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County Championship round-up: Yorkshire crumble against Essex

After all the fun of the fair that Twenty20 brings, Championship cricket returned, like the sensible soul at the house party who starts washing up at 4am, having rolled the last revellers into their cabs home. If there is one man who still had his wits about him after a month on the short-form sauce, it was Chris Nash who waited till the start of August to score his first Championship hundred of the season.Invariably, as the white ball makes way for the red, there is talk of “Twenty20 hangovers”: of batsmen and bowlers stuck in limited-overs mode, chastised for not being able to flick a switch from one format to the other, like the droids they are treated as. How else to explain the absurd run-in both sides have had to this fixture.Worcestershire arrived off the back of a professional Friday night win in Birmingham and a day-time shellacking at the hands of Northants on Saturday. Sussex were hosting Surrey on Thursday before a Friday night in Canterbury. Silly season doesn’t get much sillier.Yet, through all the hours on the road, as those at home turn slowly into strangers, Nash has been able to find form that has proved elusive for most of the summer. After a rest last Monday following defeat to Somerset, he struck 64 on Thursday, took Kent to the cleaners with 73 on Friday, arrived in Worcester on Saturday and compiled his 23rd first-class hundred on Sunday. While it does not bear much resemblance to Craig David’s “Seven Days” – Craig famously chilled on Sunday – there was a familiar rhythm and base to Nash’s innings that hinted at a longer return to fluid type.”I’ve seen more of you than I have of my wife,” said Nash as he was approached by the BBC Radio Sussex commentator, alluding to the frenetic schedule and his more-than-welcome purple patch. Prior to this 118, Nash was averaging 17.08 from 12 innings at the top of the order. Naturally, the knock came as a relief: “It’s a really nice feeling. I’ve worked really hard in four-day cricket and it just hasn’t happened this year. That’s how it goes sometimes.”It’s hard coming from T20 games where you’re basically playing every day. It’s nice to come in here and bat long as well, actually. It was nice to change the gears, get myself in and go big.”The crucial part of his 202-ball stay came in the morning when Nash was informed by Sussex captain Ben Brown that he would bat at five, having spent most of the season as opener. Former Leicestershire batsman Angus Robson, taken on by Sussex to play second-team cricket, was asked to open up on his first-team debut, after his registration was processed on Thursday (he made the XI in place of Luke Wright, out with a bad back).Chris Nash made his first century of the Championship season•Getty Images

Unfortunately for Robson, he only lasted three balls – one of two ducks, along with Harry Finch, as Worcestershire reduced the visitors to 7 for 2 in the fourth over. Nash’s arrival, after Stiaan van Zyl fell to make it 49 for 3, was the beginning of a solid partnership of 97 between himself and Luke Wells.Perhaps the moment that turned the day was at 71 for 3, when Daryl Mitchell dropped Wells at second slip. The left-hander had just 32 to his name and went on to make 85 before offering Mitchell another chance which he duly clung on to, off the bowling of George Rhodes. Wells’ sombre exit spoke less of a tricky period negotiated and more of a hundred spurned. By then, Nash was at ease and determined to motor on for the good of his team and his future in the engine room.At lunch, when Nash was on 19, his captain made him a promise: “If you get 110, you can stay at five.” Who knows if Brown was bluffing, but it had the desired effect on the 34-year-old. The shots started to come out, notably that front-foot pull to midwicket and beyond which has been as much as a Hove staple as deckchairs and ice cream.Fittingly, it was a crisply struck pull for four off debutant Pat Brown – expensive on his maiden first-class outing – that took Nash to his hundred, from 175 balls. Relieved, he threw both hands in the air, before holding out five fingers to the packed balcony in front of the away dressing room, channeling the spirit of Nasser Hussain at Lord’s, albeit with a smile and fewer expletives. “When I got my hundred I knew I’d kinda done the hard bit and I had 10 more to get,” Nash said. He eventually finished on 118, lbw to a low-bouncing delivery from Joe Leach, with Sussex in greater shakes at 298 for 6.”After the month of Twenty20, I really needed it,” Nash said of an innings he hopes will be the start of a strong end to the red-ball summer and a spot in the batting line-up he has always craved. “I got in this morning and I was pretty knackered after the last couple of weeks and it gave me a little bit of breathing space and I really enjoyed it. I love batting in the middle order.”Chris Jordan built on Nash’s good work – together, they put on 118 – by moving to his 98-ball half-century with a picture-perfect extra cover-drive for his fifth boundary. He was unbeaten at the close, all set to continue Sussex’s push towards a score of 350 which they reckon will have them “in the game”. A game that already looks like it is slipping from Worcestershire’s grasp.

