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Alzarri Joseph was the Player of the Match, his four wickets helping West Indies bowl Ireland out for 180

The Report by Varun Shetty07-Jan-2020Evin Lewis fell agonisingly short of a hundred, but his immaculate unbeaten 99, which followed Alzarri Joseph’s feisty four-for, helped a dominant West Indies brush Ireland aside in the first ODI in Bridgetown. Batting on 93 with three required for a win, the opener managed to slice one wide of third man for two runs. That left a straightforward equation – a six to win the match as well as get his hundred. Lewis managed to smoke the length ball that followed, but it landed a few metres short of the extra-cover boundary and left him on 99 as West Indies took a 1-0 lead.Lewis’ innings was nearly chanceless. He began solidly, offering a vertical bat as much as possible on a good batting surface that showed glimpses of being slow every now and again. The only chance he offered, a chip against Mark Adair in the ninth over, was put down by Kevin O’Brien lunging low at mid-off. Either side of that ball, Lewis bludgeoned short pitched bowling from the medium-pacer.That early plan to put away horizontal-bat shots was a theme throughout for Lewis, whose other highlights were blistering drives through extra cover, and nonchalant lofts over mid-off against the spinners. Occasionally he brought out the sweep – such as when he brought up his fifty – and, in a short chase, he anchored the innings without compromising on his scoring rate.In his company, all batsmen made starts without building on them. Brandon King struggled in a 71-run partnership as Ireland cramped him for room, Shimron Hetmyer lasted eight balls before top-edging a slog sweep, and Nicholas Pooran played one of the shots of the match – a glorious straight hit that slammed the edge of the roof – before finding backward point with a cut. Roston Chase, West Indies’ new ODI floater, brought calm after a middle-order wobble and took West Indies to within three runs of victory before falling.Shai Hope had begun in similarly pristine fashion to Lewis, but Adair had his revenge after being hit for two fours, hurrying him with a short ball that he sliced high in the midwicket region where William Porterfield took a diving catch running backwards.That wicket was something of an extension of the first innings, when Joseph and Sheldon Cottrell made effective use of a bouncy pitch that was on the slower side.Ireland’s top three pulled and hooked well against the new ball as West Indies kept their lengths on the shorter side. The extra time because of the surface’s slow pace helped in that regard, but as the lacquer progressively went out, horizontal-bat shots became tougher. Paul Stirling was at his flowing best, piercing the off side early on, and got great connection on his pull shot against Joseph in his first over, but he couldn’t keep it down. At midwicket, Pollard took an easy catch.Andy Balbirinie, who had won the toss in his first match as ODI captain, played three pristine shots within minutes of coming in – one a drive through the covers, one watchful pull caressed to fine leg, and a gorgeous hook for six. But Pollard’s gamble with the offspin of Chase inside the Powerplay worked immediately. Balbrinie reached out, first ball of the tenth over, and got a thin edge as the ball held its line. Hope held onto the first of his four catches behind the stumps.The free-flowing nature of the innings stopped there. Debutant allrounder Gareth Delaney, who was picked to open ahead of James McCollum, was next to fall, getting an inside edge trying to pull Joseph’s back-of-a-length delivery after a sustained period of dot balls, and moments after a mix-up had nearly ended Porterfield’s innings at the non-strikers end.In his next over, Joseph pinned Kevin O’Brien deep in the crease trying to flick a full ball, and Cottrell returned shortly after to find Porterfield’s outside edge with a short delivery outside off that he appeared too eager to cut. Ireland were 80 for 5 at that point, and slipped to 88 for 6 when Simi Singh was strangled down leg side.Twenty-three-year-old wicketkeeper Lorcan Tucker, who played ahead of Gary Wilson, then dug in with Mark Adair for just over 13 overs. They weren’t extravagant in putting up the only half-century stand of the innings, but at just over four an over, they didn’t open up the danger of a complete slowdown. But two balls after the drinks break, Adair jumped down the track to a length ball from Hayden Walsh that was delivered from well behind the crease and ended up being beaten in flight completely. Joseph got another one to kick up from the surface in his last over to account for Tucker, and might have had a fifth wicket if Barry McCarthy hadn’t had the option to overturn an lbw decision using DRS.There was one final bit of resistance from the lower order, with McCarthy and Boyd Rankin adding 30 for the last wicket. But they could only stretch the score to 180, which didn’t prove nearly enough as the hosts won with a third of their overs to spare.

