Khulna Royal Bengals, led by Shahriar Nafees’ 71, claimed their first victory in five games as they beat Duronto Rajshahi by seven wickets in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam08-Feb-2013
ScorecardShahriar Nafees played a responsible knock for Khulna Royal Bengals yet again•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Khulna Royal Bengals claimed their first victory in five games, beating Duronto Rajshahi by eight wickets. Chasing 139 to win, the Royal Bengals, led by Shahriah Nafees’ 71, sauntered to victory in 19.2 overs.Nafees, like in the previous two wins by his team, was the key contributor in the victory. He struck eleven boundaries in his 52-ball knock, finishing the match with a six off Ben Edmondson with five runs required for victory. He guided the chase with two partnerships; he added 63 for the second wicket with Travis Birt, who made 23 off 26 balls with two fours and a six, and followed this up with a 54-run stand in 6.4 overs with Jehan Mubarak, who remained unbeaten till the end for a 27-ball 30.Earlier, Rajshahi had recovered to post a fighting total after they had slipped to 64 for 6 in the 11th over. Mukhtar Ali and Sean Ervine added 42 for the seventh wicket, and Mukhtar remained unbeaten on 41 to lead them to 138. Mukhtar hammered four boundaries and two sixes during his 30-ball innings.For the Royal Bengals, Krishmar Santokie took three wickets while left-arm spinner Sanjamul Islam and legspinner Noor Hossain picked up two each.Both teams played with different captains today; Lou Vincent led the Royal Bengals despite Nafees being in the playing eleven, and Tamim captained Rajshahi in place of Chamara Kapugedera.

Harbhajan Singh is all set to become the 10th Indian to play 100 Tests after he was confirmed in the XI for the Chennai Test

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2013Harbhajan Singh has said he is a bit nervous but he will be all right before he steps out to play against Australia on Friday, which will make him the 10th Indian to have played 100 Tests. India don’t usually divulge team news before the toss, but made an exception this time. It would not have needed such confirmation in the usual course, but Harbhajan has mostly been out of the side and has played only one Test in more than 18 months, and is making a comeback into the squad.The landmark Test will come against Harbhajan’s favourite opposition, Australia, and at a venue where 12 years ago he applied the finishing touches to one of the greatest turnarounds in Test history, finishing off as joint Man of the Series against Australia. Harbhajan has taken 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1.”It’s a big game,” Harbhajan said. “[The previous] 99 are gone. Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these situations before.”I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start with, but I will be fine. Once I get away with 100, we will see what needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work even harder.”Harbhajan said he was aware of the gap between the last few Tests, but he said he wanted to look ahead and make sure there was no such gap between the upcoming appearances. He remembered when he made his debut as a 17-year-old, in Bangalore against Australia, as just a wide-eyed kid.”Had no clue about what was going to happen,” Harbhajan said. “To be honest I was a little kid on the park. I was starstruck at looking at players. ‘Wow I am playing alongside [Sachin] Tendulkar, [Javagal] Srinath, Anil Kumble. These are all my heroes. I am playing today with them.’ Of course I have come a long way. At that moment I never thought I would play for India this long a time.”Harbhajan thanked his seniors profusely. “God has been very kind,” he said. “Big thanks to all my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Laxman. They have been fantastic. I don’t think I would have achieved this without their support, and would like to thank each and every one who supported me and stood by me. Just want to go out and enjoy this big match.”Harbhajan might have forgotten to mention the name of Sourav Ganguly on that list, but he came back to it and thanked him too. “I am just repeating names, but I couldn’t have achieved this without their support.”Harbhajan said the seniors helped him learn to never give up. “Of course it’s been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. No one can always be on the top. No one can always be down. You will have ups and downs. Not just as a cricket, but as a normal guy too.”What I have learned from my seniors is to never give up. I have seen all these guys have done so well for India. And made themselves great cricketers, great ambassadors for the game. One thing in common was they never give up. That’s what made this team successful. They showed us how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere and from any situation. I am very proud I have played with these cricketers.”Harbhajan said growing as a person mattered as much as doing well as a cricket. “I have definitely grown up,” he said. “I have made a few mistakes early in my career due to my extra aggression. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Of course with time I have learned a lot and am looking forward to doing even better as a person. You might play this game for 15 years or so, but what sort of person you are matters the most. Everybody wants to be a better person than he was yesterday.”The last few years haven’t been easy for Harbhajan. He has had to face a lot of criticism for his ineffectiveness of late, especially after Anil Kumble’s retirement. He was asked how he deals with being possibly the most criticised man among those who have taken 400 Test wickets. The reply was belligerent.”How do I handle? I just keep quiet,” Harbhajan said. “Everybody has got their opinion. Unfortunately or fortunately, people have not played up to that level. Those kind of guys, if they say I am not good enough to play for India or if I have not done enough, it doesn’t matter. Who cares? What matters is what my team thinks of me, what my team-mates think of me. End of the day those guys are going to be there for you. As I have said everybody has got their opinion. Even I have got my opinion for others, it doesn’t mean I am always right.”Yet there was time, and the mood, for candour. Asked what he has been working on when outside the side, Harbhajan made a mockery of all mystery-ball announcements spinners make nowadays. “Small adjustments from point to point,” he said. “I have not developed any mystery ball. [There is no fourth one or fifth one – taking on from the doosra, which literally translates to the second one. If the first one comes out all right, it will be enough to get the wickets]

