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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.

Stuart Binny said he got the opportunity to spend some time in the middle against Zimbabwe, something he had not had in his previous ten ODIs

Liam Brickhill10-Jul-2015Stuart Binny has been a professional cricketer for more than a decade, and an international one for 18 months. Yet in 10 one-day internationals before this one he’d never really had the chance to show what he’s capable of with the bat. In the first ODI against Zimbabwe, Binny walked out with his side in deep trouble at 87 for 5 – but importantly there was still half the innings to be played, and he had time to express himself fully with a career-best 77 at better than a run a ball.”I’ve played 10 ODIs and I haven’t had the opportunity to bat more than five or six overs,” Binny said. “It was a great opportunity for me to go and spend some time in the middle and try and get as much as we could.”Binny didn’t have it all his way at the start of his innings. With Chamu Chibhabha in the middle of a parsimonious spell of medium pace, Binny suppressed his attacking instincts for a good half hour before biffing legspinner Graeme Cremer over long-on for six. Slowly but surely Binny and his partner, centurion Ambati Rayudu, eased India back into the game.”We didn’t set any totals when we went into bat, we just wanted to bat the next 10 overs and try not to lose any more wickets. It was a bit tough, but the wicket started to ease out a bit. Once you were set you could rotate the strike a bit more and play a few shots. But we just wanted to bat the first ten overs.”The pair eventually added 160 for the sixth wicket – a record for India – and combined to help India reap 90 runs from the last 10 overs as the hosts’ attack grew increasingly ragged. The match was ultimately a close one, with India winning by just four runs, and Binny stressed upon the advantage of having set batsmen in the crease at the death.”The difference was when we were batting it was me and Rayudu both set at that point of time, but [Zimbabwe] had one batsman set and the other one was trying to rotate the strike so two didn’t go hard at the same time. But when we were batting we set the platform. We had batsmen in the shed who could go, and we were both set on 60-plus. If you’re set you’ve got to take it as far as you can.”With all of the matches on this tour being played at Harare Sports Club, it’s likely that India will have to overcome bowler-friendly conditions again, and Binny suggested that a healthy respect for the new ball was needed.”If we get a chance to bat up front again early in the morning it’s crucial, with the Dukes ball that does swing and seam a bit, that we’ve got to give the bowlers a lot more respect, compared to playing with the Kookaburra ball in other ODIs. If you can get through the first 15 overs without losing more than a wicket or two, then we’ve got the firepower to get 300 in an ODI.”

Led by Parvinder Awana, Delhi bundled out Karnataka for 192 and ended the day in front despite losing two wickets as the shadows lengthened in Bangalore

