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Pakistan have spoken about being aggressive with bat and ball on tour, but Ahmed Shehzad has conceded that New Zealand are currently playing cricket that is “awesome to see”

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Auckland14-Jan-2016

‘Bowling a little quicker has helped’ – Astle

Consistency and speed through the air have marked Todd Astle’s route back to the national side, the legspinner has said. Astle had played a solitary Test in 2012 – one he remembers fondly, as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka in Colombo – but has not featured for the top team since. Good returns in the List A Ford Trophy have seen him rise into contention for a World T20 berth.
“Consistency all around over three formats has helped,” Astle said of his journay back to the New Zealand team. “Also bowling a little bit quicker has helped me to have the chance to play more of the T20 and one-day formats as well. The domestic success over the last couple of years has given me confidence to go out and just trust my skills.”
Astle has also improved his batting for the Canterbury Wizards, and said that aspect of his game gave confidence to his bowling. As one of two internationally inexperienced spin bowlers in the New Zealand squad, he expects added scrutiny this series.
“I’m the newcomer on the block and there’s always going to be those pressures,” he said. “The margins of error are so much smaller in international cricket. It’s up to me to go out there and do my thing.”

Pakistan have spoken about being aggressive with bat and ball on tour, but Ahmed Shehzad has conceded that New Zealand are currently playing cricket that is “awesome to see”.The hosts’ batsmen set New Zealand records during the 2-0 defeat of Sri Lanka last week, but Pakistan have not enjoyed good T20 form in recent months. They had also beaten Sri Lanka 2-0 in Colombo in the middle of last year, but were more recently whitewashed by England in a three-match T20 series in the UAE. They also lost a T20 to Bangladesh last year, though more positive results did come against Zimbabwe.”New Zealand are playing wonderful cricket at the moment,” Shehzad said. “We all know the style they playing with is awesome to see. We have to match them. We have to compete.”New Zealand’s limited-overs game at home has been built around explosive starts from their opening pair, then swing, seam and bustling intensity from their seamers. Shehzad said Pakistan would have to raise their game to counter the hosts’ formula.”I think Brendon McCullum’s done a good job,” he said. “They’re playing without any fear. There’s no issues with their places. They’re shuffling their players. Now they have a good bunch which is doing their job together. If any side is playing good cricket we have to appreciate that and try to match them. It raises your standards as well. We have to admit they are playing good cricket, but it’s a T20 format. You have to execute your plans and flourish.”Pakistan had won their match against South Africa at Eden Park during last year’s World Cup, and have also played one T20 there after the ground was reshaped for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Shehzad said his team were aware of the unique challenges Eden Park’s small size and odd dimensions posed, but would rely on support staff to fine tune their strategy.”Basically it’s a rugby ground. It favours the batsmen. We’re aware of that. We played quite a few matches here. We kind of know the trick here. Our management is very experienced – Waqar Younis, Mushtaq Ahmed, Grant Flower – the way they work with players, they pinpoint everything and tell us what to execute. We try our best to do that. Management are all cricketers and they know whether you’re winning or lost, how to pick up the players.”Eden Park has at times been conducive to big scores, with England having hit 214 for 7 at the venue in 2013. However, batting teams have also been foiled by playing too aggressively at the venue, as had been the case for Sri Lanka on Sunday. The straight boundaries are particularly tempting, at less than 50m.”We have to pick and choose our balls,” Shehzad said. “Sometimes you play some rash shots when looking at the stadium and all these things, and you lose your wickets.. You can’t be rash, or lose your wicket and let your team down. The boundaries at the side aren’t very big either, but we have to play proper cricket.”New Zealand are trialling an uncapped T20 legspinner in Todd Astle in this series, and their other major slow-bowling option – Mitchell Santner – has himself played only two T20 internationals.”At the moment their spin is one area where any team can target them,” Shehzad said. “I think in this ground, they won’t use that spin. They will come hard at us – that’s what we’re planning for at the moment. I’m sure we won’t be able to see lots of spin here – maybe a couple of overs here or there. They will try to stick to their strength which is fast bowling and batting.”