Samit Patel saw Notts to victory with 77 not out•Getty Images

An unbeaten half century from Samit Patel helped Nottinghamshire strengthen their lead at the top of the North Group of the NatWest T20 Blast competition. Patel scored 77 from just 48 balls, adding 96 for the fourth wicket with Brendan Taylor, who made 36, as the Outlaws chased down a victory target of 181 to win by five wickets, with 11 balls to spare.Sam Hain ensured the Bears put a competitive total on the board, making an undefeated 82 out of a total of 180 for 7. Hain, who scored 92 not out in the corresponding match last season, scored his runs from 50 balls, with eight fours and three sixes. Jake Ball was the pick of the Outlaws attack, taking career best figures of 3 for 27.When Notts began their run chase they lost the competition’s leading run-scorer in the opening over, as Alex Hales fell first ball for nought. The powerful stroke-maker, who had rattled up 445 runs in his previous 10 innings this season, checked his drive against Olly Stone and picked out Ian Bell at mid-off.Stone struck for a second time as Tom Moores sliced to point in the third over and when Riki Wessels lofted Jeetan Patel to wide long-on, Notts were 43 for 3 in the fourth over and in need of a partnership.Patel and Taylor joined forces and combined effectively, to take their side to within 42 of the finishing line before Oliver Hannon-Dalby removed Taylor and Dan Christian in quick succession. Steven Mullaney eased any home concerns by hitting Grant Elliott for a six and two fours in his unbeaten 15, leaving Patel to pull Colin de Grandhomme for the winning boundary at the start of the 19th overEarlier, Birmingham were thrust firmly on the back foot after losing four wickets in the opening six overs, three of them to Ball. The fast bowler, working his way back to full fitness after the knee injury which ruled him out of the Royal London Cup Final and the South Africa Test series, was almost unplayable as he decimated the visitors’ top order.Dominic Sibley hit Ball straight to Samit Patel at mid-off, Adam Hose top-edged behind and Elliott lost his middle stump. Bell survived a run-out scare when Patel threw down the stumps but only made 11 before clipping Christian down the leside and into the hands of Moores.Ish Sodhi removed fellow Kiwi de Grandhomme, who picked out the safe hands of Hales in the deep. That dismissal left the Bears on 67 for 5 but Hain and Aaron Thomason rebuilt the innings with a stand of 69 in just seven overs. Hain’s 50 came from 32 balls but he lost his partner soon afterwards as Thomason, who hit three sixes in his 42 played around a topspinner from Sodhi and was comprehensively bowled.Christian thought he’d removed Hain when Taylor took a boundary catch but the fielder had to release the ball as he toppled over the rope. The bowler did have a second success to celebrate as Alex Mellor sliced to third man but Gurney went for a huge six in the final over as the Bears reached 180.The victory takes Notts Outlaws up to 16 points, two clear in the North Group, with two matches remaining in the qualifying stages. They can secure a place in the knockout phase with victory at New Road against Worcestershire Rapids on Sunday. Birmingham remain on 13 points, also with two matches remaining.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsCraig Ervine hit eight fours and one six in his unbeaten 55-ball 69•AFP