Kanishkaa Balachandran at the Chinnaswamy Stadium08-Dec-2012
ScorecardFile photo: Parvinder Awana picked up his eighth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On a pitch that resembled a lawn, with the only patches of white near the rough on either side, Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar chose to give his batsmen first use of the pitch, despite their batting struggles all season. While it might be perceived as a brave decision, it backfired on the hosts. Karnataka were still searching for their first outright win, and they were presented with what looked like a result-oriented wicket. Delhi weren’t complaining though. Their seamers, led by Parvinder Awana, bundled out the hosts for 192 and ended the day in front despite losing two wickets as the shadows lengthened in Bangalore.There were only seven overs of spin among the 65 bowled by Delhi, rare by Indian standards and current trends in the subcontinent where it’s common to see a spinner bowling with the new ball. Ashish Nehra’s return gave Delhi the extra firepower on paper, but the momentum was with Awana, who took his second consecutive five-wicket haul.It didn’t take long for Delhi to strike, though Nehra could count himself lucky. Robin Uthappa went a long way across and the ball struck his pads, and after a bit of thought, the umpire ruled in favour of the bowler. Nehra didn’t get the ball to move as much as the other seamers, and preferred bowling shorter.A number of Delhi’s bowling manoeuvers brought immediate results, starting with Sumit Narwal replacing Awana from the Pavilion End. Like Nehra, Narwal struck in the first over of his spell when he pitched one up to Ganesh Satish who drove and edged it to the wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht, who took the first of his five catches. Awana too changed ends and the move worked when he beat KL Rahul for movement and sent his off stump for a spin.It was an opportunity for Manish Pandey to take on a leadership role with the debutant Kunal Kapoor, but he too didn’t last long, edging Narwal to Bisht who took a low catch falling forward. Another bowling change brought another wicket, when Rajat Bhatia replaced Narwal from the Pavilion End and had Kapoor edging to Bisht, who came up to the stumps. At lunch, Karnataka had lost five and thoughts went back to their decision at the toss.The only batsman who looked like taking on the Delhi bowlers was Stuart Binny. Post lunch, he batted positively, pulling a short ball to fine leg and driving crisply down the ground. A stable batsman at the other end would have helped Binny build, but the pressure increased when the last-recognised batsman in the line-up, CM Gautam, fell to a loose shot. He was let off by Mithun Manhas at first slip, but it didn’t cost Delhi anything when Gautam slashed and edged Awana to Bisht.Binny motored along to his fifty by whipping Nehra towards deep midwicket for two boundaries. He went on to make 61 before edging Awana to Bisht, who took his fifth catch. By setting attacking fields, Delhi never let the game drift. Karnataka would have expected the pitch to ease for batting after lunch, but the seamers kept the ball up, got it to swing and induced mistakes.Awana picked up his fourth when he trapped Abhimanyu Mithun in front of the stumps with a full ball and later rounded off the innings when he sent KP Appanna’s middle stump back by a few yards. Speaking after the day’s play, Awana said he had been working on an away swinging delivery, in particular the one that beat Rahul’s defense. Awana, who had taken a five-for in the previous match against Haryana in seamer-friendly Lahli, said the pitch in Bangalore had more bounce.Shikhar Dhawan led Delhi’s reply with some crisp cover drives off the front foot and put away HS Sharath for boundaries over the off side as soon as the bowler was introduced first change. Sharath, though, quickly shook off that wayward beginning when he trapped a watchful Unmukt Chand lbw, before having Mohit Sharma caught down the leg side. It was smart field placement that led to that wicket. A short fine leg was in place, the ball was directed at the batsman’s body from round the wicket and Mohit could only fend it straight to the fielder.

A round-up of the first day’s play of the sixth round of matches of the Ranji Trophy Elite, 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2011S Badrinath scored a century on his second game back from injury and Abhinav Mukund continued his prolific scoring with an unbeaten 150, as Tamil Nadu reached 288 for 2 against Gujarat at Motera. Badrinath, the top run-getter in last year’s Ranji Trophy, missed the first three matches of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji campaign this season with a shoulder injury he sustained during the Challenger Trophy. He took his time constructing his first century of the season, taking 214 balls to score 102. He was at the wicket early; Tamil Nadu lost a wicket in the first over after choosing to bat. M Vijay was caught in front by an Ishwar Chaudhary that nipped in from outside off. That dismissal was a false dawn for Gujarat; the next wicket came in the 72nd over of the day after Badrinath and Abhinav had put on 223 runs for the second wicket.Abhinav got a reprieve early in his innings when what looked like a clear lbw was given not out. He cashed in and scored 150 not out off 264 balls. It was Abhinav’s fifth first-class century of 2011. He already has one double-century in this year’s Ranji Trophy and has the opportunity to get another as Tamil Nadu go into the second day in a strong position. Gujarat’s bowlers did not get help from the Motera pitch, though Faisal Dudhat did get some reverse-swing late in the day.