Win takes India C to the final, where they will play India B, who had won their game against India A too

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2019Shubman Gill made his List A best of 143, Mayank Agarwal extended his form by scoring 120, Suryakumar Yadav provided belated Diwali fireworks with a 29-ball 72 not out, and Jalaj Saxena also recorded personal best figures of 7 for 41, all of it adding up to India C crushing India A by 232 runs to qualify for the Deodhar Trophy final in Ranchi.In a batting template very similar to India B’s against India A on Thursday, India C started cautiously but picked up pace along the way, with Gill and Agarwal putting together 226 for the first wicket in 38.3 overs. Agarwal was the more aggressive of the two early on, but Gill caught up, hitting ten fours and six sixes to Agarwal’s 15 fours and a six.Their stand set the tone for more fireworks. Once Agarwal and No. 3 Priyam Garg fell, Yadav walked in and immediately brought in a touch of the unorthodox, by scooping, paddling and sweeping his way to a half-century in a jiffy. The last three overs alone went for 61 as he shellacked nine fours and four sixes, including a sequence of 4, 6, 6, 4 off Siddarth Kaul to finish the innings, after 4, 4, 6 and 4 against Jaydev Unadkat in the previous over. Unadkat was the most expensive bowler, conceding 82 off ten wicketless overs. R Ashwin was the only one to concede at less than six per over, with figures of 10-1-57-1, taking Gill’s wicket.India A needed a win to stay in contention but were rocked early when they lost Vishnu Vinod and Abhishek Raman in the first two overs. After getting his Bengal mate Raman with one that swung away to get a leading edge to point, Ishan Porel had captain Hanuma Vihari nicking behind a bouncer for a duck to leave them tottering at 17 for 3. The only semblance of a partnership came in the form of Devdutt Padikkal and Bhargav Merai’s 57-run stand, before the innings unravelled again, with Saxena deceiving Merai in flight to castle him for 30.That was the start of a joyride for Saxena, in which he exhibited tremendous control and guile even as India A seemed to be in implosion mode, playing one rash shot after another to fold without a fight. Saxena scythed through the lower order in no time as it took India C only 29.5 overs to complete the formalities.The next game is between India B and India C on Saturday, but with both teams having qualified for the final – on Monday – that will only serve to provide the players a bit more time in the middle and a chance to rack up good numbers.

Australia’s captain led from the front before England’s top order was rattled in a hostile final session to tilt the opening Test the home side’s way

The Report by Andrew Miller25-Nov-2017England 302 and 2 for 33 lead Australia 328 (Smith 141*, Marsh 51) by seven runs