Craig Ervine’s experience and Malcolm Waller’s composure blended well as Zimbabwe overcame rain, pressure and fading light to clinch a steep chase and take the series into the decider. The four-wicket win (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method) in Hambantota was as much a result of their good work with the ball in the last 15 overs – they conceded only 92 to restrict Sri Lanka to 300 for 6 – as it was with the bat. This after Sri Lanka looked set for 350 at one stage, given the platform Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka set with an opening partnership of 209. They became the first pair in ODI history to score back-to-back double-century stands.Zimbabwe lost two quick wickets in their chase, but not before the openers had added 67 in nearly 10 overs, helped along by Solomon Mire’s 30-ball 43. When rain stopped play after the 21st over, Zimbabwe were 139 for 3, nine runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern par score.There was a brief scare when the rains arrived too, with Zimbabwe needing to bat out one over to constitute a game. Sensing the possibility of going off, Angelo Mathews reintroduced Lasith Malinga. The first two balls took three minutes even as the drizzle picked up, leaving umpire Nigel Llong to have a chat with Mathews to speed up proceedings. Malinga eventually finished the over and a relieved Zimbabwe played out one more over from Gunathilaka before they went off.One hour and 36 minutes later, Zimbabwe’s target was a much steeper 219 off 31 overs. Eight balls after resumption, they lost Sean Williams as he waltzed down the pitch to swing through, only to be stumped. Then, Wanindu Hasaranga, the 19-year old legspinner, picked up his third wicket with a sensational return catch to dismiss Sikandar Raza. Zimbabwe were trembling, the ball was suddenly keeping low. The equation read 47 off 34.

Zimbabwe penalized for slow over rate

Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer has been fined 20% of his match fee, while his team-mates have been fined 10%, for maintaining a slow over rate during the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka.
Zimbabwe were found to be one over short of their target after time allowances were taken into consideration. No formal hearing was held, as Cremer pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction. Another minor over-rate breach as Zimbabwe captain in the next 12 months by Cremer could lead to a suspension.

But Ervine stood firm, sweeping and reverse-sweeping his way to a half-century to keep Zimbabwe alive. Waller did his bit with three fours in a 13-ball 20, and the pair added 43 off 23 balls. When Waller was dismissed, Zimbabwe needed 4 off 11 deliveries and it was Ervine, who fittingly polished the match off with a delicate reverse paddle. Ervine’s solidity was key before the rain interruption, too, helping Zimbabwe ride out a wobble after Hasaranga had got rid of Mire and Hamilton Masakadza in consecutive overs. Prior to this series, Zimbabwe had never won an ODI in Sri Lanka. On this tour alone, they have two wins, both emphatic.The win meant that Sri Lanka’s solid opening partnership and Dickwella’s second consecutive ODI hundred were in vain. Dickwella’s 116 made him the eighth Sri Lanka batsman to score successive ODI centuries while Gunathilaka, who curbed his aggressive style of play for a large part of the innings, contributed 87. Sri Lanka’s total may have seemed enough on most days, but not against a young and unheralded batting line-up that came out and attacked with intent, seemingly unperturbed by the spin threat or the big boundaries.That Sri Lanka found themselves behind in the second innings was because of a slowdown in their end overs. The inability of the middle order to come in and strike right from the outset gave Zimbabwe an outside chance, which they converted. The openers started cautiously before Dickwella signaled a change of intent by hitting Chris Mpofu for successive boundaries in the fifth over. Sri Lanka motored to 54 without loss in eight overs when captain Graeme Cremer introduced spin, bringing on Sikandar Raza. The move pushed both Sri Lanka batsmen into a slightly cautious approach, but their degree of control stood out. Dickwella brought up his half-century off 48 deliveries.Gunathilaka also had some luck when Cremer put down a tough return catch with the batsman on 44. However, Gunathilaka accelerated soon after bringing up his half-century, even as Zimbabwe’s bowlers persisted with the plan to contain the opposition. With 18 overs left, Sri Lanka were cruising at 193 without loss. Zimbabwe compounded their problems by reprieving both batsmen after they had crossed the 200-run mark but those errors did not turn out to be too costly as Waller accounted for both with his whippy offspin. Waller eventually finished with 2 for 44. While Mathews made a 40-ball 42, the lower order failed to kick on and Sri Lanka managed only 37 off the last five overs.

