayant Yadav’s offspin. His 81 came off 114 balls and included 12 fours and two sixes.Webster and Cartwright then took centrestage, combining for a fifth-wicket stand of 152 and kept the India A bowlers at bay for 43.2 overs. Webster’s 79 off 186 balls included nine fours. He fell towards the end of the day, caught behind off Thakur to give the right-arm medium pacer his third wicket. Wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman then kept Cartwright company for around 10 overs. Cartwright had struck 14 fours and a six in his 153-ball knock.India A used five bowlers. Thakur took three wickets, but was expensive, going at over four an over. Pandya and Yadav took a wicket each, while Dhawal Kulkarni and Aaron went wicketless.

A round-up of all the Group B matches from the third round of 2016-17 Ranji Trophy matches

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2016As many as 13 wickets fell in Kolkata as Karnataka took the opening-day honours, taking a 41-run lead with seven wickets intact after bowling Delhi out for 90 in less than a session in their Group B fixture at Eden Gardens.Stand-in captain Karun Nair’s decision to bowl first was vindicated by the new ball bowlers. S Aravind, the left-arm seamer – who replaced the injured captain Vinay Kumar – triggered the meltdown, taking 4 for 12 in 11 overs as Delhi slumped to their lowest score against Karnataka. Their previous-lowest was 138 in the 2005-06 season.Aravind was complemented by Abhimanyu Mithun and offspinner K Gowtham, who returned to the state side after four years during Karnataka’s season-opener last week. Mithun took two wickets, and Gowtham took three, including that of the in-form Rishabh Pant (24) who had been put down twice – once by Gowtham himself at backward point, and once by Mayank Agarwal at slip.While the surface had a green tinge, it was far from menacing as the scorecard suggested. This was in evidence as the Karnataka openers added 87. While R Samarth, coming off a double century against Jharkhand, exuded confidence in his 53, Agarwal buried flamboyance for discipline for his 56, before fending a Vikas Tokas bouncer to third slip. Karnataka ended on 131 for 3, with Nair and Mithun at the crease.The effectiveness of Karnataka’s seamers may have encouraged Ishant Sharma, who was returning to competitive cricket after chikungunya kept him out for more than a month. But he was ineffective for the most part, as his length erred on the shorter side. On the odd occasions where he bowled full, he was driven comfortably. In comparison, Aravind proved that minute deviations on a helpful surface are just as effective as raw pace.Delhi’s only highlights came towards the ends of the day, when Robin Uthappa (5) and Agarwal (56) were caught in the slips.Cheteshwar Pujara carried forward his good form from the New Zealand Tests•Associated Press

Saurashtra’s Cheteshwar Pujara (79 not out) and Sheldon Jackson (105) made Maharashtra rue their decision to bowl first in Vizianagaram. The pair’s 164-run third-wicket stand helped Saurashtra recover from the loss of their openers in the first session and post 285 for 3 at stumps. Jaydev Shah, the captain, was unbeaten on 35.Jackson, who walked in to bat at 67 for 2, struck 10 fours and five sixes in his 12th first-class ton, a 155-ball 105, before Akshay Darekar, the left-arm spinner, dismissed him in the final session. Sagar Jogiyani (24) and Avi Barot (28) were the other batsmen to be dismissed, falling to Rahul Tripathi and Mohsin Sayyad respectively.Ganesh Satish (93 not out) and Sanjay Ramaswamy (83) were the architects for Vidarbha, who went into stumps on Day 1 of their clash against Assam in Trivandrum on 254 for 3. The base was built during the course of a 131-run second-wicket stand between the pair, after Faiz Fazal, the captain, elected to bat. Offspinner Swarupam Purkayastha, picked up two wickets in four deliveries to briefly spark a revival, but Ganesh and Ravi Jangid ensured there was no further damage.Pankaj Singh’s second five-wicket haul this season put Rajasthan in a strong position against Jharkhand in Vadodara.Kaushal Singh top scored with 56 in Jharkhand’s 209 all out after electing to bat. Kaushal’s 96-run sixt-wicket stand with Ishank Jaggi (49) helped Jharkand climb out of a hole at 69 for 5. Pankaj Singh took three of those first five and ended with 5 for 60 off his 21 overs, while Nathu Singh and Ajay Singh took two wickets apiece.Rajasthan were 26 without loss at stumps.