Ashok Dinda’s impressive season continued with another four-wicket haul, which helped Bengal reduce Delhi to 252 for 8 at Eden Gardens. It was a day on which Delhi lost wickets in clusters. Dinda struck twice in the 11th over, after Bengal had chosen to field, to leave Delhi 30 for 2. Shikhar Dhawan scored his first half-century in seven innings and shared a 69-run partnership with Yogesh Nagar to get Delhi back on track. Dinda returned to remove Nagar and Dhawan was dismissed by Laxmi Ratan Shukla 6.2 overs later. That double-strike left Delhi in trouble again but Rajat Bhatia scored 59 not out and Puneet Bisht scored 40 to take the score to 228 for 5. Three wickets fell in the 12 overs before stumps to make it Bengal’s day, and leave Dinda with figures of 4 for 55. That puts him second on the list of wicket-takers this season with 25.Naman Ojha hit his second hundred in as many innings, and third of the season, to take Madhya Pradesh to 260 for 3 against Haryana at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Ojha hit five sixes and 22 fours on the way to 160 off 226 balls. He dominated stands of 102, with opening partner Zafar Ali, and 101, with Devendra Bundela. When he was dismissed for 160 in the 75th over MP’s score was still 239. Bundela remained not out on 25 at stumps, along with Udit Birla, who had scored 29.Shivakant Shukla’s 96 was the highlight of the day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi as Railways made slow progress against Orissa to end on 204 for 5. Shukla batted till the penultimate over, facing 264 balls, hitting 12 fours and a six. Railways lost Shreyas Khanolkar early but the partnership that stood out was the 107-run stand for the third wicket between Shukla and Sanjay Bangar. Bangar made 46 before he was trapped lbw by Biplab Samantray, who struck again the following ball to remove Prashant Awasthi. Shukla was unlucky to fall four short of his ton, lbw to Govind Podder. Mahesh Rawat remained unbeaten on 38.The runs flowed in Jaipur as Vineet Saxena and Puneet Yadav scored centuries to lift Rajasthan to 369 for 7 against Saurashtra. The pair added 215 for the fifth wicket after the seam trio of Jaidev Unadkat, Sandip Maniar and Siddarth Trivedi left the hosts in trouble at 103 for 4. The pair were together for close to 50 overs before Yadav fell for 108, caught behind off Trivedi. Saxena departed four overs later in similar manner off the same bowler. Both centurions hit 15 fours each. Trivedi managed to sneak in another wicket, that of Dishanth Yagnik to end the day with 4 for 69.A century by Sushant Marathe and a fifty by Kaustubh Pawar took Mumbai to a reasonable 203 for 3 against Uttar Pradesh in Lucknow, though only 63 overs were bowled. The pair resisted for 56 overs to add 189 for the first wicket. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dislodged the stand when he removed Marathe for 102, an innings which included 15 fours. Kumar struck soon after, sending back Abhishek Nayar. Mumbai suffered another jolt when Pawar departed for a patient 76 off 191 balls, off what turned out to be the last ball of the day.

Mark Sorell has become the second state coach in a week to step down after being told his contract with South Australia would not be extended at the end of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2010Mark Sorell has become the second state coach in a week to step down after being told his contract with South Australia would not be extended at the end of the season. The move comes as Darren Lehmann, the former Redbacks captain, has agreed to link with Queensland for the Big Bash after Trevor Barsby’s sudden exit last Wednesday.The flurry of in-season movement is extremely unusual in Australia and while Barsby was the victim of player power, Sorell’s time ran out to lift the perennially underperforming South Australia. The SACA board decided on Monday night that Sorell’s fourth season in charge would be his last.Jamie Cox, South Australia’s director of cricket, told Sorell, 45, the news on Tuesday morning. “He has consequently stepped down as coach of the Redbacks, effective immediately,” Cox said. Jeff Vaughan, the assistant, will take over for South Australia’s one-day and Sheffield Shield games against Victoria this week.”I would like to make it very clear that this outcome was initiated by management and the board and not by the playing group,” Cox said. “The players have, however, been consulted and understand the reasons for the decision.”In Queensland, Lehmann will start coaching the Twenty20 side next week to prepare for its opening match against Victoria on January 2. Lehmann, who looks after the Deccan Chargers in the IPL, steps in at a difficult time for the Bulls after Barsby’s departure.Graham Dixon, Queensland’s chief executive, said Lehmann would provide the side with an experienced Twenty20 hand. “Darren’s earned a reputation as an innovative coach in the IPL and with his extensive international playing and coaching experience, we are confident he will further assist the development of our promising young squad,” Dixon said. Justin Sternes will look after the Bulls in the Shield and one-day competitions for the rest of the season.