Chris Woakes could miss the first two Tests against South Africa due to the side strain which ruled him out of the Champions Trophy.The recovery timeframe is four to six weeks, with Woakes admitting it is likely to be the longer end of that scale before he returns to the field. It means he is all but confirmed to miss the opening Test against South Africa, which begins at Lord’s on July 6, and probably the second as well, which comes hot on the heels at Trent Bridge on July 13.Even if Woakes was able to bowl by then, he would have had no competitive action in which to prove his fitness. Another issue could be that the NatWest Blast will dominate the domestic schedule at that time, so Woakes may be limited to four-overs spells ahead of a potential return in the third Test at Old Trafford on July 27.”It’s a left side strain and there is a tear in the muscle,” Woakes said at a Chance to Shine event. “It’s a grade-two injury, which is not terrible news, but it’s not great news at the same time.”They say it’s roughly a four- to six-week injury, and it’s more likely to be towards the six when I am back playing competitive cricket. I’m on day five of my recovery now, and the physios say for the first 10 to 14 days there’s not a lot we can do other than rest it.”You don’t rule it out, but I’m probably up against it for the first Test. Sometimes these things heal quicker, sometimes they take longer, so we have to play it by ear.”It’s also one of those things you can’t rush back – if you do, it can just ping again. You have to make sure you’re right before you come back. The timing of it is frustrating, it’s terrible, but it’s one of those things.”Woakes took 34 wickets in six home Tests last year – 26 of them in the four-match series against Pakistan – although the five Tests he played on the tours of Bangladesh and India were tougher as he claimed just six wickets.James Anderson is also under a fitness cloud after suffering a groin injury last month playing for Lancashire, although he has returned to gentle training.Anderson, Woakes and Stuart Broad would have been England’s likely front-line pace attack to start the South Africa series, supplemented by Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, but there could also be question-marks over the workload Stokes can sustain in Tests due to his troublesome knee. If reinforcements are needed, Mark Wood, Jake Ball, Steven Finn and Toby Roland-Jones would be in the mix.

In January, Australia rested Usman Khawaja from the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series in New Zealand and chose instead to send him to Dubai to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Test series in India. Khawaja, in the end, sat out all four Tests in India, with the selectors preferring Shaun Marsh in his middle-order role.Khawaja, who has not found a place in Australia’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy, has spoken of his frustration at missing the ODIs in New Zealand.”Maybe when I was younger I would have been frustrated [at missing out on the Tests in India],” Khawaja told . “In saying that obviously I would have loved to play in that Test series, [and] when I didn’t get to play in that first Test I was a bit frustrated.”I sort of had an idea I was not going to play in that first Test after I didn’t get a run during the tour match. We played brilliant in that first Test match and we won. I was frustrated at the time, not so much because I didn’t play in that Test match — I understand the selectors, Boof [coach Darren Lehmann] and picking the best team and what was going on and I just want Australia to win.”The most frustrating thing for me was not to play those three ODIs in New Zealand. Getting pulled out from them to come to Dubai to prepare for 10 days and then not play the first Test. So I actually miss out on the one-day matches for Australia. For me that was the tough part.”I got pulled out of that series to prepare for India and then not playing was a bit hard.”Khawaja said he felt better after discussing his situation with Lehmann.”To Boof’s credit I had a chat to him about all that stuff and he came up to me and he actually knew where I was at in that things had not worked out, not being able to play the ODIs and come early to India, he knew exactly where I was coming from,” Khawaja said.”Once I chatted out to him it helped me quite a bit. He has seen it all, he has seen the ups and downs so after I had that discussion with him I was fine. I was just like ‘there are few more ODIs coming up that I can look forward to’. After that chat I was fine and just trying to do the best for the team and be ready in case the opportunity did come up.”An ordinary record in Asian conditions may have hurt Khawaja’s case in the head-to-head against Marsh. Before the India tour, Khawaja had scored 115 runs at 19.16 in four Tests in Asia, and 389 runs at 32.41 in nine first-class matches. Marsh, on the other hand, was seen as a subcontinent specialist, having scored two hundreds in three Tests there, all in Sri Lanka.”It is tough one because the way I look at it was Reny [Matt Renshaw] and [David] Warner were going to open, [captain Steve Smith] was going to play, Petey [Handscomb] was going to play, it was probably going to be between me and Shaun Marsh and he got hundred in the last Test match in Sri Lanka.”The selectors went for a gut feel I assume and that is their job,” Khawaja said. “I’m at a stage now where there are things I can control and there are things I can’t control so I don’t bother worrying too much about it.”I always want to be out there playing cricket. I have not played a Test match in India yet and it is hard fact to take it because at least I can prove to myself and to other people that I can do well out here. But on the same token as the saying goes on in sport ‘if you hang on for too long there is more negative that comes out than positive’.”