Having achieved a settled side and one that is developing nicely, Bangladesh’s selectors don’t need any hiccups in Zimbabwe

Mohammad Isam04-Apr-2013Bangladesh’s selection committee will complete a full circle when they announce the Test team on Friday that will take on Zimbabwe in two Tests later this month.The three-member panel that began its reign exactly two years ago, had their first assignment to pick a team for the previous Zimbabwe tour, but this time the challenges are more perceptible rather than being routine.Much of the injury trouble has disappeared as Shakib Al Hasan is being readied for the tour and the recovery of Enamul Haque jnr, Shahriar Nafees and Naeem Islam now complete. Tamim Iqbal, who fractured his thumb during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, could also feature as early as the first Test against Zimbabwe. The only worry is Mashrafe Mortaza whose Test claims were shelved after he could not recuperate from a heel injury, but he is likely to make the ODI squad.All this is as much good news for the selection committee as it is a challenge. They have several options to pick from and whichever way they go, be it continuing with the incumbent squad of players or bringing back experienced players, they will have to back their decision to the hilt.There will be no other way for Akram, Minhazul Abedin and Habibul Bashar, all former Bangladesh captains. A tour to Zimbabwe has been traditionally a challenge that had the allure of a positive outcome. It was the same two years ago, but Bangladesh lost and that possibly made the selectors time in office a lot harder as they started their job with defeat.The Bangladesh team that lost the one-off Test was a team that was supposed to be in transition after the 2011 World Cup campaign. Instead, the losses in the Test and ODI series in Zimbabwe forced a drastic re-think in leadership while the team combination went through several changes, some of which were necessary, while many have been reactionary.As they complete selection for their second series against Zimbabwe during their reign, the selectors are facing a similar challenge as they did in April 2011, but this time with a history of small discretions along the way, which is adding to their expectation. In other words, a series win beckons and with a sense of anticipation that is a few times more than the last series against the same team.Their inability to find a proper set of pace bowlers has been a big disappointment. They have gone through six so far, none of whom got more than eleven wickets in Tests in the last two years. Injuries have also hurt their chances of forging a settled combination but their handling of these pace bowlers’ preparation has been quite poor. The constant excuse that these pace bowlers have used is the lack of bowling in longer games, which is a decision taken mainly by the selectors, who are caught between giving them enough bowling in domestic matches but mindful of using them in Test cricket.What has resulted is half-fit and poorly prepared pace bowlers relying on a defensive line and length and often without the accuracy of first-class bowlers. They have also made an error in judgment by not looking past Shahadat Hossain and using Robiul Islam as just a Test match bowler. Abul Hasan is another who is falling into the trap of less bowling and more mollycoddling, and it has resulted in his on-field performance and his continuous helplessness after a good first spell.What is on the selectors’ side is the settled look of the overall batting order. Their continuous chop and change to find Tamim Iqbal’s opening partner is a factor held against them. But the middle-order hasn’t seen too many upheavals and this has been one of their achievements.The selectors too have been a settled line-up for the last two years, another notch on their belt. But as far as a lower-ranked team like Bangladesh is concerned, they haven’t actually brought on many rare talents and backed them. Sohag Gazi was only an option against left-handed batsmen from West Indies, but the offspinner has exceeded that expectation from the selectors. Nasir Hossain, Anamul Haque and Mominul Haque are batsmen who “selected themselves” as one chief selector liked to say frequently.They have given eight debuts each in Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s so far and of them, players like Suhrawadi Shuvo, Nazimuddin and Shuvogoto Hom have already faded away from national contention.All of these negatives and positives will be weighed against Akram and his colleagues if a result other than a series win happens in Zimbabwe. With the World Cup two years away, it would not be wise to put them under more pressure because that would translate into pressure on the players, which should hardly be the case given how rapidly the team has developed in the last two years.