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsIn the course of what is rapidly developing into a supernatural Test career, Steven Smith has surpassed himself time and time again. But in the course of 57 Tests and 21 centuries, it is hard to believe that he has compiled a more brilliant and vital innings than his unbeaten 141 in the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes.On Smith’s dogged and indomitable watch, Australia seized hold of a rapidly freefalling first innings, and dot by dot, nudge by nudge, turned what had at one stage looked like being a 100-run deficit into a vital lead of 26.And then, as if ignited by their skipper’s deeds, Australia’s bowlers tore into England’s top order in a gory final hour. Josh Hazlewood ripped out two prize wickets, including Alastair Cook for his second failure of the match, before Mitchell Starc clanged England’s captain, Joe Root, a savage blow on the helmet. Root and Mark Stoneman limped to the close on 2 for 33, a lead of 7, but in the course of 16 high-octane overs, the legend of the Gabbatoir had burst back to prominence in no uncertain terms.It was a sensational day’s cricket, glacially slow at times – particularly during a morning session in which Smith added just 17 runs to his overnight 64 – but never less than utterly absorbing, thanks to a match situation in which two wholly committed teams have surged and slipped like a pair of boat-race crews hurtling under Hammersmith Bridge.But, by the close of day three, it was abundantly clear which team had pulled ahead by a length. Hard though England toiled in the field, not least in the build-up to the second new ball, when Jake Ball and Chris Woakes – backed up by funky leg-side fields – set themselves to slow the run-rate to a crawl, their efforts were as nothing compared to the pace and fury that Australia’s seamers were able to generate on a surface that is appreciably quicker now than it had been on a sluggish first day.From the outset of England’s second innings, it was clear that Starc and Hazlewood were generating a touch more heat than their English counterparts. However, Cook was still taken completely by surprise in Hazlewood’s second over, when he fizzed down a pinpoint bouncer that the former skipper could only flap off his eyebrows to fine leg, where Starc had only moments earlier been changing his boots and now dived forward to scoop up a stadium-igniting catch.In came James Vince, England’s hero of the first innings, who moments earlier had been pictured shadow-batting in the dressing room. He got off the mark with a neat clip off his pads, but could go no further than that, as Hazlewood zeroed in on his outside edge, for Smith to snaffle a flying edge at second slip.And before Root had had a chance to settle, it was Starc’s turn to leave his mark on the innings – or more specifically the peak of Root’s helmet, as he smashed a stunning bouncer flush into the corner of the visor and sent his ear-guard flying in the process. Australia’s fielders showed instant concern for the England captain, and the team doctor rushed out to give him a standing count, but with Mark Stoneman showing his mettle once again, England managed to reach the close with their hopes more intact than the fury of the session might have suggested.And yet, England will have regrouped at the close of play wondering how they were not firmly in control of this contest. The simple answer is that Smith refused to let them take control, although there were also some crucial questions flying around about the fitness of James Anderson, whose withdrawal from the attack after just three overs of the second new ball undermined England’s hopes of a quick kill, after he and Stuart Broad had struck twice in as many overs to reduce Australia to 209 for 7.To focus on England’s tactics in that particular instance, however, would do a disservice to the immense levels of skill and determination shown by Smith in particular, but Pat Cummins too – whose innings of 42 from 120 balls helped add 66 vital runs for the eighth wicket, as Australia put crease occupation ahead of forward momentum in a bid to endure by whatever means necessary.Smith had resumed his innings knowing full well how vital his continued presence would be, given that England’s own innings had featured three half-centuries but nothing more substantial than Vince’s 83. And, having converted 20 of his previous 41 fifties into three figures, he was in the right frame of mind to go on again and give Australia the best possible chance of extending their proud unbeaten run at the Gabba.In total, he needed a hefty 261 balls to bring up his hundred, which he finally achieved with a crunching drive through the covers off Broad, one of the few occasions when he allowed his natural ability to over-ride his defensive mindset. His moments of alarm could be counted on one hand – on 69, he was caught unawares by a perfectly directed throat-ball from Ball, but the spliced opportunity plopped short of the slips. But beyond that, Smith was happy to duck the short balls and get firmly into line against the straight ones, and bide his time in a manner that few players of the modern era are willing to do.Shaun Marsh rather proved that point in the manner of his dismissal. He had been Smith’s partner when Australia resumed on 4 for 165, and though he marked his return to the Test team with a hard-fought fifty, he was eventually done in by a canny piece of bowling from Broad. Lured onto the front foot by an apparent wide half-volley, Marsh failed to clock that Broad had rolled his fingers down the seam, and Anderson collected a dolly of a lofted drive, as the ball skidded off the splice to mid-off.Tim Paine, who had made his Australia debut alongside Smith against Pakistan at Lord’s in 2010, came out to join Smith for his first Test innings for seven years. And though he looked solid for a while, he had no answer to the ball of the day from Anderson. Armed with the new ball, as well as the knowledge that he needed to make it count, Anderson produced a snorter that angled into the right-hander, nipped away, and kissed the edge for Bairstow to collect a fine one-handed catch behind the stumps.Starc started his innings with eye-popping intent, slamming his second ball, from Broad, clean over long-off for six – to induce a wry grin and a shrug from the bowler. Two balls later, however, Broad had his revenge, hauling his length back just an inch or two to collect another attempted drive in his follow through. At 7 for 209, Australia were on the ropes.But then came Anderson’s apparent injury – a clutch of his side midway through his third over with the new ball, and a guarded chat with his captain. Though he initially remained on the field, he was delivered a tablet by England’s 12th man before lunch, and departed into the dressing room for further treatment in the afternoon. And without his incisive attack-leading, England’s remaining bowlers went flat at precisely the moment that a moment of magic was required. That it was left to Root himself to end the innings, courtesy of Cook’s leg-side catch off Lyon, was an indictment of a fielding performance that finally ran out of steam. Australia’s bowlers, by contrast, haven’t looked fresher all match.