Knights handed Cape Cobras a 148-run drubbing after Rudi Second’s sixth List A century set up Knights’ bonus-point victory in Cape Town, a result that helped them remain in contention for the title. It was the Knights’ biggest win in tournament history.Coming off the back of a last-over defeat in the previous game, Knights were dealt the early loss of opener Diego Rosier (16), after being put in to bat. Second, the Knights wicketkeeper, anchored the innings thereon with a 128-ball 104, hitting including eight fours. He was ably supported by Tumelo Bodibe who struck a career-best 93 off 107 balls – studded with eleven fours – and shared a 183-run stand for the second wicket with Second.While the partnership took Knights’ past 200 in 37 overs, it was David Miller’s quickfire 58 that helped Knights amass 300 in 50 overs. Miller, batting at No. 4, hammered six fours and two sixes in his 37-ball knock, and put on 75 off 52 balls with Second for the third wicket before falling to Rory Kleinveldt, who claimed the best returns (3-41) for Cobras.In reply, Knights medium-pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk’s double-strike in the third over set the Cobras back. Dillon du Preez then removed Andrea Agathangelou (24) and Zubayr Hamza (2) as regular wickets had the Cobras reeling at 40 for 5 in the 12th over.Dayyaan Galiem top-scored with 41, and put on 43 runs for the sixth wicket with Aviwe Mgijima (19). Rosier (3-29) then chipped away at the tail with his legspin to help Knights skittle Cobras out for 152 in 32 overs.Farhaan Behardien top-scored for Titans with a 50-ball 45•Gallo Images

Titans beat table-toppers Dolphins by 33 runs in a rain-curtailed contest in Durban to move to within one point of the top spot. Defending 205 from 40 overs, Titans removed the Dolphins openers inside the first three overs, before rain reduced the game further. Just 16 runs, and six overs, were knocked off the revised D/L calculations. Handy cameos from Sarel Erwee (38) and Khaya Zondo (41) kept Dolphins in the hunt, but regular wickets effectively killed the game. Left-arm spinner Shaun von Berg finished with figures of 4 for 40, while medium-pacer Junior Dala took 3 for 26.That Titans had 205 to defend was down to a 71-run, fifth-wicket stand between Farhaan Behardien (45) and Albie Morkel (38), after they were reduced to 73 for 4 in the 21st over. David Wiese provided the required impetus towards the end with a 25-ball 37 that included three fours and two sixes. All five Dolphins bowlers picked up at least one wicket each.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Woakes and Joe Root saw England home with an unbroken 102-run stand•Getty Images