Grant Bradburn, the former New Zealand offspinner, has been appointed head coach of New Zealand A and the national Under-19 side

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2013Grant Bradburn, the former New Zealand offspinner, has been appointed head coach of New Zealand A and the national Under-19 side. He will begin his new role this week and has been contracted until the end of the U-19 World Cup in March 2014.”To be able to work with some of New Zealand’s most elite and exciting players is a great opportunity,” Bradburn said. He will head to Darwin for the ongoing U-19 tri-series also involving Australia and India, and coach the A team ahead of the tours of India and Sri Lanka in August.”The Under-19 team is the future of New Zealand cricket and tournaments like the tri-series and Under-19 World Cup are prime opportunities to introduce them to the pressures of international cricket. New Zealand A gives players the chance to make the next step up from domestic level and push for future blackcaps selection. It’s important that we get their preparation right.”Bradburn played seven Tests and 11 ODIs for New Zealand. He made 127 first-class appearances, scoring 4978 runs and taking 250 wickets, most of which were for Northern Districts, a side he later coached for five years.”We’re thrilled to have secured someone like Grant, who as shown by his successful time with the Northern Knights, is a proven first-class coach,” John Buchanan, NZC director of cricket said. “Improving our depth at the top level is a focus for us, and both- the New Zealand A and the New Zealand U-19 side, will play a big part in this. With his experience and knowledge of the domestic scene, we’re confident Grant’s the right man for the job.”

Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has said his team’s batsmen need to prepare better to take on Pakistan’s pace attack

Sa'adi Thawfeeq08-Jun-2012Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has said his team’s batsmen need to prepare better to take on Pakistan’s pace attack. The trio of Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami and Sohail Tanvir have caused the hosts’ top order problems on the tour so far; Gul and Sami shared six wickets in Pakistan’s win in the first ODI in Pallekele. Sri Lanka were restricted to 135 for 8 in a rain-affected game after they had been reduced to 56 for 6 at one stage.”They are wicket-taking bowlers and are creating opportunities,” Jayawardene said after the game. “We discussed it is important we don’t give too many wickets upfront with the new ball especially to those three guys.”Once you expose the middle order, then they get some quality spinners and it’s going to be tough for the rest of the batsmen. That’s something we need to tactically tackle and see how we can combat properly.”Jayawardene said Tanvir, in particular, had improved since the last time Sri Lanka played him and his unusual action together with the swing and movement was a challenge. “We played Tanvir about three to four years ago but he wasn’t accurate at the time. We were getting a lot of loose deliveries. Now he’s got more control and a bit of pace as well.”We need to try and get a good rhythm going with him because he is unusual than the other bowlers, so we need to make sure we tackle that swing first of all and at the same time the variation he has.”Jayawardene defended his decision to bat in conditions that seemed favourable for bowling, given the track had been under the covers and had some moisture in it. “I don’t think batting first was the case,” he said. “It was just that we had to make sure we didn’t lose too many wickets in the first 20-25 overs, especially with the two new balls, and then try to set it up for the last 20 overs.”If we had batted a bit better and got somewhere to 190, it would have been a tougher challenge chasing. Pakistan’s track record in the last six months against us has been pretty good and it was up to us to try and change that but we didn’t play to our potential.”The game in Pallekele was Mohammad Hafeez’s 100th ODI and proved to be a good one for him. He picked up 2 for 20 in 10 overs and made 37. “As an opener and as a senior player my role is just to go there and spend more time on the pitch,” Hafeez said.

The New Zealand Players’ Association chief, Heath Mills, has hit out at the organisers of the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 for a delay in payments