The dismissal of Jason Roy, given out for obstructing the field, changed the course of a game that England appeared to have won and saw South Africa level the IT20 series at 1-1 with one to play.

The Report by George Dobell23-Jun-2017

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers smashed 46 off 20 before his bowlers tripped up England in the final overs•Getty Images

The dismissal of Jason Roy, given out for obstructing the field, changed the course of a game that England appeared to have won and saw South Africa level the T20 series at 1-1 with one to play.Roy, with his first 50 in 11 international innings, appeared to have put England on course for a series-clinching victory as he added 110 in 70 balls with Jonny Bairstow for England’s second wicket. But when Bairstow lofted to mid-on and Roy was given out a few deliveries later, South Africa’s seamers – enjoying a track offering pace and bounce – turned the screw in expert fashion amid failing light and mounting excitement.The result was uncertain until the final delivery after Liam Dawson hit the penultimate ball for four. Had it travelled another six inches, it would have left England requiring just two to win from the final ball. As it was, Dawson was required to hit another four (or three to ensure a Super Over) and was unable to make contact with his heave.While the decision to give Roy out – made after consultation with the TV umpire – was booed by a partisan, passionate crowd, it wasn’t especially controversial. Having been sent back by Livingstone, Roy turned to regain his ground and, in doing so, ran across the pitch so he was in between the fielder – Andile Phehlukwayo, at point – and the stumps. The throw subsequently hit Roy on the boot. The TV umpire, Tim Robinson, could have made no other decision. It was, however, the first such dismissal in international T20 cricket.”It was probably a 50-50 call. You could see both sides of it,” England’s captain, Eoin Morgan, said. “Everyone in the changing room thought it could go either way so it’s not massively controversial. You can see why the umpires gave him out. Jason obviously looked at the fielder but after that he ran in a straight line so that’s why it was a 50-50 call. They were certainly entitled to appeal and the spirit of the game is open to interpretation.’We were going really well for much of the chase but we lost a wicket at a crucial moment and nobody was able to take it up after that. We didn’t deserve to win because we didn’t capitalise on the start we had.”It was not, perhaps, the result the sell-out crowd wanted. But it was the sort of dramatic finish the occasion – the return of men’s international cricket to Taunton for the first time since the 1999 World Cup – warranted. Cheered on by 12,420, (the Somerset chairman reckoned the club could have sold out this game, only England men’s second international here and their first since the 1983 World Cup, four times over) the only thing an excellent venue lacked was floodlights. They are to be installed in the coming months, but they would have been very handy towards the end of this match.It seemed a mightily unlikely result as Roy and Bairstow took control. While Roy was not, at first, at his most fluent, such was his conviction, that the runs flowed. He took four fours off Morne Morkel’s second over – two of them edges that could have gone anywhere – gradually settled and registered his second T20I half-century with a straight-driven six into the Ian Botham stand off the left-arm wristspin of Tabraiz Shamsi.Bairstow lost little by comparison. He has waited a long time for his opportunity in England’s limited-overs teams and the evidence of the last couple of weeks suggests he is determined to take it.Having equalled his career-best T20I score in the first match of this series, he made another 47 here and produced a couple of shots – a cover-driven four off something approaching a yorker from Morkel and a pull for six off the same bowler – that were especially memorable.But when he chipped a full, inswinging delivery from the excellent Chris Morris to mid-on, it initiated a collapse that saw England lose five wickets for 42 runs in the next six overs. It was Morris, bowling with sharp pace, who most unsettled the England batsman with Liam Livingstone, one of two debutants, finding the step up in class tough to negotiate (he hit one boundary in 18 balls and was run out from the fourth ball of the final over). On 7, he also survived a caught behind appeal from Morris’ final delivery – an attempted pull that saw the ball flick the bat and his shoulder – that replays suggested should have been given out.Phehlukwayo, who bowled a nerveless final over from which 12 were required, claimed the key wicket of Jos Buttler – the returning hero undone by a fine yorker – while Morgan thumped a full toss to mid-on from the skiddy pace of Dane Paterson.Earlier Tom Curran took three wickets on debut as South Africa were restricted to what appeared to be an under-par 174 for 8.
After claiming a wicket with his second ball in international cricket – Reeza Hendricks bottom-edging an attempted pull on to his stumps – Curran returned to bowl the last couple of overs from the Somerset Pavilion End and impressed with his control and variations. He claimed two more wickets in that spell, with Morris mishitting a slower-ball to long-on and Phehlukwayo bowled first delivery by a searing yorker.
Generating surprising pace – as high as 88mph – he did more than enough to suggest he had a future at this level.Liam Plunkett was the quickest of the seamers, though. Hitting 90 mph at times, he claimed two wickets with his slower ball – Mangaliso Mosehle gloving a pull and David Miller edging an attempted force – while Farhaan Berhardien’s promising innings was ended by a Chris Jordan yorker.It wasn’t a flawless performance in the field from England, though. Jordan, normally so reliable, dropped Berhardien on 11 at mid-off – the ferocity of the drive forcing the ball through his hands and on to his jaw – while Livingstone on the deep midwicket boundary dropped a more straightforward chance offered by Morris on 11. England also conceded five wides, four of them by Jordan, who also – most uncharacteristically – allowed a ball to elude his grasp at mid-off and scurry away for four. They were to prove costly mistakes.South Africa were grateful to a far more convincing batting performance from AB de Villiers, in particular, and JJ Smuts. Relishing the extra pace of the surface, de Villiers rushed to 46 in 20 deliveries with a swept six off Dawson and a driven one off Plunkett the highlights, before he appeared to lose his grip on the bat as he attempted to drive David Willey and instead skied a catch to mid-off.Smuts, hitting the ball unusually hard, also made an accomplished 45 but the final total of 174 seemed to be around 25 under par on a fine batting surface. South Africa’s pace and England’s errors, however, meant the sides meet in Cardiff on Sunday with the series all to play for.