England’s limited-overs resurgence may have been built upon aggressive batting but it was, for the second game in succession, their calm under pressure that led them to victory in Antigua.With their side reeling against a familiar foe – spin bowling – at 124 for 6 and having just lost 4 for 16, Joe Root and Chris Woakes produced an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 102 to take England to a four-wicket victory with 10 deliveries remaining. It means England have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with only Thursday’s game in Barbados to come.This was a far from straightforward win, though. On a two-paced, slow surface that rendered it difficult to time the ball, the batsmen of both sides struggled to dominate.And, had one of the edges offered by Root (on 0 and 51) gone to hand or Rovman Powell and Jason Holder been able to cling on to relatively straightforward chances offered by Woakes on 42 and 58, things might have been different. But Root’s first edge landed just in front of first slip and his second bisected slip and the keeper, and West Indies sorely missed their premier fast bowler, Shannon Gabriel, who was forced off the pitch with a side strain after three overs of his spell.Jason Roy also enjoyed a moment of fortune. He survived a strong appeal for caught behind off Holder before he had scored. And though replays suggested a possible deviation of the ball and there was a sound on the stump microphone, the TV umpire concluded reasonably enough that he did not have enough evidence to overturn the on-field umpire’s not-out decision. Had the host board or host broadcaster been able to come to a deal over the use of ultra-edge – understood to have been priced at £8,000 for this series – there might well have been a different result.Gabriel’s absence allowed Root and Woakes to play out the spinners, rotate the stroke and pick off the runs. The run-rate never rose close to five-an-over and, with Carlos Brathwaite unable to sustain the pressure of the senior bowlers, England simply had to wait for his return and the relatively easy runs that followed. Crucially, while Ashley Nurse and Devendra Bishoo claimed five wickets for 77 from their 20 overs combined, Brathwaite conceded 38 runs in four wicketless overs.It was only Woakes’ second List A 50 for England, with the first (an unbeaten innings of 95) coming in the dramatic tie against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge last year. He might not be the most pleasing or powerful allrounder in this side, but he has a wonderfully equable temperament and perhaps only Root has a better technique with the bat. His six off Carlos Brathwaite, driven over long-off, was one of the shots of the day.Root, playing within himself, hit only three boundaries. But this was exactly the sort of mature contribution that his captain had provided in the first ODI and, in its way, a masterful demonstration of how to control a limited-overs chase.All of which probably makes it sound like an exciting game. And it is true, it rose to a climax of sorts. But just as a rock fall might be dramatic, it doesn’t make the thousands of years of erosion that lead to it great entertainment. This match was not played on a surface that encouraged attractive or, for long periods, entertaining cricket.It may be widely presumed in these parts that hosting England is something close to a licence to print money. And it is true that somewhere approaching 8,000 travelling supporters made up the bulk of the crowd. But if Antigua continues to greet them with tired hotels, roads that make even the shortest journey laborious and wretched pitches that produce stultifying cricket, they may find they spend their money – and their holiday allowance – elsewhere. Nobody wants the homogenisation of pitches but, with the game fighting for its place among other leisure pursuits, we have to provide better entertainment than this to appeal to an audience beyond the die-hard cricket fan.Still, England can’t hide behind that as an excuse for their middle-order fragility. Instead they will accept that the accuracy and variations of the offspinner Nurse and the turn offered by the legspinner Bishoo illustrated flaws that never linger too far from the surface of English cricket: a weakness against spin bowling.Roy ensured a bright start for England with a fluent half-century but it was his dismissal, caught at long-on, that precipitated a collapse that saw England lose five wickets for 37 runs in 10 overs. Morgan was bowled by one that appeared to skid on with the arm, before Jos Buttler edged a late cut – a poor choice of shot with a slip in place – and Moeen Ali was punished for playing back to one that drifted in, pitched and turned to hit the top of off stump. It was fine bowling by Nurse, who didn’t concede a boundary in his 10 overs, in particular. He has looked the best spinner on either side in this series.But with the specialist spinners bowled out, Holder had no choice but to turn to Carlos Brathwaite and his part-time spinners. Brathwaite’s first over back conceded 10, including that six from Woakes, and the pressure eased never to return.West Indies’ batting was inadequate, though. While Kraigg Brathwaite and Jason Mohammed were able to add 72 for the fourth wicket, West Indies’ power hitters failed once more as England’s seamers varied their pace cunningly on a surface offering them enough assistance to render length bowling a reasonable tactic. West Indies were bowled out with 13 deliveries of their allocation unused and mustered only 15 fours in their entire innings.While Root and Woakes attempted, for the most part, to keep the ball on the ground, five of West Indies’ batsmen fell to catches lofted up to the cordon as a result of mis-timed strokes. Liam Plunkett, varying his pace cleverly, added three wickets to the four he took in the first ODI, while Steven Finn became the tenth England bowler to claim 100 ODI wickets. He is also the third quickest in terms of games (he has played 67 ODIs) behind Darren Gough and Stuart Broad, who both achieved the milestone in 62 ODIs.