Pakistan have called up 17-year-old Mohammad Asghar as a back up for legspinner Yasir Shah in the Test squad in Australia

Umar Farooq08-Dec-2016Pakistan have called up 17-year-old Mohammad Asghar as a back up for legspinner Yasir Shah in the Test squad in Australia. Yasir missed the ongoing tour game in Cairns with a back problem, which prompted the PCB to send the uncapped left-arm spinner Ashgar down under.Left-arm allrounder Mohammad Nawaz is the only other spin option in Pakistan’s Test squad.Asghar was originally considered for the tour of Australia because he had been pulled out of the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League to play first-class cricket in Pakistan, but the selectors eventually named the same squad that played the Tests in New Zealand.He bowled only 6.2 overs and took one wicket in his first match for United Bank after returning from the BPL, but in his second game he sent down 72 overs in an innings for figures of 3 for 166. Overall, Asghar has played 17 first-class matches and taken 68 wickets at an average of 26.61 since his debut as a 15-year-old in December 2014.Yasir hurt his back during a training session at the Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns on December 6. He was being treated for the issue by a doctor in Cairns, and was advised a few days’ rest. The first Test against Australia – a day-night match in Brisbane – begins on December 15.”Yasir is visibly improving but it’s an important Test and we don’t want to take a risk,” Amjad Hussain, Pakistan media manager, told ESPNcricinfo. “He basically suffered back spasms and is being taken care of with therapy. We are hoping to have him back. But it’s always good to have back up to counter the worst case.”Asghar was picked over experienced left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar, who had been Pakistan’s second spinner in home Tests since Abdur Rehman faded away. Babar travelled to England this summer with the squad, though he did not play a Test. A poor series in the UAE against West Indies – three wickets at 49.66 apiece – followed.The selectors said it was not that lack of form that prompted Babar to be sidelined, though.* Instead, the selectors said, with Asghar merely being cover for Yasir and they being quite confident that the legspinner will be fit to play, they wanted to bring in a young player to get a feel of the international set-up. They were not keen to call in a senior player only to be benched, especially since Babar is set to play the final of the domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Karachi from December 10.*09.15GMT, December 8: This article was updated with the selectors’ take on Zulfiqar Babar.

Half-centuries from opener Himanshu Rana and No. 3 Shubman Gill provided India Under-19s with a total of 273, which they were able to defend successfully thanks a middle-overs squeeze by their spinners Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Dec-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Himanshu Rana’s 71 off 79 balls was the highest score of the Asia Cup final•PTI

Half-centuries from opener Himanshu Rana and No. 3 Shubman Gill provided India Under-19s with a total of 273, which they were able to defend successfully thanks a middle-overs squeeze by their spinners Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar. In the end, hosts Sri Lanka were beaten by 34 runs.At one point though, that result had seemed unlikely. With the momentum of picking up six wickets in the last 11 overs fuelling them, Sri Lanka went after the target with great vigour. Captain Kamindu Mendis and R Kelly struck fifties each to take the score to 158 for 2 in the 31st over. That brought the equation down to 116 off 118 balls with eight wickets in hand.India needed to re-establish control and their 16-year old captain Abhishek helped with that, dismissing Kelly for 63. He finished with figures of 4 for 37 in 10 overs of left-arm spin and claimed the Man-of-the-Match award. Sri Lanka had to deal with Chahar’s miserly legspin from the other end. With him bowling his full quota, giving away only 22 runs, and picking up three wickets as well, the chase unravelled. Sri Lanka lost three wickets in five overs between the 38th and 43rd, then another three wickets with the score on 225 and were finally bowled out for 239.It signalled the importance of first-innings runs in Colombo, and India were able to put up enough thanks to Rana’s 71 off 79 balls and Gill’s 70 off 92 balls. While their partnership of 88 for the second wicket was on, it seemed like India would get to a total of 300 or more, but seamer Nipun Ransika, who took two wickets in the 47th over, and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who dismissed both the half-centurions, ensured that did not happen. Sri Lanka would later realise that the damage had already been done.