ESPNcricinfo staff29-May-2011The New Zealand Players’ Association chief, Heath Mills, has hit out at the organisers of the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 for not having paid the share of prize money due to the New Zealand franchise that participated in the tournament. While the Central Districts players, who failed to win a match during the tournament, received their participation fee, they have not yet received the prize money owed to them eight months after the tournament ended.The amount owed is understood to be around $200,000 and the payment has apparently been held up due to red tape associated with making significant foreign currency payments out of India. However, Mills said there was no excuse for what had become “a disgraceful situation”. He also warned that players would be reluctant to take part in future tournaments – including this year’s, scheduled for October – if the pay issue wasn’t addressed immediately.”It’s not acceptable when people complete a job and honour all their obligations under a contract to the person they are working for, yet they aren’t compensated for completing that work,” Mills told the . “That wouldn’t be accepted in any other workplace environment. Players now don’t have a lot of faith or confidence in the boards running this event given their treatment of players so I expect there will be quite a few questions before guys want to commit to something this year.”Having won last season’s HRV Cup, Auckland are eligible to play the Champions League, though with the tournament potentially adding a qualifier, it is not certain whether they will make it to the main event.Mills cast aspersion on the excuse about government regulations blocking payments. “We hear a lot of excuses around government processes in India and the like but that doesn’t seem to impact on similar payments from other events like the recent World Cup where all payments were made on time,” he said. “I would be interested to see if the same delays have been encountered by the three boards who own the event when they distribute their profits to each other.”The last Champions League Twenty20 was played in South Africa and was run as a joint venture between the national cricket boards of Australia, South Africa and India. The South African franchises did in fact also experience a delay in receiving their prize money, and in January the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations’ (FICA) chief Tim May had criticised the boards organising the tournament for paying the players on time. The South African players have been paid since, but the New Zealand players are still waiting.May said FICA would advise players not to participate in the tournament in future without some assurances regarding remuneration.New Zealand Cricket boss Justin Vaughan said payments out of India were often delayed but conceded the wait had been too long. “We’ve seen this in the past with sponsorship payments so it’s not unexpected in a way,” Vaughan said. “That said, it is dragging on too long and it’s very hard to argue when the distribution of funds is being held up by a government process.”

Mark Cosgrove and Tom Maynard powered Glamorgan to a superb seven-wicket victory over Essex in their Friends Provident t20 match at Chelmsford

Cricinfo staff11-Jun-2010
Scorecard
Mark Cosgrove and Tom Maynard powered Glamorgan to a superb seven-wicket victory over Essex in their Friends Provident t20 match at Chelmsford. The duo combined in a thrilling partnership of 97 in only 50 balls to set up victory with 14 deliveries to spare after Essex had posted a total of 191 for 6.Cosgrove plundered 89 from 55 balls, with the help of 13 fours and two sixes, although he had one slice of good fortune when he was put down at short third man by David Masters when 44. Maynard finished with an unbeaten 66 from 30 balls, with four fours and six sixes, the last of which saw the Welsh county to their third win in the competition in as many matches.No-one escaped the carnage as the third-wicket pair cut loose. Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria conceded 43 from three overs while New Zealand allrounder Scott Styriss’ two overs cost 29. The Essex bowlers hardly helped their cause with some woeful bowling as they gifted their opponents a dozen wides.Essex made a stuttering start to their innings when captain Mark Pettini provided a simple return catch from Robert Croft’s first ball of the match. Ravi Bopara (29) and Ryan ten Doeschate (37) did manage to keep the scoreboard ticking over but the only real momentum was provided by James Foster.He thrashed an unbeaten 54 from 25 balls, the high point of which was three successive sixes in the 18th over sent down by Jamie Dalrymple. All of them came as he stood at least two foot outside his off stump and each ball was dispatched over midwicket.Foster also helped himself to five fours and he could be forgiven for thinking that he had done enough to give Essex a total that should have been defended. But Cosgrove and Maynard had other ideas as they both gathered their personal bests in this competition. Veteran offspinner Croft also shared the honours for Glamorgan as he sent down four teasing overs that brought him 3 for 22.

Luke Wells and Glenn Phillips propelled Fire to their highest ever total, but rain saved Brave’s blushes

ECB Media14-Aug-2024Southern Brave secured their place in the Hundred Eliminator at the Kia Oval on Saturday thanks to rain intervening at Utilita Bowl against an already-eliminated Welsh Fire.The Brave came into the match knowing that a point would guarantee their presence in Saturday’s showdown but at the halfway stage, with 181 posted by the Fire, they would have feared losing control of their destiny.Two quick wickets – Alex Davies for a duck and then James Vince for 19 – further set the Brave back. But on the stroke of Vince’s dismissal, with rain falling steadily, the umpires took the players off.The rain never abated, and with just 16 balls having been bowled of the Brave’s innings – a minimum of 25 balls are required to deliver a result – the game was duly abandoned.”Bowling first, things probably got away from us a bit,” Vince said. “We were sloppy. Some good players got going and we weren’t able to shut them down, so it was always going to be a tough ask to chase that down.”We had a few messages saying the weather might be on its way so it we had a few discussions about how to approach those first 25 balls; thankfully the rain came just in time.”On the whole, across the tournament, the bowling group gets a lot of credit. They’re quality, experienced bowlers. Our batting goes under the radar a bit. We’d like a few more guys in form, but on the whole we’ve been reasonably consistent.”Luke Wells struck 53 from 30•Getty Images