A round-up of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy matches on March 30, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Mar-2013

Group A

In a one-sided match, Kerala were crushed under the weight of a dominant batting performance from Gujarat, led by Manprit Juneja, who scored a belligerent century, and Abdulahad Malik, to lose by 90 runs in Indore. The victory helped Gujarat qualify for the final of the tournament, to be played against Punjab, as they snatched the top spot via a better net run-rate than Kerala.Soon after being put in to bat, Gujarat were struggling at 31 for 3 in the fifth over, with the top three batsmen in their line-up having been dismissed. Juneja and Malik, then, shared an unbeaten 202-run partnership – the third-highest for any wicket in Twenty20s and the highest for the fourth wicket – in 94 balls to take them to a daunting 233 for 4. Juneja scored 108 off 50 deliveries, and Malik 84 off 46, both unbeaten. The two hit 25 fours and six sixes between them.In reply, Kerala lost wickets frequently. Except opener VA Jagadeesh (36), Sanju Samson (32) and Raiphi Gomez (26), none of the other batsmen put up much resistance. They were eventually bowled out for 143, with seamer Mehul Patel and offspinner Jesal Karia taking three wickets each.A quick half-century from Faiz Fazal helped Vidarbha beat Delhi by five wickets. Delhi, batting first, put up a strong 156 for 7, through a knock of 45 from Mohit Sharma and an unbeaten 39 from middle-order batsman Milind Kumar. Two significant partnerships, between Mohit and Jagrit Anand (worth 57 runs), and between Milind and Nitish Rana (40) helped Delhi get to the total, even though they kept losing wickets.Fazal set the tone in Vidarbha’s reply by dominating the opening stand of 31. He added 53 runs with Urvesh Patel, and when the stand was broken, Vidarbha were strong at 83 for 2. Three wickets fell for 31, but Shalabh Shrivastava, with a 14-ball 26, took them home in 19 overs.