New Zealand completed a stunning final-day win in Wellington, after Bangladesh slumped to 160 all out in their second innings

The Report by Alagappan Muthu16-Jan-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:42

Isam: Latham innings turned the tide in the game

A gruesome day for Bangladesh was highlighted by Mushfiqur Rahim being taken off the field in an ambulance after being struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Tim Southee. The fact that he was batting in the first place, having injured his hand, was a sign of how desperate the situation was for the visitors. They were eventually bowled out for 160 seven overs after lunch. Set 217 to win in 57 overs, a quickfire Kane Williamson century saw New Zealand home in 39.4 overs; the hosts’ seven-wicket win also broke a record that had stood for 122 years.Overnight on 66 for 3, Bangladesh’s day began with Shakib Al Hasan’s awful heave barely seconds after the start of play. When the focus should have been on survival, he popped a catch to mid-on off Mitchell Santner. The man who had set Bangladesh up with the possibility of beginning an overseas series with a win, hitting their highest ever individual score of 217, had fallen for a duck. They were reduced to 96 for 5 when Mominul Haque did not anticipate a fuller delivery from Neil Wagner. His feet were pinned to the crease, hinting he was expecting a bouncer, and was caught in the slips.Adding to Bangladesh’s woes were the injuries to key batsmen: opener Imrul Kayes had retired hurt on the fourth day during Bangladesh’s second innings due to a thigh injury, and Mushfiqur’s innings was cut short on day five. The end to Mushfiqur’s innings came at a time when he seemed to be dealing with the short ball quite well. A ball that kept low from Southee hit him on the helmet just behind his left ear. There would be outcry over how often the bowlers targeted the fingers on Mushfiqur’s bottom hand – which might well be broken – but he would have known what he was in for when he decided to bat with a target on him. Mushfiqur was taken to the hospital, where scans indicated he was out of immediate danger, and returned to the ground to watch his record partnership for Bangladesh with Shakib – they had added 359 in the first innings – become the second-highest one to result in a defeat.Bangladesh still had hope of something face-saving while Sabbir was at the crease. A naturally aggressive batsman, Sabbir spent 51 minutes without scoring – during which he could have been caught and bowled – and batted sensibly with the tail until lunch. After the break though, perhaps worried by Kamrul Islam Rabbi and Subashis Roy’s batting abilities, he began taking a lot more risks and was caught behind for 50 while attempting an on-the-up square drive. Imrul came out to bat again at the fall of Kamrul – the seventh wicket in the innings – and added 12 more as Bangladesh lost their last four wickets for 23 runs. Trent Boult picked up 3 for 53, bowling Roy and Taskin Ahmed with reverse-swing.New Zealand’s chase was a contrast to the manic day that it was for Bangladesh. Williamson reinforced his reputation as a fourth-innings master. He reached a hundred off only 89 balls, the fourth-fastest in the final innings in all Tests. And yet there were no pyrotechnics. The most he did was meet a few lifters in mid-air and paste them through cover though there was no room on offer, or alternatively work his wrists over them and find the midwicket boundary.Mehedi Hasan, given the new ball again, dismissed Jeet Raval and Tom Latham before tea, beating the first man with flight to earn himself a return catch and the second with turn as a half-hearted defensive shot led to an inside edge onto the stumps. But Bangladesh bowled poorly thereafter, drained by their injury worries and shocked by how wildly the match had turned. Even as late as tea on the fourth day neither team had begun their second innings. By 5.47pm on the fifth, the visitors were beaten. Badly. They couldn’t get the simple disciplines right. The quicks were too short, the spinners bowled leg stump and outside and while that was meant to slow down the scoring, it had the opposite effect. In a 10-over after the second wicket, they leaked 77 runs.New Zealand’s overall run-rate – 5.47 – was the third-highest in the fourth innings as Williamson, with his 15th century, and Ross Taylor, with his 24th fifty, put on their eighth hundred partnership and ensured the fans who packed the Basin Reserve – it was free entry for the final day – witnessed history.

Martin Guptill has been ruled out of the second ODI against Australia in Napier, with Dean Brownlie set to join the squad

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jan-2017New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has been ruled out of the second ODI against Australia in Napier due to a hamstring problem.Dean Brownlie, the Northern Districts batsman who has not featured in a New Zealand team in any format since late 2014, has been called into the squad as cover for Guptill.Guptill picked up the injury during the thrilling opening match of the Chappell-Hadlee series in Auckland, which New Zealand won by six runs.Guptill scored 61 in New Zealand’s innings, and then while fielding suffered what coach Mike Hesson described as a minor hamstring strain.”Martin felt tightness in his left hamstring while fielding yesterday and after being monitored over the last 24 hours it’s become apparent he won’t quite be ready for Napier,” Hesson said.”He’ll remain with the team and we’ll continue to monitor him ahead of the third ODI in Hamilton.”The second ODI in Napier is scheduled for Thursday, and the series concludes in Hamilton on Sunday.