Australia batsman Nic Maddinson, who missed New South Wales’ clash against Victoria last week, will miss the game against Queensland too, starting February 10, because of “personal reasons”.”Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW advises that Australian and NSW batsman Nic Maddinson will not be available for selection due to personal reasons, until further notice,” CA and CNSW said in a joint statement.In the absence of Maddinson, 18-year-old offspinner Arjun Nair, who made his Shield debut against South Australia in Coffs Harbour last year, has been added to the squad for cover.Maddinson made his Test debut against South Africa in the day-night game in Adelaide, where he fell for a duck. He then made modest scores of 1,4,22, in his next three innings against Pakistan, before being dropped for the third Test against Pakistan at the SCG.”At the end of the day I’ve had my chance and I couldn’t grab it,” Maddinson said last week. “I actually haven’t even thought about playing Test cricket again since.”After being left out of the Test squad, Maddinson linked up with Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League. He scored 75 runs in seven innings.

Ajay Shirke, who was removed as BCCI secretary by the Supreme Court of India, had expressed “concerns” to ECB president Giles Clarke over the BCCI’s ability to host the limited-overs series against England, despite no longer holding office in the Indian board. That was the claim made by Clarke in an email to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, in an email seen by ESPNcricinfo.On January 6, four days after the court ordered Shirke and BCCI president Anurag Thakur to give up their posts with immediate effect, Clarke wrote to Johri about a conversation he had with Shirke. In the email Clarke did not indicate when he received the calls from Shirke, but he refers to him as not being secretary any longer. Both Clarke and Shirke, when contacted, chose not to comment on any communication.Johri, in reply, has offered the ECB assurances of the limited-overs series against India going ahead as planned.”I have received calls from Mr Shirke who I understand is no longer the Honorary Secretary of BCCI,” Clarke wrote. “Can you please confirm to me that the England team will continue to be looked after by the BCCI in the usual fashion, with proper security, player daily allowance payments, hotel bills covered and the like, with transport organised at all times.”Obviously it is entirely a matter for BCCI where matches are played, but please advise soonest that the schedule will be adhered to, or any changes.”Johri replied the same day and assured the ECB that the series would go ahead as planned and that the England squad had “arrived and settled well”.”The BCCI has announced the teams for the warm-up matches, the ODIs and the T20 matches, the ticket sales for which have kicked off with the first game sold out, as of last week,” Johri wrote.The venue of the first ODI between India and England on January 15 is incidentally Pune, where Shirke was president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) for more than nine years. Apart from losing his post as BCCI secretary, Shirke was also unable to continue as MCA president after the court order on January 2 because his term had exceeded the Lodha Committee’s nine-year cap on tenure for BCCI and state office bearers.MCA officials confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that tickets had been sold out nearly three weeks before the match.Johri also told Clarke that the remaining five venues had confirmed hosting the matches. His email stated the BCCI was in control of the situation and that he would oversee the process.”The other venues have shown similar uptake in anticipation of an exciting contest between our teams. As you must have followed, the Supreme Court has delivered their verdict early this week, and we are expected to work with the court-appointed administrators, who will be appointed by the 19th of this month and till such time, we are making every effort to ensure that the matches live up to the expectations of all our stakeholders, including ECB.”We have been in touch with all the hosting centres and they have expressed confidence that the games will be managed successfully, just like always, and as on date, we do not anticipate any form of disruption to the series. Rest assured, I will personally monitor the series as it unfolds and will keep you posted on the progress.”In another email on January 7, Johri asked Clarke to divulge what Shirke had “communicated” in his “calls” in order for BCCI to “assuage any other concerns” the ECB may have.Clarke replied: “His concern was the BCCI and relevant association having funds and expertise to manage security and safety of our players, and transport, allowances, all usual issues for a tour.”In the email chain, ECB chairman Colin Graves also acknowledged Johri’s assurances.Clarke declined to comment on the exchange when contacted. “I am not going to make any comment,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I don’t even know what this is.”Shirke would not confirm whether he had made the call to Clarke and did not comment on the email exchange either. “I have no comments to offer,” he told ESPNcricinfo. Shirke said that people with “obvious malicious and vested” interests were trying to suggest that he was trying to scupper the Pune ODI.”I have got messages from some people in the media that we are obstructing the match [from taking place],” he said. “This is a record opportunity for MCA: my gate collection is INR 6.2 crore and my in-stadia sales is INR 2.2 [crore]. So we have got a total collection of about INR 8.5 crore.”With regard to funds for the associations hosting the matches, on December 7 the court had approved a maximum of INR 25 lakh for each state hosting the three ODIs and three T20Is. The court had rejected the BCCI’s request to release INR 3.79 crore as advance for the limited-overs series.On January 7, Shirke along with other longstanding office bearers of the BCCI and state associations who were removed by the court order on January 2, had an informal meeting in Bangalore to discuss their next step. That meeting had been called by former BCCI president N Srinivasan and included about 24 state associations.The Lodha Committee was formed in January 2015 to determine appropriate punishments for some of the officials involved in the 2013 IPL corruption scandal, and also to propose changes to streamline the BCCI, reform its functioning, prevent sporting fraud and conflict of interest.In January 2016, the committee released its report, which recommended an exhaustive overhaul of the BCCI’s governance and administrative structures. On July 18, the Supreme Court of India approved the majority of the recommendations and directed the Lodha Committee to supervise the BCCI’s implementations of the same. However, despite the Lodha Committee laying out timelines and other directives, the board did not cooperate because it said that its state associations objected to the recommendations. This impasse eventually led to the Supreme Court removing Thakur and Shirke from office on January 2, 2017.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShahid Afridi celebrates with the game’s highest scorer Mohammad Shahzad after taking a wicket•BCB