It was a bitter pill for the Fire to swallow. With the bat they were irrepressible, with Luke Wells and Glenn Phillips especially destructive, sharing a 76-run partnership from just 30 balls to propel the Fire to their highest-ever score in the tournament’s history.Wells, registering just his second fifty in the competition, took just 28 balls to reach the milestone, while Phillips was spectacular, clubbing five sixes – including one hit over square-leg against Jofra Archer that sailed 102 metres – from just 19 balls. In all, 10 sixes were struck across the Fire’s innings.For the Brave, only Akeal Hosein escaped punishment, the West Indian left-armer conceding just 21 from his 20-ball quota.Ultimately, it was immaterial. Brave are through to face either Northern Superchargers or Birmingham Phoenix, with the latter’s game against Manchester Originals tomorrow determining the final placings at the top.

He’s done it again, and again. The Headingley Test saw England’s seam-bowling veteran add to his tally

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Jun-2023 • Updated on 06-Jul-2023

2013

3.6 143.1 kph, oh he’s gone! This one was right on target, he pitched it straight on the stumps on length, it seamed back in and Warner’s bat came down late enough for the ball to hit the top of off stump. Broad has got the early breakthrough

2013-14

30.3 135.1 kph, oh, what’s he done! Warner’s slapped a short ball straight to cover. It wasn’t a great delivery, short of a length outside off. Warner driving lazily off the back foot and it was a simple catch.

58.4 134.1 kph, plays away from his body, thin edge and gone! A crumb of comfort for England, Broad again the catalyst with his eighth wicket in the match. Having just flayed a six down the ground, this was a slightly neither-nor way to go, just dangled the bat out. But the damage, you feel, is doneESPNcricinfo Ltd

7.6 133.6 kph, got him! Poor stroke, clipped straight to point. Just short of a length and Warner has picked out Carberry square on the off side. He lives and dies by the sword and in trying to be uber-aggressive again, Warner pops up an easy catch with a flicked back-foot drive. The delivery might have just stopped in the wicket a little, and it actually just nipped away a touch, it certainly didn’t come on as Warner was hoping. Important strike for England after leaking a few runs early doors

5.5 136.1 kph, got ‘im! Broad gets rewarded for a full length. Holds its line on Warner whose footworks lets him down this time, and Broad zips it past the outside edge to take off stump. Lovely delivery

2019

3.5 NOW THAT’S OUT!! Full and fast, pinned in front of middle and leg! Warner is gone, no attempt even to review – Broad has burst through in the fourth over of the morning, and Edgbaston is all over this! “Cheerio, cheerio!” they crow, as Warner grits his teeth and heads for the dressing rooms. But hang on, because Hawk-Eye now has its say: and the ball was missing leg!! So a Tale of Two Missed Reviews ends with Warner back in the hutch for spit

2.6 huge appeal from Bairstow and the slips! Broad isn’t so sure, but the cordon is adamant there was a noise as Warner flirted outside off! It’s gone to a review and the crowd like what they’ve seen already! Almost off the back of the bat as Warner tried to leave that uncomfortable kicking back-of-a-length, and that’s 450 wickets for Broad, and a massive one at that!