Group B

A career-best, unbeaten 93 from Gurkeerat Singh helped Punjab beat Uttar Pradesh by 51 runs and gave them a berth in the final, to be played against Gujarat on Sunday. UP, after choosing to field, removed opener Mandeep Singh in the first over, and Ravi Inder Singh in the sixth over. But Gurkeerat struck useful stands with Mayank Sidhana, Chandan Madan and Amitoze Singh to steer his team to 161 for 5. His 58-ball knock consisted of eight fours and six sixes.UP’s innings never took off as seamer Sandeep Sharma dented the top order with quick wickets and spinner Rahul Sharma followed up by taking four wickets. Mohammad Kaif (46) and captain Piyush Chawla (29) provided resistance with a 46-run stand for the fifth wicket, but then they lost six wickets for 19 runs to be bowled out for 110.Half-centuries from Jyot Chhaya and Vishnu Solanki took Baroda to a tight five-wicket victory over Karnataka at the Holkar Stadium. In their chase of 168, Baroda’s top-order batsmen squandered starts, but at 75 for 4, Chhaya added 90 runs off 52 balls with Solanki to take them home in the penultimate ball of the innings.Karnataka’s innings revolved around a 34-ball 49 from opener Robin Uthappa, and contributions from Karun Nair (22), Manish Pandey (29), and K Gowtham (24). Spinners Bhargav Bhatt and Krunal Pandya took three wickets each.

“He [Mushfiqur] is doing well, and I just feel he is an emotional guy. He felt bad after the defeat, that’s why he reacted that way,” Ziaur said

Mohammad Isam10-May-2013Since Mushfiqur Rahim surprised everyone by resigning as Bangladesh captain two days ago, the Bangladesh team has been kept away from talking about it to the media. The management finally let allrounder Ziaur Rahman take questions ahead of the first Twenty20 in Bulawayo.A relative newcomer in the squad, Ziaur hardly gave away anything on the Mushfiqur issue, but said the captain became emotional after the defeat in the one-day series. “After Wednesday, we have sat and talked about it [the resignation] together, and it hasn’t affected us,” Ziaur said. “We had a meeting today as well, where the captain talked to us about the conditions we are going to face. He [Mushfiqur] is doing well, and I just feel he is an emotional guy. He felt bad after the defeat, that’s why he reacted that way.”It is a good wicket, but there was help for the bowlers in the morning. But since the Twenty20s are starting in the afternoon, there won’t be too many issues for the batsmen, because it flattens out at that time. That’s what we discussed with the captain today.”The atmosphere around the Bangladesh team has been unusually quiet according to reports from Bulawayo. It caught everyone’s eye because this team is known to be quite accommodating with the media. The last time such a shutdown took place was after the team was bowled out for 58 against West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, following which Shakib Al Hasan criticised former players in a newspaper column.Newspaper reports in Bangladesh have claimed that several of Mushfiqur’s team-mates, who got wind of his impending announcement moments after Wednesday’s match, rushed to him in the dressing room. They urged him to think about it after returning home, but he was adamant. According to one report, Mushfiqur was even asked to skip the press conference but he went a few minutes after Mahmudullah to tell the media.BCB has vowed to convince Mushfiqur to stay, and they have almost five months to do so. The two Twenty20s on Saturday and Sunday are Bangladesh’s last international matches till October when they take on New Zealand at home.

BCCI treasurer Ravi Savant is the first board official to speak out against MS Dhoni’s possible conflict of interest, saying the India captain should immediately disassociate himself from the sports management company