Six Rangpur Riders bowlers were among the wickets as they strangled Barisal Bulls’ batting to win by 29 runs in Mirpur. Notching up their first win in four matches, Rangpur moved to third while Barisal ended their season in last place.Defending 154, Rangpur’s bowlers never let Barisal settle. Sohag Gazi struck in the first over, removing Rayad Emrit, who had been promoted to open the innings, and dismissing Mushfiqur Rahim in his next over, before Naeem Islam sent back a dangerous-looking Jeevan Mendis, whose five-ball stay included two sixes.Fazle Mahmud added 39 with the opener Dawid Malan before he was dismissed on 21 by Shahid Afridi’s third ball of the match, leaving Barisal 68 for 4. Four balls later, Malan fell for 30 to Anwar Ali with the team’s score unchanged. Rangpur had sent back half of Barisal’s batting within their first ten overs. Thisara Perera looked to hit out, and struck two sixes as he attempted to chase down a now improbable target before Afridi had him caught by Naeem Islam for a 17-ball 24.Liam Dawson then had Shahriar Nafees top-edging to short third-man before pinning Taijul Islam plumb in front with a yorker to finish with figures of 2 for 11. Rubel Hossain, wicketless till then, ended the match with successive, inch-perfect yorkers – the second one a slower version of the first – to rattle the stumps of Monir Hossain and Kamrul Islam Rabbi.In the first innings, Rangpur’s 154 could best be described as a patchy performance. Opener Mohammad Shahzad scored a 40-ball 48 and added 76 for the second wicket with Mohammad Mithun after Soumya Sarkar fell for 17. Shahzad’s innings, which contained four fours and one six, ended in the fifteenth over after he missed a full ball from Emrit that struck him flush on the pad.The 63-ball partnership ended with the team 105 for 2, bringing Afridi to the crease. He played a typical three-ball innings: taking a single, hitting a six – a short ball dispatched straight over the bowler – and holing out to mid-off, off Kamrul. The pacer was expensive – although he took two crucial wickets – going at an economy rate of 9.75 in his four overs.Just as Rangpur seemed set to post a really big total, Mithun, who made a controlled 41-ball 38 attempted a lofted shot off Perera but failed to connect cleanly, only managing to hit it as far as deep midwicket. Perera then removed Anwar Ali as well, before Ziaur Rahman and Dawson added 16 in the last over – including a last-ball six – to take Rangpur to 154.Rangpur Riders have their future in their own hands. A win in their last match against Comilla Victorians assures them of a semi-final spot, while a loss will leave them waiting anxiously on other results to know their fate.