4.2 bowled ‘im, shaves the leg bail! Big nip-backer from round the wicket and Warner goes cheaply again! Broad the man to get him for the third time in a row this series, slightly rickety defensive shot but that was a sweet cherry – and England have their openingStuart Broad wheels away in celebration after dismissing David Warner during the 2019 series•Getty Images

1.2 big appeal… given! Wilson looked like he shook his head, and then stuck the finger up – utterly bizarre – and Warner sends it upstairs… impact umpire’s call, and smashing into leg stump on with the angle! Warner’s struggles against Broad continue! Wide on the crease again from Broad – you know the drill now when he’s bowling to Warner – and moved in off the seam to thwack him on the pad

0.4 caught behind! Five times for Broad! Warner trying to leave made his decision to late! Got a little outside edge before withdrawing the bat. Easy catch for Bairstow! It was a good length but way wide of off. It didn’t shape away much. The tightness of the previous leave maybe caused doubt for Warner and he was too late to withdraw the bat!

0.6 given lbw! Broad’s done it again! A straighter delivery, good length, spears into the pads and Warner is trapped deep in the crease. A pair for Warner, his first in Tests and three ducks in a row

6.4 gone! Do not adjust your monitors, Stuart Broad has got David Warner again! Again, you know the drill. Round the wicket, on a length, Warner has a nibble at it, and edges it to slip where Burns takes a good catch. Seven times in the series!

2021-22

20.6 edged, gone! Broad gets Warner. A fraction fuller from Broad, and this is the sort of delivery that Warner struggled so much with back in 2019. Angling in from wide on the crease, then nipping away off the seam from a fuller length to take the outside edge. Crawley gobbles up the chance at second slip and England have the breakthrough. That’s the 13th time Broad has dismissed Warner in Tests. Possibly wide enough to leave alone but Warner has struggled to judge the line with that exaggerated angle

0.3 brilliant catch at point! Warner goes for a pair. Short outside off stump, Warner goes for a square drive and Pope dives full length to his right. Warner’s second pair in Tests after Old Trafford 2019Broad claimed the wicket of Warner in both innings at Headingley 2023•Getty Images

2023

10.1 chopped on! Broad gets Warner again. Edgbaston erupts! Wide tempter, not quite a half volley, Warner throws his hands at a full blooded drive with no footwork and drags a thick inside edge back onto the stumps. Warner throws his head back in disbelief.
0.5 edged and taken at second slip! Broad gets Warner again! Sweet 16. Good length, fifth stump line, no need to play, he pushes at it firmly, gets a thick edge and it flies rib high to Crawley’s left and he opens his body nicely to pouch it. Crowd erupts.
2.2 and of course it is Broad who dismisses Warner. Like clockwork. Warner with a wry smile as he makes his way back. Length ball angling into Warner, the batter tries to fend it low, but the ball takes an edge and Crawley dives at slip to gobble it up. That’s No. 17 for Broad in this battle against Warner*July 6 and 7 – This article was twice updated

Jake Lehmann made 102 in the first innings and Liam Scott took 5 for 46 but South Australia opted not to chase 253 off 50 overs on the final day

AAP05-Mar-2022South Australia declined a potentially season-reviving run chase and settled for a draw in their penultimate-round Sheffield Shield match against Queensland in Brisbane.Set a challenging 253 off 50 overs at the Gabba, SA rarely showed interest in chasing down the target and, despite needing a win to stay in touch on the Shield ladder, were 3-115 when the match was called to an early end after 37 overs.Opener Jake Weatherald scored the bulk of the runs with a watchful 60 not out off 112 balls. SA were 38 off 11 overs when the second wicket fell – both scalps claimed by Xavier Bartlett (2-30). Opener and debutant captain Henry Hunt scored 15 at the top of the order and Jake Carder contributed 11 before the run-rate further slowed.Earlier in the day, Queensland scored at 4.5 run per over in compiling a second innings score of 191. Sam Truloff top-scored with a quickfire 64, while young bowler Liam Scott picked up career-best figures (5-46).SA only completed their first innings early on day four with Jake Lehmann hitting 102 in 9(d)-244.