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Jun-2013The new BCCI treasurer Ravi Savant is the first board official to speak out against MS Dhoni’s possible conflict of interest, saying the India captain should immediately disassociate himself from the sports management company that manages him and a few other India players.”Dhoni should immediately disassociate himself from the management firm while he is captain,” Savant told NDTV. “Dhoni should be given a notice for conflict of interest if this was not part of his contract earlier.”The new BCCI secretary Sanjay Patil, however, said the board was not going to act immediately. “Whatever Mr Savant has said is his personal opinion and the board has nothing to do with it,” he said. “The board has no intention to send any letter to either Dhoni or any other cricketer with the Champions Trophy going on. There was no discussion on this issue at the working committee meeting.”On Monday, the BCCI stand-in chief Jagmohan Dalmiya said the board would look into the issue involving Dhoni and Rhiti Sports Management Pvt Ltd, but only after the ongoing Champions Trophy in England.”I don’t want to disturb the team during the Champions Trophy. I gain nothing by doing that,” Dalmiya had following the BCCI’s emergent working committee meeting in Delhi. “We have taken note of the issue. We are looking into it but we are not going to hound someone.”The issue centres around Dhoni’s involvement with Rhiti Sports Management Pvt Ltd, the company that manages his commercial interests and those of some other India players such as Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, and looks after Chennai Super Kings’ marketing. Dhoni had owned 15% stake in the company for a little over one month earlier this year, meaning that, at least on paper, he was India captain with a say in the selection of players managed by the company he co-owned, and a possible share in the profits that their endorsements yielded.According to a statement issued by Rhiti Sports, the shares issued to Dhoni were bought back the following month, and the transaction was only to clear some of the company’s dues. “As on date, MSD holds no shareholding in Rhiti Sports Management (P) Ltd. However, it is made clear that shareholding was allotted to MSD on 22.03.2013 only to secure certain old outstandings which were due for more than one year,” the statement, signed by Rhiti Sports’ chairman and managing director Arun Pandey, said. “Further, the payments were cleared in April 2013 and the shareholding was transferred back to promoter of the company on 26.04.2013.”1445 GMT This story has been updated to include the quote from BCCI treasurer Ravi Savant

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.”

Cheteshwar Pujara has said that exposure to the one-day format at the international level would help him change people’s perception about him being only a longer-format player

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2013Cheteshwar Pujara has said that exposure to the one-day format at the international level would help him change people’s perception about him being only a longer-format player. Pujara is part of India’s squad that is scheduled to play five ODIs in Zimbabwe starting July 24 and is likely to make his ODI debut during the series.”I think I have the basics, now it’s just about shifting the gears at the right time, and that comes with more matches at the international level,” Pujara told the . “My technique is correct. Yeah, maybe at times, you need to learn more shots and you need to play according to the situation, but that comes with experience.”Pujara made a seamless entry into Test cricket after years of piling up runs in first-class cricket, and this time, the selectors have also put their faith on his equally impressive List A record and added him to the ODI squad. In 61 List A matches, Pujara has scored 2735 runs at an average of 56.97. He gave a glimpse of his talent during last year’s Challenger Trophy, smashing 158*, 124* and 79 at a strike rate of 107. During his Test hundreds against Australia earlier this year, he maintained high strike rates too despite taking time to settle in, an approach, Pujara feels, would help in overseas conditions.”With the two new balls, it does make a difference, and you have to be technically correct,” he said. “If you are playing on a flat wicket, then it’s a different story altogether, but when you are playing overseas, you can’t play your shots from the beginning, and you need wickets at the end to accelerate. And with the new rules, you have five fielders inside (the circle), so even acceleration becomes easier once the ball is old. But you need to have wickets in hand.”Pujara will also lead the India A side in South Africa after the Zimbabwe tour and he said that the experience during the tour would be key ahead of India’s Test tour to South Africa later this year.”I have been to South Africa. I have played two Test matches, so I have some experience, but the A tour will be very helpful, for me and a few other players who will be part of the Indian team in November-December,” he said. “It will really help to score some runs and get some experience in these conditions before the main series.”

Lancashire completed the formalities on an innings-and-52-run victory over bottom side Leicestershire during the first 70 minutes of day four

Graham Hardcastle at Grace Road05-Aug-2013
ScorecardKyle Hogg continued his superb form with the ball•Getty Images