Tammy Beaumont anchored England’s run-chase with 78 from 79 balls to secure a 3-0 series lead against Sri Lanka in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Nov-2016
ScorecardTammy Beaumont made 78 from 79 balls•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont anchored England’s run-chase with 78 from 79 balls to secure a 3-0 series lead against Sri Lanka in Colombo, with the fourth and final ODI to come at the same venue on Thursday.Despite losing the toss and being asked to field first, England seized control of the contest from the outset, pinning Sri Lanka down to a run-rate of three an over with a disciplined bowling performance in which their three spinners, Laura Marsh, Alex Hartley and Danielle Hazell, each picked up two wickets apiece.Sri Lanka’s innings never really gathered any momentum. Nipuni Hansika, the opening batsman, top-scored with 29 from 66 balls, but she was the second wicket to fall, bowled by Hazell in the 21st over, and England never relinquished their stranglehold. The hosts were all out for 161 with two balls of their innings left unused, having lost their last eight wickets for 82.In reply, England lost Lauren Winfield and Danni Wyatt in the space of six deliveries to slip to 60 for 2, but a fourth-wicket stand of 67 between Beaumont and Fran Wilson (30) carried the team to the brink of victory.Both players fell in the space of two runs to take the gloss off the win – Wilson was caught behind off Chamari Atapattu before Beaumont became Sugandika Kumari’s only wicket of the innings with six runs still required. But Georgia Elwiss and Amy Jones wrapped up the win with 20.3 overs left unused.