John Hampshire, the former Yorkshire captain and England batsman who went on to become an international umpire, has died at the age of 76

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Mar-2017
John Hampshire, the former Yorkshire captain and England batsman who went on to become an international umpire, has died at the age of 76 after a long illness.Hampshire, who scored a century on his Test debut, against West Indies at Lord’s in 1969, played eight Tests and three ODIs for England, but will be best remembered as an integral member of the great Yorkshire side that dominated the County Championship in the 1960s.In a 23-year career that included spells with Derbyshire, Tasmania and, briefly, Leicestershire, Hampshire scored a total of 28,059 first-class runs at 34.55, including 43 hundreds – the vast majority of those coming during his 456 appearances for Yorkshire.He debuted for the club as a 20-year-old in 1961 and won the County Championship on five separate occasions, holding his own in a team packed with club legends including Geoff Boycott, Ray Illingworth, Fred Trueman and his first captain, Brian Close. An upright front-foot driver with a strong leg-side game, he was one of the most handsome batsmen of his time.”Initially Yorkshire might have been a difficult dressing room to feel at home in, but Brian Close was a tremendous captain,” Hampshire told ESPNcricinfo in one of his final interviews earlier this year.”He integrated everyone. Most of the guys, they wanted to do well because they wanted the side to do well. And they wanted other players to do well. There were some terrific rows, but they were cricket rows. They weren’t personal vendettas or anything like that. Closey was the ringleader a lot of the time, but as soon as they were finished it was, “Right, come on, we’ll have a drink.”Hampshire, like many in that side, could be an intimidating figure on first meeting, but once respect was won, hidden behind a serious exterior was a warm and self-deprecating humour.Just a year after the end of his playing career in 1984, he became a first-class umpire, and stood for the first time in a Test match at Old Trafford during the 1989 Ashes.Later that year, he and John Holder were invited by Pakistan’s captain, Imran Khan, to stand as neutral umpires during Pakistan’s home series against India, a move that helped pave the way for that to become the standard across all international matches. In total, Hampshire stood in 21 matches up until 2002, and finally retired from the county circuit in 2005.Andy Flower, coach of England Lions, was a prominent figure in the Zimbabwe side that was coached by Hampshire upon their entry to Test cricket in the early 1990s and maintained the friendship from that point.”He was very passionate about Zimbabwe cricket,” Flower told ESPNcricinfo. “He grew to love the country, and its cricket, and he was a very important part of our early years. He gave us a really good grounding in the basics of the game, which served us very well.”I last saw him at Lord’s during the summer. He was there as a guest of the ECB, and we had a couple of great chats during the day. Even though he was unwell, he was always such a strong and generous guy, so he’d still be smiling and giggling at himself.”It was always the right balance with John, between playing hard on the field, and relaxing and chatting off it. When he was coach and I was captain, he would often sit me down with Scotch or a good wine – he fancied himself as a connoisseur – and we’d talk about the game for hours.”In March 2016, Hampshire stepped up to the role of Yorkshire president, an appointment he described as being “the icing on the cake” of his career. To some extent, it was a final show of brotherhood by Yorkshire because his county career at Headingley had ended in disillusionment. In 1978, Hampshire famously was instrumental in a batting go-slow at Northampton in protest at a six-hour century by Geoffrey Boycott. It cost his side a bonus point and Boycott the captaincy. Hampshire replaced him but only for two seasons, before he departed for a simpler life at Derbyshire.”From a very humble beginning, getting trains, trams and buses to Headingley to practice in the winter in hope of getting a game for Yorkshire Seconds, to being president. I think it’s quite an achievement,” he said.”John epitomised everything that’s good about Yorkshire County Cricket Club,” said Steve Denison, Yorkshire’s chairman. “Brave, talented and with a heart of gold, he captained Yorkshire, scored a century at Lord’s on his Test debut and became a highly respected umpire after hanging up his playing whites.”Loved by players and members alike, John capped his wonderful life in Yorkshire cricket as our club president last year. On behalf of everyone involved with and connected to the Club, I would like to extend our most sincere condolences to John’s wife Alison and two sons Ian and Paul. He will be sorely missed by all at Headingley.”