Phillip Hughes, the 21-year-old opener, is back for his sixth Test after
Simon Katich failed a fitness test on his injured right elbow

Peter English at the SCG02-Jan-2010Phillip Hughes, the 21-year-old opener, is back for his sixth Test after
Simon Katich failed a fitness test on his injured right elbow. Katich was
struck during the opening game against Pakistan by Mohammad Aamer and was
given until the final morning to prove he was right, but the New South
Wales captain was unable to recover in time.”Simon Katich batted for 20 minutes in the indoor nets today,” the
physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. “Simon was still very sore this
morning after the net. It was decided he should be replaced.”Katich, 34, was limited in his range of shots and will miss his first game
since returning from a three-year break in 2008. He was the team’s leading
run-scorer in 2009 with 1,111 and had developed a strong combination with
Shane Watson, who replaced Hughes during the Ashes tour.Despite Katich’s strong form, it’s a difficult time to miss a game with
Waston in great form in his past seven Tests and Hughes desperate to make
a lasting impressing following his stumbles in England. Hughes struggled
with the short ball during the Ashes and was roughed up by Andrew Flintoff
in his two Tests, so will be keen to show he has recovered his touch.In his second Test in South Africa he scored centuries in both innings to
confirm his promise and the selectors will be pleased to see him in the
side to inject some youth ahead of next year’s Ashes. It will be Hughes’
first Test in Australia and he will play on his home ground, although the
decision was so late it will be a rush for his family and friends to get
here from the northern New South Wales town of Macksville.

Long-term finger injury forces keeper-batter to quit the sport with immediate effect

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2025Harry Swindells, the Player of the Match in Leicestershire’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup final victory in 2023, has been forced to retire with immediate effect following medical advice on a finger injury.Swindells, 26, sustained the injury while keeping wicket during the 2024 campaign, but after numerous examinations and treatments to rectify the injury, he has been advised to end his playing career after eight seasons as a professional.He graduated from Leicestershire’s Academy system in 2017, and made 102 appearances, scoring 2,717 runs across formats in the years that followed.His finest hour came against Hampshire at Trent Bridge in 2023, where Swindells made an unbeaten 117 from No.8, to rescue his team from 89 for 6, and set them on course for a thrilling two-run victory. The triumph ended the club’s 38-year wait between List A trophies.”I’ve been immensely proud to represent the club I’ve loved since I was five years old over the past eight seasons,” Swindells said. “I’ve achieved my dreams, played with and against some incredibly talented people, and made lifelong friends along the way.”As a Leicester lad, I know what it meant to wear the shirt. I tried to give my best in every game, and I hope I did the badge proud. It’s obviously been a tough period, but I’d like to thank Leicestershire CCC and the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) for their support and advice throughout.”Finally, I want to thank the Foxes fans for their unwavering support across my career. I’ve always felt their love, and hearing them sing ‘Harry Swindells, he’s one of our own’ was always an amazing feeling. Their passion that day at Trent Bridge was truly unforgettable, a shared memory I will treasure forever.”

Former Northants captain sign on one-year deal that covers T20 Blast and Metro Bank Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2024Worcestershire have signed Josh Cobb to strengthen their white-ball sides for 2024, and have handed a first professional contract to 28-year-old fast bowler Yadvinder Singh who will initially appear for them as an overseas player.Cobb, 33, was released early from his contract with Northamptonshire after losing the T20 captaincy at short notice, and being frozen out from their first team in the second half of last season. He has signed an initial one-year deal which covers the Vitality Blast and the Metro Bank Cup.”I am thrilled to be joining Worcestershire for 2024,” Cobb said. “The club has always been a well-drilled white-ball unit, and I hope to bring my A-game to New Road and assist in challenging for trophies. I would like to thank Ashley Giles for giving me this fresh opportunity to once again do what I love – play exciting cricket and win trophies.”Giles, the club’s chief executive, said: “Josh’s experience and skills align perfectly with our plans for the upcoming season. He’s a highly experienced white-ball cricketer, who’s tasted regular success. He will fit into the dressing room well, and will really add to the group.”Worcestershire reached the quarter-finals of the Blast last year, finishing third in the group stage before being thrashed by Hampshire in their first knockout game. They have re-signed Usama Mir, the Pakistani legspinner, for next year’s tournament and have recruited the New Zealander Nathan Smith for all formats.