Lancashire are targeting two more wins to clinch a return to Division One. The league leaders completed the formalities on an innings-and-52-run victory over bottom side Leicestershire during the first 70 minutes of day four to win for the sixth time this season and the fourth time in their last five matches. It would now take a collapse in form of sizeable proportions for them not to seal promotion.Kyle Hogg was their standout performer with the ball as he claimed three of the five wickets to fall during the morning session after Leicestershire had started on 128 for 5 and scored 22 runs in the first three overs of play.Hogg has had an exceptional season with the new ball, and clinched his second haul of five wickets or more, finishing with 5 for 77 from 22 overs. He has now taken 42 wickets, and is set to sail past his previous best of 50 wickets in the Championship-winning season of 2011.”He’s obviously bowled beautifully today, but he did that through the whole game,” Lancashire coach Peter Moores said. “The first two or three overs he bowled in the game down the hill, he struggled slightly for his rhythm. But like a good pro, he got himself sorted and bowled fantastically. He’s getting movement, and I said to him this morning ‘you could swing an orange at the moment’.”He puts a lot of balls in the right area, and he deserved his five-for. He’s certainly back to the form of 2011. Hoggy’s matured a lot as a bowler and how you handle yourself through disappointment. It’s obviously great for him to have Glen Chapple at the other end.”We’ve now got six wins. At the start of the season we targeted eight wins if we could, half your games. You never know what can happen because in England weather can always play a part. We were desperate to try and get wins last year, but we just kept coming across the weather and didn’t get a chance.”It’s been lovely this season to play and play good cricket. We’ve still haven’t been beaten yet. We’re the only side in country to have that. There’s intensity to how we’re playing at the moment.”The obvious joke would be that if Hogg could swing an orange, then Leicestershire batted like lemons. To not post 200 in either innings in a decent batting conditions, that description is not far off the mark. They have now lost by an innings two matches in a row.”There are not many positives, no,” Matt Boyce, the captain, said. “Where we sit in the table is reflected in the way they went about their business and the way we went about ours. There was a marked difference. They were at us every ball, and over four days that can get to a side that’s struggling for form.”I think the bowlers did well – it’s a flat wicket and 380 was about par in their first innings. It was an attritional wicket, one when you had to stop the other side scoring and chances would come. They had a few guys get fifties and get out, we had a few guys get thirties and get out.”Leicestershire batted with little care throughout the match, summed up this morning when Niall O’Brien, having reached his side’s first fifty of the match, needlessly flashed at Hogg outside off stump and found Andrea Agathangelou at second slip. It was not the shot to be played when trying to save a match and with the threat of rain around at some stage in the day.O’Brien was one of three wickets to fall inside seven and a half overs as the score slipped from 150 for 5 to 151 for 8. Chapple wrapped up the win for his side when he had James Sykes caught and bowled with his first ball of the morning.”Cricket is a confidence game,” Boyce said. “That’s what it revolves around and we’re sitting at the bottom of the table. We need to get some confidence in the guys in practice. We were never on top in this game. We’ve been on top in a lot of games this season, but we have to work harder to stay on top. When those moments come we need to really nail it. We can only go forward from here and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to come in and work harder, work smarter, and think about cricket a bit more, and come out the other side a better team.”Not only does this win set Lancashire up perfectly for promotion even though there are still five matches left, it gives them the ideal tonic ahead of Wednesday’s FLt20 quarter-final against defending champions Hampshire.”It’s a really big game, and one we’re looking forward to,” Moores said. “It’s funny because I had a feeling we might get them, and I also had a feeling we were going to win. If that’s right or not we’ll see because it’s a tough place to play and they’re a good team. But we go there confident that if we execute our skills, it will be a very good contest.”

Alex Hales produced his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international

The Report by David Hopps31-Aug-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAlex Hales again fell short of registering England’s first Twenty20 hundred•AFP