Anamul Haque has been called up on the eve of the Khulna Test as cover for the injured Tamim Iqbal

Mohammad Isam20-Nov-2012Batsman Anamul Haque has been called up on the eve of the Khulna Test as cover for an injured Tamim Iqbal. It is still unclear whether the uncapped Haque will make his Test debut as Tamim tries to recover from a sore elbow.Tamim hurt a tendon in his left elbow while batting in the first innings of the Mirpur Test against West Indies. He batted only against spin in the nets on Monday, and will undergo a fitness test to determine his availability for the second Test. “Tamim sustained a muscle tendon injury during the first Test on his left elbow. He will do a fitness test later today or early tomorrow (Wednesday) morning,” the team’s physio Vibhav Singh was quoted as saying in a board release.ESPNcricinfo has learned the opener Nazimuddin will likely replace opener Junaid Siddique for the second Test, so Tamim’s injury has caused some concern for the team management which is not keen on drafting in an extra bowler in the XI in the event Tamim misses out.

Day-night Test cricket has once again become a possibility after the ICC annual conference in Kuala Lampur

Firdose Moonda28-Jun-2012Day-night Test cricket has once again become a possibility after the ICC annual conference in Kuala Lampur. All Full Members were approached and asked if they would be open to the idea of hosting a day-night Test and there seems to be interested from some quarters. CSA’s acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, called it “one the exciting ideas” to emerge from the meeting.”We were all encouraged to try and host a night Test,” Faul said at a press briefing on his return home. “In our case, it’s something the board will have to approve first before anything else can happen. Then, we’ll have to convince the players, the coach and the opponents.”Although Faul admitted the idea is something CSA may “want to try”, he said he would not be happy to rush into it without some form of trial run. “If we do it, we will start off with a first-class match. I’m not brave enough to just get into a [international] night game without testing it,” he said. Pakistan is the only country that have played first-class cricket under lights, with the final of the Quaid-e-Azam trophy being played as a day-night fixture for the last two seasons.Faul said there was significant feedback from the Pakistan experiment to pique the interest of some other countries, including South Africa. “There weren’t any negative comments about it,” he said. “The pink Kookaburra ball is good enough, is what we have been told.”Should South Africa decide to sample the concept, Faul said they will look carefully into which grounds they can use, with a particular focus on weather. “Night cricket is a funny thing, because it means playing in different conditions,” he said. “I am a little scared about the dew factor at certain grounds at certain times of the year.” South Africa’s Highveld venues as well as the coastal ground in Durban, where humidity is high, usually have significant amounts of dew during the summer months.The specifics of day-night Test cricket are already being talked about in some form. Faul said the idea would be to start at 4pm and play until around 10pm, meaning playing time amounting to an hour less than is currently the norm. “It’s speculation for now,” Faul said.He admitted the most important aspect would be getting players to agree to participate in the idea but, he said, he believed it could revolutionise the longest format of the game. “It will be interesting to see how the players react to it but I think it could be very beneficial,” Faul said. “I think that might be the way forward. I might not see it taking place at every venue or against every team, but it definitely has the blessing of the ICC executive’s committee.”

A round-up of the semi-finals of the Caribbean T20

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jan-2011Johann Myburgh scored 88 off 58 balls to lead Hampshire to a competitive total against Windward Islands, after which Hamza Riazuddin’s four-wicket spell helped secure a narrow victory, and with it a spot in the Caribbean T20 final. Hampshire had a solid start to their innings, with Jimmy Adams and Myburgh adding 47 in 6 overs before Adams was run out. Myburgh provided the acceleration, striking six sixes during his half-century, while James Vince made 36 off 32 balls. Myburgh, who was eventually bowled by Mervin Matthew with the score on 160, was the only batsman dismissed by a Windward bowler. The other three wickets in the score of 166 for 4 were run out.Windward lost Johnson Charles early but Andre Fletcher and Devon Smith steadied the chase. They didn’t score at breakneck speed but they led Windward to 75 in the 10th over, when Riazuddin struck for the first time, getting Smith caught behind. Keddy Lesporis was run out for 6 but Windward were still in it, at 114 for 3, when the 16th over began. In that over, Riazuddin ripped out three wickets, reducing the innings to 116 for 6, and severely broke Windward’s momentum. Riazuddin finished with 4 for 15, and even though Matthew blasted 27 off 15, Windward fell four runs short.Trinidad & Tobago’s passage to the final was easier as they beat Jamaica by eight wickets with 13 balls to spare in the second semi-final. The result ensured T&T’s qualification to the Champions League later this year by virtue of being the best Caribbean side in the competition.Jamaica’s innings failed to take off as wickets fell regularly and the run-rate struggled to rise over six. The top four batsmen fell for less than 20 and strike-rates of less than 100. Wavell Hinds and Andre Russell provided some stability, scoring 23 and 36, but the tail folded after their departures. T&T legspinner Samuel Badree, who opened the bowling, finished with 1 for 15 in four overs, while Ravi Rampaul and Sunil Narine picked up two wickets each. T&T needed only 137 to set up a summit clash with Hampshire.The top order did the job, with Adrian Barath making 37 and Lendl Simmons contributing 51. Darren Bravo continued his impressive form, scoring 25 off 19 balls at No. 3, to lead T&T to 140 for 2 in the 18th over. Of the six bowlers Jamaica used, only Jerome Taylor took a wicket.

Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire allrounder, has been added to England’s one-day squad as injury cover for Ryan Sidebottom who has picked up a hamstring problem

Cricinfo staff15-Jun-2010Ajmal Shahzad, the Yorkshire allrounder, has been added to England’s one-day squad as injury cover for Ryan Sidebottom who has picked up a hamstring problem.Sidebottom, who suffered his injury against Worcestershire in the Friends Provident t20, has not been ruled out of the forthcoming five-match series against Australia which starts next week, but Shahzad will join up with the team ahead of the ODI against Scotland, in Edinburgh, on Saturday.Sidebottom was a key member of the World Twenty20 squad in the Caribbean having kept James Anderson out of the final XI throughout the tournament. It marked an upturn in his fortunes after an 18-month period where he was beset by injuries although he retained the support of coach Andy Flower.”It’s a shame Ryan has picked up this injury as he’s been injury-free for some time now and bowling well,” said Geoff Miller, the national selector. “Thankfully it’s a relatively minor injury and we look forward to him making a full recovery soon.”Shahzad was unlucky to miss out on the original squad having impressed on his Test debut against Bangladesh, at Old Trafford, where he took four wickets in the match and caught the attention with his rapid reverse swing. He made his ODI debut earlier this year, also against Bangladesh, at Chittagong.Sidebottom’s injury could mean that Anderson will have the chance to regain his one-day spot having voiced concerns about where he now sits in the pecking order after sitting out the World Twenty20.

Damien Wright continued his outstanding season with a five-wicket haul that restricted his former state Tasmania to 222 on the opening day in Melbourne

Cricinfo staff10-Mar-2010
ScorecardDamien Wright’s 5 for 49 kept Victoria on top•Getty Images

Damien Wright continued his outstanding season with a five-wicket haul that restricted his former state Tasmania to 222 on the opening day in Melbourne. Tim Paine, the acting captain of the Tigers, did his best with 69 but by the close of play Victoria had significantly boosted their chances of hosting the Sheffield Shield final.Rain delayed the start of play and when things did kick off, Wright helped Victoria make a strong start as the Tigers stumbled to 4 for 48. Jon Wells made a drawn-out 38 that took nearly three hours as Tasmania tried to rebuild from the early losses but he was the fifth man to depart, caught behind off Wright when he tried to leave the ball.The first innings of Daniel Marsh’s final game didn’t go to plan as was out for 7, before Paine and the lower order provided some resistance. Paine was the key man with 69 but his fightback ended when he was lbw to Bryce McGain, to leave Tasmania at 8 for 178.Wright grabbed the final two wickets to finish with 5 for 49 and now has a remarkable 30 victims at 14.76 in his fifth match of the summer. Victoria faced three overs before stumps and reached 0 for 4 with Michael Hill having scored all the runs and Nick Jewell yet to get off the mark.The Bushrangers and Queensland are guaranteed of places in the decider but the hosting rights will be determined by the current round of matches. Victoria are three points clear of the Bulls and if they take first-innings points they will be well on the way to securing the final, as Queensland were on the back foot after the opening day of their match against Western Australia.