The Victoria opening pair beat the previous mark of 464 set by Mark and Steve Waugh

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2020Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski broke the 30-year record held by Mark Waugh and Steve Waugh for the highest partnership in Sheffield Shield history as their monumental opening stand for Victoria extended to 486 on the third day against South Australia.The pair resumed on 0 for 418 with Pucovski on 199. He reached his second double century off the first ball of the day as he and Harris moved briskly up the records charts.Harris was dropped at slip by Callum Ferguson with the score on 436 and it was his cover drive which took the stand to 465, surpassing the Waugh-Waugh landmark which was made against Western Australia at the WACA in 1990-91.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

As attention turned to the all-time first-class partnership lists and a 500-stand loomed, South Australia finally ended the stand when Harris gloved a short ball to the keeper.They were just short of the first-class record for any wicket in Australia which is the 503 added by Aaron Finch and Ryan Carters against the New Zealand XI in 2015 during a game that was then abandoned due when the pitch became unsafe.The highest first-class partnership in history is the 624 added by Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa in 2006.Pucovski, opening for the first time in first-class cricket, finished unbeaten on a career-best 255 when Victoria declared on 3 for 569.

Nazmul Hassan alleged that Rhodes did not push the players hard during a pre-World Cup preparation camp in Leicester, and was not involved in strategic matters

Mohammad Isam24-Jul-2019Nazmul Hassan, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, has come down heavily on Steve Rhodes’ one-year tenure as coach of the national team. Hassan alleged that Rhodes did not seem serious enough about winning as a coach, did not push the players hard during a pre-World Cup preparation camp in Leicester, and was not involved in strategic matters. Rhodes did not respond to ESPNcricinfo when contacted about these allegations.Rhodes was appointed Bangladesh coach in June 2018, with his contract set to run until next year’s T20 World Cup. However, the BCB and Rhodes parted ways earlier this month, following the team’s eighth-place finish at the 2019 World Cup in England.Hassan said that the players had told him they did not get to speak to Rhodes, and that he did not address team strategies.”We arranged for a practice camp before the World Cup, but nobody came. There was a cultural mismatch. He assumed that every player will practice on their own, but since our players heard it was optional, no one turned up. So there was no use making all that arrangement spending so much money.””I saw the changes [in the style of coaching] when I was in Dubai for the Asia Cup final. We saw that things have changed. We waited. The players have told me continuously – after the New Zealand tour and also during the World Cup – that they don’t get to speak to the coach.”He only lands in the team meeting on the day before the game. He doesn’t talk about strategy. He is just there. This is what the players have told me. I am telling you after listening to everyone. I never had a direct interaction. But from what I have seen, I felt that he doesn’t match with us.”Hassan believed that a five-day break for the team during their World Cup campaign -in the eight-day gap between their matches against Afghanistan and India – affected the concentration of the players, even though the team had been given a break to freshen up. He claimed that players had gone to Europe and expressed his surprise that nobody had informed him or the board directors Akram Khan (present with the World Cup squad as cricket operations chairman) and Khaled Mahmud (team manager) of the break. However, the players had been informed of the break by the team management, led by Mahmud. and none of them visited Europe.”There was a five-day holiday before the India game,” Hassan said. “There’s a difference between giving rest and a break. Everyone had left, so it broke their concentration. Maybe it is fine in their culture, but we feel that it doesn’t match with our culture.”Ahead of matches against two tough opponents, how does it feel to know that your players have gone to Europe? It is not acceptable. I don’t care what anyone is saying. I don’t think it was the right decision. You can give rest for two or three days. Their eyes and face should have said that they were thinking about the World Cup, the next two games. They haven’t matured as cricketers to come back from this type of break.””The biggest surprise was that I didn’t know that the team was on holiday. It hasn’t happened before. This was definitely a lapse but I am not singling out anyone. We had Akram [Khan] and [Khaled Mahmud] Sujon who were there but they also didn’t know. They heard about it after the break was given, so how did it benefit us?”Hassan claimed that captain Mashrafe Mortaza and wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim were added to the squad on the morning of the team’s last game against Pakistan, despite them carrying injuries.”The night before the Pakistan game, I was with the players till 11.30pm. Mushfiq, with his hand in a sling, was telling me that he couldn’t move his hand,” Hassan said. “He was not in the squad. Mashrafe didn’t practice the day before, and neither did he attend strategy meetings. He was also out of that game. These are just two examples.”We had fixed the squad in the presence of the coach and everyone. But the next day we saw another team playing the game. These things haven’t happened in the past. This is definitely a problem. We have decided that it won’t work like this. We are not saying he is not good but the way the team was running, it was totally different from our thinking.”