Alex Hales cannot quite be termed an out-and-out Twenty20 specialist but it is possible that he is morphing into one. It is the short-form game that increasingly seems to consume him and it provided the stage for his most outstanding display in an in-and-out summer, his 94 the basis of a comfortable England victory in the second T20 international in Chester-le-Street.The prize of becoming England’s first batsman to record a Twenty20 hundred still eludes Hales, however, although this innings did take him to the top of the ICC T20 batsmen rankings. He fell for 94 to the final ball of the penultimate over, as he dragged a low full toss from James Faulkner to long-on where David Warner plunged forward for a good catch.Hales is one of only two England batsmen to have made 99 in a T20 international, against West Indies on his home ground of Trent Bridge last year, the other being Luke Wright against Afghanistan in the World Twenty20 in Colombo, also last year.
He might have missed out on a hundred again, but he left Australia a formidable total, one which never looked to be within their compass.The presence of Aaron Finch has stretched England’s batting to new heights in the past two days. They have made two of their three biggest totals in England: the first – 209 for 6 at the Ageas Bowl – was overshadowed by Finch’s world record score; this one grew in part from the awareness that he might just do it again. He did not, and the series was drawn 1-1.On this occasion, Finch reminded everybody that he is vulnerable as anybody in a game that does not just expose fallibility, it ensures it. He made only five before he tried to pull a shortish ball from Stuart Broad and looped it gently to Luke Wright at mid-on.Warner also had the capacity to cause mayhem and he took sixes off Steve Finn, Jade Dernbach and Danny Briggs in consecutive overs. When Finn failed to locate a swirling catch at long-on off Dernbach, Warner’s luck seemed in, but he fell to the next ball – 53 from 42 deliveries – as he sliced to deep cover.Dernbach, whose continued selection has not been universally acclaimed, had a second decent game in a row and two late wickets completed exemplary figures of 3 for 23.Watson had been run out early, turning ponderously after Warner sent him back and beaten by a direct hit from Eoin Morgan at backward point. Shaun Marsh, some murmur, is a Test batsman who has accidentally wandered into the wrong squad; George Bailey flared briefly but he was lbw on the slog-sweep to Briggs, who later bowled Matthew Wade.The daunting figure of Finch seemed to hang over the start of England’s innings. Finch had pulverised England at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday, smashing 156 from 63 balls with 14 sixes and 11 fours, a record score in T20 internationals. Only Richard Levi has reached a century faster, a ball fewer in 45 deliveries.With Finch’s innings so fresh in their memory, it was difficult for Hales and his county batting partner, Michael Lumb, to calculate what constituted a winning score: 160? 260? If he hit with the strong, blustery wind, twice that?Perhaps they were best advised to put Finch out of their minds completely and work on the assumption that somebody would knock him over for next to nothing. An opening stand of 111 in 11.2 overs indicates that they dealt with the problem rather well.There was a frenetic edge to their strokeplay in the early overs, Lumb setting the adventurous tone, Hales, who needed a little more time to bed in, following suit. But England’s start was a resounding one. By the time that Bailey, Australia’s captain, introduced spin in the form of Fawad Ahmed, England had 74 off seven.Hales had fifty within 34 balls, his timing coming together as he progressed. His strong leg-side play was a feature, encouraged by a couple of early offerings from Mitchell Johnson, and he had one or two fortunate moments against the short ball. In a different age, he would be a stately straight driver; in 2013, he stands tall and gives it a leg-side whack, Johnson reduced to an empty sledge on one occasion as he flew over long-on for six.Hales has had a mediocre overall season for Nottinghamshire, a season which began with being barred from seeking an IPL contract by his county, but T20 increasingly is the format which engages him.Lumb accompanied him well. He had seen only 40% of the strike when he gave Ahmed his first international wicket, trying to slog-sweep and skying a gentle catch to the wicketkeeper Wade.Wright, met by Glenn Maxwell’s offspin, needed time to settle and there was a definite sense that England’s innings was losing momentum when Wright himself addressed the issue by taking 18 from Maxwell’s second over. Finch’s misjudgment at midwicket might have contributed to one of the boundaries. Wright fell to Faulkner’s low full toss and an athletic off-side catch by Johnson.Ahmed, asked to bowl the last over, unravelled Jos Buttler, who stepped away to be bowled first ball by a slower, turning delivery. Morgan, after a leg-side six, also fell to a googly at long-on. It left Ahmed with 3 for 24 to go alongside the hype. We will no doubt discover more as England’s international summer culminates in a five-match one-day series.